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FBI Joins Search for Savannah Guthrie's Missing Mother Nancy Guthrie in Tucson, Arizona; Hundreds Gather in Minneapolis to Remember Lives of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, Two U.S. Citizens Killed by ICE Agents; U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance Booed at Olympic Event in Italy; First Black Woman to Play for U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team Laila Edwards Discusses Her Role as Trailblazer; New York City Seeking to Get Homeless People into Warm Shelters During Cold Snap; Seattle Seahawks Favored in Super Bowl Game against New England Patriots; Puerto Rican Musician Bad Bunny to Perform in Spanish at Super Bowl Halftime Show. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired February 07, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:37]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with the desperate search for Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, who went missing last weekend. Officials are now investigating a new cryptic message sent to CNN affiliate KOLD Friday. A local anchor at the station says the note included sensitive details but no deadline, and it does not appear to have a ransom demand. Authorities resumed their examination of the Tucson area home Friday, where CNN cameras captured a tow truck transporting a blue car away from the area last night.

Earlier in the day, investigators were seen on the home's roof, as well as scouring the grounds and speaking to neighbors. We also know from local authorities that DNA sent for analysis revealed blood found on the front porch belonged to Nancy Guthrie. Local law enforcement say they plan to post digital billboards featuring the 84-year-old's image and the FBI phone number in nearby cities.

CNN's senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera is live for us in Tucson, Arizona, with the very latest. Ed, the Guthrie family is beloved in this community. As this search is now on its seventh day, what are you hearing from neighbors?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do know that investigators have -- will return last night for a rather extensive search here in the block where Nancy Guthrie lives. And we do know that they've also spent a considerable amount of time scouring the area around her home as well, reinterviewing neighbors that have already been talked to by investigators. I'm told they've been asking about any videos or seen anything suspicious or anyone suspicious around the time of this abduction, which is now nearly exactly a week ago. So, you know, all of that work continues once again. Even at one point late last night, we saw investigators take away a car from the scene here as well. So investigators here just a short while ago putting out another update this afternoon, saying essentially that still nothing dramatically has changed, that there are no suspects, that there are no persons of interest at this point.

They do acknowledge in this statement that they are continuing to gather up video evidence and other evidence as well, but they are not specifying or talking about the specifics of that or what it might mean to the investigation as well.

And of course, Fredricka, all this comes as, as you mentioned, off the top, the news of that second message coming. We do not know yet if the Guthrie family is planning another video as well. But a lot of, you know, a lot of movement, you can tell there's a lot of activity going on in terms of this investigation, the specifics are much harder to come by, a lot of it being very -- kept very close to the vest, much of it for obvious reasons. But we're still desperately awaiting news on the fate of Nancy Guthrie here this afternoon in Tucson, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then, Ed, today, is there activity on the property?

LAVANDERA: We haven't seen anything today, not like what we saw last night. And I should also point out that throughout the week, there have been a number of times where investigators have returned here to the property. Mostly it's been later in the afternoon. Now, we do know that there is some continued canvasing, not only just in this neighborhood, but that various other law enforcement agencies have been tapped in to come in and help and also scour other parts of the city, following up on whatever kind of leads might be coming in. So we anticipate that that work will continue today, and as they continue urging the public to call anything in that might help them find Nancy Guthrie.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera, we'll keep checking back with you there in Arizona. Thank you so much.

All right, I want to discuss these developments more with retired Phoenix police commander Jeff Hynes. Commander Hynes, great to see you. So what do you read into investigators coming back to the house to evaluate or perhaps even collect more evidence, including that vehicle?

JEFF HYNES, RETIRED PHOENIX POLICE COMMANDER: It just means they're going to be very thorough. Once the feds got involved, and listen to the news conference by the sheriff, and he talks about, well, we shut it down thinking that we were done doing evidence collection when the FBI asked to come back. They had to go back and resecure the scene.

[14:05:08]

It's a slip. It's a mistake. But the bottom line is, is that you have two very thorough agencies investigating this, and the overlapping of taking crime scene tape down and putting it back up the next day, there's nothing that's that unusual. It does occur. It looks a little disjointed when it happens. But the bottom line is FBI is doing their processing and the sheriff's department is doing their processing. So the investigation continues.

