Return to Transcripts main page

Erin Burnett Outfront

Ex-Prince Andrew Released After Arrest Amid Epstein Files Revelations; Guthrie Case: Lab Analyzing DNA Found At Home, FBI Reviewing 20,000 Tips; Trump Warns Iran, Sources: U.S. Could Be Ready To Strike This Weekend. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired February 19, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:23]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, former Prince Andrew released from custody after he was held for hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Police previously saying they're reviewing claims he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein. I'll speak to an Epstein survivor about today's arrest.

Plus, new developments in the search for Nancy Guthrie. The FBI reporting a massive number of new tips coming in, as there are new details tonight about how investigators are going about the search, which is now in its third week.

And breaking news, Trump's military options. CNN learning new details about a potential strike inside Iran as the military floods the region with firepower.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

KEILAR: Good evening. I'm Brianna Keilar in for Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the royal arrest. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince who was stripped of his royal title because of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested. This is a new picture of the former prince leaving a police station in eastern England this evening. He appears to be laying low in the back seat as he passed a crowd of reporters waiting outside the station.

The former prince, who turned 66 today, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Police have not said what led to his arrest, but we know that he was a trade envoy for the U.K. from 2001 to 2011. And during that time, Andrew was in contact with Epstein, according to the Justice Department's files related to the late convicted sex offender. British authorities have previously said they were looking into claims that Andrew shared sensitive information with Epstein while he was representing the monarchy.

The former prince has not publicly commented on these allegations, but he previously denied all accusations against him relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

And here in the U.S., President Trump weighing in on today's arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's a shame. I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad for the royal family. It's a -- very, very sad. To me, it's a very sad thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Max Foster is OUTFRONT, live in London outside Buckingham Palace.

And, Max, tell us the latest that you're learning there.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a real shock that we had this police arrest today. We knew an investigation had initially started, and it obviously escalated. Some new information came in. The police would have had the option to invite Andrew into a police station for questioning, but they didn't do that. There was a convoy of cars going on to the king's estate in Norfolk, and they confronted Andrew directly.

And one of the reasons they may have done that is that they were able to -- they would be able to take Andrew away to a police station whilst immediately starting a search of his property. So, when these images, these quite stark images of Andrew were revealed of him leaving that station after hours of questioning, they then had a situation where they had information from those interviews. They will also now be able to gather information from his communications as well.

So this isn't over for Andrew. He was released under investigation. They have a few more hours. They can question him without charging him so they can bring him back in to answer more questions based on what more they have discovered. So he hasn't been charged. And as you say these are investigations about his role in public office as opposed to any sort of sexual offenses.

KEILAR: Max, stay with me, if you will I do want to bring in Danielle Bensky and Barry Levine.

Danielle, you were recruited when you were just 17 to give Epstein a massage at his townhouse on the Upper East side. And your mother had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor Epstein told you that he would help your mom if you brought him more girls. How does it feel to see this particular arrest today?

DANEILLE BENSKY, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I think it's a small victory at this point. You know, I think that we have hope now as survivors. And even though it feels like this might not be the charge that we wanted to see, it still feels like a win because it's really demonstrating a misuse of power.

So just to see that on display really means quite a lot to survivors. And I think it's hard to think about this day without Virginia Giuffre. She's just been so incredibly instrumental to this fight, and I always say I use the analogy that she really dug this tunnel with her bare hands that we now have paved and get to walk through and help push the boulder through.

[19:05:02]

So I think that it's incredibly vindicating for her, but we really do want to see, just a little bit more pressure on just those sex trafficking charges and making sure that they're really being linked to the Epstein and Maxwell case.

KEILAR: Because, Barry, to your point, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was a trade envoy, as I mentioned, for ten years there for Britain, and he was close to Epstein at the time and British authorities have previously said they were looking into claims that he shared sensitive information with Epstein.

Is that what Epstein would have wanted from Andrew? How do you see this?

BARRY LEVINE, AUTHOR, "THE SPIDER": Well, I see it, Brianna, in a way, Epstein was always gathering information from everyone in his web, as I wrote about in my book. He was using that information, I believe, for possible blackmail purposes to gain connections to enrich himself through additional finances.

But what happened today in England was very important. You have to remember that, Virginia, as Danielle just mentioned, Virginia alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew in 2001 three times. That was 25 years ago. Think about that, 25 years ago and today is the first day that Prince Andrew ever faced any type of real accountability in terms of sitting at least for a period of time inside of a jail cell.

