the group includes republicans mccain and graham, along with democratic senator, chuck schumer, the incoming minor te leader, and jack reed. in a joint statement, they warn, quote, this cannot become a partisan issue. the stakes are too high for our country. senator mccain spelled out his concerns. listen. >> because it is clear the russians interfered. whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a certain candidate, i think that's a subject of investigation. but the facts are stubborn things. they did hack into this campaign. the russians have interfered in a lot of other elections. the russians have hacked into some of our most secret military information. the russians have been active, using as a tool, as part of vladimir putin's ambition to regain russian prominence and

dominance in parts of the world. >> president-elect donald trump does not believe u.s. intelligence reports that conclude that russia intervened in order to try to help him weapon the white house. here is what he said. >> i think it is ridiculous. i think it is just another excuse. i don't believe it. they have no idea if it is russia or china or somebody. it could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. i mean, they have no idea. >> why would the cia put out this story, that the russians wanted you to win? >> i'm not sure they put it out. i think the democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country. >> cnn's ryan nobles joins me live outside of trump tower in new york. just to clarify something there, this was not, you know, one of the greatest electoral college wins in history. but beyond that, moving to the substance of all of this, what is expected from this bipartisan push? >> poppy, there is a clear disconnect here between how the president-elect views the situation and how this group of

bipartisan senators view it. it is brewing a potential, big showdown in washington here over the next several weeks. it is clear the senators feel this is a problem that needs to be investigated. they're not going to just accept the fact that president-elect trump thinks that there isn't a problem here. listen to what chuck schumer, the incoming minority leader in the senate, had to say about it this morning. >> the fact that the cia and fbi disagree shows the need for a bipartisan investigation that gets to the bottom of this. the investigation should be tough, strong and bipartisan. and should have access to all materials, classified and not. >> there is a lot raises, inclu the trump administration will handle the relationship with russia. the president-elect doesn't believe russia was behind the attack. it is clear that mccain, schumer and others clearly believe the russians were behind it.

there are also going to be questions that if congress pushes for a full investigation, how cooperative will a trump administration be in making that happen? if the president-elect doesn't think there is a problem here, it could make things very difficult for congress to push forward on this. it is going to be an important issue to look for as trump takes office here in a few weeks. poppy? >> ryan reporting for us live outside trump tower. thank you so much. in 40 days, president-elect donald trump will take the oath of office. let's bring in our panel. joining me, ron brownstein, editor for the atlantic. betsy, and the former cia counterterrorisma counterterrori counterterrorism analyst. bipartisanship, not something we see much, especially these days on capitol hill. you have it in this statement that ryan reported on. do you expect the president-elect to be supportive, fully supportive of a bipartisan investigation? >> look, we have a tconfrontatin that may escalate to a crisis.

you have an extraordinary circumstance. you've had the intelligence community make two separate conclusions. the first, broadly aaccepted, was it was russia that was behind the hacks that royaled the 2016 election. the second, most recent conclusion was from the cia that russia did that to benefit donald trump. donald trump hasn't accepted neither of the steps. he rejected again today the first, that the evidence points toward russia being involved at all. so you have this incredible separation of the incoming president not only from the intelligence community, but as john mccain said facts were stubborn things, he was quoting ronald reagan, using that in response to donald trump. john mccain also said on "face the nation" today he'd prefer a bipartisan special committee to do the investigation. while that is being ironed out, the armed services committee, under the direction of lindsey graham, is going to go ahead. like it to r not for donald trump, an investigation is

coming. >> lindsey graham, who we'll get to this a moment, also saying some things, he is concerned and unnerved by the potential pick of rex tillerson as secretary of state, given the russia ties. we'll get to that. but given your experience at the cia, talk to me about what position this puts incoming cia director pompeo in. when he comes in, a lot of the same folks work for him that work for the current director. donald trump doesn't aglree wit what they found. >> he doesn't agree on this one bit of information, which is politicized. there is the reality of russian -- >> why is it obviously politicized? >> i was about to say. there is the reality of the hacking that occurred, that most people for months, by the way, have known or believed at least with high confidence that russia was behind. then there is the motive behind it. specifically, was this to help donald trump? that hasn't actually come out in

