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CNN This Morning

Federal Warrant Served In Nancy Guthrie Case, No Arrests Made; FBI Released Doorbell Footage Of Potential Suspect In Nancy Guthrie Case; Rubio Reassures Europe, "Our Destiny Together Awaits"; Zelenskyy Ramps Up Demands On U.S. For Peace Deal With Russia; Witkoff, Kushner To Attend U.S.-Iran Talks In Geneva; Trump Sends USS Gerald Ford To Middle East; Severe Weather Brings Flood Risk Across The Southeast U.S.; A.I. Researchers Sound The Alarm About Dangers Of The Technology; Hollywood Talent Agent To Sell Company Over Epstein Files Revelations. Search For Nancy Guthrie Enters Third Week; ICE Plans To Spend $38B On New Detention Centers In 2026; Two Top RFK Jr. Aides Leaving HHS In Leadership Shakeup; Former President Obama Sits Down For Wide-Ranging Interview; Mikaela Shiffrin Continues Quest For Gold. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired February 15, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:38]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been following the story on the news, and we feel bad. Our hearts are really, really down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We're entering now the third week of the search for Nancy Guthrie. The community there is rallying around her family. We've got the latest on the investigation coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: For the United States and Europe, we belong together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure European leaders that the Trump administration is committed to NATO but that commitment does come with stipulations.

Plus, A.I. is increasingly infiltrating our lives. But some of the very people who helped create it are now warning that it has the potential to get out of control.

And Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn shared an update on her condition after that devastating crash at the Olympics. We're live at the winter Olympics this hour.

Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, February 15th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

It's now the third week since "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother went missing. Police confirmed they executed a federal warrant Friday night. No one was arrested. And now some of Nancy Guthrie's neighbors say they're worried that Feds showed up too late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE LIPPMAN, NANCY GUTHRIE'S NEIGHBOR: Absolutely wish they were giving more information. I think the sheriff is a very experienced veteran of law enforcement, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's experienced with what this case is all about. And, I mean, I feel like they got in, they invited the FBI in, or the FBI came in pretty quickly. But maybe it wasn't quite quickly enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Rafael Romo is with me now. Rafael, let's talk about this warrant, a federal warrant that was executed here.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, a federal warrant. And what we know about this warrant, Victor, is that it was based on a lead that investigators received. The federal court order search warrant was carried out at a residence Friday night in connection with the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. Officials have also said that no arrests were made during the search.

What we have so far, more than two weeks now after the 84-year-old woman went missing, is a physical profile of a suspect. The FBI released doorbell footage showing a masked figure outside Guthrie's front door. Describing the suspect as a male approximately 5'9" to 5'10" tall with an average build. The FBI also said the suspect was wearing dark clothing, black gloves, sneakers, and a black 25 liter Ozark Trail Hiker pack backpack.

Part of the challenge for investigators is that they are sifting through more than 30,000 tips that they've received since the case began. Investigators have found some evidence, including DNA found at Guthrie's property in Tucson, Arizona, that doesn't belong to her or those close to her. They also found gloves as far as 10 miles from her home that are also being tested. Earlier today, former FBI agent Scott Curtis reacted to criticism that the agency didn't take the case soon enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT CURTIS, FORMER FBI AGENT: Yes, I think that's a valid point. In this situation here, I mean, you had a -- an alleged kidnapping of a high profile victim. I mean, kidnapping is a federal offense, a high profile victim in this situation here. I think it would have been appropriate for the local law enforcement to bring in the FBI right from the beginning there, so they could utilize all the resources that the FBI could bring, personnel resources, technical components, forensic analysis, and all that other stuff there that maybe would have been more efficient in doing that initial crime scene investigation there at the residence. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Meanwhile, Tucson residents continue to fill the growing tribute outside Guthrie's home with flowers, candles, notes, and small tokens as they hold out hope for her safe return. Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen the night of January 31st when her son-in-law drove her back to her secluded desert home around 9:50 p.m., and she hasn't been seen since. Her blood was found by investigators on the front porch of her Tucson home. Two weeks, Victor, hard to believe how difficult this might be for the family.

