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Isa Soares Tonight
Russia Fires Dozens of Missiles and Hundreds of Drones at Kyiv; Ukrainian Skeleton Racer Disqualified; Delcy Rodriguez Invited to U.S.; U.S. Energy Secretary Talks Oil in Caracas with Rodriguez; Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Enters Day 12; Ukrainian Skeleton Racer Disqualified Over Helmet. Trump Administration Revokes Key Climate Regulation Policy; NATO Chief Talks Shifting "Mindset" in Alliance; Russia Fires Dozens of Missiles, Hundreds of Drones at Kyiv. Aired 2:30-3p ET
Aired February 12, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome, I'm Isa Soares. And tonight, we are beginning this hour with breaking news out
of Washington. That's where President Donald Trump has just unveiled his most aggressive step yet to gut U.S. climate policy, with a move that marks
a real stunning reversal in efforts to curb global warming.
That's a breaking news this hour. The U.S. President has been revoking, we've heard him there. The authority of the Environmental Protection
Agency, the EPA, to regulate carbon dioxide and other pollutants, heating the planet. The decision repeals the endangerment finding part of an Obama-
era rule that identified six greenhouse gases as dangerous to public health.
The President and the EPA administrators spoke in the last hour, just listen to a little sound from it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That is why, effective immediately, we are repealing the ridiculous endangerment-finding and
terminating all additional green emission standards imposed unnecessarily on vehicle models and engines between 2012 and 2027 and beyond.
This action will save American consumers trillions of dollars, and will lower the average cost of a new vehicle by close to $3,000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Mr. Trump's announcement comes as new analysis shows that carbon emissions in the world's largest polluter China, have been flat or
falling for 21 months. Let me go to our Kevin Liptak, who joins me now with much more. So, Kevin, I understand the President is still talking. We are
monitoring, but this is a huge reversal.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it's enormous. And the way that Lee Zeldin, who is the administrator of the EPA described it as
the holy grail of deregulatory actions. You know, this had been previewed for quite some time.
This was a component of project 2025, which is that blueprint that the Trump campaign had used in his time out of office to map out how he would
govern. Now, he is following through. And what the endangerment finding was, is essentially the legal underpinning of the administration's ability
to limit emissions.
You know, carbon dioxide emissions, methane emissions, all of these other gases, be it from automobile tailpipes or power plants, all of these
actions that the President's predecessors had used to try and limit emissions in a bid to combat climate change.
And what eliminating this rule does is essentially allows the administration to roll back all of those regulations. And so, you -- for
example, today they're rolling back one of the particular regulations on tailpipe emissions. It sets in motion the ability to roll back certain
regulations on power plants and all of these other components that spew some of the climate warming gases into the atmosphere.
And so, this is a major step. It will likely be challenged in court, and already, you've seen some Democratic governors come out and say essentially
that this is a legal, that they will take it all the way to the Supreme Court, potentially to try and limit what President Trump is doing here.
But I think, you know, this is something that conservatives have been talking about for quite some time. This was seen as really the lynchpin of
the Obama administration's climate strategy of the Biden administration's climate strategy. Because it essentially found that these gases were
harmful to human health.
That has been backed up by numerous, rigorous scientific studies. But what the administration is trying to claim here is that, the gases that this
finding would regulate aren't directly impacting human health, that it is sort of the carry-on effect that may have the repercussions.
And so, you know, they're following through on something that conservatives have been trying to do for quite some time. But I think just given the
potential legal challenges, it's not certain that this is quite the end of the road.
[14:05:00]
SOARES: Yes, and on that point, last point, President Trump said these crippling restrictions were a major factor in driving up car prices to
unprecedented levels. We also heard him talk about how these -- this, you know, doing without this regulation would actually save trillion dollars
U.S. economy. How so?
LIPTAK: Yes, it's not clear, and a lot of those numbers, I think the President was vague on intentionally because, you know, in a lot of ways
it's not entirely clear how this would directly affect American consumers. I think the other facet of this is that American car companies are already
moving in the direction of using green energy, whether it's electric or ethanol.
You know, the toothpaste is out of the tube in a lot of ways for both the American auto manufacturers, but also American consumers who have
demonstrated a willingness to purchase those types of vehicles. And so, while the President might be saying here in his event that he's doing this
to save Americans money.
You know, in a lot of ways Americans have already demonstrated that they're willing and eager to go in that direction.
SOARES: Kevin, thank you very much. Do stay with us. I want to go to the White House. The President speaking, he's just talking about Iran. Let's
listen in.
