butina, age 29 and u.s. person 1, age 56, are believed to have cohabitated and been involved in a personal relationship during the course of butina's activities in the united states. but this relationship does not represent a strong tie to the united states because maria butina appears to treat it as simply a necessary aspect of her activities. for example on at least one occasion butina offered an individual other than u.s. person 1 sex in exchange for a position within a special interest organization. further in paper seized by the fbi butina complained about living with person 1 and expressed disdain for continuing to cohabitate with u.s. person 1. that was the prosecution last week. they're saying, listen, she's a spy, she's only involved with this guy because it's part of her cover as a spy. today, butina's defense lawyer went off on that. he and his client are absolutely not going to stand for that from the prosecution. he went after them on this specific issue in court today and it didn't go well. def

number 5, butina's "tie" to the united states is a duplicitous relationship. during the course of this investigation the fbi has determined that butina gained access through the u.s. person 1 to an extensive network of u.s. persons in the united states. butina, age 29 and the person age 56 are believed to have cohabittated and been involved in a personal relationship during the kowrcourse of the activities in the united states but does not represent a strong tie to the united states because butina appears to treat it as part of being in the united states. for example on at least one occasion, butina offered an individual other than u.s. person 1 and complained about living with u.s. person one and expressed disdain for having to cohabit with u.s. person one. ouch ouch ouch. if you're u.s. person one, that probably hurt your feelings legal reference, she only has ties to russia. not ties to the united states. if she's out of the courtroom and awaiting trial she will be in russia faster than you can say -- her supposed american boyfriend is an intel operation, n

accusing mariia butina of felony conspiracy. according to this newly filed indictment "the objects of the conspiracy were to act in the united states as an agent of a foreign government, specifically the russian federation to exploit personal connections with u.s. persons having influence on american politics in an effort to advance the interests of the russian federation and to infiltrate organizations active in american politicsing in an effort to advance the interests of the russian federation." the indictment then lays out the manner and means of the conspiracy among the manner and means of the conspiracy with which she is now officially charged prosecutors say bu tin that "attempted to establish unofficial lines of communications with u.s. politicians and political organizations for the purpose of advancing the interests of the russian federation." again, this is now an indictment duly sworn and signed. by jesse lew, the u.s. attorney for the district of columbia. the reason this case is so important to the overall story ar

they brought someone into the mariia butina case. there was a moment where we have the transcript, her lawyer is arguing his client should not be in jail. his client you can see from the sketches, she's sitting there in an orange jail jumpsuit. her lawyer is arguing to the judge about the injustice of that and how unnecessary that is that she is being held in jail. the lawyer said, i submit to you, your honor, she is entitled to leave on her own there could be other conditions that could be set that could give the court assurance of her return but certainly keeping her in jail for what is -- this is not an espionage case, this is not a spying case. her lawyer says. actually, dude, don't look behind you but veteran counter espionage prosecutor from the national security division of the justice department has actually been brought in to try this case. you may not want this to be an espionage case but there's a counter espionage prosecutor and your client is being charged as a russian secret agent. which is something that rhymes with pi

te reporter: butina was arrested on sunday after the f.b.i.aw signs she could be e eparing to flee the country, and today a judge ordered her to continue to be held without bail. butina has pleaded not guilty to all charges. jeff? >> glor: correspondent paula reid. paula, thank you. a report just released by the astional transportation safety board tells of the harrowing moments before a sightseeing plane crashed in alaska last week. passengers apparently saw the looming danger before the pilot. here's kris van cleave. ( radio chatter ) >> reporter: it was a daring 11scue of 11 people from a small plane that crashed into the side of an alaskan mountain. s vestigators now say moments before last tuesday's crash, one passenger texted another to ask the pilot to land. the passenger sitting next to the pilot told the n.t.s.b. he was "uncomfortable" with the worsening weather conditions" shortly before he saw what the pilot missed: "a large mountain loomed directly in front of the airplane." according to the n.t.s.b.'s preliminary report, as visibi