WHITFIELD: You used the word "overlapping." So we've got overlapping investigations at the same time. Do you see them as being collaborative investigations?

HYNES: Oh, absolutely. Anytime the FBI is involved or any federal agencies, Arizona has a very good relationship with our federal partners. And so nobody looks at it as they're coming in to take it over. It's a cooperative investigation. The sheriff's department is thoroughly doing their job to the best of their abilities. But the resources that the FBI brings in or the feds bring in, it multiplies, it squares the response avenues and resources that can be placed on an investigation to a depth that local law enforcement does not have.

WHITFIELD: All right, so now, the latest correspondence. What do you make of this new message? What can we learn about a potential motive, you know, if there doesn't appear to be any kind of ransom demand or even deadline, as far as we know, on that latest message.

HYNES: I think it's a good thing. And what I mean by that, it's a good thing, because it specifically targets the suspect or suspects in the Tucson area. The two initial contact points was TMC and the local Tucson affiliate. Reaching back out to the Tucson affiliate with that second message indicates that that suspect or suspects are still in the Tucson area. That is a very good sign. As soon as I heard that, I said, wow, excellent. It allows law enforcement to target where that information came from. It allows law enforcement to go back and check I.P. addresses. It gives law enforcement just another working tool to track this person down, because as we know, it's time critical right now. We're working on a very serious reflective point. And we've still had no proof of life yet. And that is upsetting.

WHITFIELD: Very concerning. So, you know this area well. Do you see this possible kidnaper or kidnapers as sophisticated and using the terrain of this seemingly very private neighborhood to their advantage?

HYNES: Oh, of course. This neighborhood is, it's an unincorporated area in north Tucson. It's a beautiful area. There's great space between your neighbors. The hills and the streets are rolling. It is a very nice area of north Tucson. Being unincorporated, though, you have less streetlights. You have less activity there where, I'm talking about security cameras, intersection cameras. It's just a much more rural area. Even though it's in the Tucson area, it is an unincorporated area of about 50,000 people, and it's rolling hills and it's very secluded. So it's easy in, easy out for a bad guy. I hate to say that, but it absolutely is. They can get in and out of there really easily without being seen.

WHITFIELD: So even if neighbors had surveillance cameras because of, just as you described, these houses are pretty far apart. There's rugged terrain. Youve got a lot of cacti, you've got all these rocks, all kinds of interesting kind of, you know, natural you know, settings here. But those also perhaps serve as being obstacles if there are neighboring cameras, right? HYNES: There are. And I'm here to tell you, law enforcement and the

feds are going -- they're knocking on all doors in that neighborhood. They're taking their search perimeters out further and further every day. Anybody that has an idea, they're going to actively attack it. They're going to say, have we looked at, say, the intersection of skyline in, or ever, Campbell, or in this area? They're going to be doing it. They've done it. And I can assure you that if there's a camera out there, they're looking for it, probably got it already. And they're investigating what they're finding through license plate readers, through facial recognition. Once the feds got involved, the scope of this and the depth of those resources available are incredible.

[14:10:00]

So I'm excited that there's a cooperative investigation going on. I'm going to use the word -- I'm excited that we got a second notification from a suspect to that local station in Tucson, because now that tells you the suspect is still there, and he lives in the area. He's working from that area. And that is going to be a great tidbit of information for law enforcement.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, hopefully all of these clues lead to Nancy Guthrie safe and sound. Thank you so much, Commander Jeff Hynes. Appreciate it.

HYNES: You're very welcome. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, and this breaking news. Police in Italy say the rail lines to the winter Olympics were targeted in an apparent sabotage attack. The rail network says an explosive device was found on one rail switch. Electrical lines for a high-speed line were actually cut, and a fire was started in an electrical cabin. There were severe delays for passengers following these incidents. Investigators say the attacks are similar to ones carried out in the 2024 Paris Olympics by anarchist groups.

All right, straight ahead this hour, a month after the Renee Good shooting, a public memorial is underway in Minneapolis to honor her and Alex Pretti.

And later history on the ice, what 22 year old Olympic hockey star Laila Edwards told CNN about how she is embracing her trailblazer status. Stay with us.

