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World Leaders, Top Diplomats at Munich Security Conference; FBI Shares Photo of Backpack Worn by Suspect in Guthrie Case; Dubai's DP World Replaces CEO After Epstein Ties Revealed; Bangladesh BNP Wins Landslide Victory in National Elections; Police Continue to Search for Motive in Canada Shooting. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired February 13, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: World leaders gather in Munich in Germany for the start of the annual security conference there. It is

03:00 p.m. in Germany, it is 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi, from our Middle East programming headquarters.

I'm Becky Anderson, and this is "Connect the World" on CNN. Also coming up, the FBI releases more details on its suspect and doubles the reward in the

case of the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. And no money for the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Democrats say they are doing what the people want, but they could be inflicting delays on American travelers. More on that is coming up. Well,

the stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now. It does look like a flat to slightly better start after new data on U.S. consumer prices

showing inflationary pressures eased in January.

More details on that coming up. Let's kick off in Germany, the U.S. Secretary of State calls it a defining moment. More than 200 delegates are

in Munich this weekend for the annual security conference there. It's happening amid what the conference's security experts call an era of

wrecking ball politics led by demolition men.

The most notable of those being the U.S. President Donald Trump. Well, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is representing the U.S. in Munich,

says the old world is gone and nations are living in a new era of geopolitics and must adjust. He met with China's Foreign Minister on the

sidelines of this event.

Germany's Chancellor had a grim characterization of the changes in his opening speech. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: You've chosen a grim motto for this conference, under destruction. And it probably means that the international

order based on rights and rules is currently being destroyed. But I'm afraid we have to put it in even harsher terms.

This order, as flawed as it has been, even in its heyday, no longer exists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, our Senior International Correspondent, Fred Pleitgen is in Munich for us, and he joins us now. We heard the German Chancellor there.

What do you make of his comments? And just set the scene, if you will, as delegates begin to gather and ahead of what we expect to be an extremely

important next 48 hours?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, what Becky, I do believe that that is exactly the vibe that we're hearing here

and feeling here on the ground, is that the delegates that are here, the world leaders who are coming here, do feel that this is indeed a defining

moment between, especially the United States as what used to be the leader of the free world, of the West as well, in very uncertain times, but then

also to see how things are going to move forward.

And of course, you heard there from Friedrich Merz just now, almost painting a grim picture of what the future of transatlantic relations could

hold. We also heard from Marco Rubio, as he said, saying the old order in that form does not exist anymore. And as we speak right now, Becky,

Friedrich Merz is actually meeting with U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

Obviously also defining moment between Germany and the United States and between Europe and the United States as well. We saw some of those friction

points in the past year that the Trump Administration has been in office, the attention over Greenland, the tensions over tariffs, that's a huge

issue, of course, here in Europe, but then also, as far as the support for Ukraine is concerned.

And one of the interesting things that we sort of picked out of Friedrich Merz's speech, as he was giving it, is, on the one hand, he did say, of

course, the transatlantic relations are very much under strain. They might never come back the way that they were before. But he also warned the

United States that as far as big problems are concerned, big challenges are concerned, they cannot solve those alone. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ Even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone.

[09:05:00]

Dear friends, being a part of NATO is not only Europe's competitive advantage, it's also the United States competitive advantage. So, let's

repair and revives transatlantic trust together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Friedrich Merz, there, speaking earlier saying, let's repair and revives the transatlantic trust. Of course, the Europeans saying, on the

one hand, they're doing that by spending more on defense. But of course, at the same time, they also want the United States to be there for the

Europeans when they and if they ever need them.

And of course, what Friedrich Merz was speaking about were the challenges that are posed by Russia and especially also by China. He did have quite an

extensive part of his speech where he spoke about the challenges posed by an upsurging China, a China that is asserting itself more in the world.

He obviously said that both China and the United States are turning into two very tough polls. Going to be very interesting to see how Europe is

able to position itself within all of that. But he's also calling on the United States to revive those relations with the Europeans, to make sure

that even the future, there will be a strong transatlantic Western --

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Fred. And we are just seeing images of Marco Rubio with the chancellor there in Germany. And let's be very clear,

while Marco Rubio described transatlantic ties, is facing a defining moment, he did use a what's been described as warmer tone.

