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U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Underway; Bobby Ghosh is Interviewed about the U.S.-Iran Talks; Trump's Surgeon General Pick; Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins is Interviewed about a Strike By Cuban Forces; White House Declares War on Fraud. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired February 26, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is cooperating with the investigation and had no further information. The FBI says the reason for the searches now under seal.

Today, memorial services begin for the pioneering civil rights leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Jackson's casket will arrive at the Rainbow Push headquarters in Chicago this morning. He will lie in repose today and tomorrow as part of a public celebration of his life.

And the captain of the U.S. women's gold medal winning hockey team, not impressed by President Trumps invite to the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY KNIGHT, U.S. WOMEN'S HOCKEY CAPTAIN: I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate. And I think, you know, just the way women are represented, it's a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats. And now I have to sort of sit -- and anybody has to sit in front of you and explain someone else's behavior. It's not my responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The president invited the women's team after his locker room call to the men's hockey team. The president told the men that if the women were not invited he'd probably be impeached.

Nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran underway right now in Geneva. This third round of negotiations is widely viewed as a last chance for diplomacy because the Trump administration has assembled a fleet of warships in the Middle East to pressure Tehran into a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: After their nuclear program was obliterated, they were told not to try to restart it. And here they are. You can see them, always trying to rebuild elements of it.

Iran possesses a very large number of ballistic missiles, particularly short-range ballistic missiles that threaten the United States and our bases in the region and our partners in the region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: We're going to go live to Geneva with CNN's Fred Pleitgen.

And, Fred, can you just start by giving us a sense of the agenda for these talks? What's the focus?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Audie.

Well, the talks have been going for -- on for, I would say, about two and a half, maybe three hours now, which is about the time that the American delegation said that these talks would go on for. And as far as the agenda is concerned, the two sides are talking about a proposal that was put forward by the Iranians. Now, what the U.S. wants out of this proposal, what the U.S. wants from the Iranians is essential for Iran to never build a nuclear weapon. The Iranians are saying they don't want to do that anyway. But the U.S. also wants what it calls zero enrichment. So, for the Iranians to completely give up their enrichment of uranium.

Now, that's where the Iranians are saying they draw a red line. They say that they have an inherent right to nuclear enrichment, and it's something that they are going to maintain in the future. It's one of the really main points for the two sides that they're going to be and are discussing here at these negotiations. And the big question is whether or not and how the two sides are going to be able to bridge that gap.

There certainly have been some ideas that have been on the table. Of course, this is the second meeting between Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and on the other side, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. And they've sort of already told each other where their red lines are, where they think that progress can be made. So now they're talking about some of the details and to see whether or not they're able to make a breakthrough or get a breakthrough to where a deal seems within reach.

What we're talking about now in this Iranian proposal is the sort of foundation for what could be a text for an agreement between the United States and Iran. At the same time, the U.S. obviously says, and you just mentioned it, that President Trump has assembled that massive fleet in the Middle East and says essentially his finger is on the trigger, the U.S. able to strike and capable of striking at any time. The Iranians, for their part, are saying that if that happens, their retaliation will be massive. And, of course, that would also mean a lot of problems for the greater middle eastern region. The U.S., of course, does have a lot of bases in the greater middle eastern region.

So, both the Trump administration and the Iranians are saying essentially, they want diplomacy to prevail. But certainly, right now, it seems as though all of that is quite difficult. At the same time, the Iranians are also saying that if they enter into a deal with the United States, they also want sanctions relief to try and get their economy back off the ground, because right now it's in a lot of trouble, Audie.

CORNISH: OK, Fred Pleitgen at those talks in Geneva.

I want to turn now to columnist and geopolitics analyst Bobby Ghosh.

Bobby, I wanted to talk to you because you have this excellent essay. The title is "Why Tehran Doesn't Capitulate. Trump is Puzzled by Iran's Defiance."

Why are they defiant?

BOBBY GHOSH, COLUMNIST AND GEOPOLITICS ANALYST: Well, it's in the nature of authoritarian, militarized regimes, Audie, to sort of creep up --

CORNISH: But they were strikes, right, like on their nuclear facilities. So, you're dealing with strikes. You're dealing with protests in the streets.

GHOSH: Yes.

CORNISH: Are they negotiating from a position of power?

