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CNN This Morning

Guthrie Ransom Note Demands $6M; Ghislaine Maxwell Faces Deposition Before Congress; Congress Gets Access to Unredacted Epstein Files; AG Bondi to Testify Before Congress; Trump Says "I didn't Make a Mistake" on Posting Racist Video of Obamas. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 09, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Bad Bunny's performance featured many of his greatest hits as well as appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. Unity was a large theme of the night. At one point in his performance, Bad Bunny said, God bless America and went on to name every country in North, Central and South America.

OK. That will do it for us here today on "Early Start." I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. "CNN This Morning" starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Today in the Group Chat, everyone's talking about the Super Bowl of course, the Seahawks dominate and Bad Bunny's message to the haters. "CNN This Morning" starts right now.

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BAD BUNNY, SINGER: God bless America. Bad

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Bunny leans into joy and reminds everyone that America is more than the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): (INAUDIBLE) Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior.

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CORNISH: Now, President Trump shifting blame and yet refusing to apologize after posting a racist video of the Obamas. And he's representing the U.S. in the Olympics, why the president is calling this skier a quote, "real loser."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are the rest of the documents? Why did they release victims' names?

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: It's a big week for Congress in the search for answers on the Epstein scandal. I'll talk to an Epstein survivor about what she hopes to learn. And we will pay. The family of Nancy Guthrie sends a new message to her kidnappers as the search for her enters a second week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE: We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Another emotional plea from the family of Nancy Guthrie as the search for her enters another week.

Good morning, everybody, I'm Audie Cornish. And this is where we begin the second deadline from an apparent ransom note quickly approaching. It's set for today at 5:00 p.m. We are learning new details about what is in that note. Guthrie's purported abductor is demanding six million dollars in Bitcoin and threatening to kill her if the demand is not met, that's according to a CNN affiliate. Investigators return to the scene Sunday searching Guthrie's property including a septic tank near her home. Police still have not identified a suspect

So, we're bringing in now Ken Gray. He's a former FBI special agent. Good morning, thank you for being here.

KEN GRAY, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: Good morning Audie, good to be with you.

CORNISH: First, I want to talk about the latest video. People are looking at the terms of phrase among this plea so that they can celebrate with their mother. Can you talk about how these videos are supposed to help in these situations?

GRAY: Sure, so the two videos were quite different. The first one seemed to be trying to convince the kidnapper that their mother was a person, that they encouraged them to talk to her, trying to ensure that her safety was taken care of by the kidnapper. The second video on the other hand was quite different in that it was much shorter, much more to the point. We'll pay, our mother's return is important to us and we want to celebrate with her. You know, very, very different in its tone and nature.

The interesting thing here about this is also that the communication from the kidnapper was not an email. Instead, we learned that the communication came by way of a complaint form or a tip slide form going into the television station over its website. And so, that's interesting in that that's why we're not seeing investigative steps that will be able to locate the kidnapper through tracking emails.

CORNISH: I'm glad you're bringing that up because we had one of our voices on air, Josh Campbell, who had some criticism about how this is being handled. Here he is.

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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Kidnapping cases where if there is an actual line of communication that is set up, that is treated sensitively, that is protected, that is not something that either the family nor the FBI crisis negotiators for that matter would actually be publicizing. And so, the fact that we see this appeal again via social media tells us that they're essentially responding to the alleged abductor here via the medium that they have chosen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:05:00]

CORNISH: Can you talk about why you think that matters or if it does?

GRAY: So, there is not two-way communication going on here. The kidnapper is broadcasting his demands, their family is going through social media responding to this, but you don't see an exchange of actual details between the two as you would if they were in direct communication. That causes communication problems, a lack of details, we don't get a sign of life. There was no answer to the request for a sign of life.

The family has decided to go ahead despite the fact that there is no sign of life here, the knowledge that Nancy is still alive, the family has decided to go ahead and pay the kidnapper for her return. That's somewhat unusual, but it's up to the family to make the decision whether or not they're going to pay a ransom and whether or not they're going to pay it despite the fact that they don't have proof that their mother is still being held alive.

CORNISH: So, the latest reporting from the purported ransom note is that the abductors are asking for $6 million in Bitcoin for Nancy Guthrie's return. Now, I know Bitcoin, the whole point of it is that it's not traceable, but I was reading you said that it is possible to recover Bitcoin in these situations. Help me understand.

GRAY: So, Bitcoin is something that is sometimes traceable in that it would be traceable if the person reused a Bitcoin address that had been used in a previous case. I don't think that's the case in this particular situation. And then you would have to actually be able to put your hands on the bad guy in this case, the kidnapper, to be able to recover these funds. So, I don't think that this money, if it's paid, will be recoverable unless they actually identify the kidnapper and are able to go and actually physically arrest them.

Normally in a kidnapping case, when you do the money delivery, the ransom delivery, that's an opportunity for law enforcement to move in on it. With Bitcoin, that opportunity is lost. And so, I think that they'll have to identify the kidnapper by other means.