BLACKWELL: And so many questions. No identification of a suspect, no idea of where she is. A lot of work being done to bring her home. Rafael, thank you so much.

Now coming up, well speak with a former police captain about the latest developments in that case. So, stay with us for that. Leaders across Europe are expressing some relief.

[06:05:00]

Also, some uncertainty after Marco Rubio's remarks at the Munich Security Conference. The secretary of state's message to friends now change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: We should be proud of what we achieved together in the last century, but now we must confront and embrace the opportunities of a new one, because yesterday is over, the future is inevitable, and our destiny together awaits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: President Trump has been calling on Europe to shoulder more responsibility for its own security. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to be heeding that call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We must move forward together to create a more European NATO. As I see it, Europe is a sleeping giant. Our economies dwarf Russia's more than 10 times over. We have huge defense capabilities, yet too often this adds up to less than the sum of its parts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us live from Munich. Fred, hello to you. So after we've heard from Secretary Rubio, we've heard from other European leaders, what is the state of the U.S.-Europe relationship?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well I think you used the word relief, Victor, and that's pretty much exactly how people here felt. Certainly, the delegates that we've been speaking to, they said on the one hand, of course, they did hear that pretty harsh criticism by the secretary of state, essentially saying that European nations are in danger of making this continent irrelevant, even talking about civilizational erasure. Of course, calling some of the things like mass migration also deindustrialization as some of the main issues here in Europe, even though the Europeans have denied some of those criticisms. But he also said that he does see a future of the United States together with Europe, even calling the United States, as he put it, a child of Europe.

So, certainly mapping out that there is a way forward. And he believes that the Europeans and the United States can tackle some of the world's biggest problems together. And one of those very big problems that is dealt with here at the Munich Security Conference is, of course, the ongoing war in Ukraine.

When you're here in Europe, that conflict is obviously very close to a lot of these European nations. And those efforts are continuing over the next couple of days. There is going to be a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia happening in Switzerland and just a couple of days as the U.S. tries to move that process forward.

Now, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he was also here at the summit. He met with the secretary of state. And what we got after that meeting was what seemed like a little bit of frustration on the part of the Ukrainian president. Let's listen in to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: The Americans often return to the topic of concessions, and too often those concessions are discussed in the context only of Ukraine, not Russia. Europe is practically not present at the table. It's a big mistake to my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: And some of those concessions that Ukraine's president was talking about that, of course, pertains to territories that Ukraine might have to give up as part of any peace agreement. Those are things that are being talked about and all sides really telling us that that's really the most difficult issue right now on the way to try and achieve some sort of ceasefire. Of course, there are other issues as well.

The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, during an interview session here in Munich was also asked about the conflict in Ukraine. He said the Russians want peace. But he also acknowledged that the negotiations while some progress has been achieved, do remain difficult, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Fred Pleitgen, reporting from Munich. Fred, thank you. Sources say a new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran is expected to start on Tuesday in Geneva, and the stakes are high. President Trump is sending a second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, to the Middle East, and that has the Iranians expressing willingness to compromise to secure a nuclear agreement. Julia Benbrook has the latest. JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The next round of talks with Iran are expected to take place in a matter of days. According to two sources familiar with the matter, the upcoming talks are expected to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. And U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to attend.

Now, this comes as Trump recently struck a pessimistic tone when it comes to the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran over a potential nuclear deal. He said that the Iranians do not have a good track record on that front. Just hours before those comments, though, he said that he thought the talks would ultimately be successful, adding a stark warning.

[06:10:04]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How confident are you that our negotiations with Iran will be successful?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they'll be successful. And if they're not, it's going to be a bad day for Iran, very bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Trump has asserted that Iran's nuclear facilities were obliterated after U.S. strikes on them last summer, but has urged the country to negotiate a deal with the United States to avoid another potential military attack. He has also suggested that regime change would be the, quote, "best thing" that could happen. The United States recently dispatched a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, which the president said would be there if he is unable to reach a diplomatic solution.

