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One World with Zain Asher
Khanna: Fromer Prince Andrew "Needs to Appear" Before Lawmakers; UK PM to Address Labour Party Amid Epstein Fallout; Ransom Note Demands $6M for Nancy Guthrie's Return; PM Takaichi Cements Grip on Power with Historic Victory; Bad Bunny Headlines the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show; Skier Lindsey Vonn Stable after Surgery on Broken Leg. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired February 09, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Ghislaine Maxwell testifying before Congress about Jeffrey Epstein. We'll take a closer look at what she said,
and, more importantly, what she didn't say. "One World" starts right now.
As fallout continues from the Epstein files in the U.S., British Prime Minister Keir Starmer digs in as Labour Party unrest grows. Plus, the
family of Nancy Guthrie send a new message to her kidnappers as a search for her enters the second week. And Bad Bunny's call for unity as he shows
his pride for Latino culture at the Super Bowl half time show.
All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". We begin with Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine
Maxwell's appearance before the House Oversight Committee. According to a source Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-
incrimination.
She's currently serving time in prison after being convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking of a minor and other charges as well. Here's what the
Committee Chairman had to say about today's virtual deposition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): As expected, Ghislaine Maxwell took the fifth and refuse to answer any questions. This is obviously very disappointing. We
had many questions to ask about the crime she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential co-conspirators. We sincerely want to get
to the truth the American people and justice for the survivors. That's what this investigation is about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: This comes as Congressional lawmakers can start reviewing un redacted versions of the Epstein files at the Justice Department today.
That's according to a new letter obtained by CNN. Meantime, DOJ's handling of the Epstein files faced fresh scrutiny on Sunday night one Super Bowl ad
features several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein demanding more transparency.
There are 3 million files that still haven't been released, and many of the ones that have are heavily redacted. Let's go straight now to Annie Grayer
live for us on Capitol Hill. So, Ghislaine Maxwell, as expected, pleaded the Fifth Amendment. So, we sort of knew that lawmakers weren't necessarily
going to get any sort of substantial, substantive answers from head from her.
But what's interesting is that she chose to plead the fifth even as it pertain to questions that wouldn't have necessarily incriminated her. Just
walk us through that.
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Right. It absolutely is Maxwell's right to not take answer any questions and plead the fifth against self-
incrimination, but that means that lawmakers couldn't get any of their questions answered.
And what was really interesting is House Oversight Chair James Comer shared that Maxwell's attorney actually said at the top of the deposition that
Maxwell would answer questions if President Donald Trump granted her clemency.
And so that shows just sort of where Maxwell is standing. She's sort of trying to bargain, it seems, through the committee, to try and get the
president's attention to see if he would grant her clemency. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for crimes related to Jeffrey
Epstein sex trafficking ring.
And lawmakers, after this short deposition, lawmakers were here on Capitol Hill. Maxwell was appearing virtually from prison.
But lawmakers were talking about the next steps here when they came out of this very short deposition, talking about who they wanted to interview
next, including Former Prince Andrew that is a big target specifically for Democrats because of what's come out with him and his relation to Jeffrey
Epstein. Take a listen to Democrat Ro Khanna, what he had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): The King has to answer what he knew. What he knew about Andrew. Just stripping Andrew of a title is not enough. I mean,
Andrew needs to come before our committee and start answering questions. I mean, look, if you are -- have allegations of raping a young girl, I don't
think the appropriate punishment is you no longer get to be a Prince, there's got to be more than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRAYER: The problem, though, is being a U.S. Committee issuing a subpoena to Andrew could be difficult and difficult to enforce, given that he is not
a U.S. citizen. And that is sort of what House Oversight Chair James Comer to say when he was asked about whether to subpoena former Prince Andrew.
But Comer said that he is focusing on the five upcoming depositions that he has, including with Former Epstein associates and friends like Leslie
Wexner, as well as Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who are expected to appear for their closed-door depositions at the end of this
month.
But today is also a big day for lawmakers, because for the first time, they're going to be able to view the unredacted versions of the Epstein
files at the Department of Justice. They can't bring their phones in. They can take notes by hand. They can't have staff there with them.
[11:05:00]
But they're going to be able to see for their own eyes, what these documents look like without any of the redactions. And this is the over 3
million files that have been released so far. But in terms of what's next for Maxwell, it's sort of a dead end here, now that she pled the fifth in
her deposition with the Oversight Committee today.