GHOSH: They don't have to negotiate from a position of power. What the interest of the Iranian leaders is not the interest of Iran as a country or the Iranian people. That's not what they care about.

What they care about is preserving their own positions of power.

[06:35:02]

And they've managed to successfully do that since 1979. They went through a war with Iran -- with Iraq. They've gone through all kinds of upheaval. The United States and Israel have bombed their territory. They're still there. It does not matter to the people right at the top of the regime what the outcome is of military strikes, as long as they get to keep their places.

We have to understand, Iran is a country. These sanctions that Fred mentioned, Iran, as a country, has suffered enormously from these sanctions. The Iranian economy is in the shambles.

CORNISH: Yes.

GHOSH: The currency is in ruins. And yet, if you think of the top leadership in Iran, they are sitting pretty. They've got enormous wealth. They've essentially stolen from the -- from the country. The son of the supreme leader of Iran, "Bloomberg" just recently did this very long and detailed investigation showing that he has enormous real estate all over the world, in London and in Dubai and in places like that. So, they've insulated -- the leadership has insulated themselves from any of the suffering that their people face.

CORNISH: Yes. Bobby, let me jump in here.

GHOSH: Their main interest is to say in power. CORNISH: Yes.

GHOSH: Yes.

CORNISH: I want to follow up on this. I think we're getting to the same point, actually. I want people to hear the minister of foreign affairs from -- of Iran who has been speaking on the eve of these talks. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I think a fair, balanced and equitable deal is achievable, but we are not ready to give up our right for peaceful use of nuclear technology. This is what we are -- what we demand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I wanted to play that because the -- they're doing the talk of towards a deal.

GHOSH: Yes.

CORNISH: And to you, do you think that there is an actual path, even if it looks a little like the paths we've seen in the past, the Obama era deal and things like that?

GHOSH: Well, there is a path. The path is basically the -- has to be somewhere in the middle of the maximalist demands on both sides. Now, Iran says it has a right to nuclear technology. Technically that is true, but Iran is not a normal country. It does not have a normal government. And so there's a question to be asked about whether what applies to other countries should apply to Iran.

But the truth is, they already have created a lot of nuclear material. They already have the know how to do that. They can restart that program further down the line at any time. And that's something that any American administration, not just this one, has to take on board and has to be concerned about.

But the fact remains that Iran does have enormous potential to do damage, even without a nuclear weapon or a nuclear program. And the region, the countries around Iran, are concerned about that. They would like there to be a diplomatic outcome.

If this is -- we've seen this movie before, Audie.

CORNISH: Yes.

GHOSH: We saw this during the negotiations with the Obama administration. Both sides start with these maximalist positions, saying no nuclear program at one end and, yes, nuclear program at the other end. In the end, what they come to is they allow for the -- what the 2015 program -- sorry, 2015 agreement allowed for is some enrichment, some sort of nuclear program, but with very, very strong and clear verification systems in place. So, if you're going to have a nuclear program, then the world needs to be -- it needs to -- it can't be in secret.

CORNISH: Yes.

GHOSH: It can't be in bunkers deep under the ground where people are not allowed. People must be allowed to see what you're doing and make sure that you're not cheating. Iran has repeatedly been caught cheating on its commitments in all kinds of areas, and not just in the nuclear file, all over, in all kinds of places. And so that's something that everybody needs to be clear about.

And I think in the end, if there is a nuclear deal, it will look not a great deal different from the one that the Obama administration managed to get in 2015. It was not a perfect deal. I, at the time, criticized it. It was not a perfect deal. But it was the deal that was agreed to. The United States agreed to. Once you agreed to a deal, you're kind of bound to keep your word.

CORNISH: Yes. Well, we'll see. With this administration, obviously, they're lining up very different than the Obama administration. And we've got those warships in the region.

So, Bobby Ghosh, thank you so much.

GHOSH: Any time, Audie.

CORNISH: Now, the president -- thank you.

President Trump's pick to become the nation's doctor, facing questions over her background and her stance on vaccines. This is Dr. Casey Means, the Trump administration's choice for U.S. surgeon general. Means does not hold an active medical license or -- nor has she finished her residency. But she is a staunch ally of the health secretary, RFK Jr., who has pushed for changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): Do you believe that there's no evidence that there's -- the flu vaccine has efficacy in reducing serious injury or hospitalization?