any official report. it is what -- >> it is what the cia believes. it is not what all of the intelligence officials believe. >> okay. the cia is one of 16 intelligence ajgencieagencies. it is not officially saying that. the "washington post" reported on sources who were unnamed within the agency, who are making that claim. it was also reported in the same "washington post" article, not everyone in the cia agrees with that assessment. that jump is critical here. >> you're saying not everyone in the cia agrees with that assessment. has someone told you that? >> any assessment written in the cia of significance, somebody disagrees. >> you're making an assumption? >> the "washington post" said this isn't a unanimous consensus opinion within the cia. they're talking to a few sources from inside that are saying this. but if that is, in fact, the case, we should be allowed to know. there should be an investigation here. the facts should come out. it is troubling that russia tried to interfere -- or did interfere in the u.s. election. this is all used as part of a broader narrative to undermine the trump administration before it takes day one in office.

that's what this is about. that's why -- >> let me get betsy in here and i'll get back to you, ron. here's how the president-elect put it in this interview this morning with chris wallace. >> they have no idea if it is russia or china. or somebody. it could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. it could be russia. i don't really think it is, but who knows? i don't know either. they don't know, and i don't know. >> he's saying they don't know. betsy, do you think that that assessment or the trust in the vasty of information -- voracity of information will change once his guy is leading the cia? >> it is a difficult duo answto. it is unprecedented and trump would say the cia doesn't know russia may have been involved in the hacks. broadly speaking, the intelligence community has come to the consensus that russian government actors were connected to the hacking of this information. it is not particularly controversial.

it is extraordinary that trump would suggest the opposite is true. it just is baffling. it is something that i think is going to cause problems for him going forward. i think to the point about the idea that this entire investigation, the calls for an investigation are part of a narrative to undermine donald trump. we have to be careful suggesting there are news stories that don't deserve coverage because those stories might have the effect of making people ask important questions about the way our elections get handled. that said, of course, i think it is unlikely the russian hacking actually swayed the outcome of the election. hillary clinton's top staffers say they believe a part of the reason she lost was because of comey's decision to reopen the investigation into her e-mail situation. of course, james comey is not a russian mole. that said, of course, this is a really complicated story. it is a really important story and has massive implications. >> i don't think buck is suggesting this shouldn't be covered. what you're saying is you believe -- >> not at all. >> -- it is politicized. >> it is part of a larger

narrative that is obviously politicized. once again, it has gone beyond the facts. russian interference in the election is not the same as russian impact in the election, which even the people -- some of the loudest voices on this have been saying, it probably didn't change the outcome. they can't provide evidence to that fact. also, russia specifically wanted trump to win as opposed to undermining our electoral process. that is been additional leap that is not supported. >> let me get ron back -- >> between fake news, the russian interference in the election, the fib direbi direct. it is best to accept their lost the election because they had an imperfect candidate who couldn't get it done. >> buck, you have senators in your own party saying, you know, this needs to be investigated. >> they're not making the additional leaps. they're not saying this is the kremlin determining elections. what is being said on the internet, the stuff is out of control. >> donald trump has not accepted -- as you saw clearly in the clip, donald trump has not accepted what you have just

described as fact, which is the broad consensus that russia was intervening in the election. it is not only he's rejected the conclusion they were intervening to support him. he has again, as recently as today in the interviews this week with "time," he rejected the broad consensus that they intervened at all, which raises the question of what will be his relationship to conclusions reached by the intelligence community? >> that is another leap. donald trump knows -- he knows that he is in the midst of a media war with the left. most of the media trying to undermine him before he takes day one in office. yeah, he's going to smack down a lot of the accusations out of hand in a reflective manner. >> buck, you may believe -- >> is it a -- >> i'm sorry. >> is it an accusation, that russia intervened in the election o a fact? >> i used to write but i don't anymore. donald trump can ask the intelligence community whatever he wants. he'd have more information on