let's get to what you know about maria butina. absolutely extraordinary.ou wrote about her in your book "russian roulette" released earlier this year. i'm curious why she got onto your radar as early as 2016. >> well, look, i during the 2016 campaign began hearing about maria butina and the contacts she was making with nra members and other conservative activists. struck a number of people as odd, it was described to me. she kept showing up at these events. then she had this connection to her boss aleksandr torshin, extreme interest to me, deputy governor of the russian central bank who had been a close ally of vladimir putin when he was a lawmaker. most significantly was under investigation by the spanish national police for his connections to an organized crime money laundering gang in spain. actually the spanish national police had wiretaps of torshin talking to one of the gang leaders in which he's referred to as el pad rino, the got father, they had plans to arrest him this. struck me as a potentially significant set of relationships. on the one hand

says butina coz idea up to n.r.a. officials trying to gain influence. >> an n.r.a.onvention in 2014, 2015, butina met rick santorum, scott walker and bobby jindal along with n.r.a. c.e.o. wain lapierre. >> met with donald trump, jr. in an n.r.a. convention. >> in a campaign i vent in las vegas in july of 2015, she was one of a handful of people who got to ask then candidate donald trump a question. >> do you want to continue the politics of sanctions that are damaging both economy, or you have any other ideas? >> i don't think you'd need the sanctions. i think that we would get along very, very well. >> trevor: yeah. very, very, very, very well. she was so good, she not only got close to the republicans, she also got trump to answer a question. yeah. that's powerful. and i think that's maybe what the american press needs to do. ( cheers and applause ) to actually get on to donald trump. that's all the american press should do. they should just start speaking in russian ac 70s. it's, like, mr. president, jim acosta cnn -- (russian accent). i don't know what it is abo

the fbi claims butina has been cozying up to u.s. politicians and political candidates and top officials of the nra to secretly advance the interests of the russian federation. she's seen here taking pictures with presidential hopefuls like scott walker and bobby jindal. and according to sources, briefly met with donald trump jr. at an nra convention. here's butina at the political conference freedom fest in 2015. >> in russia, i'm the founder and now i'm the board member of the right to bear arms. >> reporter: at the conference, she can be can be heard asking then-candidate donald trump a question about russia. >> do you want to continue the politics of sanctions? >> i know putin, and i'll tell you what. we get along with putin. >> reporter: butina is accused of even trying to get putin an invite to the annual national prayer breakfast and of working to create a back channel of communication with american politicians. according to sources, her operations allegedly under the direction of alexander torshin, one of putin's closest alli

butina has been charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to act as a foreigngent for that power. the 29-year-old entered on a student visa in 2016, but had visited the u.s. several times over the past few years. she took steps to develop american politicians. photos document her with republican congressman scott walker and nra chief wayne lapierre. she was also actively involved in the national prayer breakfast and tried unsuccessfully to arrange a meeting between president trump and vladimir putin. as she tried to make more contact with leaders, she landed on the fbi's radar. investigators allege she had an ongoing relationship with a 56-year-old republican operative strictly for business purposes and was likely in contact with russia's fsb intelligence agency throughout her stay in the u.s. a russian foreign ministry spokeswoman suggested that butina's arrest is part of an effort to undermine u.s. relations. ron hosko said she was looking to be a member. >> show was looking to prapgs come to our convention and take photos with important people. this served h

the case of mariia butina has become the latest in the wrong series of thorns in the side between thetionship of moscow and washington but what is particularly fascinating is it sheds some light on the ways in which these individuals allegedly working for the russian state tried to infiltrate the u.s. establishment and groups like the nra. she appealed directly to the heart of american conservatism combining a passion for guns with a youthful charm. >> i'm representative of russian federation and i am a chairman of the right to bear arms. it's russian nonprofit argue. >> an online profile says butina was born in siberia a year before the fall of the berlin wall and spent her childhood navigating the rocky transition from communism to capitalism. she apparently launched a chain of small furniture stores in her hometown before moving to moscow where it says her interest in expanding the rights of average russian citizens soon caught the attention of the most senior leaders of the russian federation. butina's gun lobbying got her privileged access in the united states, including to the n

but how did it all get to this point for butina?ah murray has more. >> reporter: the young russian gun lover twice applied for visas to attend the national rifle association's glitzy annual meeting. twice she says she was denied. >> maria, thank you. >> reporter: the nra came to moscow. butina hosted a gun conference and charmed nra board member david keen and his associate political operative paul erickson. by april 2014, visa in hand, butina was on her way to indianapolis for the nra's 2014 annual meeting. there, she snapped a pick with nra chief executive wayne la pierre and began blazing a path within u.s. political circles in what authorities allege was a covert operation. her relationship with erickson turned romantic. whether he was duped by his young lover who used him for political connections or lured into a spy operation to influence politics ahead of the 2016 election is unclear. erickson is nearly twice butina's age. >> if you want poushwer, if you want influence, you see a candidate you like, show up and work for them.