TRUMP: He's disgraceful for not giving it. He should give it. But Bibi has been a great war-time prime minister, and I've been the best friend to
Israel I think that they've ever had. I heard people say beyond presidents that they've ever had, and we will continue to be. Yes, ma'am
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll say that, Mr. President, voter ID polls very well nationally, even the majority of Democrat voters want it.
TRUMP: Right --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, why do you think Senate Democrats are resisting the Save Act? And what is your strategy and realistic pathway to getting
the Save Act --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Passed to ensure free and fair elections for the next generation?
TRUMP: It's such a great question. I appreciate it actually, because it's called the Save America Act. We've changed the name. It's the Save America
Act and the Democrats are against it. I heard one of them say, we will stop the Save America Act. No, we're trying to save America.
And it has to do with largely voting, and basically, it's got three very simple points. It's got voter ID, photo ID., but voter ID with a photo,
right? It's got the confirmation of U.S. citizenship. You have to be a citizen. So, you have a vote. You have an ID that's about a 99 percent-one,
and I think 90 percent with Democrats.
Then you have confirmation U.S. citizenship, that's about a 99 percent-one with Republicans, about 86 percent with Democrats, except Democrat
politicians, because they cheat on elections. And then you have no mail in ballots. And there would be no mail in ballots. Very important.
You know, we're the only country in the world that does a system like we do. We're the only country in the world that has mail-in ballots. The way
we do this is unbelievable. It guarantees cheating. So, it's no mail-in ballots with the exception of disability, illness, military or if you're
traveling, you can get an exemption.
You know, if you happen to be out of the country for a good reason, you can have an exemption. So, with the exceptions, it's no mail-in ballots. And
that will assure the security of our crooked elections. We have crooked elections. Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, have you fired or disciplined that staffer who posted the video from your account that included the Obamas?
TRUMP: No, I haven't. That was a video on -- as you know, voter fraud, and fairly long video and they had a little piece and had to do with the "Lion
King". It's been very well. It's been shown all over the place long before that was posted. But that was a -- that was a very strong -- if you -- and
I'm sure you saw it, a very strong piece on voter fraud.
And the piece that you're talking about was all over the place many times, I believe for years. Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, were you aware that Secretary of Commerce visited Epstein's island? And do you continue to have full
confidence --
TRUMP: No, I wasn't aware of it, no, I didn't -- I actually haven't spoken to him about it, and I wasn't, but from what I hear, he was there with his
wife and children, and I guess in some cases some people were. I wasn't. I was never there. Somebody will someday say that. I was never there. Yes,
please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This announcement that you made today, Mr. President, comes on the heels of a January jobs report that smashed industry --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Expectations.
TRUMP: Smashed all records.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a lot -- big feature of that was you reprioritizing the economy. An economy that was bloated with federal employment under the
previous president. What's your message to Americans following this jobs report that smashed industry expectations? Is this just a sign that the
best is yet to come?
TRUMP: Thank you. The jobs report is amazing in certain ways because we have tremendously fewer federal employees, way down.
[14:10:00]
And now, I could have left them and added to what we did, and we would have had almost 100 percent employment. I could have gotten a great kick out of
the fact that we're 100 percent employed. But we got rid of tremendous numbers of federal workers, and they hated me for it.
Now, they love me because most of them have gotten jobs in the private sector for two or three times more money than they were being paid by the
federal government. We had some jobs where you had ten workers for one job. Ten workers for a job that one person should be doing.
And we've gotten rid of a lot of the -- those jobs. And by getting rid of them, these people became available to work in the private sector. And as
you know, the numbers are incredible. So, the job numbers are incredible. The financial numbers are beyond belief again.
They thought it couldn't be done in four years, and I did it in one year. And the numbers, you're going to see is -- I don't know if you notice also,
construction numbers, the jobs for construction workers. You know why? Because they're building plants all over the United States. That's why.
And when these plants open in a year from now, some sooner, some a little bit later. But when these auto plants, A.I. plants and thousands of other
types of plants, when they open over the next period of a year, year and a half, you're going to see numbers like we've never seen before in this
country. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
TRUMP: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you Mr. President.
SOARES: The U.S. President there speaking at the White House, as we told you, just in the last what? Ten minutes or so, President Trump has unveiled
his most aggressive step yet to cut and to gut, I should say, U.S. climate policy, revoking basically the authority of the EPA, the Environmental
Protection Agency, to regulate carbon dioxide as well as other pollutants that will be heating the planet.
Here to discuss is Gina McCarthy; she served as EPA chief under President Barack Obama and as the first ever White House national climate adviser
under Joe Biden. Gina, great to have you on the show. We heard from President Trump in the last what? Twenty minutes or so.