that than i would. i do believe russia was involved and i believe the reports stretching back for months. the new bit of information, the reason we're talking about this this weekend, is that it is now specific that they wanted trump to win. it is specific they wanted trump to win and, tleherefore, we can trust anything he does with russia. that's a leap too far. >> you bring up the presidential daily briefing. not only something going to the president-elect right now. he is taking it once a week. it is going to the sitting president. this is something the sitting president is also investigating. much more ahead with all of you. thank you very much. ron, betsy and buck. ahead this hour, a lot to get to. russia reacts. what is it saying to the accusation in what is the kremlin saying? live in moscow. also, exxonmobil chairman and ceo, tillerson, the top candidate for secretary of state. his links to president putin raising more than eyeeyebrows. later, who killed john bben

ramsey? you're live in the cnn newsroom. ♪ mapping the oceans. where we explore. protecting biodiversity. everywhere we work. defeating malaria. improving energy efficiency. developing more clean burning natural gas. my job? my job at exxonmobil? turning algae into biofuels. reducing energy poverty in the developing world. making cars go further with less. fueling the global economy. and you thought we just made the gas. ♪ energy lives here. my budget used toespecially downer. around the holidays. but thanks to fingerhut.com, we can shop over 700,000 items from brands like samsung, kitchenaid and lego. all with low monthly payments. ♪ i'm not a customer, but i'm calling about that credit scorecard. give it.

sure! it's free for everyone. oh! well that's nice! and checking your score won't hurt your credit. oh! i'm so proud of you. well thank you. free at at discover.com/creditscorecard, even if you're not a customer.

[and her new business: i do, to jeanetgo. jeanette was excellent at marrying people. but had trouble getting paid. not a good time, jeanette. even worse. now i'm uncomfortable. but here's the good news, jeanette got quickbooks. send that invoice, jeanette.

looks like they viewed it. and, ta-da! paid twice as fast. oh, she's an efficient officiant. way to grow, jeanette. get paid twice as fast. visit quickbooks-dot-com. reaction tonight from both washington and moscow, that russia is accused of getting involved in the u.s. presidential election with the goal of helping donald trump win. and today, an unlikely alliance. four high-profile u.s. senators. democrats and republicans coming together, penning a letter, saying they want an investigation and answers. matthew chance is live for us in moscow tonight. a lot to get to. let's begin with this, what is the official response, if there is any, from the kremlin this evening? >> they denied it. i mean, they denied it back in october when the allegations of russian hacking into the u.s. presidential campaign were first floated. they deny it now, saying it is an attempt by the enemies of

russia to make the country look bad to the president-elect. like that issue, on many others, poppy, they're on the same page as donald trump. they're denying russia had anything to do with it. >> on the secretary of state selection, obviously, a pick that hasn't been officially announced. and perhaps not even made yet. however, we know that the leading candidate is exxonmobil ceo rex tillerson. tonight, russia is signaling it would love that. >> yeah. >> a key person in russian government. the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of russian parliament tweeted this today. trump continues to amaze. he went on to say that picking tillerson would be a, quote, sensation. noting he has, quote, a lot of experience working with russia. they clearly like that pick, if it is, indeed, tillerson. >> yeah. tillerson is somebody who is well-known in russia. i mean, he's done hundreds of billions of dollars worth of deals as the head of exxon with

the russian government. he knows the players very well. that was, of course, one of the reasons donald trump says he is considering him. from a russian point of view, you have somebody they regard as a friend of russia, it opens up all sorts of possibilities in this relationship between the united states and russia. it's been at post cold worrilar over syria, eastern ukraine. with a friend of russia, supposedly in the white house and a position of secretary of state, that could really change. it's got people in russia genuinely excited. >> really? i mean, he did receive an award, the order of friendship, one of the highest awards that russia bestows on foreign citizens a few year ago. cnn money is reporting a fascinatie inine ining tidbit t. one of the reasons tillerson was selected for ceo of exxonmobil in 2006 was because of his relationship with russia. do you know how far back that goes? >> my understanding is that he

started coming to russia as an executive with exxon back in 1999, which would have been exactly the same time when vladimir putin emerged from obscurity into prominence and took on the presidency. look, it is just the fact of doing deals with russia and doing business in russia. you have to know the upper echelons, the power brokers, the leadership in order to get anything done. you know, the ceo of exxon has been very accomplished in doing that. back in 2011, he did a deal with the kremlin, which is estimated to be worth half a trillion dollars. $500 billion, one of the biggest deals ever done. after that, putin, the russian president, personally pinned that medal on his chest. it is called the order of friendship, one of the highest civilian honors russia can give a civilian. so, yes, he really is seen as a friend of russia. he is perhaps the one american who has the closest relationship with the kremlin.