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[14:16:06]

WHITFIELD: All right, right now, hundreds are gathering in Minneapolis to remember the lives of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two U.S. citizens killed by ICE agents last month during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the city. I want to go now to CNN's Julia Vargas Jonesjulia. She's covering all of this for us. Julia, what more can you tell us? JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a community

memorial ceremony, as you mentioned, for Renee good, the 37 year old woman shot and killed in her car by an ICE agent back on January 7th, and for Alex Pretti, Fred, the 37 year old ICU nurse who was shot and killed by federal agents later in the month on January 24th.

Today's event, according to the organizers, is also supposed to be an opportunity for those who have witnessed the violence, loss, and also immigration detentions in Minneapolis to come together and try to process this as a community. And of course, the protests, the nationwide protest that followed these very recent events in Minneapolis have been gathering momentum, and they did so even more after the case of Liam Conejo Ramos, the five-year-old who was taken into ice custody along with his father later on January 20th.

Just yesterday, Fred, at a court hearing, a judge postponed Liam's family's case to a later date, giving them a little bit more time to make their case for asylum. The family's attorneys had asked for more time to respond to the motion by the Department of Homeland Security to remove the family.

Here's what Congressman Joaquin Castro, the Texas Democrat who helped bring the family back to Minnesota, said he learned about the family's case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO, (D-TX): His family came in legally through the asylum process. And when I left the Dilley detention center, one of the ICE officers explained to me that his father was on a one year parole in place, you know, permission. And so they should allow that to continue. They don't have a criminal record. They're not a threat to the community. His mom is four months pregnant and had a medical emergency When she found out the news about Liam and Adrian, his father, being taken in. So they're in a very, very vulnerable situation right now. And they ought to be allowed to stay in Minnesota while their case is being heard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now, in a statement to CNN, Fred, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that the family was not slated for expedited removals and that the motion is a standard procedure. She said there's nothing retaliatory about enforcing the nation's immigration laws. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Vargas Jones, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

All right, still to come, the American delegation gets an icy reception at the Olympic opening ceremonies. Hear what President Trump thought about it.

And later, one of Team USA's up and coming stars is making history and hopes to pave the way for future generations. Laila Edwards shares why her goals reach beyond a gold medal. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:23:35]

WHITFIELD: All right, we've got this breaking news. White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Middle East earlier today. They made the stop after wrapping up indirect talks with Iran on Friday. And just hours ago, Iran's foreign minister spoke out on the nuclear talks, insisting Tehran will not negotiate over zero uranium enrichment.

And the Winter Olympics are underway in Italy, with the opening ceremonies taking place last night. And Vice President J.D. Vance and second lady Usha Vance got a rough welcome from some in the crowd, as they were booed when their images were shown on the screens inside the venue.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us right now from near President Trump's Florida home, where he is spending the weekend. So, Julia, what more can you tell us about the Vances' reception and what the president is now saying about this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, Vice President J.D. Vance as well as second lady Usha Vance, they're in Italy right now representing the United States delegation and cheering on our athletes. In fact, someone who is traveling with the vice president said that he met with some of the members of the men's U.S. hockey team this morning. We later saw him cheering on the women's U.S. hockey team as they played Finland. I will add, we did win that game five to zero. And Vance was sitting next to YouTube star and boxer Jake Paul for that.

[14:25:04]

But out of all of their appearances that we're going to see, I think they're all going to be overshadowed over what happened during the opening ceremonies. And that's when you saw the Vances up on the big screen. They were not met with the warmest welcome. In fact, there were boos throughout this stadium, which holds tens of thousands of spectators.

And so that was the reaction. Now, President Donald Trump, as you mentioned, he's here in Florida. And as he traveled here yesterday, he said that he believes that Vance and the others representing the United States are doing that job very well. He was then pressed about that icy reception, and he seemed a bit surprised. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The vice president got booed during the opening ceremony. What do you make of that frosty reception?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Is that true? Is that right? It's surprising, because people like him. Well, I mean, he is in a foreign country, you know, in all fairness. But he doesn't get booed in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And this comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and several European countries over a variety of issues, including tariffs and trade, the immigration crackdown here in the United States, as well as repeated attacks against Greenland, and discussions, sometimes disagreements on how best to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. So Vance, of course, is there representing himself, but he's also representing the Trump administration and the United States as a whole.