court filings, butina offered sex in exchange for a position in a special interest organization in the u.s. and was in close contact with a sanctioned russian national about her work. >> i'm visiting from russia. >> ah. good friend of obama, putin. he likes obama a lot. go ahead. >> my question will be about foreign politics. >> reporter: it's also known that work brought butina into contact with donald trump. the russian lobbyist asking the then presidential candidate in 2015 about russia and sanctions. >> i believe i would get along very nicely with putin. okay? and i mean where we have the strength. i don't think you'd need the sanctions. >> reporter: russian media is kags the butina case as the latest example of anti-russian hysteria in the united states. with kremlin-controlled television track down her father in deepest siberia to plead her innocence. "she had to meet lots of different people for her future profession," valeri butin tells state media. "she did nothing illegal. of that i'm certain," he adds. but there's far less certainty in the united states, where it remains unc

for now, maria butina remains behind bars.red a flight risk given that agents found she had terminated her lease and packed her bags. randi kaye, cnn, new york. >> it's a fascinating story. before we go, quick reminder. don't miss our daily newscast on facebook. you get to pick the stories we cover. it's called full circle, week nights at 6:25 p.m. eastern. go to facebook.com/anderson cooper full circle, all one world. i'll see you tomorrow at 6:25, also again at 360 at 8:00 p.m. right here on cnn. the news continues. i'm going to hand it over to chris and "cuomo prime time." chris? >>> thank you, brother cooper. i am chris cuomo. welcome to "prime time." so what do you do when your biggest adversary attacks your election? president trump is inviting him home for the holidays. yes, trump says a second sit-down is coming and soon. it sounds like a movie, like a drama that plays like a comedy until it is revealed to be a horror flick. welcome to washington, comrade vlad. let's get some perspective. tom donilon has met with putin

release maria butina. and we're learning she may have had the financial support of a russian billionaire. here's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, the russian foreign minister calling the arrest of maria butina unacceptable. she's the 29-year-old russian gun rights activist accused of being a kremlin agent. in a phone call with secretary of state mike pompeo, sergey lavrov complaining about the actions of u.s. law enforcement, saying the charges against butina are fabricated. but u.s. prosecutors accuse her of going to extreme measures to infiltrate the american political system, even offering sex in exchange for a position in one special interest organization. butina, according to sources, getting her direction from one of vladimir putin's allies, alexander torshin. the two seen here at the national prayer breakfast. prosecutors believe she was trying to advance the interests of the russia federation. even getting close enough to then-candidate donald trump to ask this question. >> do you want to con

with their spy maria butina. s♪ ( laughter ) she was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of the russian federation within the united states without prior notification to the attorney general. what?! i didn't know spying is okay if you just get the attorney general to sign a permission slip? "to whom it may concern, please excuse maria from the law. sincerely, jefferson beauregard-ovich sessions." ( laughter ) prosecutors asked that butina be detained ahead of her trial. they say she's a flight risk because of "her history of deceptive conduct, the strong evidence of guilt, and her extensive foreign connections." oh my god, donald trump is also a flight risk! ( laughter ) check the airport for a white man, 6'3", wig made of moldy hay-- if you see him fleeing the country, let him go. ( laughter ) ( cheers and applause ) ( piano riff ) but here's the deal -- butina does have ties in the united states. for example, she was in a relationship with longtime republican insider and pennywise without the makeup, pau

her attorneysaid,quote, there is simply to indication of butina seeking to influence or undermine anyfic policy or w or the united states. only at most, to promote a better relationship between the two nations. no comment yet from the lindsay tts, fox 5 local wane i. >>> presint ts white hacouse to rapping up his summit with e vladimir putin. two men taked pte helsinki finland brieforelyva aids joine for lunch. it's the president's comments during a news conference after the summited that trigger major fire sistnt.orms seemed to acce tin's denial t not med dell in the election >> my people came to me, dan came to me and some others and said they think it's ruia, i ha said it's not russia. reasont d hybe., >> host chris wallace sat down for an exclusive interview with vladimir putin anight. putingain, denied russi meddling the people are talking about interference of russia with election process in the united stat. ive mentioned this i hwatn ur aca listeners to listeno what isay. first all, russia as a state has never interferedffh the internal aairs of the united states.>> president's