So I think it's significant. I think that hopefully authorities in England will review obviously, his computers whatever else, what documentation he has, videotapes and photos. And also, I was told that they could also question him on sexual abuse information that they may have obtained, even though this is strictly he was brought in because of the passing on, allegedly passing on sensitive secrets.

KEILAR: Yeah. And he's denied all prior allegations related to Epstein. As I mentioned, he hasn't commented on publicly these more recent allegations of misconduct in public office.

You know, Max, I spoke earlier with royal historian Kate Williams, and she said something that really kind of stood out to me and that was that. She thought, this moment is more seismic for the royal family than the abdication of King Edward or the death of Princess Diana, because, you know as she saw it, essentially it's about the existential threat that it poses can you put that into perspective for us? Because I think it's really hard to understand that to people who didn't grow up in the commonwealth FOSTER: Well, I think we saw that in King Charles's statement today.

He came out with it very quickly. He didn't put it through a spokesperson. He went on record. He has to be fair, always talked about the victims coming first here.

But in his statement, he talked about the allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He didn't say his brother as if he was some sort of distant figure from the monarchy. I think that was intentional to create separation between himself, the monarchy and Andrew. We saw the king out today, continuing with public engagements which were long planned in the diary really showing that the monarchy carries on, despite this, basically putting the survival of the monarchy as front and center and not protection of his brother.

So, I think the king feels that existential threat at this point. So, I do think its an extraordinary situation. And you've got to think that it's very difficult for him to make a statement legally. The king is head of the judiciary. You saw the king's forces, the king's police forces, going in and arresting a member of the royal family.

If this goes to trial, this will be the crown versus a member of the royal family. If he is found guilty, Andrew, he could face a life imprisonment term and that under judicial parlance, is serving at the king's pleasure. If he's seen to interfere with this process in any way, he could face the same sort of accusations of corruption.

KEILAR: I mean, wow, and that really puts it into perspective.

Danielle, I do want to play again what President Trump said today when he was asked about the news. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What's your reaction to that?

BENSKY: I mean, I wish I were surprised to be honest. It's what we've seen time and time again from this administration, this glossing over of survivors and this lack of empathy and really thinking about only these -- you know, places of power and these positions of power being the only things that matter when, you know, Pam Bondi couldn't even look at us in the hearing last week.

[19:10:03]

And then to hear him just say that he feels so sorry for Andrew. You know, it just -- is more of the same sort of just -- we just want humanity. We just want empathy. We want compassion, you know? And we want accountability, of course.

But I just feel like there have been missed opportunity after missed opportunity. And it's just -- it's just frustrating.

KEILAR: Yeah. And, Barry, we've seen some accountability. As Danielle mentioned, they're talking about accountability here in the U.S. due to the release of the files but not -- not a lot. I mean, there is billionaire Tom Pritzker, executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels, stepping down. Tom Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathy Ruemmler resigning.

Do you think that this is the start of something, maybe more in the U.S.?

LEVINE: Well, Brianna, I certainly hope so. But I have to say that I say that with caution. I mean, we're seeing a reckoning around the world and, you know, it's not only in England, but in France, Norway, so many other countries are holding investigations presently. And it is wonderful to see, based off the release of these three million pages of documents that people around the world realize, the monster that Jeffrey Epstein was and the people in his circle who took part enabled him and helped him along the way.

And -- but we're not seeing it here in the U.S. And that is -- it's just tragic and there are so many investigative threads that I see from these files that are not being pursued by the DOJ. And as Representative Thomas Massie has said, what about these 25 -- what about the 20 men that he saw FBI 302 reports, who he said were alleged to have taken part in the sex trafficking? Where are the investigations into these men?

It is extremely upsetting. And yesterday in fact, when Leslie Wexner, Epstein's benefactor faced the oversight committee, he acknowledged that he had never been interviewed in all the years since he knew Jeffrey Epstein. That is absolutely shocking. And the DOJ needs to explain themselves.

KEILAR: Yeah, the source of money from Wexner to Epstein, undeniable.

Danielle, do you believe that you'll see the accountability that you're looking for here in the U.S.? What would that require for you?

BENSKY: We certainly hope so. I think, you know, survivors talk often about there are so many different levels of coconspirators in this. And I think today, you know, we saw -- there's a little bit of a glimmer of light now that we're able to shine into the darkest places. And I think that if we just stay the course and I do think survivors have the tenacity to stay the course, we're in it. Were in it for the long haul.

