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FBI Investigating New Message In Nancy Guthrie Abduction; Trump Administration Planning Board Of Peace Meeting In D.C. On February 19; "Washinton Post" Publisher Stepping Down After Massive Layoff; Dangerous NYC Cold Snap Threatens Vulnerable People; NYC Creates New Housing Options To Help Vulnerable People; Guthrie Family Begs For Mother's Return In New Video: "We Will Pay"'; Bad Bunny To Bring Puerto Rican Flair To Halftime Show; "Bad Bunny And The Halftime Show: Rhythms Of Resistance" Air Tonight At 10P ET/PT. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired February 07, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:34]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I am Jessica Dean here in New York.

We begin this hour with day seven of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show host, Savannah Guthrie.

The 84-year-old went missing from her home near Tucson, Arizona, last weekend. And tonight, there are still no suspects officially connected to the case, publicly connected to the case.

Authorities were back at her home Friday night, where CNN captured a blue car being towed away from the area. The FBI also looking into a message sent to a local news station, KOLD, that is said to contain sensitive information.

The FBI also placing these digital billboards with Guthrie's photo and information in nearby states, and that number to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. A $50,000.00 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

CNN senior correspondent, Ed Lavandera is there on the ground in Pima County. He has been there now for some time. He joins us with the latest.

And, Ed, as you said last hour, it is slow going there with this investigation.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there is no question, probably the Guthrie family feels that more than anyone involved in this ordeal, but it has been almost exactly a week since Nancy Guthrie was last seen alive here at her home after she was dropped off after having spent the evening having dinner and playing card games with her -- with family members here in town.

And then it was around 1:45 to 2:30 A.M. Sunday morning, in the middle of the night, where investigators believe someone entered the house and abducted her, and that search didn't start until noon on Sunday last weekend. And now, here we are, Saturday afternoon and still no clear indication as to where she might be.

As you mentioned, investigative efforts continue, and we've been able to track some of that with investigators coming back here to the neighborhood, going back to the property that has happened several times this week.

They've been on the rooftop. They've been putting down evidence markers. They've also, Jessica been talking and recanvasing the surrounding areas around her home and talking to neighbors about whether or not they've seen anybody suspicious or suspicious vehicles, asking people to look again through their home camera systems on the chance that some little bit of clue might have been captured on those video cameras.

And we do know, and Sheriff's officials acknowledged today that a lot of that search for video evidence also is happening in other parts of the city as well.

So all of that continues, but the bottom line here is that nothing really has changed. No suspects, no persons of interest.

There was that message or ransom message follow up that was received by CNN affiliate, KOLD yesterday afternoon. We have not heard any more updates as to whether or not there has been any kind of response, or whether or not the Guthrie family is planning another response to that. They have put out two videos so far this week, but no updates from investigators on what is coming from the exchange of those messages between the family and whoever is sending these ransom messages -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Ed Lavandera with the latest there in Tucson, Arizona. Thank you so much.

Let's bring in former FBI hostage negotiator and special agent, Chip Massey. He is joining us now.

Chip, thanks for being here with us. We just got that report from Ed. We are now on day seven, and at least publicly, no named suspects, no big breakthroughs, no proof of life that we are so far aware of. What do you make of all of these pieces of information?

CHIP MASSEY, FORMER FBI HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR AND SPECIAL AGENT: Yes. What is very encouraging is the fact that we now have a second note because the family has been asking, you know, we are here, were ready to listen. Were ready to talk, and in between those lines, as you heard, Savannah, in the first message saying to the captors, we need proof of life. But the idea was, let's open up these lines of communication. Let us talk. Let us hear what it is you have to say.

And of course, the humanizing element of the whole thing, you know, letting them know, this is a person of great value to this family. You know, this is our mother. This is somebody who is clever, who is witty, who has a lot of spunk.

And the second message from Cameron, again reiterating that, but saying, we haven't heard from you and it is so important for this line of communication to begin to open up.

[18:05:10]

DEAN: Yes, and so if that is indeed the people -- if these people that have sent these notes are indeed who has Nancy Guthrie as somebody who is an expert in, in these sorts of negotiations, what would you be advising? Are these are the next steps now.

MASSEY: Right. So, if we do have a line of communication that is that is very encouraging, right? Because for us as negotiators, silence is deadly. We need to have -- we need to have dialogue. We need to be in contact because we can't do anything when somebody isn't communicating to us.