We are not aware of all the details of the leads that are being worked by law enforcement in this case. It's somewhat frustrating to the public not seeing how this plays out, but that's not unusual in any law enforcement investigation. And so, there are some leads that we are seeing pursued. We see them still going back out to the property now the third time that they have gone in there declaring it a crime scene. I'm surprised that it was not declared a crime scene and held as a crime scene from the very beginning.

And we're also seeing other things such as the pursuit of that suspicious vehicle that was in the neighborhood. We've yet to see the result of that. And also, the actions over there at Annie's house. We don't know why that returned to her house and what was removed from her house.

There are a number of investigative leads that we are seeing play out, but there are far more than what we are seeing play out. And we're just not aware of those details.

CORNISH: OK. So, on the day with this deadline, we have many more questions than answers. Ken Gray, thank you for your time.

And coming up on "CNN This Morning" today, Jeffrey Epstein, Associate Ghislaine Maxwell, will testify before Congress. But will she answer any of their questions?

Plus, Republicans haven't responded on the Democrats' demand for the reform of immigration and customs enforcement. I'm going to be talking to a Democratic congressman about that later.

And Bad Bunny's call for unity as he shows his pride for Latinos at the Super Bowl halftime show.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We feel so proud to be Latin. And so, proud to be here in America.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After years of being kept apart --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- we're standing together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Standing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Standing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because this girl deserves the truth --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- because she deserves the truth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we all --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- deserve the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: All right. If you're watching the Super Bowl last night, you might have caught that PSA featuring several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein calling for truth when it comes to the Epstein files. Now, Congress is expected to get more information today in a couple of ways. First, Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell is appearing virtually for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee, and she's widely expected to plead the fifth.

And then Congress members starting today, they're going to have a chance to view the unredacted files at DOJ headquarters. And we're talking about thousands of files that look like this, we're scrolling through. And Congressman Thomas Massie is going to go today as well. And he's making this offer to survivors.

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MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR: You had told me before that you may go to the floor and actually read the names of people on the alleged Epstein client list. Are you still planning to do that?

[06:15:00]

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I'm ready to do that if the victims want me to. They believe that the best way to get justice is to force the DOJ to release these names. There are other names. I don't have them in my possession, but if the victims want to give them to me, I've expressed that I'm willing to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now to discuss Jess Michaels, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome.

JESS MICHAELS, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Thank you for having me.

CORNISH: So, can we just start with what Massie had to say? Is that something you would want?

MICHAELS: Thank you for asking, because I think that is an important question that every survivor has to answer. It's not just a group of us deciding. I'm a 1991 Jeffrey Epstein survivor. I was raped by him. I didn't meet anyone else. The -- there are survivors that do want the names to be revealed, and there are many that do not, because they are still in hiding. They are still afraid, and they are still just trying to get past this. They're Jane Does. They've never come out.

CORNISH: Yes. And we should say, I believe that you're a victim -- your statements that you called in and the conversation you had with an FBI officer, those have appeared in the latest drop of files, no?

MICHAELS: Some have. That's part of our problem, is that we're seeing half-truths. So, we're seeing one part of a report, but not another. I found my email exchange with the FBI agent that took my statement, but no statement and no audio recording.

CORNISH: Interesting. And you gave both?

MICHAELS: Yes. Well, the audio recording was where she said, I'm taking your victim's statement, and it will be used in the prosecution's case against Ghislaine Maxwell. And then I've never been entered into the victim notification system, and I've never seen my victim's statement.

CORNISH: What are you -- what do you think is going to happen with Ghislaine Maxwell today? We were saying she might plead the fifth, but what are your expectations for this?

MICHAELS: I have very little expectations in general because she's lied so much. She's perjured herself. She's actually been charged with perjury. I call her the second sweetheart deal because, really, why should a convicted pedophile and sex offender be in a cushy prison right now when she should be in a maximum-security prison as determined by law? That's not me deciding that, that's what the law says.

CORNISH: We've also been hearing of other names of men who are in the files in varying capacities, but one in particular caught the eye of Thomas Massie and others. And I want to play it for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASSIE: Howard Lutnick clearly went to the island. If we believe what's in these files, he was in business with Jeffrey Epstein. And this was many years after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted, you know, lightly sentenced, but was convicted for sexual crimes. So, he's got a lot to answer for, but really, he should make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign. If this were Great Britain, he'd already be gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: A lot to unpack there, but should Howard Lutnick step down?

MICHAELS: I believe all of the men that have been shown in the files should at the very least be asked to testify. I haven't read the files on Howard Lutnick, but let's just be really super clear about this. Everybody knew who he was. Everybody knew who he was since 1996, when he was already having dinners with presidents.

CORNISH: There's one other thing I want to ask, because there's going to be a chance for lawmakers to look at unredacted files. I noticed Massie was also saying, hey, which doc should I view? Tell me. But we were talking earlier, you are -- you guys already talked to lawmakers. You already reach out to them. What happens in your conversations? And I'm going to pick Republicans because they're in power.

