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Police Activity Underway Two Miles from Guthrie's Home; U.S. Secretary of State Addresses Munich Security Conference; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Says Only U.S. Can Pressure Russia into Peace; U.S.-Venezuela Relations; U.S. Government Now in Partial Shutdown; Journalist Don Lemon Pleads Not Guilty in Federal Court; Inflation Falls to Lowest Level in Eight Months. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired February 14, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta.

We begin this hour with breaking news out of Tucson, Arizona, where investigators have left a scene near Nancy Guthrie's home. All roads are now opened in the area. There had been a flurry of law enforcement activity over the past several hours.

The Sheriff's Department posting on social media just a short while ago, quote, "Because this is a joint investigation at the request of the FBI, no additional information is currently available."

Now the sheriff said earlier they are actively working a lead near Guthrie's home. Forensics trucks were on the scene and left just a short while ago. And the focus of intense police activity appears to have been a residence that's about two miles from Guthrie's home.

More than a dozen law enforcement vehicles were seen at the location. And CNN's Ed Lavandera was very close to that police activity. Here's what he reported within the last few hours.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we witnessed in this neighborhood, just two miles away from where Nancy Guthrie lives, is some of the most significant law enforcement activity we've seen in this two-week-long investigation and search for the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie.

This neighborhood is part of Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood. You can access it without reaching any of the major roads. We saw a long stream of law enforcement vehicles, forensic vehicles, SWAT vehicles descending down this street. And on Friday night, it is not clear what has happened in terms of

who, if anyone, has been taken into custody. Authorities here are simply not saying at this point. Local law enforcement officials said that the information was being held at the request of the FBI.

Presumably this means that they're working to get more clarity, as this is -- still remains a very fluid situation but it has been a very intense scene as I mentioned. This is not like anything we have seen in this two-week-long investigation since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on February 1st in the early morning hours of that Sunday morning.

And this part of the neighborhood is on the northern part, just north of Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood. It sits on a bluff overlooking the city. As we know, we reported over the last few weeks, this part of the neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie lives sits in the foothills of Tucson, overlooking the city.

And so we await and see what kind of news this brings. This search has lasted several hours; presumably will continue lasting (ph) caretakers or landscapers and that they do not know whose DNA that is. So that is a huge piece of evidence at this moment, as we await to see where that might lead them.

And we also know that the sheriff said that they have received tens of thousands of tips, especially after the video of the suspect on the front porch of Nancy Guthrie's home emerged several days ago.

But it is not clear whether or not a tip from that video release is what led investigators to carry out this operation here tonight in Tucson -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: And thank you. For more on this investigation. I want to bring in Chief Charles Ramsey, senior law enforcement analyst for CNN.

Charles, so good to have you with us because of your significant law enforcement experience.

And so, first what is your understanding of what's happened in the last 24 hours or so as we come up on now nearly two weeks since Nancy Guthrie went missing?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, they're continuing to get tips. And the action that you saw a few hours ago is an indication that they got a tip that appeared to be somewhat credible, at least more than some of the other tips, you know.

And tips come in like that and they're getting thousands. You do try to prioritize. Some seem more credible than others. But this is one, with the kind of response they got, they really felt that perhaps this was something that could lead them to the individual responsible for the crime or certainly a critical piece of evidence.

And so those things are going to happen. But because they're not saying anything, we won't know for sure. But certainly, it really was the result of some information that they received that they thought had some level of credibility to it.

ABEL: And that lack of information being provided, I want to get into a little bit more in just a moment.

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But first, you know, sir, the workings of SWAT teams executing search warrants when they go into a house, talk to us about that process if you can.

How does a team prepare?

How much are they having to consider potential evidence when entering?

And what do they do when encountering multiple people?

RAMSEY: Well, what the SWAT team basically does is secure the location. Now they train days and days at a time. You know, it's constant, the training. It's a very dangerous job to make a forced entry.

You know, years ago, when I worked in narcotics in the Chicago Police Department, we executed a lot of search warrants. I was never on the SWAT team but we did execute our own warrants. And you break down a door and you go inside. You never know what's on the other side.

