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Cuban Forces Kill 4 on U.S.-Registered Boat Near Island's Coast; Today: Clintons Begin Depositions in Epstein Investigation; Anthropic Narrows A.I. Safety Policy Pledge. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 26, 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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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe not everyone all at once, but if mortgage rates edge down, there are plenty of renters ready to be minted as new New York City homeowners.

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Paula Newton, CNN, New York.

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

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, the gunfight between Cuban forces and a Florida speedboat. Is the U.S. on the brink of a new crisis with Cuba?

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MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're going to find out exactly what happened and who was involved. And then we'll make a determination on the basis of what we find out. And we are going to find out.

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CORNISH: Now, Havana says it killed four people trying to infiltrate the island. We're going to ask who they were.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be asking them names from the beginning. We've been asking them for names of people that engaged in the trafficking and the assault of minors.

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CORNISH: A landmark moment for the Epstein files. Bill and Hillary Clinton begin their closed-door testimony today.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not ready to give up our rights for peaceful use of nuclear technology. This is what we are, what we demand.

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CORNISH: Nuclear talks with Iran back underway right now. A last chance for diplomacy or prelude to a military strike?

And a deadline looms in the Pentagon's standoff with big tech. Should the military be able to use A.I. for mass surveillance of citizens?

CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

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RUBIO: Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It's not something that happens every day. It's something, frankly, that hasn't happened with Cuba in a very long time.

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CORNISH: That's the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, speaking just hours after this gun battle on the high seas.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. And I want to start there with Cuba.

The government says that four people were killed in the incident, were Cubans living in the U.S. Now, six others are in custody. They're being treated at a hospital on the island.

Havana says they were trying to infiltrate the island for terrorist purposes. The speedboat was registered in Florida. Cuba also claims that they found rifles, handguns, and -- and firebombs on board the boat after the firefight in Cuban waters.

And they say a passenger on the speedboat fired at them first.

We're going to turn now to Marc Caputo. He's a White House reporter for Axios. He's done a lot of reporting on the U.S. relationship with Cuba.

Thank you for being with us, Marc.

MARC CAPUTO, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, AXIOS: Thanks for having me.

CORNISH: So, we heard the secretary of state there say that they're going to want to know more.

CAPUTO: Sure.

CORNISH: They're going to do their own investigation. And there are survivors, so to speak, right, who reportedly are in a hospital. So, what can the U.S. do here? CAPUTO: That's a great question. What I think the U.S. is going to try

to do is conduct an investigation the way the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said.

And in the process of doing that, they're going to try to talk to these people.

And the question we're going to have is, will Cuba participate or allow the United States to have this investigation in Cuba itself? There's a possibility -- I can't assess the probability -- that the answer to that is going to be no. And if the answer to that winds up being no, we're going to be in the middle of a real tense situation.

Things are already difficult on the island. Obviously, the relationship of the United States and Cuba is incredibly hostile and has been for 67 years. The Cuban regime there -- it's a totalitarian surveillance state -- is really sucking wind, so to speak. That is, things are terrible on the island, in part because of the U.S. embargo and what they call a blockade, and in part because of communist mismanagement.

So, this is an inflection point that could become a very explosive situation, depending on how both sides handle it.

CORNISH: Right. You mentioned the embargo cutting off new shipments when it comes to oil. But I also as you mentioned this I'm thinking about the fact that Cuban intelligence has been involved in places like Venezuela. You called it a surveillance state.

Are we in a kind of spy-versus-spy situation here with the U.S. and Cuban relationship?

We have been for 67 years, a guy who made the spy versus spy comic was famously a Cuban, Prohias. So, that is part and parcel of the United States' tense and hostile relationship with Cuba.

The thing is, is Marco Rubio is the favorite son of the Miami exile -- Cuban exile community, and he is very much a Cuba expert. And certainly, I'm trying to choose my words carefully. A hardliner when it comes to Cuba policy.

Now, he is executing Donald Trump's policy and is interested in making a deal with the Cuban regime there to transition into more of a free market, more of a free society, free society; one where they have a free press and free elections. Those are the rules, the prongs of the U.S. embargo against Cuba.

That is, we'll lift it when they become a free society. And Rubio is very much interested in enforcing that. Just how that happens, we're not quite sure.

But what we do know is that this situation is sort of the -- one of those moments where the -- we could look back in history and say, OK, this is where a clear change is going to begin because of the way in which things unfold after this point. CORNISH: It will be interesting to learn more in the coming days, if

we do. Marco [SIC] -- Marc Caputo, thank you so much for being with us.

CAPUTO: Thanks, Audie. Appreciate you.