I also heard from the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who called this move -- I'm going to quote them here, "the largest act of
deregulation in the history of the United States." I mean, what we've just heard from the President, does this make climate denial a U.S. policy now?
GINA MCCARTHY, FORMER ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: Well, it seemed like the President came in with a -- with an effort to deny
climate change as a problem, and he's acting on that. Look, we have to be clear about what the endangerment finding is and what it isn't for folks
that are listening.
You know, the 2009 endangerment finding was not a political statement. It was a rule developed by EPA because a supreme court told EPA that it was
obligated to conduct a science process to see whether climate change was a hazard to our health and environment.
And if we did, we were obligated to initiate stronger protections against pollution. That's what this is all about. So, the endangerment finding was
extremely important to actually show the public that we not only understood the science, that we have a big problem on climate change, but also that we
had to act on it.
What they're doing right now is exactly the opposite of what the supreme court told EPA it had to do. And over the course of two years, EPA
conducted extensive collaboration and engagement processes all over the country to make sure that if we had to regulate climate pollutants, which
the supreme court indicated in the science review that was done, then we had to do it in a way that would benefit communities all across the
country.
And that is exactly what we did. We actually made sure that people could be healthier and live longer, and that we could move forward together. And
what happened since then was we did exactly the same thing when we regulated pollutants from other sources, specifically, not just cars and
trucks, which the President mentioned, which has saved millions of lives, but now he's looking to underpin and dismantle --
SOARES: Yes --
MCCARTHY: All of the other efforts on the clean power plan, which is --
SOARES: Yes --
MCCARTHY: Now stuck in the --
SOARES: So --
MCCARTHY: Supreme court.
SOARES: So, Gina, for our viewers right around the world, and just put in very simple in layman's terms, what is the real impact --
MCCARTHY: Yes --
SOARES: Then of this deregulation to American lives, be it healthcare costs, be it climate damage, industry costs. Just the real cost of this
move here.
MCCARTHY: Look at the health and economic challenges that are going to arise now are directly related to what this President is doing.
[14:15:00]
We have spent decades at EPA ensuring that we could limit challenges to people's health and well-being. That's what EPA does. We did that to the
car and truck rule. We continue to move forward with our endangerment finding. And now, what he is doing is putting at risk millions of lives.
What he is doing is actually eliminating people's opportunity to provide a healthy future for themselves. And don't forget that it's also a cost
issue. This is going to be amazingly expensive for communities all across the United States who now don't just have to worry about their healthcare
costs, but have to --
SOARES: Yes --
MCCARTHY: Worry about what this President might do next.
SOARES: And we heard him there, and our White House correspondent, Kevin Liptak, Gina, was -- he was stumped as I was, because we heard the Trump
administration basically say it's going to save Americans trillions of dollars, he previously said $1.3 trillion, though he did not say how it
would -- how we actually arrived at that number.
I'm seeing you chuckle. You know, they argue at the same time they can protect the environment while boosting the economy and lowering energy
costs. How do you respond to this?
MCCARTHY: Look, I think there is an opportunity right now that is quite large in the United States of America. You know, you're focused right now
on what's going on in the head of this President, which none of us can really imagine. And about EPA, who is doing the bidding of this President?
Instead, we have to look at what's actually going on in the United States, because you hit on this a little bit. Look, this isn't just about his
attempt to gain -- to actually make more pollution prevalent in the United States. This is about his concern that in the United States of America
today, we are shifting to clean energy.
We have learned those lessons of the past. We are not going to buy expensive fossil fuels just to do his bidding. We are going to work hard
across the United States of America to keep pushing clean energy that's cheaper, that's healthier, and that benefits us instead of what this
President is doing, which is putting our lives and our pocketbooks at great risk.
SOARES: Yes, it comes also on the heels, of course, on -- was it yesterday? Twenty four hours ago, he said he championed, quote, "beautiful
clean coal at the White House". Just to frame that for our viewers. Gina, seeing you chuckling, this is serious stuff, right? For Americans up and
down the country. This has huge and serious repercussions for everyday life Americans.
MCCARTHY: It certainly does which -- I'm sorry. Go ahead.
SOARES: Go ahead. Finish your thought, Gina.
MCCARTHY: No, I was just going to say it's a shame that we're having this discussion right now. I think the United States is more mature than this
President is, and his understanding of what he should be doing and we all should be doing to actually advance the interests of our constituents here.
It's embarrassing. But we are where we are, but don't forget, we will fight. And at the state and local level, we're going to keep pushing every
step of the way to make sure that this President's view of our country gets turned into the correct picture, which is one that --
SOARES: Yes --
MCCARTHY: We are going to work together for our health and our well-being.