ASHER: Annie Grayer live for us there. Thank you so much. And Former Prince Andrew is among several prominent figures in British public life being
brought back into the spotlight because of their ties to Epstein. The younger brother of King Charles, had already been cast out of the inner
circle in the Royal Family, and now British police say they are assessing reports that Andrew allegedly shared confidential reports with Epstein.
Now the Prince and Princes of Wales say they are deeply concerned about some of these revelations. One spokesperson says, quote, their thoughts
remain focused on the victims. Meantime, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to address his Labour Party today, the Epstein revelations
have drawn heavy criticism over Starmer's judgment.
At the center of the scandal is the Prime Minister's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to Washington, despite his links to
Jeffrey Epstein. The Scottish Labour Leader, is now calling on Starmer to step down after a series of missteps. On Sunday Starmer's Chief of Staff,
Morgan McSweeney, resigned, declaring that Mandelson quote damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself.
Let's discuss all of this with Nada Bashir live for us from London. So, you have two sort of major resignations within the prime minister's inner
circle, just in terms of two top aides resigning, and then you have the Scottish Labour Leader now calling for the prime minister to step down as
well.
This problem appears to be not closer to going away for the prime minister. Are the walls closing in on him Nada?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly appears as though the pressure on the British Prime Minister is mounting, certainly gaining
momentum. As you mentioned, we have seen significant resignations. The prime minister's top aide, his Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney, of course,
announcing his resignation.
He said in a statement that the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong, that he has damaged the Labour Party the country and trust in
politics itself. We've seen the resignation of the communications director now, as you mentioned, hearing from the Scottish Labour Leader saying that
the prime minister is causing now a distraction that the people of Scotland are looking for competent leadership and saying it is time now for Keir
Starmer to step down. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANAS SARWAR, SCOTTISH LABOUR LEADER: That's why the distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change. It is so obvious
that we desperately need change in Scotland. And in three months-time, the opportunity to get rid of a failing SNP government is one that is too
important to be missed.
We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: And we have seen some cabinet members coming out in support of the British Prime Minister, some affirming that Keir Starmer offers stability
for the country. But this is just yet another scandal on what has already been mounting pressure on the prime minister over a series of issues that
have engulfed the Labour Party over the last few months.
This may be, of course, the final story, if we continue to hear from other ministers and officials, including senior aides, calling for the prime
minister to step down, it certainly feels as though there may be some momentum building here.
And of course, we have previously heard from the British Prime Minister addressing the revelation surrounding Peter Mandelson's connection to
Jeffrey Epstein and close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
He spoke to parliament on Wednesday, describing those revelations as beyond infuriating, saying that the Former Ambassador to the United States had
lied repeatedly about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying that he had betrayed the country Parliament and the Labour Party.
But again, there are clear connections that have already been drawn with regards to Keir Starmer's awareness over that relationship and friendship
between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein questions around why there wasn't any further scrutiny over that relationship before his appointment
was made to the role of ambassador. And again, those questions are not going away.
ASHER: All right, Nada Bashir live for us there. Thank you so much. Let's continue this conversation with Martin Farr, Senior Lecturer in
Contemporary British History at Newcastle University. Martin, so good to see you again.
I think one of the things that's important, just in terms of context, is that this has been a somewhat rocky Premiership for Keir Starmer. You've
had a number of crises, including the surge in small boat -- small boat crossings. His starts in the war in Gaza, and obviously now this.
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Is this the straw that is going to break the camel's back here, just in terms of eventually forcing Starmer to step down your thoughts.
MARTIN FARR, SENIOR LECTURER IN CONTEMPORARY BRITISH HISTORY, NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY: Before I answer I've just checking my screen and my news
channels and my Twitter feed to see it's happening in almost minute by minute. There are more developments.
The most recent one is that the cabinet has been coming out in support of prime minister which can look both reassuring but also desperate that they
feel the need to do so. They've been flushed out by the prime minister's advisors to make a public statement. So, anything could happen is extremely
free brow.
As you phrase the question, you're quite right. I mean, this is a prime minister that's been leading a very brittle administration. In large part
because he himself is quite brittle politically. He has no clear political identity, no clear profile. He is often enthralled to events.
And one reason why Morgan McSweeney his Chief of Staff's resignation yesterday was so significant is that it's been almost a dual premiership
between Starmer and McSweeney. And McSweeney saves Starmer from the burden of having to think for himself, almost in domestic politics, certainly.
And now he's gone. And this afternoon, his press secretary went, and as you've been mentioning, the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, who was
very close to Starmer, both personally and politically, has now left. That's very damaging, although context is necessary.