So their first primary responsibility is secure the scene. Then you have forensic teams that come in and actually search for evidence. So the SWAT team is critical when it comes to making sure that, you know, everyone can remain safe, both the police as well as the people inside the building. And they're experts in doing just that.

ABEL: But are SWAT teams having to worry about whether they disturb potential evidence as they're entering or no?

RAMSEY: Well, yes, I mean, you're always concerned but you have to be concerned about safety. You don't want to get shot in the process, either. And so you're going to make entry and you're going to do it as quickly as you can secure the scene and then allow forensics to come in and search the area.

But there's no way you can break down a door, go into a home; you don't know where everything is located and perhaps not disturb something. But not to a level where it may hamper the investigation. Our forensics teams can really come in and gather evidence that most people would just walk by and not even think is evidence.

ABEL: Understood. So we had the Pima County sheriff, as you mentioned, first indicate that there would be some press conference at the site of this law enforcement activity. Then they say there will only be a statement.

Then the statement is more or less a non-statement confirming the activity is connected to the Guthrie case and divulging that the FBI requested no more information be released.

What are the potential scenarios for why this particular mix of ingredients played out like this?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, bad guys watch television, too. And this is an individual who obviously watches the news. I mean, the first few letters that this is the same person were sent to news stations, not to the family.

And so you just -- you play it as safe as you can. And this could be a critical piece of information that you don't want to make public. That's not uncommon at all. I know people, you know, want to know a lot of things going on.

But there's a difference between wanting to know and really needing to know. And in many instances, some of the things that you recover, some of the information you gather, there's only a small group of people that really need to know what that information is.

And you keep it close to the vest. You know, you do have a situation where you have people that come in and confess to crimes they did not commit simply because they've seen it or read about it in the media.

And so you want to be able to connect the dots. This is a very sensitive case. Time is not their friend. This is two weeks now that Nancy's been missing and at her age and health condition, that is not good. And so they're doing everything they can. But the fact that they're not releasing some information is really not unusual in a case like this.

ABEL: OK.

So does that mean, Chief, that there's not the possibility or any sense that anything could have been found at the home where the family maybe would need to be notified first before any public announcements?

RAMSEY: Well, it's hard to tell but you certainly would want the family not to see it on television for the first time. If you find something that is really something that would be of concern or interest, you would notify the family.

As far as the public in general goes, not necessarily but certainly the family. You never want the family to be in a situation where they learn things through the media. They should have direct contact with investigators.

ABEL: Chief, where do you see this going from here?

What happens next?

RAMSEY: They're going to continue to push. They're going to continue to grind. They're going to continue to do everything they possibly can to find Nancy Guthrie. That's the key. And find the person responsible for this crime. And they're not going to give up. They're not going to stop, however long it takes. I mean, you know, I know we're all impatient. We want to see things

resolved very quickly. But that's not real life. That's not the way these things go. It's a complicated case but you've got good people on it, the FBI, Pima County. They use whatever resources they need to be able to be successful in resolving this.

ABEL: Charles Ramsey, thank you for sharing your expertise with us. Really appreciate you. Thank you.

RAMSEY: All right. Thank you.

ABEL: And our breaking news coverage on the search for Nancy Guthrie continues after the break as investigators sift through new tips and possible clues.

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Plus the U.S. secretary of state strikes a different note as he speaks at the Munich Security Conference.

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ABEL: We are following breaking news out of Tucson, Arizona, where investigators have left the scene near Nancy Guthrie's home. All roads now are reopened in the area and there had been a flurry of law enforcement activity overnight. Investigators, they were on the scene for roughly four hours.

The Sheriff's Department, posting a social media post a short while ago, saying, quote, "Because this is a joint investigation at the request of the FBI no additional information is currently available."

Now the sheriff said earlier they are, quote, "actively working a lead" near Guthrie's home. The focus of the intense police activity appears to be at a residence about two miles from Guthrie's house.