SOARES: Yes, as we heard from our Kevin Liptak, it seems this is going to go all the way, the legal route. Gina McCarthy, thank you very much, always
great to see you, Gina, thank you. And still to come tonight, investigators in Arizona are back at the home of missing woman Nancy Guthrie. Of course,
the -- plus, the new tribute by her daughter, NBS'(ph) Savannah Guthrie. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: A top official in NATO says things have changed after meeting today with Defense Minister Secretary-General Mark Rutte, says he senses
something new from the alliance, less reliance on the U.S. and a step forward by Europe and Canada to take more of a leadership role.
He spoke about urgency when it comes to defending Ukraine, and said NATO nations are more committed to working together than ever before. Have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUTTE, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NATO: Today, the discussions focused on strengthening our deterrence and defense, and ensuring continued support to
Ukraine. Let me tell you what I saw and heard today is unlike any NATO meeting I've taken part in. We also saw evidence of something else. A real
shift in mindset, a unity of vision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, one reason Europe is stepping up is the U.S. keeps stepping back. The U.S. didn't bother to send Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to the
defense ministers meeting, instead, a top American official was defense policy chief Elbridge Colby, who is seen as the Pentagon's number three.
And one of the major goals of this NATO meeting is to lock down more support for Ukraine. As if to underscore the importance of that, Russia
unleashed massive barrage of missiles and drones on Thursday. Ukraine's Air Force says Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones.
Ukraine says it managed to shoot down most of them, but buildings were damaged in both Kyiv as well as Odesa as you can see there. Shortly after
today's NATO meeting, the U.K. announced billions of dollars more towards Ukraine's air defenses. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HEALY, DEFENSE MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Together, I can confirm at today's UDCG, we pledged a total of $35 billion worth of new military aid
for Ukraine. For our part, the U.K. is spending the highest level of support for new military aid for Ukraine ever.
And at this UDCG, I announced a new half a billion pound package of urgent air defense support for Ukraine, President Zelenskyy's top priority. Today,
the UDCG sent a very clear message to Putin. We're more united and more determined than ever. We will step up military assistance to Ukraine. We
will step up pressure on Russia, and we want to make 2026 the year this war ends, the year we secure peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: John Healey speaking there. Well, joining me now is Oleksandr Merezhko; he's a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the
parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. Oleksandr, great to have you back on the show. Let me start then with what we heard out of Brussels this
evening, as we heard there from John Healey, a pledge of $35 billion in new military aid for Ukraine.
And as this comes as we were telling our viewers, as Ukraine faces a barrage of brutal missile and drone attacks, not just targeting the
frontlines, I think it's important to mention to viewers, but also civilians. So, how significant is this pledge?
OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, MEMBER OF UKRAINE PARLIAMENT: Well, thank you for having me. Of course, it is extremely significant, and we are tremendously
grateful to our friends, and we consider the U.K. our strategic partner. For 100 years, we have recently ratified such agreement about a strategic
partnership with the U.K.
[14:25:00]
And it's a great example for the United States to follow because the leadership of the U.K., they're thinking strategically, they understand the
importance of Ukraine for European and for global security. And it's also an issue of the U.S. security. As for Putin and Russia continuing to pound
Ukraine only overnight, the place where I live is in the downtown of Kyiv.
I heard loud explosions, just 50 meters from the place where I live from my apartment, there is a building which was damaged, and the whole -- the
whole several rooms were burned. So, you are not safe no matter where you live in --
SOARES: Yes --
MEREZHKO: Kyiv or in any other city of Ukraine.
SOARES: And, Oleksandr, well, talk about what is happening on the ground. But I just want to pick up with what you said. You know, hoping on the U.S.
front, the fact that Secretary Hegseth wasn't there, does that signal a reluctance, the U.S. stepping away from Ukraine. How do you interpret that?
MEREZHKO: I still -- I want to hope that it's some kind of misunderstanding. But the truth is that it sends a wrong signal in terms of
solidarity, Trans-Atlantic solidarity, because it's a key. The unity between countries who are members of the -- of NATO, it's tremendously
important, it's about credibility of NATO.
And when the leader of NATO, the most important country in NATO and its representative doesn't attend a very important meeting, it only emboldens
the adversaries and enemies of the United States and enemies of NATO. Because Putin, he believes, and his propaganda is constantly talking about
this, that they're waging a war against NATO, and they're waging the war against not only against Ukraine, but also against the United States as a
leader of NATO.