I mean, he's standing for election in the Holyrood Parliament in May, Scottish Labour has long thought the Westminster Government is a liability.
So, he had to do that. Although it's embarrassing. He had to make that kind of public distancing.
The problem is it's this kind of the acceleration of circumstances, one after the other, which makes it increasingly hard for the prime minister to
forbear them.
ASHER: And that's one of the reasons why, as I understand it, the cabinet ministers have come out in support of Keir Starmer, because they had to
sort of counteract what the Scottish Labour Party Leader came out and said, which, as you point out, he had to distance himself from Keir Starmer.
Because the low opinion polls of the Labour Party across the country had been dragging down the Labour Party in Scotland. Just in terms of the prime
minister having to address the Labour Party today. I mean, what do you expect him to say? What can he say?
FARR: Well, this is a routine meeting of the parliament. Labour Party needs to be reaffirmed. It was always going to take place. Starmer is not very
good. I mean, this is one of the problems he has, is he's not actually -- he came in without any experience of government, which isn't necessarily a
problem. He had a big job outside government.
He had run -- he'd been Britain's chief prosecutor, England, Wales as chief prosecutor, an important job, very useful for person on the left should
have been a chief prosecutor as well. Didn't work for Kamala Harris, but it worked for Starmer, at least initially. But he is not a politician.
He doesn't read a room. He doesn't respond well, despite being a lawyer, doesn't respond well to audiences. It was always said of him that he did
better with judges than with jurors as a lawyer, and so he doesn't really win rooms over. So, I suspect this meeting will be extremely difficult for
him, and the journalists will be absolutely glued to the wall.
And the room they're in it's the biggest room in Westminster, but it's still too small for the size of parliamentary party he has and which Morgan
McSweeney helped deliver. Many of those MPs this evening are there purely because of Morgan McSweeney.
It was a really successful electoral project in terms of reclaiming the Labour Party from the left and presenting itself as a moderate and
competent alternative to the chaotic conservative years of Brexit and the Brexit wars. But that's all it was. And that it's run out of road in the
sense of being able to reinvent itself for the prime minister to reset himself.
And so, the new appointments today do seem to be very interim in flavor. And I think we'll do a lot more from the meeting this afternoon, and of
course, the big by election taking place in only 17 days-time.
ASHER: Yeah, that isn't -- that is an important one to watch. Just in terms of -- I mean you were saying to me just last week that really trust, trust
is at the heart of this, because one of the excuses that Keir Starmer has given is that Peter Mandelson lied to him. But it was well documented
publicly that Mandelson had ties to Jeffrey Epstein well before the appointment.
And so, there are a lot of questions about how on earth he managed to get through the vetting process, even if it is true that Mandelson did lie to
Keir Starmer. So how does he regain trust, especially when you consider the fact that there are a lot of back benches here who are just looking for any
excuse to bring the prime minister down?
FARR: I think he lost it very early on. You may recall there was a scandal of free gifts and clothing he and his wife received from various donors and
suitors. This plays very badly with the public, even without a cost-of- living crisis, and even without the very low opinion the public has politicians and has had for many years.
So that didn't help. And his reputation really didn't really recover from that in terms of the way that most people see politics, I.E., they're not
following this minute by minute. They have a general view of the of the mood, of the tenor, of the -- of the smell test of a leader.
And that's why this is such a toxic scandal for him, because Epstein, and what Epstein did, and the human costs of Epstein's behavior cuts through to
the public and people and voters who wouldn't ordinarily think of the prime minister at all, really cuts through, and it damages an entire political
class.
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We've got local elections in England in May, and Scottish and Welsh national elections in May. It will be catastrophic, and the Royal
beneficiaries will be two parties, one of the left, one of the rights. Who are claiming to be insurgents, claiming to drain the swamp.
And Zain there should be more scrutiny. One thing that I think could come from this is, I mean, it's a remarkable thing. Had in the House of Commons,
there's a select committee for every department. Had the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, as they requested, interviewed Peter Mandelson before his
appointment.
He would never have got the job, because you have a dozen MPs from all the parties, some of them have an interest in embarrassing the government and
asking questions of a candidate. And the government refused or declined Mandelson the chance to speak before the committee.
So, I think we're going to move towards an American model of Congressional hearings, of legislators interrogating people for these important posts to
ensure that none of these skeletons fall out of the closet, which, as you imply, would have been very clear from even the most cursory online
research.
