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Isa Soares Tonight
Top Diplomats Gather At The Munich Security Conference As Organizers Accuse Trump Of Jeopardizing European Security; FBI Releases New Details Of The Suspect In The Disappearance Of Nancy Guthrie; Don Lemon Faces Federal Charges Over St. Paul Church Protest; Trump Sending Second Aircraft Carrier To Middle East; U.S. Partial Agreement Shut Down Looms Amid Funding Lapse; The Global Fallout Following The Release Of Epstein Files; Skating Officials Back French Judge's Scoring After France's Controversial ICE Dance Gold; Appeal By Disqualified Ukrainian Skeleton Racer Dismissed; New Irish Initiative Will Pay Artists A Basic Income; Colombian Suppliers Worry About Tariffs, Exchange Rates. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 13, 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]
MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Max Foster in for Isa Soares. Tonight, taking a wrecking ball
to the world order. Top diplomats gather at the Munich Security Conference as organizers accuse Trump of jeopardizing European security.
Then the FBI releases new details of the suspect in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie including what he was wearing and what he was carrying. And
Don Lemon is in court this hour where he's facing federal charges over the St. Paul Church protest. We'll break down the details of the case with a
former U.S. federal judge.
A shifting world order then taking center stage in Germany as dozens of world leaders meet for the closely-watched annual security conference in
Munich. It comes amid a deep rift in Trans-Atlantic relations and the testing of global norms by U.S. President Donald Trump.
An era that conference staff have dubbed wrecking ball politics. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is acknowledging the change, saying nations
have entered a new era of geopolitics. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who met with Rubio today agrees that there is indeed a new order, but he's
calling for the Trans-Atlantic trust to be rebuilt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, CHANCELLOR, GERMANY: Even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone. Dear friends, being a part of NATO is not
only Europe's competitive advantage, it's also the United States competitive advantage. So, let's repair and reweave Trans-Atlantic trust
together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, Christiane Amanpour is there at the conference watching those conversations unfold. You've also interviewed Christiane, Reza Pahlavi.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Indeed Max. So, as everybody is waiting to hear what Marco Rubio says about the Trans-Atlantic
alliance when he speaks tomorrow. This evening, a lot of Middle East issues took center stage including the issue of Iran, particularly in the post,
you know, massive crackdown against those protesters, which does continue with all the detentions going on.
So, I spoke to Reza Pahlavi, as you know, he is the son of the late shah who was overthrown by the Islamic revolution 47 years ago, and he's taken
on the mantle of the most prominent opposition leader certainly in exile. You remember they were shouting his name for a period of time on the
streets of Iran during those demonstrations in early January.
This is what he said to me when I asked him about his role, about what was going to happen next there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Why do you think a Pahlavi should be the leader again? And how can you do it? What kind of a plan do you have? What kind of a political
ground game inside the country do you have? I mean, it's necessary, right? You've got to also be able to convince people there and to have an
organization.
REZA PAHLAVI, SON OF IRAN'S FORMER SHAH: Well, when it comes to the name, that's the name that people chanted on the streets of Iran by the millions
in 31 provinces of Iran in the four corners of Iran. They called my name. They asked me to come to their support.
And I have, and I accepted the challenge of leading the transition. As far as the plan that we have, we have a plan before the regime's collapse, and
particularly for the transition after this regime, which is very well documented and presented. It's an open document.
You can see it on the website of the Iran Prosperity Project. It talks about the initial 100 days. How do we manage that process? How do we avoid
what happened in Iraq post-Saddam Hussein because we don't want to have the same experience of de-Baathification.
And one of the key components of this strategy is how much defection can exist, not just because we need them on the side of the people, but because
-- and that has been my principle position, that anyone who doesn't have their hands soiled with the blood of the Iranian people should survive
regime change and have a place in the future. They can be part of the solution as opposed to remain part of the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:05:00]
AMANPOUR: Now, everybody knows that there is a massive American fleet bearing down on that region standing in the -- in the Arabian sea. CNN has
learned that a second aircraft carrier is going on. President Trump says that he would prefer diplomacy and the negotiations to continue with
Tehran.
And he has hinted that there should be no -- or he's not planning any military action now. But Senator Lindsey Graham, who has backed the
protesters in Iran considers this time and this moment incredibly important, not just for the people of Iran, but also for the United States,
an incredible historic moment. Listen to how he framed it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): If we back out now, it would be the biggest mistake we've made, far worse than the Syrian red line, far worse than
Afghanistan. You can't say, keep protesting, we got your back. Help is on the way, and nothing happened.
