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Global Leaders Meet at Security Conference in Germany; Au Pair Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Double-Murder Plot; DOJ Suing 20 Plus States to Access Sensitive Voter Info. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 13, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: ... So, it's not only Europe's competitive advantage. It's also the United States' competitive advantage. So let's repair and revise transatlantic trust together.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This is all happening as President Trump just announced the second U.S. aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East in case diplomacy talks with Iran fail. Joining us now to talk more about these developments is CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour, who is at the Munich Security Conference. And Christiane, you just spoke with the former Shah of Iran's son and Senator Lindsey Graham.

What are they saying about the situation?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, it was an incredibly interesting conversation. And given that you're talking about this new addition of military might headed towards the Arabian Sea and close to the Persian Gulf region, I talked to Senator Lindsey Graham about would the United States do as he has been urging, follow through on what President Trump said to the Iranian protesters before they were forcibly crushed by the regime, keep protesting, help is on the way. This is what Lindsey Graham said about the armada, that Trump calls it, and about Trump's pledges, as he puts it, promises to the Iranian people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): If we back out now, it'll be the biggest mistake we've made, far worse than the Syrian red line, far worse than Afghanistan. You can't say, keep protesting, we got your back, help's on the way. And nothing happened.

That's why I'm confident that President Trump will get an outcome consistent with those three statements through diplomacy or military force. I've never seen a more consequential time in history as right now. If we can take this regime down through the people, their desires, not ours, and replace it with a friend, not a foe, be the biggest change in a thousand years.

If we don't get it right and we blink, it'll be the biggest change in a thousand years in the wrong way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So those are really fighting words. And then, of course, I spoke to Reza Pahlavi, who is the son of the late Shah, who was overthrown by the Islamic revolution 47 years ago, and who now basically positions himself as the most known leader of the opposition, certainly in exile. So we spoke about what his plan would be if there was an opportunity to replace this current regime in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR: Why do you think Pahlavi should be the leader again, and how can you do it? What kind of a plan do you have? What kind of a political ground game inside the country do you have?

I mean, it's necessary, right? You've got to also be able to convince people there and to have an organization.

REZA PAHLAVI, SON OF FORMER SHAH OF IRAN: Well, when it comes to the name, that's the name that people chanted on the streets of Iran by the millions in 31 provinces of Iran, in the four corners of Iran. They called my name. They asked me to come to their support, and I have.

And I accepted the challenge of leading the transition. As far as the plan that we have, we have a plan before the regime's collapse, and particularly for the transition after this regime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR (on camera): So we talked about a truly representative democracy where all sectors of Iran would and should be involved in choosing their own future. Now, very interestingly also, you were just talking about Chancellor Mertz, who opened the conference, Marco Rubio. So what's happening tomorrow is that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be the keynote speaker.

And of course, all the Europeans, the allies, are waiting with bated breath to see how he does address them, because this time last year they were stunned and shocked by the broadside that was delivered on behalf of the United States by Vice President J.D. Vance, who, as you remember, just essentially wailed on the allies, seemed to warm up to the adversaries, i.e. Putin. And, you know, this whole year has been one of might makes right. It's been one of sort of throwing Zelenskyy to an extent under the bus, the president of Ukraine. Not putting enough pressure on Putin to actually get him to negotiate seriously for an end to this war.

So everybody's waiting to hear what Rubio will say and how he says it tomorrow.

SANCHEZ: We know you'll be watching it closely. Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much for that report.

Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

[14:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The au pair who admitted her role in a salacious double murder plot was just sentenced to a maximum 10 years in prison. That's despite the plea deal she struck for flipping on her former boss and lover, Brendan Banfield.

A Virginia judge handed down that ruling today, rejecting recommendations to sentence the 25-year-old to time served.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE PENNEY AZCARATE, FAIRFAX COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: Your actions were deliberate, self-serving, and demonstrated a profound disregard for human life. So let's get straight. You do not deserve anything other than incarceration and a life of reflection on what you've done to the victim and this family. May it weigh heavily on your soul.

So today I'm sentencing you on a manslaughter charge because that's what's before me. And the facts of this case demonstrate an intentional and calculated level of violence that is the most serious manslaughter scenario that this court has ever seen.

Therefore, I do sentence you to 10 years in the penitentiary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now.