ASHER: Yeah. Yeah, I remember one of the things you were saying to me when I interviewed you on Wednesday was this idea that it's so bizarre because
Keir Starmer didn't necessarily have a prior relationship with Peter Mandelson, because they're very different politicians, so it was likely,
you know, Morgan McSweeney, and the pressure that Morgan McSweeney may have put on Keir Starmer as a former protege of Mandelson, to get him that
particular job.
Although Martin Farr we have to leave it there, I am out of time. Thank you so much. I'm sure we'll be talking about this again in the coming days.
Thank you, Martin. All right, eight Muslim majority countries, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, are condemning Israel's moves to tighten control
over the occupied West Bank, saying it's a violation of international law.
The EU is also criticizing the move, calling it another step in the wrong direction. The changes comes ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's visit to Washington, DC on Wednesday. Israel Security Cabinet approved steps that would expand its enforcement powers and make it easier
for Israeli settlers to purchase land in the West Bank. Critics equate it with de facto annexation.
CNN's Nic Robinson is in Jerusalem for us and joins us live now. So just walk us through what's been the reaction to this idea of Israel, sort of
more broadly, expanding its powers in the West Bank, making it much easier for Israeli settlers to purchase land in the West Bank. What has been the
reaction among Palestinians living in the West Bank, but also among the Arab world more broadly?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, the Palestinian Authority sees it and exactly the terms that you framed it that this is
undermining the possibility of a two-state solution, of a Palestinian state. It is undermining the authority of the Palestinian Authority.
It is, in their words, just waging the war on the Palestinian people, and effectively will reduce the amount of territory if it's carried out or as
and when it's carried out in the West Bank for Palestinians to live on, to make livings on, and to exist. And it's shutting down that avenue to the
possibility of a Palestinian State.
And I think it's very important context that we've heard this joint letter from those eight countries, from Saudi Arabia, from Jordan, from the UAE,
from Qatar, from Egypt, from Turkey, from Indonesia, from Pakistan in this joint letter, criticizing this again, also saying that it undermines the
possibility of a two-state solution, of a Palestinian State.
But why these eight countries, and why are they so significant because of those that, of course, those were the eight countries that President Trump
went to at the UNGA back in September last year as he was seeking to build up Arab and Muslim support for his peace deal for Gaza.
Part of that peace deal was that there would be a possible pathway to a Palestinian State, a reform Palestinian Authority, but it was a substantive
and key part of President Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza. And it was, of course, those countries that went back to President Trump when Israel
was talking last fall about the possibility of annexing the West Bank to say no and put pressure on President Trump, who then said, absolutely no.
Will I allow the annexation of the West Bank? So, that these eight countries are joining their voices together again to criticize it on the
eve of when Prime Minister Netanyahu goes into the Oval Office with President Trump. The expectation of those countries would be that the
president would again bring up those same concerns in the meeting. It's not clear that he will.
ASHER: All right, Nic Robertson live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, the deadline is just hours away in the case of Nancy Guthrie. We're
live in Arizona were investigators are still searching for clues more than eight days since her disappearance.
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Plus, Media Mogul Jimmy Lai learns his fate from Hong Kong's High Court as well. That story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: A ransom note deadline is fast approaching now, just six hours away from the alleged doctors of Nancy Guthrie. They reportedly demanding a $6
million in Bitcoin. CNN Affiliate KGUN is one of the media outlets receiving the ransom note, which also threatens the 84-year-old's life if
the demand is not met.
Over the weekend, the family, including today show anchor Savannah Guthrie, said that they would pay as they plead for her safe return.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, AMERICAN JOURNALIST: We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can
celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Also, over the weekend, investigators returned to Nancy Guthrie's house eight days after she disappeared. Let's bring in CNN's Ed Lavandera
joining us, live now, from Tucson, Arizona, with the very latest.
I mean, Ed, this story is so disturbing on so many fronts. Just in terms of what we know so far, I mean, obviously the Guthrie family is saying that
they will pay. They've repeated that call, that they will pay. We know that the deadline is at about six hours or so, 5.5 hours from now, just in terms
of this ransom note, apparently, asking for $6 million in Bitcoin.
Walk us through what we know about evidence or potential leads, or where investigators are looking for Nancy Guthrie, because there is a race
against time, just in terms of the ransom note, but also, she relies on medication that she might not be getting. So, you know, investigators are
standing up against it, Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. There's multiple things happening at once here. We should start off by saying, you know, we're now entering the
second week of this horrific ordeal for the Guthrie family. The troubling part of all this is they've said from the onset is that Nancy Guthrie needs
vital medications to keep her alive.
So this far out from the abduction, obviously, you know, raises a lot of questions about the hopefulness of a positive outcome in this entire
situation.
