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Update On Nancy Guthrie Case; Next Round Of U.S. Nuclear Talks With Iran Set For Tuesday in Geneva; Jeffries: Dems Will Finish Redistricting War Started by Republicans; Interview With Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA); DOJ Releases FBI Sting Video Of Epstein's Former House Manage; No Arrests Made As Nancy Guthrie Search Enters Week 3; JAMA: Colorectal Cancer Now Deadliest For Adults Under 50; Highlights From Day Nine Of The Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired February 15, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:38]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin today with new developments in the intensifying search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie as it enters its third week. The FBI says a glove found two miles from her home appears to match the gloves of the man seen in the doorbell footage outside of her door the morning that she vanished. They say that glove does have DNA on it, and they're waiting on final tests of the DNA.

Investigators have not yet named a suspect, though they are sharing details about the person seen on that doorbell cam.

Here's what we know so far. The FBI is looking for a male with an average build between 5'9" and 5'10" tall. He was wearing dark clothes, black gloves, and a black Ozark Trail Hiker backpack.

CNN correspondent Ivan Rodriguez is joining me now from Tucson with the latest. Ivan, what more are you learning?

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, as you mentioned, we're learning a little bit more about the gloves that were found near Nancy Guthrie's home.

According to the FBI, investigators found approximately 16 gloves in the area of the home, most of them which were discarded by workers that were in that area.

But the FBI does say, quote, "the one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video", which would be that doorbell video that was in front of Nancy Guthrie door.

Now, the FBI statement appears to indicate that the suspected glove, it matches visually, not forensically. But we reached out to the FBI and CNN's waiting for the FBI to clarify on that specific statement. We're also still waiting to hear from the FBI on their final test from that glove, that DNA test from the glove. The FBI also adds that this process typically takes 24 hours.

Here's what former police captain, Josh Schirard has to say about that process of DNA testing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH SCHIRARD, FORMER POLICE CAPTAIN: It's great that we have this DNA sample that's in the house, but we have nothing to match it against at this point. Now, it could be the, you know, quote, unquote "smoking gun" down the road when we do identify someone we think is a suspect and can match that DNA.

But if it's not in CODIS, which is the law enforcement database, then they're going to have issues matching that to somebody now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUEZ: The sheriff's department has also asked neighbors here in the two-mile radius of Nancy Guthrie's home to provide any sort of surveillance footage that they may have starting from January 1st all the way to February 1st. And they can use the online submission portal to submit some of that evidence.

But Fred, as we've been reporting here on the ground now for the last week or more, a big problem here is that a lot of these homes are further pushed out from the road. There's a lot of trees, bushes in front of homes, which makes it difficult for a lot of the surveillance footage to capture any sort of movement, whether it be from cars or people, pedestrians on this road here.

WHITFIELD: Yes lots of obstacles in that kind of line of sight.

All right. Ivan Rodriguez, we'll check back with you there in Tucson. Thank you.

So as the U.S. builds up its military forces in the Middle East part of the world with a second aircraft carrier group now headed to the region to put pressure on Iran. Today Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Trump is focused on diplomacy with the Islamic regime. The next round of nuclear talks with Iran is set to take place on Tuesday in Geneva Switzerland.

On Friday President Trump warned Iran that if it wants to avoid a potential military attack, it should, quote, "give us a deal", unquote, adding that regime change in Iran could be the best thing that could happen.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now from near the president's Florida home, where he is spending the weekend. Julia, what more are we learning about this next round of peace talks with Iran?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Fred. During a press conference earlier today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump has made it clear that he prefers diplomacy when dealing with Iran and that they are focused in on negotiations right now. \

[14:04:51]

BENBROOK: The next round of talks are expected to take place in the coming days. In fact, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke with CNN, the next talks between the United States and Iran are expected to take place on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to attend.

Now, when Rubio spoke about this today, he highlighted the complexities of these talks as he said the ultimate goal here is to come to a successful deal. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're dealing with radical Shia clerics, ok? We're dealing with people who make political, geopolitical decisions on the basis of pure theology. And it's a complicated thing.