He said we are, and he means the U.S. head deeply tied to Europe, our futures have always been linked, and will continue to be so. So, we're

going to keep a keen eye on what is going on at the Munich Security Council. Couldn't be more important, an awful lot going on there, and we

will report it as we get it to you here on CNN.

Well UK, judges have ruled that the government acted unlawfully to ban the activist group Palestine action under anti-terrorism laws. The High Court

found the decision to prescribe the group under what was disproportionate. Though the ban remains in place pending an appeal by the government.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood says she disagrees with the ruling and will challenge it. CNN's Isobel Yeung joining me now from London. I'm

interested in what the High Court said in its decision, Isobel. And how supporters of Palestine action are reacting?

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, we've been on the ground this morning outside the High Court, and there was a real sense of joy, of

jubilation. People were hugging each other, a real sense of emotion, of relief, even because they've been waiting for this verdict for the last few

months.

You know, the High Court themselves said that this prescription of this group as a terrorist organization was disproportionate. Now, the UK

government has said that they will appeal that decision, saying that this is a case of national security, and this is a group that has caused

millions of dollars' worth of criminal damage.

But you know, this is an organization that has been put in similar categories as ISIS, as Al-Qaeda, as Hamas, as all these other foreign

terrorist organizations. And so, anyone showing any kind of support for this group, you know, even holding up a sign. We've seen many images over

the last few months of, you know, old ladies holding up these signs saying that they support this group, being dragged away by the police.

And in fact, over 2700 people have been arrested over the last few months in connection with supporting Palestine action. And so, today's decision

really is a small step towards victory for Palestine action for this group, as well as for, you know, the protesters rights movement as a whole, and

individuals right to, for freedom of expression.

ANDERSON: We just reported that the government is preparing an appeal. What happens in the interim to the current ban and the rules already in place as

well? Is it clear?

YEUNG: Well, it is a bit of a gray area. You know, currently this ban is still, you know, in place, and so technically, anyone who is supporting

Palestine action could be arrested. But, you know, the London's Metropolitan Police have already come out and said that we recognize these

are unusual circumstances and that they will be responding proportionately.

So, I think in reality, that means that, you know, individuals holding up signs are not going to be arrested, but that they will be gathering

evidence instead. And so really, for Palestine action protesters, many of whom were out this morning, say they see this as a reason for motivation

and a reason to continue doing that the work that they've done.

ANDERSON: Isobel, good to have you. Thank you. Isobel Yeung is in London. The FBI, meantime releasing more details about the person that they are now

officially calling a suspect in what is the Nancy Guthrie case?

[09:10:00]

He is the same masked man seen in the video at her home on the day that she disappeared. And they are looking for a man who is just under 1.8 meters

tall with an average bill. They say he was wearing an Ozark Trail Hiker backpack, a brand sold by the U.S. store, Walmart.

And the reward for information leading to an arrest has now jumped to $100,000. As investigators try to widen their search, people who live near

Guthrie's home in Arizona say they hope she is found soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never had the FBI knock at my door before that was a little unusual. There's some fear and mostly it's just anguish and

disbelief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I certainly hope they find her and find some resolution to this, no matter what the outcome is. So, wishing them our

best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Let's get you to Leigh Waldman is on the ground there following the story for us from Tucson in Arizona. A couple of questions to you.

First, what more do we know about this investigation? What sort of leads at this point do authorities have? And do we know whether they're any closer

to finding this suspect?

And secondly, just having listened to neighbors there, what's the atmosphere? Is there a sense of fear, given that at present, or authorities

don't have a suspect in custody?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we know that this initial profile released by the FBI about the person who was seen on that doorbell camera

video, it's the first time we're getting a semblance of who exactly they're looking for a profile that they're looking for.

And the Pima County sheriff is telling our affiliates KOLD that they do have some good leads on who this person is. But at this point, there's

still no indication as to where Nancy Guthrie herself is, this 84-year-old grandmother who's been missing now almost two full weeks.

So, we know that this person an average bill 5 foot nine to 5 foot 10 in height. We know that the definitive backpack at this point, it's a black

25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker backpack. Investigators are looking to see how many of these backpacks have been sold when in this area, they're also

working to identify other brands that he was wearing in that video, maybe the jacket, the gloves, the ski mask.

