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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Source Says, DNA From Glove Will be Sent For Genetic Analysis; Hillary Clinton Accuses Trump Admin Of A Continuing Cover-Up; Nearly 250 Million Gallons Of Raw Sewage Flowing Into Potomac; Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Dead At Age 84; Mixed Results For Team USA's "Blade Angels" As Japan Dominates Figure Skating Event. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired February 17, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, investigators say DNA from gloves found near the home of Nancy Guthrie does not have any matches in the national DNA database. So, what does that mean for the search to find Savannah Guthrie's 84- year-old mother? We're going to go live on the ground in Tucson in Moments.

Plus, CBS is pushing back on allegations it blocked Stephen Colbert from airing an interview last night with Texas Democratic Candidate James Talarico, who's running for Senate. But Colbert says the network was bowing to pressure from Trump. We'll dig into the accusation.

It's also an environmental disaster now turning into a partisan fight as millions of gallons of sewage spill into the Potomac River outside D.C. What is the risk for Americans living up and down the East Coast nearby? We'll ask an expert ahead.

And forget Charlie's Angels. Today, we've got the Blade Angels, team USA's three women figure skaters taking the ice this afternoon in their quest to score the country's first medal in this competition in 20 years. Our teams are on the ground in Milan Cortina with the results.

The Lead tonight, the DNA on the glove found near Nancy Guthrie's home is being sent for genetic analysis, not just DNA, genetic analysis, a law enforcement source now tells CNN. This is after the gloves initial DNA test returned no matches in the FBI's national database. The genealogical process or the genetic process utilizes DNA samples from public systems, websites like 23andMe, or apps like Ancestry that you might have used to map your own family tree. All this as the search for the 84-year-old mother of Today Show Anchor Savannah Guthrie (INAUDIBLE) in Tucson, Arizona.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Nancy's neighborhood where law enforcement was seen just a short while ago. Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jake. Well, we saw some activity here at Nancy Guthrie's home, a man walking into the home and leaving, wearing plastic gloves, carrying a bag we saw in surrounding homes as well, officers working on what appears to be a camera in a light on the corner of a home.

We've asked investigators what this was about. They said that they're simply following up on various law enforcement work. So, that's the extent of what we've seen significant because it has been several days since we've seen this kind of activity kind of buzzing around this particular neighborhood as well.

But right now, Jake, really, the focus has been the disheartening news that we got today with the lack of a DNA match in this. You know, you talked about or the FBI has talked about these gloves that were found, that matched what the suspect was wearing in that front porch video that was released last week. That perhaps that DNA found in that glove would match the DNA of the unknown person here at the Guthrie home, and that would provide an investigative lead. But investigators say not only did the DNA sample from those gloves not appear in the criminal database but it also does not match the DNA that was found here at the home.

And as you mentioned the DNA here that's found at the Guthrie home is being sent off for that genealogical analysis. And that kind of analysis has been fruitful in other investigations and has helped investigators find suspects in other high-profile cases. But, again, all of these kinds of things take a great deal of time. But for now, it's been another disheartening day in the investigation and the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Jake?

TAPPER: All right. Ed Lavandera in Pima County, Arizona, thank you so much.

Let's bring in two experts with FBI experience, Mary Ellen O'Toole, a former FBI senior profiler and special agent, and also with us, Jason Pack, a retired FBI supervisory agent.

Jason, let me start with you. How key could a genealogy service, like genealogical service, such as 23andMe or ancestry.com, how example could be this to cracking open the case?

JASON PACK, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Well, I think it's going to be really important, Jake. Even FBI squads and field offices around the country have a person dedicated to this particular tactic.

So, the FBI Phoenix Division has somebody that does investigative genealogy, so does larger field offices like Los Angeles. So, they can call in as much help as they need to become -- to come and start the process here. I've been told that they've already been doing this for several days, so they're well ahead of the process.

But things like this can start wide and get a DNA match, and then you have to do genealogical research yourself. In Tennessee, you would find Billy Bob's third cousin and get down to Billy Bob, officially. So, that's what they're trying to do to kind of narrow the pool once they're able to get a hit here, hopefully.