I mean, no one has ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're going to try.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So you hear him say, ultimately we're going to try to come to some sort of a deal.

But let's take a step back at some of the recent comments that we've heard from Trump on this. On Friday, as he left the White House, he was pressed by reporters on the ongoing negotiations, and he said that ultimately he thought that they were going to be successful, adding a stark warning that if they were not successful, it would be a bad day for Iran.

Just a few hours later though, he spoke on it again and he struck a more pessimistic tone about it, saying that the Iranians do not have a good track record on this front. Trump has asserted that Iran's nuclear facilities were, quote obliterated during U.S. strikes over the summer, Operation Midnight Hammer. But he has urged the country to make a deal with the United States in order to avoid another military strike.

When Rubio was pressed today on if the administration would inform Congress of any intent to strike, he said that they would comply with the laws when it comes to informing lawmakers about those kinds of decisions.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, we'll check back with you. Thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, with a partial U.S. government shutdown now underway, we'll speak with a member of Congress on how Homeland Security operations could be a deciding factor to get things up and running again. And later, we'll take you live to Italy to break down the next best

chances for Team USA gold.

[14:07:13]

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WHITFIELD: All right. I'm quoting now, "When they go low, we strike back." Those are the words coming from the top House Democrat today as he vows to fight Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps. With control of the House on the line, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is promising to spend quote, "tens of millions of dollars" to back redistricting efforts to give Democrats more seats in states across the country.

In an interview with CNN's Manu Raju Jeffries says he's all in on the effort and willing to spend whatever it takes to ensure his party ends up on top in this year's midterm elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Republicans started this redistricting war, and Democrats have made it clear we're going to finish it. We're forcefully making sure that the overall national map is free and fair.

And so whatever advantage Republicans thought they were going to obtain by gerrymandering in red states across the country we are making sure those advantages are completely and totally wiped out.

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WHITFIELD: So far, Republicans have drawn new maps in four states. Their next target could be Florida where the party could yield as many as five additional seats.

Joining me now to talk about this and more is Congressman John Garamendi. He's a Democrat from California and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

Congressman Garamendi, great to see you.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): My pleasure to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right. so your district was changed by this new California redistricting map that voters endorsed. Overall, do you support this wave of gerrymandering underway in various states across the country?

GARAMENDI: This never should have happened. There's no way that we should be just four years away from the next 10-year, 2030 redistricting.

However, Trump ordered the Texas legislature and Texas governor to get him five seats in Texas, and they're redistricting, that war was underway. That started the redistricting war. California, we pushed back. We went to the people, went to the voters,

and the voters said ok, if we're going to do it, let's do it right. And we did redistrict in California.

My district was changed. I certainly -- I have a weaker district now. It was a good solid Democratic district. It's somewhat weaker, but we have a potential in California picking up five seats as well as holding the current Democratic seats.

And so that just wiped-out whatever advantage there may be in Texas. Now, Florida is another case out there.

This thing is just out of control. It should never have happened. Trump should never have started it. He was looking for an unfair advantage, using redistricting to try to keep control.

However he's missing the big point. The big point is that the public is not enamored with Donald Trump. They're actually very, very concerned about what Trump is doing.

[14:14:50]

GARAMENDI: His popularity ratings are way into the negative and that portends a blue wave regardless of the redistricting issue.

WHITFIELD: I wonder if I can ask you about this partial U.S. government shutdown right now, particularly DHS being impacted as Democrats try to rein-in Trump's immigration crackdown. Are Democrats willing to accept anything less than the White House agreeing to all of Democratic demands to reform ICE immigration enforcement?

GARAMENDI: It's very interesting. The American public is fed up with ICE, fed up with the way in which Trump is running the immigration issue. Take a look at the polls.

The bottom line of this is we have to reform ICE. We cannot have this paramilitary bunch out there just roaming the streets, breaking windows, calling people out of their cars, throwing them on the ground and killing people. It's got to stop.