More than a dozen law enforcement vehicles were seen at the location, including SWAT and forensics trucks and what appeared to be federal vehicles. We'll, of course, have more on this investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie ahead as we continue our breaking news coverage.

But now, other news, we are following this hour.

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U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio striking a very different tone at the Munich Security Conference than vice president JD Vance did last year there.

Rubio addressed the conference about an hour ago. In echoes of what we heard before he left, Rubio said the global institutions of the old world order must be reformed and rebuilt. It was a reference to the Trump administration's dramatic shift in how the U.S. deals with its foreign partners.

But still, it was a message that stressed the importance of alliances. Contrast that with Vance last year, in which he harshly criticized Europe for relying too heavily on U.S. support. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is monitoring developments in Munich and he joins us from there live.

And Nick, just about everybody in this geopolitical space was waiting to see and hear what Rubio would say during his speech there and whether it would be a continuation of last year's fiery speech from vice president Vance.

How was this one received?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, look, this is an audience here traumatized over the Greenland debacle where America threatened military force against NATO territory controlled by Denmark. And so I think they were eagerly awaiting, anxiously awaiting to see the tone of Rubio's speech.

And then very gleeful to greet the positive noises that we heard from Marco Rubio, twice hearing applause when the U.S. secretary of state evoked how America was Europe's child and also how their fates would always be intertwined.

But it's important to actually listen rather to the tone of Rubio's delivery and his constant evoking of shared culture and address the substance of what he essentially said, which is the values often espoused by Europe now are not where the United States wants to see them be.

He consistently evoked Christianity, the need for Europe to not have a shame of its heritage.

And talked about the damage open borders had done, poor supply chains, really constructing a vision of where Europe needed to be that's more compatible, frankly, with the far-right populist opposition that we see here in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, key European powers in attendance here.

And the leaders are pushing a more centrist liberal agenda at this particular conference. So I think much of the European audience will have been pleased to hear a senior Trump official say, we want to be your partners. We want to rebuild the world order, which he said was old and dead on his way here.

But you need to essentially get on board with our sense of values. He talks about how there's not really much point to discussing the details of defense spending if you're not working out quite what it is you're trying to defend.

And so I think it's a message that's designed to try and make Europe feel that the embers of that transatlantic relationship are something that could potentially be saved, it could be rekindled. But be in no doubt at all. He very clearly demands change from Europe

as it is now talks about the United Nations being simply not fit for purpose -- a paraphrase there -- but stark messages, definitely interlaced with a reminder of how, in the past, the European-U.S. relationship has indeed been better.

Because, he said, they shared those more, much more orthodox values. Here's what he said.

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RUBIO: Under President Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign and as vital as our civilization's past.

And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe. For the United States and Europe, we belong together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Ultimately, we're prepared to go it alone unless you change the values that you seem to be fighting for.

Now that's something clearly there German chancellor Friedrich Merz actually warned that Europe didn't want to get into. They didn't want to get into the modern (ph) culture wars just yesterday. So clearly, not entirely the message or policy that Europe wanted to hear but a tone that was warmly welcomed.

I should also say another, I think, carrot thrown to the crowd here from a senior Trump administration official like Marco Rubio, was the recognition, the statement, he said, that at this point they do not know whether or not Russia wants to make a peace deal over the invasion of Ukraine unprovoked nearly four years ago.

Now that's key, because, persistently, when we hear from his boss, U.S. president Trump, he talks about how Russia wants to make a deal.

Rubio here always a skeptic, fine, but saying, at this level, at this venue where Ukraine has in the past always been the central discussion point rather than this broader notion of is the transatlantic relationship dead or on its knees, important to have that sense of realism shared by so many European leaders voiced by a senior Trump official.

But still many waiting to hear from Zelenskyy here and the possibility that we may see the agenda drawn back toward that key crisis.

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The worst in European security since World War II. Ukraine has always been at the center here but now somewhat overshadowed by a sense of, frankly, desperate anxiety and hope here that they would hear from something from Rubio that was less combative than JD Vance.

Vance's speech last year has essentially become White House national security strategy in their own policy document. So we had a very low bar, frankly, they had to get over to please people here.

