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FBI Investigating New Message In Nancy Guthrie's Abduction; Protesters Take Over Intersection In Minneapolis; VP Vance Booed At Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies; NYC Prepares For Life-Threatening Cold Temperatures; President Trump's Effort To Rebrand America; Trump Again Warns Iran Of Consequences If No Deal Reached; Zelenskyy: U.S. Wants Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal By June; Surviving Online Sexploitation And Sex Trafficking As Teens; Seahawks And Patriots Face Off On The NFL's Biggest Stage. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 07, 2026 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

DAN SCHACHNER, REFEREE, PUPPY BOWL XXII: 150 rescue dogs, 72 shelters. We have the most amount of special needs dogs you'll ever see. That's 15 playing. They are blended into their team.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.

SCHACHNER: With the exception of the wheelchair on Teagan, you wouldn't even know that there were any differently abled dogs on the field. And then we have all the great dogs that are going to capture your hearts and hopefully get adopted. Everyone from Mutt Stafford to Chappell Bone.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, so cute. And I also understand including some senior pups, they'll be part of the game throwing down.

SCHACHNER: We're very excited about this. Halftime has always been a reflection of what goes on with the NFL. They've had Lady Gaga, we've had Kitty Gaga. They've had Katy Perry, we've had Katy Purry. This year, in addition to our halftime show with Bad Kitty, of course, we're going to, for your viewing pleasure, present to you goldies versus oldies. It's an exhibition game of senior dogs that are also up for adoption. A bowl within a bowl, if you will, two bowls for the price of one. We hope you tune in.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. And I love these names. Fudge. I mean, what was that? There was a Judge Howley or something like that. I missed that one, but it was --

SCHACHNER: Josh Howlin', the first --

WHITFIELD: Josh Howlin', of course.

SCHACHNER: Josh Allen who sadly is not in the Super Bowl. We've also got Mutt Stafford, DeVon-tails Smith and Lobster Roll and Amelia and Rupaw.

WHITFIELD: Lobster Roll.

SCHACHNER: These are all players to watch out for because they look great in the combine.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Absolutely. So this is all to advocate, you know, for pet rescue adoptions. And I mean obviously it's working, right, because it's back. It's become tradition. What kind of impact are you seeing?

SCHACHNER: We think we've had a little bit of an impact. We hope we have 22 years ago when we started. We don't think that the, you know, animal adoption as a very obvious option was in the conversation, certainly as much as it should have been. We're only a small part of the nice adoption awareness that's occurred in the world since then, but were glad to see the grow.

Since we've started Puppy Bowl, 1500 dogs have been adopted just from Puppy Bowl alone. But truly the impact is exponential because every rescue that we work with reports a huge uptick in adoption inquiries and applications and donations because they were featured on the Puppy Bowl. So hopefully we're moving that conversation forward throughout the year.

WHITFIELD: The dogs are yummy and so are their names. I just saw Cheesecake. So cute.

SCHACHNER: There's definitely a food theme this year. I think people maybe were hungry when they invented the names.

WHITFIELD: I think so. Lobster Roll.

SCHACHNER: And of course they're all babies. They all got to get named quickly and you got 150 names. You can't repeat last year's names, so you got to get creative.

WHITFIELD: Right. Yes. You got main events, you know, and you've got dessert, too.

All right. Dan Schachner, all the best. Very fun.

SCHACHNER: (INAUDIBLE) party.

WHITFIELD: Good luck. Team Ruff and Fluff.

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. 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 message sent to CNN affiliate KOLD on Friday. Authorities resumed their search of the Tucson area home yesterday, and CNN cameras captured a tow truck transporting a blue car away from the area last night. 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.

And the FBI announced a $50,000 reward as there are still no suspects or persons of interest in connection with the case.

CNN senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera is live for us in Tucson, Arizona, with the latest.

Ed, the Guthrie family is beloved in this community. What are you hearing from neighbors?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this is a neighborhood that is several of them described to me over the last couple of days. It's almost seems kind of frozen in a way, as they watch investigators continue to comb through the area, canvasing and recanvassing homes, asking for videos, interviewing neighbors once again about whether or not they might have seen something suspicious here in an event that has happened almost a week ago now.

It was Saturday night last weekend that Nancy Guthrie was last seen alive leaving her home here we know to go to her family's home nearby and have dinner. The sheriff told us they were playing card games before she returned here back to her home last Saturday night, and that was the last time she was seen alive. Investigators are not holding any press conferences or any updates today. They said that they continue to try to gather as much evidence as possible, and they're continuing to urge people to call in tips.

