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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Sheriff: Guthrie Family, Siblings And Spouses, Cleared As Suspects; FBI: Glove Appears To Visually Match Suspect's In Doorbell Video; Obama Slams Political "Clown Show"; Trump Won't Apologize For Racist Post: "I Didn't Make A Mistake"; Princesses Beatrice & Eugenie Swept Up In Parent's Epstein Scandals; Remembering The Life & Career Of Robert Duvall. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired February 16, 2026 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And he carried himself with dignity and self-restraint, honoring the office without allowing it to become invested with near mythical powers".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Now, Bush did go on to say George Washington had his faults and could be "prickly" in the words of Thomas Jefferson. But he says it was Washington's humility and character that helped shape the foundation that that's allowed America's democracy to survive now for 250 years. Thanks for joining us, I'm Kate Bolduan.

"AC360" starts now.

[20:00:36]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Tonight on 360, calling them victims plain and simple. The local sheriff clears Nancy Guthrie's family and her disappearance, now, three weekends ago.

Also tonight, is it one of waiting for word and DNA testing on whether a glove found near the crime scene is one of the gloves that this guy is wearing whoever he is.

And later, he is the first to have put up with anything like it from his successor. Former President Obama weighs in on a Trump social media post depicting him in the former First Lady as apes.

Good evening, everyone. John Berman here, in for Anderson.

A significant development tonight in Nancy Guthrie's case, especially to her family. A statement from the Pima County Sheriff late today. "To be clear," he writes, "... the Guthrie family to include all siblings and spouses has been cleared as possible suspects in this case. The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case. To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family," he adds, "... are victims, plain and simple." Now, we do not hear much on a daily basis from officials at all here. So, the fact they are speaking on this is notable and appears to be aimed at online speculation pumped up by true crime influencers. A longtime friend of Savannah Guthrie, who wanted to remain anonymous, hinted at the toll it has taken telling CNN, "Let's hope this puts an end to the reckless and malicious nonsense."

As for the only suspect we know of so far, this guy the FBI, says that a glove found near the home appears to match one that he is wearing here. DNA from it is being analyzed as we speak. Also today, the President weighed in telling "The New York Post" that whoever took Nancy Guthrie should face the death penalty if she is not found alive.

And last night, daughter, Savannah appealed one more time for her mother's return in a new video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS "TODAY" HOST: It's never too late and you're not lost or alone and it is never too late to do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: In a moment, our criminal justice team, on what that message says to them. First, CNN's Ed Lavandera with more from Tucson.

Ed, is it clear what prompted the sheriff to publicly clear the Guthrie family like that again? We should stress no one in law enforcement had ever suggested they were involved.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, and, you know, we are now more than three weeks into this or more than two weeks into this investigation, at the beginning of the third week and I think the way you kind of talk about it there at the beginning is probably in large part what is driving the Sheriff to make this statement today.

But we do know that investigators have taken a very close look at the Guthrie family, presumably because the members of the family were the last to have seen Nancy Guthrie alive. The Sheriff had told us very early on it was a family member that dropped Nancy Guthrie off here at her home that Saturday night before she was abducted from her home.

So, obviously that is part of the detective work and the investigative work that needs to be done. But over the last few weeks this has taken on a life of its own. And presumably the sheriff has gone through or investigators have gone through the efforts to check all the alibis, to check all of that information. We have seen investigators going in and out of savannah Guthrie sister's home, which is just several miles away from where we are.

So, it is significant that the Sheriff is coming out and saying that not only are they victims, but they have been cleared in this case because until now, investigators have said nobody has been cleared, that they are keeping everything open because they simply don't know who this suspect is, but they essentially said that what has been speculated about several family members online is simply, "cruel" -- John.

BERMAN: So, and when do authorities expect to get the DNA results back on this glove?

LAVANDERA: As far as we know, it could be any time. We had hoped it would be today and that also could be a very significant thing as well, because the DNA from that glove that was found about two miles from Guthrie's home does contain DNA. We know that the Sheriff told me a few days ago that there was also DNA discovered here on the property of Nancy Guthrie. So, if those two DNA tests match, that could lead them to something to somebody they would have to put that DNA sample into a database.

