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Former President Clinton to Be Deposed Today on Jeffrey Epstein; WBD Deems Paramount Offer 'Superior,' Netflix Drops Out; U.S. Citizen Among People Killed in Speedboat Shootout in Cuban Waters. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 27, 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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CAROLINE HARVEY, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Really achieve whatever you put your mind to.

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[06:00:04]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Congrats. We are so inspired.

And ooh-la-la. Judges in Paris were slicing, smelling, and sampling baguettes at this year's annual Grand Prix de la Baguettes on Thursday.

And bakers entered more than 140 of the loaves made with just flour, water, salt, and yeast. So simple but, oh so good. When a baguette is baked this way in France, it's called a tradition, and it's widely favored over mass-produced breads.

The winner of the contest received $4,700. Eat up.

Thanks so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, a former president of the United States will be questioned under oath about Jeffrey Epstein just hours after his wife did the same.

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HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I never met Jeffrey Epstein, never had any connection or communication with him.

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CORNISH: Could this set a dangerous precedent for Republicans and Donald Trump?

And the military briefs President Trump on options for Iran just hours after positive nuclear talks. And yet, is a U.S. strike now all but inevitable? And the end of an epic bidding battle for some of the biggest names in

media. Why Netflix walked away, letting Paramount grab Warner Bros..

And the mess in Texas. Amid the money and the mudslinging, both parties worried the candidate who wins Tuesday might not give them the best shot in November.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said that she was a senator and you would have to ask her husband that tomorrow. So, we have a lot of questions for her husband.

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CORNISH: Hillary Clinton has spoken. Today, it is her husband's turn. Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. And the former first lady says that she told lawmakers what she's been saying all along.

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CLINTON: I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices. So, it's on the record numerous times.

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CORNISH: Now the committee sets its sights on her husband, who we know appears in several photos with Epstein. He has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in connection with the convicted sex offender.

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REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): We agree that anyone that spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, of which the former president did, should be in front of the committee. But that also means that we should be deposing Howard Lutnick. That also means that President Trump should be in front of our committee.

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CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Noel King, co-host and editorial director of the "Today, Explained" podcast; Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist and former senior advisor to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns; and Rob Bluey, president and executive editor at "The Daily Signal."

Now, we know people were very excited to have the Clintons in this deposition, because one of them leaked a photo of it in the middle.

NOEL KING, CO-HOST/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "TODAY, EXPLAINED": Exactly.

CORNISH: Pretty much against the rules. So right away, someone had their phone out taking a picture. Don't be that person. But in the meantime, I want to play for you one more thing, which is

how Clinton described some of the questions she was getting. And I want to get the whole group, your take on this.

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CLINTON: It then got, at the end, quite unusual, because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate. One of the most vile bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the Internet, that was serving as the basis of a member's questions to me.

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CORNISH: UFOs and Pizzagate.

KING: People wanted clarity. I don't think we're getting closer, though. I mean the Pizzagate conspiracy is fully back. You guys have seen that online. It's like 2016 again.

CORNISH: People may not remember the Pizzagate conspiracy, but the thing is, it did lead to someone showing up at a pizza shop --

KING: Yes.

CORNISH: -- with a weapon.

KING: Yes.

CORNISH: So, just when we talk about --

KING: These things have consequences.

CORNISH: -- sort of the -- the connection to these stories.

KING: Yes.

CORNISH: But I guess what I want to know is what do you think that Republicans are getting out of Clinton, out of Bill Clinton, who we know --

KING: I don't think they're getting much, because I don't think Bill Clinton is relevant. Because everybody who doesn't like Bill Clinton already has an idea of what Bill Clinton did. I don't think there's anything that's going to come out here that's going to shock people.

CORNISH: OK. Rep. Comer disagrees with you. He's the House Oversight chairman on FOX News. Here's what he had to say about what he thinks people will learn.

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REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): You just showed where Bill Clinton was in the hot tub. We showed her that picture, and she acted like she had no curiosity, wasn't concerned who was in the hot tub with him, or any -- she didn't know, she said. And she -- she really wasn't concerned.

[06:05:05]

So, you know, a lot of things she -- she said that I think most Americans will find hard to believe when they watch the video.

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CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: There's something that sticks out to me here for everybody who cares about this. The Clintons, when they were forced to do this, said sure, let's let the American people see it and let's do it out in the public. So everybody, let's pull back all the curtains. Let's not worry about who's spinning what, but let's talk to the American people. Let the American people see it all.

The second point that you brought up in the monologue is this does set a precedent. At some point, probably within the next year, Democrats are going to be in control of Congress. And you better bet your sweet patootie that they're going to have one, Trump at least requested to come talk to them.