CORNISH: Now, coming up on CNN THIS MORNING: in the hot seat. Former first lady Hillary Clinton gets ready for a high-stakes closed-door deposition before House lawmakers today on Jeffrey Epstein.

Plus, a clash between the Pentagon and an A.I. firm. The ultimatum over A.I. safeguards facing Anthropic.

And Team USA's hockey captain speaks out about the president's controversial joke on the women's team.

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HILARY KNIGHT, TEAM CAPTAIN, U.S. WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM: I just thought the joke was distasteful. And unfortunate.

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CORNISH: The congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein is now focused on the Clintons. Hillary Clinton set to begin her testimony today in Chappaqua, New York. And former president Bill Clinton will answer questions tomorrow, according to a CNN review.

The former president traveled on Epstein's private plane at least 16 times. He is pictured in the Epstein files. He has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein.

As for the former secretary of state, she says she never met him.

Joining me in the group chat, Meghan Hays, former Biden White House director of message planning; Mike Dubke, former Trump White House communications director; and Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst and national political correspondent for Axios.

So, first, Alex, I just want to mention and show people the agreed- upon topics. This was a big negotiation going in, whether it would be public or not.

Apparently, they've agreed to topics related to the alleged mismanagement of the Epstein probe; the circumstances of his death; combating sex trafficking rings; how Epstein and Maxwell sought to curry favor; and potential violation of ethics rules.

Now, when I look through the Epstein files, it's grim. It's really grim. And I have to say, I have a way longer list of people I want to hear from. And the Clintons are not at the top of it. So, help me understand the thinking here. ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the thinking is very

political. Republicans on the Oversight Committee would like to deflect from the many Republicans that are in the files by choosing the -- two of the most high-profile Democrats.

Now, there are plenty of other Democrats in the files, too. We saw Larry Summers of Harvard just resign the other -- the other day.

Now, the other thing that is going on here is that Democrats, for the first time in decades, are no longer willing to take tough votes for the Clintons. You have to remember, it's not just Republicans that voted to bring the Clintons in. You had three Democrats vote to bring Hillary Clinton and nine Democrats vote to bring Bill Clinton in.

Now, the Clintons have said that their -- their interactions with Epstein were well before his first prosecution in 2009. But Bill Clinton did have a long-standing relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell. She also recently testified that she had dinner with Bill Clinton around 2016 to 2018.

And there's going to be some more probing of that, because she was very much involved with the creation of the Clinton Foundation.

CORNISH: Yes. Mike, it's interesting, because I remember Todd Blanche saying it's not a crime to party with Epstein. It's not a crime to do. Like, they've sort of set this up in this way that says, Look, there's only so much to do here. There's only so much to look for.

So, then, what does this accomplish, having the Clintons? And was it a big win for lawmakers to get them in a taped deposition instead of in public?

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, isn't the bipartisanship in D.C. just amazing? I mean, it's wonderful the Clintons have brought Democrats and Republicans together. Right?

That's the -- I think what Alex just pointed out is one of the biggest things here.

But in terms of bringing Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify, one, I can't for the life of me fathom why they also got special treatment of going up to Chappaqua. Like why Bill and Hillary Clinton didn't have to come down to D.C. like other individuals to testify is beyond me.

But I think it goes to the core root of the -- the fascination of the Epstein files for a lot of people, which is that these elite individuals, whether they be financial or political, get special treatment. And we're continuing to see that.

But if we get to the heart of why they're going to testify today and tomorrow -- Bill's going tomorrow -- it really does go around the formation of their Clinton Global Initiative. And this kind of reputation washing that the Epsteins -- Epstein and Maxwell -- participated in by, one, in the formation of CGI.

CORNISH: Yes. DUBKE: And then secondly, in the continued -- in the continued relationship Maxwell had with the Clintons.

CORNISH: I want to play something for you guys. This is Representative James Comer from the Oversight Committee. He was on FOX News, and he was explaining who they're going after and why.

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REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): Were going to bring Republicans in. We've deposed Alex Acosta and Bill Barr, both former cabinet secretaries in the Trump administration.

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I think that it's very likely to see a former person that was involved in -- in, you know, Republican circles in.

But the truth of the matter is, about 85 percent of the people that were prominent, who were involved with Epstein are, you know, Democrats.

CORNISH: Meghan, I'm sure you're hearing this a lot. What are you thinking as you hear him talk there?

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: I mean, this whole thing is a goat rodeo. This is ridiculous.

If they really cared about finding anything to do with these files and holding anyone accountable, they would have showed up at Les Wexner's deposition a couple of weeks ago. Zero Republicans showed up.

So, now, you're telling me that 59 people going up to Chappaqua to depose Secretary Clinton and former president Clinton is really worth the taxpayer dollars?

