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Suspect Identified in Canada's Tumbler Ridge School Shooting; Instagram Head Dismisses Claims that Social Media Can be Addictive. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 12, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, Just ahead.

Police have identified the suspect in Canada's deadliest school shooting in decades.

And a stunning upset for Team USA's ice dancing favorites, Chock and Bates. We are live at the Winter Olympics. Plus.

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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history.

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CHURCH: President Trump is set to revoke a key climate finding. While critics say it could wipe out climate regulations not just in the U.S. but across the world.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.

More new details are emerging from what's become one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings. Eight people are confirmed dead in British Columbia. And more than two dozen people were wounded.

Among them, a 12-year-old girl who's fighting for her life in hospital. Her mother says she was shot in the head and neck. Authorities have named 18-year-old female, Jesse Van Rootselaar, as the shooter.

Police say the suspect was born as a biological male who approximately six years ago began to transition to female and identified as female both socially and publicly. Students who survived the shooting spoke of barricading themselves in classrooms. The Canadian Prime Minister paid respects to the victims in Parliament. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: To those families who have lost loved ones, this house mourns with you. To those who are recovering from injuries, this house prays for you. To the students, the teachers, the parents, every resident of Tumbler Ridge, all of Canada stands with you.

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CHURCH: But there are still many unanswered questions about this tragedy including the motive. More now from CNN's Paula Newton.

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DEPUTY COMMANDER DWAYNE MCDONALD, BRITISH COLUMBIA ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE: Upon arrival, there was active gunfire. And as officers approached the school, rounds were fired in their direction.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, new details about a deadly mass shooting in a small, tight-knit community in Tumbler Ridge, Canada. Mobile phone messages warned of an active shooter describing the suspect as a woman wearing a dress with brown hair.

DARIAN QUEST, TUMBLER RIDGE SENIOR: The alarm went off that I've never heard before. And our principal goes throughout the halls and she's saying people close your doors, lockdown, stuff like that. I didn't.

I thought it was a secure and hold and something like that at first. But once things started circulating, we realized how serious it really was.

NEWTON (voice-over): The town's high school was in lockdown. Students barricading themselves in classrooms. A local journalist conveying the terror now rippling through the small town.

TRENT ERNST, LOCAL JOURNALIST: I talked to a concerned parent who's here waiting. He got a call from his son who is sheltering in place in the gym. And he's just waiting to hear from his other kid and is quite rightly nervous.

NEWTON (voice-over): Authorities say police arrived within minutes but found six victims already dead at the school, at least 27 injured. The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, was also found dead in the school of a self-inflicted injury. Two other victims, Rootselaar's mother and a sibling, were found dead at a nearby home.

Police say a long gun and a modified handgun were used. And disclosed that authorities were called to the suspect's home several times for mental health emergencies and firearms offenses. And they are no closer to settling on a motive.

MCDONALD: There's been much speculation within the community regarding the relationship between the shooter and some of the victims. All of that remains part of the active and ongoing investigation.

NEWTON (voice-over): Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visibly shaken and teary-eyed, expressing the profound grief now felt right across the country.

CARNEY: It's obviously a very difficult day for the nation. This morning, parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in Tumbler Ridge will wake up without someone they love. The nation mourns with you, Canada stands by you.

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NEWTON (voice-over): Authorities are now surging resources to the area, including investigative support. Local leaders describe the community as stricken as Canada enters a full week of official mourning.

Pauline Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

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CHURCH: Turning now to the urgent search in Arizona for new evidence in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie and a potential new clue in the case. On Wednesday, a "New York Post" reporter told CNN that a black glove was found about a mile and a half from Guthrie's home.

It's unclear if authorities believe it's the same glove worn by the person in the doorbell camera video released by the FBI captured the night Guthrie disappeared. That person was also seen wearing this backpack. We're told investigators are trying to figure out what type of bag it is.

Meanwhile, TMZ says it received what it called a bizarre letter from someone claiming to know who Guthrie's kidnapper is.

