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Trump Dismantles U.S. Climate Protections; Ukrainian Olympian Appeals Disqualification; Search for Nancy Guthrie Continues; Congress Fails To Pass DHS Funding, Partial Shutdown Likely; Mexico Works To Contain Outbreak Ahead Of Event; USA's Chloe Kim Wins Silver In The Snowboard Halfpipe. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 13, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. It is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, President Donald Trump dismantling U.S. regulations to fight climate change as scientists warn of an increasingly warm planet. The Ukrainian Olympian disqualified from the Winter Games after insisting on paying tribute to his war-torn country. We'll soon learn whether he'll win his appeal to re-enter the Olympics. And the latest on the search for the mother of an American news host. We have new details on the suspect.

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

HUNTE: Welcome. U.S. President Donald Trump has stripped the Environmental Protection Agency of its most powerful tool to regulate air pollution and greenhouse gases. The president announced on Thursday that he's rolling back what is known as the endangerment finding. The Obama era ruling determined that six specific greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to public health. It has been a scientific basis of the EPA's authority to create climate policy. Mr. Trump also announced the end of regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: That is why, effective immediately, we're repealing the ridiculous endangerment finding and terminating all additional green emission standards imposed unnecessarily on vehicle models and engines between 2012 and 2027 and beyond. This action will save American consumers trillions of dollars and will lower the average cost of a new vehicle by close to $3,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: But as CNN's Kevin Liptak explains, the legal battle over ending these policies is far from over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's the entire underpinning of their legal authority to contain emissions, you know, carbon dioxide, methane, all of these other greenhouse gases that are warming the climate, but also that this finding had said were endangering human health.

You know, Lee Zeldin, who's the administrator of the EPA, called the rollback of it today the holy grail of deregulation. It's something that conservatives have been talking about for decades. You know, this finding occurred in 2009, and we've been basically trying to roll it back ever since.

You know, it's almost certain that it's going to be challenged in court. You've already seen groups like the American Lung Association say today that they're going to sue.

But you're right, you know, this sort of flies in the face of all scientific evidence. You know, study after study have found that these gases are damaging to human health. But what the administration is saying today is that the economic benefits of this will be so great that the president is rolling it back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There's nothing to do with public health. This is all a scam, a giant scam. This was a rip off of the country by Obama and Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: You know, there are plenty of Republicans who do believe in climate change and believe in the science behind it. And you, I think, have seen them put those beliefs to the side because they have a leader of their party who says that climate change is a hoax and seems intent on rolling back all of these regulations.

You know, getting rid of this particular finding was part of Project 2025, the blueprint that the Trump campaign was using to sort of lay the groundwork for how he would govern if he were elected. So, this had been, you know, in the pipeline for quite a long time.

You know, the president saves us -- claims that this is going to save, you know, the American public trillions of dollars based on, you know, cheaper cars, potentially. But I think the fact is that Americans have shown an appetite for, you know, electric vehicles, for cars that don't necessarily burn some of these fossil fuels. So, even though he's rolling this back, it's not necessarily clear that the industry or that the American public wants to go back in that direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: That was CNN's Kevin Liptak reporting. Critics of Mr. Trump's move say the EPA rollback is another example of the Trump administration's denial of science and amounts to an effort to boost the oil and auto industries.

[02:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN BECKER, DIRECTOR, SAFE CLIMATE TRANSPORT CAMPAIGN, CBD: There is no scientific judgment that can supersede that of the world's leading scientists who have concluded that global warming is increasing the temperature on Earth and is causing a million of other disastrous consequences from more severe storms to floods to droughts, more severe wildfires, increased asthma among kids because smog is getting worse. And all of that is because of the pollutants that spew from our tailpipes and our smokestacks.

So, there really isn't a scientific decision that would countermand this. What Trump is doing is substituting the political judgment of him and his cronies in the oil and auto industry for the scientific judgment of the world's leading scientists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Research on climate change and snow sports indicates that the future of Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games could be at risk. A 2024 study found that many past and potential host sites would no longer be suitable for Winter Games by the 2050s even if they do live up to their climate policies and pledges. Snowfall is declining and snow packs are shrinking as winter temperatures rise in many traditional host cities. Winter sports are increasingly relying on snow machines. Ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games, organizers said they would make nearly 2.4 million cubic meters of snow.