>> that is absolutely fascinating. this is also all something that donald trump sees as an asset that could help him in donald trump's view as secretary of state. differing opinions. he'll go through, if he is the nominee, the senate confirmation process. we'll watch. matthew chance in moscow. thank you so much. coming up, beside his ties with russia, what else do we know about the leading contender for the trump's secretary of state? a back story on the life of rex tillerson is next. you're live in the cnn newsroom. . let's chat in football terms. this is the goal post. the end zone. the goal of every team. we know you have goals. like getting exposure for your idea or business. with godaddy website builder, you can easily create an awesome mobile-friendly, get you more exposure website. we call that...a website builder touchdown. get your free trial of website builder now.

cnn has learned rex tillerson, the ceo of exxonmobil, is the leading and likely pick for secretary of state. this according to a source within the transition. president-elect donald trump is said to be intrigued by tillerson's world view, but his potential nomination is raising some concerns not just from democrats but also from some republicans tonight. particularly, over his close ties with russia. rachel crane reports. >> when i was a brand-new engineer with exxon in 1975, i was -- >> reporter: he runs one of the world's biggest companies. rex tillerson, ceo of exxonmobil, has spent his entire career at the oil giant. >> i think we are the largest american oil company. >> reporter: born in wichita falls, texas, and a lifelong toy scout, tillerson joined exxon

fresh out of the university of texas in 1975, starting as a production engineer. he worked his way up the ranks and became ceo and chairman in 2006. and has amassed a fortune, estimated to be over $240 million. according to executive data providers. tillerson has no experience in the public sector, but his work at exxon has taken him all over the world and he has forged close ties to russia. >> this is a guy who has business relationships in every continent in the entire world. >> reporter: tillerson received the distinguished order of friendship award from vladimir putden in 2013. he describes his nearly two decade long relationship with the russian president as, quote, very close. >> he understands that i'm a businessman. and i've invested a lot of money, our company invested a lot of money in russia very successfully. >> reporter: his business acumen

and extensive work overseas caught the attention and gained the respect of president-elect donald trump. >> his case, he is much more than a business executive. he is a world class player. and, to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players. and he knows them well. he does massive deals in russia. he does massive deals for the company. not for himself. for the company. >> reporter: under tillerson's leadership, the oil behemoth publicly acknowledged climate change's potential existence and risk. >> i'm not disputing that increasing co2 emissions in the atmosphere will have an impact, a warming impact. how large it is is what is very hard for anyone to predict. >> reporter: tillerson, 64, is expected to retire as ceo of exxonmobil when he turns 65 in march. the mandatory retirement age at the company. rachel crane, cnn, new york. >> rachel, thank you for that reporting tonight. what will tillerson's ties

to russia really mean if he does become america's top diplomat? several republican senators, the very people who will have to approve trump's appointments, already raising questions. lindsey graham calling it unnerving. you're live in the cnn newsroom. tokyo-style ramen noodles.

freshly made in the japanese tradition, each batch is small. special. unique... every bowl blurring the line between food...and art.

when you cook with incredible ingredients... you make incredible meals. fresh ingredients. step-by-step-recipes. delivered to your door, for less than $9 a meal. get $30 off your first delivery blueapron.com/cook. this holiday, the real gift isn't what's inside the box... it's what's inside the person who opens it. give your loved ones ancestrydna, the simple dna test that can tell them where they came from -by revealing their ethnic mix. you'll save 10%-and they'll have a new story to tell. order now at ancestrydna.com and save 10%.