That's why I am confident that President Trump will get an outcome consistent with those three statements -- through diplomacy or military
force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: So, those are fighting words. And he kept doubling down on how this, as he said, regime needs to end. But most interestingly, I thought,
and I had not heard it before from the EU. We also had in the panel, Roberta Metsola; who is the President of the European Parliament, and she
was also saying that this road has got to end.
That by hook or by crook, the government in Iran has to change, particularly in its current iteration and how it deals with its people. So,
it is -- it's been quite extraordinary to see how leaders, European leaders, American leaders, obviously the exiled Iranian leader would say
that.
But how the Americans and the Europeans are coalescing around the road is running out for this Iranian regime. We'll see how it plays out. Max?
FOSTER: Yes, they are finding some common ground. Christiane, thank you so much. President Donald Trump says the U.S. has, quote, "a very good
relationship" with Venezuela, and that he recognizes Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez as the official government.
He's meeting with military troops involved in last month's operation to capture ex-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro today. Now, Maduro's
detention was the dramatic culmination of a month's long campaign to oust him from power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we did recently in Venezuela, nobody ever saw anything like that happened. A Venezuelan
General who was on the site, but he moved out fast enough that he lived because most of them didn't.
But he was on the site, he said, we were totally prepared. We saw the planes coming, we saw everything coming. You know, there are a good, strong
force, and he said, we got hit like nobody's -- they were hit from 17 different directions. They said, there's never been anything like that. It
was over like literally a minute, everybody was running for the hills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Betsy Klein is at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. What did you make of the speech, Betsy?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Max, you can hear the sound of "YMCA" behind me. That means the President has just wrapped up
here, and historically, when Presidents come and address U.S. troops, these speeches are very apolitical.
That was not the case here. It was also not the case when President Trump came to Fort Bragg back in June. He referred to his predecessor, former
President Joe Biden as a terrible president. He brought up Michael Whatley to the stage. He is the former chair of the RNC, and he is running in a
very competitive Senate race here in North Carolina.
He talked about the 2016 election results and claimed falsely, that he won the popular vote there. But then, the President turned his attention to
what he described as an unbelievable and precise operation. It's been about 40 days since U.S. Special Forces went to Caracas and conducted that
operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The President coming here to Fort Bragg, where he is soon expected to meet with some of those Special Forces, along with their families. He described
them today as very brave. And it was one of the riskiest U.S. military operations in many years.
But President Trump believes it was a significant success, and while there's still a lot of uncertainty about the future of the U.S.-Venezuela
relationship, the Trump administration is very keen to leverage this new relationship with acting President Delcy Rodriguez in Venezuela for the oil
business in the United States.
Look no further than Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveling to Venezuela earlier this week, where he met with Rodriguez to discuss U.S. investment
in Venezuelan oil infrastructure. Earlier today, President Trump lavished praise on Rodriguez. He said she's done a very good job.
He described the relationship as a ten, and that the two countries are working together very closely. The President also said he would be making a
trip to Venezuela, but did not provide a timeline on that.
[14:10:00]
Now notably, this trip here to North Carolina is part of a broader effort to get the President on the road in the run-up to the Midterm election
season. North Carolina is going to be a very competitive state for the President and some of his allies in November. Max.
FOSTER: OK, Betsy, thank you. Betsy with the soundtrack there. Now, a suspect's profile has emerged in the search for Nancy Guthrie. The FBI says
the person seen on Guthrie's doorbell camera is a male between 5 foot 9 to 5 foot 10, that's about 1.8 meters tall.
They add that he was carrying a black Ozark Trail Hiker backpack that's sold at Walmart. We've also learned the FBI has doubled its reward to
$100,000. The local sheriff says they have what he calls good leads. Nick Watt is in Tucson, Arizona, joins us now.
Take us through it, Nick, and I gather there's some sort of conflict on the ground between the authorities there about how quickly this is all going.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there was reporting about a conflict between the sheriff's department and the FBI over -- FBI over where
evidence was going to be sent for analysis, either to the FBI lab in Quantico or a private lab in Florida that's used by the sheriff's here.
Our reporting suggests that a little bit overblown. Now, this could just be an expression of the frustration that some of the investigators are having
after nearly two weeks, and also perhaps the media. We don't have that many lines to follow, and that could have contributed.