So, our next step in this with the family, whether the family is, is handling negotiations or it is going to be other officials, the idea here is to expand what is currently present. In other words, I am sure the captors, when they plotted, they thought this was going to be our payday. This was going to be our easy money. We are going to be done right after this.

But we are in, like we say, so many days later. I am guessing they didn't bargain on this. I am guessing that the signs of struggle that we saw evident outside the house, they didn't bargain for that either.

So now, with all of these days gone by, their world starts to get smaller and what might have started out as bravado and extreme confidence is now much narrower than that. Now, they're looking at what can we do to salvage this?

So, this is when negotiation is so critical. This is when the lines of communication have to open up so that these people can start to hear other alternatives to what they are currently looking at and facing.

DEAN: And when you say you don't think they bargained for this, are you talking about just how big this story has gotten, that the President has now commented on this? The FBI is now involved -- is that what you mean?

MASSEY: I think that's certainly an element, but I think they would have known that given that this involved celebrity, that there was going to be a national response. But more to this is that, it is more than that they bargained for in that, did they -- did they anticipate that there was going to be a struggle? I don't know. It seems like if this was planned so well, why would we see these signs of intense struggle? So -- and again, why don't we have a proof of life?

If they are so sophisticated about their communication methods and trying to keep it all secret, why haven't we seen that proof of life. So more than they bargained for, probably in the duration of this, and more than they bargained for in the intensity of what they are feeling right now.

DEAN: And this second message, we were reporting sent to a local Tucson station. We know that a couple -- that previous messages had been sent to a national media organization and then to also local television networks. What is that avenue say to you that using them as a conduit, say to you?

MASSEY: Right. It is clear they're trying to keep distance. Now for negotiators, that's bad because we desperately want to be in actual telephonic contact with somebody. We want to hear a voice. We want them to hear ours, because that is how we communicate the emotion. That's how we communicate the vitality, the importance of a conversation.

And, it is also how we communicate how that person is feeling, what they are experiencing, what they are going through. The captors are going through some ups and downs to be sure.

They are going through this cycle. It is not just one even feeling for them either. So, the people that are on the scene need to take measure of that. And we again need to open up those lines of communication because it is strange enough, is that as the captors' world starts to close in and perhaps they might be feeling that now they need somebody to offer them a lifeline. They need somebody to say to them, it doesn't have to go this direction. There are other ways. There are other solutions. Let's talk.

DEAN: All right, Chip Massey, and I think if we can just put up again that billboard, that information, if you know anything about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is now a $50,000.00 reward. There it is right there, if you happen to have any information.

Chip, thank you for your time. We really appreciate it.

[18:10:10]

MASSEY: Thank you.

DEAN: President Trump says the U.S. had, in his words, very good talks with Iran in recent days, but what could be the various sticking points? We are going to talk about those.

Plus, dangerous cold weather hitting the Northeast right now, and some of the most vulnerable people looking for a place to get warm and stay out of that dangerous cold.

And can Lindsey Vonn do it? She is attempting to win a gold medal with a torn ACL. We are going to talk with one of the foremost experts on this injury about how she is even competing.

Coming up, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:20]

DEAN: New tonight, CNN learning the Trump administration is planning a meeting of the President's Board of Peace for February 19th. Around two dozen countries have signed on to the Board, though most European allies did not. Israel is among the countries who have agreed to join, and today the Prime Minister's Office announced Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump Wednesday.

The statement saying the two leaders will discuss U.S. negotiations with Iran.

Let's bring in CNN political national security analyst and "New York Times" correspondent, David Sanger.

David, great to have you here. I want to get to Netanyahu coming to the U.S. and those Iran talks. But first, this Board of Peace, the unveiling of the Board of Peace was met with widespread criticism last month. Now, they're saying they are going to have this meeting later this month. What is the administration hoping to achieve here? And what is realistic?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, the reason there was widespread criticism, of course, is not who is on the Board of Peace, but who isn't.

As you mentioned, none of the major European allies are in it. Russia and China both turned down being on it. There is a billion dollar charge that comes along with being a member after a brief period of time. That's quite a membership charge, and there was a sense that the President was using it to work his way around the United Nations, that he wanted basically a U.N. alternative, over which the Chairman of the Board of Peace, Donald Trump has complete veto power.

So, I think it was a fair bit of concern that while this started as an effort about Gaza, that President Trump had actually expanded it to be an U.N. alternative under his control.

DEAN: And so while this is all happening, we also have these talks with Iran that the President has called Friday's talks very good. Iran's Foreign Minister says the country is standing firm though on enrichment. And now, we have Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, coming to the U.S., ostensibly to talk about this with the President.