Daniel Scott is university professor and research chair with the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo, and he's joining us from Dubai. Thank you so much for being with us. How are you doing?

DANIEL SCOTT, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AND RESEARCH CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO: Great to be with you, Ben. Thanks for having me.

HUNTE: Thank you for being here. Your research looks at how climate change is changing the geography of where the Winter Olympics and Paralympics can be held. Can you just explain to us what it means for a location to be climate-reliable and why so many traditional host cities are now at risk?

SCOTT: Yes. We look at two main factors. So, first, we look about the six weeks before the games actually start. And does Mother Nature either give you the snowpack that you need for the snow sports or do you have sufficient temperature so that you can make that snowpack and be ready for the beginning of the game?

So, February 1 is the date we look for the Olympics. And then during the games itself, we look at the types of conditions. Can you make snow if you need to like they did in Vancouver in 2010? Are the conditions cold enough that you preserve that snowpack so that the people making the courses can fix it at night? If it gets a good freeze at night, it's ready to go for the next day. So, it's looking at before the games and during the games.

HUNTE: Why is the risk so much greater for the Paralympics? What does that mean for the current practices around the "one bid, one city" rule, which is in effect at the moment?

SCOTT: Yes, that's the really important question. So, the Olympic Games always happen in February. That's the sort of best climatological month for the games in the Northern Hemisphere. And then they need a couple weeks break to switch over and be ready for the Paralympics. That usually starts sometimes, usually about the second week, third week of March. And it's just that much closer to spring in many places.

And you really see the difference in terms of the climate reliability. The number that we looked at for the Olympics by mid-century of the 93 locations that the International Olympic Committee gave us, only about 45 to 55 were still climate-reliable. But for the Paralympics, only a couple weeks later, it was down between 17 and 31.

So, that's the thing that we really emphasize to the IOC and the IPC, that they need to look at resolving that climate risk for the Paralympics sooner rather than later.

HUNTE: The study suggests shifting both the Olympics and Paralympics to earlier dates could increase the number of climate-reliable locations. How would moving the games by just a few weeks help? And if it's apparently so easy, what challenges would that create?

SCOTT: Yes. We have the luxury of just looking at the climate factors, the IOC and the IPC. We have to look at everything from the economics to the logistics to T.V. rights and everything else that goes along with it. But, as you said, it makes a huge difference when we shifted even just by three weeks. We moved the Olympics up so it would start in mid-January, finish up the first week of February. That would allow the Paralympics to shift up and go the last week of February, first week of March, and it nearly doubled the number of climate-reliable locations for the Paralympics. So, that was a huge difference with not a big shift.

And we've heard reporting from others, and we had a short conversation with the IOC last week. That was something they were actually looking at for shifting the scheduling. And so, we put some numbers to that idea for them, and their reaction was really positive. So, that might be still something we see maybe even in time for the Salt Lakes Games in 2034 or maybe the games after that.

[02:10:00]

HUNTE: I want to talk about snowmaking because snowmaking has been criticized in recent games. But your research says it's essential. Can you explain what's involved with it and why relying on natural snow alone just isn't realistic anymore?

SCOTT: Yes, we've heard that conversation, particularly in the Beijing Games where they relied most, you know, 100 percent on machine-made snow. But snowmaking has been part of the Winter Olympics since the Lake Placid Games in 1980. So, for 40 years, it has been there. Some games have to rely on it more than others. At times, we've exceeded the limits to even make snow. Vancouver ran into a little bit of that where we couldn't even make snow. But it's always there as a backup. And going forward, it's going to be that much more important. So, that's something we have to look at.

And, you know, it's -- those who have said, can we do it without snowmaking? There were only four locations that we found by mid- century that could be climate-reliable without snowmaking. So, it's an integral part of the games. And saying we can do without it is the same as saying we're going to move hockey and figure skating and curling back outside. We're just not going to do that. So, we have to focus on making that snowmaking as sustainable as possible.