Neighbors, meanwhile, they're trying to show some support. We know that there's a growing Memorial outside of Nancy Guthrie's home with these

yellow roses put in place a sign of solidarity. But people are nervous, hoping that this person is found who did this, and hoping that Nancy is

brought back home safely.

As far as investigative leads here, Becky, we know that they're asking neighbors in a two-mile radius of Nancy Guthrie's home to check their

surveillance camera. Initially, they give us two dates for people to check. Now they're expanding that from January 1 to February 2nd, asking people to

be on the lookout for any people, cars, traffic, things that don't necessarily belong.

There anything that could be deemed suspicious. There's been an influx of calls to the FBI. Over 13,000 calls just to the FBI since February 1st,

almost two weeks into this search now. Yesterday, we saw a tent that was put up outside of Nancy Guthrie's home. And we're learning from law

enforcement sources that that was put in place to kind of recreate the nighttime atmosphere from when she was initially abducted.

That way, they could work on getting us the height of who the person is seen in that doorbell camera video. They could recreate some of the

reflection from that nest doorbell camera to try and pinpoint the exact brands that he was wearing. So, this is all part of that investigative

process, but something that could be a bit tough today.

It's expected to rain throughout the day. Here in Tucson, there was a little bit of rain already this morning, and most of their search area is

outside. We know rain can impact evidence that's being searched for out here, but the FBI says they are committed to continuing on with their

investigation, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Leigh, thank you. The woman's there on the ground. Still to come, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the DHS

likely headed for a shutdown, with funding set to dry up at midnight Friday and lawmakers leaving Washington without a solution.

Why? That's coming up, and the U.S. airspace shut down fiasco, we're learning more about how it unfolded, the weapons testing behind it, and who

is to blame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:00]

ANDERSON: Well, new international fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files hitting this region. Dubai's government announcing DP World has appointed a

new chairman. DP World is the world's largest port operator. It did not cite the Epstein files as the reason for the change in leadership, but

outgoing chair, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem did appear in the documents which revealed he had corresponded with the convicted sex offender, including

lewd exchanges.

DP World declining to comment on the Epstein connection when contacted by CNN before bin Sulayem's removal. Let's get you up to speed on some of the

other stories that are on our radar right now. And the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the BNP, won a resounding victory in the country's first

election since the Gen-Z rebellion ousted Sheikh Hasina in 2024.

BNP Leader Tarique Rahman is expected to be sworn in as prime minister. Investigators continue searching for a motive in one of Canada's worst mass

shootings in recent history. British Columbia declared a day of mourning on Thursday, two days after police say an 18-year-old woman fatally shot her

mother and step brother at their home before opening fire at Tumbler Ridge secondary school.

Five students and a teacher were killed and dozens more were injured. Well, a SpaceX capsule is heading to the International Space Station with a fresh

crew. It's carrying two astronauts from the U.S., one from France and a Russian cosmonaut. The orbiting lab has been operating with a skeleton crew

of three since a medical evacuation last month.

Well, the Trump Administration is dealing with the aftermath of what is an embarrassing communications blunder. The scramble to close air space this

week over El Paso in Texas is being traced back to the testing of new anti- drone technology, which set off panic when key figures were not notified.

And now the finger pointing within the federal government is in full swing. Across the border, Mexico demanding answers, and local officials in El Paso

blind-sided by the closure of furious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENARD JOHNSON, MAYOR OF EL PASO, TEXAS: We will be following up with the FAA to make sure that this never happens again. In closing, I want to

emphasize that El Paso has always been a safe city, and we will remain one of the safest cities in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean joining us now with more from Washington. You and I spoke earlier this week, when this was all

sort of kicking off. Pete, this now, it seems was apparently all caused by a military grade laser meant to shoot down drones.

And one would assume that there would be protocols in place for the testing of such equipment, a good assumption, I mean, how could this happen?

[09:20:00]

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You described it earlier as a blunder, and that is so accurate. You know, all of our reporting really

underscores a communications breakdown between all the federal agencies involved here, and what's clear from key government officials is that the

FAA decision to halt flights around El Paso, Texas really caught parts of the Trump Administration off guard.

