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Court Docs: Singer "d4vd" Target Of Murder Investigation; Official: U.S. Citizen Killed In Shooting Incident In Cuba; Early Voter Turnout Surging In Texas Ahead of Senate Primary. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired February 27, 2026 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
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KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The car was registered to a David Burke, the singer d4vd.
And we're now learning from these court documents some grisly details. LAPD detectives were called to open up the car because of a strong smell. Inside detectives found two cadaver bags, one with the girl's decomposed head and torso; the other, the rest of her dismembered body parts.
Now, d4vd has been a viral music sensation with hundreds of millions of views of his hit song "Romantic Homicide." d4vd nor anyone we are aware of has been arrested directly for the girl's death. I have called d4vd's attorney twice. She said that she couldn't talk to me because of the ongoing grand jury investigation. Now we are still waiting for the results of that grand jury investigation, but we do know that testimony has been ongoing.
Back to you.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Kyung Lah. Thank you so much.
Coming up, artificial intelligence is taking a toll on a leader in the tech industry. We'll tell you about the job cuts at the company behind Cash App and Square next on EARLY START.
The U.S. Pentagon is battling with the American AI company Anthropic. Just ahead why mass surveillance and autonomous weapons could have the company turning its back on a $200 million defense contract.
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[05:36:03]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout. And here is where the U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. None of it's too pretty just yet although on a downward slope. Hopefully, things will pick up.
All right, checking some of today's business headlines.
Netflix has dropped its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance is now poised to acquire the media conglomerate, which includes the Warner Bros. movie studios, HBO, and this network, CNN. Netflix declined to match Paramount's current offer of $31.00 a share plus a number of financial sweeteners. The regulatory review process will take months.
And Papa Johns is closing hundreds of locations across North America as customers pull back on spending. The pizza chain says about 300 underperforming restaurants will close by the end of 2027 and about 200 of them will shutter this year. The closures following a brutal fourth quarter with same store sales down more than five percent.
And the tech company Block is cutting its staff by 40 percent. The company owns the point of sale system Square, the popular digital wallet Cash App, and the Australian buy now-pay later Afterpay. CEO Jack Dorsey says Block is not making the changes because the company is in trouble but because AI is making the business strong.
All right. The company behind the first artificial intelligence system to be used in the military is now rejecting the Pentagon's demands to change its contract. Anthropic has until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Friday to accept the Pentagon's deal or be labeled a supply chain risk. That status is only given to companies that are classified as extensions of foreign adversaries.
CNN's business tech editor Lisa Eadicicco has details.
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LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Anthropic is rejecting the Pentagon's latest contract, saying that the revised language it received does not satisfy its concerns around the use of AI in mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. The company said that the new language was framed as a compromise but included legalese that would allow the Pentagon to disregard Anthropic's safeguards at will.
This comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei a deadline of 5:00 p.m. to allow its technology to be used for all lawful purposes or risk losing a $200 million Pentagon contract and be deemed a supply chain risk. And that second part is also pretty important for Anthropic's future because it would essentially mean that Anthropic would not be able to do business with companies that have contracts with the military.
And this comes at a time when Anthropic is making a major push into the enterprise and continues to roll out new AI tools aimed at workplaces.
So again, this is -- the original deadline was 5:00 p.m. on Friday so there is a chance that things could change. Anthropic is still in discussions with the Pentagon about a way to move forward, so we'll have to see how this plays out.
Back to you.
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WHITFIELD: All right, Lisa. Thank you so much.
All right. Still to come, Democrats are looking to break a three- decade losing streak with the midterm election. Why many hope a rising star in the party could make all the difference in the race for U.S. Senate.
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[05:44:00]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And here are some stories that we're watching today.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will testify today about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier, Hillary Clinton told lawmakers that she had never met the late pedophile or communicated with him. She criticized the Republican-led committee for refusing to hold a public hearing. Her closed-door deposition lasted more than six hours.
And the U.S. and Iran wrapped up nuclear talks in Geneva with signs of progress but no major breakthrough. Iran's foreign minister says the two sides identified the main elements of a potential agreement. The talks are set to continue next week in Vienna. A source tells CNN that U.S. President Trump has been briefed on potential military operations in Iran.
And tensions are flaring again between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rival Taliban factions have been trading cross-border strikes for the past few days. A fragile ceasefire has been in place between the neighboring countries since October until attacks resumed last weekend.