This, as there has been a great deal of attention, Fredricka, as you well know, on the ransom messages, the second one coming yesterday afternoon to the CNN affiliate KOLD here in Tucson. That message has been passed over to investigators as well, but it's not clear what was the extent of the content in that other than the -- some of the representatives of the television station say that in the note it appeared that the writer was trying to establish that they were the ones that had written the original note because it also came from a different IP address.

[16:05:17]

So clearly, federal investigators, we are told by the sheriff, are handling that part of the investigation. Last night it was very busy here with investigators coming back. They were searching the area around Nancy Guthrie's home. They were putting down evidence markers. They were on top of the roof and also talking to neighbors once again around in this area as well. It's been quiet from what we've -- compared to last night to what we've seen here today.

So still no clear updates. There are no suspects, no persons of interest, and it's been nearly a week since Nancy Guthrie disappeared.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Prayers continue to go out for her safe return.

Ed Lavandera in Arizona, thank you so much.

And this afternoon, hundreds are gathering in Minneapolis for a public memorial service honoring the lives of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were killed by federal agents during immigration crackdowns in the city last month. Just blocks away, protesters took over the middle of an intersection before police arrived on the scene and after the road was cleared, protesters moved back in minutes later holding up signs and blocking traffic.

I want to go now to CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, who's been covering all of this for us.

Julia, what more can you tell us?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is Powderhorn Park, Fred. It's been the site of protests over the past few weeks. Today's focus, though, is that memorial for Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman shot and killed in her car by an ICE age just one month ago today, on January 7th, and Alex Pretti as well, the 37-year-old ICU nurse shot and killed by federal agents on January 24th.

Now, today's event is, according to the organizers, is also an opportunity for those who have witnessed any kind of violence or loss or those immigration detentions to come together as a community, Fred, a community that's gone through so much over the past few weeks, the past month. But the protests that the recent events have followed in Minneapolis gathered even more momentum in recent weeks with the case of Liam Conejo Ramos, that 5-year-old, who was taken into ICE custody along with his father on January 20th.

Just yesterday, though, at a court hearing, a judge postponed Liam's family's case to now a later date, giving them even more time to make their case for asylum. The family attorneys had asked already the court for more time to respond to the motion for removals filed by the Department of Homeland Security, and according to the attorneys, Liam's family had entered the U.S. legally and applied for asylum back in 2024.

Now, Congressman Joaquin Castro, the Texas Democrat who helped bring back the family to Minnesota, said that he's also learned some new information 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. You know, they don't have a criminal record, have it, but 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: And Fred, in a statement to CNN, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that the family is not slated for expedited removal at this time, and the motion is standard procedure. She said that there's nothing retaliatory about just enforcing the nation's immigration laws. At this time, though, there is no indication when the next hearing is expected. But an attorney for the family said that they were very grateful for the outpouring from the community.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, keep us posted on that situation.

All right. The Winter Olympic Games 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 rather rough welcome from the crowd. They were booed when their images were shown on the screens inside the venue.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us 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 now what the president is saying about that?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, President Donald Trump, as he traveled out here to Florida yesterday, he was pressed on this reaction specifically. He said that he believed that Vance, as well as the others that are representing the United States delegation, are doing very well.

[16:10:05]

But then he was asked about this specifically, the boos that came from the audience. And I want you to take a listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't see it. I don't know. I didn't that. Is that true? Is that right?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes.

TRUMP: That'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: The vice president and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, they are in Italy right now representing the delegation and cheering on the American athletes. We know from someone traveling with Vance that he met with some of the members of the U.S. men's hockey team earlier today. He was then later spotted cheering on the women's U.S. hockey team as they played Finland. They did win that 5-0, and during that game, he was spotted sitting next to YouTube star and boxer Jake Paul.

But all of the appearances that they're going to have do seem to be overshadowed by this one, where they were seen during the opening ceremonies on the big screen. This was with tens of thousands of spectators in that arena, and there were boos. It was not the warmest of welcomes, and that comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and several European countries over a variety of different issues trade and tariffs, as well as the immigration crackdown here in the United States, and repeated attacks against Greenland.

Now, ahead of that opening ceremony, the International Olympic Committee president was pressed about the different types of receptions that some countries might receive and how the American athletes and officials specifically might be met when there are some issues with U.S. policies on the world stage right now. And she essentially said that she wants to make sure that this is a respectful environment for everyone.