[06:40:00]

DR. CASEY MEANS, SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE: I -- I want to be careful with --

KAINE: This is an easy one, Doctor. This is an easy one.

MEANS: I support the CDC's guidance on the flu vaccine, and I will always be working with the CDC, ACIP, and the agency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back.

So, that was Means speaking before Congress. I want to play for you something else. Means was on Joe Rogan's podcast. This was in 2024. And was sort of talking about similar issues. And here's how she talked about it before that audience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CASEY MEANS, SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE (October 8, 2024): I bet that one vaccine probably isn't causing autism, but what about the 20 that they're getting before 18 months

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I play that because this has been in particular an issue, right, Alex, the childhood vaccine schedule? So. talk about why people think going after her is like taking another bite out of that apple, right, since they already -- RFK's already in place, the CDC has already started to make changes.

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, but she needs to be confirmed for surgeon general in order for RFK Jr. to further enact his agenda. I'd also say she may be the first surgeon general ever to, in her confirmation hearings, say that, you know, she has previously done mushrooms. But I'd also just add that, this is part of a larger backlash in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. That has been very clear on the -- on the right wing that they feel the medical establishment failed. And you are seeing a huge backlash to vaccines, not just in the government, but among voters as well.

In addition to that, you also saw a little bit of bipartisan nature yesterday when she agreed with Bernie Sanders to ban advertising for junk food.

CORNISH: I like that you bring that up because I feel like one aspect of the MAHA movement is it does cross political lines. It's -- I wouldn't say it's an uneasy relationship, but it has not been the easiest right now. This happened just this week, Trump signed an executive order which basically allows for certain herbicides that are found in Roundup, for example. And this is something that people in this movement are worried about, right? This is something they're upset about.

I want to play for you Zen Honeycutt, a well-known voice in this movement from Moms Across America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZEN HONEYCUTT, FOUNDER, MOMS ACROSS AMERICA: I was actually sick to my stomach when I saw this executive order. It was basically a love letter to glyphosate.

To see this administration come out with declaring glyphosate a national security asset was mind boggling. And I have to tell you, it has caused the biggest uproar in MAHA or in all of the activism that I've been doing over the past 13 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORNISH: Mike, can you talk about that, that sort of sense of, like,

you know, once you've embraced a movement, they are going to keep on you about the things they care about.

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: No, and I think you were -- I think you were too kind. It created a level of outrage in the MAHA movement and it's a balance that the administration is going to have to walk. And they are continuing to walk.

But getting back to the -- to the surgeon general candidate, I don't -- I don't necessarily have a problem that we've got a wellness professional who is being nominated for this -- for this position. We're not talking about her positions on mental health. She thinks it's a terrible plague on the United States. There are other things that the surgeon general can advocate for. And yesterday, with all of the senators just wanting to talk about vaccines, but not the whole breadth of health issues, I thought was a missed opportunity for a lot of them.

CORNISH: Yes, though they did ask about other things. I was interested in her answers about birth control, which she again leaned into the idea that there are a lot of side effects that people should be concerned about, despite whatever the settled science is.

Meghan, for you, when you look at the focus on Casey Means, is this an opportunity for Democrats that they missed with the prior confirmations around health officials?

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: I don't think Democrats missed that opportunity. I think they made their stances clear when RFK was up. But I think that this is also, for Senator Cassidy, someone who is a doctor and is -- was outraged again when Secretary Kennedy did some things that he was not happy with, especially around vaccines. I think the issue is, why they're making vaccines the issue is because it's creating distrust in science, and it's creating distrust in our government organizations.

And I understand Alex's point about Covid, but there are a lot of vaccines that are extremely effective and extremely useful. We've seen an outbreak in measles. We've seen children die. So, I don't -- this is -- these are real serious issues. So, I commend them for going at her. And I also think that we do need qualified people. And she does not seem qualified to hold this position.

CORNISH: Yes. And, interestingly enough, when I think back on surgeon generals past, it can be a job that is oddly controversial, if people want to go down that rabbit hole and Google for a bit.

If you missed any of that conversation, if you want to catch up on the show, or, more importantly, share and review it, we are a podcast. So, scan the QR code now to find it.