And hopefully that could deliver them a name someone to lead on but it also is confirmation it could, if it isn't someone who's matched up in a database. It also pinpoints them to a possible route, leaving the neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie lives. So, it could be significant. It also could end up being nothing at this point -- John.

[20:05:31]

BERMAN: Ed Lavandera for us in Tucson, thank you so much, Ed.

We're joined now by our law enforcement team, former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe; former Secret Service agent, Jonathan Wackrow; and CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller.

And John, let me just start with you. As I noted, you know, we don't hear a lot from officials down there -- from Pima County officials. We heard from them on this. What does it tell you? They put this statement out today clearing the family?

[20:05:54]

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: I think it means that they've been in contact with the family every minute of every day in the course of this case. They have felt their angst about this speculation and online theories and so on, with nothing behind it. And they did the thing they could do, which is they came out with a definitive statement saying, you know, and this is the same Sheriff who said early on in the investigation, well everyone's a suspect because it was early on.

They've had plenty of time to vet alibis and go back. I think it was a good time for them to say all of these people have been cleared.

BERMAN: Andrew McCabe what if anything, does that change in the investigation now? Or it could have been that they did this several days ago and just didn't tell us.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, John, I think that's likely. I think that what John said just now is absolutely right. This was probably an effort really meant to prop up the family, to give them a kind of a vote of confidence to try to dissuade and shield them from some of this relentless criticism that some of the family members are getting online.

You know, let's remember, they need to keep a productive, open and trusting relationship with this family. They need the family to do things like we saw today with another video that came out from Savannah Guthrie today.

So, doing whatever they can to keep the family in a less horrible place is a big part of their job of managing this crisis right now.

BERMAN: Yes, this video that we saw, the new Savannah Guthrie video came out last night. Jonathan, where are they, do you think in this investigation? I know that's a big question, but, you know, on a day- to-day basis, we have we seem to have a new focus. It's a new video. It's a new glove it's this; it's that. But where does that leave things?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: So, John, the way that id characterize the current state of the investigation is really unsolidified. You know, what we have right now is or more to the point, what we don't have is we don't have a person of interest we don't have a suspect, and we really don't have a working motive behind, why was Nancy Guthrie actually taken?

What we do have is law enforcement, both at the federal and in local level, working together to build out a really precise evidence matrix. And that's what we, that's all we have to go off of right now and that evidence matrix to date is really rooted in the foundational elements of the release of that video.

And if you, because if you look at everything has a nexus back to the release of that video the surge in tips the -- you know, the glove that was found you know, matching, you know, the reason why we're even looking at this glove is because we saw in the video that the suspect had a glove on. We look at the backpack, we look at the clothes coming out of Walmart. All these all these threads are coming from that video.

So right now, investigators are building out this matrix. They're also getting additional video evidence that may be out there. Other statements asking for the public's assistance, all of which will help now solidify either a person of interest or hopefully a suspect, all with the aim of finding Nancy Guthrie.

BERMAN: Sort of sets up concrete contour --

WACKROW: Exactly.

BERMAN: What the investigation in that more solid space. I get what you're saying with that.

John, were going to jump into the to the glove and the DNA testing a little bit more extensively in a moment. But first, you know, one thing you said was interesting. We were expecting to get results back today or tonight. Do you think we'll learn when we get them back necessarily or is that the type of thing they might want to keep to themselves for a bit? MILLER: It depends on what the result is. It'll be easy to tell us that you know, it came back that there's no record in the system for it and that it's another unknown contributor, it will be interesting to tell us that it matches the one at the house and it is an unknown contributor, but if they have a match that goes to a name, I don't think we're going to hear that and for the right reasons.

BERMAN: Right, Andrew McCabe, this new video from Savannah Guthrie, whenever they release a video, I feel like we have to assume that every word, every phrase is so carefully parsed. And twice she repeated in a pretty short video, it's never too late. It's never too late. Why do you think those words were chosen in a video that went out last night?