president-elect donald trump is said to be incredibly close to picking his secretary of state. trump tweeting this morning, whether i choose him or not for state, rex tillerson, the chairman and ceo of exsol mobxo is a world class player and deal maker. sources say till erman is likely to be trump's pick. senators, including republicans, are raising red flags over tillerson's close ties with russia in business. being a friend of vladimir putin is not an attribute i'm hoping for in secretary of state, said marco rubio.

lindsey graham said, if you received an award from the kremlin, an order of friendship, we're going to have some talking. we'll have questions. i don't want to pre-judge this guy but that is a bit unnerving. joining me now, ron brownstein, cnn political analyst and editor of the atlantic. betsy, politics reportsing from the daily beast. and former lieutenant governor of south carolina. as someone who is a supporter of donald trump, who voted for him, let me get your take on whether or not you can understand the concern, appreciate the concern, that some have because of all of these ties to russia we've outlined. these are ties that go all the way back to 1999, when he first started going there as an executive at exxon. >> sure. i have a lot of respect for lindsey graham and john mccain. i endorsed mccain for president when he ran the first time. graham is my senator. i understand their apprehension. anybody should. questioning one of donald trump's potential appointees is

not a problem. i think that is part of the whole system that we all appreciate. we have a vetting process, whereby you have a united states senate that gets to ask lots of questions, in-depth questions. i don't think anyone has ever questioned mr. tillerson's loyalty to his country. he is a businessman. his role was to cut the best deals he could possibly cut for his company. but in a different role, wearing a different hat for his country, if he is willing to give up a substantial paycheck in order to try to move the country forward, much like donald trump has done, i think that is a good thing. i don't have a problem with him being vetted thoroughly. >> he will have to retire anyway because he will be the mandatory age of 65. the question becomes, can he fully take off that hat? right? when dealing as a diplomat with russia if he gets this posting. if tillerson is trump's pick for secretary of state, this, quote, crystallizes almost every theme

in his transition in one appointment. what do you mean? >> think of how many lines intersect here. first, you have the preference for an executive experience over necessarily policy expertise. a lot of business executives and generals in this cabinet. that's clearly what he feels most comfortable with. you have the move right on environmental issues, despite the recent change of tone from exxon. certainly, it is a company that faced many questions over the years about its views about climate change. faced lawsuits on whether it was misleading investors about its exposure there. then you have kind of the explosive russia connection, which is part of this -- extraordinary part of this story. in a kind of unconventional secretary of state process, this may be the most conventional moment, where trump and his team put up something like a trial balloon around tillerson. if that is the case, it's taken a fair degree of shrapnel. marco rubio, lindsey graham, john mccain raising serious questions today. that's enough.

that's it. there's only 52 republicans in the senate. it is going to be interesting to see if he proceeds with this. the final point, it is a provocative pick against the background of this debate over what russia was doing in the election and its goal in the election. to pick someone with ties to put season a reflection of the way trump views political capital and how you kind of advance your agenda. often, it is to go straight ahead and to deliver, you know, right between the eyes. >> he also knows though that it did not bother many americans that he didn't have any political or diplomatic experience and, therefore, perhaps does not believe someone who would have the posting as the top diplomat needs to have that either, in the eyes of his supporters. betsy, let me ask you this. we're getting signs from russia that they like this. i mean, a major name in russia's government, the head of the foreign affairs committee in their lower house of parliament, tweeted a few things today, including, quote, trump continues to amaze.

saying, picking tillerson would be a sensation. saying he has a lot of experience with russia. i mean, this is just in line with what donald trump said in deba debates, on the campaign trail, that we should have a warmer, better relationship with russia. how should that sit with the american people tonight? >> well, it's something that'll raise a lot of questions. and the fact that russian officials are tweeting things like that would not do tillerson favors, as he is potentially heading into the confirmation process. he doesn't just have to get through the senate, where he needs 51 of the 100 senators to vote for him. he has to get through the foreign relations committee before he gets the floor vote. that includes ten republicans and nine democrats, and if one or two republicans peel off, he's in trouble. it was said earlier, i believe, nobody is questioning tillerson's devoigs tion to his country. a senior member of the senate foreign relations committee put out a statement yesterday where he said tillerson's name being