He seems to have done some of that, although, be in no doubt, people you talk to are reading the words of what he's saying, rather than the tone in which he would have said and are quite clear that there's a massive gap in values here.

ABEL: And with that massive gap, Nick, that observation, has there been any European leaders, either before or after Rubio's speech, that have shown any willingness to jump on board the U.S. train and join the U.S.?

WALSH: And sure, no. I mean, what we heard from yesterday in Emmanuel Macron was the repudiation of the statements from Vance yesterday.

It's important to point out too that Rubio didn't go as far as Vance did last year to say that Europe's democracies are broken and essentially managed or corrupted somehow and there's a lack of free speech.

He didn't go there necessarily but the values he was appealing to, the damage broken borders has done, the need for Christian spirituality, not being shameful of your heritage.

That is a dog whistle pointing toward the far-right populist leaders here, who are the key opponents for likely elections ahead in the United Kingdom and France in the coming years.

So the United States that has left Europe here absolutely discombobulated and traumatized, shocked, stunned by what we saw over Greenland and indeed the theatrics of their Ukraine policy over the past year or so.

A slight sigh of relief that it hasn't got worse. But I think no illusions here that this is a very different state of relationship. And the phrase "rebuilt" does suggest that something is fatally broken. And I think that's what the recognition here has been, tempered slightly by this warmer tone from Rubio.

ABEL: Nick Paton Walsh for us in Munich, Germany.

Nick, thank you.

President Trump is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East as he pushes for a nuclear deal with Iran. He says the USS Gerald Ford will join the USS Abraham Lincoln and other vessels already deployed there.

The president added he'll need those assets if the ongoing nuclear talks come up short. Mr. Trump has threatened to strike Iran if it doesn't accept a new agreement. The two countries held negotiations in Oman last week but it's unclear when the talks will continue. The U.S. has also meanwhile carried out another strike on an alleged

drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean. Southern Command posting this video on social media, saying the military killed three people. That makes it at least 124 people that have been killed since the start of this operation.

And president Donald Trump is honoring the military members involved in capturing ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro during a visit to Fort Bragg Friday. He said the raid showed the full military might of the U.S.

Trump also praised the country's current acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, saying their relationship is now at a 10. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has more on the increasingly cordial ties between the U.S. and Venezuela.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The friends (ph), the pressure, the daring night raid, it all led to this. United States is getting what it wants from Venezuela but it wants more of it. And this visit by Energy Secretary Chris Wright is conveying that message.

POZZEBON: Now all of the oil that is stored in this massive tank already goes directly to the United States. It goes to Houston. But that is just a tiny fraction of what this country could produce.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Wright and acting president Delcy Rodriguez touring this facility, a partnership between U.S. major Chevron and Venezuela's PdVSA. It pumps out 40,000 barrels a day and it could produce 7.5 times more. But obstacles remain.

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: Oh, it's just to get the political and economic arrangements as smooth as possible between our countries.

POZZEBON (voice-over): The arrangements the U.S. wants don't seem to align with those of student protesters in Caracas. Oil is secondary here. They want the Trump administration to finish what he started and to see hundreds of political prisoners being released.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They can't release one, two, three. They must all be freed immediately

POZZEBON (voice-over): Six weeks since the U.S. forces stormed Caracas, capturing and taking president Nicolas Maduro, things have changed in Venezuela.

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Relations with the U.S. are on the mend and the new hydrocarbon law was passed to attract investment.

Prices are dropping and the country's national assembly is discussing an amnesty bill for political prisoners at Miraflores, where Maduro used to live. Another sign of change, the Stars and Stripes now hoisted on the doorstep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to set the Venezuelan people and the economy free.

POZZEBON (voice-over): But as time goes by, many wonder if the U.S. is actually interested in change or just wanted a more cooperative leader in Caracas -- Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Caracas

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Much more to come here on CNN, including the partial government shutdown amid disagreements on immigration enforcement. We'll tell you why this won't be like other shutdowns.

Plus two ICE officers are under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. We'll explain what the department suspects them of doing. That's next.