I do think that well be able to see more accountability, whether it's full transparency, who's to say but I'm definitely hoping and hopeful that we can start to see some change in the U.S. as well.

KEILAR: Yeah. Watching you together, survivors. It is very clear. Sort of that power multiplies as you are pushing for accountability here.

Danielle, Max, Barry, thank you so much to all of you. And OUTFRONT next, some new details tonight on the search for Nancy

Guthrie as the number of tips jumping over the past 24 hours. TMZ's Harvey Levin is next with some new reporting.

Plus, a CNN exclusive. The Department of Homeland Security making a major admission tonight about a section of its website which showcased what the agency called the worst of the worst.

And President Trump is now putting his face on another building.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:17]

KEILAR: Breaking news, more than 20,000 tips now called in to the FBI in the search for Nancy Guthrie. That is about 1,000 more than just a day ago. The number of calls to the Pima County sheriff is also sharply on the rise, as a top nine one. One official there warns that there are so many tips coming in that some are actually doing more harm than good.

TMZ founder Harvey Levin is OUTFRONT. He's been breaking news on this investigation from the start. TMZ, of course, has received multiple alleged ransom notes as well as emails from someone claiming to know who kidnapped Nancy Guthrie.

First, Harvey, your sources are telling you tonight that investigators are actually using a new lens to try to find whoever kidnapped Nancy Guthrie.

What are you hearing about this new approach?

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ FOUNDER: So, this is something we've talked about here for a week or so now. They want to know things -- it's not so much what people see. It's what they don't see. And that's the tack they're taking.

Here's what I mean. They want to know. Have you seen anybody in the Tucson area that is around five nine, five ten, average build? May have had a backpack that looked like that or a jacket that looked like that. You see anybody like that who used to walk their dog every day and hasn't walked the dog in the last three weeks.

Or somebody who went to the bar all the time and all of a sudden disappeared, or a gym? You see where I'm going here. Just -- have you seen anybody that you normally -- is there somebody that you normally saw who has just gone MIA over the last three weeks?

This is actually a really good law enforcement tool, and I am told by sources connected to the FBI that they are really encouraging that kind of tip, because that can be really, really helpful.

Now it's been long enough that if somebody disappeared for three weeks and they match a general description, it's a tip worth checking out.

KEILAR: Any idea how many leads, how many tips they may have so far that's kind of based on that new track?

LEVIN: Yeah, I mean, they don't have anything real right now. And, you know, the way it was kind of put to me today is they want to get the word out because they haven't been getting tips like that. So, we just did that on our website this morning, late this morning. But they -- they want to encourage people to look at it that way. It's not what you see necessarily, it's what you have -- what you're not seeing anymore. And they seem keen on that kind of approach right now.

KEILAR: We talked last night about this new note you received, and you said the FBI was looking into it and that the initial ransom note has still really captured their ongoing attention. Is there anything in this new note that you're aware of that has also caught their attention, yet?

LEVIN: Oh, they're really, really interested. What I don't know for sure is whether there's a connection between the two. Nobody's telling us that. And I assume for good reason but they're interested in both. But I'll tell you, that first one. They are just laser focused on.

So, you know, I can tell you one other thing, Brianna. That I think is kind of interesting that if you see what's going around social media in the last day or so, there have been people who have been trying to enhance the video of the man at the door. And there are people saying, I see somebody behind her, I see a flashlight, I see a headlight of a car. And it's almost like a Rorschach test where, you know, you can -- you can see what you want to see. And it could be it may not be.

My sources -- FBI sources are saying they have enhanced obviously, this video way more than any of these amateur sleuths. And that has not produced anything for them. So, you know, all of this that's going around social media its interesting. And when you look at it, you know, just with the naked eye you think, huh? What's that? But law enforcement's already gone down that path.

KEILAR: Yeah, but they're already doing it. Which is good news to hear.

I also want to ask you about some new CNN reporting that there's a team of federal prosecutors standing by to charge anyone who is trying to extort the Guthrie family with fake messages. And, of course, you have said multiple times on this show, you do not know if the emails that you received are legit or not. And that's important.

Has anyone from law enforcement told you yet that they believe they're fake?