Listen, as you mentioned, Max, the sheriff said they've got good leads. We don't know what those leads necessarily are, and that is normal. You know,
the media and the public will never know all of the leads that they are chasing. But clearly, the release of that video of the suspect on Nancy
Guthrie's porch, that has accelerated this investigation.
And that description that they managed to get the height, 5'9, 5'10, from basically measuring, comparing the video to the actual porch, that they
hope will -- and this sounds weird, but reduce the number of tips that they're getting, but increase the quality of those tips.
They have been flooded with thousands of tips here. The backpack also that is potentially a good identifier that's been narrowed down to exactly the
brand. It's only sold at Walmart, so investigators will be tracking sales of those wear, any of those backpacks sold in the Tucson area.
So, that is what is happening right now. As you mentioned, the FBI doubling their reward to $100,000, and also warning people, don't interfere with
this investigation, because if you do, we will come down on you. They've just leveled charges against a man who allegedly sent two bogus ransom
demands to the Guthrie family via text, and even actually managed to get a family member on the phone.
So, a little bit of rain here today, there was some concern that, that might damage some evidence outside, but the investigation goes on. And, you
know, for overseas viewers, I think it's important to really explain what Savannah Guthrie means to this country.
You know we just saw a man come up here, a guy of about my age who said, you know, I feel that Savannah is like part of my family. I watch her on
the "Today" show every day. So, people take this very personally. You know, news personalities in America, particularly morning show personalities,
they are very open with their private life.
They do to the viewers, become part of the family. And that's really why this story has hit so many people so hard, and is just dominating the
headlines in this country, as we come up on two weeks, Max, since Nancy Guthrie was snatched from her home here behind me. Max?
FOSTER: You mentioned how the police don't want anyone to interfere in this case, but you've got all of these true crime influencers arriving, haven't
you? Has that been a bit of a problem?
WATT: Yes. Well, listen, we've noticed this over the past few years, an increase in the number of these people who come and live-stream constantly,
and listen, sometimes, they get in the way. But also, you know, for this story, they need publicity. You know, they want that description out there.
They want that video out there. They want as many members of the public to engage if they've got good information. Listen, it's just a -- it's the new
media landscape. And, you know, I think us in the old media can maybe be a bit sniffy about those people, and sometimes justified, sometimes not. But
it's the reality. Max?
FOSTER: It's reality. Nick, thank you so much. Still to come tonight, a court appearance for former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who is charged with
federal crimes after live-streaming of protests at a church in Minnesota. Plus, a British court rules the government ban on Palestine action under
anti-terrorism laws is unlawful. What the high court decision means when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:15:00]
FOSTER: Now, to the arraignment of independent journalist Don Lemon, who has pledged to never stop covering the news despite federal charges against
him. Lemon's appearing in court in Minnesota behind closed doors this hour. The former U.S. CNN -- well, CNN anchor, was arrested last month, accused
of a takeover style attack of a Church after he live-streamed anti-ICE protesters, disrupting the service.
Lemon has vowed to fight those charges, saying there's no more important time than right now for a free and independent media that holds truth to
power. We're joined now by Shira Scheindlin; a former U.S. district court judge. Thank you for joining us as ever, Shira.
Just explain to us what this hearing is, because he's already been charged, hasn't he? But this formalizes it in some way.
SHIRA SCHEINDLIN, FORMER U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE: Yes, it's a formal appearance before a judge when you're arraigned, you just asked how do you
plead? Guilty or not guilty? You usually say not guilty. And then the next question is whether to be granted bail.
And there's really should be no question here. Of course, he'll be granted bail, and then maybe the court says -- sets the date of the next
appearance. Usually the arraignment is done before a magistrate judge, not the district judge. But that's all that happens, not a lot happens at an
arraignment.
FOSTER: But he will get a sense of those charges in a more formal way as you're saying. And he fundamentally --
SCHEINDLIN: Oh, sure do --
FOSTER: Disagrees, obviously fundamentally disagrees with the charges because he wasn't part of the protest. He was simply an observer of the
protest. Will he get a chance to say that?
SCHEINDLIN: Yes, oh, yes, he can say that when he says not guilty. That's really all he should say, and that's probably all his lawyer wants him to
say. But the lawyer may say we intend to make a motion to dismiss here. We intend to move to dismiss these charges and maybe a schedule will be set to
make those motions.