[20:10:05]

MCCABE: John, you're absolutely right about the involvement of the investigators and the professionals who have done this more than anyone else probably in this country. FBI agents and others who are advising the family on how to stage these videos, how to record them, what to say.

Each one of these videos along this horrible experience has delivered a slightly different message. And I think the message that were getting from this video, it's almost an acknowledgment of the fact that kind of like John Wackrow just said, we are not a hundred percent sure of what we have here. If you assume, for instance, that the original ransom demands were not legitimate because they certainly didn't conform to any sort of ransom demand, no proof of life, no active communication with the family, then without those, we really haven't had a ransom demand.

So, todays or yesterday's message by Savannah Guthrie in a direct appeal to whoever might have Nancy Guthrie and basically saying, look, if you got into something over your head and now, you're in a situation where you don't know how to get out of it, you don't know what to do. There is a path here. There is forgiveness, there is redemption. We just want our mother back. It's a long shot, but I think it's a creative and potentially effective appeal.

BERMAN: You know, Jonathan, Andrew kept using that word ransom, ransom. I mean, does any of this comport to the normal types of ransom cases that you see.

WACKROW: No, three weeks in it does not, not in any form or shape. And the reason being is that ransom, kidnap for ransom is a transaction. I have something you want you give me money; I give that back to you. We're not seeing those -- the basic rudiments of a transaction. What we're seeing is other individuals that are out there that are muddying the waters, that are distracting investigators. But this does not appear at all to be a kidnap for ransom. But the challenge is, it goes back to what I said before. Now we don't know what it is what is that motivation? Is it grievance based or something else?

BERMAN: Gentlemen, stick around. We'll have more with you in just a second. Next, our Randi Kaye with a closer look at how a national database in

the DNA profiles in it have broken other big cases like this one.

And later, how Britain's Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are being swept into the Epstein scandal along with their parents, Andrew and Sarah.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:17:00]

BERMAN: The DNA sample in the Nancy Guthrie case is expected to be uploaded to a national database known as CODIS. That is short for Combined DNA Index System. For decades, the FBI has been overseeing this program, which includes DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons.

If there is a match between crime scene DNA and someone in that database, investigators, they get a hit. CNN's Randi Kaye takes a look into other crimes where CODIS helped crack the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A computer programmer and father of three already imprisoned for life for murder, now linked to five more through DNA.

JUDGE: How do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?

RICHARD COTTINGHAM, CONVICTED SERIAL KILLER AND RAPIST: Guilty.

KAYE (voice over): Convicted serial killer and rapist Richard Cottingham, known as the "torso killer" for how he dismembered some of his victims confessed to the five additional cases. They included the murder of Diane Cusack a young mother killed on a shopping trip in 1968.

PAUL CUSACK, BROTHER OF DIANE CUSACK: I'm sure she tried to fight this animal off then like it was nothing. He strangled the life out of my beautiful sister.

KAYE (voice over): Her family waited more than 50 years to find out who did it. Cottingham was charged with murder in June 2022. DNA collected from Cusack's crime scene matched his DNA in the federal DNA database known as CODIS, that's run by the FBI and includes DNA from convicted felons. Authorities pointed to technological advances that allowed for more thorough DNA testing.

In August 2003, 22-year-old Katie Sepich, a graduate student at New Mexico State University, was attacked on her way home from a party. A man raped and murdered her, then set her body on fire at this dump site. Skin and blood were found under her fingernails but for nearly three and-a-half years, her parents waited for a suspect to be identified. Then came the call.

JAYANN SEPICH, KATIE SEPICH'S MOTHER: I said, as I guess any parent would. Are you sure? And he said, oh it's an absolute match yes, we're sure.

KAYE (voice over): Investigators ID'd Gabriel Avila. He'd been arrested for aggravated burglary and convicted in November 2005. As a convicted felon, his DNA was entered into the National DNA Database. With Avila's sample now in the database, investigators got a hit. His DNA matched the DNA found on Katie's body.

DAVE SEPICH, KATIE SEPICH'S FATHER: It was such a relief to know that they had the person that murdered Katie.