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

All right. 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, including New York City, where forecasters say residents can expect more snow and dangerous wind. Chills well below zero.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is following how the city is preparing residents to handle these teeth-chattering kind of conditions out there.

What have you got?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, you know, it is brutally cold outside today. It is expected to continue throughout this weekend and we have been plunged in these cold temperatures here in New York City for several days. And that has created a real weather emergency, not just for everybody, but specifically people who are homeless, vulnerable, and who often spend a lot of time outside the city, has scaled up its efforts to try and offer resources and convince them to come inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROLANDO, HOMELESS NEW YORKER: I'm really going tonight.

PAZMINO (voice-over): The wards 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.

ROLANDO: 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.

ALY COLEMAN, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CUCS STREAT OUTREACH TEAM: 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.

COLEMAN: 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, you know, 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.

[16:15:03]

An additional 4500 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 this 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 (on-camera): And that's been a key message that city officials have been trying to send in the last few days. If New Yorkers see someone on the street, reach out to emergency services 311-911 and try to get that person some help. People are out there right now trying to make sure that people come inside. And in the last several days, Fred, the city has been working to bring more shelters online, including one that is expected to open in the Bronx today.

Also, pairing workers with homeless people who are in shelters so that they can convince those who are still on the street that it's safe to come inside -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. All great efforts. Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much.

All right. Straight ahead, President Trump is pushing another project that he hopes will have his name on it. A look at his effort to rebuild and rebrand America. And later, we'll take you live to the site of the Super Bowl LX and some of the wildest ways people are betting big on the big game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:23]

WHITFIELD: Starting on Monday, members of Congress can begin reviewing unredacted portions of the Epstein files. CNN has obtained a letter from the Department of Justice outlining parameters for how members can review the unredacted versions of the more than three million pages the DOJ has released to the public. The rules require 24 hours' notice, and lawmakers are not allowed to bring outside electronic devices into the reading room, but can take notes.

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, one of the architects of the law that required the Epstein files release, has an appointment at the DOJ on Monday.

And one of the nation's most critical infrastructure projects may soon be back on track after construction on a new train tunnel between New York and New Jersey came to a halt. A federal judge ruled Friday the Trump administration must unfreeze billions in federal dollars earmarked for the project.

This ruling comes after CNN reported -- reporting, rather, revealed President Trump wanted New York City's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles Airport renamed after him as a condition for releasing those federal funds. This infuriated top Democrats, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, who declined Trump's offer.

Branding has always been a big deal for Donald Trump. CNN's Tom Foreman takes a look at the president's apparent obsession with stamping his personal brand on America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Trump is sharp. Trump was right. And they love Trump. Trump. Trump. Donald Trump. I love Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald J. Trump.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What's in a name? Apparently a lot if you're President Donald J. Trump, who now wants to add Washington's Dulles Airport and New York's Penn Station to the long list of landmarks, programs and properties renamed in his honor.

TRUMP: These are the best in the world.

FOREMAN: A class of battleships have been tagged for Trump, so has the U.S. Institute for Peace, which has budget cuts nearly wiped out. There he was on a massive banner hanging from a government building. There he is on that gold visa offering residency to foreigners who donate a million dollars to the government.

TRUMP: It's sort of a green card plus.

FOREMAN: Here he is again on a new commemorative coin, on some passes to national parks, on retirement accounts for children.

TRUMP: I believe the Trump accounts will be remembered as one of the most transformative policy innovations of all time.

FOREMAN: And just this week, the White House rolled out a new way for consumers to buy prescription drugs.

TRUMP: That's TrumpRX.gov. If you like your steak, you'll absolutely love Trump Steaks.

FOREMAN: Trump's name has long been a feature of his private business empire. The wins and the losses.

TRUMP: At Trump University, we teach success.

FOREMAN: But his attempts to brand his name all over the government has repeatedly met controversy, legal challenges and ridicule. Look at this meme from New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Of course, Trump was thrilled when his new handpicked board at the Kennedy Center suggested adding his name to that building.

TRUMP: And they voted unanimously. So I was very honored by it. Thank you.

FOREMAN: But with numerous artists canceling their appearances and a reported deep dip in ticket sales, the center is now being closed for two years for renovations.

It all may be a painful truth for this president, who has proposed a new monumental arch in his honor, has shown interest in having the local NFL stadium bear his name, and has suggested maybe he would look good on Mount Rushmore.