and pierre, butina pleaded not guilty today. her lawyer insisting she's not a flight risk? >> reporter: he said she's no flight risk. had her residence searched in april, and did not flee. but prosecutors successfully argued she could go to an embassy or get into a diplomatic vehicle and be beyond law enforcement's reach. david? >> thank you. >> now po to the wildfire dangers expanding in the west and 48 large fires burning now. a new fire erupting near portland, oregon. already exploding in size, several structures burning to the ground. and near yosemite, two firefighters injured. campgoers warned to be ready to leave. here's clayton sandell. in the fire zone for us tonight. >> reporter: we're in a bit of a precarious position. there's fire below and above us on this ridge. but look and see just how steep and treacherous this terrain is. for firefighters. the ferguson fire, over 17,000 acres. about 1,800 firefighters trying to contain it. they are getting some good news from the weather. they expect this thunderstorms to move in. they could bring rain but they could also

butina has pleaded not guilty to all charges. jeff? >> correspondent paula reid. paula, thank you. >>> a report just released by the national transportation safety board tells of the harrowing moments before a sightseeing plane crashed in alaska last week. passengers apparently saw the looming danger before the pilot. here's kris van cleave. >> reporter: it was a daring of an alaskan mountain.m a sma investigators now say moments before last tuesday's crash one passenger texted another to ask the pilot to land. the passenger sitting next to the pilot told the ntsb he was "uncomfortable with the worsening weather conditions" shortly before he saw what the pilot misses, "a large mountain loomed directly in front of the airplane." according to the ntsb's preliminary report, as visibility went to zero the pilot, 72-year-old mike hudgins, told investigators he tried to turn around but he became disoriented, thinking he saw a body of water. the plane was equipped with floats and thus could have landed. instead, it crashed. we talked to the coast guard crew that rescued

. >>> new tonight, free maria butina.n that's been launched by russia's foreign ministry for the alleged kremlin spy after her arrest in washington. russian diplomats have also visited her in the detention center where she's being held until trial. a federal judge agreed she is a flight risk so she has to stay in custody. randi kaye tonight tracks her path which, as you know, once crossed with the trump campaign. >> i'm visiting from russia. my question will be about foreign politics. >> reporter: that's how close this accused russian spy got to then candidate donald trump this july 2015. at freedom fest in las vegas. her name is maria butina. >> i believe i would get along very nicely with putin, okay? >> reporter: that same woman now charged with conspiracy and acting as an agent of the russian government. the 29-year-old graduate student from american university is accused of using sex and deception to cozy up to high-level politicians and steer them toward moscow's objectives. prosecutors say she had a personal relati

when we come back, the curious case of a woman named maria butina. a russian spy and could she be the key to a connection she be the key to a connection between thit was here. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. warfarin interferes with at least 6 of your body's natural blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor. for afib patients well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. xar

it was his decision that maria butina would accompany him as an interpreter.se has been charged in maria butina's alleged scheme, including these russians who allegedly helped her out, but we could get more information on wednesday. that's when she is expected to be back in court. erin? >> thank you very much, sara, who again has been following this story since the beginning. thanks to all of you for joining us. we'll see you back here tomorrow night. "ac 360" with anderson begins right now. >>> good evening. it's been seven days since president trump and vladimir putin sat down together behind closed doors of the summit in helsinki. seven days and the white house still will not give a detailed account of what went on between them, what was said, what was decided. and now the president seems to be eagerly trying to do his best to change the subject, tweeting dire threats in all caps at iran, trying to gas light the public yet again about the fbi surveillance warrants that four republican nominated judges approved targeting carter page, a former foreign policy

matthew, what are we learning about maria butina?ter: well, first of all, this case of maria butina has become yet another thorn in the side of the very difficult relationship between moscow and washington. what i think is most fascinating about this saga is what it tells us about the lengths to which russia has, apparently, gone to try to infiltrate america political organizations. using every weapon in their arsenal. she appealed directly to the heart of american conservatism. combining a passion for guns with a youthful charm. >> i'm a representative of russian federation here, and i'm a chairman of the rights to bear arms. it's a russian nonprofit organization. >> reporter: unlike profile, butina was born in siberia, a year before the fall of the berlin wall. and spent her childhood navigating the rocky transition from communism to capitalism. she apparently launched a chain of small furniture stores in her home town before moving to moscow where it says her interests in expanding the rights of average russian citizens caught the