KAYE (voice over): Tanya Frazier was last seen by friends in July 1994. Her body was discovered just a few blocks away from her Seattle middle school, just 14, she had been stabbed to death.

TEARA FRAZIER, TANYA FRAZIER'S SISTER: It still hurts just as much. I can function, but the moment anybody says anything about her or I see somebody that we went to middle school with, it makes me cry.

KAYE (voice over): For 31 years Tanya's case remained cold until Seattle detectives turned to CODIS. Last fall, Seattle Police uploaded DNA collected years ago at Tonya's crime scene and got a hit.

ROLF NORTON, SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVE: Every day, we can do more with less. You go back and retest things that you didn't get much result back a decade earlier that now opens doors.

[20:20:18]

KAYE (voice over): The door that opened in this case led investigators to 57-year-old Mark Russ, a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal record. He had been recently released from prison when they matched his DNA. He's pleaded not guilty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: And Randi Kaye is with us now. Randi, what happens if the DNA put into CODIS? It isn't a match, and authorities don't get a hit? What happens then?

KAYE: Yes, John. Well, if there isn't a match, what they have to do is sort of work the case backwards. So, they would actually have to leave the CODIS database and try and find another database. Very likely a genealogy-based database. And they'd be trying to find something called familial DNA, where they try and find a partial match, maybe of a relative who is related to this suspect, and then they would just continue to narrow it down from there by using that. The genealogy in that database, because CODIS does not offer familial DNA. So, that's why they have to leave the CODIS database to do that.

But just to give you an idea, John, of just how widespread and massive the CODIS database is, the FBI says they have 19 million offender profiles in there and as of last November, CODIS has produced more than 781,000 hits including some of those cold cases that you saw in our story. So, hopefully for the Guthrie family, they will have some luck.

BERMAN: It is such a valuable tool, Randi Kaye, thank you so much for your reporting on this.

Back with us, Andrew McCabe, Jonathan Wackrow and John Miller, and Andy, let me just start with you.

Look, there were a lot of gloves that were found not terribly far from Nancy Guthrie's home over the last several days. I mean, how optimistic are you that CODIS could yield a hit here?

MCCABE: You know, I wouldn't call it -- I wouldn't characterize it as optimistic, but it is absolutely a vital lead that must be followed through, right?

So, there's a number of hurdles here, though, right? You have, first of all, you find the glove. You have to then find a viable sample inside the glove. We know from the things that law enforcement has said that they believe they have a viable sample of an unknown male. That sample has to get processed and render an analysis. Then that analysis goes through first, the CODIS database that you just spoke about. If there's a hit there, then that's like the best possible result on this lead.

If there's not a hit, then you go to the genealogy sites and try to build backwards off of the DNA samples submitted potentially by family members. But let's remember, even if you can identify who's glove that is, you then have to put that person in this glove at the crime scene, a mere visual resemblance from this glove to the glove that's seen on the video is not very solid evidence. But what the glove could get you to is a human being who you would then question, who might then say things that implicate himself.

BERMAN: Jonathan what more then, like talk to us if they are. I don't want to use the word lucky, but lucky enough for this to be a hit. What then can you do with that glove?

WACKROW: Well, listen, I think you have to put this DNA in context of what is it to law enforcement? It's arguably DNA is one of the greatest investigative tools that they have. And it's important in three ways first, it's an identifying tool, right? You can identify and make direct attribution. This DNA matches this person. That's my suspect.

It's also in this case, it could be a corroborating tool. It could link that to other crimes. We may not have the direct attribution, but it could link that glove to other potential crimes. That again, that opens up a whole new investigative pathway. Or it can be an elimination tool. It can eliminate potential suspects.

So just by the fact that law enforcement has the CODIS system, but also this public database really opens up the aperture of how they can use DNA in multiple different ways from an investigative standpoint.

BERMAN: Maybe, you look at the direction where the glove is and you start looking at cameras in that direction --

WACKROW: It's a proximity marker.

BERMAN: -- from the neighborhood.