[06:45:03]

All right, coming up on CNN, the conflict off the Cuban coast. The Cuban government killing four people in a U.S. registered speedboat.

Plus, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We shouldn't be sending money to fraudsters. We should not be sending money to companies that are committing mass fraud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The White House's war on fraud, from Minnesota to wheelchairs and walkers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, I'm not going to speculate on what the U.S. will do. I'm going to -- what I'm telling you is that 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. But we're not going to just take what somebody else tells us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:50:05]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. hopes to do its own investigation into the speedboat gun battle off the coast of Cuba. Havana says someone aboard a boat registered to Florida opened fire on the Cuban coast guard in Cuban waters. Ten people on that boat, four killed by the gunfire. Cuba claims that those people were trying to infiltrate the island and that they had weapons on board.

Congressman Carlos Gimenez, who represents part of Miami, is casting doubt on that version of events. In a statement he says, quote, "I am calling for an immediate investigation into this massacre. The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity."

Joining me now for more, Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins.

Mayor Higgins, thank you for being with us.

And I want to start with this incident, which we're still learning about. What have you learned about this boat, who these people might be, and are you in touch with the federal government about it?

MAYOR EILEEN HIGGINS (D), MIAMI: This is a terrible incident, right? Four people have lost their lives and six, I believe, are dreadfully injured. The only side of the story is the story that we have from the Cuban regime, which has absolutely no track record of transparency. I think, as you heard from our congressman, Carlos Gimenez, our secretary of state, Marco Rubio, an independent investigation absolutely, positively must occur. We need to know what's happened. And certainly the families of the victims need to know what's happened.

We have negotiations possibly going on with Cuba, and this sort of an incident really raises questions as to their intentions.

CORNISH: So, just quick question, are you saying you're in touch with those families or you know the families of those who were injured?

HIGGINS: No, ma'am. No.

CORNISH: OK.

HIGGINS: No. No. But I -- we know there are four people killed and six injured. And they have family members. And we have got to know what happened from an international perspective and a diplomacy perspective. But we also have to have an investigation that gives closure to the families of those affected.

CORNISH: So, the U.S. of course, is putting pressure on the Cuban government with this blockade. You have Canada actually planning to assist Cuba, saying that there's a threat of a humanitarian crisis. Do you anticipate maybe a new migration surge? Do you think Cubans will try to leave under this pressure and come to places like Miami?

HIGGINS: Cubans have always found a home here in Miami, and we are always worried about the repression that goes on, on the island, the mistreatment of people on the island, the lack of freedom, the lack of resources. And, of course, we are always prepared should that happen. Right now, we are not seeing any such thing going on, but that does not mean we do not need a clear investigation about just what happened yesterday that resulted in the deaths of individuals on a vessel that was registered in the state of Florida.

CORNISH: I want to turn to something else related, though, about migration. Obviously, the administration has a far tougher immigration policy around refugees, asylum, all of that. I know that when you were running for office you were talking about what it would mean to comply with ICE. And you've tried to make some changes so that the city wouldn't comply, quote, be a -- "not a centimeter beyond what is legally required." So, does that mean that you want -- like are there specific changes? For instance, the issue of the judicial warrant versus administrative warrant? Are you actually trying to dial back some cooperation?

HIGGINS: The laws are very clear here in the state of Florida. And as a local government official, and a local government, the city of Miami is going to comply with the laws. I think we have seen, day after day, that ICE going too far. And we would like them to be better trained, use more restraint and provide due process for people.

But in our community, something is affecting our immigrant population more than that. And that is the elimination of temporary protected status. For example, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans lost access to TPS. Those were people who have lived here for many years. They have families. They own homes. Many have already been deported. Others are in hiding. That affects family structure, and importantly for south Florida, it also affects our economy.

Right now Haitian residents with TPS were scheduled to lose temporary protected status on February 3rd.

[06:55:05]

That is in court. We are very, very worried about that. Twenty percent of Haitians with temporary protected status work in our health care industry. So, they are nurses, physicians, assistants, home health aide.

CORNISH: Yes.

HIGGINS: And we're very, very worried. It's bad for the economy to have these overly, overly aggressive immigration tactics.

CORNISH: OK, Mayor Eileen Higgins, two months into the job. We hope we can check back with you soon.

HIGGINS: Of course. Thank you very much, Audie.