in the case against maria butina, accused of being a secret federal agent working for torshin on this russian influence operation in the u.s., one of the things we learned in the charging documents is how she spent election night for 2016. according to online conversations the fbi says it obtained, just a couple of hours after the election was called for trump, maria and torshin discussed online who trump was going to nominate as secretary of state. a couple days later, according to the fbi, butina sent torshin a message who she predicted might be the secretary of state and she asked torshin

and butina pleaded not guilty today. >> reporter: she said she's no flight risk. had her residence searched in april, and did not flee. but she could get to an embassy and get beyond law enforcement reach. david? >> thank you. >>> and 48 large fires burning now. a new fire erupting near portland, oregon. and near yosemite, two firefighters injured. campgoers warned to be ready to leave. here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: there's fire below and above us on this ridge. but look and see just how steep and treacherous thiser terrain . the ferguson fire, about 1,800 firefighters trying to contain it. but good news, some thunderst m thunderstorms are expected. but they could also bring dry lightning and high. o the miracle boys going home tonight. for the first time, we're hearing from the 12 boys rescued from the cave in thailand. james longman is back in thailand tonight. >> reporter: the team the whole world supported. telling the world about their terrifying ordeal. they say they tried digging out of the cave. after two days, they say hunger set in. so they stayed

. >> mary butina. >> reporter: news 4 obtained this video of 29-year-old mary butina graduating from american university in may. she got a master's degree in international service and cyber policy, but new court papers say butina is a covert russian agent who was posing as student. the court papers say she attended classes and completed courses with outside help. trevor was in butina's finance class last september. he now works as a freelance employee at nbc 4. >> it's mind-boggling. i can't believe i shared classroom with this girl. i know she's 29 years old, which is also ao little strange me. i guess she was a graduate iudent. the fahared a classroom with her and she was studying like everybody else is pretty rd to grasp. >> reporter: maria butina was arrested on monday. in court her lawyer entered a not guilty plea, saying this is not espionage, this is not a spy case. nothing allegar did anything that was illegal or unlawful, but federalos utors convinced the judge that butina is a flight risks i sh released from custody. she's already moved out of her d.c. apartment and cldvoid

the case of the accused russian operative maria butina. according to reuters, butina has far more extensive contact with washington officials than previously known, including meetings back in 2015 with obama treasury department officials and at the federal reserve. robert driscoll, maria butina's laywer, joins us now to tell us what else the media may be missing here in the story. i know that you met with your client today. how is she? >> i did. he's in protective custody in d.c. jail. overall, the baseline fact that she's in jail, she's doing pretty well. >> laura: how did she find you to represent her? >> i had a previous client through a friend of a friend recommended me when she got a letter from congress. >> laura: she told congress last year that she received some funding from a russian oligarch. >> she said that in april. >> laura: okay. why was he funding her? >> she founded a gun rights group in russia. she grew up in siberia. she moved from moscow. she founded a gun rights group. it's different in russia than it is here. you don'

suspected spy maria butina is jailed.are casting american christians as pawns of the russians. mike huckabee has a lot to stay up say about that. the governor will talk about it next. ♪ (harmonica interrupts) ...by just calling or going online to geico.com. (harmonica interrupts) (sighs and chuckles) sorry, are you gonna... (harmonica interrupts) everytime. geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. i'm ray and i quit smoking with chantix. i tried cold turkey, i tried the patch. they didn't work for me. i didn't think anything was going to work for me until i tried chantix. chantix, along with support, helps you quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. i needed that to quit. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. some people had changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, or suicidal thoughts or actions with chantix. serious side effects may include seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel probl

united states of america versus maria butina. the prosecutors. the deputy says this is an initial appearance and arrest warrant and this case is currently sealed. the judge says good afternoon. he says good afternoon, your honor. the judge says mr. kennerson, the court was informed before the case, before the court took the bench, that the united states intended to move to unseal this matter. i will hear from you now. and the prosecutor says yes, your honor, the government does move to unseal this case including the complaint and related documents. the judge says thank you very much. that motion will be granted. so at that moment the case is unsealed. that's the first moment that we got any publicly facing information that this had happened. now, the courtroom deputy says please stand and raise your right hand. she does it. whereupon she was duly sworn. now, good afternoon. will you please state your full name for the record. she says, maria butina. the court says thank you. you may be seated. and he says, before we begin, may i address you to in