MILLER: But even if it's not a hit, the other thing about the CODIS database is it has all of the known contributors who are convicted felons arrested in cases and so on. But it also has samples that have been picked up at other crime scenes that are linked to other unknown contributors.

Let's take a long shot, the FBI found 16 gloves during this search. One is of particular interest, but they'll go through some version of this process with all of them, but if one of them ties to another crime scene, you can actually go back to that cold case file, pull that out and say, let's go over this and see. Are there any missed leads here that can bring us to a name of an offender that we might also be able to connect to this other case a different way? I mean, they're really taking a wide aperture approach at this.

[20:25:04]

BERMAN: Andy, so there was this search at this home and of a car in the neighborhood, I believe it was Friday night, and since then we haven't seen any more activity like the Sheriff at one point suggests we might see a lot more activity, but we really haven't. So, what does it tell you that we're not seeing more searches like that?

MCCABE: Well, let me look at it from the other perspective, John. The fact that we are seeing searches happen and that we don't hear things really developing further from those. I think for me, that's an indication that the investigators are being very aggressive. They are going through those tens of thousands of leads that were called in after the release of the video, and they are following up quickly and decisively because they don't have the sort of the luxury of time here. They've got to rule these things in or out very quickly.

So, where you might have done a surveillance on that car for a while to see who comes back to it, in this case, you're not going to do that you're going to get a warrant, you're going to hit that car, see if there's anything interesting in it, and then you're going to move on if you haven't found anything relevant.

So, I expect we'll see much more of this, people coming in to be questioned, locations being searched. We can't get our expectations up with every one of those actions.

BERMAN: Yes, the work absolutely goes on. Andrew McCabe, Jonathan Wackrow, and John Miller, thank you all so much.

Up next, Nancy Guthrie's neighbors say they are heartbroken over her disappearance. One member of their community will join us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:31:09]

BERMAN: In the two plus weeks since Nancy Guthrie disappeared, her family now has posted five videos appealing for her return. You saw a portion of the latest from daughter Savannah at the top of the hour. I want to play the full version now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS "TODAY" HOST: I wanted to come on, and it's been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope, and we still believe. And I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is, that it's never too late.

And you're not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. We believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it's never too late.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So much strength there.

Steve Lippman lives around the corner from Nancy Guthrie and joins me now. Steve, thank you for being with us. You know, as a neighbor to Mrs. Guthrie, what's going through your mind tonight, more than two weeks after she was taken from our home? Did you ever think so much time would pass without her being found?

STEVE LIPPMAN, NANCY GUTHRIE'S NEIGHBOR: No, did not believe that would happen, and probably first and foremost, what my wife and I feel is just deep compassion for the Guthrie family.

BERMAN: You, and I have to say the rest of us, it is just so hard to watch what they're going through. And you just wish you could do something to help to make this all come to an end for them, and soon, with her home. Investigators have been pouring through the neighborhood, obviously. Have you been approached, and what do you hear from them?

LIPPMAN: The Monday following the abduction, the Pima County Sheriff detectives visited my house, spoke with them. At that point, I really had nothing that I could offer them. We did not have a ring system at that time, and I really couldn't help them. I had not noticed anything as far as cars or vehicles.

And then last week, the FBI were up and down our street, looking in, you know, the scrub in the desert area for anything. And I did speak with two FBI agents, and again, I just had nothing that I could really add that I thought might help them.

BERMAN: What were the types of questions they were asking, especially the second time around? Did it feel more focused or differently focused?

LIPPMAN: It seemed a little differently focused. They were very much, have you seen anything? Have you seen suspicious people? Have you seen vehicles? You know, this is a -- it's not an isolated neighborhood, but it's a desert suburban neighborhood.

And you see the same cars virtually every single day, and they wanted to know if there had been any vehicles that we had seen that were not part of the neighborhood. And I just said, no, there's just -- there's nothing. And I do have a dog that barks when people come up, and he has just been quiet, so we've not seen or experienced anything there.

BERMAN: You mentioned it's not an isolated neighborhood, but it's not necessarily jam-packed with cameras everywhere.