HUNTE: That makes sense to me. Your team pushes the importance of climate action, which can be a controversial topic, especially here in the United States. Are you worried about reaction to this research at this time? I know it has come back into the news at the moment, especially given the current political climate.

SCOTT: No. I think, you know, for some people, you know, sports is what they're passionate about. And if you can link climate change, what does it mean for whether it's, you know, places that you love visiting, the work that you do, the investments that you make or in this case, sport? That's what gets people's attention at times.

And so, if that helps people understand that they need to do more on climate action, we really see that for many of the athletes. They sort of fear for the future of their sport. The IOC has been a leader on climate action and really pushing that in the sports community for last 10, 20 years.

And so, I think we're seeing this transition to really incorporate the climate action, the advocacy, the powerful voices that athletes can have in terms of making a difference on climate because the sporting world can't solve this on their own. The world needs to come together. And if they achieve, the world achieves the Paris Climate Agreement, we really see what a difference it makes in terms of the number of places that can host the Winter Games in the future.

HUNTE: Well, let's see what happens there. For now, Daniel Scott, appreciate it. Thank you so much for being with me.

SCOTT: Thanks for having me, Ben. Enjoy the games.

HUNTE: A Ukrainian athlete is appealing his disqualification for wearing a helmet with images of athletes killed in the war with Russia. The International Olympic Committee says the skeleton racer refused to adhere to their rules that prevent athletes from making political statements. CNN's Amanda Davies has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Is remembering the victims of a war, fellow athletes who've lost their lives, a demonstration of political propaganda? That's what we've been talking about with this story over the last few days. After four years of training, 15 minutes ahead of the start of the race this morning, Vladyslav Heraskevych sent us at CNN the letter he received from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation informing him of the decision that he was disqualified from today's competition.

Ukraine's flag bearer at the opening ceremony on Friday, he has been very open that this game was about more than simply the quest for medals. The 27-year-old has been determined that he would wear what he and his team describe as the "helmet of remembrance" for his competition. It features pictures of 24 athletes out of more than 500 killed since the start of the war in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADYSLAV HERASKEVYCH, UKRAINIAN SKELETON RACER: I believe it's important to keep memory about these athletes and memory about their sacrifice. Some of them were also part of Olympic family. I believe they deserve to be at the Olympic arenas, and they deserve to be at the start with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: The International Olympic Committee have said the helmet breaches what's known as Article 50 of the Olympic Charter prohibiting the demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda in any Olympic site. They conceded that no one disagrees with the message of the helmet. But after multiple meetings over the last few days, including first thing this morning between the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, and Heraskevych, they couldn't find a compromise. As he put it, he wouldn't betray the athletes that have lost their lives since the start of the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRSTY COVENTRY, PRESIDENT, IOC: I really wanted to see him race today. It has been an emotional morning. So, yes, you know, I think, for me -- yes, I think -- I don't think we were in tears, but it was -- he is an athlete.

[02:15:00]

And, for me, I was not speaking to him in that room as a president, I'm speaking to him as an athlete. We have these rules in place to try and be fair and also to try and allow for us to do both things, right? To allow for athletes to express themselves, but also to allow for athletes to be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Vladyslav's father and coach, Mykhailo, was pictured looking incredibly upset in the aftermath of the decision. The Ukrainian president, Zelenskyy, has reacted on social media, criticizing the IOC for contradicting the spirit of the game, saying sports shouldn't mean amnesia and the Olympic movement should help stop wars, not play into the hands of aggressors. Heraskevych has long said some things are more important than medals, but he was hoping at least he'd get the chance to try for both.

Amanda Davies, CNN, Milan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: It is unclear when the Court of Arbitration for Sport will decide on possible reinstatement. The skeleton racer told reporters on Thursday he is hoping for another miracle on ice. The court hearing is expected to take place in the coming hours.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has just arrived in Munich. He's leading the U.S. delegation at the Munich Security Conference, which is now underway. It's an annual gathering of world leaders where they debate international security policies. The meeting is happening as many established global norms are rapidly changing before our eyes, partly thanks to President Trump. One expert told CNN's Richard Quest what the end result of those changes could be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FROMAN, PRSIDENT, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: A year ago, I talked about how we were heading towards a polyamorous world where countries would have relations with other countries on various issues. Sometimes, they'd be with the U.S. Sometimes, they might work with China. Sometimes, they work among the middle powers.