So, let's start -- tell us what you're reading into the fact that Netanyahu is coming to D.C. to talk to President Trump while all of this is going on?

SANGER: So, what is really interesting is he wants to come this week when if he was coming to the Board of Peace meeting, he could have waited until, say, next week. So, that tells you he has got something urgent to deal with, and what he has, I think that's urgent is, I think he is concerned that the President may sign something that is just about Iran's nuclear program, which has been significantly set back by the raid last June.

But that he will not pay as much attention to the missile capability for the Iranians, which is being rebuilt, and which, of course, is the biggest single concern for the Israelis, and I think there is a lot of debate still underway within the administration about whether or not to just strike a nuclear deal, which I suspect the Iranians would probably be willing to do, as long as they are not required to give up their right to enrich at some point in the future, and that's been an issue back to the Obama administration.

DEAN: Yes, and if they -- if they are not going to have to give that up, is how successful would that deal be?

SANGER: Well, one of the criticisms that President Trump had of the 2015 deal, the one that he pulled out of in 2018, in his first term, was that it didn't stop all enrichment. It was a legitimate concern.

Now, of course, what happened is as soon as he pulled out of it, then the Iranians, after a few years, began to produce nuclear fuel at a much higher rate, saying, you know, if the U.S. wasn't going to abide by it, why should they? So, he could be right back in the position of recreating the deal that he pulled out of.

And I think that's part of the administration's challenge right now, which is they've got to come up with something better than what the U.S. had more than ten years ago.

DEAN: All right, David Sanger, always good to have you. Thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.

SANGER: Thank you. Great to be with you.

DEAN: Bone chilling temperatures making it just miserable, but also dangerous if you have to be outside for a long period of time here in New York right now. We will talk about this when we come back in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:24:13]

DEAN: We do have some breaking news now. The publisher of "The Washington Post," William Lewis, has just announced he is stepping down. This news, coming on the heels of massive layoffs at "The Post" that saw a third of its newsroom cut, including entire departments like the Sports Section.

In a letter to the paper's staff, Lewis wrote in part: "After two years of transformation at 'The Washington Post' now is the right time for me to step aside. I want to thank Jeff Bezos for his support and leadership throughout my tenure as CEO and publisher. The institution could not have a have a better owner. During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of 'The Post,' so it can, for many years ahead, publish high quality, nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day."

"The Post" saying that Jeff D'Onofrio, the chief financial officer, will take over as acting publisher and CEO effective immediately.

Let's bring in CNN media analyst and media correspondent for AXIOS, Sara Fischer.

[18:25:10 ]

Sara, listen. Typically, we would not break in with, you know, a publisher of a news, a national newspaper stepping down, but the context is incredibly important here after what we have seen, just an absolute gutting at "The Washington Post" this week of hundreds of reporters and now, to see Will Lewis stepping aside, help people understand the significance of this move.

SARA FISCHER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST: Well, significant, Jessica, because Will Lewis was instated by Jeff Bezos, who is one of the wealthiest people in the country, one of the most influential, and a lot of people have criticized Bezos, saying that he has tried to curry favor with the President by pulling punches from "The Washington Post's" opinion section, and that he didn't do enough to step in and correct some of the failures of Will Lewis and the management team at "The Washington Post" to try to save the paper.

And so, this is bigger than just, you know, a local D.C. paper or just "The Washington Post." This also has major repercussions for how one of the world's most wealthy people bought and sort of mishandled what was a very legacy, storied and sort of revered newspaper.

DEAN: Right. Because we've seen -- we have seen some of these newspapers, these revered newspapers like "The Washington Post" be bought by really wealthy individuals, and this being a very extreme example of that story, but it ending not with, I think when people see that, oh wow, maybe this is somebody that will make sure that this institution is carried forward and has plenty of funding and all of that, but instead ending with these massive layoffs, that of course, they say is a reorganization, but nonetheless a shrinking newsroom.

FISCHER: Yes, I mean, they are losing tens of millions of dollars every year. But to your point about why this is such a big deal, for a long time in the U.S., local news was really owned by families, and those families had sort of a reputational stake in making sure that they, you know, made their paper survive and thrive in their communities.

What happened is, you know, after the sort of 2008 financial crash, with the rise of the internet, a lot of hedge funds came in and started to buy up newspapers and sort of squeeze them for profit and we had very few left strategic owners, people who cared about the well-being of newspapers.