And the public wants reform. We have put together a very important reform package that would reform ICE, make them into a reasonable police force rather than a bunch of crazy goons running around on the street. And it has to happen. We have to reform ICE.

We, the American public is demanding it, and the Democrats are standing firm for reform.

Now the Republicans, on the other hand say what -- no problem here. Really? They are -- they are opposed to the reforms that we put in place.

It's not going to do away with ICE. It simply would cause ICE to be a well-trained organization in which you're not going to go running around in full military gear with assault weapons and masks and no identification and just basically terrorizing Americans. That's what this is all about. It could be done. It should have been done last week. The Republicans and Trump simply refused to negotiate at all.

And so here we are.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GARAMENDI: We don't like it. We don't like the shutdown. It didn't have to happen.

WHITFIELD: So on the issue of the masking or the unmasking that many Democrats are saying part of the reform, that these federal immigration agents reveal themselves, Republicans are arguing that doing that would expose them and their families as a result of their identities being revealed and that their jobs, their lives would be threatened. What do you say to that?

GARAMENDI: Well, every police force in America does not use a mask, every police force. There's only one police force in America and that is the national police force that Trump has built. It's called ICE and Customs and Border Patrol.

The reason that they're fearful is that their actions are absolutely horrible. What they are doing is wrong. And therefore they fear the retribution of the American public, calling them out holding them to account.

They cannot -- they're hiding behind the masks because they are doing things that are unacceptable to the American public.

And yes, every police force has requirements where masks are not allowed. So why do why this one police force? Because they have to hide. Because they're so terrible.

WHITFIELD: So today, border czar Tom Homan told CNN that the lapse in funding for DHS will not impact immigration operations nationwide. Listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HOMAN, TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR: ICE has continued to enforce law across the country. They're already funded. Now the ICE officers won't be getting paid, but they're getting used to that, seems like.

So no, the immigration mission, the reason why President Trump was elected to be president continues. We have the most secure border in history in the nation. We've got record numbers of arrests and deportations, that will continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Congressman, if ICE can keep operating as is how does this shut down accomplish the goal of trying to rein-in Trump's immigration crackdown? GARAMENDI: Well, here's where the Republicans and Trump did a

disservice to the Constitution and to the American public. In the big, ugly bill, they forward-funded ICE $75 billion for five years. Yes, they do have money to continue their operations.

The rest of the department does not have forward funding. And therefore the rest of the department -- FEMA, TSA, Coast Guard and so forth -- they do not have the funding.

[14:19:48]

GARAMENDI: It is wrong. It dates back to the big ugly or the Big, Beautiful Bill that gave this particular organization carte blanche to go forward.

Therefore, the reforms that we are demanding are even more important. And one of the big reforms, I don't think we're going to get it is -- and we're not even asking for it -- is to claw back the constitutional authority over appropriations and not let this organization just go on for the next four years without the kind of controls that are absolutely necessary.

Unfortunately a mistake was made by the Republicans and the president when they're forward-funding, five years, $75 billion, and these folks, this organization is able to continue. Wrong.

Now we can put reforms in place. We can actually limit what ICE can do. We can limit the number of ICE agents. And in fact, I have a bill that would say they cannot hire any more people for their goon squads.

So there are possibilities that we can put forward. But our demands are very, very straightforward. No mask. You've got to wear -- we'll go through all of those if you like. But the reality is, this organization has to be reformed, just as every other police force in the nation is abiding by a set of rules, but not ICE.

WHITFIELD: And then quickly, if I could ask you about Iran. This week President Trump sent another military carrier group to the Middle East. He's been threatening possible military action if the regime doesn't agree to a nuclear deal or continue its brutal crackdown on protesters.

Do you believe this administration can reach a nuclear deal with Iran when this administration in the first, you know, go round dismantled the protections that were in place at the time?

GARAMENDI: Well, you're absolutely correct. And the general public doesn't understand what you just said.