And so, I think we're going to see a much more complicated international environment than we've seen before. And the question will be what role the U.S. plays in that. You know, I think if you look back over the last week or two, the U.S. convened a ministerial in Washington on critical minerals and had something like 40 or 50 countries represented there. So, the U.S. is not disengaging. I don't think the Trump administration can be accused of being isolationist. They are just engaging in a fundamentally different way than we've ever engaged before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Secretary Rubio says he could meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, tells NBC her predecessor is not guilty of the tragedies that he's facing in the U.S. She believes that Nicolas Maduro is still the country's legitimate leader. But that disagreement is not getting in the way of business as U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visits Venezuela. As Stefano Pozzebon reports, he's making a new pitch for investment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We're at an oil-producing facility in eastern Venezuela called Petroindependencia. And on Thursday, the Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is visiting this oil facility together with the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. It's a stunning reversal. Consider that it has been only 40 days since U.S. Delta Force picked up Rodriguez's predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, in the middle of the night to take him to New York City. And now, the secretary of energy is visiting together, side by side, hand in hand almost, they are travelling on the same van with the acting president.

And for a company that is running this facility, Chevron, has been telling us that they believe the potential here could be of up to 300,000 barrels a day. Currently, they're producing only 40,000 barrels of crude oil a day. But both the secretary and the acting president are telling us that they hope to overcome the obstacles that are in the way to that goal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Chevron is telling us that they are producing around 40,000 barrels a day here, but the potential could be up to 300,000 barrels a day. What do you think is the biggest obstacle that we need to overcome in order to reach that goal?

CHRIS WRIGHT, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF ENERGY: Oh, it's just to get the political and economic arrangements as smooth as possible between our countries. But there is no question that Chevron can ramp this facility. Chevron and PDVSA can ramp this facility, this area, to 300,000 barrels a day. No question about it.

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT (through translator): We are working on a very fast-paced agenda to consolidate binational cooperation. It is what is important for both the United States and Venezuela, that our countries, our people benefit from these partnerships. Chevron has been in Venezuela for over a hundred years, and we are doing extraordinary work as the partners that we are, improving production, improving facilities, infrastructure, maintenance. This is the way forward. This is the path of cooperation, and it is the agenda for a long-term productive partnership.

[02:20:01]

It's what I mean when I say that no obstacle or impediment should hinder this productive path that we are on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: The reversal compared to just a couple of months ago and the full rhetorical warfare between Venezuela and the government of Nicolas Maduro and the United States and the idea that now the two of them are walking side by side is perhaps the symbol of how quick the transformation in this country has been so far.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Anzoategui, Venezuela.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The FBI is sharing new details about the apparent abduction of Nancy Guthrie. Still ahead, what we know about the suspect seen outside the home and how the public -- that's new -- can help investigators to find him. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back. There are new developments in the apparent abduction of Nancy Guthrie. The FBI is sharing new details about the suspect. The person seen in images and video from Guthrie's doorbell camera is described as 5'9" to 5'10" with an average build. He was seen in the video wearing a black backpack like this one you're seeing there.

Authorities hope that these new descriptions will help narrow the thousands of tips that they're receiving from the public. The FBI also increased the reward for information that helps define Guthrie or leads to an arrest or conviction from $50,000 to $100,000.

Meanwhile, "Today" host Savannah Guthrie shared home video and photos on social media as a tribute to her missing mother, writing that the family -- quote -- "will never give up on her."

Authorities are asking neighbors to submit any footage they may have from the days and weeks leading up to Guthrie's disappearance. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Tucson, Arizona with the latest on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To reach Nancy Guthrie's home in this neighborhood, the suspect had to take a series of windy roads to get there.

LAVANDERA: It's not super easy. The culprit would have to study or be familiar with the area to navigate the spider web of roads to get to her home, especially in the pitch dark.

We've learned that investigators are expanding their call for video evidence in hopes of finding any suspicious vehicles or people that were in the area that night.