But he knows the charges against him at an arraignment. The judge also said, would you like me to read the charges out loud? Usually, the defense
lawyer says, we waive the reading of the indictment. But the fact is, Don Lemon has clearly read this indictment.
He knows the two counts he's charged with. And they both require threats of intimidation, threats of force. And, you know, he's going to say, I was a
journalist, I was not a protester. I was covering this. And as I understand it, there's videos that will back up his version of the events, not the
version in the indictment.
[14:20:00]
So, it will be interesting to see how the case unfolds.
FOSTER: Yes, so, we've just heard that he has indeed pleaded not guilty. He's making it --
SCHEINDLIN: Right --
FOSTER: Very clear that he wants to be a standard bearer for journalism. He's embracing this moment in court.
SCHEINDLIN: A 100 percent. I mean, he's got a really strong defense. He's saying I have a right to cover events, that's what journalists do, that's
what free speech is. I was not one of the protesters. I was not intimidating anyway -- anyone. I certainly was not threatening anyone or
threatening to use force.
So, there's just -- it seems to me there's no way he could be convicted of certainly one of the charges, the one under the -- what they call the face
statute, which prohibits intimidating people by threat of force in a church. I just don't see how he could be convicted of that.
The second count is interrupting people's exercise of their rights to worship freely. And there, I understand that maybe where he was standing,
maybe he obstructed people's ability to move in or out of the church, or the pastor to move in and out of the church.
So, we'll just have to see how it unfolds. But it does seem to me strange that the government is pressing this case against the journalist.
FOSTER: Do you feel they're trying to intimidate other independent journalists from doing this sort of thing?
SCHEINDLIN: A 100 percent, I agree with that. A lot of what this administration does, it seems to me, is intended to intimidate people.
Whether it's intended to intimidate judges, law firms, other NGOs. I mean, they'd like -- it seems to me they have a pattern of trying to intimidate
people -- peaceful protesters.
There's a lot of intimidation going on. And yes, I agree with you fully. They are trying to intimidate journalists as well as many other sectors of
our country.
FOSTER: OK, Shira, I appreciate your time today, we may well hear from Don Lemon or indeed his lawyer when they come out of court. We'll wait and see,
and we'll bring it to people live. Now, London's high court has ruled that a British government ban on the activist group Palestine action was
unlawful.
The ban will remain in place for now pending an appeal. Today's judgment marks a significant win for campaigners who argue the ban was an overreach
of government power. CNN's Isobel Yeung has more from outside the court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The U.K.'s Chief Justice today ruled that the designation of Palestine action has been
disproportionate. But the ban, it does still stand pending the appeal's process. This is an organization that, for the last few years has been
targeting arms manufacturers that are supplying Israel, and you know, the U.K. government has said that this has caused millions of dollars in
criminal damage.
And that this is a case of national security. But there's a huge amount of joy and jubilation here today, people have been waiting for this verdict
for months, saying that they have -- this is a case of government overreach, and that they have the right to protest, and that they have the
right to express themselves.
For the last few months, anyone connected to this organization could stand terrorism charges. So, that puts them in the same category as groups like
ISIS, like al Qaeda, like Hamas. And that means anyone showing support for this group, including people who have shown up here today holding these
signs and saying, I support Palestine action could stand terrorism charges.
And in fact, over 2,700 people over the last few months have been arrested in connection to this group. So, this is a huge win today for Palestine
action as well as for protesters' rights in general here in the U.K. Isobel Yeung, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come tonight, another U.S. aircraft carrier expected to head to the Middle East as the U.S. looks to turn up the pressure on Iran.
Details on the White House's latest threat next. And Trump administration - - and the Trump administration has been paying a hefty bill for deporting immigrants to countries they're not even from. We'll have those numbers for
you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
FOSTER: The U.S. is turning up the pressure on Iran as tensions soar. The Pentagon sending a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East now.
President Trump says he's sending the USS Gerald Ford to the region in case he's unable to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran.
The world's largest warship and its strike group will join the USS Abraham Lincoln already there in the Middle East. The U.S. President says if
diplomacy is successful with Tehran, the ships will leave, but if no deal is reached, it will be very -- a very bad day for Iran.
Kevin Liptak is in Washington with more. He's not messing around, is he, with this messaging? And what an intimidating force --
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes --
FOSTER: Surrounding the Iranians.
LIPTAK: Yes, and I think, you know, this aircraft carrier that's going to be moving now from the Caribbean sea over to the Middle East, is the
world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, the most advanced. And it's not just an aircraft carrier.