[20:35:04]

How surprising is it to you that at this point, there aren't more, at least that we know of, more pictures of vehicles or anything that might have been suspicious during that night that have come to light? Is that the type of thing you would think would be available in your neighborhood?

LIPPMAN: Yes, and a lot of the houses are perpendicular to the streets, so, you know, front door rings or any type of cameras wouldn't necessarily be pointing at the street. So I think there's a lot of those homes that even if they had videos, they might have not had anything that was useful. Otherwise, I, you know, I know how important those cameras are, and I am surprised that it has not turned up more information for law enforcement.

BERMAN: Steve Lippman, thank you so much for sharing what you do know and what you have seen here, and also sharing your compassion and your thoughts for the Guthrie family. Really appreciate your time tonight.

LIPPMAN: Thank you very much.

BERMAN: Up next, Barack Obama weighs in on the Trump Truth Social post, depicting the former president and his wife as apes. Also ahead, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, daughters of former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, caught up in their parents' Epstein scandals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:41:04]

BERMAN: A fresh development tonight in a foul story. When the broadcast went off the air Friday night, we had just reported on the 47th president of the United States being asked whether anyone had been fired or even disciplined in connection with a racist image. This one depicting the 44th president and his wife as apes.

In a moment, what the 44th president had to say about it. First, quickly, the backstory. The image you just saw had been grafted onto the end of a cockamamie 2020 election conspiracy video and uploaded during one of the president's late night posting sprees the week before.

It stayed up for about 12 hours and then came down after Democrats and Republicans alike erupted, including Republican Senator Tim Scott, who called it the most racist thing he had seen from this White House, which might suggest he'd seen enough others to compare.

That night, the post came down. The president blamed a staffer, but did not name names, nor did he apologize. And a week later, he was asked again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, have you fired or disciplined that staffer who posted the video from your account that included the Obamas?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I haven't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Both the question and answer presume there is even a staffer to fire or discipline. We have no evidence either way. We haven't seen it. But again, the president says it wasn't him. And he's also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump. And if you look, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, possible exception, but the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I've done.

I am the least racist person. I'm the least racist person in this room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: In any case, here is what former President Obama said about it yesterday to podcaster Brian Tyler Green.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, first of all, I think it's important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling. You know, it is true that it gets attention. It's true that it's a distraction.

But, you know, as I'm traveling around the country, as you're traveling around the country, you meet people. They still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness. And there's this sort of clown show that's happening in social media and on television.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And that podcaster, we should say, was Brian Tyler Cohen.

With us now is CNN Senior Political Commentator, Former Special Adviser to President Obama, Van Jones, and CNN Senior Political Commentator and former Trump Campaign Adviser, David Urban. Van, what do you think about how former President Obama handled that?

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Class act, class act, class act. That is the Barack Obama that is still the most beloved political figure maybe in the world. I was at the NBA All-Star Game. He walked in and every single NBA player went nuts because it's a class act and he doesn't put people down to get where he's trying to go. And, you know, I think we need a lot more of that across the board.

BERMAN: David, that's how President Obama handled it. How do you think President Trump? What's your view of how President Trump has handled it, specifically on some CNN reporting that he lashed out behind the scenes at Republican Senator Tim Scott, calling him disloyal when Senator Scott said the video should be taken down, and Senator Scott who took an early stand calling it a racist video?

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, look, I mean, the video is indefensible. So let's just get that straight. And, you know, what President Obama said in his response there was, as Van said, it was a class act. He didn't punch back at President Trump.

[20:45:07]

He said, you know, he said, you know, it's kind of res ipsa. You know, the thing speaks for itself. You don't have to say much more about it. And, look, I think -- you know, look what Senator Scott could say it's an indefensible post. President Obama was right that it's a distraction and it's a sideshow.

And the problem that the Trump administration faces with it is a detraction. People don't pay attention to the good things that are happening in the Trump administration that day when the president posted that. They captured -- I recall, they captured the mastermind behind the Benghazi, you know, fiasco, debacle murders that day, got no coverage at all.