When Trump came to office in 2016, there was a deal that would prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. It was in place. It was called the JCPOA. And Trump terminated it.

And here we are. What is it -- six, eight, eight years later, six years later, and Trump is trying to negotiate a deal that he actually torpedoed in his first administration. Good. Continue negotiations. It's a possibility that that those

negotiations would be successful and would prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon and continuing to upgrade its uranium stockpile. That would be good.

Obviously, Trump is using the big stick to threaten Iran, to try to force them to negotiate. It probably is working. I'm hopeful that it would work. I'm hopeful that we do not have to use military. I think the use of the big stick and the threat of military action can get out of control and result in unintended consequences.

But the negotiations -- good move them along. Get back to where we were in 2016 before Trump terminated the safeguards that were in place at that time that prevented Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Let's do it.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Congressman John Garamendi, pleasure having you. Thank you so much

GARAMENDI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, newly-released DOJ video showing Jeffrey Epstein's former house manager caught on camera trying to sell Epstein's address book to an undercover FBI agent. That story coming up.

[14:23:43]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Turning now to the ongoing fallout over the Epstein files. The Justice Department has sent Congress a list of people it considers to be, quote "politically exposed" in the document release.

CNN obtained a copy of the six-page letter, which includes names of prominent figures including presidents, celebrities, business leaders and government officials.

The list, however, does not provide any context or details. And while some of the people named have well-documented ties to the convicted sex offender, others are not known to have ever personally interacted with Epstein.

That's drawing strong bipartisan pushback from some lawmakers who accused the DOJ of purposefully muddying the waters and claim some names were omitted.

The DOJ has compelled -- was, rather, compelled to produce the list by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

And newly released video in the Epstein investigation from an FBI sting operation. The DOJ says it now shows Epstein's former house manager attempting to sell Epstein's address book back in 2009.

The book is said to contain personal information of high-profile people including victims of Epstein.

CNN's Kara Scannell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ, FORMER HOUSE MANAGER OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN: Names -- last names, Eric Walz. Ok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who created this book?

A. RODRIGUEZ: Epstein himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This -- this book was made by Epstein?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a video of an FBI sting operation with Jeffrey Epstein's former house manager and an undercover FBI employee from 2009. The Palm Beach house manager, Alfredo Rodriguez, believes he is selling Epstein's address book to someone representing a lawyer of Epstein's victims.

[14:29:50]

A. RODRIGUEZ: You will see a lot of important people here.

SCANNELL: He claims that the book contains contacts of powerful people, as well as Epstein's victims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So those are mostly underage girls -- those numbers.

A. RODRIGUEZ: They were very young.

SCANNELL: A source familiar with the case confirmed the video shows the sting operation, which court documents show happened two years after the FBI demanded that Rodriguez turn over any Epstein documents. Instead, court documents say he kept the address book and tried to sell it for $50,000.

[14:30:19]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alfredo! How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing?

SCANNELL: In the occasionally redacted 45-minute video of the meeting Rodriguez implicates Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's close associate who is now serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking of minors.

ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ, JEFFREY EPSTEIN'S FORMER HOUSE MANAGER: Ghislaine Maxwell was his former companion, a very powerful lady from England. She would go to the former eastern countries in Europe and find girls for Epstein. And I knew that because I went with my wife.

SCANELL: Rodriguez also claims that Maxwell kept a computer database of girls, something he said he saw briefly once.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of pictures?

RODRIGUEZ: Naked. Naked girls from Sweden, from Romania, from Czechoslovakia, from Brazil, from Colombia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All minors? All young girls?

RODRIGUEZ: Very young. Very young.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like when you say very young, how young are talking?

RODRIGUEZ: Sixteen, seventeen. They're teenagers. They had braces.

SCANNELL: Rodriguez provided no evidence to support the existence of the database.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead and count it.

SCANNELL: The video released as part of the recent trove of Epstein documents, abruptly ends after the agent hands Rodriguez a bag of cash and says he will call the lawyer. Rodriguez was arrested for failing to turn over the book as evidence.