he was the one that was working with butina.point she emailed him or messaged him after donald trump was elected and said i'm awaiting further orders. it sounds like it's out of a bad spy novel. >> absolutely. i mean, it's sexy stuff. i use that word intentionally because she was using her sex appeal to have a relationship with a republican operative. based on my reading of the materials, not only was she trying to solicit sex for a position in another organization, but it doesn't sound like it's the nra. it sounds like it's probably another conservative organization. i think politically where this is going to go is anyone's guess because who knows how many other organizations she was trying to infiltrate or at least had access to, and now four months before an election the nra gives a lot of money to a lot of people. if we already know that she was involved with the nra, torshin was involved in giving money to the nra, this is going to become a potentially hot button issue. >> julia, what will you be watching out for in this? >

butina posted on her webte that she studied tai chi. today we wenthere and showed her picture to the owner and a personal trainer. they both say they don't believe they and never saw her there. >> based on the photos that we've just looked at for, like, the last ten minutes and stuff, i would say it's not the same woma i'm sorry. >> reporter: the government says butina is a flight risk if released from custody. she's already moved out of her d.c. apartount and avoid justice by going to an embassy or diplomatic compound. she's been indicted for acting as a foreign agent at the direction of a high-level official in the russian government. federal procutors here in d.c. have her laptop and phone as evidence. they say she worked u with a. citizen to manage introductions to people with influence in american politics, including an organization promoting gun rights. which has been identified as the nra. ifutina is convicted of being an unregistered foreign agent for russia, she cou face up to ten years in prison. her lawyer entered a not guilt

and butina landed a prime spot at the 2017 national prayer breakfast.wly minted president. >> this gathering is a testament to the power of faith. >> reporter: butina's lawyer insists she's not a russian agent, just a bright american university graduate who was looking at most to promote a better relationship between the two nations. >> so far the national rifle association hasn't commented on its relationship with maria butina. as for her, she will be in court here in washington, d.c. tomorrow we will see if she and her lawyer decide to fight these charge ands what kind much plea she decides to enter. erin? >> sarah, thank you. i want to go to harry sandik, former u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york and julia, correspondent for gq magazine who interviewed butina in the past. julia, let me start with you. you know, she got in the same room with some really important people again and again, the national prayer breakfast, general michael flynn was there in 2017. donald trump, jr. at an nra event. donald trump himself at a campaign event in

when we come back, the curious case of a woman named maria butina. a russian spy and could she be the key to a connection between the russians infiltrating the nra? hi, kids! i'm carl and i'm a broker. do you offer $4.95 online equity trades? great question. see, for a full service brokerage like ours, that's tough to do. schwab does it. next question. do you offer a satisfaction guarantee? a what now? a satisfaction guarantee. like schwab does. man: (scoffing) what are you teaching these kids? ask your broker if they offer award-winning full service and low costs, backed by a satisfaction guarantee. if you don't like their answer, ask again at schwab. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not cau

since ericsson previously said he co-founded a company with butina to fund the graduate studies. kilo tv asked ericsson if he tried to set up a meeting of trump and putin. i was wondering if you would talk to us about the "the new york times" reporting about you trying to set up a meeting between president trump and putin? >> oh! yeah. it didn't exactly happen that way. >> reporter: federal judge has just ruled maria butina will remain in jail with no bond until the trial. rors argued today she was a flight risk and also in court they disclosed that american she was in a relationship with who we reported as ericsson, they say he was under investigation for fraud in south dakota and that butina offered to help with the case and of course, jake, she is behind bars and pleaded not guilty today. >> curiouser and curiouser. thanks so much. follow me on facebook and twitter. tweet the show. our coverage continues with wolf blitzer in "the situation room." thanks so much for watching. >>> happening now, cleanup. president trump seems to directly contradict the u.s. intelligence communit