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": The Oversight Committee had first requested -- by the way, it was bipartisan. There were nine Democrats who were on that committee who voted to hold the Clintons in contempt.

They started this process in July. Why is it now the end of February before they've been willing to sit down? The Clintons have delayed this as long as possible.

The American people will get to see with their own eyes what's on that -- that video camera. Because Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton both agreed that this would be released publicly. And Chairman Comer said it will be out today.

CORNISH: But you think live is not a good idea? You think --

ROCHA: I think that was part of the negotiation. I think that's why it took so long.

CORNISH: Let me ask one other question, which has come up a couple of times. Why didn't Republicans go to the Wexner deposition?

ROCHA: That's a great question.

CORNISH: Dude. What? It's like, no, but if -- if the whole thing is to, like, oversight and reveal, like doesn't it look weird to only go to the Clinton one and not --

KING: It looks political. I mean, that's the problem. The whole thing looks political. The American people already believe what they believe. This is not changing anybody's mind.

CORNISH: OK. Well, we're still going to be talking about it, because Bill -- Bill Clinton -- no, because Bill Clinton is going to be next. Right? And as you can see, people are really -- Republicans really want to make a lot of hay out of this. And everyone who's ever interviewed knows he likes to talk. So, coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about this.

Netflix is out. Paramount is in. The sudden end to the corporate tug of war to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.

Plus, the Pentagon shoots down a threatening drone. But it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

And the Texas Senate primary, in its final sprint. So, who has the edge?

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REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX); We have the numbers. We just need to turn our people out. We're really not that red.

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[06:11:55]

CORNISH: OK. Paramount Skydance is the apparent winner of the bidding war to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.

Netflix backed out of the negotiations last night, refusing to match Paramount's latest offer, declaring the deal is no longer financially attractive.

That announcement, coming on the same day Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos had a meeting at the White House. He was seen leaving that meeting with a bit of a grim look on his face.

Paramount CEO Dave Ellison is now poised to assemble a sprawling entertainment and news empire with dozens of TV channels, multiple movie studios, and two network newsrooms.

The regulatory review process is expected to take at least several months.

We're going to dig into this now with CNN media analyst and Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer.

Sara, welcome back. I'm sure you had a really busy day yesterday, and I'm hoping you can help us unfold the timeline. The Netflix CEO goes to the White House, has this meeting. What followed?

SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: So, actually, more importantly, Audie, is what happened a little bit before he went to the White House, which is that Paramount finally submitted a bid that was above $30.

The Warner Bros. Discovery board had been saying for weeks that, in order for it to be considering Paramount's deal, it would need to come back to the table with something above $30, which is what Paramount was pledging to -- for its purchase price for a really long time. So, once Paramount comes back with a $31 bid, that's when Warner Bros.

Discovery board said, you know what? This is actually a better financial deal than the deal we have with Netflix.

Then you had Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, coming to Washington, D.C., meeting with policy makers. And so, I think it was a combination of both of those things that Netflix decided to walk.

Netflix noted in the reason that it wasn't coming back to the bidding table was because the deal was just not financially attractive or prudent for them.

So, I don't think it's just the regulatory approval process that ultimately pushed Netflix away. I think it's because this deal had become way too expensive.

CORNISH: And we should be clear, Netflix was trying to buy just the sort of entertainment parts of the companies not the kind of linear TV channels. Whereas this Paramount bid is for the entire thing.

What else did Paramount do to sweeten the deal beyond moving to $31 a share?

FISCHER: There are three other things. So, the first is that it basically is raising a ton of debt from foreign sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the UAE.

And it came back to the table months ago, and it said, We'll make sure that those people don't get voting rights or governance rights.

And that matters, Audie, because when it comes to big deals that are backed by foreign entities, they need national security approval. And if they don't have board seats or governance rights, it's more likely they'll get that approval.

Two, David Ellison, the CEO and chair of Paramount Skydance. His father is Larry Ellison, a Trump ally and also a very wealthy billionaire who co-founded Oracle.

They basically said, like, if some sort of financial partner backs out of our bid to support the takeover, we can promise you that Larry Ellison will make up the cash.

[06:15:01]

I think that was really important to Warner Bros. Discovery, because if you look at Netflix, it's just one financial partner. I think they felt a lot more confident that that deal could close.

And then sort of the third thing was that, in the last few weeks, Paramount had been dangling a few carrots in front of Warner Bros. Discovery board, with smaller additional things to add to juice its bid.

For example, it said it would cover the $2.8 billion fee that Warner Bros. would own -- owe Netflix if it walked from its deal. So, I think all of these things combined help get Warner Bros.

