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Ex-Prince Andrew Arrested After Epstein Files Revelations; Immigration Agents Using Obscure Law to Detain U.S. Citizens; U.S. Women's Hockey Team Defeats Canada to Win 3rd Olympic Title. Aired 6- 6:30a ET

Aired February 20, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: -- life existing on other planets.

[06:00:03]

And after 25 years off the air, "Baywatch" is back. Thousands gathered on a beach near Los Angeles Wednesday for a chance to audition for a reboot of the TV show.

The original series ran for 11 seasons, centering on beach lifeguards facing high-stakes rescues. The show later became the most watched TV series in the world.

Producers say the revival will be on the same California beaches that made "Baywatch" famous. It is set to air later this year.

And that will do it for us here on EARLY START this week. I'm Rahel Solomon. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, former Prince Andrew arrested as the Epstein scandal rocks the British royal family. But will that same kind of accountability come to the U.S.?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S.. PRESIDENT: But I'm the one that can talk about it, because I've been totally exonerated. I did nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: This morning, the White House reaction to Andrew's arrest and the calls for justice here in the U.S.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not illegal to record.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what we're doing. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The law that the Department of Homeland Security is using as its newest tool for cracking down on protests.

Also --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDAN CARR, FCC COMMISSIONER: Every single broadcaster in this country has an obligation to be responsible for the programing that they choose to air.

STATE REP. JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): Born to a single mom. She was a preacher's daughter (ph) from Laredo, Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: ABC's "The View" is now on the FCC's radar. Is the daytime chat show skirting broadcast rules?

And a nail-biting finish for the U.S. women's hockey team, beating Team Canada and securing Olympic gold.

CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think it's a shame. I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad for the royal family. It's a very, very sad -- to me, it's a very sad thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The president, reacting to the news of former Prince Andrew's arrest in the U.K. He was photographed leaving police custody last night, and the investigation continues.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and right now we're tracking the latest on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest amid the fallout from the Epstein files.

So, the king's brother is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Previously, police had announced they were reviewing claims that Andrew had shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the U.K.'s special trade envoy.

Joining me now with the latest is CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. She's outside Buckingham Palace.

Good morning, Salma. Can you give us the update on what, actually, British police are up to today?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Audie. I really want to start with the reaction and the response, because

this is an arrest that absolutely stunned this country. One of the most powerful men in British society being arrested by plainclothes police officers on the morning of his birthday.

And it is, of course, as you would imagine, splattered all over the tabloids today. Look at the front page of "The Sun": "Now He Is Sweating." It is this image, the image of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the back of a vehicle, leaving a police station after 11 hours in custody, that has really captured the attention of this nation. "Downfall."

Every bit of this image has been dissected: the way his eyes look terrified, is how the tabloids described it. This color of his skin, ashen. Some said how haunted he looked, as it says in this paper. The way he's cowering: "Taxi for Andy." The way he's cowering in the back of that vehicle, appearing to hide from the cameras trying to get an image of him.

We don't really have mug shots in this country the way that we do in America, Audie. So, in many ways, this is the mug shot that people are looking at, and it is so astounding. A fall of grace, to see someone who is a member of the royal family almost treated like a common criminal, of course, Audie.

And yes, he did not spend the night in prison. Yes, he's been released for now. But his legal troubles are far from over. The investigation continues, with police today searching his former home, the royal lodge at Windsor.

Now, King Charles, of course, also at the center of the crisis, as is the monarchy. One could say this is the biggest challenge they have faced since the death of Princess Diana.

And it's not going away any time soon, as the police continues to dig deeper into the accusation of abuse of power.

And all of this, as you said, references that period between 2001 to 2011 when he was still a prince, and he was serving as a trade envoy for the U.K. And the accusation is, of course, that he passed on state secrets.

[06:05:01]

Now, he has denied any wrongdoing. He has not made any statements about these most recent allegations. But you can imagine that everyone is waiting for the police's next statement. Will he be charged is the question, Audie.

CORNISH: Salma, I want to add one more thing, which is the reaction from King Charles, just so people can sort of understand what he's saying here. Let me see if this is something that we can play. No.