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ABEL: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Brian Abel and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

We are following breaking news out of Tucson, Arizona, where investigators have now left the scene near Nancy Guthrie's home. All roads are back open at this hour. There had been a flurry of law enforcement activity.

Overnight, the Sheriff's Department posted on social media just a short while ago saying, quote, "Because this is a joint investigation at the request of the FBI, no additional information is currently available now."

The sheriff said earlier they were actively working a lead, the focus of intense police activity.

[05:30:00]

It appears to have been a residence that's about two miles from Guthrie's home.

And for more on the search for Nancy Guthrie, I want to bring in Gil Carrillo, a retired lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Gil, thank you for your time tonight. It appears this investigation has really shifted into a different gear since that video of a suspect on Nancy Guthrie's porch was released.

Seeing the law enforcement presence, seeing that a warrant was signed off on, what does all of this tell you about where this investigation is at this point and how close it may be to being over? LT. GIL CARRILLO (RET.), LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Well, it's impossible to say how close it is to being over. And where they're at is they -- they're obviously holding information back from the public.

You don't want to release it because, if the public knows, then so does the suspect or suspects involved in this thing, because you better believe that they, in fact, are paying attention to the news.

So they're working the case behind closed doors, as they should be, keeping it close to their chest. And then when they get enough information to obtain a search warrant, then they do so. They have -- they've been working information. They've been working diligently, hard, 24 hours around the clock.

They're not taking breaks to go to bed like the public viewing and everybody else is. They just keep working the case, hoping to get to find Nancy Guthrie. That's their main goal.

After that certainly comes this arrest. But it's just going -- things are starting to fall into place. They're moving. They just can't release what they've done because they don't want to do anything that's going to taint the investigation. So many people have been speculating, it just creates more problems right now

ABEL: Well, what can we take away from that?

Because we did have the Pima County Sheriff's Department earlier in the evening, saying that we are going to release a statement. And then when that statement comes out, it's kind of a non-statement. It's basically saying, hey, the FBI is saying, let's not share anything.

Is there anything that we can take away from that?

CARRILLO: No, not really. I -- the analogy would be, you decide that you and your spouse, you decide, you talk to somebody and say, hey, I'm going to tell you about this. All of a sudden your wife comes in and says, maybe we shouldn't. And here's why.

So then you just have to say, hey, you know what?

You're right. And so you stop the statement.

They're working in collaboration with each other. I don't see them in conflict, I just -- one maybe depending upon what they found. First they said they're going to release it they found something of evidentiary value at the residence or in that car that they picked up.

And they decide, well, maybe we just ought to wait until we get a little more without tipping our hat. So you don't know. Only they know what they're doing.

ABEL: And I do want to ask you about that about that car. That's another scene about a four-minute drive down the road from what the majority of police activity was at. This was at a Culver's fast food restaurant parking lot. Now the FBI was there, taking pictures of a vehicle and it appeared to

be they appeared to be doing something near the wheel wells. And they put up a curtain. Actually, you can see here, before looking in the back of the SUV.

Now CNN has not confirmed whether or not this is connected to the Guthrie case.

Based on the proximity and the FBI presence and what investigators there were doing, do you see any indication it is connected?

CARRILLO: Well, I, knowing the business, I don't think that they would be spending that much time around that vehicle as they did with the FBI being involved on anything other than this case. It has to be, I would believe that it is related.

And looking at the tires tells me that they're looking for tire marks or tread marks, which means they must have some tread marks to compare it to. So that's what they're doing. And they could have been using -- they were picking at the tires, it looked like.

So maybe there's some debris or dirt or certain type of rocks that were pertinent to that location. And they're receiving that. They're taking that in as evidence.

ABEL: Would that evidence still be secure this many days after her disappearance?

CARRILLO: I have no idea what they're working on. I have no idea where that car has been. What it's -- I know, I would believe at this point in time, they know. And they were looking at it for a particular reason.

And if you don't take it, then you -- and if you take it and find nothing, you haven't lost anything other than a little bit of time. But if you don't take it and you miss something, then shame on you. They're leaving no stone unturned.