[14:40:00]

Walk us through what happened in court today, Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was so emotional and it was suspenseful because just as you said, the prosecution had recommended that she walk out the door a free woman at the end of this sentencing. But obviously it was in the hands of the judge.

But she pleaded guilty to manslaughter, originally charged with murder of Joseph Ryan. That was the escort that was lured to the home so that they could pin the murder of Christine Banfield, the mother of a four- year-old little girl on Joseph Ryan. Well, Joseph Ryan's mother gave a victim impact statement.

And the point she wanted to make was my son was a human being.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEIRDRE FISHER, MOTHER OF JOSEPH RYAN: My son's life was used and thrown away, seen as worthless and utterly disposable. Disposal by those who plotted and executed his brutal murder. Do I think or dare hope that there will be justice for Joe's death?

For my loss as his mother? I don't believe that's possible. What I do hope is that even for a moment that the world and you, Judge, will say Joe meant more than nothing, that he was someone worthy of dignity and life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And Juliana begged for mercy, crying before the judge pronounced the decision, the sentence, but she didn't get what she wanted. She's not walking out that door.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Jean Casarez, thank you so much for bringing us that story.

Secretary Kristi Noem is holding a press conference on election integrity today, as we're learning that 2020 election deniers are playing a key role in the FBI's raid of a Fulton County election office in Georgia.

We're going to talk to the Secretary of State from Arizona, a state that's suing the DOJ for its full voter file. What's next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem just wrapped up a press conference focused on election security. She defended the Trump- backed SAVE Act, which imposes new proof of citizenship rules for voter registration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: There is no room in our election system for people that aren't Americans. There is no room in our election system for fraudsters and foreign influence. The Declaration of Independence said this simple, self-evident truth, that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Fair and secure elections are how we measure the consent of the governed, and they ensure that our American citizens' voices are heard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: This comes as newly unsealed court documents show that 2020 election deniers played a critical role in the FBI's search warrant at an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia. State officials have repeatedly affirmed the integrity of Georgia's 2020 election, which was vetted with an audit and a hand recount.

Joining us now is Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a state that saw its own audit and mass accusations of fraud that were never proven. Sir, thank you so much for being with us. DOJ sued you for Arizona's full voter file, including either a voter's driver's license or the last four digits of their social security number. You've argued that turning over some of that information could violate not only state, but also federal law.

Let's start there. Tell us about that.

ADRIAN FONTES, (D) ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, well, thanks for having me. And number one, it doesn't just -- I'm not arguing that it violates the law. It does.

16.68 subparagraph F of the Arizona revised statute makes it illegal for me to turn over not just the driver's license or hold a part of the social security, but they also asked for tribal ID numbers, mother's maiden names, and all of the rest of that very sensitive data that we use to maintain our voter rolls for whatever purpose they're saying that they do. So that's a violation of state law that would make it a felony for me to turn it over. Moreover, the Privacy Act of 1974, which is a post-Watergate caution against government overreach into Americans' private data, prevents me from turning this over as well, as courts have indicated in West Virginia, in Oregon, in California, in Michigan.

So there's courts around the country that are agreeing with the approach that we have. And that is the Department of Justice is not entitled to the entire voter roll. But here's an important point I'd like to make.

They've never asked us for the publicly available voter list. They just want the sensitive stuff. And nobody really knows why.

SANCHEZ: Well, why do you think? You've had to imagine some scenarios in which that information might be, you could say, useful to the Trump administration, that they would find it useful. Why do you think they want it?

FONTES: Well, look, I find it odd, and I really never want to get into the mind of a nefarious actor. But the guesses you could make are as good as the guess that I could make. I just don't know.

And so I'm not going to speak to that. What I am going to speak to is the notions that, you know, the secretary came up with in her press conference today, that somehow elections in Arizona are messed up. She's either woefully misinformed, or she's just maliciously lying.

You know, we have been checking documented proof of citizenship for our voters for 20 years plus in Arizona. We have voter ID at our polling places. This is the law in Arizona, and it has been for a long time. And we uphold the law.

[14:50:00]

Moreover, I just referred 28 cases to the attorney general's office last month for prosecution by using the Eric system that allows us to check our voter rolls against voter rolls and information from other states.