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So that being said, we should also point out for context about these ransom demands and the videos that the Guthrie family have been putting out is
that we still do not know from either federal or local law enforcement whether or not these letters and these alleged -- these alleged authors,
are they actually people who have Nancy Guthrie in custody.
As far as we know, they have not been able to authenticate or determine whether or not these are legitimate. They have simply said publicly that
they are treating it like any other piece of evidence. But clearly the family and investigators taking these notes so seriously that they're
putting out these videos and they're essentially communicating to whoever might be writing them through the news media.
So that continues to happen. We've also seen in over the last few days, a continued launch -- Guthrie lives, but they also continue searching the
Savannah's sisters home Nancy's daughter, who lives about 15, 20 minutes away. We saw activity there over the weekend as well, and here they've been
searching properties.
They've been going back to neighbors, re interviewing them, asking if they've seen anything suspicious or any suspicious vehicles. They have been
canvassing and going through her property and other properties nearby as well. All of that continues because, you know, it also could, there also
could be, you know, ultimately, another explanation for who might have abducted Nancy Guthrie.
But we are now more than a week out, and the fact that there's still no significant clues or storylines here is obviously very troubling Zain.
ASHER: All right, Ed Lavandera in Arizona for us, thank you so much. All right, still to come, Japan's first female prime minister secures a victory
in this weekend snap elections. How and investors are reacting to the landslide win just ahead?
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ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher from New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching for you today. On
Capitol Hill, the lawyer for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell says she's promising to clear President Trump's name in the Jeffrey
Epstein's probe in exchange for clemency.
Maxwell appeared virtually before the House Oversight Committee earlier, but she declined to answer any questions, citing her Fifth Amendment
rights. And British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing fresh scrutiny over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to Washington
despite his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
On Sunday Starmer's Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned. McSweeney says that Mandelson quote damaged our party, our country, and trust in
politics itself. As the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its ninth day, a deadline to pay a ransom for her return is approaching. She's the 84-year-
old mother of the today show Anchor Savannah Guthrie released another video this weekend with her siblings pleading for their mother's return.
Investigators were spotted at her Arizona home again on Sunday.
The Kremlin warns situation in Cuba is, quote, truly critical due to what it's calling the U.S.'s choke hold on oil deliveries to the island nation.
And earlier, Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is discussing possible solutions and assistance to Cuba. It comes after U.S. President
Donald Trump threaten tariffs on any country that supplies Cuba with oil.
And Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in a landmark national security case. It is the longest sentence
delivered under Hong Kong's National Security Law. The 78-year-old was found guilty of two national security charges and a sedition charge in
December.
His years long legal saga has come to define Beijing's crackdown on the semi-autonomous city. The British Foreign Secretary calls his prosecution
politically motivated. Australia's Foreign Minister continues to call on China to ease suppression of freedom of expression. And U.S. Secretary of
State, Marco Rubio said in a statement that the sentence is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case.
Beijing and Hong Kong's government have repeatedly rejected international criticism of Lai's prosecution. And shares in Japan soared to record high
on Monday after the prime minister's massive victory in snap elections this weekend.
Sanae Takaichi's resounding victory, including an unprecedented majority in parliament, gives her a strong mandate to deliver on significant spending
plans to suspend the sales tax on food as well. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more from Tokyo.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Sanae Takaichi's huge political gamble, one where she literally put her job on the line, has paid off. I
mean, to the extent that we could not really expect. I mean, most experts I've spoken to really said that it was likely that the Liberal Democratic
Party would secure a majority in Japan's lower house of parliament.
But the fact that the LGP was able to secure more than two thirds of seats is truly something unexpected and historic. And what that now means is
Takaichi will be able to pass through any bills, really, with little to no opposition. So, making her leadership and her really, I suppose, her job as
a politician much, much easier.
Now, Takaichi has a long list, a long laundry list of issues that she must tackle from the get go. First, of course, is the Japanese economy. We've
seen record high inflation, a sliding Japanese Yen against the very powerful U.S. green back and of course, just voters feeling very frustrated
with the fact that their wages aren't increasing.
So, she will have to tackle the Japanese economy to appease these voters, to appease the Japanese public, and show that she's on the right track to
make Japan a much stronger economy. Now she must also deal with foreign policy.
In her brief time as prime minister, less than four months, she has shown that she's quite able and adept at really tackling different foreign policy
issues and developing deeper ties with foreign nations. For example, Italy's Prime Minister, South Korea's President, also the UK, Canada and
including the U.S. President Donald Trump.