TAPPER: Mary Ellen, what does it tell you about the suspect that the DNA on that glove had no matches in the CODIS database? MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER FBI SENIOR PROFILER AND SPECIAL AGENT: Well, it tells me two primary things, number one, the DNA of the individual on that glove, that person, abduction of Nancy.

[18:05:02]

Or, number two, the glove is not in CODIS, and that means that that person has never been arrested. In some states, it's arrestees and people convicted but has never been arrested and/or convicted of a violent crime.

But the absence of a criminal record does not mean that criminal behavior is absent. So, it just means that the person was not put into CODIS as a result of a conviction.

TAPPER: Jason, the DNA from the glove also did not match the DNA found at the Guthrie home, you know, after they already ruled out family and related. So, the sheriff's department says the DNA found at the property is being analyzed and further testing needs to be done. This is non-family DNA found in the house.

If the DNA from the house does show up in CODIS, what could that tell us?

PACK: Well, if the DNA from inside the house shows up in CODIS, then you should have a suspect there because that person would've been in CODIS as a result of that. So, that would be really what they're looking for.

Separately, they'll compare the evidence found in there with other leads that they're getting either tips or digital evidence that they're compiling right now.

TAPPER: And, Mary Ellen, Walmart is working with investigators to identify whoever purchased that backpack. How long could it take for a national retailer to find that information and is that something that a perpetrator will be thinking about and maybe disguise their tracks while they do that?

O'TOOLE: It will take -- it could take a while. But I'm confident that they're giving it priority because this case has gotten so much attention and they should give it a priority. It depends on whether or not the offender thought ahead that far to think what if they track (INAUDIBLE) and go back and see the day that I bought it and then get the cameras. Some people do think like that.

And this is an offender that may have not been perfect at everything, but there certainly was evidence of pre-planning. So, they may have thought enough ahead to not buy everything on the same day or not use the same Walmart, and that will make it a lot more challenging for investigators to go back and attempt to track it. But they will probably be successful if there's something there.

TAPPER: I mean, he has evaded de detection for 17 days.

Jason, investigators are using something called a signal sniffer, working with the manufacturer of Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker, to try to locate her pacemaker. How well does that work?

PACK: Well, I think it's a new technology and it works pretty decently, but I think you have to be pretty close to the signal. So, it's looking for Bluetooth signals. I don't think it's looking for a pacemaker specifically, but just a signal emitting from the area. So, I think you saw the helicopter flying low, and I think it had to get as close as it could. It also can be attached to vehicles too. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there's been some ground searches with the same piece of technology as well.

TAPPER: But if a helicopter is going over a house, I mean, every house probably in that neighborhood has Bluetooth, my phone has Bluetooth, I mean, how are they -- are they able to discern what is Bluetooth from a pacemaker versus what's Bluetooth from a phone?

PACK: I think each Bluetooth signal has a unique I.D. and so they should be able to take any Bluetooth signal, look at those I.D.s, and then if they have to go to the residences close by or wherever the signals were to eliminate that, you'll have what's left over.

TAPPER: Mary Ellen, the sheriff said they've cleared the members of the Guthrie family, including people who have married into the Guthrie family as suspects. This is after processing all their phones, their computers, their homes, their vehicles. Why do you think so many influencers, YouTubers, et cetera, people who don't necessarily have investigative experience rushed to accuse members of the family?

O'TOOLE: I think one of the reasons that, that people do this, quite frankly, is when you see a case like this on television, oftentimes it's portrayed as being a family member. And I think if you don't have that kind of investigative background where you know that every time a case like this happens, whether it's a child kidnapping or an adult, you eliminate the family first and foremost as people that have been around that person, and then you move on.

But, again, if you don't work in the field, if you don't have that kind of experience, there seems to be a natural assumption that the people closest to the individual obviously are the ones that have to be responsible. And sometimes that's true, and maybe more times than not it's true, but it's certainly not always true. And in this case, the elimination was important to announce to the public so that they could begin to move on from that theory.