[16:25:08]

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: People are very frustrated with his administration, and they're frustrated with where the standing is of the economy and how he's handling immigration. Those are the issues people want to hear about, not his name on another building.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Tom Foreman, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visit a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East just hours after holding indirect talks with Iran's top diplomat. What President Trump says about the prospects for a nuclear deal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, 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 this morning.

[16:30:10]

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 with us now is Toby Gati, former assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research under President Clinton. Great to see you. So, I mean, is this, you know, just how diplomacy works or is Iran playing at a different game with President Trump when they put limits on these talks?

TOBY GATI, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: No, diplomacy works this way. It doesn't always work out in front of the cameras this way. But the Iranians are very serious. These negotiations are very serious. This is about a country that's been bombed by us already once. So, I think, you know, they've got our -- you know, they know that we can be serious if we really want to go after them. But there's a lot that you can negotiate on and that's why you have negotiators.

They -- if you listen to what you just said about the Iranians, they will not go down to zero. Well, how about to three percent. How about to six percent? How about to 10 percent. So, we don't know that, you know, exactly what the Iranians want. What we do know is that this is the possibility of a real war.

This is a possibility of real consequences for Israel if the Iranians do start attacking neighboring countries for U.S. bases in the regions and for the countries of the -- of the region. All of whom don't have any protection from on an Iranian attack unless the U.S. comes in gangbusters. So, you know, there's a reason here to take these negotiations very seriously and you don't visit an aircraft carrier just to see how the sailors are doing.

WHITFIELD: And then separately on the issue of protest, President Trump, you know, warned Iran that it would face consequences if it killed protesters. You know, since then the U.S. has not made any moves against Iran. I mean, does that have an effect on eroding trust with Iranians, you know, but also with U.S. allies?

GATI: No. I mean, if you ever thought seriously that President Trump was going to go fight with the country because of the way he treats his citizens, then I think you ought to take another look at Minnesota. I don't think this is a major issue. It sounds very good. Nobody goes to war to protect the population of another country. This -- especially with a country like Iran. It's going to be -- have real effects of course because countries are going to say, well, the United States, when you say something, can you be believed? And the answer is, well, not always.

WHITFIELD: OK, I want to turn now to Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says the U.S. wants a peace deal by June. Is there anything to indicate that a June agreement is possible?

GATI: Well, you know, the same negotiators who were doing Iran are doing Russia. So, if they're in the Middle East and they're doing Iran, they don't really have time to focus on the negotiations with Ukraine now, do they? And the issue here is that we don't have a plan. We know what we want in Iran. We really do. We don't want them to have the capability to develop a nuclear weapon. What do we want from the Russians? Because every day that goes on and the Russians bomb the Ukrainians, there's less and less to defend. The electric systems don't work. The heating doesn't work. The children are cold at night. There's no schools.

So, the country, which is fighting fantastically well, given the odds, doesn't know where the United States stands. And you can't do two of these big negotiations and have the same two people do them. It's really superhuman.

WHITFIELD: OK. I also want to ask you about that senior Russian general who was shot and wounded in Moscow this week. He was known to have a hand in the war on Ukraine. He was also sanctioned by the U.S. for anti-democratic cyber activity during the 2016 election. And there have also been connections between he and some poisoning of political opponents. How important or influential was this general in your view or is this general?

GATI: Well, he's one in the line of the people who have been killed. You could add to that by the Ukrainians, but of course they're not taking credit for it. Neither do they have to. The point here is that Moscow has been isolated from the effects of the war. The population doesn't know they're at war. OK, things cost more, inflation, but there's been very little bombing. People go about their lives.

And all of a sudden in a compound, because you have to understand, these people don't just live on a street. They, you know, have compounds. People are getting killed. Their families live in those buildings. So, you -- for a little bit of a while the effects of the war have come to Moscow and Putin has tried desperately to make sure the Russians don't feel it. And as one by one, these generals disappear. And by the way, he was of Ukrainian origin which may have influenced the choice of having him killed. These are people who have a target on their back and the Ukrainians want them to know it and they don't have to advertise it because everybody understands that people trying to kill them are Ukrainians.

[16:35:26]

WHITFIELD: Right. And that general is, you know, recovering. Apparently, he has regained some consciousness, so we'll see what's next. Toby Gati, always great hearing from you. Thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:18]

WHITFIELD: All right. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is acknowledging that "mistakes were made" in the rush to release the latest batch of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Some survivors' information was not properly redacted in the millions of documents posted online last week. The DOJ says it has removed all documents survivors or their lawyers have flagged. And in the age of A.I., experts are warning about a growing industry targeting children online and in real life.