It's all of its attending, you know, ships, missiles, airplanes, all of these aspects that will, I think, increase the pressure on Tehran as the
President tries to encourage them to come to the table to negotiate some sort of deal. And I do think it's notable here the President very much
relying on this opening, this diplomatic opening, to try and reach some kind of agreement.
You know, it will take potentially several weeks before the USS Gerald Ford is in the region, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, joining this flotilla
that is around Iran. And I think for the President, that is another opening for him to try and continue to pressure the Iranians to some kind of
agreement.
You know, the President is talking about a nuclear deal. When he was meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister here at the
White House this week. You know, Netanyahu was encouraging him to expand that out, to negotiate also on the Iranians missiles, on their support for
proxies in the region.
You know, that three-hour meeting entirely behind closed doors, really the only readout we got of it from the President was him saying that he
insisted, and that was his word, insisted that these diplomatic engagements continue. And so, you see how the President is really trying to apply two
tracks here.
One, really trying to pressure the Iranians to come to some sort of agreement, but also in placing all of these ships and planes and weapons
around the country, trying to issue a warning about what might come. And, you know, it remains an open question about what exactly the President is
thinking of when he is thinking of these military options.
You know, some weeks ago, there had been some question of whether the President would just go for some sort of symbolic action against the
security services there. But I think it's clear that you don't ascend two aircraft carriers to just do something symbolic.
The President seems to have, at least, in his portfolio of options, something much more significant, whether it's going after the nuclear sites
again or the missile sites, or potentially going after top regime figures themselves. And so, the President seems to be expanding his options here as
he expands the military hardware.
And I think it is clear as well that he's coming under some pressure here in the United States to follow through on his commitment to back up the
protesters.
[14:30:13]
And it was interesting to hear Lindsey Graham speaking at the Munich Security Conference just in the last hour. Of course, Lindsey Graham, a top
ally of the president. You know, I think they played golf last weekend. And what he said was that if we back out now, it would be the biggest mistake
we made. And he points back to the Syria red line. Remember that President Obama drew and then sort of didn't enforce. He said, you can't keep you
can't tell the protesters to keep protesting, tell him that help is on the way, and then nothing happened.
And so, I think the president -- message that the president is getting here is that his credibility is on the line, that as he builds up this massive
military muscle around Iran, the expectation is going to keep growing and growing that he follows through on some of these threats.
FOSTER: OK, Kevin Liptac in Washington. Thank you very much for that. We'll keep across here.
A partial U.S. government shutdown just 10 hours away now after Congress failed to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
Lawmakers are now on an 11-day recess and nowhere near a resolution.
Democrats are delaying funds for the agency amid the immigration chaos in recent months. They're demanding changes to the way ICE agents operate on
the ground following the fating shoot -- fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The shutdown would
affect a wide range of critical departments under the DHS like Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, and
the Coast Guard.
Now, more than $30 million, that is the amount the Trump administration has spent deporting migrants to countries that aren't their own. According to a
Democratic report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, President Trump has sent more than $32 million to five countries, including Rwanda,
El Salvador, and Eswatini to take in deportees. However, so far just 300 people have actually landed there. The report also finds that in some cases
the U.S. government then pays again for the deportees to be sent to their home country.
This comes as polling shows tumbling support for Trump's handling of immigration. According to a CNN January poll, 58 percent of Americans
disapprove of it.
For more on this, I'm joined by CNN's Kylie Atwood live from Washington, D.C. I mean, it does sound like a bit of a waste of money the way it's
being processed at least.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. A pretty mind-boggling top line there. What this committee report from Senate
Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee does for us is give us this big picture into how much the Trump administration has really put into
its financial commitments to double down on its deportation of immigrants here in the United States. $30 billion spent on agreements with just five
countries to deport those third-party nationals from the United States.
When you look at how much that is per individual immigrant, it is quite large. In some cases, particularly in the case of Rwanda specifically, it
is -- it totals more than $1 million per deportee. And that's because according to this report, the U.S. government paid Rwanda $7.5 million and
has only deported seven third-party nationals to that country.
Another point that you also touched on is the fact that many of these migrants are actually sent to countries that they're not from. And so
therefore, after they arrive there, in the case of one Jamaican who had court orders to return to their home country, they were sent to Eswatini,
and then they had to actually be sent thereafter to Jamaica. That trip from the United States to Eswatini costs more than $180,000. So, just think of
the double payments that the U.S. government is making here as well.