We then saw a few years later, a bunch of billionaires come in and buy news organizations. Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of the late Steve Jobs, bought "The Atlantic." Marc Benioff of Salesforce bought "Time." Jeff Bezos bought "The Washington Post," and folks were celebrating this thinking, could billionaires be the answer to this issue of dying news?

And I think what has happened over the past few days and really the past few years, that "The Washington Post" has been a wake-up call to all of us, that billionaires are not necessarily going to save the news industry. We need to have a more sustainable economic model so that not just the news industry thrives, but that democracy thrives.

DEAN: Yes. It will be very interesting. We know that Lewis had lost the confidence of the Newsroom a while ago, and then the layoffs, and it seemed like this might be untenable, and now, we get the news that he is stepping aside.

Sara Fischer, thank you so much. Good to see you.

FISCHER: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: And this extreme cold wave expected to last through the weekend here in New York and across the Northeast. Here and many other places not getting above the low to mid-teens today. It was not a pleasant day to be outside, I will tell you that much.

Expected to be in the single digits tonight. Really strong winds making it feel even colder.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is joining us. And, Gloria, we are kind of asking you to play a little bit of meteorologist here as well, because I think a lot of people, too wondering when this dangerous -- I mean, it is dangerously cold weather is going to be over. It is becoming an issue for a lot of these cities, like New York, that have, you know, have a homeless population and these are just not tenable to stay outside.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Jessica, and frankly, they are the most vulnerable population right now. That's what the mayor has been trying to focus on in the past few days. Unfortunately, several people have died over the last few days as this cold stretch has just lingered here in New York City as you said, single-digit temperatures expected to go throughout tonight into tomorrow and into next week.

The city has really had to contend -- they have significantly scaled up their resources. More than 1,200 people have been moved into shelter, but really its exposing a crisis of homelessness that the city of New York has been grappling with for many years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROLANDO, HOMELESS IN HARLEM, NEW YORK CITY: I am really going tonight.

PAZMINO (voice over): 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.

ROLANDO: I promise you, I am going. It is cold now.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is so cold now, why are you outside?

PAZMINO (voice over): 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.

[18:30:18]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOLLY WASOW PARK, COMMISSIONER, NYC DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES: If you are living unsheltered in New York City where, which is a right to shelter city, right, it means you have been failed by everybody in every system. Until we are thinking more holistically about how systems interact and -- 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO (voice over): 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D-New York): We want every New Yorker who needs help seeking warmth to be able to find it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO (voice over): 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO (voice over): 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.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO (voice over): 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 CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAZMINO (on camera): Now, that is one thing that I heard over and over the past few days while we were out with the outreach workers speaking to homeless New Yorkers. You know, many of them are hesitant to come in either because they've had a negative experience at a shelter in the past or because they're worried for their safety and many of them are struggling with mental health. The city is trying to focus on that now. They have launched a new pilot program that is going to actually pair homeless people that have come off the street to go out with the outreach workers, the idea being that a peer-to-peer conversation will help more people come inside, especially in these dangerously cold conditions. Jessica?

DEAN: All right, Gloria, thank you for that.

And we do have breaking news in the Nancy Guthrie case. We're going to share it with you as soon as we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:37:52]

DEAN: We do have breaking news now in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, the host of the "Today" show. Tonight, we have a new plea from the family, a new video from the family. This is Savannah and her siblings. We'll let you watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, TODAY, HOST: We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Okay, again, that video just being released by Savannah Guthrie and her siblings as we now mark the seventh day of the search for their mother, Nancy, still no named suspects. Authorities do believe that Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home, near Tucson last weekend, after blood belonging to her was discovered on the front porch and a front door camera was missing. Let's bring in CNN's Ed Lavandera and also CNN's Senior National Security Analyst, Juliette Kayyem.

Juliette, I'll get to you in just one second.

Ed, I do want to go to you. You've been covering this story. So, to get this information now from the family, which would indicate they say they've gotten their message, they understand that she needs to be returned and they are willing to pay. Give people context around what we're hearing from the family tonight.

LAVANDERA: Well, I think Juliette will be able to speak better to what we hear Savannah saying and perhaps more importantly, not saying. But clearly the way she is speaking, very different from what we have heard in -- in previous videos. But let me first kind of lay out the -- the -- the timeline of it.

Remember, there was a 5 P.M. deadline in one of the messages sent to various news organizations on Friday. That deadline passed and then another -- and then, immediately at that five o'clock on Thursday afternoon, Savannah's brother, Camron, released the -- the second video from the family right as that deadline hit.