Prior to that ceremony, we did hear from the International Olympic Committee president. She was pressed on how different countries might be received and asked about how the American athletes and other officials, if they might receive some backlash for those U.S. policies from spectators. And she said that she hopes this is a time that all can be respectful.

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Benbrook, thanks so much.

All right, the competitions at the Winter Olympics are underway in Italy right now. Medals already being awarded, with Switzerland securing the first gold medal in men's downhill skiing. And all eyes will be on American Lindsey Vonn as she competes for the women's downhill tomorrow. The 41-year-old finished today's training run with the third best time, despite rupturing her ACL last week. And this is video from her Friday practice run. Looking pretty good there on the ice.

History is being made. Laila Edwards is the first black woman to play for the U.S. women's hockey team, and she's already registered three assists in the prelims. CNN sat down with the 22-year-old to talk about making her mark in U.S. women's hockey history.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LAILA EDWARDS, 2026 U.S. OLYMPIC WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM: One of my main focuses is paving the way for future generations. I think I've been gifted that role and that position to have an impact on people and to continue to pave the way for, you know, minorities and, honestly, anyone, but more specifically minorities, because this is not a sport where minorities are seen often. So I think, as of now, I'm just doing the best I can to make the game more inclusive.

I've dreamt of competing in the Olympics for about 12 years now. just watching the U.S. team play Canada in the final, it just gave me chills. And I was like, whoa, this is cool. I want to be a part of that one day.

My dad played hockey when he was younger, so as soon as I could even crawl, he had me in skates. I was about two or three and he was getting me on the ice as often as he could. And playing boys' hockey growing up, I always thought I was going to go to the NHL, where there's only men, but I thought, I'll be good enough. I'm going to work hard, but as I grew up and realized it wasn't so much of a possibility, I realized, OK, I want to be with the national team and play with them as often as I can.

Being a trailblazer has definitely been a privilege. It's been overwhelming at times, but a long time ago I decided to take it and run with it, so do what I can to benefit as many people as I can with it. And I could have shied away from it and not, you know, not made it a goal of mine to help others. But that's just not how I'm wired. And as much as this can be intimidating, all the pressure and all the attention, I think I'm very grateful. And I have to do what I can to positively use it.

I mean, there are times where I didn't see anyone at the highest levels looking like me, so I would have some doubt here and there. But I persevered. And I think it's just so important, you know, to have that someone that looks like you, it's just, it literally shows that you can do it too. A little black girl sitting at home and sees me on the TV playing at the Olympics, she's like, wow, you know, Laila did it. I can do it, too. Or Laila plays hockey. Maybe I can try it out and see how I like it. Just simple things like that, and just to be their representation is really important.

[14:30:00]

As much as I want to embrace, you know, being that role model and being a minority in this game, I also wanted to just be seen for who I am as a player. So to be recognized as that after games is refreshing, and it makes me feel good that I'm also known for my ability on the ice and my leadership and my athletic ability, anything like that I think it's comforting.

To make my first Olympics still doesn't feel real yet. It's something I've literally thought about almost every day. I want to represent my country at the highest level, playing the sport I love. Winning an Olympic medal, it's crazy to even think about for it to be a possibility. I'm very grateful. But to win one would mean the world, and wouldn't mean that, you know, I've done something right in this long process. But yes, it would be unbelievable.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow. Laila Edwards, we are watching and we are inspired by you.

All right, straight ahead, a brutal blast of arctic temperatures will impact millions of Americans this weekend. Up next, how the city of New York is focused on protecting its most vulnerable populations.