He claimed the book was his property and that he should be compensated for it, saying it was his insurance policy and that he feared Epstein would make him disappear or harm him. He eventually pleaded guilty to obstruction charges.

At sentencing, prosecutors said that if Rodriguez had turned over the book in 2007, when authorities first requested it, it would have significantly advanced the ball toward bringing Epstein to trial rather than allowing him to secure a plea deal. Rodriguez was sentenced to 18 months in prison and died in 2014.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Kara Scannell, thanks so much.

All right. After this video was published, the Justice Department said it failed to obscure the face of an undercover person in the video. And CNN has updated its video with the face of the undercover person obscured.

All right. Still to come, in the middle of the search for clues to find Nancy Guthrie, true crime live streamers and podcasters have flooded the investigative process. Up next, why an Arizona lawmaker is saying they're doing more harm than good.

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[14:37:04]

WHITFIELD: As the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie enters into its third week, investigators are sharing details about the person seen in the doorbell footage outside of her home the morning that she vanished. The FBI says a glove found two miles from her Arizona home appears to match the gloves of the man seen in the doorbell footage outside of her door on that morning that she vanished. Investigators say that glove does have DNA that will be analyzed to determine the identity of a possible suspect.

Meantime, authorities including the FBI, are looking for a male with an average build between five foot nine and five foot ten inches tall. He was wearing dark clothes, black gloves and a black Ozark trail hiker backpack. The high profile case has drawn many true crime live streamers and podcasters to Arizona, and not everyone thinks that they're helping in the search.

State lawmaker Alma Hernandez took to social media to accuse them of undermining the investigation saying in part, quote, I am so sick of watching the reporting grifting insane speculation, lies and bs by random wannabe journalists and youtubers who have now caused more harm than good to this entire situation and put this serious case in jeopardy. Please go home, let law enforcement do their jobs.

All right. With me now is the woman who posted that on X, Arizona State Representative Alma Hernandez who was born and raised in Tucson.

So good to see you.

So, what provoked you to do this?

ALMA HERNANDEZ, ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Well, first, thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. It's great to be with you, unfortunately, under these circumstances.

So, I think I just want to start off by saying everyone in our communities, everyone in Arizona really wants to make sure that Nancy comes home to her family, both safe and unharmed. However, at the end of the day, what we're seeing in our community and our city right now is just not normal, right? We have individuals who are calling themselves journalists, who are YouTubers and quite frankly, just really random individuals who are out there with their cameras and live streaming.

But I think at the end of the day what we need to be talking about is the fact that these individuals are actually, like I said, causing more harm than good. I have you know, just on social media these last few weeks, we've seen rumors start that post -- individuals posting videos and pictures of people that have nothing to do at all with anything in this case and they're trying to point at -- you know, they're trying to find anything at this point to stay relevant and get the clicks on social media. And it's extremely frustrating.

And, you know, I felt like I needed to call it out because every single day when I log on to social media and I live here in Tucson, every day I log into social media. It's a random you know, quote, unquote, "reporter", if you want to call it that, who's saying, you know, oh, I'm following FBI.

[14:40:02]

I'm on the mission to go and find these individuals that they're serving a warrant on. And I just think that's extremely inappropriate.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. So what's been the response to you posting, you know, and calling out many of these individuals that you describe and telling them to go home?

HERNANDEZ: Yeah. You know, I've been told everything from you go home. You don't -- you're not from here, which I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. I've had extremely racist remarks thrown at me for that. And honestly, it's the individuals who call, you know, CNN and other news outlets fake news, right? The fake that what I would consider truly fake news are the ones who are upset and offended by what I said.

And I stand by what I said because at the end of the day, you know, I'm receiving a ton of angry messages from individuals right now who are saying that I am not doing my job as an elected official, or that I was extremely offensive and I should be nicer. This isn't a situation where we should.