SOARES: So, what you're saying, basically, is it strengthens Putin's argument, Putin's hand. I wonder then, if you bring us up to date,
Oleksandr, where we are on the negotiations between the Ukraine and Russia, because according to President Zelenskyy, President Trump had said that he
wants peace by June. Is that even feasible?
MEREZHKO: It's absolutely impossible because there is certain sequence of events. You cannot have peace, you cannot make Putin to agree to a
ceasefire unless you put maximum pressure on Putin.
If you don't have pressure, if you don't follow through on the promises which you made before, if you don't apply serious sanctions and implement
these sanctions against Russia, and its allies who are providing lifeline for Russian war economy, you cannot have peace. It's totally delusional
unfortunately.
SOARES: And can we just explain to our viewers here, Oleksandr, what that lack of pressure has meant for Ukrainians daily lives, right? Just it's
been absolutely brutal. We've got -- we've seen -- we've reported on this temperatures plunging many people without electricity.
We've seen Russia continues to step up its attacks on rail hubs, right? Railway hubs, trains as well as infrastructure. Just give us a reality
check here for our viewers who are watching around the world what these blizzard-like conditions have meant, not just on the frontlines, but
civilians up and down the country, talking Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa.
MEREZHKO: Yes, the truth is that Putin has failed militarily. He has failed on battlefield. His advances are very small, and he has focused on
destroying our critical infrastructure. He's focused -- he's waging this war against civilian population of Ukraine, and he's weaponizing
everything.
He's using each opportunity to break our will to resist this invasion. For example, in Kyiv and other cities, we have these bombardments each night.
We -- during the day, we have multiple sirens going off, air raids, in our apartments it's cold, we receive -- we have power only for a couple of
hours per day for example, in Kyiv.
Sometimes, we don't have running water. But we are determined to win. We are determined to resist this invasion. Because --
SOARES: Yes --
MEREZHKO: If we don't, if we stop resisting, we'll be killed. And it's a matter of the United States to help Ukraine to survive. I think it's
extremely important moral issue for the President of the United States.
SOARES: Yes, let's see what comes out of the Munich Security Conference that starts tomorrow. Just before you go, and while I have you here, I just
want to get your reaction first of all, Oleksandr, to what has occurred out of the Winter Olympics.
Ukraine's skeleton slider, I'm going to try and say his name, Vladyslav Heraskevych, sorry, I mispronounced it, was disqualified, I understand, for
basically wearing a hand-painted helmet. And we're showing our viewers this hand-painted helmet that is emblazoned with like two dozen portraits of
Ukrainian athletes that were killed in Russia's four-year war.
[14:30:00]
The IOC prohibits any sort of political statements. I know there's been outrage in Ukraine. Just your reaction to this move by the IOC.
OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, CHAIR, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: It's a total disgrace for Olympic Committee because Olympic Games is about
peace. It's about at least ceasefire. And during Olympic Games, Russia continues to relentlessly kill Ukrainian civilians, including sportsmen.
And it's natural reaction of our athlete against, it's a sign of protest. And when you punish, when you punish an athlete whose country right now is
being destroyed and civilians are being killed, you know, it's a total disgrace. It's a moral suicide for the Olympic Committee.
SOARES: The Ukrainian president said today that his courage was worth more than any medal. And that really says it all. Oleksandr, great to see you.
Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us.
And still to come tonight, CNN rides along with the U.S. energy secretary as he speaks to Venezuelan officials on the future of their country's oil.
That's him there with Delcy Rodriguez. We'll have the report after the break.
And we look at a warming of relations between Caracas and Washington and what it means not just for Venezuela, but for all Latin America, and in
particular, Cuba.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Venezuelan acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, she's been invited to the United States, but the unscheduled
visit could be riddled with tension as she still claims Maduro is the legitimate president of Venezuela. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you see Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela?
DELCY RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELAN ACTING PRESIDENT (through translator): So, yes, I can tell you that President Nicolas Maduro is the legitimate
president. They are both, President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are both innocent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, as you'll remember, last month, the U.S. captured President Nicolas Maduro, who will face trial in New York for drug trafficking
charges. Should her trip be confirmed, it will be the first time a Venezuelan leader travels to the U.S. for an official visit in more than 30
years.
[14:35:00]
When asked about the Venezuelan opposition leader, this lady here, Maria Corina Machado, Rodriguez issued a warning. Should she return to Venezuela,
she will have to face questioning on why she requested U.S. military intervention.
Well, the acting president's invitation is part of what the U.S. secretary of energy calls a dramatic turn in US-Venezuelan relations. And this comes
as Secretary Chris Wright meets with officials in Caracas, in Venezuela, to discuss the distribution of the country's vast oil reserves. He says a
dramatic increase in Venezuelan oil, as well as natural gas, and electricity production is possible this year. Acting President Delcy
Rodriguez says the countries are working on an energy agenda to boost bilateral relations.