And now there's this intense blame game that's unfolding inside the White House. Remember this all centers on that counter drone system in use near

the border. That technology uses a high energy laser. And that Pentagon video you saw in the lead in was of a similar system, which is a laser

using a concentrated beam of heat.

Essentially, that's it there too disabled drones. Sources tell me that FAA officials were concerned about the system's deployment at Fort Bliss and

its potential to harm civilian flights at El Paso International Airport. They're right next to each other. Two senior administration officials tell

CNN that the White House was furious with the FAA for shutting down the air space.

And one top official tells us that FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford decided to close the air space without alerting the White House, the Pentagon or

Homeland Security officials. But other parts of the administration are pointing fingers in the opposite direction.

They're really questioning why Homeland Security and the Pentagon were using this laser in, without rather fully coordinating with the White

House. There's also pretty big disagreement here about who knew what and when. The source -- one source disputes at the White House, was kept in the

dark, saying that the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council staff were told in advance that a temporary flight restriction was

coming.

Bottom line here, Becky, this has sparked major tension inside the Trump Administration about who bears responsibility here. None of the agencies

involved have responded to our request for official comment, although you have to set all this against the backdrop of the strained relations between

parts of the government after last year's deadly midair collision over the Potomac River.

Just yesterday, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told a Senate committee that the lack of coordination between the military and the Federal Aviation

Administration had been, quote, astounding.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Pete, always a pleasure. Thank you. CNN Aviation Correspondent, Pete Muntean. Well, a matter of hours at midnight

Eastern Time on Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is on track to run out of money and shut down.

Now the Senate again failed to advance a bill to fund the agency on Thursday. And at the heart of the dispute, Democrats demands for changes to

the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement operations run under, of course, the DHS. And despite ongoing negotiations, no agreement was reached

before lawmakers left Washington for an 11-day recess.

Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem warns shutdown of DHS will be dangerous, leaving the country vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I think it's the wrong message to send to the world at this point in time, when you think about

it, every other portion of the federal government has been funded except Homeland Security. That's telling the rest of the world.

The Democrat Party doesn't think that protecting America is safe. It's the wrong message to send. They keep talking about the fact that they want

I.C.E.'s operations to be impacted. But only 11 percent of that bill is I.C.E. The rest of it is FEMA, which is responsible for disaster response,

for protecting our critical infrastructure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well CNN's Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak joins us live with the latest. And we've just heard Noem is framing of this. Let's be

clear, at the center of this battle, the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement policies, what are the Democrats big sticking points, right?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, they want to see some serious curbs on how the administration is allowed to go about some of

these enforcement operations. And they have a list of about 10 demands that they want to see enacted.

You know, things like I.C.E. agents better, identifying themselves in the field, you know a new code of conduct for the officers, better coordination

with local authorities, which was one of the big issues that you saw in Minneapolis during this surge of enforcement that they just announced they

were ending yesterday.

I think the two most contentious demands that the Democrats have been asking for are the use of judicial warrants. So, a warrant signed by a

judge that would allow officers to go into homes. Right now, they're relying on administrative warrants that are only signed by the

administration. And the demand that some of these officers remove masks.

[09:25:00]

And you've seen so many images from some of these operations, where every officer is wearing a mask. Republicans have balked at that. They say it

could allow these officers to be doxed by individuals in the public. The Senate Majority Leader John Thune said yesterday that there could

potentially be an area of compromise when it comes to masks.

But listening to President Trump speaking yesterday, he sounded pretty pessimistic that they would find any way for that to come down. He said

they have to protect law enforcement. You know, there was, I think, the faintest glimmer of hope yesterday that there could be some conciliation

here, when the administration announced that they were ending that surge in Minneapolis, but it became pretty clear that the Democrats would need to

see a lot more.

And in fact, lawmakers have now left town for 11 days, so the shutdown is a virtual certainty. You know, Democrats, I think, feel pretty dug in here.

They feel emboldened at the increasing unpopularity of the president's immigration agenda, fueled by some of these chaotic scenes, fueled by the

shooting deaths of two American citizens at the hand of these federal officers.

If the government shuts down, it will be the third time in five months that a portion of the American government is halted because of the standoff. But

I think we should note I.C.E. and CBP will actually not be affected. They still have $75 billion to work with from the president's tax and spending

bill that passed last year.