One of the alerts is asking residents who live along this specific road, which we're not going to name for the safety of the residents who live here, to look for videos on January 11th between 9 p.m. and midnight, that's almost three weeks before Nancy Guthrie was abducted, and video on January 31st between 9:30 and 11 a.m. That's about 16 hours before Guthrie was taken against her will, as authorities have said.

This roadway is one of the main entryways to reach Nancy Guthrie's home in this neighborhood. So, it's significant that investigators are asking neighbors and specifically neighbors along this street whether or not they could have captured video of a suspicious vehicle in these new timeframes. Pima County sheriff acknowledged the dates and times are accurate, but FBI authorities aren't commenting. In the last day, we've witnessed FBI agents walking this road, looking through the desert brush and spotting cameras on homes along the route. But this isn't the only area that investigators are trying to crowdsource video from. Authorities have also put out a call for video from anyone who lives within a two-mile radius of Nancy Guthrie from January 1st to February 2nd. That is a massive amount of video to process hunting for a clue.

FBI authorities say they have received more than 13,000 tips since Nancy Guthrie went missing, and that one of the tips includes information about a white van seen in the neighborhood, and that is one of the things that investigators are asking the public to be aware of as they look through all of this video that they're calling for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: It has been a day of mourning across British Columbia after Canada's worst school shooting in decades. We are learning more about the six people fatally shot in a tiny mountain town of Tumbler Ridge. Five are students, including 12-year-old Kylie Smith, who's pictured on the bottom row, second from the left there. Her father spoke about the loss of his daughter and urged parents to hold their kids tight and tell them you love them every day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANCE YOUNGE, LOST DAUGHTER IN MASS SHOOTING: She was just a beautiful soul. She's a light in our family. She loved art and anime. She wanted to go to school in Toronto. We just love her so much. She was thriving in high school. She never hurt a soul. She was a supporter, LGBTQ supporter. She was the last person who ever deserved this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Police say the shooter killed their mother and step-brother at home before going to the secondary school. They identified the shooter as an 18-year-old woman who dropped out of school around four years ago. There's still no word on the motive. Dozens of others were injured in the shooting, including a 12-year-old girl who remains in critical condition.

A former prime minister of Norway is facing charges relating to his alleged relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Thorbjorn Jagland has been charged with aggravated corruption after a police investigation. That's according to his legal representatives. Investigators are looking into gifts, travel expenses, and loans that may have been received in connection with his role as prime minister. The charges are based on the latest batch of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Justice Department. Jagland denies any wrongdoing.

[02:30:00]

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is celebrating a landslide victory in national elections, securing an overwhelming majority of parliamentary seats. That's according to "Reuters", the outcome is expected to bring political stability back to Bangladesh after a long period of turmoil. The country's next likely prime minister, Tarique political stability back to Bangladesh after a long period of turmoil.

The country's next likely prime minister, Tarique Rahman, hails from a political dynasty. His mother served as prime minister and his father as president. Rahman's party ran on providing aid to poor families. Term limits for prime ministers, boosting the economy and cracking down on corruption.

This is the first election since 2024, when an uprising led by Gen Z protesters toppled Bangladesh's leader Sheikh Hasina, causing her to flee India.

Okay, the largest immigration operation in U.S. history is ending. This, as Trump administration officials and Minnesota leaders face off in a contentious hearing in Washington. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:35:28]

HUNTE: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States, Canada and all around the world.

I'm Ben Hunte and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, a live look at Capitol Hill where a partial U.S. government shutdown is less than a day away. That is after Congress once again failed to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Money for the agency was held up after Democrats demanded reforms to immigration enforcement operations. Democrats dug in after two American citizens were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

Here is what House leaders had to say about the negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Funding for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security should not move forward. In the absence of dramatic changes that are bold, meaningful and transformational. Period. Full stop. That's the House Democratic Caucus position, and that's the Senate Democratic Caucus position.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It seems to me the appearance here is that some Democrats, House and Senate, want a government shutdown. They want to impose more pain on the American people. For what? I have no idea.