[05:45:05]
And a U.S. official tells CNN that a U.S. citizen was among four people killed Wednesday in what has been described as a shootout between Cuban forces and a speedboat in Cuba's territorial waters. A U.S. official said a second U.S. citizen was wounded and is now receiving medical treatment in Cuba.
Havana insists the boat's passengers were trying to "infiltrate" the island. The country's deputy foreign relations minister placed the blame on the U.S.
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CARLOS FERNANDEZ DE COSSIO, CUBAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS (through translator): This is not an isolated action. Cuba has been the victim of aggression and countless terrorist attacks (PH) for more than 60 years. Mostly, these have been organized, funded, and carried out from the territory of the United States.
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WHITFIELD: CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon has more.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Still so many questions surrounding Wednesday's incident off the coast of Cuba. What the government in Havana is saying is that an armed group -- 10 people in total -- tried to "infiltrate" the island nation with a speedboat here. This area is called Falcones Cay and it's just over 100 miles from the coast of Florida.
Cuban authorities say when they approached the U.S.-registered speedboat one of the passengers fired at them and Cuban forces retaliated. Four of the speedboat passengers were killed and the remaining six were wounded. Cuba says they are currently in custody and receiving treatment.
An investigation is ongoing, but the country's Interior Ministry has been quick to brand the group as terrorists.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): According to preliminary statements from those detained they intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes.
POZZEBON: Cuba says it arrested an 11th man. They said he flew in from the U.S. to "guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration."
Now, Washington says whatever this was, it was not a U.S. operation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also seemingly skeptical of Havana's version of events.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's not something that happens every day. It's something, frankly, that hasn't happened with Cuba in a very long time. And -- but we're going to find out. We're not going to base our conclusions on what they've told us, and I'm very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here.
POZZEBON: The shootout happens as the U.S. is ramping up pressure on Cuba. The island nation facing severe shortages of basic food items but also fuel, and that's because Washington has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the country since it captured Venezuelan leader and Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro in January. The U.S.' stricter stance part of a more ambitious goal for the country.
RUBIO: Cuba's status quo is unacceptable. Cuba needs to change.
POZZEBON: As Cuba and the U.S. both carry out their investigations more details of this incident should be made public soon with tensions seemingly destined to rise even further.
For CNN this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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WHITFIELD: Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez is calling for the U.S. to end sanctions and an oil blockade on her country. While speaking at a youth event on Thursday she appealed directly to President Trump, calling him her friend and asking for his help. Take a listen.
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DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): President Trump, as a friend and partner, now that we're opening a new agenda of cooperation with the United States, end the sanctions and end the blockade against our homeland because the blockade is also against the youth of Venezuela. And the youth of Venezuela, as a whole, are calling for an end to the sanctions and an end to the blockade against Venezuela.
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WHITFIELD: And this comes as Venezuela has reformed its laws to allow U.S. companies to operate in its oil sector.
President Trump had previously declared an oil blockade on the Latin American country resulting in the seizure of oil tankers.
And days ahead of its high-stakes Senate primary, early voting turnout is surging in Texas. Some 850,000 ballots have reportedly been cast in the Democratic primary as Jasmine Crockett faces off against James Talarico. And turnout is up on the Republican side as well as Sen. John Cornyn wages a bitter battle against two challengers. Now some wonder if this election will send the first Texas Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than three decades.
Here is Jeff Zeleny.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: James Talarico!
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They're calling out his name all across Texas. A rising star making some Democrats dream big.
JAMES TALARICO, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Let's go win this thing.
ZELENY (voiceover): James Talarico is turning heads as Democrats look for signs of hope in the midterm elections and beyond.
ZELENY: You weren't born the last time that Texas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.
TALARICO: That's right.
[05:50:00]
ZELENY: Why is this year different, do you believe?
TALARICO: Well, there is a growing backlash in this state to the extremism and the corruption in our government. I can't tell you how many people come up to me at the end of these events and whisper "I'm not a Democrat" like it's some kind of secret.
ZELENY (voiceover): That fact alone speaks to the challenge or opportunity in a deep red state where the last Democratic senator was Lloyd Bentsen, re-elected in 1998, a year before Talarico was born.
TALARICO: There is something happening in this state and I think we're going to surprise a lot of people on election night in November.
ZELENY (voiceover): But long before a potential November surprise he faces a spirited primary Tuesday with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.
REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX), U.S. Senate DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: People can take a chance on somebody that says that they will fight or they can go with a proven fighter.