He says, "As I've said before, the authorities have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course." This sense here that the royal family is pretty much saying now is the time for the former prince to face investigators.

ABDELAZIZ: It's not just that. It is absolutely the king saying, look, he is not above the law, even if he is my brother, even if he is the brother of King Charles.

But it is also an acknowledgment of some of the friction between the classes in this country. There's always been a bit of tension between the upper class and the working class in this country or the rest of this country.

And any time there is even the slightest sense that people are above the law, that people might be trying to get away with it, that people are relying on their positions of privilege to get out of things, there is anger, and there is resentment.

And that's why King Charles had to get ahead of it, because he relies on the public trust. The monarchy relies on not just the public trust, but public affection.

And so, it is very important for him to create that distance. It is very important for him to say, The law applies to my brother. It is very important for him to reiterate that concern that is being really echoed around this country.

There has been this long sense that Andrew has some questions to answer, if you will. And now is the time to answer them. And everyone in this country will want him to be treated just as any other citizen would.

Otherwise, you're looking at corruption. You're looking at abuse of power. That is why you have to follow the letter of the law here. And that is what the king has said. And that is what, of course, you've heard in Prince William and Kate's statement, as well, Audie.

CORNISH: Yes, it will be interesting to see what we hear in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Salma, thank you so much, live there from Buckingham Palace.

I want to turn now to the Trump administration's big issue here in the U.S.: its immigration crackdown. And they're using a federal law to detain American citizens. Its Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code.

So, let me translate. It says that it's a crime to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with a federal officer conducting official duties.

And it's being used by DHS to actually arrest protesters or monitors, those people you see out there blowing whistles, people you see out there recording the activities of ICE agents with their phones. These are all legal activities, but people are facing consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, man. Let me ask you a question. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop following us. Stop following us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, look, it's a free country. I can do what I want.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop following us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm not impeding you. No, I'm not impeding you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm citing you --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what? What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Interference.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How am I interfering? How?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- in the USC.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But no. How am I interfering? You can't describe it, can you? That's what I thought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: CNN review of federal court records finds that federal prosecutors in Minneapolis, Chicago, L.A., Portland, they've all been using this statute to charge about 12 times as many people in the first year of the Trump administration as they did during the last year of President Biden's term.

So, joining me now is John Pistole. He's the former deputy director of the FBI. Welcome back. Thanks for being with us.

JOHN PISTOLE, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FBI: Good morning.

CORNISH: So, we hear it over and over again, the administration saying that people are interfering with ICE operations by filming them, by following them, by creating this atmosphere. And therefore, they're within their rights to use this law to go after them.

Can you talk about that, first of all, just that argument?

PISTOLE: Well, sure, I'd be glad to, at least from my FBI experience. And I'm a recovering lawyer, so I haven't practiced law in a number of years.

But the whole idea that, as you mentioned in the preview, is that Title 18, Section 111 says forcibly in interfere or resist or things like that. So, to me, it becomes a question of discretion to the officers.

And then a key to the prosecutors, because it's one thing that an officer can arrest somebody. In their discretion, if they believe they are being impeded or things. But then, it's another thing that a person will actually be prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office, whether it's in Minnesota or Chicago or L.A., wherever it may be, where enforcement actions have taken place.

CORNISH: Well, yes --

PISTOLE: And so, it's that question: is the person forcibly interfering?

[06:10:04]

CORNISH: I want to underscore that. The key word here, from -- from my reading of even how it's covered in their handbooks, is force.

And one of the sections I noticed when I was reading into it, a threat uttered with the apparent present ability to execute it, or menacing gestures, or in hostile company, threatening surroundings may be considered sufficient force for a violation of the law.

So, is it a loophole, or is there actually something here that they can push forward with in the courts? So, that's question one.

But two, I've noticed they're not really pushing that hard once they get to court. So, do they have the confidence that they're meeting their threshold?

PISTOLE: Yes, I think that's a great point, Audie, because a number of the cases have been dismissed or reduced to -- to misdemeanor charges or just a fine, a penalty, as opposed to any criminal charges. And so, I think that's indicative of where the country is.