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TAPPER: Yes, there sure are a lot of people with megaphones being pretty reckless in their accusations.

Mary Ellen O'Toole, Jason Pack, thank you so much.

And if you out there have any information that could help investigators in this case, you can call the Pima County Sheriff's Department at (520) 351-4900, or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also reach the agency online at tips.fbi.gov.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is explaining her interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, while also accusing the Trump White House of a, quote, continuing cover-up. That's next.

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TAPPER: In our National Lead, U.S. Capitol Police just released these images of a man they say charged at the Capitol today with a loaded shotgun dressed in tactical gear. They identified him as 18-year-old Carter Camacho from Georgia near the city of Atlanta. Capitol Police say he drove a white Mercedes SUV near the Capitol, jumped out and started running toward the building with that loaded gun.

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Officer searched his vehicle and found a helmet and a gas mask inside. He faces several charges. We'll bring you updates when we know more about that situation.

Our Law and Justice Lead comes with a big helping of politics on the side because next week, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be questioned separately in the House Oversight Committee's investigation of the dead pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.

In a brand new interview with the BBC, Secretary Clinton says that they have nothing to hide. She insinuated that the Trump administration does.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: What we're seeing, I think it's fair to say, is a continuing cover-up by the Trump administration. In fact, when the attorney general testified last week, it was quite a scene.

So, there's something about this administration's attitude toward this, which I think really leads us to conclude they have something to hide. We don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: We're joined now by a Democratic Congresswoman Becca Balint of Vermont. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us.

So cover-up, that's a strong term. Do you agree with former Secretary Clinton that there is a, quote, continuing cover-up by the Trump administration about Epstein?

REP. BECCA BALINT (D-VT): It is a strong word. And what's so difficult right now, Jake, is all of the indications that we have from this administration is that they're not interested in being transparent. So, it does lead us to believe that they are covering things up. What those things are, we have to continue to push for.

Look, when you had the attorney general coming before the Judiciary Committee the other day, she was not prepared to answer any questions, whatsoever, and spent her entire time deflecting, attacking. She claimed over the weekend that they have released as many files as they're going to release.

We know that there's about 3 million files that still have not been released. I've talked repeatedly to the survivors who've said they're looking for their own documents in the file release, and they haven't been released. I was asking her pretty direct questions about whether she was going to ask Howard Lutnick about his ties to Epstein, couldn't get a straight answer.

So, if you don't want people to accuse you of being part of a cover- up, then answer the questions, be more transparent.

TAPPER: According to photos and video and documents reviewed by CNN, in 2013, this is years after Ghislaine Maxwell was publicly accused in civil lawsuits and press reports of helping Jeffrey Epstein groom in sexually abused minors. She was an honored guest at the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative Conference. Listen to what Secretary Clinton said when the BBC interviewer asked about the Clintons' links with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you regret the links that there have been?

CLINTON: You know, we have no links. We have a very clear record that we've been willing to talk about, which my husband has said, he took some rides on the airplane for his charitable work. I don't recall ever meeting him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you ever meet Ghislaine Maxwell?

CLINTON: I did on a few occasions and thousands of people go to the Clinton Global Initiative.

So, to me, it's not something that is really at the heart of what this matter is about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What's your reaction?

BALINT: Well, this particular issue with the Epstein files and lack of transparency has gone back for several presidential administrations. This is not just the responsibility of the Trump administration. This has been mishandled from the beginning. I have met with survivors who say that they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein in the 90s and went to authorities and nothing came of it. We certainly had the sweetheart deal that was cut with Alex Acosta. It is continuing to be a situation where these survivors have not gotten justice from anyone around them.

And from my perspective, I don't care where the evidence goes, whether it is Republicans or Democrats who are being held accountable. I want the truth to finally be out, and I want people to understand that this was a very extensive network of rich, well-connected people that were perfectly happy, continuing to have relationships and business relationships with somebody who was a registered sex offender.