And then it wasn't until yesterday morning around 11.30 A.M. that CNN affiliate KOLD received another message.

[18:40:06]

This video is more than 24 hours after that message came in coming from the Guthrie family.

And I think it's fair to say at this point that clearly the family has gotten some clear indication that this is perhaps very much a true kidnapping hostage situation. We have not heard that officially and we're monitoring statements coming from sheriff's department and investigators here. All of that remains very quiet.

So, officially from law enforcement sources, we have not gotten any indication that this is indeed what's happening. But this video, incredibly different from what we have seen before. You can see the excruciating intensity and the -- how heavy this is weighing on not just Savannah, but her brother and -- and sister as -- as well. So, these are dramatic moments that we're watching unfold here.

And I do know that, you know, obviously that they -- so many people hoping for the -- the safe return here. But now, everyone waiting to see what kind of response will -- will come here.

DEAN: Okay, Ed Lavandera, thank you for that. Stand by.

Let's go now to Juliette who is with us as well.

Juliette, the -- yes, he mentions the anguish in their face and just the torment you can see in their face as Savannah speaks to the camera there, saying it would -- you would assume, as Ed pointed out, that since they are saying, we understand you need to bring our mother back, we will pay, that there has been some proof of life. We don't know, obviously. But again, we are going off -- off of this information that just came out. What are you gathering from this?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I mean, taking a step back, I did want to highlight something that Ed mentioned is that you -- this is a unique and horrible case for a hundred reasons. But one is just this sort of parallel silence by law enforcement and public officials. And so, when this began, it seemed that there was sort of perfect coordination that may still be true. But you are seeing, you know, sort of the family very much out in front now with sort of a -- a lot more retreating by the traditional public safety apparatus that would be out there.

This may -- this mean a number of things, but clearly the -- the Guthrie children, the family, believes two things. One is that there's proof of life because that was what they were demanding at the beginning. And the second is that they can come to some resolution with some sort of value. And that's the last thing I wanted to mention.

People will be analyzing her video and -- and -- and as -- as will law enforcement and the -- and the perpetrators. But there were two words that sort of were -- were odd. One was celebrate, which you don't know if that was language that came from them, that she's repeating. And the other was this, you know, this is valuable to us. That's an odd way to put a ransom demand.

So, I -- I -- I think that there is a language sharing that is going on in this just very, you know, sad and, you know, horrible situation for a public figure and their family. But also because of her fame that -- that everyone is sort of part of this dialogue, which generally doesn't happen in hostage situations. I'll tell you in ones that I have, you know, when -- when someone gets taken abroad, sometimes the Department of Homeland Security would be brought into it. And the FBI always said, don't say a word, right? I mean, in other words, the hope was that there could be some resolution without publicity. That's not -- that's not available to the Guthrie family. So, you're seeing them come out and try to get resolution through the means that -- that -- that they know how.

DEAN: It is so unimaginable to me, Juliette, as we are watching this play out, that this -- that this is happening, that there is, you know, an 84-year-old woman, grandmother, mother, who has been taken from her home in the dead of night, who is being held ostensibly based on these videos for ransom and that there are ransom notes that are coming from some unknowable suspect or suspects in all of this and that the Guthrie family, obviously, very much caught up in the middle of this, having to now, as you know, publicly respond to all of this. It -- it seems, this is just so unheard of, it seems.

KAYYEM: Unheard of. It is, I heard an FBI agent say, or in a newspaper say, it's -- it's the oddest series of events because -- because we -- we know what's going on, you know, because Savannah is so famous, we knew what happened immediately. The public didn't. That this is being played out that way, that's just horrible tragedy. [18:45:05]

And -- but I want to go back to, you know, the demand of the family to have proof of life and now having a video in which it -- it seems that they have some assurances that their -- that the -- that their mother is still at least okay. Although, as you point out, I mean, this -- this is not a young woman. She's on -- on meds. She had a -- we -- we now know she had a -- a heart pacer.

And so, time is -- is -- is not on the family's side. And so, part of why maybe you're seeing this sort of pace pick up is -- is this -- this can't be indefinite. She needs medication. She's older. And -- and she's under stress, which she obviously would be -- anyone would be, but in -- at her age, it will have a tremendous physical impact, so --

DEAN: Certainly.

KAYYEM: So, I can't say that, you know, I've been with you a long time. I -- I've never seen anything like this. And so, it's -- it's hard to get a model for how this might unfold, because we've never really seen anything like this before. But the tragedy is still there regardless of its uniqueness. I mean, you just see it in the family.