MICHAELS: Yes.

CORNISH: What happens in that dialogue? MICHAELS: We've spent quite a bit of time advocating in offices with Republican, especially the House Judiciary Committee members that are Republicans, we did that before November 18th vote and we did it once files dropped and have been dropping all through January. We've actually had warm receptions, people supporting us saying, yes, we have been involved in anti-sex trafficking legislation for years. This is within our portfolio of policy that we agree with. We are behind you. We want truth and justice.

Then we heard on Friday from someone well connected within the Republican establishment that those same Republicans are being pressured to not say a word to Pam Bondi at the hearing, because that's when we're hoping things will come out is on Wednesday, Pam Bondi has to sit before the committee.

[06:20:00]

They wanted -- we wanted to ask them to ask hard questions. But we've heard they're being pressured by the White House to avoid the Epstein files altogether and to only talk about Pam Bondi's accomplishments. And that was crushing, crushing.

CORNISH: It feels like there's must be a lot of moments like that. I mean, from unredacted images of victims to Ghislaine Maxwell, as you said, having, frankly, a softer life after. Has this administration -- there's -- I love your point of view on how in this second Trump term, fundamentally how they've treated you all.

MICHAELS: They've protected predators convicted pedophiles like Ghislaine Maxwell, infinitely more than they have done for survivors and victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in the largest global sex trafficking ring in history.

CORNISH: Yes.

MICHAELS: They have done very little to help us trust them in any way.

CORNISH: OK. Well, Jess Michaels, thank you so much for being here.

MICHAELS: Thank you so much.

CORNISH: I actually really appreciate it. We're going to turn to this after the break on "CNN This Morning." An Olympian representing the U.S. says what is happening in the U.S. doesn't represent him. Now, of course, the president calling that athlete out. And the MVP of the Super Bowl as the Seahawks take home the Lombardi.

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[06:25:00]

CORNISH: President Trump refusing to apologize for a racist post on his truth social account depicting the Obamas as apes. And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling out his racism. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I looked at the first one and it was really about voter fraud and the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is. Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they'd look at the whole thing, but I guess somebody didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, a number of Republicans are calling on you to apologize for that post. Is that something you're going to do?

TRUMP: No, I didn't make a mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Racism against the Obamas has been a longtime preoccupation with Trump. He launched his political career by questioning former President Obama's U.S. citizenship. This recent post was just the latest instance, however, of white supremacist ideology that's been amplified by the administration.

So, joining us now in the group chat this morning, Zach Wolf, CNN senior politics writer, Francesca Chambers, White House correspondent for USA Today, and Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg News White House correspondent. So, the reason why I wanted to do this is because we've been -- I keep seeing percolating online images that then people who are experts in this will say, hey, that looks strangely familiar.

So, the last one I noticed was Kristi Noem. And I don't know if we have that image, but we also have Homeland Security is like a really big proponent of this as well, using phrases like one homeland, one people. Can you talk about why -- oh, here's some of them. Can you talk about why you think we are seeing these comments and amplification and retweeting? What are they getting out of it?

ZACHARY WOLF, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER: Well, those are very, those are very specific things that were done on purpose. When you look at those Homeland Security, the ICE recruitment videos. So, it's hard to deny that they are at least trying to appeal to this segment of society, the white nationalist segment of society.

If you add on to that something like President Trump's Truth Social post, which has something that's so obviously racist that even he deleted it, which I think is the real interesting thing here, it's hard to not kind of add those things up and see that this administration is certainly trying to appeal to these people.

CORNISH: And there are some deep cuts. There's another one, which way American man, which is tied to a historical figure who espoused a white supremacist ideology. And these -- there are some aspects of this that say what Trump is doing is not a shock, even if he's like, I didn't watch to the end. Catherine, how do you feel?

CATHERINE LUCEY, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, BLOOMBERG NEWS: I mean, yes, certainly Trump is saying he didn't watch to the end. I do think, as Zach said, it is notable that they took this post down. He didn't apologize, but we rarely see any kind of retreat from this White House on any of these social media posts of the different kinds that you're talking about.

CORNISH: Yes. Is that the soft bigotry of low expectations?

LUCEY: That is. I mean --

CORNISH: That's my soft bigotry.

LUCEY: That is what we are getting from all this.

CORNISH: We don't get points for not apologizing and saying someone else did it. This one of ours, all of yours, that has direct links to Nazi commentary from Hitler, like lots of Jewish groups have pointed this out. Why wasn't that just a DHS sign? Why wasn't that something else? There's something very odd about seeing this kind of commentary inserted and amplified by the government.

FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, USA TODAY: And in terms of the retreat that I think that you're talking about here, then the White House, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, was actually pressed about this by Laura Ingraham on Fox News, who asked about the thing that the president posted about the Obamas. And she said that it was, you know, a distraction that's being focused on by the media. But in this exchange, she was pressed on the fact that there were a number of Republicans, not just Tim Scott, a leading African-American Republican in the Senate who came out --

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