TAPPER: Yes. Let's talk about the hearing with Attorney General Bondi, because you're on the House Judiciary Committee, and things between the two of you got a bit heated. We're just going to air a little bit of this now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: With this anti-Semitic culture right now. She voted against a resolution condemning Jewish --

BALINT: Do you want to go there, Attorney General?

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Do you want to go there? Are you serious, talking about anti-Semitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, Attorney General Bondi was specifically referring to a vote you, you made against a bill that would've adopted the International Holocaust for Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti- Semitism, which you said, quote, would equate protected political speech with unprotected discrimination. Were you surprised that she brought that up?

BALINT: Well, in retrospect, I'm not surprised. At the moment, I was surprised. But now that we know that they were actually tracking our searches on the Department of Justice computers, and I want people to understand when you go to try to search the Epstein files, there are only four computers for 435 members of Congress, they give you a discreet -- well, they don't give it to you, they log you in.

And even at the time I thought that was very strange. And it's clear to me that they were keeping track of what we were looking at. They knew I was in the files for Howard Lutnick. And the only conclusion that I can come to is that they were going to use this as some ammunition against me because Howard Lutnick is also of Jewish descent. But that is just a theory that I have based on how the hearing went and how she seemed to be using the so-called dirt that she dug up on all of us.

I wish that she had spent more time preparing to answer our questions than try to find gotcha moments. But in terms of her accusation of me being anti-Semitic, it's completely and totally outrageous. And, once again, she took up critical time in that hearing attacking us instead of doing right by the survivors who were sitting there in the room with her asking for her to apologize for the disastrous rollout of the files, and I think it has something to do with their surveillance at DOJ of what we were searching.

TAPPER: Vermont Congresswoman Becca Balint, a Democrat, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

BALINT: Thank you, Jake. TAPPER: As millions of gallons of raw sewage spill into the Potomac River, politicians are fighting over who's to blame and who's responsible for cleaning it up. But what about the very real, pressing health dangers? That story's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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TAPPER: In our Earth Matters series, President Trump taking to Truth Social again today calling on the leaders of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., to fix the major wastewater spill in the Potomac River, saying, quote, if they can't do the job, they have to call me and ask politely to get it fixed. This after a back and forth with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who released a statement saying in part, quote, since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak. For the last four weeks, the Trump administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people's health at risk, unquote.

Since the pipe collapsed last month, D.C. Water says almost 250 million gallons of sewage overflowed into the river, with some environmental groups suggesting that number could be as high as 300 million. As a point of comparison, other recent major spills, such as the 2017 cross-border wastewater spill near San Diego reached 230 million gallons, or the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill dropped 210 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

Joining us to help understand this is the University of Maryland assistant professor of global environmental and occupational health, Dr. Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein. Doctor, thanks for joining us.

So, all the other spills took place in the ocean. Does the smaller area of a river make a wastewater spill like this even worse?

DR. RACHEL ROSENBERG GOLDSTEIN, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: That's a great question. So, what we're really concerned about is the potential for people to interact with the sewage and the bacteria that can be contained in the sewage. And so there's much more interaction, especially as we see seasons change and temperatures start to increase of people interacting with the Potomac River.

TAPPER: Until recently, the Potomac was frozen from the cold. So, what effect might that have on containing a spill?

GOLDSTEIN: Exactly. So, we were still detecting bacteria in the Potomac River, both at the site of the spill, but also up to nine miles downstream from the spill towards Georgetown, even a week after the original spill.

So, we're seeing high levels of E. coli, which is a fecal indicator bacteria, but we're also measuring pathogens, like staphylococcus aureus. And we know that we're able to detect these bacteria even when it's been freezing but we also know that bacteria prefer warmer temperatures. So, we are concerned about following this as we move into a change of seasons as we start seeing temperatures rise.

TAPPER: Is Governor Moore correct that until recently the federal government was in charge of this?

GOLDSTEIN: So, we've really been focused on water testing and understanding what the water quality is, and focused on trying to help the public understand what the risks are.