The ICE funding is already done for the for the entirety of the Trump administration. So they're not affecting that in any way. What they're going to do is shut down FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA and things that hurt real people.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNTE: Nearly all DHS workers will remain on the job but many won't get paid until a funding bill is passed. Lawmakers have left Washington and are on recess next week.

The White House border czar says he's ending the federal crackdown on immigration in Minneapolis. The massive operation began more than two months ago. At its height, some 3,000 federal officers were deployed to the city.

CNN's Brian Abel has more for us. But a warning that some of the videos in his report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER CZAR: I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation concludes.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota coming to an end, as U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan announces agents are leaving the state.

HOMAN: A significant drawdown has already been underway this week.

ABEL (voice-over): The aggressive surge that began in December, called the largest immigration operation ever by DHS was met with fierce criticism and resistance by Minnesotans almost instantaneously, with clashes between protesters and agents in Minneapolis and residents becoming observers, filming immigration enforcement actions in real time, leading to the first major flashpoint, the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

Her death sparking at times violent confrontations between protesters and federal agents, tensions exacerbated by a second U.S. civilian killed in Minneapolis by a federal agent, Alex Pretti. The deaths upping pressure on the White House to end the operation, as protesters mobilize and Democratic lawmakers threaten to withhold DHS funding unless ICE reforms happen.

PROTESTERS: Shame, shame!

ABEL (voice-over): The Minnesota A.G. saying this about the crackdown as senators on Capitol Hill the day Homan announced the end of the enforcement operation.

KEITH ELLISON, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The surge is contributing to violent crime members. It's contributing to violent crime. Two of the three homicides committed in Minneapolis in 2026 have come at the hands of federal immigration agents.

ABEL (voice-over): In Washington, Brian Abel reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The Portuguese army helped to rescue stranded residents following severe flooding in the region. Parts of Spain and Portugal went on high alert on Thursday as heavy rain and strong winds battered the two countries. Authorities in northern Portugal have evacuated around 3,000 residents. There are fears that the water levels could worsen in the coming days.

Mexico is preparing to co-host the World Cup, which begins in about four months time, but the country is dealing with an outbreak of measles, a disease declared eradicated decades ago.

As Valeria Leon reports, officials are now scrambling to contain the disease before that tournament.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mexico now has the highest amount of measles cases in the Americas. In several Mexican cities, health workers are offering vaccinations on the streets as officials race to slow the spread of the virus ahead of the World Cup.

"We are going to achieve full control of the outbreak before the world cup starts."

Jalisco state is not only hosting the big event, but it has the highest number of measles infections in Mexico.

[02:40:00]

Gerardo, a Jalisco resident, says he never imagined measles would come back, a disease. Mexico declared eradicated decades ago.

Ninety percent of cases were in people who were not vaccinated, Mexico's health ministry says. That shows just how important vaccination is.

LEON: Mexican authorities have installed vaccination stance on Mexico City's streets, but the city's residents rush to get a shot has led to long lines and vaccines run out quickly, often in a few hours.

How long have you been waiting in line?

YAHIR FUENTES, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT: I've been waiting about an hour and a half. I arrived at 11 in the morning, so it's been like an hour and a half. And yet, it's been very, very, very boring, to be honest.

LEON (voice-over): Mari Carmen (ph) is in charge of guiding patients as they wait in line, answering questions and helping organize the flow of people.

She says she's encouraged by the strong interest from residents looking to get vaccinated.

With infections skyrocketing and fear rising, people are scrambling to get a shot.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HUNTE: Ireland sent four athletes to the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, and one of them is competing in alpine skiing. Just ahead, how he learned to ski without ski slopes in Ireland.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:20]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

A bittersweet win for Team USA snowboarder Chloe Kim in Milan, Italy. The 25-year-old failed to win the gold medal in the women's snowboard halfpipe after she fell on her third and final run on Thursday. She could have become the first snowboarder to win gold at three consecutive Olympics, while also tying Shaun White for the most snowboarding golds.