In fact, when it comes to Trump, Takaichi has shown that she has a very good personal relationship with him. In fact, last week on Truth Social,
Trump went so far as to endorsing her as the Prime Minister of Japan, encouraging the people of Japan to vote for her in this very local
election.
Now, Takaichi as early as Monday, so just a few hours ago, thanked Donald Trump for that endorsement and for his kind words. Also adding that quote,
the potential of our alliance is limitless, so really, just emphasizing the strength of the U.S. Japan alliance here.
Also mentioning that her visit to the U.S. in March, her expected visit, will be one of greatness, and of course, will be an opportunity to develop
that alliance further. So again, long list of issues Takaichi must tackle.
[11:35:00]
But for now, a moment of victory for the Japanese Prime Minister.
ASHER: There's a party going on in Seattle right now. After the Sea Hawks won a decisive victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60.
We'll have all the major highlights of the big game. Plus, Bad Bunny pays a vibrant march to Puerto Rico during Sunday's Super Bowl half time show
almost entirely in Spanish. We'll talk about his performance next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, it was a victory for the ages at Super Bowl 60. The Seattle Seahawks steam rolled the New England Patriots for a 29-13 win in
football's biggest game. The game was dominated by Seattle's outstanding defense, which gave Patriots Quarterback Drake May little to work with.
A lot of the credit for the victory also went to Running Back Kenneth Walker to he ran for 135 yards, making him the game's MVP. CNN's Andy
Scholes was there for the action, and has more from California for you.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, the Seattle Seahawks odds to win the Super Bowl before the season were 60-1. Boy, were those odds wrong? Because
in the end, the Seahawks proved to be the best team in the NFL. And the Seahawks defense, which gave up the least amount of points this season.
Just dominated the Patriots in Super Bowl 60 pitching a shutout through three quarters.
They sacked Drake May six times in this game. And for a while it was Seahawks Kicker Jason Myers' world and we were all just living in it. He
made a Super Bowl record five field goals in this one, a huge play near the end of the third quarter Derick Hall, sacking May and forcing the fumble
the Seahawks would recover.
And then we finally got a touchdown in the fourth quarter, as Sam Donald finds AJ Barner for the score that made it 19-0, and it might as well have
been 100-0 the way the Seahawks defense was playing.
Uchenna Nwosu putting an exclamation point on this one in the fourth quarter, returning the interception, 44 yards for the score, Seattle would
end up beating the Patriots in Super Bowl 60 by a final 29-13 to claim their second Super Bowl title.
And for Sam Darnold, he completes one of the best come backs in NFL history, and he's once considered a bus but he never gave up. The Seahawks,
his fifth team, and now he's a Super Bowl Champion. Donald sharing a special moment with his family on the field as he completed his epic come
back journey.
[11:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM DARNOLD, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS QUARTERBACK: I'm here because of their belief in me, and they believed in me throughout my entire career. And I think
that's why I was able to believe in myself, almost ad nauseam.
Like I some people called me, called me crazy throughout my career for believing in myself so much and having so much confidence. But you know,
they -- it was because of my parents, because of the way that they believed in me throughout my entire career, and it allowed me to go out there and
play free and have a ton of confidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald, at 38-years-old, is now the third youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl, and he did it in just
his second season in charge in Seattle. And he joined CNN right here on the field after becoming a Super Bowl Champion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: How do you feel right now?
MIKE MACDONALD, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH: Couldn't be any better. I mean, honestly, it's surreal right now. You look at the jumbotron, we just
-- it was -- you know, their quarterback just with our team can't wait to go celebrate with them. It's pretty unbelievable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, 11 years ago, Malcolm Butler broke Seattle's hearts with that epic interception to win Super Bowl 49 for the Patriots, but those tears a
distant memory as the party is now on in Seattle as they celebrate their second Super Bowl title.
ASHER: All right, this, though, is the high-octane performance that everybody is raving about. Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show. You
can call his Block Party an ode to the rhythm of his beloved Puerto Rico, from sugar canes to the families and generations that make up life on the
island.
The overarching theme was unity told through his rallying cry of God Bless America. But not everyone was celebrating this historic moment for Latin
music on America's biggest stage. U.S. President Donald Trump took his social media to call the show quote one of the worst ever, denouncing it as
a slap in the face.
Let's discuss his performance and the fallout with my next guest, Jason Lipshutz. He's the Co-Chief Content Officer at Billboard. Jason, thank you
so much for being with us. So, one of the things I thought was really interesting is that when I started watching the half time show, I was
expecting a lot of social commentary on, you know, sort of the I.C.E. protests that we've been seeing in Minneapolis.