LEVIN: Nobody's told me the emails we received are fake. What they have told me very clearly is they are going to go after people who send these fake emails with a vengeance, and that they will be spending a long, long time in federal prison. And they want that word out. They were really clear on that.

So, what you're reporting about federal prosecutors is unsurprising to me and they have already charged one person with sending a fake note. So, they are absolutely serious about that. What you say -- what CNN is saying totally aligns with what I'm hearing.

KEILAR: Harvey, thank you so much for being with us. And, Harvey, I should note that you have a big special about Michael Jackson's death, "30 Fatal Seconds", which is tonight at 9:00. Thank you again for being with us.

LEVIN: Appreciate it.

KEILAR: And OUTFRONT now is Chip Massey, former FBI hostage negotiator, and Casey Jordan, criminologist and behavioral analyst.

Chip, what stands out to you from what we just heard from Harvey? They're looking at this through a new lens. They're still taking that initial alleged ransom note very seriously. What do you think?

CHIP MASSEY, FORMER FBI HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: Right, Brianna. What they're looking for, again, is what they can corroborate. What kind of things can they authenticate with the family. What kind of things that only the captor would know since they were inside that house.

That's going to be their true north. They're going to continue to balance everything against that.

What I find to be very encouraging are some several developments that, again, we're talking about the public. Harvey just alluded to that. Theres so many people calling in the tip line -- well, that's wonderful. We want that to happen. We want people to be focused on just like he said, is like the kind of things that are that are important are, hey, I know this guy. He's -- you know, I feel like this is the guy I've seen but he hasn't been around for like three weeks.

[19:25:01]

The way he's covering himself up, might that allude to he's got some scars or marks or tattoos or something like that beyond not wanting to be identified by DNA. So, there's a host of things that I'm encouraged with. We have, you know, there's -- there's thousands of people working on this case that are trained, that are logical and that are laser-focused.

This guy, this captor, his world is closing up on him every time he sees a show like this, he sees himself identified in it. He sees that holster, he sees that gun. He sees that Ring impression. He sees himself on that stoop. Fear is running him right now.

KEILAR: Yeah, those are clear pictures, even of someone wearing a mask and, Casey, as an expert in criminal behavior and sort of this new lens of that, Harvey is talking about, that law enforcement would love to hear -- would love to see people looking -- look for someone who hasn't been available for three weeks.

What else would you say about what people should be looking for now that we are in the third week of this and there is obviously a picture of someone who should be -- I would say, identifiable to a lot of people who know them? CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST, BEHAVIORAL ANALYST: Well, they're going to go through the list, okay. So, we have the actual physical evidence. Do you know somebody who has a ski mask? Do you know somebody who has that arrowhead jacket? And of course, that backpack that they've been focusing on, who is five nine?

So, we have the physical evidence and then we go to the behavioral evidence. And as we've been pointing out, has somebody missed work. But if they haven't missed work, have they been acting really strange. Are they obsessed with the case? Are they watching it constantly?

But I truly believe that once this video came out of our suspect on the porch, this guy was completely consumed with panic and his behavior would have changed dramatically. And I know this from interviewing plenty of murderers, and they talk about that moment when they believe they're about to be caught, or when the word is out, or when there's a description of them.

They are wracked with paranoia, and that's when they screw up. That's when they make mistakes. So yes, somebody who's been absent because I think this guy has probably fled the Tucson area. We don't know where, but I don't think he would stick around with all of the hardcore focus we've had.

If he has stuck around, has the behavior changed? And if you are outside of the Tucson area, has somebody that, you know suddenly showed up at your house and asked for a place to stay, or if you are hiring people, have you had somebody new applying for a job?

So these are the kind of behaviors were looking for in consonance with the physical evidence. But believe me, this person is not acting normal. And he's not -- if he is in the area, his behavior has dramatically changed. The paranoia will be palpable.

KEILAR: And what does that look like? Or does it depend on the person? Is it jumpiness? Is it not sleeping? Is it showing up late? What is it?

JORDAN: Any behavior that's out of normal. So, all of the things that you listed, they are just acting nervous, strange, withdrawn is the big thing. If -- they were gregarious, they were friendly, suddenly, they're preoccupied. And they're probably saying that it's nothing. It's nothing. I just have some stuff going on at home.

So, a behavior that is withdrawn or jumpy, as you say, nervous. But mostly, just out of character. He could be snapping. Maybe he has a wife and a girlfriend, and he's yelling at the kids or yelling at the wife.

