A Notorious Gangster Is On The Run Again
WHITFIELD: A notorious gangster is on the run again, this time after a spectacular prison break, his second time. He escaped from a prison near Paris this morning with the help of multiple armed men who hijacked a helicopter to pick him up. They forced the pilot to fly to an area just northwest of Paris, and police say the men let the pilot go unharmed and then took off in a car. Faid (ph) was serving a 25-year sentence for masterminding a failed robbery, and he was serving an additional ten years for a previous escape in 2013 where he used explosives to blast through prison doors. A French journalist -- is outside the prison following this story for us now. So Caroline, what can you us about this investigation?</s>CAROLINE DIEUDONNE, REPORTER FOR FRENCH TV NETWORK: Well, the investigation has just started, but what we know so far is that there were three people involved in the escape. The French justice minister confirmed it an hour ago. Two heavily armed men who used tools to get inside the prison to go through the doors to the visiting room where</s>WHITFIELD: And Caroline, are people at all fearful of his escape?</s>DIEUDONNE: Well, the people inside the prison told us that they were frightened after what happened because it's not the first time that he's escaped. The first time he escaped was in 2013, five years ago, in the north of France. It was also a spectacular prison break that took less than half an hour. And he had taken several guards hostage. He used explosives to get out, using the guards as human shields. And he was on the run for several weeks. He was captured by the police. Right now</s>WHITFIELD: Caroline Dieudonne, thank you so much for your report. Appreciate it. And we have so much more straight ahead in the newsroom. It all starts right now. All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Washington, D.C. Up first, the U.S. Supreme Court showdown. In just an hour, President Trump will head back to the White House from his golf club in New Jersey, where he spent part of the weekend interviewing possible Supreme Court candidates. Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement just a few days ago, but President Trump has already jumped into action, saying he will announce his new pick one week from tomorrow. This decision has the power to transform the U.S. Supreme Court for generations, and the looming nomination battle is already igniting a fire storm on Capitol Hill. Republican senator Susan Collins will be a key vote for the President. She met with Trump to discuss the vacancy, and she still has some concerns, she says.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Are you comfortable with everyone on that list?</s>SEN. SUSAN COLLINS(R), MAINE: No, I am not. Now, some of the people on the list I have not vetted at all at this point. One of them I voted against years ago. And I would have to do a great deal at more work.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Let's check in with CNN White House correspondent Boris Sanchez.