ABEL: As they should be. With your background, with your experience, this far.

[05:35:00]

We're coming up on nearly two weeks now since Nancy Guthrie disappeared -- or I shouldn't even say disappeared; I should say was taken, based on the video that we've seen and what law enforcement is telling us.

To have a potential break like what maybe we saw tonight with this law enforcement activity, how significant is that?

Because it seems, you know, the first 48 hours are the most important. We'll here we are, some 12 days later, and we're just now getting this kind of break.

CARRILLO: Well, this isn't like television where they're solved in an hour or a four-part documentary. You know, these guys are doing things as they gather evidence. You know everything takes time.

And the last thing you want to do is rush through anything like this, because you have to, in working the case, you have to go along preparing against any defenses that the defendant or defendants may come up with.

So you take things slow and methodical. And because they're not exposing that to the public doesn't surprise me. I think they're doing a brilliant job.

ABEL: All right. Gil Carrillo, really appreciate your time and expertise. Thank you so much for joining us.

CARRILLO: Oh, it's my pleasure. Thank you for having me.

ABEL: Of course.

As the search continues for Nancy Guthrie, her daughter, Savannah, is taking time away, as you can imagine, from her work as an anchor on NBC's "Today" show. As she goes through this difficult time, her NBC family is rallying behind her. CNN's Brian Stelter reports.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New developments in the disappearance of Savannah's mom --

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST (voice-over): In the long and dramatic history of morning TV, there's never been a crisis like this.

HODA KOTB, CO-ANCHOR, NBC NEWS TODAY: Good Monday morning with all eyes on Arizona.

STELTER (voice-over): All week long.

KOTB: Good Friday morning. Key new developments in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

STELTER (voice-over): For the second week in a row, the TODAY show led every day with the search for Savannah Guthrie's mom.

CRAIG MELVIN, ANCHOR, NBC NEWS TODAY: Hoda with us again while Savannah remains with her family in Arizona.

KOTB: And that is where we begin with --

STELTER (voice-over): Former co-host Hoda Kotb now back on the show and filling in for Savannah as the show takes things one day at a time, according to an NBC source.

KOTB: You know what, Craig? We always talk about our show as a family. We are a family.

MELVIN: Yes.

KOTB: I'm part of the family. I'm happy to be with you because we show up for each other. So --

MELVIN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you kidding me?

STELTER (voice-over): And Nancy has been an extended member of the TODAY family since she had visited Savannah on air many times.

NANCY GUTHRIE, MOTHER OF SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: My kids are absolutely amazing. So --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They sure are. Absolutely amazing.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, ANCHOR, NBC NEWS TODAY: I love you, Mama.

STELTER (voice-over): Now, Savannah's fans waking up every morning hoping to hear about a breakthrough, but instead hearing things like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A man who says that he was the one that was detained last night has now come out and told reporters that he has been released.

STELTER (voice-over): During the Olympics, TODAY normally relocates to the host city. In fact, Savannah was getting ready to fly to Milan when she learned Nancy was missing. NBC decided to keep the entire show stateside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For all of us who just have gotten to know her and love her, it is personal.

STELTER (voice-over): This week, the tears have dried and the segments are more sober, addressing the challenges of the investigation, while noting that Savannah says she will never give up looking for her mom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And, of course, our hearts continue to be with Savannah and her family, Craig.

MELVIN: Indeed. Indeed, they do.

STELTER: It really has been a remarkable balancing act by the "Today" show, as the staffers there cover a story that's so personal and so disorienting.

Earlier this week, with Savannah in Arizona, I'm told Savannah's husband visited the "Today" show team in New York. He wanted to thank them for covering this case so thoroughly and keeping the tip line phone numbers out there on screen every day in public view.

You know, morning TV is unique in some ways. The show hosts, the stars, they are encouraged to share their families, to share their personal lives on the air.

And now some in the TV industry can't help but wonder if that openness, if that accessibility might have put the Guthrie family at risk. That is one of many unknowns in a story full of them -- Brian Stelter, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: A few hours ago, funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed amid disputes over money for immigration enforcement, which means the U.S. is now in a partial government shutdown.

