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Trump to Close Kennedy Center for Two Years for Renovations; DOJ Releases Final Major Set of Files Related to Jeffrey Epstein; Stars Speak Out Against Immigration Policies at Grammys as Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny Gets Key Wins. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 02, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a nice day.

[06:00:03]

KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And ringing up a mid- winter's boost during some very cold days.

RICK SIGER, PENNSYLVANIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: Punxsutawney, where we're sitting today, has an amazing Main Street, great businesses that get into the act.

But it's also really important, not just today, but year-round. People know Punxsutawney globally because of Groundhog Day.

CAIFA (voice-over): In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, I'm Karin Caifa.

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RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. That'll do it for us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon in New York. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Audie Cornish, and right now on CNN THIS MORNING, remaking D.C. in his image. First it was the Oval Office, then the West Wing, now the Kennedy Center.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The decor, pretty much everything needs a lot of work.

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CORNISH: Plus, a 5-year-old boy detained by ICE is now back home as Congress fights over reforms to immigration enforcement.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem is this is happening across the country with thousands of Liams.

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CORNISH: And a Texas stunner. Democrats flip a deep-red seat. Is this a bellwether for the midterms?

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CHRISTIAN D. MENEFEE (D), CONGRESSMAN-ELECT OF TEXAS: The results here tonight are mandate for me.

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CORNISH: And the country shocked by the new Epstein files drop. But it's not looking like the victims will get any closure.

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TODD BLANCHE, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: There was nothing in there that allowed us to prosecute anybody.

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CORNISH: Good morning, everybody. Welcome. I want to start here. President Trump's fascination with the Kennedy Center and his effort to close it down for two years.

So, in a social media post, the president announced plans to renovate the center, warning "If we don't close, the construction will not be nearly as good." The closure, set to begin July 4th.

Now, while the president calls it a tired building, he did not mention the other growing problem for the center: dozens of performers canceling their appearances. Since the president put his own name on the building late last year, several high-profile acts have dropped out.

The president has found one performer, however, willing to take the stage in the past 12 months: himself. He used the center to hold a premiere for the "Melania" documentary; hosted the Kennedy Center honors, which he picked himself; and held the FIFA World Cup draw, where he was given a peace prize.

Joining me now in the group chat: Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Sabrina Rodriguez, politics reporter for "The Wall Street Journal"; and Michelle Price, White House reporter for the Associated Press.

So, following the demolition of the West Wing [SIC] -- when that happened --

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: East Wing.

CORNISH: East Wing, sorry. East Wing. There were so many people who had a lot of questions. And the argument was sort of this: Is this a person who's renovating because he's not leaving, or is this a person renovating, because everywhere he -- he sees a potential real estate project?

DOVERE: I don't know that we right now know that that's a choice that he is making. It could be both those things.

The president has made it very clear that he wants to keep leaving his mark on Washington in as many ways as he can. He's got this plan for a giant arch that he wants to build.

CORNISH: Two-hundred-and-fifty-foot arch.

DOVERE: The biggest arch that could be. And now the Kennedy Center.

Look, when he was president the first time around, he boycotted the Kennedy Center honors four years in a row.

CORNISH: Yes.

DOVERE: Because he didn't like that the artists were not saying nice things about him.

Now, he took over the Kennedy Center, put his name on the Kennedy Center. And that has led to many artists canceling. And so, his response seems to be that he's going to close it down and knock it over.

I think that part of the issue is beyond whether this is -- whatever you think about the Kennedy Center and all -- that he is going into this year with people concerned about prices and concerned about what is being done for them. And he wants to close down the Kennedy Center to rebuild it or install marble all over it. These are things that are not --

CORNISH: Well, I mean -- yes.

DOVERE: -- not exactly where, maybe, congressional Republicans would want him focused.

CORNISH: I think this whole debate, for the average person isn't all that much about the building or any given building or monument.

But like, what's going on? What does it actually represent?

I should notice that a federal judge has already looked at the demolition of the ballroom [SIC] and said, I've got questions. Ions. I don't think this is legal, and it may end up at the Supreme Court.

Michelle, what do you see? I want to make sure you guys speak up here.

MICHELLE PRICE, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Well, I think something to think about the first term when Donald Trump was here, he came in kind of as an outsider. And there was kind of this tension in that first term about him kind of coming up against what he saw as forces in Washington that were deeply entrenched; what he called the deep state.

This time, when he's come back kind of on a revenge tour, he's been putting his stamp on everything, including I mean, we see him. This is beyond D.C. We see him trying to, you know, push for changes on the football kickoff rules in the NFL. [06:05:05]

There was some reporting that he might have been requesting a "Rush Hour 4" movie to be made. He's a president with opinions on pretty much everything under the sun.