Maybe he is -- quit his job, anything that's out of the ordinary that you're just sitting back going, that's weird. That's not how he normally behaves. And couple that with the physical evidence and the timeline.

Those are the clues. Those are the tips that they are hoping will be called in. They don't need help knowing that he's right-handed or armchair detective analysis. They've got the experts working on that. They need hardcore tips about somebody who fits this description, whose behavior has changed.

KEILAR: Really interesting.

Chip, the sheriff tells CBS he's not ruling out that there's an accomplice. What do you think?

MASSEY: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. And I think an accomplice, somebody aiding this, this captor, it's certainly be important. Think about what he has to control.

He has to control somebody that he has taken hostage, that he has to maintain her health. He has to look after her wounds. We know she was wounded on the scene. He has to take care of her daily, daily needs, everything from food to water to human sustenance.

So, for him to do that alone would be almost impossible to do. He'd have to have the aid of somebody. He'd have to control his environment. They're coming and goings would have to be noticed by neighbors or wherever he is.

[19:30:01]

So, on his own, it's just not a possibility but with somebody, it helps. Now that also helps the law enforcement, right? Because now we're expanding the amount of people that are involved in this investigation. You have one person who is keeping a secret. Now, you have two people that are keeping a secret. And just like Casey mentioned, nerves are frayed in this.

So, two people are under pressure, there's going to be arguments. There's going to be screaming.

What happens when one breaks away? And what happens if they make that call? So that's what we want to start seeing. That kind of pressure.

KEILAR: Chip and Casey, a lot to think about here. Thank you to both of you.

OUTFRONT next, breaking news, CNN learning some new details tonight about President Trump's military options when it comes to Iran, as he warns, quote, "bad things will happen if Tehran doesn't make a deal soon".

Plus, businesses across Minneapolis are paying the price after Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown. We have the special report, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:35:44]

KEILAR: We have breaking news, CNN learning new details of military options that President Trump is considering inside Iran. And we're told that strikes could happen as soon as this weekend. This as Trump is publicly offering different deadlines for Iran to make a deal on their nuclear program. Trump saying they now have 10 to 15 days after saying this hours earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So now we may have to take it a step further or we may not. Maybe we're going to make a deal. You're going to be -- you're going to be finding out over the next probably ten days.

They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region. And they must make a deal. Or if that doesn't happen -- I maybe can understand. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, that comes as the U.S. is conducting a massive military buildup near Iran. It's the largest in the Middle East since 2004. Moving aircraft carriers, warships and fighter jets into the region. Iran and Russia countering with their own show of force today, conducting naval exercises off the waters of Iran.

Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT from the White House.

And, Kristen, you are breaking this new reporting on the potential targets that the president is looking at in Iran. What are you learning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Brianna, we are learning that the president has been presented with a large range of options here when it comes to actual strikes in Iran. This is anywhere from brief, quick strikes that would take out potentially a facility to something of a more prolonged military intervention. And some of the plans include taking out the top leadership in Tehran, for example.

Now, one of the things that to keep in mind here is that Iran has already said that if there are these quick strikes, that they will likely retaliate in some way, so that's something to keep in mind here. And the military has been preparing for a potentially prolonged intervention in Iran.

But, Brianna, one of the big questions here is what exactly is the United States and the administration trying to accomplish here? We still don't have a clear understanding of what they're trying to do with these strikes. Are they trying to take out leaders to force regime change? Are they trying to take out enrichment facilities? Are they trying to minimize or take out ballistic capabilities from Iran?

That has not been made clear by these White House officials. And I spoke to a number of officials who also didn't quite seem to know why exactly this urgency was here. Now why we might be conducting these strikes now. And they certainly haven't sold the American public on this idea. But President Trump is still weighing all of these decisions. We were told by White House officials he has not made up his mind. He still wants to go the diplomatic approach.

But we have heard by from a number of administration officials now who say the two sides are nowhere near an actual resolution. So, it certainly seems as though we are inching towards some sort of military intervention. One thing to keep in mind troops have not been given a target list yet, which indicates that President Trump has not given the go on any sort of military intervention at this time.

KEILAR: Important to note. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for that report from the White House.

And OUTFRONT now, Nazila Fathi a former "New York Times" correspondent based in Tehran for a decade, she was forced to flee the country with her husband and children.