With the U.S. attorneys' offices, which are obviously administration -- part of the administration -- not finding sufficient either resources or cause to -- to move forward with the criminal prosecutions. They're not priority -- high-priority cases.

And so, you have that balance between individuals exercising their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech versus the government's concern over somebody impeding their investigation.

It's hard to see how somebody following an officer who's driving away, how -- how that is impeding their investigation. So, it's -- it's one of those case-by-case assessments that comes down to what's the final outcome?

And I think the precedence here is that most of these cases will not result in a successful prosecution for the government.

CORNISH: Is the point of this, then, the threat itself? Meaning there's really no intention to go after all these people. But if you threaten enough of them, if you have officers who look at them and say, listen, here's how you're going to get in trouble, it will deter protests. Is that the actual goal?

PISTOLE; Well, that -- that's obviously one of the interpretations. I would be surprised if there is a memo saying this is the course of action we should be taking to intimidate protesters, because that's clearly a violation of the First Amendment. So, that's something that I think it's just, perhaps, on the scene

where, perhaps a supervisor or somebody is saying, let's invoke this statute, perhaps, as a way of dispersing or limiting the peaceful protests. And that's part of the big question: Is it peaceful? From whose perspective?

Obviously, the protesters -- and there's risk there, as we unfortunately, have seen that what might be seen as a peaceful protest is somebody trying to drive away, like Renee Good trying to drive away. Or is she trying to injure, assault on a federal officer?

And so, that's that question of what are the circumstances in this specific case? And how does the U.S. attorney's office and the judge, if it goes to a trial or something, how do they interpret that?

And I don't think we will see a large number of people successfully prosecuted under this statute.

CORNISH: It will be interesting to see if we do see some people sue. John Pistole, thanks so much for being here.

PISTOLE: Thank you, Audie.

CORNISH: Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, does the search for Nancy Guthrie go South of the border? What officials say about the possibility of her having been taken to Mexico.

Plus, President Trump couldn't get his name on Dulles International Airport. Lawmakers made it possible to name another airport after him.

And the tributes are pouring in after "Grey's Anatomy" actor Eric Dane lost his battle with ALS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC DANE, ACTOR, "GREY'S ANATOMY": The Dirty Mistresses Club has rules? Gosh, you'd think a bunch of dirty mistresses would be a little less uptight about things like rules.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:18:26]

CORNISH: It's almost 17 minutes past the hour. Here are five things to know to get your day going.

Officials in Mexico say there are no signs Nancy Guthrie is there. The announcement follows their briefing with the FBI.

Now, the bureau previously briefed authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to be on the lookout for any clues in the 84-year- old's disappearance.

Guthrie was last seen on January 31st, before she was apparently kidnapped.

And President Trump urging Iran to make a nuclear deal while both sides prepare for potential military action. Sources say the U.S. is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend. But the president has not given the green light.

Trump says he'll make a decision in 10 to 15 days.

And the president told world leaders his Board of Peace will be looking over the U.N. to make sure it runs properly. He said the U.S. will contribute $10 million for the board to resolve global conflicts, starting with the mission to rebuild war-torn Gaza.

And lawmakers in Florida have voted to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Trump. The measure passed just days after the president applied for a trademark.

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization says it will not profit from renaming the airport.

And Eric Dane, the actor who steamed up prime time TV on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria," he has died. Dane announced he was living with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. This was just last year.

He leaves behind a wife and two daughters. Eric Dane was 53.

[06:20:02]

And after the break on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about Team USA, back on the podium, this time in women's figure skating, as Alysa Liu takes the gold.

Plus, a gold medal thriller on the ice for the U.S. women's hockey team.

In the meantime, a live look at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where thousands gathered for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan. A powerful display of devotion as the holy month begins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice move. Gets to the net. Score! Megan Keller, the overtime hero. The United States wins gold in Milan!

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CORNISH: A game for the record books. Team USA dethroning Canada to win Olympic gold in an overtime thriller. It's now the third gold medal for the women's hockey team.