but it's inclear unclear whethe for him or butina.h school behind her, she was planning a move to sioux city with ericsen. day after buying moving boxes she was arrested. now erickson is not explicitly named in the butina indictment but they do match the operatives that assisted her. he's not charged in the butina case but he's under questioning for fraud. >> what a story that is. thanks very much. sara murray reporting. >>> just ahead, there's more information coming to light that president trump was recorded by his former fixer michael cohen discussing a payment to pay an x-play buoy model. >>> and 17 people are dead including nine member of one family after a duck boat sinks at a popular vacation spot. liberty mutual saved us almost $800 when we switched our auto and home insurance. with liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. hey! oh, that's my robe. is it? when you switch to liberty mutual, you could save $782 on auto and home insurance. and still get great coverage for you and your family. call for a

butina, who is 29, was arrested sunday.he is charged with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of the russian government. the case against her is complicated and the court documents are sometimes deliberately vague about the people or organizations with whom butina is alleged to have made contact. but investigators appear to be focusing on her contacts with the nra and the republican party. butina, by the way, studied in washington from 2015 to 2017 and in 2015 she attended a libertarian event in las vegas and asked ben-candidate trump about his view of russia. >> do you want to continue the politics of sanctions that are damaging of both economies? >> i believe i would get along very nicely with putin, okay? and i mean, where we have the strength. i don't think you need to sanctions. i think that we would get along very, very well. >> butina was directed by a crime unofficial to attend two national prayer breakfast meetings and to organized russian-american "friendship and dialogue dinners" in washington. butina'

we expect maria butina. on charges that she operated as a secret russian agent in this country, working on behalf of the russian government to affect the conservative movement and the republican party in the 2016 election. just tonight the judge in the case filed memorandum about why butina should stay in jail and not get bail while she awaits charges. as is the case in many court filings, the footnotes here turned out to be the best part including this footnote here on the bottom of page 6. this is an issue we pulled out of a transcript from her last court hearing. this is about u.s. person one, right? the unnamed person who is described in the maria butina transcript. u.s. person one not named in the documents in conjunction with the case but he's been widely reported to be a republican named paul ericson. who is described as her boyfriend or her fake boyfriend just for spying purposes, depending on whether you ask the defense or the prosecution. we still haven't seen any changes against mr. erickson, and

the indictment for mariia butina reads like a spy novel. the government claims she was willing to go to extreme measures to infiltrate the u.s. political system and the nra. prosecutors accuse the 29-year-old of offering sex in exchange for a position inside an undisclosed special interest organization. one of her alleged russian contacts joked in one message about her high profile in the united states saying you've upstaged anna chapman. she poses with toy pistols while you are being published with the real ones, a reference to another redheaded russian arrested for spying in 2010. investigators say butina was involved in a personal relationship with an unidentified american who was instrumental in aiding her covert influence operation. and now there's growing questions about this moment at a 2015 conference when she asked then candidate trump about russia. >> do you want to continue the politics of sanctions? >> i believe i would get along very nicely with putin, okay. and i mean where we have the strength. i don't think you'd need the sa

the russian embassy started a free maria butina social media campaign.now this isn't necessarily specific to her case but i don't understand how these things work. will they be able to get her out of jail? what's the impact of the russian government having a role in assisting in her case? >> you want to take that? >> i can start. it's standard to be have consular notification under the vienna convention. that's normal. it doesn't mean they have an outsized role or getting her out of jail. she will have separate representation as her criminal defense attorney but the russian government is notified as a matter, of course, like any government would be notified when had one of their nationals was arrested here in the united states. >> they'll have access to her to advise her and to advise her counsel but no technical role in the legal proceed sflgs. >> they're not a party. the party is maria butina on one hand as the defendant and the united states on the other. the prosecutor. the united states in this case moved for her detention. counsel russian governmen

when we come back, the curious case of a woman named maria butina. was she a russian spy and could she be the key to a connection between the russians infiltrating the nra? your mornings were made for better things than psoriatic arthritis. as you and your rheumatologist consider treatments, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for psoriatic arthritis. taken with methotrexate or similar medicines, it can reduce joint pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepati

butina came to the u.s. on a student visa but the government's criminal complaint argues her legal status was predicated on deception working on behalf of the russian government until her arrest sunday. federal prosecutors say butina infiltrated the national rifle association and conservative organizations in order to influence the 2016 presidential election. search waants uncovered he had communicatiowith russian intell message exchange from 2016 between butina and a russian official referring to her acting covertly. a russian official tells her, you project shouldn't be going as an observer from russia. the risk of provocation is too high. butina replied, i agree. right now, everything has to be quiet and careful. russian officials say this arrest undermines monday's summit between president trump and russian president vladimir putin. three years ago, butina questioned then candidate trump during a freedom festival in las vegas. >> do you want to continue the politics of sanctions or do you have any other