ZELENY (voiceover): That's emerged as a study in contrast and a stark choice for Democrats whether to fire up the base or try to expand it.
TALARICO: Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whether you're a progressive or a conservative, the real fight in this country is not left versus right, it's top versus bottom.
ZELENY (voiceover): That message has put Talarico, a 36-year-old state representative, on the political map. After appearing with Joe Rogan last year --
JOE ROGAN, HOST, "THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE" PODCAST: You need to run for president.
TALARICO: (Laughing)
ROGAN: We need someone who is actually a good person.
ZELENY (voiceover): -- Talarico has been everywhere, including a star turn on "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT" who said the FCC sought to block the broadcast in a segment that became political gold.
TALARICO: I think it's safe to say their plan backfired.
ZELENY (voiceover): The grandson of a pastor and a seminary student himself, he talks more about faith than most Democrats and tackling tough problems with love.
TALARICO: Love is not weak. Love sometimes requires that we stand between the bullies and the bullied.
ZELENY: As you well know, some Democrats aren't in the mood to love right now. TALARICO: That's right. Well, I think it's because we treat love as some kind of soft, sentimental feeling when, in fact, love is a ferocious force. You think about the love of a mama bear protecting her cub. That's the kind of love that we need in this moment.
ZELENY (voiceover): He's tapped into the frustration of seasoned voters like Elaine and Ed Barnes.
ELAINE BARNES, TEXAS VOTER: We used to vote Republican and in 2016 it changed us.
ED BARNES, TEXAS VOTER: We're not left, we're not right. We just want to be reasonable somewhere in the sensible center. And maybe this is going in that direction.
ZELENY (voiceover): And younger ones like Oliver Dixon.
OLIVER DIXON, TEXAS VOTER: It shouldn't be left versus right, and I think Talarico is spot on, on that, when he talks about that.
ZELENY (voiceover): Talarico's views are proudly progressive, strongly denouncing Trump's immigration crackdown and most administration policies, yet his touch is softer.
ZELENY: Do you think voters are looking for a healer more than a fighter?
TALARICO: I don't know if those two things should be so exclusive. I think the best way to fight is to unite, and I know how to do both of those things.
ZELENY: Electability has become a key issue in the final days of this campaign. At events like this one, Talarico argues he's the stronger general election candidate. Of course, that's a moot point if he doesn't win on Tuesday.
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WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff Zeleny. Thanks so much.
And we'll be right back.
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[05:57:35]
WHITFIELD: All right, looking ahead now to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where the chairman of the organizing committee is facing growing pressure to step down. Several high-profile California leaders have asked for Casey Wasserman to resign because of flirty emails he sent to Ghislaine Maxwell years before she was convicted of child sex trafficking.
Wasserman has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein but there have been private discussions about who might take his place, including businessman and philanthropist Rick Caruso. He tells CNN that even though his name has been floated he has not been contacted to lead the Games.
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RICK CARUSO, BUSINESSMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST: You know, I think anytime you get an opportunity to do something big to help the city of L.A., to help the country, of course you have to look at it and take it seriously.
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WHITFIELD: All right. And the women's U.S. hockey team is still celebrating after capturing the gold in an overtime thriller against Canada. Caroline Harvey was the MVP and is likely going to be a top round pick in the upcoming Professional Women's Hockey League draft.
Here's what she told CNN's Elex Michaelson about the moment that she and her teammates got gold.
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CAROLINE HARVEY, U.S. WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM MVP: I was pretty speechless but obviously it's just a special feeling. You feel so united and together as one. I mean, we've been working so hard this whole year towards this common goal of capturing gold and, of course, like there's been many camps and hard work and effort gone into it. And the team behind our team that's been there for us and getting us to that moment and just -- it was -- it was such a sweet moment. The cherry on top, of course, bringing the gold home.
But yeah, in that moment it was just -- you're with your sisters and you feel so united. And you guys were screaming the National Anthem, and it means everything.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: So you got started in this very young, right? You were like three or four years old and you were skating, right? What is your message to all the little girls and little boys that are watching you all right now?
HARVEY: Yeah, it's been a great journey so far. And it started because of my brother, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
But for young kids out there who want to -- who want to get started on their own journey and partake in hockey, I would just say follow your dreams and dream big. And if you're willing to work hard and put in the consistent work every day you can really achieve whatever you put your mind to.
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WHITFIELD: Oh, 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.