CORNISH: In the meantime, the White House declaring a war on fraud. Among the first targets, Minnesota, halting more than $250 million in Medicaid payments to that state, claiming a misuse of public funds. It's important to note, the DOJ has investigated and prosecuted dozens as part of this alleged fraud starting under the Biden administration.

Vice President J.D. Vance is in charge of this new effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On the question of the legal authorities inherent in Congress' assigning of the administration, actually, you know, we're the ones who spent this money. Congress appropriates it. We're the ones who actually makes sure this goes to the people it ought to go to. And inherent in that is making sure that it only goes to the people that Congress says that it should go to. We shouldn't be sending money to fraudsters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Group chat is back.

So, I wasn't sure what they meant by fraud, how broad it is. Jokingly, Pete Buttigieg, of course Democrat, was posting online with a list of all the headlines of various sort of fraud incidents from the Trump administration, but that's not what they're going to be looking at. It's not crypto. It's not pardons. There's nothing like that.

Here's Mehmet Oz talking about some of the actions they're taking in the context of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEHMET OZ, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR: We're announcing a six month national moratorium, a national moratorium, blocking all new enrollments for durable medical equipment, prosthesis, orthotics supplies across the board.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: There is incidence of fraud in this area.

Mike, do they risk, you know, upsetting the world of people who use some of these resources? Never mind the states, but like the people who need the walker, the people who need whatever it is?

DUBKE: Well, isn't that the -- I mean that is the long term question here when you're -- when you're talking about waste, fraud and abuse. At some point, what do you do in order to attack that? Do you take -- do you put a stop to the system? Do you take a look? Do you determine where the waste, fraud and abuse is and then you move on?

Now, some people are going to suffer during that, but if you believe that there is this waste, fraud and abuse, you do that. So, I think, Audie, to that question is, if you think there's a problem here, take a look at it. And Minnesota's been identified as a problem state when it comes to fraud.

CORNISH: Let me jump in because the governor, of course, Tim Walz, has been sort of on his back foot talking about this. But he talks about this issue, saying that this overall effort, this fraud czar, et cetera, has nothing to do with fraud. He said online, "this is a campaign of retribution. Trump is weaponizing the entirety of the federal government to punish blue states like Minnesota."

Alex, can you talk about that? Because, I have to admit, I don't think I'm (ph) holding my breath that they'll be going after red states as well, but I may be misguided.

THOMPSON: I mean that is going to be a key question. And, you know, J.D. Vance, if he investigates states like Pennsylvania, like Michigan, those states are led by potential 2028 rivals. So, you could end up seeing the politicization or the further politicization of the federal government against some of these states. But if there is waste, fraud and abuse, I have a feeling that it's not just in the blue states. And so we're going to find out how good faith this effort is if J.D. Vance actually takes steps to really investigate in red states as well.

CORNISH: And quickly, Meghan, is that the point? I mean J.D. Vance gets to have this very political conversation, score points against these various Democrats, but can they fight back? Are they going to raise their profile by fighting back?

HAYS: Yes, absolutely. But I think that what J.D. Vance is missing here is that there are people who live in these states who vote Republican. They have family members who live in other states that also vote Republican. Democrats are not the only people who use these services. So, I mean, yes, there should be an investigation into fraud. Absolutely. But you are punishing actual voters and actual people here that there are consequences to. And I think that that is -- the humanity here, I think, is missing. And it just seems a lot like they're just giving J.D. Vance something to do, because he hasn't been doing a lot. So.

CORNISH: Let me let Mike have the last word then. Does -- I mean, J.D. Vance isn't at the Geneva talks, right? He's not talking about Cuba. He's not been at the forefront of these other things. So, what do you think this does for him?

DUBKE: Well, look, it does raise his profile. This is going to be, I'm sure, a part of the Republican -- the unified Republican message going into the midterm elections about waste, fraud and abuse. So, yes, it gives him something to do. But, you know, vice presidents always need to be given something to do.

[07:00:01]

CORNISH: OK. Well, this one certainly wants to be busy. We're going to see where this goes.

I want to thank you guys for chatting with me this morning. I really appreciate it. Please stick around for the headlines. There's a lot going on. That incident off the Florida coast with the deaths of people in a Florida registered boat.

I'm Audie Cornish, and that headline and others is coming up next.