TAPPER: Okay. D.C. gets its drinking water from the Potomac. So, should we here in D.C. be worried about drinking or bathing or brushing our teeth with the water coming out of our pipe?

GOLDSTEIN: So, right now, what we understand is that upstream of the spill is where drinking water is taken. So, so far, we have no reason to be concerned about our drinking water. What we're most concerned about is people who interact with the Potomac for recreational uses, so people who are taking boats out, people who, when the weather warms up, might want to physically get into the water.

TAPPER: You mentioned E. coli, but your team recently published a report that it's not just E. coli, that there's also the bacteria, MRSA, or MRSA, detected at extremely high levels in the water.

[18:30:09]

What's the process of removing these bacteria from the water? How long does it take?

GOLDSTEIN: That's a great question. So, we definitely we're looking not just E. coli, but also as you said, MRSA. It's an antibiotic- resistant bacteria. This is the bacteria that we're most focused on in our lab. We know that antibiotic resistant bacteria can be present in wastewater, so we wanted to go to see if these bacteria could also be present in the Potomac at the site of the spill, and we did unfortunately find them there.

It's really important to understand what happens to these bacteria over time that we continue to monitor the river both over time, but also downstream so we can see what's happening with the bacteria.

TAPPER: Dr. Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein, thank you so much. I appreciate your time and expertise.

Coming up, we remember the life and legacy of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure in the Civil Rights Movement and American politics. CNN Anchor Abby Philip, who literally wrote the book on Reverend Jackson, she joins us next.

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TAPPER: In our National Lead, we are remembering today the incredible life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died earlier at 84, a man who rose from very humble beginnings to become a towering figure in the Civil Rights Movement and who helped reshape U.S. politics through his activism and his two campaigns for president.

Let's discuss with CNN Anchor Abby Phillips. She is the author of the excellent biography of Jackson that came out last year. It's called A Dream Deferred, Jesse Jackson in the Fight for Black Political Power. I cannot recommend it enough. Abby, thanks for joining us.

So, Reverend Jackson sought the Democratic nomination for president in both 1984 and 1988. He came pretty close to winning the second time around. I want to play a little bit of his 1983 presidential campaign announcement speech. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: I rise to the cloud that I can and announce to you this day my decision to seek the nomination of the Democratic Party for the presidency of the United States.

We challenge the Democratic Party to respect all of its constituents, say we will have a negotiation.

Blacks, women, Hispanics, workers, Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, we must come together and form the coalition Rainbow Coalition. We need to keep up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The Rainbow Coalition. How successful was Jackson in achieving a Rainbow Coalition?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I mean, I think that in a lot of ways, the shape of the Democratic Party that we know it today is created by Jesse Jackson. These campaigns created a true coalition that is exactly what Democrats, if they're trying to run for president, they're trying to run for some kind of statewide or nationwide position, they have to contend with all the constituent groups.

And one of the things that Jesse Jackson did was not only did he go around and talk to all of those different groups, whether it's Asian Americans and Arab Americans, Hispanic Americans, but he brought them into the process. He taught them how to use the rules. After his two campaigns, he put them in positions of power at the DNC and in government. And that really changed the face of the Democratic Party. It actually put those people in the driver's seat. They weren't just constituents whose votes Democrats needed. They were the people also helping to run the party. And I think that's one of the biggest contributions that he made.

TAPPER: In March 1988, Reverend Jackson came from behind and won the Michigan Democratic caucuses. This is what Reverend Jackson said at the time about that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKSON: That is a wave of hope sweeping across our nation. It's a growing sense that we, the people, can win in Michigan. In the final analysis, it was the message, the soul and the authenticity of Jesse Jackson versus money and technology, and we, the people, prevailed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: It is so interesting to hear him speak after having read your book because you write about how after he won the Michigan Democratic primary, it was the first time he actually thought he might actually become president.