ANDERSON: Good to have you sir. Thank you. Kevin Liptak in the house for you. Ahead on "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, a tame consumer

price report out of the U.S. for January. What do U.S. voters, investors and the Fed all make of that? I'll be asking the Former Chairman of the

Council of Economic Advisers. More coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World", and these are your headlines. Germany's Chancellor

says the rules based international order no longer exists. Friedrich Merz's sobering assessment coming at the opening of what is the Annual Munich

Security Conference.

U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says the meeting is happening amid a defining moment in transatlantic ties. He met his Chinese counterpart on

the sidelines of the conference and will address delegates there on Saturday. Well, in a few hours, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet

with members of U.S. forces who took part in last month's dramatic capture of Nicolas Maduro.

[09:30:00]

The Former President of Venezuela now faces charges of narcoterrorism in New York. The raid on Caracas was the culmination of a U.S. campaign to

oust Maduro from power. Right, straight to Wall Street and to the opening bell and to celebrate Black History Month in America.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, ring the bell. That is the opening on Wall Street, and a key U.S. consumer inflation report is just

out, and it's been an interesting exercise in watching the futures markets today, because despite what was, to all intents and purposes, a decent

inflation report.

The markets are not jumping for joy. DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL average is down. Just the other two markets pretty much flat. Joining me now Jason Furman,

Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He's a Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. And we're delighted to have you, sir.

Key consumer inflation then cooling in January. It is still above the Fed's target, I mean, but you know, given where this inflation report has been

over the last couple of years, you know, it's in pretty good shape. It's above the Fed's target, though. So, what does this mean for the U.S.

economy? How do you read this latest report?

JASON FURMAN, FORMAN CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: Look this was encouraging data on inflation. We got encouraging data on jobs

earlier this week. Right now, I don't think the Fed has a pressing inflation problem it needs to solve, but it also doesn't have a pressing

jobs problem it needs to solve. There's not much reason it needs to do much of anything but watch and wait at this point in time.

ANDERSON: Well, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that he sees an investment boom acting as a tail wind for the U.S. economy, while

inflation gets back to the Fed's target, he said in the middle of the year. Well, that's certainly what he hopes to see anyway, and he may, of course,

turn out to be right, but markets in the last week are enough to give anybody whiplash.

I can't believe it's only been a week since the DOW hit 50,000. What do you make of how investors are responding to this stage? And I'm very

specifically talking here about equities, but feel free to look across the board.

FURMAN: Yeah, so first of all, in terms of actual business investment, you're seeing enormous amounts of it in data centers, and everything

related to data centers. Outside of that, though, you've largely seen a pullback in business investment, whether that's uncertainty due to tariffs,

continued interest rates being on the high end, small businesses having a hard time accessing credit.

So, you're seeing investment, but you're seeing it in a very, very uneven way. In terms of the stock market, it's obviously looking ahead, and so

much of its increase has depended on just seven companies. And just every day, there's a new piece of news that affects how you think about AI, what

it's going to do for jobs, what it's going to do for the economy.

So right now, it's incredibly uncertain what AI will do, and the market volatility in that sector really reflects that uncertainty.

ANDERSON: Yeah, there's a real question about whether, you know, we will see the scaling of AI in 2026 what will happen around sort of applications

and stuff, enterprise solutions, et cetera. So, we'll wait to see on that. Look while I've got you. We were talking about Treasury Secretary Scott

Bessent and his comments on the U.S. economy just a moment ago.

I want you and our viewers just to listen to the Treasury Secretary talking to Fox News about Iran earlier this week. He had some choice words. Have a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: What we can do at treasury, and what we have do is, have done is created $1 shortage in the country. At a

speech at the Economic Club of New York in March, I outlined the strategy. It came to a swift and I would say, grand culmination in December, when one

of the largest banks in Iran went under, there was a run of the bank.

The central bank had to print money. The Iranian currency went into free fall. Inflation exploded, and hence we have seen the Iranian people out on

the street. We have seen the Iranian leadership wiring money out of the country like crazy. So, the rats are leaving the ship, and that is a good

sign that they know the end may be near.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yeah, I just, as we wait to see what Donald Trump will do next on Iran and very keenly awaiting that and watching that.