There are good things happening in the administration that day. They got no coverage in the following days because of that post. So it is a distraction. It's indefensible. It's dumb. And, you know, it's regrettable that it was up there. And, you know, I applaud President Obama's class in which we handled it.

BERMAN: Van, I guess the question is, is it a sideshow or is it the show when it comes to President Trump? And another way of asking that is what impact could it have, say, in the midterm elections? In 2024, in the presidential race, President Trump won 15 percent of black voters, that's according to Pew Research, up from 8 percent in 2020. So, is this the type of thing that will stick and have an impact?

JONES: Well, I'll quarrel with those numbers, but look, it's true that Trump made really important inroads into the black vote just a little bit more than a year ago. I think he's given away a lot of goodwill since then. It's not just this video, you know, people taking down the museums with black people and then black names coming down, aid support in Africa being taken away.

I just think Trump is giving away a lot of goodwill that I think he, you know, had built up in the first -- look, the first time, liberals don't want to talk about it, but he did do the First Step Act. David and I worked together on that, helped a lot of people behind bars. He helped black colleges. He did the Opportunity Zone stuff with Tim Scott and he had begged some goodwill. I think, you know, you're going to see, I think in the midterms, he's squandered a lot of that now. And I think it will come back to bite him.

BERMAN: You know, David, very quickly, we just got word from our Kristen Holmes, who covers the president, that he has been flying home from Palm Beach where he was for the long weekend. And on Air Force One with him is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Lutnick, of course, is known now for being in the Epstein files, which say that he went and visited Epstein Island with his family for this lunch, even after he had said, well, he said a few months ago that he broke ties with Epstein, never saw him again, was never in the same room with again. Turned out he was at his island for a lunch.

Now the president flying back with him on Air Force One. What message does that send? And do you think the president should be, you know, flying around with Howard Lutnick right now?

URBAN: Listen, I think it's up to Howard Lutnick what he's going to do, chart his course in the future here. You saw the chairman of Hyatt step down. This is reverberating globally, right? Heads of state were pieced up next about Prince Andrew's children.

You know, all over the globe, there are prices being paid for this. You know, Secretary Lutnick is going to have to I think -- I don't think this will be the last of this. I think this is going to not go away. I think people hope it goes away, but it just keeps getting worse and worse. And I think he's going to have to answer more questions.

That lunch was just piece of it. That seems like there were some other emails back and forth in there. You know, if you look at, you know, who was corresponding and discussing things with Jeffrey Epstein, it's been chronicled.

There are lots and lots of other people there that more shoes are going to drop before this story ends. And so I think it's up to Secretary Lutnick to determine his future at this point. I don't think the president's kicking him out of the cabinet.

BERMAN: No, I mean, clearly not. He's flying back with him tonight on Air Force One.

Van Jones, David Urban, great to see you both tonight. Thank you very much for being with us on this long weekend.

JONES: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: So on the Epstein case and on the release of the Epstein files, for years, there have been allegations surrounding former president -- excuse me, former Prince Andrew and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Newer released files reveal that Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also had a longstanding relationship with the late sex offender.

Now their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are being swept up into the scandal. Max Foster has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of Britain's royal family thrust into the spotlight after being named hundreds of times in the latest tranche of Epstein files. The saga involving the late sex offender had already engulfed both their parents, the former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.

Now, new details have emerged about Epstein's friendship with the Princess's mother, who seems to have brought her daughters into his orbit even after he was convicted for sex offences.

[20:50:10]

A series of emails released by the Department of Justice indicate that Ferguson, Eugenie and Beatrice all visited Epstein in Miami in 2009, just five days after he was released from jail. He served 13 months for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

"Do you need a ride?" Epstein asks before they lunch. "No, thank you," the former Duchess replies. Adding "It'll be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie" at a time when they were 20 and 19 years old. In a subsequent email, Ferguson tells Epstein, "Cannot wait to see you."