PHILLIP: Yes. You kind of almost see it in his face there as he's speaking. I mean, this was a moment of tremendous importance in that campaign. It was the first time that a lot of the Democratic establishment really had to contemplate what it would be like if Jesse Jackson were the nominee, but it was also the first time that Jesse Jackson had to contemplate that, where they were in, you know, his campaign offices talking about cabinet positions and who would be up for what and how they would actually run a government if they were to win.

And so, you know, Michigan was such a big deal because it was -- first of all, it was a caucus state at the time and no one expected him to win. And not only did he win in the urban centers in Detroit but he also won outside of there, in rural areas, in college towns. And that became, I think, a recipe for how an outsider candidate could really break through the establishment.

And you saw something similar happen with Bernie Sanders, as in some of these caucus states. He did something very similar. He did fairly well in urban areas but he also did well in college towns and in rural areas. And that's how you he shook up the establishment.

TAPPER: Yes. And what's interesting about what Jackson did that Bernie Sanders replicated in many ways was it was a working class message.

PHILLIP: Yes.

TAPPER: Working class whites, working class blacks, working class Latinos. And I remember a cartoon, you and I have talked about this before, about a Michigan -- a Reagan Democrat in Michigan.

[18:40:05]

And it was like Reagan, Reagan bumper stickers, and then Jackson, because he actually had an appeal to some of those white working class voters.

PHILLIP: Yes, he certainly did. And he went out of his way to try to appeal to them, going to factory floors and talking to union workers. And, you know, I was rereading his 1988 campaign speech earlier today, and there's a part of it where he's going into his biography, talking about the humble beginnings that he had in South Carolina, being born to a teen mom in a small house with an outhouse in the back. And he says, I'm a working person's working person, and that's why I understand you, whether you're black or you're white.

His argument was that unlike a lot of the other people who tend to run for president, he didn't come from money. He didn't have a silver spoon in his mouth. He came from regular stock. And that's one of the ways that I think he tried to connect to white working class people and he argued to them that it was the job of, you know, racists and others to try to divide people along racial lines as opposed to uniting them on the economic issues that they had in common.

TAPPER: Abby Philip, thank you so much, and I know you're going to have a lot more on Jesse Jackson's legacy tonight on NewsNight at 10:00 P.M. Eastern. We, of course, will be watching. Thanks for joining us.

PHILLIP: Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: Early voting starts today in an important primary in Texas. So, why hasn't President Trump made an endorsement yet? Our panel weighs in. That's next.

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[18:45:21]

TAPPER: Our politics lead, President Trump, along with his predecessors, are remembering the legendary Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away this morning at the age of 84. President Trump called him a force of nature. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said he never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows. President Joe Biden described him as a man of God and of the people. President Obama said, "We stood on his shoulders."

My panel joins me now.

Ashley, what impact did the Reverend Jackson have on paving the way for Black politicians specifically, including your former boss, Vice President Kamala Harris?

ASHLEY ETIENNE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Oh, I mean tremendous amounts of impact. I mean, not only did he give a permission structure, did he model the fact that you could have a black principal. But he also challenged Democratic Party and its rules to make room for and lay the foundation for Barack Obama and for Kamala Harris.

But what I -- you know, if we had to take a step backwards for me, he's one of the most powerful brokers of his time, most influential power brokers of his time much of the political apparatus today and political environment today is catching up to what Reverend Jackson did in the '80s. You know, translating people's economic power into a political movement, i.e., Donald Trump, i.e. Mamdani.

He also took the civil rights movement into the boardroom and challenged Wall Street on greed as well as diversity. Ten years before DEI, and 10 years before Bernie did himself. And then I would say that the third sort of transformative aspect of his legacy was this laying the foundation for Barack Obama.

He was situated perfectly between MLK and Barack Obama. Twenty years after MLK, 20 years before Barack Obama, and really translated the civil rights movement into machinery that actually made room for Barack Obama.

So he was, you know, he was beyond his time and beyond his years in a lot of ways.