But, you know, to Isaac's point, we are not hearing the president speak as much about prices as he is about what marble he's picked out for the armrests for this new Kennedy Center.

CORNISH: Yes. That's true. I hadn't really thought about that. Is there, like, a "let them eat cake" aspect to this? Like, I'm going to put everything in gold, and you're still dealing with prices.

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, POLITICS REPORTER, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": I mean, I think that's the reality of what's happening with the Trump administration. And we've seen him in opportunity after opportunity. Focus on those things that are his comfort zone.

I mean, Trump came into this administration with, yes, many priorities of what he said he wanted to do on the campaign trail.

But some of the earliest moves we saw him make was with the Kennedy Center early last year. You know, we've seen him with these renovations.

And again, to Isaac's point, you know, this is a midterm year. This is a year that he needs to be traveling the country. He needs to be focused on things outside of Washington, D.C.

CORNISH: Right.

RODRIGUEZ: The Kennedy Center.

CORNISH: The response to the loss in Texas was kind of like, I don't know her.

DOVERE: Right.

CORNISH: Like, I was not involved in that. And so, no big deal.

DOVERE: Yes. Look, you -- what you will hear from anybody who served this president is that and served around a president. Is that the most valuable thing for a president is his time and what that person is spending his time on.

The more time that Donald Trump is spending on the Kennedy Center and on thinking about what's going on there and on renovations of that, or on the arch, is time that he's not spending on all sorts of other things, whether that's Ukraine or Venezuela or inflation or all the other things that are going on around the world.

CORNISH: Right. We're going to talk about some of the other things the country -- the president is spending his time on.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, parts of the government shut down right now. The House is heading back to work to try to get a deal.

Plus, a major document drop. New speculation over the president's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

And it's been a brutal winter. But will Punxsutawney Phil put us all out of our misery and predict an early spring?

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love snow, but I'd rather go to the mountains and see it than seeing it in Charlotte.

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CORNISH: So, the latest batch of 3 million documents in the Jeffrey Epstein files now out. They contain thousands of pictures and videos and redacted pages.

But according to the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, they don't include anything which warrants new criminal charges against anyone else.

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BLANCHE: I can't talk about any investigations, but I will say the following, which is that in July, the Department of Justice said that we had reviewed the files, the, quote, "Epstein files," and there was nothing in there that allowed us to prosecute anybody.

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CORNISH: Donald Trump's name appears more than 1,000 times in the latest round of files. This includes a list of unverified assault allegations against Trump, compiled by FBI officials last year.

The Department of Justice, in a statement, says the documents, quote, "include untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election."

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BLANCHE: There's a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein, or were people around him, but that doesn't allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody. And that's what -- that's what's important for -- for the American people. And the victims want to be made whole.

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CORNISH: The group chat is back. I want to talk about their choice of messenger in Todd Blanche, who was known for speaking with Ghislaine Maxwell, is also the president's former personal attorney. What is -- can they just end it just by saying, look, there's no one

to prosecute? This is done.

RODRIGUEZ: It appears that's what they're trying to do. I mean, we've seen the administration obviously for -- for months now, struggle with the messaging around the Epstein file.

And part of that is sort of that they spent so much time on the campaign trail, and Trump's allies spent so much time in recent years talking about everything that was in the Epstein files.

CORNISH: Yes. They'd have to, like, kick all the bloggers they befriended in the face.

RODRIGUEZ: You know, and -- and the attorney general herself. I mean, we saw her months ago talking about how she had it on her desk. And this hype up about, you know, we were going to get all these answers. And then it's sort of like a womp, womp, womp moment of --

CORNISH: And she wasn't the one out talking about this.

RODRIGUEZ: She's not the one that's out talking about this. So, there's definitely been that blowback that that she herself has seen in all of this. So --

CORNISH: OK. So, we actually -- CNN reached out to several survivors. Here was a statement they released, in effect saying this doesn't go far enough and also failed to protect them.

So, they said, "This latest release of Jeffrey Epstein's files is being sold as transparency, but what it actually does is expose survivors. Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous."

And it says, "As survivors, we should never be the ones named, scrutinized, and retraumatized while Epstein's enablers continue to benefit from the secrecy" and call it a betrayal.

I wanted to ask about this, because it's like almost -- you're activating another world of people who have a stake in this and who have a stake in not giving it up.

PRICE: Yes, I mean, that's right. There's been a lot of instances so far. And just again, people are just starting to go through these. This is a ton of documents. There's 2 million files on Friday.

But already seeing instances of victim information that should have been protected that wasn't.