A separate thread between Epstein and his personal assistant days earlier also appears to indicate that he paid about $14,000 for the trio's flights to the U.S. And here's another email chain, nearly two years later in 2011, between Epstein, Ferguson and her then spokesperson. In it, the former Duchess says that Beatrice advised her on how to handle a British journalist to whom she'd given a statement about Epstein.

Just last year, Ferguson's spokesperson said she had cut off relations with Epstein, quote, "as soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations." But all these DOJ files suggest otherwise.

As for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Beatrice and Eugenie's father, he remains under pressure from his ties to Epstein. The disgraced former prince has previously denied any wrongdoing, including after he reached an out-of-court settlement with a woman who said she was trafficked to him as a teen.

Beatrice and Eugenie have kept a low profile through all of this, and there's no suggestion of wrongdoing simply because they've been named in the Epstein files.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (on-camera): John, we did reach out to Ferguson's representatives for comment on the exchanges seen in these Epstein documents, and CNN has also sought to contact the princesses for comment, but we haven't heard back from any of them. John?

BERMAN: All right, Max Foster, thank you so much for that report. Tonight, remembering a Hollywood legend. We learn today that Academy Award-winning actor Robert Duvall has died at the age of 95. His wife released a statement that read, in part, "Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort." His career spanned six decades and included some of the most memorable lines and iconic characters on film.

Here's CNN's Danny Freeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a terrific story. And we have newspaper people on the payroll, don't we, Tom? They might like a story like that.

ROBERT DUVALL, ACTOR: They might. They just might.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Regarded as one of the most iconic actors of his generation, Robert Duvall had a knack for bringing to life a variety of compelling characters. His debut on the big screen was playing Boo Radley in the 1962 film "To Kill a Mockingbird."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Boo.

DUVALL: It's Jean Louise. Mr. Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Yet it would be another decade before his big break in "The Good Godfather."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tom? Tom, you're the consigliere. You can talk to the Don, you can explain --

DUVALL: Just a minute now. Don is semi-retired and Mike is in charge of the family business now. You have anything to say, say it to Mike.

If there was no movies, I'd be on stage, but "Godfather" was kind of a catalyst for all the actors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time to suck this bitch!

FREEMAN (voice-over): Duvall went on to play a psychotic warmonger in "Apocalypse Now," delivering one of the most famous lines in film history.

DUVALL: I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory.

Everybody relates to that line, I think, you know, in many places. In scenes like that, we had to get quickly because all that fire in the back of me was supposed to be the napalm, and sometimes that's the best stuff you can get.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Duvall's role as a down-and-out alcoholic country singer in Tender Mercies won him his first Academy Award as Best Actor in 1984. His natural ability to transform into these characters led to more than half a dozen Oscar nominations throughout his career.

DUVALL: It always has to come from yourself. The base is yourself. You turn that a certain way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're not impersonating someone?

DUVALL: No, no. No. It's -- you only have one temperament, one set of emotions, one psyche, one imagine. So it's like you a certain way. You become the character, but it's you doing it. If you say, I'm going to become the character, I'm going to become the character, like this, this, this, this, then it becomes tense, becomes abstract, and you lose contact with yourself.

FREEMAN (voice-over): Duvall's talent went beyond just acting. He wrote, directed and financed "The Apostles," playing the leading role of a Pentecostal preacher. Duvall also had a penchant for dancing and singing, hobbies which made their way into many of his films.

[20:55:03]

But as successful as Duvall was professionally, his personal life was complicated. It took three failed marriages before he fell in love with actress Luciana Pedraza. The two shared the same birthday, January 5th, though she was more than 40 years his junior. Born in 1931, Duvall was the son of an actress and a Navy admiral. His passion for the arts, acting and life was evident to the end.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you like it?

DUVALL: I don't know. It's like playing house for big stakes. You know how kids play out, so --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it's childlike.

DUVALL: Yes, yes. But it's fun and maybe not as much as other professions, but we give a positive influence to society, hopefully.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Man, so talented, so good. And for the record, I do think he was a wartime consigliere.

Coming up, another special hour of AC360 with more breaking news in the search for Nancy Guthrie and an in-depth look at what criminal profilers are gleaning from this video of the suspect. We'll be right back.

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