Because that's what we got from his Grammy win. I mean, he made a whole speech centered around that, by and large. We didn't really get that from
this performance. Why do you think that was?
JASON LIPSHUTZ, CO-CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER, BILLBOARD: Yeah, it's interesting because obviously the Grammys, once you win Album of the Year, you have the
opportunity to make a speech. You can actually speak what's on your mind.
The Super Bowl halftime show just kind of functions a little bit differently. Obviously, you don't have a ton of, you know, spoken word
interludes in there, but at the same time, I think the messaging of this halftime show performance was very, very clear.
But this was a -- this was a performance about unity about diversity, about personhood and statehood. And I thought it was, was truly moving like, you
know, obviously he played the hits, but he had a ton of personality and what was important to him outside of the music within that performance.
ASHER: Yeah, and obviously he chose to go a different route. As you point out, it was much more about unity and love. I mean, he said the same
message in this performance as he did at the Grammys, this idea that love is sort of much more powerful than any kind of hate, and he wanted it to
be, I guess, focused on the positive.
What was interesting, though, is that I remember back in 2026, years ago, when J Lo performed at the Super Bowl with Shakira, and she had images of
children in cages, even her own daughter, Emi, was in a cage. And that was obviously social commentary about what was happening at that time with
children in detention centers at the U.S. Mexico border.
Were you expecting something a little bit more on the nose, like what we saw with J Lo and
Shakira all those years ago?
LIPSHUTZ: Maybe a little bit but you know, it's interesting, because the fact that his message, both last night and at the Grammys was the only
thing stronger than hate is love. Kind of set the foundation for this performance, which was, hey, we're not going to shine a spotlight on all of
the horrendous things that are going on in our country right now.
We're going to uplift our people and show everyone that together, we are America. That is, that was the message on the football at the end of the
performance. This was a message of beauty and growth in the face of hardship. And I think that's even more powerful than saying, hey, let's
shine a light on X, Y and Z that is outrageous and wrong.
ASHER: What did you think of the set? I mean, I thought the set was incredible. I mean, I kept on wondering how much money that set would have
been?
[11:45:00]
I mean, everything from you had inside what looked like an apartment or a house to sugar cane fields to a wedding taking I mean, the list went on.
What did you make of the set design?
LIPSHUTZ: I think it was unbelievable. And I think it gave an underline to what the point of this performance was, which was to demonstrate who Bad
Bunny is, for casual fans and where he comes from.
You know, in most Super Bowl halftime shows, you have 13 minutes to kind of play your hits, and usually you do so on kind of a big, sprawling stage,
you have different platforms, and you have different risers and all the that type of stuff.
Bad Bunny prioritized you know, quieter moments there. There's a moment that I'll always remember where the wedding, in the middle of the of the
halftime show, he goes over and wakes up a kid who's sleeping on a bunch of chairs that during the wedding reception. I mean, that's just like a very,
very personal, quiet moment that we've all seen, in a way, those kinds of personal touches are what elevated the performance to me.
ASHER: Yeah, the set actually really reminded me of what we saw in 2022. I think it was with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and a handful of other African
American Artists, where they essentially tried to recreate content the set of the Super Bowl, which was incredible.
But just in terms of, you know, some of the -- some of the way that this particular show made history. I mean, obviously, by and large, completely
in Spanish. You know, very, very little English, proving Bad Bunny's point, this idea that you don't need to understand Spanish in order to enjoy a
good show.
And he made history, obviously, at the Grammys not so long ago as well, just a few weeks ago, with Album of the Year being entirely in Spanish too.
I mean, this is obviously a pivotal cultural moment that we're witnessing in this country.
LIPSHUTZ: Yeah. It's been interesting to see the rise of non-English language music in North America over the past half decade, both with Latin
Pop and Latin urban music, as well as K-Pop and African music and South Asian music. But this was a credit. This was a crowning moment, right?
This was the fact that, you know, and you mentioned that Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed a couple years ago. Obviously, they have a ton of
music in Spanish, but they also have a ton of music in English as well. Bad Bunny has become a superstar almost exclusively in Spanish.
And the fact that he was able to do, use that cachet and get to the Super Bowl halftime show and have that messaging in Spanish was really powerful.
And, you know, it was just a blast to watch. Did someone who did not speak -- who was not fluent in Spanish pick up every nuance? No, but you got the
vibe. You got the sense of personality, and it was undeniable.