I'm not here to make anyone feel better about themselves. At the end of the day. I'm here to call out the fact that there are individuals who are taking advantage of a very, very sad situation and profiting off of it. I mean, we have individuals who, you know, are just posting this on media and asking people to share it and follow them. It's become a national sensation, of course, and it's really sad that individuals are just not allowing, you know things to kind of go the way that they should be going.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. I wonder, I mean, this is heartbreaking situation. I mean, for this family and for, you know their neighbors and everyone who is watching and waiting with bated breath. And I wonder, you know, what kind of impact do you think it is having on the community there in terms of, you know, the search is now entering its third week?

HERNANDEZ: Yeah, I mean, it's unfortunate and quite frankly, I think that, you know, I'm not a law enforcement agent. I don't -- you know, I don't know what the proper protocol would be because I don't work for the sheriffs and I don't work for the FBI. However, you know, I think that some things possibly could have been done differently.

I think that a lot of us in the community are feeling frustrated. I don't think anyone enjoys in our community seeing that an individual who they, you know, got a tip saying that they are a suspect is now all over social media and everyone, you know calling them the kidnapper, right? So, it is -- it is extremely disheartening. And I think the community truly is just frustrated at the fact that there's a lot of lack of answers that are -- you know, we have individuals who are quite honestly just upset that they're not hearing enough from the family.

But I think these are very sensitive issues. It's a very complex situation. And quite honestly, I just don't think that it should be left to, you know, individuals who are these youtubers and these I don't -- I don't want to call them reporters because I don't consider them that, but they're just taking advantage of the situation and it's really frustrating here in Tucson. WHITFIELD: I think everyone understands where you're coming from.

Well, State Representative Alma Hernandez, thank you so much. Of course, this is very sad for the Guthrie family and beyond words that she, Nancy Guthrie, is still missing in all of this.

All right. Thank you so much.

HERNANDEZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, the death of actor James Van Der Beek serves as a warning sign to younger people about the rising risk of colon cancer. We'll talk to a medical expert about contributing factors that you need to be aware of.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:12]

WHITFIELD: All right. This is hard to believe, but this is the new reality that colorectal cancer is now the deadliest cancer for young adults under 50. That's according to new research published in the medical journal, JAMA.

Deaths from colon and rectal cancers among the under 50 age group rose by 1.1 percent every year since 2005. Actor James Van Der Beek death this week at the age of 48, less than two years after revealing that he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, stage three, has brought it to the forefront for many medical experts.

Primary care physician and public health specialist, Dr. Saju Mathew, is joining me right now. All right.

So, your thoughts on what is driving this rise? Because I think a lot of young men would think I don't need to get any kind of exams until after 50, maybe even after 60, because my age group, 30, 40, I'm not at risk. What changed?

DR. SAJU MATHEW, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN: Yeah. You know, Fred, I was sitting on this couch on your show five years ago. We talked about colon cancer, and studies were saying that it is going to be the number one cancer-related deaths in people below the age of 50 by 2030. Well, they're already.

Some of the risk factors are known. Some are still being investigated. What we don't talk about as much is early antibiotic usage people that have access to antibiotics that can change the flora in the microbiome, in our -- in our bodies. And that also can increase, believe it or not.

So consistent -- yeah, consistent antibiotic use is also why, as a primary care doctor, I tell patients cold and flu season, most infections are viral. You don't need antibiotics. Processes -- processed foods, foods that come out of packages, dietary, sugary drinks.

[14:50:01] I'm guilty of that. Cutting back on that.

And you know, what you do in your 20s sets the stage for what happens in your 30s and 40s, but try to convince a 25-year-old --

WHITFIELD: Right.

MATHEW: -- to not go and have burgers and fries and sugary drinks.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, then what do people I mean, if their way isn't a way in which to kind of change your dietary selections at a younger age, young men particularly what are they? What should they do?

MATHEW: Yeah, I think ultimately what we need to do is realize that we live in a very fast paced life, cook more at home even if you're not the best cook in the world you know, just eating more fish, eating more healthy like a mediterranean diet, increasing your fiber. But also, most importantly, if you're at age 45, you should get that first colonoscopy.