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[14:35:36]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

Another round of record-breaking bitter cold is putting parts of the U.S. in a deep freeze this weekend. High wind warnings blanket much of the northeast, where millions can expect single digit high temperatures, dangerous wind chills well below zero, and potentially widespread power outages. Officials in New York City are racing to make sure that everyone stays warm.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is in New York with more on what is being done. So, Gloria, how is the city preparing?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, it's been a significant challenge for this administration. What the city has done in the past few days is significantly scale up its resources. More than 1,200 people have so far been put into shelter, 27 of them actually had to be involuntarily removed off the streets. But what this persistent weather pattern here in New York City has exposed is the difficulty of dealing with the crisis that the city has been dealing with for several years.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

PAZMINO: The words bring some relief to these homeless outreach workers. For weeks now, as New York City has been plunged into a persistent cold snap, they've been walking the streets of Harlem trying to convince homeless New Yorkers to take shelter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I promise you, I'm going. It's cold now.

PAZMINO: Rolando has been on and off the streets of New York City for more than a decade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so cold. I just don't want you outside.

PAZMINO: He is familiar with the workers from the Center for Urban Community Services. With freezing temperatures expected through this weekend, their outreach is likely to save lives.

ALY COLEMAN, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CUCS STREAT OUTREACH TEAM: We're seeing who is on the street at this point in the day, who might be in need of assistance, clients that we don't know, people that we are trying to connect with.

PAZMINO: At least 17 people have died during the cold temperatures in recent days. Several of them had previously interacted with the shelter system.

MOLLY WASOW PARK, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES: If you were living unsheltered in New York City, which is a right to shelter city, right, it means you have been failed by everybody and every system. Until we are thinking more holistically about how systems interact and also developing housing at a scale that we haven't seen in a long time, we are going to have to continue to wrestle with homelessness.

PAZMINO: The city's cold weather emergency has created a challenge for Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The city has opened additional shelters, increased bed capacity, and set up dozens of warming centers. But not everyone is receptive right away.

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI, (D) NEW YORK CITY: We want every New Yorker who needs help seeking warmth to be able to find it. PAZMINO: In the last two weeks, the city has opened two more safe

haven sites in lower Manhattan. The transitional housing facilities are designed to move chronically homeless people off the streets.

BROOKE VANEGAS, DEPUTY CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER, CUCS: When someone moves in, we do an intake with them, and part of that process is assessing their immediate needs. Do they need to see a doctor? Do they have a medical issue?

PAZMINO: Safe havens are only one part of the city's effort to combat a crisis that's been unfolding for years. More than 80,000 New Yorkers live in city shelters. An additional 4,500 people are estimated to live on the street. These transitional shelters can be the beginning of recovery for some.

KEITH ELAM, FORMERLY HOMELESS: For a person like myself, when I was like, addicted to drugs, you know, I needed to stay out.

PAZMINO: Keith Elam was in and out of the system for years until he landed at the safe haven location in lower Manhattan. Now he's on his way to a permanent apartment.

ELAM: You see people just on sidewalks and everything, and you feel like you can't help. One of the things I like to say to people. Like it takes a village to raise a child. Maybe just ask a person, do you need help?

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PAZMINO: Fred, one of the really important things that we learned in reporting out the story is the many challenges that some of the outreach workers face when trying to bring people to come into shelter, right. Some people have had a previous negative experience, or they don't feel like they can go into the shelter and be safe. So the city in the last few days has really focused on that point. They have opened an additional safe haven shelter in the Bronx, and they're launching a new program that's actually going to pair homeless people that have gone into shelter with some of those outreach workers. The idea there is that a peer-to-peer conversation will help some of the people that are really just hesitant to come in to be convinced that they can safely come in, take shelter, get out of the cold, especially in these, you know, really dangerous cold conditions. Fred?

[14:40:13]

WHITFIELD: Right, and seconds and minutes make a big difference when you're talking about temperatures like this. All right, Gloria Pazmino in New York, thank you so much.

All right, still to come, we'll take a closer look at the major moments to look out for at Super Bowl LX, from kickoff to halftime to the final whistle.

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[14:45:21] WHITFIELD: All right, finally, Super Bowl LX kicks off tomorrow in the Bay Area. And going in to the big game, the Seattle Seahawks are the betting favorite over the New England Patriots. Seattle will be trying to win its second Super Bowl, while the Patriots will be attempting to be the first NFL team to win seven Super Bowls.

Joining me right now to talk about tomorrow's big game is Dorin Dickerson. He's back. He's the co-host of the fan morning show on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, and a former NFL player himself. Dorin, great to see you.