floated is, quote, alarming and absurd. i'm confident there is a number of american voters who share the view. the fact that it was suggested tillerson might be more loyal to russia, an accomplice for putin as secretary of state rather than to the american people. >> i mean -- >> that's all -- >> let's be careful in throwing out accusations let that. counter that? >> well, it is sad that we get to this point. that guy never had that raised ever before. now that we talk about secretary of state, instead of giving the guy his fair day to be questioned, you know, immediately, they're throwing grenades ton g s on the guy. he actually supports carbon tax credits. he supports the paris climate agreement, which trump doesn't even support, to the best of my knowledge. there is a little bit of difference in opinion there. he actually does support that. >> that's right. >> again, this is a business guy that did the best he could for his company. this would be an individual now that would do the best he could

for his country. when you have strong attributes, to go after somebody seems like the buzzword is, let's tie everybody to russia and say that, you know, they're supportive of their cause. that is not the case. this guy was a businessman. he dealt with countries all over the world, buying and selling gas and oil. some of the most troubled spots in the world, he didn't have close -- >> andre? >> i have to button it up. on the business point, there is an important point to make. this is just fact. there is no opinion. in the fact that exxon has this huge deal in russia. that because of the sanctions against russia got halted, that has cost exxon about $1 billion so far, according to regulatory filings. rex tillerson in march said, we're very anxious to get back to work there. therein lies the questions about what hat you're wearing as the business ha businessman he is now and if you can completely take that off, becoming secretary of state. i have to leave it there. thank you all very much.

ron, betsy and andre. moving and switching gears to an important story. tomorrow marks six months since the orlando nightclub attack, one of the worst mass shootings in u.s. history. next, you will hear a firsthand account from the police who were called to the scene of the crime and who helped in the immediate aftermath. you're live in the cnn newsroom. lemonheads/schoolhouse rock) zero really can be a hero. get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. right now at the volkswagen sign then drive event.

family road trip! fun! check engine. not fun! but, you've got hum. that's like driving with this guy. all you do is press this, and in plain english,

"coolant", you'll know what's wrong. if you do need a mechanic, just press this. "thank you for calling hum." and if you really need help, help can find you, automatically, 24/7. because you put this, in here. hum by verizon. the technology designed to make your car smarter, safer and more connected. put some smarts in your car. every day starts better with a healthy smile. start yours with philips sonicare, the no.1 choice of dentists. compared to oral-b 7000, philips sonicare flexcare platinum removes significantly more plaque. this is the sound of sonic technology cleaning deep between teeth. hear the difference? get healthier gums in just 2 weeks vs a manual toothbrush and experience an amazing feel of clean.

innovation and you. philips sonicare. save now when you buy philips sonicare. at clorox 2 we've turned removing stains into a science. now pre-treat with clorox 2! watch stains disappear right before your eyes. remove 4 times more stains than detergent alone. tomorrow marks six months

since one of the worst terror attacks and mass shootings in u.s. history. 49 people killed, 53 wounded during a rampage inside orlando's pulse nightclub. cnn went back to orlando and sat down for in-depth interviews with the orlando police chief and several of the s.w.a.t. and police officers the first to respond. deborah brings us their story. >> p-u-l-s-e, orlando. shooting. everybody is bleeding everywhere. >> where was the concentration of people who didn't make it? >> the main dance floor was the greatest concentration of dead bodies. he did most of his killing within the first two minutes. the video and the audio that i've heard, you know, multiple gunshots, multiple magazine exchanges within the first minute or two.