[09:35:00]

We're broadcasting from Abu Dhabi and the UAE, of course, and this region, nothing, if not, interesting. Let's put it that way. I do wonder whether

you can just explain for our viewers, what Scott Bessent was alluding to there, when he talked about U.S. action on the dollar and its effect on the

Iranian currency?

And why that is important when Donald Trump is still making decisions about what he does next on Iran? How do you respond to what you heard from the

secretary there?

FURMAN: Yeah, the United States has dialed up sanctions on Iran. We have enormous amounts of leverage through the payment system. Iran has tried to

build some things around that, but you'd still rather have dollars than anything else in the world. Historically, sanctions have tended not to be

very effective, and especially in bringing out something as dramatic as regime change, but I think they're worth a try, and certainly better than

any other way if they do work.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. We will have you, back. And we will keep one eye on these markets and consider your analysis and insight as we look

forward. Thank you, Jason.

FURMAN: Thank you

ANDERSON: Well, the Quad God, as he is called, already has one gold medal at these Winter Olympic Games. On Friday, he will look to add another and

solidify himself as the next superstar on the ice. More after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, flowers from Colombia have arrived in the United States ahead of Valentine's Day, but the kind of big sales driven by the holiday

weekend could one day be just a sweet memory for those who supply the precious plants. CNN's Isabel Rosales reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Americans are buying Valentine's Day flowers for that special someone in their lives, a

significant other, a relative, a friend. What a lot of Americans don't think about is where those flowers come from, or how U.S. President Donald

Trump's trade measures have impacted the industry.

Between January 15th and February 9th, about 65,000 tons of fresh cut blooms were imported from Colombia, which is the world's second largest

flower exporter, behind the Netherlands. The U.S. accounts for about 80 percent of Colombia's flower exports, with Valentine's Day making up 20

percent of their annual sales.

And even though tons of flowers arrived on time to the U.S. this year, some suppliers are warning future seasons could be threatened by President

Trump's tariffs, peso exchange rates and competition.

[09:40:00]

Like this grower near Bogota.

JOSE ANTONIO RESTREPO, GENERAL MANAGER OF AYURE SAS ECLIPSE FLOWERS: We've been seriously affected last year, a 10 percent tariff, which represents

more than $200 million for the industry. On top of that, there's an exchange rate we haven't seen in many years. And lastly, the minimum wage

issue.

ROSALES (voice-over): Flowers are Colombia's most labor-intensive agricultural product, with the industry formerly employing about 240,000

workers across nearly 26,000 acres of farmland. Jose Antonio Restrepo says around 85 percent of his employees work on minimum wage.

RESTREPO: And if conditions don't change, meaning, if the exchange rate doesn't change, and will surely be in major difficulty. I think starting in

June or July, there will likely be farm closures and mass layoffs, because the sector is in serious trouble.

ROSALES (voice-over): Despite the uncertainties, some workers are staying positive and finding joy in spreading the love this Valentine's Day.

SUSANA VEGA, EMPLOYEE OF AYRE SAS ECLIPSE FLOWERS: An immense joy knowing that we're bringing happiness to someone, to a woman, a mother, someone so

admired by a loved one, and that we're benefiting ourselves as well, and helping a company move forward to overcome many of the challenges that are

happening right now. It's a very beautiful joy.

ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, all eyes will be on the figure skating arena on Friday as an American take to the ice with a commanding lead after Tuesdays or

Thursdays, sorry, short program. Andy Scholes in the house. What's the story here, Andy?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, American Ilia Malinin -- there I am. He's going to make -- trying to make some history here at

the Olympics tonight. Yeah, he's called the Quad God, Becky, because he's the only guy that can pull off the quad axle, you know, jump in spinning

for more than four times in the air.

You know, so the anticipation building tonight for the free skate to see what he's got. Already got a big lead after two days short program, this

guy could just do things out there on the ice that nobody else can do, Becky. So, there's certainly excitement building for that. We'll hear more

about his performance coming up in "World Sport".

ANDERSON: -- Quad God goes for his second goals. All eyes on that. More with Andy after the break that is with "World Sport". I'm back in about 15

minutes. Thank you, Andy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

END