Discovery's board feeling not just more confident that the deal is financially sound, but all -- and better, quite frankly, than Netflix's, but that it would get the regulatory approvals, and it would get the deal over the finish line in a timely fashion.

CORNISH: I want to ask you about one more thing. We had people like Elizabeth Warren on social yesterday, talking about Trump officials and what did they say to Netflix? Kind of using the phrase "crony capitalism."

I think people have been talking about this, because Trump has commented publicly, specifically about CNN. Can you talk about that? Because obviously, we're -- we're part of a -- we're a small part of what it would be a massive deal. But what do you make of the conversation between the White House and how they talk about this deal?

FISCHER: Elizabeth Warren says that about every deal I've ever covered, so I don't put a lot of weight into anything she says. The Congress does not approve deals like this.

The way that deals like this get over the finish line is that the DOJ, which is established as an independent agency, but as you and I both know, Pam Bondi, you know, is very close to the president. They're supposed to independently decide whether or not to sue to block this deal.

And if they do decide to do that, which by the way, they're going to investigate this deal, whether it's Paramount or Netflix, simply because it's so big.

So, I don't buy that this was because of regulatory approvals. Ultimately, I think that this comes down to who had the better price.

But when it comes to the DOJ, if they sue to block this deal -- and sorry; my lights are kind of going on and off.

CORNISH: Yes. I hope they're OK.

FISCHER: But if they block this deal -- we're safe. Then it goes to an independent judge. And I've seen in the past independent judges can strike down deals like this.

They did it with the AT&T Time Warner suit back in 2019.

The real question I have, Audie, is whether or not this gets international approvals, because it's not just U.S. regulators that need to approve this. They need approvals from dozens of countries, especially the E.U.

And so, I don't think that the -- the Netflix visit to the White House is what ultimately ended this deal. It could have contributed to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos's feeling that this is going to be a very long, drawn-out public battle. And what that does is it's distracting for your employees. It's

expensive for your lawyers. And it sort of inhibits you from being able to do anything with the merger until this thing gets approved many, many months down the road.

And so, I think what happens is that Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, the co-CEOs of Netflix, look at this. They say it's not financially prudent; it's going to be a huge distraction. And we're going to walk.

And by the way, in doing so, they leave two of their greatest competitors in a very complicated and distracting regulatory process, and they leave one of their biggest competitors, Paramount, holding a massive stack of debt.

So, I think it was prudent that Netflix walked.

CORNISH: OK. Sara Fischer with a lot of questions there. Media correspondent at Axios. Thank you.

And after the break on CNN THIS MORNING, new details in that shootout off the coast of Cuba. We're learning that two U.S. citizens were involved.

Plus, protecting your brand. How influencers who say "I do" are reshaping prenup agreements.

And good morning, Buffalo. A balmy 21 degrees there this morning.

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CORNISH: Two Americans were reportedly involved in that boat shootout off the coast of Cuba this week. One of them is dead, and a U.S. Official tells CNN the other was injured and is getting treatment in Cuba.

Now, Cuban forces say they killed a total of four people on the boat. Havana says someone on the speedboat opened fire first, and the boaters were in Cuban waters for terrorist purposes.

Now, we've since learned that boat was reported stolen in the Florida Keys Wednesday, hours before the shooting. The U.S. and Cuba are both investigating the incident.

Joining me now to discuss Rick de la Torre, former CIA operative; and CNN contributor and "New York Times journalist" and podcast host, Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

I wanted to play for you -- not play for you; read to you something Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez said from Cuba where he said,, "Cuba does not attack nor threaten. We have stated this on repeated occasion. We affirm it today."

But it also says, "Cuba will defend itself with determination."

And I thought it spoke to, really, the tenseness since both the blockade and the gunboat killings off the coast of Venezuela.

RICK DE LA TORRE, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: Yes. Well look, you know, I think the Cuban regime is attempting to, you know, to -- to try to shape this story into something that could benefit them regarding, you know, the current economic sanctions regarding oil being shipped into the -- the country of Cuba.

When he says that they don't threaten the United States or they don't actively work against the United States in some capacity, history shows that to be completely different.

You know, just a couple of days ago, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the murder of three U.S. citizens in Cuban national over international airspace when -- when -- when MiG-29s from Cuban Air Force shot down some U.S. pilots.

CORNISH: Because you're bringing this up, can I just say one more? And then I want to bring you in, Lulu.

The Cuban embassy tweeting, "Cuba has had to face numerous terrorists and aggressive infiltrations from the U.S. since 1959 with a high cost of lives, injuries, and material damage."