Nazila, you still have family and a lot of friends in Iran, and I know you're in regular contact with people there. What are they telling you about how they're feeling inside Iran as Trump is threatening military intervention here?

NAZILA FATHI, FORMER NEW YORK TIMES CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna people are terrified. They are scared because of the same reasons that Kristen just mentioned. They don't know what the objective of these operations are going to be. They don't know what is the purpose. And I mean, the consequences can be very different if there are a couple of surgical attacks or if the United States wants to have regime change in Iran.

So, the not knowing and the maybes -- maybe we will do this, maybe we won't do it. Maybe there will be diplomatic solution. Maybe there will be military operations. I think that's what is worrying most people on the ground.

KEILAR: What are the most afraid of that, this is something larger, and the ramifications of that?

[19:40:03]

What are -- what are they telling you?

FATHI: Well, the situation is very ambiguous. And this is what president Trump has always done in his foreign policy. He puts the worst consequences on the table. The biggest threat, the biggest guns on the table. But he doesn't specify exactly what he wants. Nobody knows what the outcome that he wants is.

So, both Iranian officials have been watching this process carefully. The point is that everybody -- Iranian people, Iranian officials, they know President Trump doesn't bluff that he comes through with what he says. So, there are worries that any kind of military strike can get out of control. Iran does have retaliatory capabilities, and it can retaliate against forces in the region.

KEILAR: And as you just heard, Kristen laying out the options that Trump is considering in Iran in her new reporting here, these targeted strikes on nuclear facilities, maybe to a more sustained operation that could last week to toppling the government. I mean this really is the range. You do say that a significant number of Iranians would welcome a U.S. operation aimed at regime change. What are you hearing? FATHI: So, in January, when Iranians were protesting, President Trump

did send a message to Iranians that they should keep protesting. Help is on the way. And Iranians went out. And what they were faced with was a regime that went to very extreme measures, killed thousands of people.

And the idea of the massacre is very present in their minds. I think the regime has entered a very critical point at this point. It's a historic time. Iranians want this regime gone, and there is a big population inside the country that believes President Trump has a magic wand and can somehow magically get rid of the Islamic regime.

That view is clearly not shared by everybody, but people are frustrated. They are angry, and they want this regime gone.

KEILAR: Yeah. And when they look at those who are concerned about retaliation by Iranian forces and what that would look like. Can you expand on that a little bit more about their concerns?

FATHI: Well, Iran has missile capabilities so it can hit some targets in the region and that might get out of control. Iran is a country of 92 million people. It is built -- it is made up of many different ethnic groups. Many of them have been seeking independence and separation from Iran, many of them are armed. Any kind of instability in Iran can lead to a civil war. And that civil war, that instability can spill over to the region. So, there are some very serious concerns here.

KEILAR: Nazila Fathi, wonderful to have you. Thank you so much.

FATHI: Thank you.

KEILAR: OUTFRONT next, a shocking admission from the Department of Homeland Security. What they're saying now about how some of the immigrants that they labeled, what they're saying about these folks they labeled the, quote, worst of the worst.

Plus, President Trump's face bannered on DOJ's building. You see it there, an agency that for decades had independence from the president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:10]

KEILAR: Tonight, a CNN exclusive. The Department of Homeland Security admitting that a section of its website highlighting what the DHS calls the worst of the worst arrested immigrants was filled with errors.

DHS changing the site this week after CNN questioned the inaccuracies. The Trump administration has faced intense scrutiny for using false or misleading claims about some immigrants as a pretext for ICE operations, including in Minneapolis, where the aggressive and deadly operations are still causing fear there tonight.

Omar Jimenez is OUTFRONT. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You look out here. I mean, look there are plenty of tables here, but I plenty of tables here but I don't see --

DANIEL HERNANDEZ, OWNER, COLONIAL MARKET: Only if they're 99 percent close, you know.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's typically full at this immigrant-led market in south Minneapolis residents say. Danny Hernandez comes here often. He owns a set of grocery stores in the area and worries about what comes after ICE agents begin to leave Minnesota.

HERNANDEZ: After the storm, there is the cleanup, there is the aftermath. How many people actually are going to be able to reopen their businesses. The next biggest need in Minnesota is going to be eviction.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): We walked this market just before the Trump administration announced it was ending its surge of federal agents. But the fear from it was already deep rooted.

GLADYS RAMOS BENITES, SHOP OWNER: We only want to work.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Gladys Ramos Benites flagged us down as we walked through. She owns two newly struggling shops in the market and tells us she has legal status, but that for the first time in her decades working in the U.S. she's now behind on her house payments.