Our Stefano Pozzebon attended some of Wright's meetings and had this report from Caracas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: We're at an oil-producing facility in eastern Venezuela called Petro Independencia, and on Thursday, the
secretary of energy, Chris Wright, is visiting this oil facility together with the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez.
It's a stunning reversal. Consider that it's been only 40 days since U.S. Delta forces picked up Rodriguez's predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, in the
middle of the night to take him to New York City, and now the secretary of energy is visiting together, side by side, hand in hand almost. They are
travelling on the same van with the acting president.
And the company that is running this facility, Chevron, has been telling us that they believe the potential here could be of up to 300,000 barrels a
day. Currently, they're producing only 40,000 barrels of crude oil a day, but both the secretary and the acting president are telling us that they
hope to overcome the obstacles that are in the way to that goal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: Chevron is telling us that they are producing around 40,000 barrels a day here, but the potential could be up to 300,000 barrels a day.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle that we need to overcome in order to reach that goal?
CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: Oh, it's just to get the political and economic arrangements as smooth as possible between our countries, but
there is no question that Chevron can ramp this facility, Chevron and PDVSA can ramp this facility, this area to 300,000 barrels a day, no question
about it.
RODRIGUEZ (through translator): We are working on a very fast-paced agenda to consolidate by national cooperation. It is what is important for both
the United States and Venezuela that our countries, our peoples, benefit from these partnerships. Chevron has been in Venezuela for over 100 years,
and we are doing extraordinary work as the partners that we are, improving production, improving facilities, infrastructure, maintenance.
This is the way forward. This is the path of cooperation, and it is the agenda for a long-term productive partnership. It's what I mean when I say
that no obstacle or impediment should hinder this productive path that we are on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: The reversal compared to just a couple of months ago and the full rhetorical warfare between Venezuela and the government of Nicolas
Maduro and the United States, and the idea that now the two of them are walking side by side is perhaps a symbol of how quick the transformation in
this country has been so far.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Anzoategui, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Stefano. For more, let's bring in America's quarterly editor-in-chief, Brian Winter. Brian, good to see you. I'm hoping
that you heard Stefano there with that report from Venezuela. I mean, this is -- and he's right, this is quite a stunning reversal. We not only saw
Delcy Rodriguez with the U.S. Energy Secretary there, but we also heard them at one point, and we didn't have this little clip, we also heard Delcy
Rodriguez speaking English. Just give me your take, first of all, of what - - of this dramatic turn and what this potentially means.
BRIAN WINTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AMERICAS QUARTERLY: It's astounding. I mean, I have been waking up for the last 40 days, rubbing my eyes, looking
at some of this footage. Today was one of those days, and we have a U.S. energy secretary touring PDVSA installations, joint installations with
Chevron. We saw yesterday, we saw the American flag on the steps of the Venezuelan presidential palace. It's amazing how much change has happened
in so little time.
Of course, there are still obstacles ahead, mainly the idea of a democratic transition, which is a necessary condition for real investment to flow into
Venezuela. But it is worth just pausing, as you just did, and as I think Stefano referenced as well, and just thinking about how amazing this is,
how many things have happened in just these 40 days.
[14:40:00]
SOARES: Yes. And just how quickly this is all happening. And, you know, you and I know this story well. We've covered Venezuela for a long time.
And the point that Stefano was making there to the energy secretary was saying, you know, this plant produces, what, 40,000 barrels a day. The
expectation is 300,000 barrels a day. Like that plant, there are so many that have been completely ignored and just not maintained over the years.
This thing requires huge amounts of investment here.
WINTER: Yes. I mean, President Trump has spoken about the need for $100 billion worth of investment to get Venezuela's oil sector back to its days
of glory. And, you know, the companies, U.S. companies like Exxon and others have been clear that that's not going to happen under current
conditions or even necessarily in the near term.
They need to see a legitimately elected government because we have to remember that for all of the theatrics and for, you know, the smiling
photos and Delcy Rodriguez speaking English, she was absolutely a leader of the -- you know, of the regime that governed up until January 3rd that was
violating contracts, torturing every day Venezuelans that made this such an impossible place to do business over the course of 20 years.
It's clear that under current conditions with this, you know, figurative sword hanging over her head, she is playing nice. Probably because she sees
not only the political benefit but some economic benefit as well. But, you know, just because we're all sort of dazzled by these images today doesn't
mean that there won't be some kind of betrayal tomorrow. And the companies know that.