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HARVEY LEVIN, FOUNDER OF TMZ: The letter essentially says I've tried to get in touch with Savannah's brother and sister to no avail. And they sent it to us then. And they said if they want to get the name of the individual who is involved in this kidnapping, send the Bitcoin, send, give us a Bitcoin through this address.

And they say time is more than relevant. That's the way it ends. Time is more than relevant.

We have sent this on to the FBI and to the sheriff's department, and that's all we have heard.

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CHURCH: Investigators are combing through rough terrain around Guthrie's Tucson area home looking for any evidence. And I spoke earlier with a Homeland Security analyst about the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONELL HARVIN, HOMELAND SECURITY ANALYST: The backpack, the jacket, those things are going to be unique and really key to helping the public. Now understand that many crimes across the U.S. and across the world are often solved by the public.

And so getting millions of eyes on that evidence, as we've seen and we showed, is so important because law enforcement can't do it on their own. Unfortunately, that can lead you astray. Once you start going out there and asking the public for their help, you better be prepared to process that, and that is a monumental task.

But you can't not listen to any one call. I mean, think back at some of the really important cases that were solved.

And it was just someone saying, hey, I thought I saw that person or, you know, I think that I see someone suspicious or who I sold that jacket to. And so we can look at case after case of individuals that notice a small thing that investigators ran down that led to a perpetrator. I think my biggest concern, and I don't like to kind of theorize on this, is that this is a frail, elderly woman.

And we're coming up on day number 11 or 12, if my numbers add up. I am not particularly convinced that this is a trained individual, that this person really thought this through enough to take care of this woman for the amount of time that's necessary so that she doesn't fall ill. Or, you know, we know that she's injured as well.

And so every day that goes by, every minute that goes by is so critical because this person does not seem to have thought this crime out particularly well.

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CHURCH: Fans are remembering actor James Van Der Beek, who died on Wednesday at the age of 48. He's most widely remembered as the star of the '90s teen drama series "Dawson's Creek" and the coming of age movie, "Varsity Blues."

He announced in November of 2024 that he was fighting stage three colorectal cancer. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children.

A post on Van Der Beek's Instagram page on Wednesday reads, "He met his final days with courage, faith and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time."

"Those days will come. For now, we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother and friend."

Voting is underway for a few more hours in Bangladesh. This is expected to be the first fair election since a Gen Z rebellion toppled the prior autocratic regime. But many young voters are unhappy with the frontrunners.

One party leader belongs to a political dynasty that's long dominated Bangladeshi politics. The other is an Islamist whose party has no women candidates. Still, voters are expressing a strong desire for change.

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UNKNOWN (through translator): We want a proper constitution in this referendum.

UNKNOWN (through translator): After such a long time, we're finally casting our votes properly today. It's our right as citizens. I don't want anything specific, I just want peace.

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CHURCH: A meeting of NATO defense ministers is getting underway in Brussels this hour and Secretary General Mark Rutte is expected to speak soon. Later, the defense chiefs of the U.K. and Germany will co- chair a meeting of the Ukraine contact group. That comes as Russia keeps pounding Ukraine's energy infrastructure as the country faces its toughest winter in years.

Well the sparks were flying on Capitol Hill as U.S. Attorney-General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee. The questions that prompted the loudest shouting matches just ahead.

Plus, heartbreak for USA's ice dancing duo Chock and Bates. We will go live to Milan for all the Olympics highlights.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

The U.S. House has dealt a blow to President Trump by blocking his tariffs on Canada for now. Six Republican lawmakers broke ranks to vote with Democrats.

And that's not going over well with the President. He warned on Truth Social, quote, "Any Republican in the House or Senate that votes against tariffs will seriously suffer the consequences come election time, and that includes primaries."

Keep in mind, though, even if the Senate agrees to the same House measure to block the tariffs, President Trump still has the power to veto it. The House did not secure enough votes to override a likely veto.