If every person is going to have to answer for their husband's interactions with someone that happened well before he was even -- his first conviction, before 2008, then why aren't we calling in Melania to answer for her relationship and her husband's dealings with Epstein?

I mean, this whole thing is just a political stunt and a joke.

And I mean give it to the Clintons for even sitting down for the deposition. I know that they have to legally.

But this whole thing is just such political theater. It's embarrassing. People should be held accountable. There are actual victims here that need answers.

CORNISH: OK, you guys stay with us. We've got a lot more to talk about this hour.

After the break on CNN, the FBI executes search warrants linked to L.A.'s school superintendent. What we're learning this morning about that investigation.

Plus, Trump's nominee for surgeon general grilled on Capitol Hill what the RFK Jr. ally said about her beliefs on vaccines.

And good morning, Philadelphia. A cold morning, 33 degrees facing the city.

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DARIO AMODEI, CEO, ANTHROPIC: The constitutional protections in our military structures depend on the idea that there are humans who would, we hope, disobey illegal orders. With fully autonomous weapons, we don't necessarily have those protections.

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CORNISH: That's the CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei. He's now facing a deadline from the Defense Department to ensure that the Pentagon gets a guardrail-free version of his company's A.I.

Anthropic has promoted itself as the most safety conscious company in the space, but the Defense Department is threatening to cut them off from a $200 million government contract if they don't comply.

So, I'm bringing in now Maria Curi. She's the tech policy reporter at Axios. You've been doing a lot of reporting on this. Thank you so much for being with us.

MARIA CURI, TECH POLICY REPORTER, AXIOS: Thanks for having me, Audie.

CORNISH: So, let's start with Anthropic, the CEO and what he considers red lines for his company's software.

CURI: So, the two red lines that Dario Amodei is really laying out here is the mass surveillance of Americans. And using his technology, his company's technology for autonomous weapons. That's, you know, autonomous weapons without a human in the loop.

CORNISH: So, basically, if there's going to be an unmanned drone swarm or something like that, he -- he says a human should always be involved in that decision making.

CURI: That's right. His argument is that the technology is not advanced enough yet for that to be done in a safe way, where there isn't potential friendly fire, or mission failure, or an unintentional escalation of a conflict.

CORNISH: So, the Pentagon has threatened to put the company, it says, they say that they're reviewing their relationship. They say, "Our nation requires that our partners be willing to help our warfighters win in any fight. Ultimately, this is about our troops and the safety of the American people." And they're threatening to blacklist them as a supply chain risk. What does that actually mean?

CURI: So, essentially what that means is that any company that is doing business with the Pentagon has to certify that they're no longer -- no longer doing business with Anthropic, which would be a huge blow for Anthropic, which is the world's, you know, leading enterprise software.

And so yesterday, we reported that the Pentagon has started the process, the first step of potentially blacklisting Anthropic later this week.

They reached out to Boeing. They reached out to Lockheed Martin for them to assess what their relationship with Anthropic is, exactly.

CORNISH: Now if I switch from, like, Windows to a Mac, I'm like having headaches. So, how deep is Claude in all of -- or Anthropic in the Defense Department infrastructure? And what would it actually mean to remove it?

CURI: It's deeply entrenched. It was, you know, the first company to offer the Pentagon its technology for classified use. It's the only technology that is being used for classified use.

It was used during the Maduro raid. And so, this is a technology that's not going to be easy to get rid of. And the Pentagon is, you know, saying that. They're admitting that it would be a huge pain to offboard Claude from all of its operations.

They have three other A.I. labs that they are working with right now. That's xAI, Google, and OpenAI. XAI has already signed a contract to do classified work with the Pentagon and adhere to their standard of all lawful use.

And, you know, Google and OpenAI are also accelerating those negotiations.

But you know, yesterday Jeff Dean, the chief scientist at Google, had a very interesting tweet saying, We also wouldn't be comfortable with mass surveillance. Now, that's different than the CEO of Google, but we'll be watching to see what all of these other companies do and their own red lines.

CORNISH: OK. Maria Curi, thanks so much.

CURI: Thank you.

CORNISH: And straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, nuclear talks begin in Geneva between the U.S. and Iran. The military options still on the table for the White House, if diplomacy fails.

Plus, this morning, memorial services begin in Chicago for the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

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CORNISH: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING. It's half past the hour. And here's what's happening right now.

The FBI serves search warrants at the home of the L.A. Unified School District superintendent and also at the school district's headquarters.

LAUSD says it is cooperating with the investigation and had no further information. The FBI says the reason for the search is now under seal.

Today, memorial services begin.