Cnn newsroom. Im Paula Reid In Washington tonight in russia, president Vladimir Putin is proclaiming Russian Unity after polls closed in a three today president ial election, with no genuine Opponent Running against him. Putin is expected to win, keeping him in office until 2030 and continuing as russias longestserving leader since soviet dictator Joseph Stalin cnns Matthew Chance is in moscow matthew, what else did putin have to say tonight well, it was a, an extraordinary post election sort of makeshift Press Conference, Ad Hoc Press Conference that he gave two members of the press, the local press the Foreign Press as well. There were members, theyre asking various questions. He just finished giving his thank you speech to volunteers and to supporters in the auditorium, saying that the election victory, that the final results hasnt come in yet, but the election victory a represented essentially, and im paraphrasing him here. A mandate for his continued work in the country, which we
Outcome was never in doubt. Vladimir putin is expected to win the vote that will keep his grip on power through 2030 he has already russias longestserving ruler since soviet dictator joseph stalin. Weve got full coverage for you. Cnns may chances in moscow. Fred pleitgen is in berlin and also with this cnn contributor and former Moscow Bureau chief, jill dougherty, matthew, lets begin with you. Despite the lack of opposition, there were acts of defiance, werent there today there have been quite a few actually, but louk, the preliminary results are just coming in and that theyre very high, which is expected. Were looking at something in the region of 88 votes for Vladimir Putin. Thats with about 25 of the votes counted. And a turnout of well over 70 . So these are extraordinary high results, even by the standards of an election of Vladimir Putin. But youre right, its not been a totally unified and stable election period that has been a lot of defiance, acts of defiance at Polling Statio
plus, he s already shaking up the 2024 race, hoping to be a third party nominee. but democrats are growing worried tonight about cornell west and whether or not he could tip the election in donald trump s favor. he s here to respond. and drug bust? the secret service has given up trying to find a suspect in the cocaine case that the white house has now closed. but questions still remain. i m kaitlan collins, and this is the source. tonight, my sources have confirmed that jared kushner testified last month in the special counsel s january 6th probe. questioned before a federal grand jury that is investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election by donald trump and his allies. kushner, of course, is trump s son-in-law and was trump s senior adviser in the white house. according to one source, the grand jury is asking whether or not trump had been told he had lost the election. back in 2020 in december, after trump had lost that election, i reported that kushner was one of
illegal arms dealer and lied to authorities about all of those things and now is actually on the run after being indicted? that s who james comer and the republican party is defending? that is. this so-called whistle-blower is now facing charges on all of that. that s interesting. we ll have more on that. interesting tact for any party. republican senator tommy tubberville of alabama is backing up on comments about white nationalists serving in the military wait. i m confused here. you have the republicans in the house who are supporting a guy who like funnels illegally iranian oil to the communist chinese and is an illegal arms trafficker and illegal agent for the communist chinese and then on the senate side, you have a 57, 58-year-old guy from alabama who refuses to call white nationalists racists? is this i guess i don t know, is this their 2024 strategy? and senator tuberville had been to be dragged kicking and screaming to that position. he said i de