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SKY ROBBERTS, BROTHER OF EPSTEIN SURVIVOR VIRGINIA GIUFFRE: Pam, I have a clear and simple message for you. The way this administration and you specifically have handled survivors has been nothing short of a failure. SHARLENE ROCHARD, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Pam Bondi and the Justice

Department failed us repeatedly across administrations, across political lines, across decades.

Are you going to have courage or are you going to be complicit?

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CHURCH: Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and their families calling out the U.S. Attorney General over the Justice Department's handling of the files on the late sex offender. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee also pressed Pam Bondi on the issue in a hearing that quickly went off the rails. Lawmakers asked why the names of alleged abusers were redacted while the names of some survivors were not.

CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid, has our report.

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PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This guy has Trump derangement syndrome.

PAULA Reid, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In her first appearance before House lawmakers, Attorney General Pam Bondi played to an audience of one.

BONDI: He is the most transparent president in the nation's history. And none of them asked Merrick Garland over the last four years one word about Jeffrey Epstein. How ironic is that? You know why?

REED (voice-over): Lawmakers repeatedly pressed her on the Department of Justice's handling of the Epstein files and the impact on survivors.

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Will you turn to them now and apologize for what your Department of Justice has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information?

BONDI: Congresswoman, you sat before Merrick Garland sat in this chair twice.

JAYAPAL: Attorney General Bondi.

BONDI: Can I finish my answer?

JAYAPAL: No, I'm going to reclaim my time because I asked you a specific question that I would like you to answer, which is, will you turn to the survivors?

REED (voice-over): Republican Thomas Massie grilled her on redaction mistakes that he says exposed survivors and protected perpetrators.

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): These are the documents that we need that you're holding on to and over redacting because they have the names of the men who are implicated. How do we know? Because the survivors gave testimony to the FBI.

REED (voice-over): But Bondi came armed with personalized insults for any lawmaker that pressed her on an issue she did not want to discuss.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH), HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: And I told you about that, Attorney General, before you started.

BONDI: You don't tell me.

JORDAN: Oh, I did tell you because we saw what you did in the Senate.

BONDI: You're not even a lawyer.

REED (voice-over): And the hearing swiftly devolved into a series of shouting matches.

REP. JERROLD NADLER (D-NY): How many have you indicted?

BONDI: Excuse me, I'm going to answer the question.

NADLER: Answer my question.

BONDI: No, I'm going to answer the question the way I want to answer the question. Your theatrics are ridiculous.

Chairman Jordan, I'm not going to get in the gutter with these people.

REP. TED LIEU (D-CA): I believe you just lied under oath. There is ample evidence in the Epstein file.

BONDI: Don't you ever accuse me of a crime. If they could maintain their composure, this isn't a circus, this is a hearing.

REED: Now, despite the theatrics, there was one area where they were able to reach sort of a bipartisan consensus. And that was on threats against lawmakers. The Attorney General said she would be willing to work across the aisle with lawmakers on that issue.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

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CHURCH: President Trump moves to roll back climate regulations. He is expected to make a major announcement today that's setting off alarm bells for public health groups. We'll take a look.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

Canada is mourning the eight lives lost in a mass shooting. The suspect's mother and stepbrother were found dead at the family home in British Columbia. Six people, mostly children, were killed at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

[03:25:03]

The suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who dropped out of that school four years ago.

Investigators are searching through rough terrain looking for any clues in the apparent abduction of Nancy Guthrie. A "New York Post" reporter tells CNN a black glove was found about a mile and a half away from Guthrie's Tucson area home on Wednesday. It's unclear if authorities believe it's the same glove worn by the person seen in her doorbell camera video.

The Republican-controlled House has passed the Save America Act. It would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to vote, like a birth certificate or passport. The bill is expected to face an uphill battle in the Senate.