Our age for screening has moved from 50 to 45. I mean, look at what happened to Van Der Beek. He didn't really have any symptoms and he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. If you're diagnosed with stage one --

WHITFIELD: When he saw the symptoms or when he wanted to address them or recognize this is something it was already stage three, very similar to Chadwick Boseman --

MATHEW: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- another actor who in his 40s was diagnosed and he too had stage three. And then three years later, he would die.

MATHEW: And that's why when people say, listen, I'm 45, Dr. Mathew. I don't have any symptoms. There's no family history. Why should I get a colonoscopy?

That's because most patients with colon cancer are not going to have the unexplained fatigue, the unexplained weight loss, blood in the stool which, by the way, everybody should take seriously

WHITFIELD: Yeah. So, if you're not 45. But now you know, this has piqued your interest, you're concerned can is it as simple as asking your doctor, is it time for me to have a colonoscopy? Can I get a prescription to get a colonoscopy, you know, now as opposed to waiting later?

MATHEW: Yeah. You know, so yes and no to that question, Fred. The reason is 45 is when the American College of Surgeons have convinced insurance companies that yes, patients need it at 45. If you're less than the age of 45, 30 and you have persistent abdominal pain, blood in the stool, family history, you have to be your own advocate.

Even if the physician doesn't listen to you, you know find another doctor. You know your body best. If you have warning signs and symptoms --

WHITFIELD: And then be able to place a demand, you know, I want to get a colonoscopy or are there other alternatives before you're eligible for it?

MATHEW: There are other alternatives. There are blood tests. We can do a stool test. They're not as accurate.

Colonoscopy not only makes a diagnosis of colon cancer. If they're precancerous polyps, which by the way, can turn into cancer later on down the road. You can actually remove those precancerous polyps and never develop colon cancer.

WHITFIELD: Wow, all this really important awareness is key. It starts with that. Dr. Saju Mathew, great to see you. Thanks so much

MATHEW: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, despite her historic success on the slopes, Mikaela Shiffrin misses another Olympic podium. Get her candid reaction on what it means for her future.

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[14:57:53]

WHITFIELD: Oh, the games have been so electric and the United States currently sitting third in the Olympic medal count standings with 17. However, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin is not on that list, finishing 11th in the giant slalom, while a Dutch standout broke the Olympic 500m speed skating record, capturing gold in the process.

CNN's Coy Wire is in Cortina.

Well, good to see you, Coy. Let's talk about it

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Pity me. Right, Fredricka? Pity me.

WHITFIELD: I know. I'm so stuck here.

WIRE: On set here in the beautiful dolomites of northern Italy.

And now, Fredricka, we have a story about someone named Federica. Italy's Federica Brignone, putting up one of the greatest comeback stories in Italian sports history, hometown, just about ten months after an horrific crash that left her with multiple displaced fractures in her leg, she's on the prowl at these games.

And we've seen a lot of fans walking around wearing tiger print costumes and shirts. We're wondering why this army of hometown fans are embracing the growling tiger painted on the top of Federica's helmet.

She was like they're catnip today, Fredricka. Sending them into a frenzy, putting up two stellar giant slalom runs, finishing the giant slalom with gold. And that added to the gold she took earlier in the super-G at 35 years old. Simply incredible.

Now there were high hopes for Team USA superstar in this event, Mikaela Shiffrin, the winningest alpine skier of all time. But she finished 11th as you mentioned, she posted on her Instagram, Fredricka just hours before the event an old article that detailed the struggles she had mentally during previous competitions, maybe hinting that she was still having some of the same feelings.

Now, she finished 11th, but that was less than one second away from gold. To put it into perspective, just how close these races are, but she still has a chance to medal at these games. She will be competing in the slalom in the days to come. That is her best event.

Now, Fredricka, just a bit ago, I had the privilege of interviewing someone who happens to be a five-time Olympian, seven-time medalist.