CNN's Pamela Brown spoke with two child exploitation survivors who sounded the alarm on how far reaching this issue has become.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAILEY, HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR: I was smart and I was athletic and I was a sex slave all at the same time.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hailey is a recovering survivor of human sex trafficking. She says it started as a child with her family and then by prominent members of her community.

HAILEY: Nobody would have ever imagined. I mean, these men were in their churches. They were coaches of their kids' little league teams.

BROWN (voice-over): For Hailey, it started when she was just 12 years old when her stepdad sold her for sex.

HAILEY: I knew -- when I say I had a job, I knew that whoever walked in the door, if it was a man, then I remember my mind trying to come to terms with having to do whatever they were going to request of me. I didn't see myself as a victim. And I don't think you can afford to when you're in it. You know, you've just got to survive. So, you just kind of have to disassociate.

BROWN (voice-over): Hailey believes her mother could have stepped in and stopped the abuse, but failed to do so.

BROWN: Was she allowing your stepdad to abuse you? HAILEY: He did horrible things to us, which turned into trafficking.

And yes, she did allow it, you know.

BROWN (voice-over): After years of abuse, the situation evolved. Her stepdad went to prison. And Haley, living on her own, away from her mother in high school, began to rely on a few prominent men in her community for help, but that eventually came with a cost.

BROWN: Walk us through how you were lured into the sex trafficking ring.

HAILEY: They lured me in by just giving me the things that I wanted or that I needed at that time and then started slowly asking me for things like a picture or a video, you know. That I was a pretty girl and you know, how could I blame them for wanting -- you know, they're supposed to be attracted to me type deal. And then you know, out of guilt for all that they had done for me, I did it, you know, starting with a picture or a video or something like that. And then they have that over my head.

BROWN (voice-over): According to the latest report by the International Labor Organization, Hailey was part of a $236 billion worldwide criminal industry. And now experts say that as technology rapidly evolves, that industry is widening with more children being exploited online.

KATHERINE CHON, DIRECTOR, HHS OFFICE ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: They may be thinking that they're connecting with a peer online, but it's actually someone who's a predator trying to prey on their vulnerability.

BROWN (voice-over): Research conducted for Thorn, a nonprofit that combats childhood sexual abuse, found that roughly a third of the 9- to-17-year-olds surveyed, reported having an online sexual interaction. Jacob was one of them.

JACOB, SEXTORTION SURVIVOR: I felt safe. I felt like I was talking to somebody my own age. I felt I could trust them.

BROWN (voice-over): Jacob, now 30, was involved in a sexual online relationship at 14 with someone whom he thought was a girl his age.

JACOB: The person that I was chatting to asked me to perform some, you know, activities -- sexual activities in front of the camera.

BROWN (voice-over): During the six-month online relationship, Jacob sent several sexually explicit videos. When Jacob tried to break it off, the relationship quickly turned into extortion, where the predator tried to extort money or sexual favors by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity.

JACOB: The conversational tone shifted immediately. It became very sinister. It became very aggressive. And at that moment is the first time I realized that I maybe wasn't talking to the person that I thought I had been talking to. BROWN (voice-over): Jacob built up the courage over the ensuing months

to walk away on his own, never hearing from the perpetrator again until --

BROWN: You get a knock on the door one day. What happened?

JACOB: I came to the door, and I didn't identify myself at first, but I was like, you know, why are you guys here? And they said, you know, we work in child sex crimes. And the moment that they said that, I knew exactly why they were there. It was like the past 15 years of trying to push this problem down to ignore it just evaporated in an instant.

[16:45:14]

BROWN (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security had been investigating Jacob's case and informed him that many of the videos the perpetrator had from Jacob from 15 years ago were all over the internet on child sex sites. Authorities still have not made any arrests in that case.

JACOB: They showed me a screenshot of one of the videos that, you know, my perpetrator had had taken of me when I was talking to them all that time ago. And I think that moment was -- that was the moment that I had like the most sadness for my younger self.

CHON: Nodify them. So --

BROWN (voice-over): Katherine Chon has been working in the field of human trafficking for over 20 years for HHS and says she has seen the steady rise in these cases due to new online sites and apps. Certain apps allow users to upload a picture of a child and make them look nude.

CHON: There are 24 million unique visitors to these Nudify app downloading sites. The image of them could be used to coerce them in any -- for any number of reasons, financial or otherwise.