Another jam-packed day is set for the Winter Olympics in Milan, Cortina, Italy. On the agenda, America's Chloe Kim stars in the snowboard half-pipe finals. Team USA plays Latvia in men's ice hockey, plus we'll see the men's moguls and snowboard cross.

Here's a look at where things stand in the medal count. Norway is on the top with seven gold and 13 total medals. USA, Italy and Switzerland each have four gold medals.

All right, so let's go live now to Milan and CNN's Amanda Davies. Good morning to you, Amanda and we are learning new information about a Ukrainian athlete. What can you tell us?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, very much, Rosemary. This is very much breaking news. I can tell you the skeleton event set to get underway in Cortina literally five minutes from now.

And one of the biggest stories of this opening six days of the Games has been concerning the Ukrainian skeleton athlete, Vladyslav Heraskevych, who turned up in training on Monday, wearing what he and his team are describing as a helmet of remembrance. It's a very striking image with 24 athletes pictured, 24 athletes who have been killed since the start of the war in Ukraine. He has been determined that he was going to wear that helmet in memory of his friends and other athletes when competing in this competition today.

But the IOC, the International Olympic Committee, say it breaches what they call Article 50 of their Olympic Charter, which basically prevents any athlete wearing or showing a symbol of what they call discrimination, propaganda, political leaning in the Olympic realm.

And despite discussions that have been going on very publicly over the last few days, I can say I've now got the letter that has been sent to Vladyslav from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, informing him of a decision that he has been disqualified from today's event.

It reads, at the consolatory meeting, the athletes confirmed his steadfast will to wear the helmet in question in competition. Even after it was pointed out to him, he would not be admitted to the skeleton competition under the circumstances. It goes on to say, Mr. Vladyslav Heraskevych is withdrawn from the starting list of the men's skeleton event.

The International Olympic Committee, of course, the overseeing body of this Games, have also issued a statement confirming that. This is all happening very quickly, I have to tell you. We are now hearing from the Ukrainian coach of the skeleton athletes that the plan is for them to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport.

Vladyslav himself has confirmed to us at CNN that he wants to do that, but will need some time to prepare. It's very interesting, Rosemary, he is an athlete that we have spoken to a number of times over the course of the last four years. He finished his run in Beijing at the last Olympic Games and held up a sign, no to war in Ukraine.

And it was only four days after that that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place. And he very much has used his platform as one of the most prominent Ukrainian athletes, this being his third Olympic Games. He carried the flag for Ukraine at the opening ceremony on Friday to talk about the plight of what his nation and his fellow Ukrainians have been going through over the last few years.

And yes, he said to us, just in the last few days, I feel I have a very good chance to win a medal. Of course, he finished top of the timesheets in the final training session, but he said this is about so much more than that.

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CHURCH: Such a blow for that athlete. And Amanda Davies, we appreciate you staying on top of that and bringing us that breaking news live at the Olympics in Milan. Many thanks.

Well, President Donald Trump was speaking at the United Nations in September. Now he is expected to deliver a final blow to longstanding U.S. climate policy.

In the hours ahead, the President is set to overturn a landmark scientific finding that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health. The change will remove Obama era regulations on planet warming carbon emissions and would also repeal the rules that regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars.

Manish Bapna is the president and chief executive officer of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He joins me now from Washington. I appreciate you being with us.

MANISH BAPNA, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL: Delighted to be here.

CHURCH: So the Trump administration is set to revoke U.S. climate change rules this week by repealing the landmark climate finding that serves as the legal basis for federal greenhouse gas regulation. What are the implications of such a move by the Environmental Protection Agency?

BAPNA: So this would be the single biggest attack in history on the U.S. federal government's ability to tackle the climate crisis. What the Trump administration wants to do is to repeal a scientific finding that climate change is a threat to human health and welfare and this scientific finding underpins federal standards for curbing climate pollution.

If they succeed, climate change, air pollution is going to get a lot worse. The health, the safety, the economic well-being of people all around the world is going to suffer. And it's quite shocking, this is coming at a time when more and more people everywhere are starting to feel the impacts of a warming planet.