Traveling with the president in Florida, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

BLACKWELL: Julia, thank you. Next, for the first time, we're hearing from former President Barack Obama since President Trump shared that racist A.I. generated video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: We're also hearing his reaction to immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Plus, two years after the roof was destroyed by Hurricane Milton, Tropicana Field in Saint Petersburg, Florida, almost ready for baseball.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:16:06]

BLACKWELL: This morning, storms are set to bring heavy rainfall across the southeastern U.S. The heavy rain and flood risks are impacting NASCAR's opening race of the season. In prep for the potentially severe weather in Daytona Beach NASCAR has moved the Daytona 500 up an hour from its originally scheduled time.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is with me now. So, Allison, how much and how soon?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A lot of rain, and I think that's probably why they moved it up because it's -- you just don't want to take that chance. You know, those cars don't exactly have windshield wipers.

BLACKWELL: Sure, yes.

CHINCHAR: It's not really -- it's not really an easy thing to do. But even for the rest of us, yes, as this main line kind of moves through it is bringing incredibly heavy rain at times, and even the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms.

So, here's a look. Overall, it's a very large system. Again, you've got rain in Ohio all the way down to the Gulf Coast. You'll see right now you've got some of those heavier showers in and around Atlanta. We've also got some around Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock stretching down into Montgomery. But the strongest thunderstorms are actually closer to the Gulf Coast. They've just kind of finally wrapped up along areas of New Orleans and now continuing to slide over towards Mobile, eventually into Pensacola, places like Panama City as that line continues to push eastward as it does.

And then the sun begins to come back out. That's going to start to heat things up, and that will intensify the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms. The main threat today, especially in the yellow areas you see here, is really just going to be damaging wind gusts, 60, 70 miles per hour. But there is still the potential for a few isolated tornadoes, some waterspouts, and possibly even some small hail in any of those locations.

Here's a look as we go through the rest of the morning, again, say around lunchtime today you've got some really heavy rain coming through Atlanta, Knoxville, stretching down through Macon and Columbus, Georgia. Then by later on around, say, the dinner time hour, Raleigh, Charlotte stretching down into Jacksonville, Florida.

It's the evening hours, that's when it starts to slide through places like Tampa and into Orlando. But farther north, you're starting to see the bulk of it actually push out over the open water. However, you are still going to have some of these say around like Virginia Beach across portions of the mid-Atlantic before that system finally wraps back up overnight tonight.

Now overall, most of these areas likely to just get about one to two inches of rain. It's not much. This is actually a good thing. It will limit the potential for flooding, but help out a lot of these areas that are currently dealing with significant drought conditions.

A lot of areas in the monitor, but you can even see some of those patches of red here across the southeast. Those are the areas in extreme drought so they could certainly use some of this rain that's coming through. We just kind of hope we can keep the severe storms at a very bare minimum.

BLACKWELL: All right. We'll check out west in the next conversation. Allison, thank you. Tech CEOs are warning of the potential for A.I. to get out of control. Recently, a string of high profile co-founders and researchers have quit or publicly warned that A.I. is moving at warp speed, and their fear is that there aren't sufficient guardrails to stop it.

So, with me now to discuss is Anjana Susarla. She's the professor in Responsible A.I. at Michigan State University. That's a good title. Thank you, Professor, for being with me.

So, let me just read off some of these warnings. The former head of Anthropic's Safeguards research team said, quote, "the world is in peril." An OpenAI employee wrote, quote, "I finally feel the existential threat that A.I. is posing."

What do these A.I. researchers and executives see that prompt this simultaneous dramatic concern?

ANJANA SUSARLA, PROFESSOR IN RESPONSIBLE A.I.. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: I think we are, you know, when we're talking about the risks from using A.I. it's almost like there are things where there's an unacceptable level of risk. There are things that could be high risk and something where maybe low or minimal risk.