SOARES: Yes, and I think -- you know, and I think she probably knows that too, hence why she's playing both sides. Because we heard in that little
clip there she said she still recognizes Maduro as the legitimate president, right, saying that they're innocent, which obviously plays very
well to the Chavista base.
But can we just focus on any sort of eventual transition here? Where are we on the political prisoners? Because there was a push to get more political
prisoners out of prisons like Evin Prison. Where are we on that front? Because I feel like it's slowed down.
WINTER: Well, it's been two steps forward and one step back, literally in the case of a very prominent Venezuelan dissident who was released and then
quickly taken back into custody just this week. And, you know, it's worth asking how front and center this is for the Trump administration, this
issue of the political prisoners. We haven't heard a lot from Secretary Wright during his visit this week about this issue of the prisoners.
In fairness, he's the energy secretary, and he's obviously there to deal with the oil part of the equation, which both President Trump and Secretary
of State Rubio have correctly identified as key to Venezuela's long-term stability.
But, you know, you get the feeling --
SOARES: Yes. I mean, we have -- yes, go ahead, Brian.
WINTER: I was just going to say you get the feeling that the Venezuelan government, the Delcy Rodriguez, is testing. And, you know, they apply a
little bit of pressure here, they give a little bit of ground here, trying to see what they can get away with and see how focused the White House will
remain on these key issues of the energy sector, the political transition and the political prisoners.
SOARES: Yes. I mean, look, on the White House front, I know he's the energy secretary, but we have heard very little from this administration in
what regards democracy in Venezuela. That has been very clear.
Let me ask you then about what is happening to Cuba, because that seems to be like a big loser in these warming relations between Caracas and
Washington. We have been reporting that major airlines have suspended flights to the island due to fuel shortages. Blackouts seem to be part of
everyday life. And now, we're hearing Mexico is sending humanitarian aid to try and prevent a crisis.
How much longer, Brian, do you think Havana can hold on? And do you think that Diaz-Canel government has here? What is the strategy, you think,
coming from the United States?
WINTER: Well, Cuba has always had a patron. Sometimes they've had more than one. For many years, it was the Soviet Union. Then it was Venezuela.
They've had help from the Chinese, from the Russians. But all of that, or almost all of that has now dried up. And what they're left with is two
things. One, a system that just does not work.
And then second, this increased pressure from the Trump administration that has leaned on Mexico and others to stop sending oil.
[14:45:00]
You mentioned that Mexico is sending humanitarian aid. Brazil is also talking about doing that. And, you know, that seems to be where we are now,
is that, you know, the Trump administration will tolerate shipments of humanitarian aid.
But, you know, it's very clear, I think, to all of us, including the regime, in Cuba, that for the Trump administration, Cuba is next. They feel
empowered. This thing in Venezuela has gone better than I think they could have imagined so far. And, you know, they seem eager to strike now.
Now, strike in this case, I don't think we're going to see helicopters, U.S. helicopters flying into Havana in the same way that they did in
Caracas. I think what we're seeing, at least publicly, suggests that the Trump administration may be interested in some kind of negotiated
transition, similar in some respects to what we saw or what we're seeing in Venezuela, where the Cuban government agrees to open up the economy and the
conversation turns to some medium-term transition of power.
SOARES: Let's just see. I know you -- we'll stay across. I know you're certainly will, reading your articles. Brian, always great to see you.
Thanks very much. Brian Winter there.
WINTER: Thanks.
SOARES: Well, let's turn to the United States, because the search for Nancy Guthrie enters day 12. Investigators in Arizona are tracking down a
variety of tips. Early on Thursday, a white tent, as you can see there, was temporarily put up in front of the door of her Tucson home. That is the
spot where a person that we showed you was captured on home surveillance around the time the 84-year-old went missing. Investigators are asking
neighbors to check home video cameras from two days in January.
Her daughter, NBC Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, posted a new social media tribute. It was just incredibly moving just a few hours ago. It's an
old video of the family. That's her mother. Beautiful words from Savannah. And Savannah says her family will, in her words, never give up on her.
Joining us now from Tucson is CNN's Nick Watt. So, Nick, just bring us up to date or up to speed on this investigation, because when -- you know, I
was speaking to my producers earlier today and when we were asking -- the police was asking for footage from their cameras, I thought this was
something they would have done days ago.
NICK WATT, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, it's fascinating to see how this investigation has evolved since that chilling Nest doorbell
camera footage of the suspect was released a couple of days ago.