Have a listen to what Kim said about winning the silver medal

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHLOE KIM, WOMEN'S SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE SILVER MEDAL WINNER: A month ago. I wasn't even sure if I would be here. And so, I could get emotional thinking about it. But I really worked so hard to get here. And so, this medal means so much to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Here's a quick check of the Olympic medal count so far. Norway leads the pack with seven golds and 14 overall. Host country Italy has 17 total medals and six of them are gold, and the U.S., Germany and Sweden each have four gold medals.

Where's the U.K.? Ireland isn't known for snow slopes, but it is producing Olympic skiers and one of them has finished 37th in alpine skiing men's super-G in Milan, Italy.

Cormac Comerford is one of four athletes representing the Emerald Isle this winter. Olympics and CNN Academy's Ophelie Jacobson went to their training ground to learn all about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPHELIE JACOBSON, CNN ACADEMY (voice-over): When the lights turn on and the lifts start up, that's when you know it's almost time to hit the slopes.

CAROLYN DENT-NEVILLE, SKI CLUB OF IRELAND COACH: On Wednesdays, we just put up a race course for the kids to have a quick practice on.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Carolyn Dent-Neville is a coach with the ski club of Ireland. Her goal is to help kids sharpen their ski skills.

DENT-NEVILLE: I love the kids and seeing them improve over the years is great as well. JACOBSON: When you think of sports in Ireland, skiing may not be the

first thing that comes to mind. But these dry slopes in Kilternan have produced some of the best winter athletes in the country.

DENT-NEVILLE: I think he was about ten he joined the race squad. I'm not sure the exact age or year.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Olympian Cormac Comerford got his start on this hill with no snow in sight.

DENT-NEVILLE: I just remember those children's championships and when he was getting a little bit cocky, we kind of joke about it now because he suddenly gotten so good.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Dent-Neville was his coach back in the day, but he doesn't like to take much credit for his success.

DENT-NEVILLE: We got him started when he was little and did our best with him, but he outgrew sort of our coaching at this club quite young.

JACOBSON (voice-over): The whole club is excited to cheer him on, especially Bailey Columb.

BAILEY COLUMB, ATHLETE: Everybody here is absolutely buzzing to see him on the slopes.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Comerford coaches young athletes like Columb.

B. COLUMB: He's always ready to lend a hand if it's like for a race or even just training.

JACOBSON (voice-over): The 17-year-old says his example carves a path for rising stars like her.

B. COLUMB: I don't think many people would have ever thought that someone from an artificial ski slope could make it to the Olympics on snow, and the fact that he did it, it really proves that you can really do anything if -- if you put your mind to it.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Kilternan's three slopes are the only spots in Ireland to learn the sport. The main slope stands at 180 meters, made from synthetic, durable plastic.

CONOR COLUMB, SKI CLUB OF IRELAND COACH: I would compare the dry soap to practicing your golf in a driving range, for example. So you can go to a driving range for years and years and years and you can practice your golf, but you don't really learn the craft of it until you're on a golf course.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Conor Columb went from coaching Comerford as a kid to coaching alongside him.

C. COLUMB: You're too far back, Bailey.

B. COLUMB: Yeah. C. COLUMB: The likes of Cormac, then coming out, he -- you know, it's sort of one in a million getting someone like that to the Olympics.

JACOBSON (voice-over): Comerford will compete in all four disciplines of alpine skiing in his Olympic debut.

DENT-NEVILLE: Just shows them what can be done, because you wouldn't think that coming from this slope that you could hit the Olympics.

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So, yeah, I think it'll show them that if they want to, they can do it.

JACOBSON (voice-over): In Wicklow, Ireland, Ophelie Jacobson, CNN Academy.

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HUNTE: That report was produced by a team of CNN Academy goers.

And CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

Flowers from Colombia have arrived in the U.S. ahead of Valentine's Day, but the kind of big sales driven by the holiday weekend could one day be just a sweet memory for those who supply the precious plants.

CNN's Isabel Rosales reports.

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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Americans are buying Valentine's Day flowers for that special someone in their lives. A significant other, a relative, a friend.

What a lot of Americans don't think about is where those flowers come from, or how U.S. President Donald Trump's trade measures have impacted the industry.

Between January 15th and February 9th, about 65,000 tons of fresh cut blooms were imported from Colombia, which is the world's second largest flower exporter behind the Netherlands.