[06:20:00]

So, if you're using A.I. to automate, maybe some aspects of writing or marketing type of applications, there could be some risks there. But if you're using these -- the kind of warnings that we are seeing from the head of safety at companies like Anthropic those would be about the widespread societal risks. If you're using A.I. systems for, you know, making very critical decisions such as, you know, in health care, use of A.I. for maybe parole decisions, things which substantially impact a person's life. And so, I think, that's what we are talking about.

BLACKWELL: And so what really got a lot of attention this past week is a post from HyperWrite AI CEO Matt Shumer compared this moment on the precipice of how A.I. is going to change our lives and our livelihoods, actually, as something, quote, "much, much bigger than COVID." Do you think that's an accurate comparison or is that overstated?

SUSARLA: Well, we are still at the kind of very early stage of all the A.I. adoption, if you will. So what I think the particular thing that you are talking about is can A.I., let's say, replace a lot of entry level jobs, and what does that do to our kind of the talent building, you know, that goes on in our economy? Will this lead to a lot of hollowing out in certain professions?

And, you know, the evidence is still -- we only have a few studies. There definitely are some cases where we are seeing that the use of A.I. for health care it's not quite been the panacea that we are hoping that it would be. But in other kinds of situations, like coding types of, you know, software development and coding we are seeing some amount of automation of what we thought was white collar high paying jobs.

So, there definitely is the fear of large scale, I would say, job displacement if this kind of march towards A.I., the development of these newer capabilities, if this continues unabated, then what happens to the societal -- at the societal level? So, that's definitely something that we should engage with.

BLACKWELL: You know, this is not just kind of trimming around the edge. Shumer cited an A.I. industry CEO who predicted that A.I. will eliminate 50 percent of entry level white collar jobs within one to five years. So, this is coming on strong and quickly.

Now, at the end of 2025, President Trump signed an executive order, that banned states from regulating A.I. in favor of a federal infrastructure of regulation for A.I. States are fighting it but how are states trying to mitigate the threat legislatively and are they effective?

SUSARLA: Yes, I think, there's been a lot of legislation across the states. Colorado has a consumer protection for artificial intelligence which sort of talks about what happens -- what are called algorithmic harms, what are some undesirable effects, and how do we mitigate them? California actually has laws on these models, like the OpenAI or Anthropic's models. Can they put some guardrails around what the developers are required to disclose when they are, you know, even developing these kind of models? There have been other, I think, disclosure laws from Texas has a responsible A.I. governance act.

So, what happens if you use A.I. for behavioral manipulation, for example? Do we regulate -- can we put some responsible guardrails? So, you know, there are lots of provisions that lots of -- the lawmakers across the U.S. at state level have definitely engaged deeply with this issue. So the question is what happens at the federal level? You know, and are we sort of -- are we in kind of a situation where we don't know the undesirable effects of technology before it's too late? That's the question that we have to deal with.

BLACKWELL: Certainly, some of these claims that the world is in peril. And this existential threat from A.I. and, of course, Matt Shumer's -- his write earlier this week getting so much attention. Anjana Susarla, thank you so much for helping us understand it and what's on the way.

All right. There's major backlash against the man chosen to lead the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

[06:25:01] The high stakes fallout for Casey Wasserman after being mentioned in the Epstein files.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Casey Wasserman, a prominent talent agent, is putting his agency up for sale. He's facing backlash over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. He faced pressure to step down in recent weeks after files released by the Department of Justice show that he had a more intimate relationship with Maxwell than was previously known. In an internal memo obtained by CNN, Wasserman said he is, quote, "become a distraction" to the company.

[06:30:00]

He announced the process of selling the company has started. Baseball season just around the corner and Tampa Bay Rays, the fans will officially be back inside St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field. This will be for the first time since it was heavily damaged during Hurricane Milton in 2024.

This morning. We've got new video from inside the field, have the crews replace the roof and gutted and repaired areas that were intruded by water. City officials say they're on track to host fans for the Rays home opener. That's on April 6th.