DORIN DICKERSON, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Great to see you, too. Thanks for having me back again.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. So we're all pumped up about, you know, the Super Bowl menus, Bad Bunny's halftime performance. And oh, there's a game. So, Dorin, in our last chat, the last time I interviewed you, you called the playoffs exciting. So what are you looking for in this matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots?

DICKERSON: So initially I love the storylines. I love the storylines of the head coaches. Mike MacDonald in his second year as a head coach, and obviously Mike Vrabel in his first year as head coach of the New England Patriots, head coach for the Tennessee Titans before. But he was a former player of the New England Patriots. He's in his first year. They make it to a Super Bowl. Mike MacDonald, in his second year with a journeyman in Sam Darnold as his quarterback, trying to find his way. He finds himself in the Super Bowl. I just love storylines. I love what it brings to the game, and it's going to make this game very exciting tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: That does make it really electric. So kind of break down for us, if you can, a little bit more about each team. And tell us why the Seattle Seahawks seem to be the favor, you know, the favored to win it all. What makes the team overall so special and seem to have that edge?

DICKERSON: They're so explosive. I mean, especially on offense, and defense. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL all season long. But the explosiveness of their offense, with Kenneth Walker III as their running back. I mean, he's having an all pro type season. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the best wide receiver really in the game this year. A young player as well.

And then you have the veteran journeyman, as I said before, in Sam Darnold, who is really facilitating things. Their offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, has accepted the job to be the next head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. So they really have things clicking. They're so explosive, they're so hard to stop. I saw them up close and personal whenever they played the steelers here in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers lost to the Seahawks. But they're an impressive team. They've really got it all together. And they're going to try to give it to the Patriots tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Nice. And so now tell us why New England could give them a run for their money. Quarterback Drake Maye, who missed out on NFL MVP award, but he was second runner up.

DICKERSON: A heck of a player, a heck of a player. They remind me of Indiana, who won the national championship in college this year. Indiana doesn't have the flashy players. They don't have, you know, arguably the best defense. They don't have the best this, the best that. They're just a really good football team. They're very well coached. They are detail oriented. They don't really miss. They don't have a lot of penalties. They play football the right way. And that's why, you know, they will have a puncher's chance tomorrow against the Seattle Seahawks, who I just said was very explosive. But on defense, on offense, they're just detail oriented. They play very good together as a collective unit. And Vrabel has those guys going and playing physical.

WHITFIELD: And they call that having heart, right? I mean, to have heart, you know, and team heart to really give, you know, the competition a run for the money.

DICKERSON: Absolutely. And you know what? You have one more game, so you might as well empty the tank. You know, it's a long season. I mean it starts -- it starts in August, and you go through preseason. You go through the regular season. Some rookies hit the rookie wall. But you have one more game. You have one more shot to be a champion. So might as well empty the tank. And you have a young quarterback in Drake Maye who, if he gets a Super Bowl now, they're probably going to re-up on the dynasty that was behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, so quick prediction. I mean, you know, is this going to be a blowout, is it going to be a tight game. I don't know, should I put you on the spot? I mean, Seahawks or the Patriots?

DICKERSON: So I'm going to go with the Seahawks. I think it's their year. They have things rolling at a high level, but I think it's going to be close. I think it's going to come down to the fourth quarter. But I have the seahawks 34, the New England Patriots 28. It's going to be an exciting football game.

WHITFIELD: You are going with specificity. OK, Dorin Dickerson, great to see you. We'll be watching, watching it all. Thank you.

All right, straight ahead, and we'll help you get ready for the halftime show with a special, in-depth look at the life and legendary rise of Bad Bunny from Puerto Rico to one of the world's biggest stages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:54:44]

WHITFIELD: All right, so much attention in this lead-up to the Super Bowl halftime show. I mean, it's set to draw even more attention this year with Bad Bunny becoming the first artist expected to sing entirely in Spanish. Fresh off his Grammy win for Album of the Year, the proudly Puerto Rico star, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, he continues to use his platform to celebrate his heritage. [14:55:10]