TAPPER: Reverend Jackson was obviously controversial for a number of reasons. It was interesting today to see President Trump post so many photographs of himself with Jesse Jackson, a lot of them from the '80s, a lot of them from the '90s. And first of all, we should just note, Jesse Jackson had -- he was his attitude was he'll talk to anybody.

Like, you know, he went to try to get people hostages home. He'll talk to the dictator of North Korea. He'll talk to, you know, Moammar Gadhafi. So, like talking to President Trump or then businessman Trump not a big deal. But what do you what do you make of the fact that Trump posted so many pictures of himself with Jesse Jackson?

T.W. ARRIGHI, VICE PRESIDENT, PUSH DIGITAL GROUP REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yeah. Look, I think whenever somebody notable dies and Donald Trump has an opinion on it, you don't necessarily know where that's going to go. But in the case of Jesse Jackson, Donald Trump really feels like he had a real genuine relationship with this man that spanned decades. Obviously, you talk about the photos he posted, but also in the note, you know, he makes note in there that the Rainbow Coalition was tenant in one of his buildings.

He was a benefactor of those organizations for a long time. He helped raise money for those. Theres clips that have been going viral on social media especially in Republican circles, of Jesse Jackson introducing him at annual conferences of his and other events praising the work he did to get more minority representation in those boardrooms. Those are not my words there, Jesse Jackson's.

TAPPER: Yeah, back when Trump was -- back when Trump was a Democrat. But yes.

ARRIGHI: But that spanned a long time. And so, I think the reason he had such kind things to say about him is because he knew him very well, and that -- that means something.

ETIENNE: I also think he took a lot of plays out of Jesse Jackson's playbook. I mean, think about the -- you know what --

TAPPER: The system being rigged kind of thing?

ETIENNE: Yes, the grievance sort of messaging framework, but also how he built the coalition. I mean, Reverend Jackson, the Rainbow Push Coalition brought together black, brown, gay, straight an entire coalition that now is the backbone of the Democratic Party that was never built before.

And it's similar to what Donald Trump actually did going to the Bronx and talking to black men, asking what do you have to lose and built this really big coalition that, again broke with the norms of both of those parties.

TAPPER: Let's turn to Texas, because early voting begins there today in the Senate primaries. On the Republican side, President Trump's endorsement would likely decide which of these three Republicans -- current incumbent Senator John Cornyn, who's running for reelection, Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt and Texas attorney General Ken Paxton will come out on top. But he's not endorsing any of them, at least as of now.

Take a listen to what he had to say yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just haven't made a decision on that race yet. It's got a ways to go and I have it. He's a good man. John is a good -- I like all three of them actually.

I like all three. Those are the toughest races.

[18:50:00]

They've all supported me. They're all good. And you're supposed to pick one. So, we'll see what happens, but I support all three.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So just -- there's interesting dynamics here, one of which is obviously the Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants him to endorse the incumbent, John Cornyn. There's also a real fear among Republicans that if Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wins the primary, which he very well could, that really opens up the seat for Democrats to potentially be competitive in.

Why do you think Trump is holding out endorsing?

ARRIGHI: Well, I think it's important to note, potentially be competitive.

TAPPER: Potentially, yeah.

ARRIGHI: Whether it's the Houston poll, the Emerson poll, if a Republican, whoever the Republican is, has the -- is the likely favorite to win to win the election, why is he holding out? He doesn't want to pick a loser.

And I think Ken Paxton has been a strong ally of his from the beginning. He knows Cornyn has an institution in Texas, and he's been very helpful on Capitol Hill and he likes Wesley Hunt. He doesn't want to pick a loser.

I think I don't -- I'm not saying hell never endorse in this race. I just think it will be closer to game day when he does it.

TAPPER: What do you think? And also, who do you think has of the Democrats? Including James Talarico, whose interview with Stephen Colbert was not aired last night because of equal time concerns, so- called. Who do you think is the strongest Democrat to win statewide, Jasmine Crockett or Talarico?