Overnight, a SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station. This mission comes a month after another crew was forced to make an early return because of a medical concern. Remember that one? Well, since then, the space station has been operating with just a skeleton crew of three people. The crew 12 mission is set to stay on board for roughly eight months.

Let's talk now about the search for Nancy Guthrie. It's in its third week. Still, no suspects and law enforcement operations have not yet yielded arrest. Even a federal warrant served Friday night. Many are wondering what this means for the investigation.

So here to provide some insight, former police captain from Galveston County, Texas, Josh Schirard. Thank you for being with me.

First, let's talk about this warrant, a federal warrant versus a state warrant. Is there anything you can glean from that? And is there really any investigative advantage that one gets from this being a federal warrant versus state warrant?

JOSH SCHIRARD, FMR POLICE CAPTAIN, GALVESTON COUNTY TX: Really, it comes down to what the warrant is going to allow. We still don't have a lot of details about exactly how this warrant came before a judge, exactly what was in that four corners of that paper that allowed police with local and federal officers to go in there and search or detain anyone. But generally dealing with federal warrants gives you a little bit more width and breadth as far as what you're kind of allowed to do.

So depending on what the warrant was for, what they're looking for, the charges can be a little bit more general. So, you have a little bit more leeway with how you're serving that warrant. Now, there are some restrictions generally with federal warrants that you don't see on the state side as far as service time and some other tactical considerations that you have to look at.

But really, they're very, very similar. It really just comes down to what's going to be actually stated in that warrant that hopefully we discover here in the coming days.

BLACKWELL: Josh, let's talk about this DNA that the sheriff told CNN that they have. It does not belong to Nancy Guthrie. It does not belong to anyone described as in her close circle of contacts.

How long would you expect them to be able to determine if this is relevant? And if this is not in a public database, then what?

SCHIRARD: So DNA is great, and it's been one of the, you know, best kind of technological advances in investigations over the modern policing era.

But the problem is that it's like you said here, 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.

Now, of course, everybody has seen how you can use genetic genealogy and some of those databases to really help pinpoint a suspect. But the larger issue with that is that many of those public databases aren't available for law enforcement to use. And then the ones that are, when you provide your sample to those databases, you have to opt in to allow law enforcement to use it.

So the genealogy side isn't quite as robust as we'd like it to be. But once again, we keep this in our back pocket. If we can identify a suspect, this could absolutely be the thing that takes them down.

BLACKWELL: Josh, I wonder if this is something you've dealt with in your work as a captain. The true crime bloggers who flood into an area and they think they're helping by keeping attention on something, analyzing what they learn from law enforcement.

Do they help? Are they a nuisance? What's the assessment of the flood of these true crime bloggers that we see going into Pima County?

SCHIRARD: You know, it's really a little column A and column B when it comes to that.

So sometimes they can divert resources in places where leads just aren't going to be nearly as fruitful or productive. But as we've seen in recent history, a lot of times they can provide insight that maybe the public wasn't thinking or they can kind of rehash some details. Look, there's very, very few cases where the police themselves and an investigator sitting behind a desk is the only one that solves it. [06:35:00]

We've seen it so many times where the public is the one to provide the tip, to provide the eyes on the scene, to put together some of those pieces for law enforcement. Over 20 years of law enforcement, the most powerful tool I had was my community and being able to leverage them to help us search, to help us put some of these puzzle pieces together.

So if they can go out there and do that, if they can provide the public with more insights and perspective to get them thinking, then that's great.

BLACKWELL: All right, Josh Schirard, thank you so much for your expertise and insight.

The Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on new detention centers by the end of this year. The administration wants to open massive immigration detention centers across several states, but the agency is facing pushback from lawmakers and local leaders.

CNN's Rafael Romo has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It appears the federal government plans to build detention centers for migrants on a massive scale in multiple states across the country over the next several months at a cost of tens of billions of dollars.