And the big question is, you know, why is the Trump administration doing this? Why is the Environmental Protection Agency, whose aim is to protect people from pollution, focused on protecting polluters rather than people?

Largely because they're putting the interests of fossil fuel lobbyists and executives before the needs of regular people.

CHURCH: And the Trump administration is hoping that the Supreme Court will allow it to completely avoid regulating the nation's top greenhouse gas sources. How do you think the highest court in the land will respond to this move?

BAPNA So I think the administration is clearly wrong, they're flouting the law. The Supreme Court has already decided this case, that the federal government does have the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. They've already decided this three times already, we anticipate the fourth time will not lead to a different outcome.

CHURCH: And the 16-year-old endangerment finding that the Trump administration wants to end states that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. So what needs to be done to protect the public when its own federal government is set to remove this protection that would have slowed the very pollution driving climate change?

BAPNA: I mean, what we're seeing with the repeal of the endangerment finding is a pattern of a much broader attack on clean energy and climate action.

Over the past year, we have seen this administration do everything it can to actually stop the deployment of solar, of wind, of storage, battery storage. And it's doing all that it can also to support coal plants, chemical plants. Coal companies that feel that they can't meet certain standards can just send an email to the Environmental Protection Agency and say we can't meet it and that is being granted.

This administration is walking away from international commitments on climate. They're even attacking other countries like Venezuela for the oil. So this is a serious issue, but it is quite self-defeating.

And I think one of the things to keep in mind is just how the economic case for clean energy and climate action is so much stronger today than it was even 10 years ago. So there is a real risk that the United States will do less in tackling the climate challenge now. But I still remain hopeful that over the long run, we will take the steps we need to make the energy transition successful.

CHURCH: And what might this action mean for, say, future democratic presidents who want to use the EPA to transition the nation to clean energy?

BAPNA: So we believe that future administrations will be able to move forward and still regulate carbon pollution because we don't think that this repeal is going to stand up in court.

[03:35:07]

Future congresses can actually take, you know, can act and take forward legislation to tackle the climate crisis. And I think it's quite important to remember that the United States is much bigger than Washington, D.C. And so you see cities, you see states, you see U.S. companies continuing to still take action on climate.

So this is a big challenge. It is going to slow down climate progress, but it is far from stopping it. And the future administration can still move forward, it just will need to go through a little bit more work to do so.

CHURCH: Manish Bapna, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

BAPNA: Thank you very much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Still to come on "CNN Newsroom," Instagram CEO testifies in a landmark trial that could see social media companies held responsible for users' mental health. We'll take a look.

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CHURCH: The head of Instagram says he does not think users can be addicted to the popular social media app. But Adam Mosseri testified Wednesday that problematic use is possible and compared it to watching too much T.V. He's the first executive to testify in a landmark social media trial underway in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit alleges YouTube and Instagram's parent company, Meta, intentionally developed addictive features to hook young users at the expense of their well-being.

More now from CNN tech editor Lisa Eadicicco.

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LISA EADICICCO, CNN TECH EDITOR: One thing that came up today in the proceedings that didn't really come up in the opening remarks yesterday was how Instagram makes decisions around allowing beauty filters on the platform. That was a big topic today.

The plaintiff's lawyer cited some internal Meta documents that indicated that Meta executives, when making decisions about those features, acknowledge that they could be harmful. And Adam Mosseri did say at first that Instagram decided to ban those kinds of filters outright, but then eventually decided to allow some but ban others that were more harmful that seemed to promote cosmetic surgery.

So I think that's kind of the point of this testimony that we're seeing here is to really peel back the curtain on how a lot of those decisions were made. And Meta's argument has been that Instagram has not played a big role in the mental health challenges that the plaintiff has faced. So we expect them to also kind of reiterate that point moving forward as well.

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CHURCH: I want to thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "World Sport" is coming up next.

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