The U.S. accounts for about 80 percent of Colombia's flower exports, with Valentine's Day making up 20 percent of their annual sales.

And even though tons of flowers arrived on time to the U.S. this year, some suppliers are warning future seasons could be threatened by President Trump's tariffs exchange rates and competition like this grower near Bogota.

JOSE ANTONIO RESTREPO, GENERAL MANAGER, AYURE SAS ECLIPSE FLOWERS (through translator): We've been seriously affected. Last year, a 10 percent tariff, which represents more than $200 million for the industry. On top of that, there's an exchange rate we haven't seen in many years. And lastly, the minimum wage issue.

ROSALES (voice-over): Flowers are Colombia's most labor intensive agricultural product but the industry, formerly employing about 240,000 workers across nearly 26,000 acres of farmland. Jose Antonio Restrepo says around 85 percent of his employees work on minimum wage.

RESTREPO: And if conditions don't change, meaning if the exchange rate doesn't change, then we'll surely be in major difficulty. I think starting in June or July, there will likely be farm closures and mass layoffs because the sector is in serious trouble.

ROSALES (voice-over): Despite the uncertainties, some workers are staying positive and finding joy in spreading the love this Valentine's Day.

SUSANA VEGA, EMPLOYEE, AYURE SAS ECLIPSE FLOWERS (through translator): An immense joy knowing that were bringing happiness to someone, to a woman, a mother, someone so admired by a loved one and that were benefiting ourselves as well and helping a company move forward to overcome many of the challenges that are happening right now.

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It's a very beautiful joy.

ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.

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HUNTE: Peru's capital city is celebrating Valentine's Day a couple of days early with one big wedding ceremony. Lima held its first collective civil wedding of the year on Thursday. More than 100 couples tied the knot at a magic circuit of water, a very popular tourist attraction.

And speaking of love, millions of people around the world have turned to online dating to find their soulmates. But a new company is asking people to put down their phones and try an old-fashioned way of meeting their matches instead.

CNN's Anna Cooban reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, all right all right. Firstly, thank you guys so much for coming tonight.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's after hours at a comedy club in central London. Except tonight, this audience is engaged in a far more serious pursuit, finding love.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best case, my husband's here and the love of my life and it's great. Worst case, I've met, made some new friends. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really chill. I'm just hoping to have a couple of

drinks, talk to a couple of people.

COOBAN (voice-over): Weary and worn down by dating apps, these singles are banking on some real life connection.

ELIN SIAN, LOOKING FOR LOVE: I'm a romantic. I want to be with a pirate. I want to be with someone who's like, big and bold. And I feel like people in London are very nonchalant and very cool, and they want to, like, lay their heart on the line.

COOBAN (voice-over): Assisting tonight is an algorithm.

COOBAN: Do you fall in love quickly?

SIAN: Yes, I'm love at first sight.

COOBAN (voice-over): Elin fills out a questionnaire by Matchbox, a software that claims to pair people based on their values.

SIAN: It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved. Yeah. Submit.

COOBAN (voice-over): With answers submitted, it's now time to mingle before the singles meet their match.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My worst nightmare is saying like yeah, I met my husband on his.

COOBAN (voice-over): Hosting tonight is Thursday, a dating company that used to match people via, you guessed it, an app, until they dumped it last year.

JAMES ORMEROD, HEAD OF LONDON EVENTS, THURSDAY: Everyone's sick of the swiping endlessly, only to get maybe a couple responses. The dating of events is basically taking it back to basics. You have to make those in-real-life connections, and people are literally -- I can't produce enough events to -- for the demand that's out there.

COOBAN (voice-over): Thursday says it's made more than 20,000 matches using this algorithm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My match. We'll find out who it is.

I think it's him.

COOBAN: I should get out of the way.

COOBAN (voice-over): And the verdict?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. He's got me this time. It's possibly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's not non-negotiable. It could be. We could work on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can work on it. COOBAN (voice-over): For many in this room, the search continues,

with or without an app.

Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

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HUNTE: That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining us. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. More CNN NEWSROOM after a quick break. And I run over there. See you in a moment.