>> any sense of how many rounds he fired? >> hundreds. >> officer arrived while the gunman was still shooting. >> reporter: entering into the open patio and on to the dance floor. >> we were saying things like, if anyone can hear us, raise your hand. some of the folks that were, of course they were obviously deceased but still trying to hold on to each other to protect each other. >> reporter: on the opposite side, near the main door, office every hyland was preparing to make entry with the second team. >> a female came out and dropped to the ground. so while there's gunfire still going on, i tapped one of the officers in front of me. i said, hey, give me some cover. i went and grabbed the female. >> reporter: shattering a picture window, hyland and another s.w.a.t. officer moved to the back of the club. >> we got five or six other

officers with us and made entry into the club where the gunfire was coming from. we had an idea that the gunman was in the bathroom. we just didn't know where at the time. so we held our positions. >> reporter: is it fair to say you had your firearm up and ready? >> absolutely. >> reporter: the whole time? >> whole time. >> reporter: the shooter briefly appears. the police fire but miss. the door is barricaded with hostages. >> the shooter was in the bathroom, holding cover on him, which allowed me and a bunch of officers to extract the wounded that were in there. >> reporter: ambulances were blocks away outside of the safety perimeter. >> i remember shouting use my truck. get them out of here and another officer jumped in the driver's seat of my truck. people we were pulling out, they'd take them from behind the cars i pulled them. they loaded them on to the back of the truck and would take them to the hospital down the street.

>> reporter: 15 trips in all as frantic phone calls come steadily from inside the nightclub. >> hurry up. he is reloading in the bathroom. >> reporter: 30 minutes into the attack, the self-proclaimed isis gunman exchanges three phone calls with police. >> i have a vehicle with bombs, just to let you know. if people are going to get it, i'm going to ignite it if they try to do anything stupid. >> reporter: a new threat as a bomb dog identifies the scent of explosives in the gunman's car. dozens of police and deputies work quickly to rescue survivors hiding throughout the club. some two dozen hostages are trapped in the south bathroom and in the north the gunman is pointing his assault rifle toward the door, ready for police. it's more than two hours in to the standoff. >> why isn't anyone coming to get us in the bathroom? two people in here about to die. four are dead. someone needs to come in here now. >> if our officers had heard him

start shooting they obviously would have went through the bathroom door and engaged him. >> reporter: a text comes through at 4:30 saying he is going to put suicide vests on us and blow the club up. that must have accelerated things significantly. >> it did. negotiations had stopped and he wasn't answering our phone calls. >> it was relayed to us he had explosives and he was going to blow the club up if we didn't back out. no one backed out. >> when my s.w.a.t. team commander tells me what the plan is, i say get ready for an explosive breach. he comes back and says, they're ready. >> went off. hit the lights and the dust settled an the wall was still there. >> reporter: s.w.a.t. officer robert woodyard aims his truck at the rear wall. >> i change in to four-wheel

drive and drove at the hole that was supposed to be breached. >> it was the hallway, the hostages are feet away. so he rams a second hole. >> i remember backing out and just seeing hands, just immediately. a couple of the guys on the ground grabbed the hand held ram and started to make the holes bigger. once they got big enough, people started coming out. >> officers started to hear shot comes from the north bathroom. we learned later from the survivors that was the shooter shooting out at the officers. that's when our officers, again, thinking they'll throw in some flash-bangs, loud noise and bright light. somewhere during that time is when the shooter came out of the big hole made in the hallway and immediately began to fire at officers. several other officers also returned fire. killing him right there. >> the standoff is over three hours and 15 minutes after it

began. 49 people are dead. 53 injured. 1010 people rescued from inside the club by dozens of police and sheri sheriff's deputies. >> why not launch that rescue operation sooner? >> going in that doorway within the first few minutes, basically would have been a suicide mission for the officers. but also, like i said, more importantly, i believe many hostages would have lost their lives at that moment. either from the gunman or from friendly fire from our officers, if we had gone in right away through the bathroom. >> reporter: the survivors were interviewed that same day. only then did the chief learn the gunman had been waiting to ambush his s.w.a.t. team. >> i'm very, very proud of the way the orlando police department responded. >> deborah feyerick, cnn, orlando, florida. >> incredible. thank you so much for that. coming up next, 20 years after her death, we explore the unsolved murder of child beauty

queen jonbenet ramsey. it is the subject of a new cnn documentary. that's next. since we started shopping at way bfingerhut.com. first down! that's because with fingerhut.com we can shop over 700,000 items go to fingerhut.com to get low monthly payments and the credit you deserve. that's a touchdown, buttercup! ♪ ♪ oww! whmade plastics that tmake them lighter?rs the lubricants that improved fuel economy. even technology to make engines more efficient. what company does all this? exxonmobil, that's who. we're working on all these things to make cars better and use less fuel. helping you save money and reduce emissions.