This report also really focuses in on the concept that U.S. officials believe that some of these locations are picked just to scare people.
According to one U.S. official that they spoke to as part of this report, they said that this is a threat basically to pick some of these far-flung
countries that folks are not going to want to be deported to.
Obviously, another element of this is which countries are actually willing to come to an agreement with the Trump administration on this, but the
report makes the case that the administration is effectively using these deportation agreements as a bargaining chip in their foreign policy they
disagree with that being used as a central tenant of the U.S. foreign policy agenda.
But we should note when we asked the State Department about this report, they doubled down and said the report -- the report doesn't actually show
anything that is altogether negative saying instead that on the contrary what they -- what the senators hoped the report underlines -- sorry -- what
the senate -- despite what the senators might have hoped the report actually underlines the unprecedented work that the administration has done
to enforce their immigration laws.
We should also note that it doesn't look like this practice of deporting migrants to other countries going to end anytime soon. According to those
who put this report together, there are still conversations with dozens of countries about future agreements on these third-party national
deportations.
[14:35:39]
FOSTER: Kylie Atwood in Washington, thank you for that.
Now to the continuing fallout from the Epstein files that expose his close collection to the rich and powerful across the world. Two U.S. Democratic
lawmakers are demanding that Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the U.S. appear before the Oversight Committee to answer questions. They
say he holds critical information that could help their investigation. Mandelson is under criminal investigation here in the U.K. and Prime
Minister Keir Starmer is under fire for appointing him despite knowing about his friendship with Epstein.
And there's word of people paying the price for associating with Epstein. Thorbjorn Jagland, who was briefly prime minister of Norway during the
1990s, has been charged with corruption. Recently released Epstein documents have led to accusations that Jagland may have received gifts,
travel, and loans from Epstein. And the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs has resigned after emails were released that showed she had a close
relationship with Epstein and that she downplayed the impact of his sex crimes. Kathy Reummler was White House Counsel to Barack Obama before she
went to Goldman Sachs.
And the Epstein files have also brought down one of the most powerful figures in the shipping and logistics world. CNN's Becky Anderson has that
story.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The Dubai government announced on Friday that DP World is appointing a new chairman. The organization didn't
provide a reason for the change, but outgoing chair Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, who had led the Dubai-based global ports and logistics giant for
decades, is facing intense scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Bin Sulayem appeared in the latest batch of documents released by the DOJ which revealed that he'd corresponded with the convicted sex offender over
the span of at least a decade including lewd exchanges. Well, Epstein somewhat affectionately describing Bin Sulayem whose name appears thousands
of times as funny, educated, a master and a best and trusted friend. These files revealed they traded regional contacts and discussed visits to
Epstein's Caribbean island where survivors repeatedly testified that Epstein sexually abused them.
At least two companies, a British investment platform and Canada's second largest pension fund had reportedly halted future deals with DP World in
the wake of these releases. The Quebec-based publicist had told CNN that it expects DP World, and I quote here, to shed light on the situation and take
the necessary actions.
Well, DP World declined comment on the Epstein connection when contacted by CNN before Bin Sulayem's removal.
Becky Anderson, CNN Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A name appearing in the Epstein files is not evidence of wrongdoing. Of course, Bin Sulayem was not charged or accused of any
wrongdoing. CNN has been unable to reach them for any comment, though.
Still to come, was the French judge fair? Controversy at the Olympics after the American favorites lost out to a French ice dancing duo. And later, a
new program in Ireland will give a basic income to artists who allow them time to create.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:41:36]
FOSTER: At the Winter Olympics, all eyes are on the ice. The men's figure skating free skate started just a short while ago and that means the Quad
God, Ilia Malinin is back in the spotlight. Malinin is the first -- is in first place, rather, after the short program and is a heavy favorite to win
gold today. The big question is whether he'll attempt a quadruple axle, I'm told, a jump which has never been landed in Olympic competition.
Meanwhile, the International Skating Union says it will not take action against a French judge who came under fire for his scoring in the ice
dancing competition. The judge gave unusually high scores to a French pair and unusually low numbers to Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
Without the French judges scores, Chock and Bates would have won gold instead of silver.
Well, let's go to Coy. He's at the games. Coy, give us more details about this talk about the French judge.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Max, this French team, they won that gold over the three-time defending world champions, Americans Madison Chock, and
Evan Bates by fewer than one and a half points. And the Americans, they put up a season-best performance. Five of the nine judges favored the
Americans.