[06:25:04]

And the game was filled with, like, a ton of history-making moments. And so, we are bringing in from Milan, Helene St. James, Red Wings writer for "The Detroit Free Press."

So, first of all, you had a great night, right? Like, this was an awesome thing to witness, I assume?

HELENE ST. JAMES, RED WINGS WRITER, "THE DETROIT FREE PRESS": It has been a phenomenal couple of days here. I mean, three overtime quarterfinals for the men, and then both the bronze medal and the gold medal game for the women. Just absolutely phenomenal.

And you know, how happy are you, if you're the Boston Fleet. Both of your players, Alina Muller and Megan Keller, clinch medals respectively for Switzerland and the USA.

So, it's just been absolutely phenomenal.

CORNISH: And just to give people the context here of this history. All the different matchups, they're constantly playing each other. And it feels very high-stakes between the U.S. and Canada.

I don't know if that was sort of heightened by the politics of the last year. There's been a lot of, like, weird booing at hockey games between Canada and the U.S.

But it feels like the women's game, in particular, people were really focused on the players. For example, as you mentioned Hilary Knight or of course, Laila.

ST. JAMES: Yes, absolutely. And I think the USA women really hit the right tone at the start of the tournament when they said, we're here to represent the best of America. And, you know, that turns out to be a gold medal.

I mean Laila Edwards, first black woman to win a gold medal with USA hockey, you know, 22 years old. I mean, she's -- how inspirational is that?

Hilary Knight, you know, it's probably almost certainly her last Olympics. Although I think when you play in one like this, maybe you think, oh, I can go four more years to age 40. Just absolutely so many phenomenal stories.

And what a thriller. I mean, there's two minutes left. Canada is leading. You're sitting there. I don't know whose heart wasn't beating a little extra, just watching that.

CORNISH: We know there's a lot of NHL players on the men's side. Can you talk about, like, what is the future for a gold medal-winning women -- woman in hockey? Sort of what are the things that they can do to further this career, or not?

ST. JAMES: Well, that's where the Professional Women's Hockey League is really, you know, gaining so much in strides and such, and gaining great publicity.

And, you know, having so many women over here, I think, is going to be inspirational and, hopefully, grow the game outside of states like Michigan and Minnesota and Massachusetts and such, where, you know, maybe you see more programs there because it's -- those are hockey states.

And hopefully, you know, there are girls now across North America who think, Hey, I want to be -- I want to have, you know, a Megan Keller moment, a Hilary Knight moment.

CORNISH: What are you looking forward to in the men's game? I know they're going to be focusing. They're going to be facing Slovakia today in the semifinals. Can you talk about the matchup?

ST. JAMES: Yes. You know, I think now Canada is playing Finland in the earlier game. Everybody who loves hockey all along has wanted to see Canada and U.S. play on Sunday in the gold medal game.

And both should. I mean. both are strongly favored to win.

The U.S., I think got a great test in their quarterfinal against Sweden, because they really had just been scoring fairly easily through their preliminary round.

And Sweden, you know, again, that was, you know, U.S. only had one goal until the last few minutes. And then they needed overtime to -- to win.

So, I think that was a very good test for them. They had to show some resilience. They had to show some mental toughness and not, you know, kind of buckle because there were 2 minutes or 91 seconds away from winning in regulation. And then Sweden ties it up.

So, both should be just excellent, excellent games. Finland's very good. Slovakia, I mean, they have so much pluck on their team. Like, you know, you kind of -- you know, they're -- they're a great, great underdog story.

CORNISH: OK. Well, we're going to be watching with you, Helene. Thanks so much.

ST. JAMES: Absolutely. Anytime.

CORNISH: And straight ahead on CNN, we're going to be talking about the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and how they are reacting to the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the U.K.

Plus, the FCC going beyond late-night TV to enforce the new equal time rule.

And a programing note: tomorrow there's going to be a special CNN and variety town hall event. Timothee Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey talk craft and career. That begins at 7 on CNN and, of course, on the CNN app.

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