But unlike previous full shutdowns, only DHS is impacted this time. Around 90 percent of DHS workers will remain on the job, along with 93 percent of ICE and Customs and Border Protection workers. ,However some will not be paid.

There could also be longer lines at airports. And most FEMA, Coast Guard and Secret Service employees will keep working. The situation will likely remain in place until February 23rd at the earliest, when Congress returns. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries slamming the Speaker for allowing members to go home.

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REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: Mike Johnson has once again sent House Republicans home.

[05:40:00]

This is the same approach, failed approach, that speaker Johnson and Republicans took during the 43-day Trump Republican shutdown in the fall.

It didn't work out then. It's not going to work out now. And we've drawn a hard line in the sand on behalf of the American people. And we're not going to allow the Congress to cross it.

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ABEL: Now Democrats are in talks with the White House about their demands, which include body cameras for immigration agents and limits on the use of masks, requiring agents to follow standard warrants, procedures and restricting roving patrols. Lauren Fox has more.

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LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Despite the fact that the White House and Senate Democrats were trading back and forth various proposals over the course of the last two weeks, lawmakers were unable to clinch a deal.

Now members of Congress are away for a weeklong recess, with leaders warning that, if a deal becomes imminent, lawmakers will need to return to Washington. But right now, it doesn't feel as though any agreement is going to come together in short order.

Instead, this department is now shut down after lawmakers failed to fund it. Now there are a couple of key things to remember, one of which is that, because of the president's big, beautiful bill that passed last summer, tens of billions of dollars are injected into immigration enforcement around the country.

So Republicans argue that process is still going to continue, even though this department is technically shut down.

It's also important to remember that this agency covers more than just immigration enforcement. It also covers the TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA, all agencies, the Republicans are arguing, will now face the brunt of the consequences of this shutdown.

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ABEL: Federal authorities are investigating whether two ICE officers lied about the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis. The investigation comes as the U.S. attorney for Minnesota filed a motion to dismiss charges against the Venezuelan man. Priscilla Alvarez has more on this story.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Federal authorities have opened a criminal probe into two immigration officers over an incident that occurred in Minnesota last month.

It's a significant development in a string of high-profile shootings where there have been conflicting accounts from eyewitnesses and from the federal officers involved in this case.

Officials had claimed that two Venezuelan men had assaulted a federal agent, who then shot one of them in the leg. Now both of these men denied assaulting the agent either with a shovel or with a broom, as officials had claimed they had done. And there was no video or testimony that supported the agent's account.

Now the Department of Justice had filed a motion to dismiss the charges against these men on Thursday and a judge has since granted that.

And in a statement, the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Todd Lyons, said, quote, "Today, a joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice of a video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appear to have made untruthful statements."

This goes on to say that both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave, pending the completion of an internal -- of a thorough internal investigation. Lying under oath is a serious federal offense.

The U.S. attorney's office is actively investigating these false claims. Now in this statement, the acting director goes on to say that the officers may face termination of employment as well as potential criminal prosecution.

Of course all of this comes as the administration is drawing down the number of federal agents that have -- that were surged to Minnesota over recent months, particularly after controversy and clashes and the death of two Americans -- Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

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ABEL: Stay with us. More CNN NEWSROOM after the break.

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ABEL: A CNN investigation has revealed that the Justice Department release of the Epstein files contains unredacted videos of young women. The videos include at least one minor, who says she's just 15. CNN's MJ Lee has our report.

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MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Unredacted videos of young women that CNN has censored here are among the millions of Jeffrey Epstein related files released by the Justice Department. An extensive CNN review of the Epstein files uncovered at least seven videos featuring unredacted women

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi from Deauville.

LEE (voice-over): This girl dressed in a bikini and heels, seemingly doing a model walk, says she is just 15 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, my name is (INAUDIBLE). I'm 15 years old. I'm (INAUDIBLE) centimeters long and I'm from Riga, Latvia.