And in a new CNN documentary, we travel to his hometown and speak with one of the Puerto Rican artists on his Grammy winning album about what it will mean to see him sing in Spanish only on America's grandest stage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bad Bunny has frequently expressed the importance of being rooted in Puerto Rico as essential to his collaborations with other artists.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's sticking to the people he knows, and that's especially the case with right now one of the most popular artists in Puerto Rico.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In his music and in his vision, I don't see so much the American dream. I would say the Puerto Rican dream is that the place that you call home stays your home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to talk about all of this, this documentary and Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, is CNN entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France. Great to see you. So Bad Bunny, my gosh, there's been so much attention leading up to this, right? It's incredible and electric. But he is to perform almost entirely in Spanish at the halftime show. So does this reflect, you know, cultural shifts overall in the entertainment world?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Absolutely. He's one of the biggest stars in the world right now. And I think we should just go ahead and dub it the Benito Bowl, because there's so much more conversation on some levels about this halftime show than the actual game itself.

WHITFIELD: Right.

FRANCE: And we have to keep in mind that for some people, this is the only time they watch football. Some people specifically --

WHITFIELD: That's very true. The commercials or the halftime show.

FRANCE: The commercials and the halftime show.

WHITFIELD: But in this case, really the halftime show in a very big way.

FRANCE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I mean, what in general makes halftime shows something that so many anticipate? I mean, it really sometimes can elevate an entertainer's stature overall as well.

FRANCE: It can. It's, you know, America is tuning in. It's the biggest stage when it comes to sports. And so people want to tune in because they don't want to miss out. You know, FOMO is a big thing, especially in the United States. People want to be able to talk about this on Monday morning, that watercooler talk that we always talk about. And so they want to tune in to see who is performing, how the performance goes, who the special guests are going to be. And, you know, it's always like a big --

WHITFIELD: Do you think they're going to be a lot of special guests on this one?

FRANCE: A lot of people believe that Cardi B is going to be one of the special guests.

WHITFIELD: And why do you think that?

FRANCE: They think that because she's going to be there anyway, because her man is playing. And so they think that she's going to give us what Taylor Swift did not last year, because Taylor Swift's now fiance played in the Super Bowl last year. She was there. Kendrick Lamar performed last year, and she had done a song with Kendrick Lamar. She had done a remix of one of her songs with Kendrick Lamar. So people really wanted Taylor Swift to jump up on that stage. That did not happen. And so there's a sense that because Cardi has worked with Bad Bunny before, because they are huge fans of each other, that she may actually be brought out as one of the guests.

WHITFIELD: I wonder what this is going to say to critics, because we know leading up to this show, Bad Bunny has received a lot of incoming. There has been a lot of criticism, mainly because there were a lot of folks whose feathers ruffled because it's going to be in Spanish and, you know, whatever. For a number of reasons people have said that they've been critical of this. But then I wonder if this is going to be, you know, his response also to critics, if this will in any way silence some of those critics.

FRANCE: I think that people are going to watch regardless. I think even the people who say they're not going to watch are going to hate watch, because like last year, again, with Kendrick Lamar, there was a lot of controversy. People were like, oh, were leaning too far into diversity. Who wants to see a hip-hop bowl? That type of thing. And the ratings were incredible.

And with Bad Bunny, there are more than 40 million people in this country who speak Spanish. So there are going to be a lot of people who are going to tune in, and because they're going to want to check it out, and because it is Bad Bunny, and music is universal.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Can he get any bigger? And I ask that because after a halftime show, I don't care who the artist is, suddenly people are a little bit more enlightened about the variety of their music or, you know, the repertoire. Go out, buy it, download it like they never have before. He's already huge. But then this is going to elevate his stature even more, won't it?

FRANCE: It already has, Fred. And I think that, yes, I think there's always room to grow. I think you can always be more famous and more successful. And I think for him, this is really a passion project, as we see in the doc that we have, which is amazing, by the way. It's such a good documentary. He has so much pride in his homeland, and I think he goes out there --

WHITFIELD: He's very meaningful.

FRANCE: Very meaningful, very intentional, and I think --

WHITFIELD: In some of his decision making.

FRANCE: Right. I think he's going out there carrying Puerto Rico on his shoulders. And I didn't pronounce it the way I should have.

WHITFIELD: Puerto Rico.

FRANCE: Exactly.