ROMO (voice-over): According to documents published on Thursday, the estimated total cost for the new detention center model is $38.3 billion designed strategically to increase bed capacity to 92,600 beds. That's because ICE expects an increase in enforcement operations and arrests in 2026. And the plan is to activate all facilities by November 30th.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement plan was referenced in a press release by New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte. One of the proposed sites for a detention center is in her state in the town of Merrimack.

The ICE plan also calls for what it calls the acquisition and renovation of eight large-scale detention centers and 16 processing sites, as well as the acquisition of 10 existing turnkey facilities where ICE ERO already operates.

One of the new detention centers is located here in Georgia. CNN has confirmed with officials in the town of Social Circle, population 5,000, located about 45 miles east of Atlanta, that a million square foot facility there has been purchased by ICE to be converted into a migrant detention center for as many as 10,000 people, possibly as early as April. According to a deed filed earlier this month and obtained by CNN, the Department of Homeland Security paid more than $128.6 million for the facility. That's more than four times more expensive than the building's last assessment value of $29.3 million in 2023.

ROMO: Social Circle officials told me they're very concerned about the impact this will have on their water and sewer systems that are already strained because the opening of the detention center means its population would effectively triple.

ERIC TAYLOR, MANAGER, SOCIAL CIRCLE, GEORGIA CITY: As I've stated multiple times over the last month, we only have a limited amount of water to draw from to begin with in a capacity infrastructure system that is already stretched to its capacity.

ROMO (voice-over): In response to ICE's plans to build two detention centers in Georgia, Senator Raphael Warnock filed an amendment to, quote, prohibit the use of federal funds for the acquisition, construction, renovation or expansion of ICE detention centers in both Social Circle and Oakwood, located about 48 miles northeast of Atlanta, a town that also has expressed its opposition to the plan.

ROMO: According to The Washington Post, in recent weeks, ICE has spent more than 690 million dollars acquiring at least eight industrial buildings in Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Raphael Romo, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Raph, thank you very much.

Next, President Obama does not hold back when asked about President Trump's post depicting him and the former first lady as apes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FMR PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: There's this sort of clown show that's happening in social media and on television.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, there's that what he calls a clown show also to the behavior seen in dictatorships.

We'll have more from President Obama in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:43:50]

BLACKWELL: Let's get you caught up on the top stories we're following now.

The next round of U.S.-Iran talks are set to kick off Tuesday in Geneva. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are both expected to attend.

On Friday, President Trump sounded pessimistic about the talks to reach a nuclear deal. He said that there's a lot of talk, but no action.

The Munich Security Conference wraps up today. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he spoke yesterday, and he struck a different tone than Vice President JD Vance's fiery address last year, but he did not back down from the Trump administration's demands that European countries must assume more responsibility for their own security.

And we're now in day two of this partial government shutdown. Lawmakers left town last week without a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, and they're not scheduled to return to Capitol Hill until February 23rd, though GOP leaders could still call members back if there is a deal.

Our congressional correspondent -- chief congressional correspondent, let's not forget that part, Manu Raju sat down with the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and he'll be here next hour to share some of that interview with us.

[06:45:00]

Major shakeup is happening at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sources tell CNN that two of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s top aides, they're headed for the exit. Now, the move is a part of the White House's plan to tighten its grip on health policy and messaging ahead of the midterms.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Changes are happening at federal health agencies. Two top aides to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are leaving the agency as part of a broader shakeup of top personnel.

We're hearing from sources that HHS Deputy Secretary and Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill will leave his role. He became deputy HHS secretary in June. And then in August, Kennedy named him acting director of the CDC. We're also hearing General Counsel Mike Stuart is leaving.

Now, these changes, they appear to be part of the White House's aim to take further control of daily operations, specifically health communications across the federal government. And these changes are happening at a time when public trust in health agencies is declining.

According to health policy research group KFF, fewer than half, 47 percent of the public say they trust the CDC at least a fair amount to provide reliable vaccine information. The restructuring happening also appears to be happening ahead of the midterm elections. The White House is preparing a midterm push that will rely heavily on promoting key health policies.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLACKWELL: Jacqueline Howard, thank you very much.