BROWN (voice-over): Officials like Chon are also warning against the growing trend of sadistic online exploitation involving perpetrators getting a child to cause harm to themselves or others. Chon says several people have been successfully prosecuted for these crimes, but the issue is ongoing with members sharing manuals on how to groom, extort, and torture victims, typically young girls, online. These extremist networks are known as 764.

CHON: They may be told to drink water out of their toilet bowl, to harm their pet, to carve names on themselves, to carve other types of inscriptions on their bodies, to potentially harm others in the household.

BROWN (voice-over): Child safety experts say parents need to be aware and engage with their child's online activity.

ALEX ADAMS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, HHS: Having open communications with your kids, looking for patterns if they seem to be concealing devices and things like that, just having open dialogue to prevent them from falling victim and ensuring that the same safeguards you use for their physical security in person, you're also using online.

BROWN (voice-over): As for Hailey, she fled to another state to escape her sex traffickers and is now using her trauma to help raise awareness to this problem, hiding in plain sight.

HAILEY: We see them all the way from somebody that has a great job all the way to somebody who is, you know, living at a homeless shelter, you know. And it -- there's no -- like, nobody is exempt, you know, from this happening to them. And we see -- I mean, it's from one spectrum to another.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (on camera): We want to thank the survivors for sharing their stories. And I want to note that Hailey is no longer in touch with her mom. Experts say their biggest concern for the future is for predators to weaponize A.I. further. Experts say parents should be mindful about sharing pictures of their children online as well as what their children are doing. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:03]

WHITFIELD: OK. We're just now a day away from the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks facing off in Super Bowl LX. CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes is in San Francisco for the kickoff at the Bay -- by the Bay. So, set the scene for us. What's up?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Fredricka, I'm right here on the red carpet at the Fanatics party. This is the place to be on Super Bowl Eve. So many A-listers come through here, Fredricka. I saw Kevin Costner, Leonardo DiCaprio last year, so you never knew who you're going to see here on the Fanatics red carpet. It's going to get going in just a bit.

But we're now less than 24 hours away from Super Bowl LX here in the Bay. Come tomorrow night, will it be Drake Maye becoming the youngest quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl? Or will Sam Darnold complete the incredible journey from bust to champion?

Now Maye, he's just 23 years old, but when he was 13 years old, his dad actually brought him to the Super Bowl here in the Bay Area to see his favorite team, the Panthers, take on Peyton Manning and the Broncos. And Maye says it's pretty incredible that he is now back playing in the Super Bowl here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DRAKE MAYE, QUARTERBACK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: It's a full-circle moment. I think that's the biggest thing. You know, what a moment. Just so thankful for my dad was able to take -- you know, take me to the Super Bowl. That's -- you know, don't take it for granted. You know, not every kid gets to experience that. And I was watching my favorite team at the time and got a chance to watch, you know, Peyton Manning's last game. You know, what a cool experience that was.

And now to be here and playing, you know, one myself, you know, I don't take it for granted and know, you know, how special this is and just trying to enjoy it, you know, enjoy with my teammates, enjoy with everybody who, you know, helped get me here, and from there, go try to win it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, when talking to people here in the Bay Area this week, lots of people are pulling for Sam Darnold. But if Darnold is going to win this Super Bowl, he's going to have to do something he's never done before, and that's play well against the Patriots. In his career against New England, Darnold is 0 and 4, just one touchdown, nine interceptions.

But Darnold said he's not dwelling on the past. He's really looking forward to trying to complete that incredible comeback journey on football's biggest stage.

[16:55:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM DARNOLD, QUARTERBACK, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: I grew up dreaming of this moment. So, you know, I grew up watching, you know, a ton of great football players and a ton of great football teams get to this moment and, make great plays. And I feel like, you know, whenever that happened after a Super Bowl, I was always, you know, emulating that in my backyard, my front yard with my friends. So, yes, I always dreamed of moments like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. Now, according to the American Gaming Association, a record $1.76 billion is going to be wagered on the Super Bowl this year, Fredricka. And I tell you what, there's always so many fun prop bets that you can do during the Super Bowl. You know, you can bet on what color Gatorade is going to get poured on the winning coach. You can actually bet this year if Stefon Diggs is going to propose to his girlfriend Cardi B. Yes, it pays 11 to one.

WHITFIELD: OK. And is that happening before or after, you know, her -- maybe her appearance during halftime.

SCHOLES: Maybe after a win would be your best bet.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. We'll see. Andy Scholes, you're always a winner right there on the red carpet. Thank you so much.

And thank you for joining me today. Fredricka Whitfield. Jessica Dean is up next after this.