We maintain our voter rolls very well. So again, either the secretary's staff is really misinforming her terribly, and she needs new staff, or she is maliciously lying to advance a narrative that would subvert the voting rights of American citizens who just deserve the right to vote.

SANCHEZ: I want to ask you about some of the efforts you've made, particularly in your state, but I just want to go back to the DOJ effort to get their hands on this sensitive data, because you have said they're going to have to put you in jail and have someone else give this information to the federal government. Do you think that's a possibility that you might be arrested?

FONTES: Well, who knows with this administration? I mean, they haven't followed the law in so many other spaces and places. We've seen them, you know, arbitrarily trying to prosecute Senator Kelly and others for telling American service members not to obey unlawful orders, which is what I was taught when I was in Marine Corps boot camp, right?

I mean, who knows what these folks are going to do? They've been ordered under law that Donald Trump signed to release the unredacted Epstein files. That hasn't happened.

So who knows what these folks are going to be doing? The bottom line is this. As Secretary of State, I am protecting Arizona's voters and their sensitive information, and I will continue to do so in spite of the nonsense coming out of Secretary Noem and the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.

SANCHEZ: Secretary Adrian Fontes, unfortunately, we're out of time, but we're grateful to have you on and get your perspective.

FONTES: Thank you very much.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

So this Valentine's Day, maybe you skip the chocolate and just go for roses. We have a heartbreaking story about the prices you're going to face at the store today. We'll break down the numbers next.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Some unwelcome news. If you're still working on your Valentine's Day plan, the cost of your go to chocolate treat has likely gotten more expensive.

Prices for chocolate have spiked more than 14 percent, significantly higher than the more than 7 percent price hike we saw last year. CNN's Matt Egan joins us now. Matt, not the only thing getting more expensive chocolate.

It seems like a lot of things are getting pricier.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, that's right, Boris. Look, I don't know if you did your Valentine's Day shopping yet, but if you're going the chocolate route, yes, you got to get ready for some sticker shock. As you mentioned, prices about 14 percent higher for chocolate than this time last year.

Some context. That's roughly five times the overall rate of inflation. So why is this happening?

This is a lesson, a painful lesson in how global commodity markets work. The problem started with a shortage of the main ingredient in chocolate, cocoa beans. Extreme weather in West Africa, where most of the cocoa on the planet comes from, caused bad harvest.

So you had a situation where supply was crashing and demand was not and prices had nowhere to go but up. Cocoa prices, they went from around $2,500 a metric ton to almost $13,000. A Hershey executive told CNN's Kate Bolduan earlier this week that the company experienced unprecedented cocoa inflation.

And the problem is that a lot of the chocolate on the store shelves right now, they are still priced at or near those crisis levels. Now, the good news, however, is that prices have started to come down for cocoa. And analysts are hopeful that prices will start to flatten out, hopefully by Easter and ideally start to come down in time for Halloween.

Now, as you mentioned, it's not just chocolate that's gotten more expensive. Some other go to gift ideas for Valentine's Day also going up in price. If you look at flowers and indoor plants, today's inflation report showed a six percent year over year increase their jewelry up by seven percent.

And that likely reflects those steep U.S. tariffs on imports. But I do want to leave you with some good news and some possible gift buying ideas. If you're looking at cosmetics and perfume, those prices are only up by one percent.

That's less than the overall rate of inflation. And wine is actually cheaper than this point last year. It's down by one percent.

So, Boris, maybe you want to go the red wine and perfume route this year because those prices at least are doing a little bit better than chocolate.

SANCHEZ: Yes, nobody's going to frown if you give them some booze. It's a good idea. Matt Egan, thank you so much.

Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. The CIA just released a new Mandarin language video aimed at recruiting Chinese spies. In it, the agency makes a direct appeal to the country's military officers who may be disillusioned by corruption within their government.

A CIA official says the video seeks to build on a recruitment push that launched last year. That official also suggested the agency has found recent success with these efforts.

Also, a planetary system about 116 light years from Earth is challenging what scientists thought they knew about how planets form. Researchers are calling it an inside out system. The four planets orbiting a red dwarf star are arranged in an unusual order. Instead of rocky planets closest to the star and gas giants farther out, the system has two gas rich planets sandwiched between two rocky ones.

That arrangement contradicts what astronomers typically see across the galaxy.

And we're learning that five more minutes of exercise a week can actually ...

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