Former President Barack Obama. He sat down for a really wide-ranging interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen.

President Obama weighed in on the political discourse under the Trump administration and recent actions by ICE. And here's what he had to say when Cohen asked about the recent racist social media post by President Trump, depicting him and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Well, first of all, I think it's important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling.

You know, it is true that it gets attention. It's true that it's a distraction. But, you know, as I'm traveling around the country, as you're traveling around the country, you meet people. They still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And he went on to share his views on the recent ICE activity in Minnesota. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The way that federal agents, ICE agents were being deployed without any clear guidelines, training.

The sort of behavior that, you know, in the past we've seen in authoritarian countries and we've seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: He also mentioned the peaceful protests and the organizing in Minnesota and throughout the country against ICE. And he called it heroic.

Be sure to watch "STATE OF THE UNION" later this morning. Borders are Tom Homan, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. They'll join Jake Tapper. That's at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

All right. Winter Olympics up next. U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin, she competes for gold in the giant slalom.

And we'll get an update from Milan, next.

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[06:53:07]

BLACKWELL: Alpine icon Mikaela Shiffrin faces a high stakes return to the Olympic stage.

Shiffrin's history with the Games has been anything but smooth. From early glory securing gold in Sochi and PyeongChang to immense heartbreak in Beijing where she failed to medal.

Today's giant slalom is her first of two final chances to end in an eight-year podium drought.

CNN's Amanda Davies is joining us now from Milan.

She's done her first run. What do you know?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT (on-camera): Yes, I can tell you this morning. It is a really, really big day for Mikaela Shiffrin in Cortina. You know, she has been viewed by so many people as the best alpine skier in the world because of her record-breaking feats on the World Cup circuit. But it says so much about her talent doesn't it and the demands and skill that it's been seen as a disappointment that from her three Olympic Games up to this point, she's only taken two golds and silver, and those scenes that we saw in Beijing four years ago of her sitting on the side of the slope in tears were really, really tough to watch.

I mean she's talked very openly about how tough the last few years have been in terms of the psychology after those huge crashes and injuries. She and Breezy Johnson missed out on a medal earlier at this Games and the team combined. That was seen as a disappointment.

Her first run this morning I've got to tell you was not the best. It wasn't vintage Mikaela Shiffrin. She's over a second behind the leaders lying in seventh place. The second run gets underway in about 40 minutes time and it's Italy's Federica Brignone who won the Super G earlier this week who is currently in the lead.

[06:54:59]

Of course, it seems incredible to believe but it is a week ago today this morning we were speaking Victor just after those awful scenes of Lindsey Vonn's crash in the women's downhill. But the good news is we understand she has now left Italy in the last few hours, having been in hospital in Treviso all week.

She's on her way back to the United States. She revealed via social media yesterday that she's undergone four operations in the last week. She posted a video of what she says was her final ski in Cortina before the race. It was a beautiful video, a beautiful ski. Her message was, don't feel sad. The ride was worth the fall.

It's two golds in two for the USA's speed skating sensation Jordan Stolz, the first American since 1980, and Eric Heiden to win two golds in men's speed skating ahead of the 500 meters.

People were playing this one down a bit, saying for all his strengths, this wasn't his best event. But the 21-year-old did not care. A second event, a second Olympic record and second gold medal of the week for him. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORDAN STOLZ, 2-TIME GOLD MEDALIST: If I have a good 1500, it should turn out well. I'm hoping for gold in that. The mass starts just kind of toss up.

It's kind of more like a bonus. It's so hard to say, like, what's going to happen in that. But I would love to win the 1,500. And hopefully I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES (on-camera): Two down, potentially two to go. And later today, Erin Jackson in action, looking to successfully defend her gold from Beijing as well.

BLACKWELL: All right, Amanda Davies, thank you so much.

Coming up, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the Democrats will finish the redistricting war started by Republicans last year.

We have his predictions for the midterms.

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