But there's also redactions in there that seem on -- from what we can see, that are kind of confusing, that names that are blacked out are people who are emailing with Jeffrey Epstein.

[06:15:07] But it's clear, as people are starting to go through these, that they're already seeing information they find troubling. And for the folks who've been pushing for this to be out, they are not, I don't think, going to be satisfied with Todd Blanche's explanation that there's just nothing else we can do, that there's no criminal charges coming, that they can't just button this up at this point.

CORNISH: It's interesting seeing names like Elon Musk, right, trying to coordinate trips to the island. He's said many times that, you know, he didn't want to go with Epstein.

And now people are, of course, are finding his name and highlighting his requests of, Like, when he wants to have a wild -- quote, unquote -- "party" there.

DOVERE: Yes. And there were -- I think that the problem that the administration is facing, when Todd Blanche says there's nothing; there are no charges here, is that there -- there has been a haphazard pace to the releases here.

Things have gone up on the website, then been taken down. They found a million more files. It's a couple of weeks ago, they said, out of New York.

And even amid that, the -- that Blanche is saying we already know that there is no -- nothing to be prosecuted beyond what has been already -- is -- is strange.

CORNISH: Yes.

DOVERE: And that said, this is what happens in investigations where an attorney general's office or U.S. attorney's office, or Department of Justice, or whatever it may be, collects a lot of information and doesn't find a lot of actionable stuff. We don't know.

But that's but it -- the way to, I think, really take this back is there was a law passed that the president signed himself that said that all these files were supposed to be released over a month ago, and we are still not in compliance with that law.

And that -- that is beyond whatever you want to say is or isn't in these files. The administration is violating the law that Congress passed overwhelmingly, and President Trump signed himself.

CORNISH: In the meantime, I just want to mention, you know, you have names like Bill Gates or Larry Summers or, of course, the Clintons, because the House could also vote to hold the Clintons in contempt over Epstein. The batch does show some communications between Maxwell and some Clinton staffers between 2001 and 2004.

Bill Clinton, with his staffers on Epstein's private planes at least 16 times. That's according to the CNN analysis.

So, Democrat Jamie Raskin was actually asked about this over the weekend. And here's what he had to say.

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REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): I mean, I will vote yes on contempt against them and anybody else, as long as Pam Bondi is part of it. And the Democrats on the Oversight Committee raised Pam Bondi.

Remember, she's got millions of documents that she is legally compelled to turn over/under a months-old subpoena and under federal law. And she's not doing it.

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CORNISH: If the point is to make the Trump administration be forced into this conversation, how long can you drag it out if it's just Democrats, basically, who are at the center of the conversation?

PRICE: I mean, right now, there's also the questions about Ghislaine Maxwell being moved to this lower security prison and why the Trump administration kind of made this move.

They still -- there's questions there that are going to keep bubbling up.

And as people keep going through these documents, there's still -- you know, we saw Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, for example, in these documents. He said he had cut off his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein years before what these emails are actually showing.

So, these -- these documents, as people are going through them, are still seeming to unearth Democrats and Republicans who have a lot of explaining to do just for the public here.

CORNISH: Right. And each name that comes up, especially if it's an ally of the administration, then that ends up being like a fresh round of questions, I guess.

All right, you guys stay with me. We've got more to talk about today, including after the break, the snubs, surprises, and political protests, because stars used the Grammy stage to speak out against immigration enforcement.

Plus, Philadelphia is fighting to keep ICE Out. Brotherly love, not part of the plan.

And yes, it is Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Thousands of people are waiting to see.

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DOECHII, RAPPER/SINGER: And the Grammy goes to Kendrick Lamar.

QUEEN LATIFAH, RAPPER: Kendrick Lamar.

DOECHII: Oh, oh, oh! (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: It was once again Kendrick Lamar's year at the Grammys. Kendrick went into the night with nine nominations and ended up taking home five trophies, including Best Rap Album and Record of the Year. And that made him the most awarded rapper in Grammy history, actually topping Jay-Z.

But Bad Bunny also made history. He took home Album of the Year, which became the first entirely Spanish project to do so.

He and other stars used the stage to speak out, as well, against the president's immigration enforcement program. Some wearing "ICE Out" pins, others slamming the policies in their acceptance speeches.

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BAD BUNNY, SINGER: Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ICE out.

We're not savage. We're not animals. We're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.

BILLIE EILISH, SINGER: As grateful as I feel, I honestly don't feel like I need to say anything, but, that no one is illegal on stolen land.

OLIVIA DEAN, SINGER: I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I'm a product of bravery. And I think those people deserve to be celebrated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: We're going to bring in CNN entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France, who stayed up for us. Thank you so much, Lisa.

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Sure.