We've seen investigators going over again, searching areas like this, outside Nancy Guthrie's home, that they'd already searched, because now
that they've seen that suspect, they know a little bit more about what they're looking for. The ski mask, the gloves, the backpack, all that kind
of thing.
So, what we've seen this morning was initially we got a request that went out for anybody around here to send video from their surveillance cameras
from very specific dates and time. January 11th, so that's about three weeks before Nancy Guthrie went missing. January 11th, between 9:00 p.m.
and midnight, and then January 31st, that's the day before she went missing, between 9:30 and 11:00 in the morning.
Now, perhaps they, investigators, are wondering if somebody came to scope this place out before coming to actually kidnap Nancy Guthrie. We have had
experts say that the body language of the suspect on the doorstep seemed very casual, perhaps like he had been there before. Now, the other thing
that we've seen this morning was, for about an hour, there was a white tent, similar to what you see at crime scenes, up over Nancy Guthrie's
porch. Now, of course, a very early piece of evidence were drops of blood on that porch that were matched to Nancy Guthrie.
Also, yesterday, we heard, while they were doing this sort of search over again, they found a glove. We now hear from the Sheriff's Department that
they have found gloves, plural, and other pieces of evidence that are being assessed right now. And, of course, the other thing that that video on the
doorstep gives is just little clues.
So, for example, the way that the suspect had holstered his weapon, experts say, suggests that he was not really trained in firearms. So, this
investigation does seem to be picking up, but still, day 12, still no real idea where Nancy Guthrie is. Isa.
SOARES: Nick Watt there for us. Thanks very much, Nick. Really appreciate it. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:00]
SOARES: Well, at the Winter Olympics, U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim is battling for gold right now in the women's halfpipe final. Kim is aiming to
become the first woman to win the event for the third consecutive games.
Earlier today, Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, I'm sorry if I mispronounce it, was controversially disqualified from competing in the men's skeleton
race due to a helmet featuring images of athletes killed during the war in Ukraine. You heard my conversation at the top of the show with our guest
out of Ukraine. Our Amanda Davies, though, has more from Milan, Italy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Is remembering the victims of a war, fellow athletes who've lost their lives a demonstration of political
propaganda? That's what we've been talking about with this story over the last few days. After four years of training, 15 minutes ahead of the start
of the race this morning Vladyslav Heraskevych sent us at CNN the letter he received from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation informing
him of the decision that he was disqualified from today's competition.
Ukraine's flag bearer at the opening ceremony on Friday, he's been very open that this Games was about more than simply the quest for medals, and
the 27-year-old's been determined that he would wear what he and his team described as the helmet of remembrance for his competition. It features
pictures of 24 athletes out of more than 500 killed since the start of the war in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADYSLAV HERASKEVYCH, UKRAINIAN SKELETON RACER: And I believe it's important to keep memory about these athletes and memory about their
sacrifice. Some of them was also part of Olympic family and I believe they deserve to be at Olympic arenas and they deserve to be at the start with
me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: The International Olympic Committee have said the helmet breaches was known as Article 50 of the Olympic Charter prohibiting the
demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda in any Olympic site. They conceded that no one disagrees with the message of the helmet.
But after multiple meetings over the last few days including first thing this morning between the IOC president Kirsty Coventry and Heraskevych they
couldn't find a compromise. As he put it, he wouldn't betray the athletes that have lost their lives since the start of the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTY COVENTRY, IOC PRESIDENT: I really wanted to see him race today. It's been an emotional morning. So, yes, you know, I think for me, yes, I
think -- I don't think we were in tears but it was -- he is an athlete and for me, I was not speaking to him in that room as a president. I was
speaking to him as an athlete.
[14:55:00]
We have these rules in place to try and be fair and also to try and allow for us to do both things, right, to allow for athletes to express
themselves but also to allow for athletes to be safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: Vladyslav's father and coach Mykhailo was pictured looking incredibly upset in the aftermath of the decision. The Ukrainian president,
Zelenskyy, has reacted on social media criticizing the IOC for contradicting the spirit of the game saying sport shouldn't mean amnesia
and the Olympic movement should help stop wars not play into the hands of aggressors.
Heraskevych has long said some things are more important than medals but he was hoping at least he'd get the chance to try for both. He said he's set
to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Amanda Davies, CNN, Milan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, before we go, let's update you on our breaking news. This hour at the top of the show, President Trump has taken an axe to a key
pillar of U.S. climate rules. A short time ago, he said the Environmental Protection Agency is rescinding its own finding that greenhouse gas
emissions are warming the planet. And this basically ends legal -- the government's legal authority to regulate the causes of pollution.
That does it for us for tonight. A very busy hour. Do stay right here, Max Foster is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