a federal judge ordered marina butina held without bond, according to court documents, the 29-year-oldsed sexual favors to try to influence american politicians and infiltrate political organizations. prosecuts suggest butina used her gunby lobing efforts to get close to people at the nra and dc technology consultant said butina called seeking rm infoion about a client's vulnerabilits. >> she contacted the orga while this organizationontini was sufferint of -- socially e-mails hacking tips against the website. f seeking to talk about the vulnerabilities and it was verye g businesses, nonp erovery day. peopleee nd the threats se ously. >>> her attorney insists she's recent earned a degree in american unersity. butina ent not guilty er a plea, being held without bond act federal judge agreed she bwi a flight risk. trump walked back his comments from his summit with vladimir putin. he did another about face at a cabinet meeting, the president broke ranks with the national intelligence dirtor and said russia does not pose a threat to the u.s., tomitzgerald is live on capite hill with on we

according to reporting, butina spent years making in-roads to promote russian interests. she and kremlin linked banker had close ties with the leadership of the national rifle association. it appeared to use that group as the primary avenue of influence. the nra did not respond to a request for comment. during the campaign, she tried to arrange a covert back channel of communication with then candidate trump and russian president putin. although it doesn't appear they were successful. as for butina, her lawyer insists she is not a russia agent but graduate student living in the u.s. and trying to foster a better relationship with u.s. and russia. sara murray, cnn, washington. >>> thank you. >> if you ran into trouble on amazon's web site yesterday, you were not alone. they were rough. more on the prime day problems next. i'm a small business, but i have... big dreams... and big plans. so how do i make the efforts of 8 employees... feel like 50? how can i share new plans virtually? how can i download an e-file? virtual tours? zip-file? really big files? in seconds, not min

the fbiie butina used the nationalfa prayer b hercelu iene messagerom election. time will ll, we made b our gat i will be connectingom thest pr this group. >>as in touch withutina's w attorney, g me a s that client . thatise therg chaesown, erd she was just trying to stablish friendlysh her attorney there's simply no indication of her seeking to influence or undermining policy or law or the united states. only at most, to promote a better ben t rnsatio twop nations. no yet from the nra. lindsay watts fox 5 local let's. we're stay de, werobablunmfortaa we'rf c termye heerquter. itivas tngs settled unear,sdoto rmde for test of an.night. veill 83rist th with a a ou andh we'lluggle srn.li sotr iaisbt is 7ow, 77 75n n winche instner dc. overnight mostly cloudy and warm, when you wake you're already startin, gup off day in. we cold front approaching, we should get into af '90s ahead of i by mid n, tt may be stron will be rolling th look at the d.eaack to loh, stillse c for you. >>> president trump back home after a summit with vladimir putin and the president said rks

associated with butina big names, how do you sympathy butina worked her way into their circles?at's interesting about mariia, when we think about spies, we think about somebody that the russian security service has identified as having a weakness of some kind. they cultivate this person and exploit them. over years they try to work them and get classified information from the government. that's not what we're talking about, we're talking about a fast fail achieve approach. it worked. it didn't cost her much to get in here. she got within circles of people -- the typical russian approach. lest go in for the divisions and society, let's put somebody there. the people on that division, whether the nra, welcomed this person in with open arms, not realizing what their credentials are and where they're coming from. >> you said fast fail fail chief, explain that? >> she doesn't take years to cultivate, didn't take her money to get in here and it wasn't hard. we're not talking about the americans, right. we're not talking about the show where you try to get someone deep within the gover

butina raised red flags long before her arrest.ina embraced the russia that's so public that people affiliated with american university. >> pete williams haves be been following today's hearing closely. what happens next? >> the government will start to hand over evidence as required by dove iscovery rules. when they seize butina's computer and phone and other electronic devices, they had some where about eight tera bytes of data. they're worried that defense will try to share it publicly so they asked for a protective order. these are axcommon in trials whe the government is obligated to provide information to defense. the judge will order the defense not to make it public and the judge will indicate that she will do that as well. the next step will be a hearing on whether she can get out of jail while she awaits trial. this was largely about resolving discovery matter. she was arrested and had her couple of court appearance before a federal magistrate and now before the district court judge. they like to know what the case is. >>