[19:50:00]

BENITES: Go after the scammers. Go after the thieves, but not us. We pay taxes. We support the United States.

I'm desperate. I'm sick. My nerves can't take it anymore. My anxiety is killing me. I can't sleep. But I can't stop coming.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): It hasn't just been business either

CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE: It's just been a dramatic increase in calls for service around ICE activity that's happening in the city.

JIMENEZ: In terms of task forces tracing weapons that are used in crimes. You work with federal partners every day.

O'HARA: Every single day.

JIMENEZ: Has this changed those relationships in any way?

O'HARA: It hasn't changed the individual relationships, but many of the prosecutors have left. Some of the agents are now gone. So, a lot of people's time is being diverted from the serious cases that had the most impact to immigration issues. JIMENEZ (voice-over): Some of the federal immigration enforcement

efforts have arrested or detained people with violent criminal records, but many haven't. Like this refugee family here legally, as they move forward with their process, they now largely stay indoors. Their son was detained for days. He suspects it was because he recently got a speeding ticket they didn't want their faces or names used in this interview.

JIMENEZ: You still can't sleep?

MOTHER: No.

JIMENEZ: Why?

MOTHER: I have nightmares.

JIMENEZ: What are you thinking of?

MOTHER: Because all of this is really affecting my family, truly. Sorry.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): In the middle of the interview a neighbor was at the door asking about one of our team member's black SUV parked outside.

PHOTOGRAPHER: No, no, we're only doing a report.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Our photographer reassures him. We're just doing an interview.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Don't worry, everything is okay.

MOTHER: We're all scared.

MOTHER: Relax neighbor, nothing is going to happen.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Neighbors vigilant, business owners navigating a new reality.

BENITES: All vacant. This wasn't like this.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): This day, she says she took a babysitting job later just for extra cash. And that this shop may not survive

BENITES: I'm almost 70 years old, my plan was different. But now, with one kick they knocked it all down and this may possibly come to an end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And Omar joins us now.

And, Omar, you have new numbers that show the economic fallout is even worse than initially thought.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. I mean, the city of Minneapolis preliminary estimates the federal surge cost the city more than $200 million in January alone, and that it would take at least that funding for community groups, businesses and more to be made whole now, the Trump administration has defended its surge in the city. DHS, for example, has claimed it arrested thousands of undocumented immigrants from the beginning of the operation through early February. But this is also an operation that included two dead Americans. Another person shot by an ICE agent whom ICE is now investigating for potentially lying about the incident. And now this trail of fear in its wake. For some residents, that won't change overnight, Brianna.

KEILAR: Omar Jimenez, thank you so much for that report.

OUTFRONT next, critics slamming President Trump after a banner with his face, you see it there, just appeared on the building of the Department of Justice.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:57]

KEILAR: Tonight, quote, "Shameful". That is the reaction from a group representing Department of Justice officials ousted under Trump after this huge banner of President Trump's face was unfurled outside the DOJ building. The Department of Justice historically has been independent from White House influence. The group Justice Connection telling OUTFRONT in a statement tonight, quote, hanging that banner should put to rest any doubt that Donald Trump has hijacked the independence of the Justice Department. The banner is fueling concerns about Trump's power over the DOJ. The president has publicly pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi to target his perceived enemies.

And the giant banner of Trump's face is just another part of his effort to put his face and name all over Washington like no other president has done before. Similar banners also hanging on the Departments of Labor and Agriculture. His name added to the U.S. Institute of Peace, and of course, the Kennedy Center, renaming it the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Arts.

And finally, tonight, a look at a special report that is coming this weekend on CNN. Pamela Brown taking us inside faith centered communities where Christian nationalism is gaining influence and its leaders are trying to redefine America in the home, in classrooms and in government

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At classical Christian schools, religion isn't a standalone subject. It shapes every lesson from science to history, through a strict and literal biblical worldview. Each morning at this school, they even pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, not the American flag.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to enculturate Christian kids, and when we say that we mean deeply Christian kids, ones who think like biblical Christians all the way down.

BROWN: So do you teach the kids here? This is a Christian nation this was founded as a Christian nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Pamela's investigation, "THE WHOLE STORY: THE RISE OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM" will premiere this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN.

And thank you so much for joining us.

"AC360" starts right now.