Now, three of the judges that did give top marks to the French team did so only by a slim margin, but that one judge, a French judge, favored the
French skaters by nearly eight points in the free dance. Hence, the controversy. Both teams actually, Max, have the same coach and even the
coach said that they thought Chock and Bates deserved the win.
The International Skating Union said it stands by the judging. They were unwilling to investigate the scoring and now the window to appeal has
closed. The most Chock and Bates could do is file a complaint. Chock said that she thinks judges should be reviewed. They should be held accountable.
So, we'll see if they file a complaint or not.
But, Max, after winning the silver medal, Evan Bates said -- he said, we're married, so we're going to be fine. We're going to go home and we're going
to have a life. With three Olympic medals to their name, they are tied for winningest U.S. Olympic figure skaters of all time.
FOSTER: Well, good on him. Also the other controversy, we've got an update on the Ukrainian who wore that helmet with the pictures of athletes killed
during the invasion.
WIRE: Right. So, just before the skeleton competition, the Ukrainian slider Vladyslav Heraskevych was told by IOC President Kirsty Coventry that he was
disqualified. He refused to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guides. No kind of demonstrations or religious, racial, or political propaganda is
allowed on the field of play or on podiums. Heraskevych had worn a helmet in training heats depicting those images of fallen Ukrainian athletes. He
was warned but he planned to wear it again after the warning and he was disqualified.
He appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Max, saying he felt he was not in the wrong, the IOC was. Well, Max, CAS has denied the
appeal.
FOSTER: OK. Coy, thanks for joining us from there. So much to talk about.
Still to come tonight, Ireland starting a new program to give a basic income to artists. We'll speak to one of those artists about the new
opportunity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:47:22]
FOSTER: A new initiative in Ireland will pay artists a basic income for three years. The goal is to allow them to focus on their creative output.
One such artist is Peter Power, one of the people behind this performance of fLux.
Under the pilot program, artists will receive 325 euros or about $386 a week. That income is taxed, but it's not contingent on their output. The
program is open to all types of artists, from writers and actors to musicians and makeup designers.
Joining us now, Peter Power. He's an artist and a steering committee member of the National Campaign for the Arts in Ireland. I gather you're pretty
excited about this program.
PETER POWER, ARTIST: Yes, I mean it feels like a huge moment in Irish culture that we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the value of art in
this way. Being an artist around the world is not the easiest thing to do particularly to survive financially. And this is a very bold step by our
government, a very bold start in fact to try and rebalance the precarity that a lot of artists live in day-to-day.
FOSTER: So, this will allow you the space to work on projects that you wouldn't otherwise have time to work on. Is that the thinking?
POWER: Yes. I mean, what they're trying to do is they're trying to rebalance some of the financial difficulty that that kind of exists
naturally in being a professional artist. And the idea is that 2,000 artists will get the opportunity to be paid for a three-year period with a
fixed wage or salary. And they can then go ahead and dedicate themselves, you know, more totally to the act of generating art, generating music,
generating painting, acting, whichever kind of field that that's in.
And that is supposed to create a level -- a level playing field for artists to kind of contribute to society. The work done around the basic income has
proven that it has returned -- during its pilot for three years, it returned over 100 million euro to the exchequer, and for every euro that
was invested 139 came back. So, a kind of an incredible statistic to show that art when invested in and artists, when invested in, return not only
financially but also culturally, socially, and you know, from a mental health perspective.
FOSTER: What -- give us a sense of the range of artists we're talking about here, the people that you know getting involved.
POWER: Oh, I mean it's the entire range of the arts sector and also not to forget arts workers. So, it's not -- it's artists and art adjacent. You
know, art adjacent administrators are people that work around helping the production of art. So, it can range from just a small set. It can range
from writers to dancers to painters to photographers. There's examples of some non-commercial architects. There's elements of producers, creative
producers.
I mean, it's pretty vast and it's -- it kind of centers itself around the act of creativity as a profession. But mostly outside of commercial
aspects. You know, it's much more about art that struggles to make itself - - make itself financially viable in the -- in the economic climate we live in. And the results have been astonishing. I mean, you know, absolutely
astonishing.
[14:50:51]
FOSTER: Yes. I mean, it's going to be fascinating to see what comes out after the three years because it's a real experiment, isn't it? Peter,
thank you so much for joining us.