and you thought we just made the gas. energy lives here.

keeping the power lines clear,my job to protect public safety, while also protecting the environment. the natural world is a beautiful thing, the work that we do helps us protect it. public education is definitely a big part of our job, to teach our customers about the best type of trees to plant around the power lines. we want to keep the power on for our customers. we want to keep our community safe. this is our community, this is where we live. we need to make sure that we have a beautiful place for our children to live. together, we're building a better california. this christmas will mark 20 years since the mysterious death of jonbenet ramsey. the murder has never been solved

and no shortage of suspects, but no real answers. jean casarez talk to those closest in the ongoing investigation in a special report that airs this tuesday night. >> police. >> what's going on there, ma'am? >> reporter: it's one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history. >> we have a kidnapping. there's ransom note here. >> reporter: a little girl vanishes from home christmas night. >> it's just like you got lit in the stomach. where's my child? >> reporter: hours later she's found strangled to death. >> i couldn't do anything but scream. >> keep your babies close to you. there's someone out there. >> reporter: surreal images of the pageant star transfixed the nation. >> were you stage mother? >> probably. what's wrong with that? >> reporter: no charge vs ever been filed. nobody ever convicted. tonight the theories, secrets

and bombshells. >> patsy, patsy, patsy. >> reporter: a cnn special report, the murder of jonbenet. >> that is tuesday night. jean with me now. i can't wait to see it. i know a lot worveg went into this. >> it's been 20 years. what was it like revisiting this case and speaking with those closest to it. obviously, to jonbenet's father. >> it was extraordinary. that's what we want to bring to all the viewers. i interviewed john ramsey who is getting on in years and for hours i spoke with him. he took me through everything, not that he wanted to but he did. we heard about christmas day. he talked about how when he realized there was a ransom note what went through his mind. he talks about that afternoon when he went down to the basement and he is the one that found jonbenet. he goes through that. i asked him about the grand jury

because they vote ed yo ed unan to indict him and his wife. the dna evidence. i spoke to the forensic scientist that did dna testing. it's not someone just analyzing numbers. she did the testing. she talks to me about how and what happened and when she found out the results and what those results were. >> wow. i remember this case so well but the details i don't like what you just mentioned. we have to watch to see what she says. it's fascinating opinion obviously, this case has never been solved. the evidence is confusing. you have a ransom note left in the home when it wasn't even a kidnapping which is odd. a long three-page ransom note. >> asking for the amount of money that was john ramsey's

bonus. they were prime suspects he and patsy. >> the botched crime scene. the investigation still ongoing. >> ongoing. active investigation. i speak to the current district attorney of boulder that says i found charges. the d.a. before him absolutely excused and apologized and exonerated the parents. this district attorney says i don't think we're in the business of exonerating people. i'm looking for the evidence. >> fascinating. thank you so much. again, the cnn special report, the murder of jonbenet airs tuesday night right here on cnn. coming up, honoring every day heroes. making a difference in our wo d

world. you're live in the cnn newsroom. [vo] quickbooks introduces jeanette and her new mobile wedding business. at first, getting paid was tough... until she got quickbooks. now she sends invoices, sees when they've been viewed and ta-da, paid twice as fast! see how at quickbooks-dot-com.

top of the hour. i'm poppy harlow in new york. we begin with this bipartisan call for an investigation into russia's apparent attempt to try to sway the outcome of the u.s.

election. four sitting u.s. senators, two republican, two democrats say every american should be alarmed. the group including republican senators john mccain and lindsey graham along with democratic senator chuck schumer and senator jack reed. they warned quote, this can not become a partisan issue, the stakes are too high for our country. senator mccain spelled out his concerns. >> it's clear the russians interfered. whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a certain candidate, i think that's subject to investigation. the facts are stubborn things. they did hack into this campaign and the russians have interfered in a lot of other elections. the russians have hacked into some of our most secret military information. the russians