I asked this, because we were talking a few weeks ago about Cuban intelligence being part of the surveillance state of Venezuela. So, needless to say, I won't -- obviously, in your capacity as former CIA, there is a lot going on between the U.S. intelligence and Cuban intelligence, right, that the public does not fully I think, understand.

DE LA TERRE: Well, that's correct. Right. Keep in mind, the CIA generally has to have conversations with a whole host of folks that, that, that that the State Department and others don't even want to be in the same room with.

CORNISH: Yes.

DE LA TERRE: Right? So -- so --

CORNISH: But Cuba's saying, hey, we think this looks suspicious is not a wild thing to hear, given --

DE LA TERRE: Yes, let's give CIA some more credit. I don't think -- they'd mount some sort of operation with a 20-foot fishing vessel --

CORNISH: Yes.

DE LA TERRE: -- and some Cuban exiles. I mean, that's just absurd.

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I agree with you. I think, you know, this is not something, I think, that was planned by the United States. But listen, this sits in a wider context.

What we know is that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is very interested in Cuba. And that Venezuela was part of his wider regional plan to really see regime change in the region. And so, Cuba is on notice.

What you're seeing here, though, is not the Cuban government messaging to the United States. They're messaging to the Cuban people. Because this is a regime that is under an increasing amount of threat.

They are delegitimized inside Cuba; have been for a long time. This is a regime that has been in power since 1959. It is a dictatorship.

And so, what they are trying to show -- and this has always been their mantra -- is that we are under threat from the United States. They are trying to overthrow us. They're trying to take away your voice.

And so, this really feeds into that narrative with their own population.

CORNISH: Right. As the people there are suffering under the blockade. Right?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And that is the biggest issue that I think isn't getting enough attention.

This oil blockade is, as always happens, really hitting the civilian population of Cuba. It is really hurting people there. There's a lack of medicine. There is no electricity, food. And so, what you are seeing is the regime, as always, is insulated. The people themselves are suffering.

CORNISH: And I know you've always said, Rick, that, you know, the communists there sort of blame their economic collapse on the U.S.

But to Lulu' s point, the U.S. is putting pressure. It has stepped up a level of pressure, and there is a consequence to that stepped-up level of pressure for the Cuban people.

DE LA TERRE: Yes, correct. But -- but the blame lies with the Cuban regime. Yes. The United States is -- is increasing its pressure on the Cuban regime. You know --

CORNISH: You have Canada saying that there's a humanitarian crisis and that they're going to be sending support.

DE LA TERRE: Our economic policy regarding Cuba is similar to our economic policy with other terrorist nations. If someone wants to deal with Cuba, any country out there wants to deal with Cuba -- and many have decided not to over the years, because Cuba doesn't pay its bills. They're more than happy to do so, right? You know, we're not (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: This is a huge escalation. I mean, listen, I'm Cuban- American. I'm -- you know, I'm not going to be celebrating the Castro regime here.

DE LA TERRE: Yes. No one is.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: No one is. I mean, you know, no one is. But the question is, what is the goal of what is taking place here now? And again, when you look at Iran, when you look at Venezuela. This is an administration that is taking, you know, escalating actions without a real explanation to the American people what the end game is and what the consequences.

CORNISH: Even the day after.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And what the consequences are. And I think that is the biggest thing. What -- you know, let's say you get rid of the Cuban regime, whatever that looks like. What does that mean for day two, day three, day four?

You know, what exactly are you going to see? A massive influx of Cubans coming to the United States, as you have seen in other -- you know, at other moments when there have been you know, a lot of political turmoil?

This is a country -- as you know, I've been to Cuba many, many times. This is a country that has been frozen in time in many ways.

CORNISH: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So, if that gets opened up into the world, what does that look like?

CORNISH: Let me give you the last word. Because people are seeing that Iran, wherever, Venezuela wherever, there's an escalation, but there's not --

GARCIA-NAVARRO: An explanation.

CORNISH: -- an articulation or explanation of what happens after, if that is your goal.

DE LA TERRE: Sure. So, look, there's a difference between escalation and holding -- you know, holding to established acts, established rules like under Helms-Burton Act and others. Right?

What we're doing here is giving the -- the Cuban regime an opportunity to reflect and see if they want more pressure or maybe change their economic model that hasn't been working since 1959.

So, you know, the going into the details of, you know, removing the regime and who's going to be next and all those things. I don't think were near that in any real capacity.

What we really need to do is for the Cuban regime to -- to change its behavior, to stop exporting its terrorism.

CORNISH: Yes. Or if they're anything like Iran, that's going to be a longer road than it's even been.

OK, Lulu and Rick, thank you guys. You both have such great experience. It really helps us understand.

Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to be talking legal showdown.