Now, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, it will come as no surprise that flower sales are going through the roof, but it's not all
rosy for suppliers. Many in Colombia, which is where the U.S. gets the most of its fresh flowers from, are ringing the alarm bell over tariffs. CNN's
Isabel Rosales reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Americans are buying Valentine's Day flowers for that special someone in
their lives, a significant other, a relative, a friend. What a lot of Americans don't think about is where those flowers come from or how U.S.
President Donald Trump's trade measures have impacted the industry.
Between January 15th and February 9th, about 65,000 tons of fresh cut blooms were imported from Colombia, which is the world's second-largest
flower exporter behind the Netherlands. The U.S. accounts for about 80 percent of Colombia's flower exports with Valentine's Day making up 20
percent of their annual sales.
And even though tons of flowers arrived on time to the U.S. this year, some suppliers are warning future seasons could be threatened by President
Trump's tariffs, peso exchange rates, and competition. Like this grower near Bogota.
JOSE ANTONIO RESTREPO, GENERAL MANAGER, AYURE SAS ECLIPSE FLOWERS (through translator): We've been seriously affected. Last year, a 10 percent tariff,
which represents more than $200 million for the industry. On top of that, there's an exchange rate we haven't seen in many years. And lastly, the
minimum wage issue.
ROSALES (voice-over): Flowers are Colombia's most labor-intensive agricultural product with the industry formally employing about 240,000
workers across nearly 26,000 acres of farmland. Jose Antonio Restrepo says around 85 percent of his employees work on minimum wage.
RESTREPO (through translator): And if conditions don't change, meaning if the exchange rate doesn't change, then we'll surely be in major difficulty.
I think starting in June or July, there will likely be farm closures and mass layoffs because the sector is in serious trouble.
ROSALES (voice-over): Despite the uncertainties, some workers are staying positive and finding joy in spreading the love this Valentine's Day.
SUSANA VEGA, EMPLOYE, AYURE SAS ECLIPSE FLOWERS: An immense joy knowing that we're bringing happiness to someone, to a woman, a mother, someone so
admired by a loved one, and that we're benefiting ourselves as well, and helping a company move forward to overcome many of the challenges that are
happening right now. It's a very beautiful joy.
ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, CNN Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: And speaking of love, millions of people around the world have turned to online dating to find their soulmates. But a new company is
asking people to put down their phones and try an old-fashioned way of meeting their matches. CNN's Anna Cooban reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. All right. All right. Firstly, thank you guys so much for coming tonight.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER (voice- over): It's after hours at a comedy club in central London. Except tonight, this audience is engaged in a far more serious pursuit. Finding love.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best case, my husband is here and the love of my life and it's great. Worst case, I've met some -- made some new friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty chill. I'm just hoping to have a couple of drinks, talk to a couple of people.
COOBAN (voice-over): Weary and worn down by dating apps, these singles are banking on some real-life connection.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm romantic. I'm -- I want to be with a pyro. I want to be with someone who's like big and bold. And I feel like people in
London are very nonchalant and very cool. And I don't want to like lay their heart on the line.
COOBAN (voice-over): Assisting tonight is an algorithm.
COOBAN: Do you fall in love quickly?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm love at first sight.
COOBAN (voice-over): Ellen fills out a questionnaire by Matchbox, a software that claims to pair people based on their values.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved.
COOBAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Submit.
COOBAN (voice-over): With answers submitted, it's now time to mingle before these singles meet their match.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My worst nightmare is saying like, yes, I met my husband on Hinge.
[14:55:03]
COOBAN (voice-over): Hosting tonight is Thursday, a dating company that used to match people via, you guessed it, an app until they dumped it last
year.
JAMES ORMEROD, HEAD OF LONDON EVENTS, THURSDAY: Everyone is sick with the swiping endlessly only to get maybe a couple responses. The dating events
is basically taking it back to basics. You have to make those in real-life connections and people are literally -- I can't produce enough events to --
for the demand that's out there.
COOBAN (voice-over): Thursday says it's made more than 20,000 matches using this algorithm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I found my match. Here it is. I think it's him.
COOBAN: I should get out of the way.
COOBAN (voice-over): And the verdict.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The age gap has cost me this time. It's cost me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's not -- it's nonnegotiable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could work somehow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could work.
COOBAN (voice-over): For many in this room, the search continues with or without an app. Anna Cooban, CNN London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: There's plenty of other nights, it sounds like. Thanks for watching tonight. Do stay with CNN. I'll have "WHAT WE KNOW" up next.
END