DEAN: Yes, certainly. All right, Juliette, thank you so much. We do appreciate that. We'll be back with more breaking news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:57]

DEAN: Bad Bunny will make history tomorrow as the first solo male artist -- male Latin artist to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. As fans get ready to tune into his big game performance, CNN's new FlashDoc hour is exploring the Puerto Rican superstar's influence on American sports, culture, and music.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bad Bunny took home Album of the Year, which became the first entirely Spanish project to do so. He and other stars use the stage to speak out as well against the President's immigration enforcement program.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: What a moment for Bad Bunny. He's about to headline the Super Bowl and now this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a huge moment for Bad Bunny. And we know a moment that has gotten a lot of attention, both in Hollywood and D.C. and certainly around the world.

MJ ACOSTA-RUIZ, NFL SIDELINE REPORTER: Bad Bunny is the most steamed artist in the world. That is globally.

DR. PETRA RIVERA-RIDEAU, PROFESSOR & CO-AUTHOR P FKN R: I think he rivals someone like Beyonce or Taylor Swift in terms of popularity. (END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: And joining us now, one of the women you just saw in that clip, NFL host, ESPN host, and reporter MJ Acosta-Ruiz.

MJ, thank you so much for being here with us. We really appreciate it. Listen, the Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most watched television events around the globe every year. And it is -- it is obviously closely tied to American football and all of that. But there's -- there just seems to be so much more going on this year. There are so many other things underneath just a Super Bowl performance and what that means. Help people understand the context around this performance that we're going to see tomorrow.

ACOSTA-RUIZ: Yes, I mean, it's been such a cultural touch point, I think, the -- the Bad Bunny of it all, his announcement following his residency in Puerto Rico, which was legendary in its own right -- in its own right and broke a lot of barriers there. But also, then bringing it over to this platform with the NFL, which is not only a global in and of its own, but then here in the U.S., just synonymous with what American football is.

So, I think the crossover of those two worlds couldn't have come at a more poignant time. And I think it's really reflective of the audience that -- that is not only the fastest growing demographic here in the United States, the U.S. Hispanic demographic, but also just the fans who watch the NFL as well.

DEAN: Yes. And -- and yet it is happening too in a moment where immigration and this administration's immigration policy is certainly under a white-hot spotlight and driving protests in the streets. We saw Bad Bunny, we're watching it now, his Grammy's speech as well. What about that element to all of it?

ACOSTA-RUIZ: Yes, I mean, it's not an undertone, it's at the forefront, right, of all of it. Because, you know, what's happening now with immigration enforcement is overwhelmingly affecting the Latino community within the United States. And so, it feels very directly tied. And Bad Bunny himself has been very open about where he stands with how his community has been treated here by ICE agents, by really the administration, and -- and how it's been a point of -- of fear and a lot of anxiety for the Latino community and the immigrant community in the U.S.

And I actually spoke with him recently, and he said, I hope that this moment -- that this halftime show, if only just for those 12 minutes, that people can really lean in to the unity of it all, of how we all make up part of this country and just live in that love and -- and -- and in the diversity of everything.

So, he's hopeful that what he's bringing to the Super Bowl halftime stage is really a point more of connection than division.

DEAN: And unity. President, we do know that there's this alternative halftime show that we could call it, that Kid Rock is headlining. Have you ever seen anything like that? Do we normally get some sort of alternative halftime show?

ACOSTA-RUIZ: I have covered many Super Bowls for almost two decades now and -- and I have to say, this is the first time I've ever heard of an alt performance.

[18:55:03]

I will say, like one could argue, it's not a Super Bowl halftime show if it's not at the literal Super Bowl --

DEAN: Yes.

ACOSTA-RUIZ: -- but just alternate programming, again, around the same time. Like you mentioned off the top here, in the most globally watched performance typically of the year when it comes to the sports world. So, very interesting to see how this will play out.

DEAN: Yes, a lot of eyeballs. For sure. All right, MJ, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

ACOSTA-RUIZ: Thank you.

DEAN: And don't miss the CNN Original, Bad Bunny & the Halftime Show: Rhythms of Resistance. It's premiering tonight at 10 Eastern and Pacific, only here on CNN. You can also stream it on our CNN app.

We continue to follow breaking news out of Arizona, where the Guthrie family has just released this video that you're looking at right now. Their message to whomever is holding their 84-year-old mother hostage. We're going to talk about it. That's next.

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