CORNISH: It's funny, like Kendrick Lamar last year, who, you know, had the album; kicked off the -- the Super Bowl. You have got this big week for Bad Bunny. He's going to be headlining the halftime show.

And there is actually some confusion right now about whether ICE officials will be at the Super Bowl. Some are saying they've backed off.

[06:25:02]

But his message has been pretty consistent around this issue. No?

FRANCE: Absolutely. And when we just heard him say "ICE Out." That's a well-known phrase that's been used at protests.

And just like Kendrick Lamar, he is very open about making political statements. And, you know, I was joking last night that Kendrick Lamar walked so

that Bad Bunny could run. Because we are very much seeing him replicate that path of having an amazing night at the Grammys, making headlines.

And now next week, he's going to take another huge stage with the Super Bowl, where he has been highly contested. Much like Kendrick Lamar was. A lot of people were, like --

CORNISH: Yes.

FRANCE: -- you know, is Kendrick Lamar the best pick?

And now with Bad Bunny, we're seeing, you know, some people saying he's not going to be representative of the United States. This is America's biggest stage with the Super Bowl. You know, so many people are watching from around the world.

And he's Puerto Rican, which, as he pointed out, when he was doing a little bit with the host, Trevor Noah, that is actually a part of the United States.

So, this is not a foreigner coming in, taking over, you know, America's beloved football stage. This is Bad Bunny, who right now is the biggest star in the world, Audie.

CORNISH: The host, Trevor Noah, did a few jokes. And here's -- here's one of them.

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TREVOR NOAH, HOST, GRAMMY AWARDS 2026: Song of the Year. Congratulations, Billie Eilish. Wow, that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland.

Which makes sense. I mean, because Epstein's island is gone. He needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton. So -- Oh, I told you, it's my last year. What are you going to do about it?

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CORNISH: Does -- the president responded last night in a Truth Social post, calling this a false and defamatory statement, denying he has ever been to Epstein island.

FRANCE: Yes.

CORNISH: And he went on to say, "Noah better get his facts straight and get them straight fast. It looks like I'll be sending my lawyers to sue," which is a very interesting response, right, like to a joke. He wasn't just sort of giving Trevor a mean nickname. He defended himself.

FRANCE: Yes, absolutely. So, I mean, clearly it, you know, struck a nerve with the president. And, you know, I was laughing, because Trevor's whole thing about

like, hey, this is the last year that I'm hosting, so I'm just going to go for broke. I'm going to say whatever, you know.

And we -- we know that President Trump likes to watch television. We also know that he is not appreciative of jokes aimed at him. And he's taken on quite a few, you know, late-night hosts.

Trevor, you know, as the host of the Grammys. You know, he -- his saying what he said clearly rubbed the president the wrong way. And so, I'm not at all surprised that he responded.

But it is interesting, as you point out, the way that he responded. And that it was not your usual, I'm going to come up with a nickname which my base is going to love and taunt you.

It was, hey, you know, you need to watch yourself. You're saying something about me, which I want the world to know is not true. And you know, this is President Trump's response to it. This is the way that he felt.

And he also has a vested interest in entertainment, as we have seen. You know, if nothing less, his relationship with the Kennedy Center.

So, he -- he definitely has a feeling about celebrities, fame, Hollywood, and the industry. And so last night, you know, he aimed his, his -- his thoughts at the music industry, in particular at Trevor Noah.

CORNISH: Do you think that musicians are more likely than actors to speak up and speak out? It feels like we saw them be far more punchier than anything, like, at the Golden Globes.

FRANCE: Yes, absolutely. Because the Golden Globes, a lot of people had this expectation that folks were going to take to the stage and express themselves and have things to say about the administration.

But some people have said that, you know, they're a little bit reticent; they're a little fearful. Both industries right now are kind of struggling to find their footing, as many industries are right now in this economy.

But musicians in particular feel like they have a responsibility to speak. They speak through their art.

And then when they take what is music's biggest night and biggest stage, they're not going to pass up that opportunity, if they feel like they have something to say, to say it. Because they are speaking directly to their fan base and they're backing up what they put in their music.

So, I was not at all surprised to hear from Bad Bunny or Billie Eilish. These are people who are well-known for speaking their mind, be it on social media, in their performances. And last night when they received awards.

CORNISH: Well, that is Lisa France. Lisa, thank you so much.

FRANCE: Thank you.

CORNISH: All right. Bringing the group chat back, you guys, I know that the president is not interested in attending this -- this halftime show or this particular football game.

But does the choice of -- of Bad Bunny, is it really going to underscore -- especially, full Spanish language performance -- the divide in this country right now?

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. And I think we saw it in the selection of Bad Bunny initially.

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