ETIENNE: I think this race for Trump is about his legacy not just holding and maintaining the Senate, but also who's going to further the MAGA movement. And so, I think -- I think that's why his PAC has endorsed Paxton. And I think eventually he will endorse Paxton because Cornyn is an establishment institutionalist in a party that's filled with anarchists.

But in terms of who's the best Democrat, I think Jasmine Crockett has the best shot at beating any Republican in this state.

TAPPER: How so?

ETIENNE: Well, because you look at sort of the base -- the base vote voters who she needs to turn out large majority of them are black voters who in the Dallas, Houston and central Texas area are going to have an outsized influence on not just the primary race, but also in terms of the general race I think she's got the ability to turn out those low propensity voters. If she can continue to catch fire continue to fundraise.

But then also, here's the real the most important factor here is that more than 50 percent of the state of Texas in my home state right now feel like the state is going in the wrong direction. They're feeling like the economy is working against them right now in the state of Texas.

So right now, the mood in Texas is one that I think is ripe for a Democrat to win. And I think Jasmine Crockett has the right formula to win that race.

TAPPER: Truth serum, because I know you want the Republican to win.

ARRIGHI: Yeah.

TAPPER: Which Democrat do you least want Republicans to face in Texas Senate?

ARRIGHI: I'll take the polling's word for it. It's Talarico right now.

But I want Crockett to win. And the hardest part of the reason is this reminds me of the Tea Party era, when we had so many layup elections. This is not a layup for Democrats, but it could be somewhat competitive.

We blew it by going with the base and the movement candidate. And I think that's what Crockett represents. And I think it would be a mistake for the Democrats to do it. And I hope they do it.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

American figure skaters took to the Olympic ice this afternoon to try and do something the U.S. has not done in 20 years. So how did they fare? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:26]

TAPPER: Finally, from us, our sports lead. Mixed emotions tonight for Team USA's women figure skating team. The trio dubbed the "Blade Angels" qualified for Thursday's free skate competition. But now, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito all have an individual shot at medaling for Team USA for the first time in two decades. That may be a challenge for Amber Glenn, who finished in 13th after bailing on one of her jumps.

CNN's Coy Wire is in Milan with today's highlights -- Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Jake.

One of the crown jewels of the Winter Olympics women's figure skating kicking off with the short program tonight. And American Alysa Liu put herself in prime position for medal contention. After the last Winter Games, she took time away from the sport, traveled a bit and enrolled at college at UCLA, but decided to make a comeback. She told me ahead of these games that she loves fashion, she loves dancing. Therefore, she missed figure skating.

She put up her season best routine. Her whole family was there to see it. Clearly, she needed that time away. She said ahead of the games that she didn't feel like her life was on the line anymore. She's currently in third place after the short program. Japan's 17-year-old Ami Nakai is in the lead. Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time world champ also of Japan, is in second. Only one Japanese woman has won Olympic figure skating gold. It was 20 years ago here in Italy.

Team USA's Elana Meyers Taylor, at 41 years old, Jake, winning monobob by 4/100 of a second. It's her fifth Olympic Games, her sixth career Olympic medal, but first gold. Oldest American woman ever to medal at the Winter Games. Tied for most medals won by an American woman at the Winter Games, all while balancing being a mom of two young kids with special needs.

Elana says she has school drop off in five days, Jake. Her family, including her two young boys, were there to see it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELANA MEYERS TAYLOR, MONOBOB OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNER: I hope they remember this visually and I hope they were able to take it all in that visual memory, because obviously, they couldn't hear everything that was going on, so I hope they were able to take it all in and really enjoy it. And one day, you know, when they're a little bit older, they'll see it and they'll know that their mom was Olympic champion and they'll know what it means. Right now, I don't -- I don't think they can process it and know what it means. But one day, I think they'll understand and appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Jake, I texted Elana after the big win saying, let's get you and the family up for an interview. She said, sounds good, but after I'm finished competing. She is focused. She'll compete in the two-women bobsleigh. Heats begin later this week.

TAPPER: All right. Coy Wire, thanks so much. What a great gig.

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"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now. Take it away, Erin.