ASHER: And final question, you know, we saw Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga, you know those two were quite a surprise to me, especially Lady Gaga. What do
you make of her appearance? And why do you think, obviously, her voice is insane we know that. But why did you think that Bad Bunny chose her?
LIPSHUTZ: Honestly, it might be as simple as like, he's a huge Lady Gaga fan. Like her really like.
ASHER: That's important.
LIPSHUTZ: And on honestly, it might just be like, Lady Gaga hit him up. Hey, I have an idea for a salsa version of die with a smile. And he's like,
cool. We'll give you a minute in the Super Bowl. And it worked out amazingly.
ASHER: Yeah. He doesn't love Lady Gaga, right? All right, Jason Lipshutz, thank you. Thank you, appreciate your thoughts on this.
LIPSHUTZ: Thank you.
ASHER: An Olympic dream shattered, five gold medals up for grabs and plenty of adrenaline on the slopes as well. We'll bring you the latest on the
Winter Olympics with a live report from Poland.
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[11:50:00]
ASHER: All right, Olympic dreams shattered for U.S. Lindsey Vonn, who is recovering from two surgeries after she broke her left leg at the Olympic
Games in Italy on Sunday. She's currently in stable condition. This year, was just 13 seconds out of the start of the women's down-hill when she hit
a gate and fell.
She was later airlifted to a hospital. And checking in on the gold medal count so far, at the top of the pack is Norway, with three gold.
Switzerland in second place with three gold medals. And the U.S. narrowly behind with two. Host nation, Italy has earned the most medal so far, nine
and counting.
Let's get the latest on these Winter Olympics from CNN's Amanda Davies, joining us live now from Milan. So, Amanda obviously such sad news for
Lindsey Vonn. I mean, just a week after rupturing her ACL she then fractures her leg, such impossibly bad luck. How is she doing now?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, really brutal news and a really brutal end to what has been such a trail blazing Olympic career.
Lindsey Vonn, the first U.S. woman to win Olympic down-hill gold back in Vancouver in 2010 her first Olympic appearance in 2002.
And her games here in Milan Cortina might well be over. We know it was going to be her last. But certainly, the interest, the concern, the
pouring, outpouring of love in her direction, very much going on. And we are hearing those reports that you rightly mentioned, coming out of from
the news agency Reuters, that she has undergone two operations in the last 24 hours or so on that fractured left leg.
We'd heard on Sunday night that her left leg had been fractured in that fall. But the new bit of the information is that she's undergone two
operations in that hospital in Treviso, here in Italy. We understand to stabilize her condition and really prevent any further complications.
It was an Italian team who operated on her with the oversight from U.S. medical staff as well. But we haven't heard anything more directly from
either bonds team or U.S. Ski and Snowboard since that very short statement on Sunday afternoon, saying that she was stable.
The one person we have heard from is her coach, the two-time Olympic Champion, Aksel Lund Svindal. We saw his immediate reaction from the course
on Sunday looked really shocked. Had his head in his hands watching on at the crash. And he's posted a really lovely, kind of powerful statement.
Firstly, saying, Lindsey, you're incredibly brave. And he then went on to say that while she was being treated on the mountains, she said, tell
Breezy congrats and good job. He went on to say, your teammate was in the lead, and that's the message you wanted the U.S. Ski Team Coaches to
remember before you got airlifted to hospital real character shows up in the hard moments.
And that was Vonn, very much sending her best wishes and congratulations to her teammate, Breezy Johnson, who did ultimately go on to take the gold in
that race that yesterday. And says so much such a strength of character that Lindsey Vonn has. And her standing really within the U.S. Ski Team.
[11:55:00]
And Breezy Johnson is somebody who absolutely can empathize with what Lindsey Vonn was going through, because it was this very mountain, this
very course in Cortina, where she suffered a serious accident in 2022 and that ended her dream of competing at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
But it was Breezy Johnson celebrating that victory. She absolutely understandably, though, decided to skip the down-hill training session
today, Monday, which was being held ahead of the new event, the team combined, which is making its debut at this Olympics.
It's taking place tomorrow. Breezy Johnson, skiing alongside Mikaela Shiffrin, who is going to be making her debut here at these games in Milan,
Cortina. It's a down-hill event and then a slalom. The scores combined, and it was the event that those pair won the world championships last year. So
very much, hoping that they will be claiming another gold for Team USA on Tuesday.
ASHER: All right. Amanda Davies, live for us there in Milan, thank you. Stay with "One World" we'll have much more news with my colleague, Bianna
Golodryga, after the short break.
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