LEE (voice-over): It was only after CNN inquired about them that a DOJ spokesperson said Thursday the videos in question have been removed and are being reviewed for appropriate redactions.

This error message is now in the videos place. One of the videos included brief nudity when a young woman pulls up her shirt to expose her breasts after singing happy birthday.

The publication of these videos risked the potential revictimization of women who may have been abused by Epstein years ago. It was also in violation of the DOJ stated criteria on what information would be redacted in the Epstein files in order to protect the victims.

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: To protect victims, we redacted every woman depicted in any image or video with the exception of Ms. Maxwell. We did not redact images of any men unless it was impossible to redact the woman without also redacting the man.

LEE (voice-over): Like so many other Epstein files, these videos are not accompanied by any information providing context about them, including who these women are, who took the videos, or the date that they were taken. The DOJ has also faced fierce criticism for other improper redactions in the Epstein files, including publishing victims' names, birthdays and addresses, and the over-redaction of information about individuals who may have helped Epstein.

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Your Department of Justice initially released nude photographs and even the identities of Jane Does, who had been protected for decades until your department released their names.

LEE (voice-over): Attorney General Pam Bondi was grilled this week by lawmakers in a contentious hearing and vowed that the DOJ was acting quickly to correct any mistakes.

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: If someone's name was redacted, we said right away was not redacted and should have been meaning a victim. We went back and redacted it. We're doing everything we can based on the tight timeframe and over 3 million pages that we released that Donald Trump signed for pure transparency.

LEE (voice-over): M.J. Lee, CNN, Washington, D.C.

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ABEL: Journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from last month's protest at a church in Minnesota.

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DON LEMON, JOURNALIST: For more than 30 years, I've been a journalist. And the power and protection of the First Amendment has been the underpinning of my work. The First Amendment, the freedom of the press, the bedrock of our democracy.

The events before my arrest and what's happened since, so that people are finally realizing what this administration is all about. The process is the punishment with them.

And like all of you here in Minnesota, the great people of Minnesota, I will not be intimidated. I will not back down. I will fight these baseless charges and I will not be silenced.

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ABEL: Lemon is facing multiple federal charges, including conspiring to violate someone's constitutional rights related to practicing their religion. Lemon has vowed to fight the charges. He hired a former federal prosecutor as his attorney.

We will be right back.

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ABEL: A mixed report card on how the American economy is doing. Inflation in January was the lowest it's been in eight months, despite the price of everyday items continuing to go up. And there's new evidence that president Trump's tariffs are hitting consumers, as Vanessa Yurkevich explains.

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VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Some welcome news for Americans to start the year.

[05:55:00]

Inflation cooled in January, rising 2.4 percent annually compared to 2.7 percent in December and rising 0.2 percent from December to January on a monthly basis. Falling gas prices helped lead the decline. Now, inflation is still not at that 2 percent target rate that the Federal Reserve aims for but it is moving in the right direction.

Everyday items and monthly expense items saw some of the biggest annual increases and decreases. Still, those pesky higher prices at the grocery store persist.

Uncooked ground beef up 17 percent in the last year; piped gas, which is natural gas for home heating, up 10 percent annually; electricity up 6 percent. But some got a little relief at the grocery store. Eggs down a whopping 34 percent and gasoline, the gas price is down 8 percent annually.

Now even though inflation is cooling, prices could have been rising at a slower pace if not for tariffs. A new survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that Americans, not foreigners, as the Trump administration has suggested, are paying 90 percent of President Trump's tariffs and that has meant increased costs for Americans.

According to the Tax Foundation, U.S. households paid $1,000 more in taxes in 2025 compared to 2024. And this year, Americans are expected to pay $1,300 in taxes because of tariffs.

Now, businesses have been trying to shoulder the added costs from tariffs but according to the Congressional Budget Office consumers are bearing 70 percent of the cost of tariffs versus businesses, which are shouldering 30 percent. And foreign exporters are taking on about 5 percent -- back to you.

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ABEL: Vanessa Yurkevich reporting.

Thank you all so much for joining us. I'm Brian Abel in Atlanta. For our viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES."