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One World with Zain Asher

Zuckerberg To Take The Stand In Landmark Trial; U.S. Lawmakers Deposing Former Victoria's Secret Owner; Source: U.S. Expects To Receive Proposals From Iran in Next Two Weeks; Urgent Rescue Mission For Nine Skiers Missing After Avalanche; How Genetic Genealogy DNA Analysis has Helped Crack Cases; FCC Chair Carr Challenges Longstanding Exemptions For Talk Shows; Ring Cancels Flock Partnership Amid Privacy Concerns; Aired 12- 1p ET

Aired February 18, 2026 - 12:00   ET

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

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[12:00:57]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, the founder of Facebook is making history in a Los Angeles courtroom. The second hour of "One World" starts

right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Mark Zuckerberg taking the stand to testify for the first time before a jury about these claims that his platforms have

harmed young users.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Mark Zuckerberg expected to face tough questions in a trial that is the first of its kind.

Also ahead, red lines with Iran, talks, one thing, but the question remains, how long will Donald Trump keep the window of diplomacy open?

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had suggested that it was always kind of my dream to get engaged at the Olympics. He planned the whole thing out and it was a

very awesome moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Catch her if you can. Olympic star, Breezy Johnson, on facing fears, winning gold and walking home with the best gift of all, a brand-new

fiance.

Hello, everyone. Live in New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are watching the second hour of "One World."

A landmark trial is getting underway in a Los Angeles courtroom. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify as a witness as he answers tough

questions about safety measures surrounding his social media platforms; Facebook and Instagram.

He arrived at court just moments ago. There you can see the video of him arriving. The lawsuit brought by a 20-year-old and her mother accused Meta

and YouTube of intentionally developing addictive features that hook kids and damage their mental health.

The lawsuit is the first of hundreds of similar lawsuits to go to trial. Earlier, families who say their children were harmed or worse by social

media gathered outside the courthouse.

Today's testimony will mark the first time that Zuckerberg will answer questions before a jury about allegations that his platforms are addictive

and harmful.

It's the first time hundreds of similar lawsuits go to trial. Zuckerberg has previously testified for Congress about youth safety on Meta's

platforms, which include Instagram and Facebook.

And this week, will mark the first time Zuckerberg -- Veronica Miracle, is in Los Angeles with the very latest.

Veronica, what can we expect to hear from Zuckerberg himself?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, he is going to be testifying today as a witness. And you saw that video as he arrived just a

crush of media surrounding him, more than 100 members of media surrounding the building, waiting for his arrival, and then inside families of -- those

grieving families and parents of children were waiting for him inside as he will testify today.

Now, this case today here in Los Angeles brought on by a 20-year-old woman named Kaley, who says that she started using Instagram at the age of nine.

And by the time she was a teenager, she -- her lawyer says she was using the app about 16 hours a day due to its addictive features.

Grieving parents of children and teens from all over the country, they flew in to hear Zuckerberg's testimony today, all of them who say that social

media harmed their children, some even saying leading to the deaths of their children because of these apps, because of the addictive nature.

One mother who says her 17-year-old daughter, Coco, died when she met a man on Instagram, and that man sold her a fentanyl-laced pill. She is here

today and she wants to see what Zuckerberg has to say. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIANNA ARNOLD, BLAMES INSTAGRAM FOR TEEN DAUGHTER'S DEATH: We want the truth. We want the truth. We want transparency, and we want these companies

to be held accountable. That's why we're here today. They need to see -- Mark Zuckerberg needs to see.

Again, we already faced him once in January 2024 in Congress at a hearing where he was forced to apologize to us, and now we really want to hear the

truth, because that day we did not hear the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:05:09]

MIRACLE: I asked Zuckerberg as he was on his way in, if he had a message for the families, he did not respond to me, but a Meta's spokesperson sent

us this statement previously saying the question for the jury in Los Angeles is whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff's

mental health struggles. The evidence will show she fates many significant, difficult challenges before she ever used social media.

There's also no cameras or audio recording allowed in the courtroom today. So all of the information that the world won't hear, the testimony that

Zuckerberg, all of his testimony, will be secondhand information from those who are in the courtroom today, which is why so many parents of these --

these grieving parents say they wanted to be here to hear directly from him.

Back to you, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Really all eyes on that courtroom and what could be a precedent, and as we described, a landmark setting case.

Veronica Miracle, thank you.

Well, the man considered the primary source of Jeffrey Epstein's enormous wealth says Epstein haunt him. The billionaire founder of L Brands that

previously owned Victoria's Secret, Les Wexner, is facing questions from lawmakers today in a closed-door congressional deposition.

The 88-year-old retail magnet was cited in recently released files related to the late convicted sex offender. In a written statement to those

lawmakers, Wexner wrote that Epstein, quote, was a con man. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have -- have nothing to hide.

CNN's Kara Scannell is live in New York with more. Kara, these two go back decades. Wexner is 88 years old. Just tell us what we can expect to hear

from him.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So the lawmakers have said that they really want to focus on the money trail because that has been a big

question of, how did Epstein become so wealthy? Because that wealth is what enabled Epstein to rub elbows with the rich and the powerful. And the

center of this wealth, at least according to our review of the Epstein files, is Les Wexner.

And what we're learning a bit from Wexner's own statement today, but also from what his lawyers had previously told the Justice Department when they

were investigating Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, was that Wexner had met Epstein through a mutual acquaintance.

He came very well recommended and Wexner had Epstein then manage his money, millions and millions of dollars. When Epstein first became under

investigation in Florida back in the late 2000s, he had told Wexner that he could no longer manage his money because of these legal issues.

And when Wexner's wife took over the finances, they discovered that Epstein had stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from them. That is what Wexner

is saying today. That is also what his lawyer said in 2019.

Now, the review of the file shows that Wexner has been someone that the FBI has been interested in going way back to that investigation in the mid-

2000s. They had talked to an attorney for him then. Then again, subpoenaed him just days after Epstein was arrested in 2019.

There was an FBI document in 2019 that labeled him as a potential co- conspirator. His lawyers say that he was then told that same year, though, that he was not a target, nor a co-conspirator of that investigation.

And according to Wexner's statement today, he says, let me be crystal clear. I never witnessed nor had any knowledge of Epstein's criminal

activity. This, again, as you said, is a closed door session. We may hear from lawmakers once this wraps or if they take a break. And we'll see what

it is that they're learning. And if they have additional questions based on Wexner's pretty exhaustive statement about his relationship with Epstein.

You know, a big question too of, you know, how could you know this person for so long? Wexner said that Epstein led a double life and that he thinks

that he had misled him into this sense of his association with powerful people, but didn't actually know anything about what Epstein was doing

privately.

Wexner said he was never on his plane and said he, his wife, and his children went to Epstein's island once while they were on their own cruise

around that area.

Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: All right. Kara Scannell, thank you.

Well, four years of war and no clear path forward. Another round of U.S. mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine wrapped up earlier in

Geneva after only two hours with both sides describing negotiations as difficult.

The Ukrainian delegation said some progress was made, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that key territorial issues remain. Moscow

described the talks as business-like and said a new round would take place in the near future.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reports the Kremlin's chief negotiator held a closed-door meeting with Ukrainian officials after the U.S. mediated

talks had ended.

And it's much the same situation with indirect talks taking place between the U.S. and Iran. Not much noticeable progress, but a vow to keep talking.

[12:10:07]

According to a U.S. official, the White House expects to receive proposals from Tehran in the next two weeks that would close gaps in the nuclear

discussions.

But tensions remain high. The U.S. vice president says Iran failed to address some red lines set by President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In some ways, it went well. They agreed to meet afterwards. But in other ways, it was very clear

that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Kevin Liptak joins me now live at the White House.

And this guessing game has gone on for a number of weeks, Kevin. But one thing is clear that the amount of U.S. assets now in the region can't stay

there in perpetuity. So it does lead to -- to whether or not President Trump will ultimately decide that kinetic action is necessary or if some

agreement can be made.

We've heard this famous two-week notice in the past, only to see strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities three days later. What are you hearing from the

White House now?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And I think the way that Vance put it is sort of expressive of what most officials feel here,

which is that these talks yesterday in Geneva, certainly they made some incremental progress, but there was by no means any sort of breakthrough,

which sort of leaves us in the same position we were in beforehand, which is the president still considering these military options, still amassing

this major military muscle in the region.

You know, on the one hand, that two-week frame -- timeframe is sort of meaningless when you hear it from Trump officials because he has used it so

many times before.

On the other hand, it is roughly the amount of time it will take for the USS Gerald Ford to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Persian Gulf or

somewhere else in the Middle East to join this other -- otherwise very large flotilla of armaments that the president has put in place.

And so in some ways, the president may be lengthening the window in order to have all of the assets in place that he would need to launch what seems

by all accounts to be a major military action against Iran.

You know, the types and the size of these armaments in the region now would not suggest that the president is envisioning sort of a discrete action

akin to what we saw both in June against the nuclear facilities, but also in Venezuela.

It does seem to be something much larger in scale that the president is preparing for. And when you listen to, you know, the American official who

said yesterday that the Iranians would get back to them in two weeks, you know, it's worth noting that the issues being discussed here are very, very

technical.

You know, nuclear enrichment, you know, the purity of uranium, those are all things that are highly specific. You know, the JCPOA, which is the Iran

nuclear deal that the president withdrew from, took many, many years to negotiate and included on the American team was a nuclear physicist.

And all of that, I think, suggests that the Trump administration doesn't seem anywhere close to coming up with a firm agreement in the timespan that

the president may be envisioning, which I think leads to the question of how long he will allow these talks to proceed.

It's a question that the president has been asked again and again. You know, the most specific timeframe he himself has put on it is about one

month, but he was sort of vague when he answered that question.

And so I think it all, you know, leads to the region still very much on edge and still very much awaiting a decision by the president.

You know, the one thing that the -- the president hasn't done is necessarily lay out where this is all going to the American people, who I

think might be skeptical when they hear that the U.S. might be entering a week's long war with Iran.

He hasn't, you know, delivered an address to the nation. He hasn't necessarily laid out why this would be in the interests of the American

people. So I think there is also some messaging groundwork to be done before the president gives the go ahead on any kind of action.

GOLODRYGA: All right. Kevin Liptak reporting from the White House for us. Thank you so much.

Suzanne Maloney is the vice president director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution. She joins me now live in Washington.

Suzanne, I think this is about the third or fourth time we've had this conversation on the precipice of what may or may not be some sort of

kinetic action taken by the United States since the last time we saw them strike Iran's nuclear facilities last June.

What is clear is that the president has ratcheted up his threats, has amassed even more assets in the region in the Ayatollah just yesterday in

response to that aircraft carrier that is approaching. Now, the second one in the region said that they have the capability of sinking that carrier.

[12:15:09]

So all of that suggests what to you? Do you think that it is only a matter of time now that -- that we will see some sort of military action? Or do

you think there is still time for an off-ramp?

SUZANNE MALONEY, VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN POLICY, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, there's always time for an off-ramp, Bianna, and thanks

for having me on today.

I think what we're seeing is the U.S. strengthening its leverage in those talks that began yesterday. My sense is that there is not a lot of optimism

here in Washington or in the West more generally about the likelihood of Iran providing the level of concessions that would be necessary to stave

off some kind of American military strike, given the amount of American assets and personnel that have been moved to the region since President

Trump made his threats against Iran during the uprising that occurred in January.

I think that it is overwhelmingly likely that we will see some sort of U.S. military action. The Iranians, obviously, are trying to stave that off

through the negotiating process, but also by elevating their own threats to not just the United States, but to their neighbors, and to the potential

energy traffic that transits the Gulf, which has always been their Trump card, so to speak.

GOLODRYGA: So in gaming a possible scenario out here, we know that this likely will not look or mirror what we saw in Venezuela, where you had an

operation that lasted just a matter of hours. The United States went in, grabbed Nicolas Maduro, and he's now sitting in a U.S. prison.

That if regime change is ultimately the goal here, that's likely not how it's going to play out. And there are some severe consequences, and there

is, despite a weekend Iran, there is damage that they could still do in both to U.S. assets in the region and U.S. allies.

Just walk us through some of your biggest concerns in terms of how much this could metastasize into a larger scale and larger issue for the region.

MALONEY: I think you raise a very important set of concerns. We don't know precisely what President Trump hopes to accomplish with military action,

and as your White House correspondent said, he hasn't yet laid out a case to the nation or to Congress for that matter. And so I think that's going

to be very important as we watch things ratchet up.

He could, of course, opt for largely perfunctory strikes that would have some purpose in degrading Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. That's a

place where they have been escalating their own production activity since the June war, because it is their only form of either deterring or

retaliating against attacks by the United States or Israel. And that's a growing concern for the region, Iran's ballistic missiles.

But if President Trump were to try to take some sort of larger action, which, of course, the -- the size and scope of the -- the military movement

toward the region seems to suggest, he's going to have a much more complicated task ahead of him.

It's been 47 years that this regime has been in power. It's fairly well entrenched. We've seen the regime survive prior attempts at decapitating

its military leadership. We know that there's already quite a bit of effort in place prepared for succession at the Supreme Leader, the political and

religious leader of this regime.

And it is really not clear that there are forces on the ground who would be prepared to manage any kind of transition, much less that we are prepared

for the types of retaliation that Iran might seek to enact in the wake of very substantial strikes or a full-scale war against the country, both in

terms of targeting U.S. forces and -- and assets in the region, but also U.S. partners and allies, whether that's Israel, whether that's Saudi

Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the energy transit in the Gulfs, which would have significant impacts for the global economy.

So I think that's really the big question right now. What kind of military action does President Trump intend to undertake and what are his goals? We

need to understand that before we can fully appreciate what the consequences might be.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And a third of the world's oil is transported through the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, that could be something that -- that Iran views

as a vulnerability as well.

Do you see a scenario, Suzanne, in which, according to reporting, President Trump, may have given the green light to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

that if these fails, if these talks fail and don't advance, that -- that Israel could then unilaterally strike Iran's ballistic missile program,

something that had been a top concern of theirs ever since their war last summer, because it does appear that Iran has focused a great deal on trying

to reconstitute its own ballistic missile program even more than its nuclear program?

[12:20:04]

MALONEY: We certainly could see Israeli strikes, and that would justify the American presence in the region, because, of course, we would want to

ensure that the Israelis are fully ready to withstand whatever kind of retaliation Iran might enact in the aftermath of a strike.

But I do think given how much American personnel and assets are out there, it's likely that the United States would get involved directly either as a

follow-up to an Israeli attack or as a joint attack from -- from both American and Israel.

GOLODRYGA: Well, Suzanne, if there ever was a time to follow your work and analysis, it's now, so we appreciate it. Thank you so much. We will be in

touch with you, I'm sure, in the days and weeks to come.

MALONEY: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, passengers on board a train got the scare of a lifetime as an avalanche barrels towards them.

Plus, partnership over. We'll explain why Ring is canceling its ties with a tech company.

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GOLODRYGA: My goodness. That is the moment an avalanche hit a train in southern Switzerland on Tuesday. The passenger who filmed it tells CNN that

the train was headed for Zermatt.

They say that Swiss emergency services were quick to respond and that those on board were rescued within two hours. Good news on that front.

Well, right now, it is a race against time and extreme weather for rescue crews in the Northern California mountains. Nine people are still missing.

Six have been rescued after snow, ice, and debris came crashing down on a group of skiers.

One official described the situation as particularly dangerous right now because they are at the height of the storm. Forecasters say that region

could see up to eight feet of snow before the weather clears.

CNN Stephanie Elam joins us now live in Los Angeles with the weather -- with the very latest.

And the weather here, a real factor in the search for those skiers. What is the latest from official, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was not the time to be out in the backcountry, Bianna. I was just looking back to see exactly when officials

were warning about how bad the weather was going to be. And on Friday they were saying, sure, it's pretty now. You might be able to make it in here,

but will you be able to make it out? That really puts into perspective what they're expecting, what they've been dealing with there in the Sierra

Nevada.

[12:25:12]

This is an area that's been measuring how much snow is getting by inches per hour, three to four inches per hour overnight as they were dealing with

this storm that has been coming in. Started early Monday morning here.

What we also know is that along with those heavy snow and strong winds, this was a group that was out left on Sunday and was out in the backcountry

for the ski trip near Castle Peak, which is near Lake Tahoe in California's northern Sierra Nevada mountains.

And the call came in around 11:30 in the morning, local time on Tuesday. They were able to rescue six people 11 hours later. Now, these people did

have beacons so they were able to communicate with them. There was some limited texting with officials as well. And into the night hours, they were

able to rescue those people, but nine people still missing.

And I went to Canada, I traveled up to Marmot Basin many years ago now at this point, but to do a story on avalanche dogs. And during that time, I

learned how quickly things can change. Most people, 90 percent of people, they're rescued within 15 minutes, they'll survive. That keeps ticking

down. If you're in there for over two hours, it's likely that you won't survive.

They're saying that the people that are with you are usually the ones who will rescue you in that conditions. Obviously, these were people who were

expecting to be in the backcountry for a couple of days, so they did have supplies with them.

But what you've got to remember is that the human body is heavier than snow and debris, so it tends to sink during an avalanche. And then that snow

gets so compacted in, it is almost like cement in those cases. And that's why it's so hard. And this is why they're saying, if there's someone is not

skiing with you, who's not ready to dig through a whole lot of snow, the chances of finding you are very, very slim.

So this is a precarious situation. They're moving in there now. And hopefully, they will be able to find some good news in what sounds like a

very dangerous, dangerous situation.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And let's be honest, even the most advanced and experienced skiers don't pack enough supply for them in anticipation of an avalanche

and for being missing for -- for such a long period of time.

Again, we are wishing for the best here for those skiers and their families. Stephanie Elam, live for us in Los Angeles. Thank you.

Well, we turn now to the Nancy Guthrie disappearance case. Flowers and tributes continue to build up outside her Arizona home as the search for

the 84-year-old mother of NBC anchor, Savannah Guthrie, now stretches into its third week.

We are learning that DNA found on a glove near Nancy Guthrie's Arizona home, as well as inside her residence, did not produce a match in the FBI's

database. Investigators are still looking into other options to check for DNA matches.

Meantime, NBC reports that Google is attempting to recover more footage from the surveillance cameras at Guthrie's home. Authorities say it will be

hard to do because the videos were recorded over.

We're also hearing from the father of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old American woman whose disappearance and murder gained international media

attention in 2021. Her father is offering some advice to the Guthrie family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH PETITO, GABBY PETITO'S FATHER: Just stay focused, keep the hope. You know, make sure that you're doing what you feel is best, of course, you

know.

But when this situation is, you know, hopefully resolved in the most positive way possible, you know, maybe try to draw some attention to other

missing people as well, because everyone deserves the same amount of attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And as the search for Nancy Guthrie moves forward, CNN's Randi Kaye takes a look at how investigative genealogy has been critical in

solving other high-profile cases.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In February 2015, 31-year-old Allison Feldman was found dead inside her Scottsdale, Arizona home. She had

been beaten and strangled.

HARLEY FELDMAN, ALLISON FELDMAN'S FATHER: She'll never come back and that's what hurts the most.

KAYE (voice-over): DNA was discovered at the crime scene but it wasn't a perfect match. So, investigators cast a wider net using what's called

familial DNA.

CHIEF ALAN RODBELL, SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA POLICE DEPARTMENT: It's probably one of the biggest advancements in my time.

KAYE (voice-over): The advancements in DNA technology allowed authorities to search genealogy databases for first-degree relatives of the suspect

with similar DNA as a means of zeroing in on the killer. They got a hit three years later.

RODBELL: We came up with a family linkage to this person that was in custody.

KAYE (voice-over): The sibling of the man in custody turned out to be the suspect, 42-year-old Ian Mitcham, who authorities say killed Allison

Feldman. He's currently on trial for her murder.

Investigators in Los Angeles struggled to identify the Grim Sleeper, a serial killer who had eluded police for nearly a quarter century.

[12:30:08]

DET. DENNIS KILCOYNE, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, we've got this beautiful DNA profile. All these dashes and dots and this and that. But

there's no name and address or face to go with it.

KAYE (voice-over): They too turned to familial DNA.

JERRY BROWN, THEN-CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We can search for someone in our database who has a family member, a brother or a father, who is related

to DNA taken from a murder scene. And that's exactly what happened in this case.

KAYE (voice-over): A break in the case came when the suspect's son, Christopher Franklin, was arrested and had to provide a DNA sample.

Investigators found their familial link to the DNA evidence.

JILL SPRIGG, BUREAU CHIEF, CA DEPT OF JUSTICE: This is the first time we found a relative in the database. It's exciting to us.

KAYE (voice-over): In 2010, Lonnie David Franklin ,Jr., the Grim Sleeper was arrested at his home in South L.A. and later convicted of killing 10

women.

The 1984 murder of 14-year-old Wendy Jerome also solved using familial DNA, a first in New York State. She was killed on Thanksgiving night.

Authorities say she'd been raped and stabbed.

SANDRA DOORLEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK: There was blood evidence shown in photographs around the body.

KAYE (voice-over): For decades, Wendy's mother waited to find out who took her daughter's life.

MARLENE JEROME, WENDY JEROME'S MOTHER: I've come a long way since that day.

KAYE (voice-over): In 1999, DNA found on Wendy was uploaded to the FBI's DNA database, no matches.

After New York law changed in 2017 to allow for searches of familial DNA, investigators tried again, and in 2020, got a hit in the suspect's genetic

family tree. Nearly 36 years after Wendy was killed, police arrested then 56-year-old Timothy Williams.

JEROME: They came to my house and said, we got him, we got him. And that was, I can't tell you what that sound meant to me.

KAYE (voice-over): Williams was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:16]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.

The Late Show host, Stephen Colbert, is calling out CBS once again. It comes a day after network lawyers scrapped his interview with a democratic

senatorial candidate from Texas, under pressure from FCC regulators and the Trump administration.

At issue, the FCC's equal-time rule, which requires networks to give equal airtime to political candidates. The segment was then posted on YouTube.

CBS pushed back on Tuesday, saying in part, quote, "The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Representative James

Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule and presented options for how the equal

time for other candidates could be fulfilled."

This is how Colbert responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": The lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising. I don't even

know what to do with this crap. Oh, hold on.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: All right. He didn't hold back there. Time now for "The Exchange." Joining me is CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter. Brian,

good to see you.

So, we should note that FCC Chair Brendan Carr hasn't formally eliminated the exemption for late-night shows, but CBS did seem to act as if it did.

So, is this really in your view about equal-time or about political leverage?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: This is another pressure point that the Trump administration has found against broadcast T.V. networks. And it

is pressing on that pressure point, pressing on these stations.

A few minutes ago, Carr did confirm what we've reported from anonymous sources, which is that ABC's "The View" has been the target of an

investigation by the FCC in the past couple of weeks over a possible equal- time violation over there.

CBS lawyers were aware of that ABC situation, and they didn't want The Late Show to be the next target. So, these lawyers, acting out of an abundance

of caution, did call over to Colbert show, and that is why this has all escalated as a result.

So, you have the situation where Carr is now publicly, in the last few minutes saying, he will push to enforce these rules aggressively. These are

rules that his predecessors basically ignored. These are rules that have been on the books for about a hundred years in the U.S., but are viewed as

increasingly antiquated in an era of YouTube and cable when you have rules that are only being applied to a small slice of the media pie to broadcast

T.V. and radio stations.

But for Carr and for Trump allies, this is a way to target stations, especially for liberal shows, for hosts that they don't like. Just look at

the president's Truth Social field. His is constant complaints about Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon.

You know, Trump has brought this up for a decade. He wants these shows pushed off the air. The next best thing is to use the regulations that are

in place to try to pressure the stations, and that is what we're seeing.

GOLODRYGA: So you've described as unusual, the fact that CBS lawyers got involved here. And in the background, when you're talking about CBS and its

parent company Paramount, it's hard not to identify the elephant in the room, and that's its ongoing bid for WBD, which owns -- is the parent

company of CNN, and the pressure perhaps that they feel from this administration as it relates to a deal that ultimately will be decided by

the courts and the shareholders, Brian. But we know how involved this administration in particular has been.

STELTER: Yes. Folks -- folks -- yes. Folks at CBS, even at the executive level, they say that their day-to-day actions are not tied to the corporate

mega merger intrigue, but lots of outsiders sure are skeptical about that.

Paramount CEO David Ellison is fighting hard to take over CNN and the rest of the Warner Brothers discovery. Right now, though, that deal with Netflix

is moving forward. Paramount has been spurned so far, but talks have reopened and are going on this week about a possible new bid by Paramount.

And one of Paramount's main arguments is that it will win Trump administration approval, and Netflix might not. One of the main arguments

is that it has a friendly relationship with the White House.

And as one media executive recently said to me, everybody knows M and A, mergers and acquisitions, run through the Oval Office right now. So those

are the political overtones.

And we're looking at what happened at CBS in relation to other Trump administration pressure points as well. Don Lemon, recently arrested, for

example. And what did Lemon say after he were last week when he pled not guilty? He said, the process is the punishment.

He said, look, I'm going to win a court. He's going to be found innocent, but he's saying the process is the punishment.

[12:40:08]

And that quote came to my mind again today when it comes to Colbert and CBS in equal time, just the process of having an investigation of your station

creates a big headache and a big hassle, even though it's not going to amount to much, at most, ABC might be fine. CBS might be fine for violating

these rules. It's not going to amount to much, but the process, it seems, is the punishment.

GOLODRYGA: So zooming out, Brian, what -- what precedent does this set?

STELTER: I think this creates another item on a long list of stress points, stress tests for major media companies. And the ones that are really

vulnerable are the ones that have station licenses, CBS, ABC, NBC. Cable networks like CNN, platforms like YouTube are not affected by these rules,

but there are other pressure points that are being applied as well.

So, I think for viewers, for readers, as we continue to watch Trump 2.0 unfold, people should watch out for how media companies are reacting to

those various stressors that are existing. And this is just the latest one that's opened up, but we're seeing many of these, part of a Trump campaign

to chill critical speech.

And yet, oftentimes, we see when there is this pressure, there's a backlash. And look what happened this week. The interview with James

Talarico has racked up a whole lot more views on YouTube than it would have gained on CBS.

So in other words, Talarico reached a much bigger audience because of this controversy. He's also raised $2.5 million on the back of this controversy.

So his campaign has benefited, even though this is an embarrassing episode for CBS.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Perhaps some unintended consequences. Nonetheless, we have seen that he's benefited, as you note, not only from YouTube hits, but also

from fundraising.

Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

Well, Peru's interim president has been removed from office following a political scandal just four months after he was sworn in.

Congress voted to censure Jose Jeri following accusations that he held off the record meetings with Chinese business people. He apologized for the

meetings, but denies any wrongdoing. His ouster now marks Peru's eighth change of leader in nearly a decade.

Meantime, lawmakers are set to vote on the next interim president. A general election is expected to take place in April. We'll be following

those developments.

And still to come for us, the smart camera company, Ring, makes a big move in response to the recent backlash over a Super Bowl commercial ad. We'll

show you those details, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:09]

GOLODRYGA: All right. Time to check on how the U.S. markets are doing. Looks like green arrows across the board. Dow up half a percentage point.

The S&P 500, eight tenths of a percentage point. And the NASDAQ over one percent today. This is your Business Breakout.

Officials in Senegal or -- are negotiating a new deal with the International Monetary Fund, but say that it must be made in the country's

best interest. The West African nation is dealing with a debt burden equal to 132 percent of its GDP. In the last, IMF froze its last lending program

after it uncovered misreported borrowing.

Microsoft says that it will invest $50 billion by the end of this decade to bring artificial intelligence to developing countries. The company's

president says that the world needs to act with urgency to address the growing A.I. divide between rich and poor nations.

No meat on the bones. A U.S. court has thrown out a lawsuit against restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings after the chain was accused of

deceiving customers by selling boneless wings that are essentially chicken nuggets. Despite the plaintiff's best efforts, the judge ruled that they

did not, quote, drum up enough evidence to support the claim.

Some gifted writers on our team.

All right. A recent Super Bowl commercial is reigniting the debate over unwanted surveillance. The Amazon owned video doorbell company, Ring, has

been facing backlash over this ad, which features a controversial search party feature.

In response to the fallout, Ring has now canceled its partnership with the technology firm Flock Safety. Michael Yoshida explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a Super Bowl ad that had some throwing a flag.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw it live and it was one of those, you know, uh-oh moments.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Ring, the Amazon-owned video door company promoting its search party feature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One post of a dog's photo in the Ring app starts outdoor cameras looking for a match. The search party from Ring uses A.I. to help

families find lost dogs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It should be heartwarming, but a lot of people are reading something very sinister into it.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Ring hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing, but the ad did spark conversations around unwanted surveillance. A.I. going through

and analyzing videos and how the technology could potentially be used.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's absolutely --

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Wyze, a Ring competitor even putting out this satire video, highlighting privacy worries and public distrust.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We could find literally anyone, but we only use this technology to find lost dogs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of this is people speculating about how the technology could be used in the future by a bad actor rather than

necessarily bad behavior that's happening right now.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Ring's founder says, the company prioritizes customer privacy and the applications use is limited.

JAMIE SIMINOFF, FOUNDER, RING: Right now, the search party feature is literally just built for dogs. So, it's built to look for dogs to tell you

if the dog is in front of your house and then you have the decision to, you know, contact the owner or not.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): But experts say concerns over what comes next shouldn't be dismissed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These technologies are getting so advanced and so sophisticated we can't just ignore the implications and the risks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same things that are treated as privacy risks for some people are actually kind of a feature.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): In Washington, Michael Yoshida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: All right. And still to come on "One World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BREEZY JOHNSON, AMERICAN OLYMPIAN: Fear has to come with you. You can't kick it out of the car. You just put it in the back seat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: CNN speaks to star skier and gold medalist, Breezy Johnson, on how she handles fear and victory. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:12]

GOLODRYGA: All right. We turn now to one of the sweethearts of these Winter Olympics and the moment that earned her a spot in Team USA's Hall of Fame.

Breezy Johnson's epic downhill gold medal win, the first in her career and the first ever win in the event for Team USA.

CNN's Coy Wire spoke to her about how it felt to clinch victory and all the hard work it took to get there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Pure power meets poise, one of the fastest, fiercest athletes on the planet, Breezy Johnson, Olympic downhill gold

medalist. How does that sound?

JOHNSON: It sounds a little surreal. I still think that I'm having a hard time fully processing it, but it's definitely something that I've wanted

since I was a little kid.

WIRE: Now, a gold medal isn't the only bling you're leaving the Olympics with. Your boy, popping the question after you've finished at Super-G. Did

you see that coming and might you consider a destination wedding in Cortina now?

JOHNSON: I did have an inkling that he was going to do that. I had suggested that it was always kind of my dream to get engaged at the

Olympics. And so, yes, he planned the whole thing out. And it was a very awesome moment with all of my teammates and friends and family around. So,

yes, it was pretty special.

WIRE: Oh, so special, so sweet. Incredible. And the fact that you won gold here at these Olympic Games. Awesome stuff.

Now, downhill skiing is often called the most dangerous event at the Winter Games. If fear had a voice at the top of the course, what would you say

back to it?

JOHNSON: I always say that fear has to come with you. You can't kick it out of the car. You just put it in the backseat.

WIRE: Does life feel slower after you've just flown down a mountain?

JOHNSON: It does feel a little bit slower. I think that there's -- for me, the act of using your body, the way you do in skiing, you're sometimes

resisting up to four G's of force, you're very anaerobically taxed. My heart rate usually reaches peaks in skiing that it doesn't get to even on a

max bike test.

And then combining that with that mental physics of trying to hit postage stamp sized spots with your skis and really have the perfect line and the

perfect timing over things. it demands all of your attention. And it's really a feeling of being alive. And that part of what brings me back to it

every time and -- is really special.

WIRE: Ski racing careers, they're full of highlights. They're also full of setbacks. You miss the Beijing Olympics due to an injury. What has

adversity taught you that maybe winning never could?

JOHNSON: Yes. I mean, it's interesting because, yes, people are -- people are often jealous of -- of the -- the amazing moments, the -- the wins at

the Olympics, the World Championships, but rarely are people jealous of the path that it took to get you there.

I think you really have to find joy and meaning in those hard moments. And it can be hard at times, for sure. But, you know, when you find meaning and

accomplishment from -- from work from doing your best, from, you know, being brave enough to try something that many people just aren't willing to

take the risk to do, to fail at, is what I find meaning in.

And, you know, it -- it keeps me going in those tough moments and is, to me, the real accomplishment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: And well-deserved accomplishments at that.

And finally, this hour, there was a surprise gate crasher at today's women's cross-country skiing race. A dog joined the athletes for the final

sprint to the finish line. The happy-looking pup seen here ran behind two skiers with the crowd cheering as the canine sensation crossed the finish

line. He then sift the competition with skiers looking somewhat confused by the situation. They didn't prep for that.

[12:55:05]

A gold medalist from Sweden says she was surprised, as surprised as everyone else, and that it was something she had never seen before. She did

not offer to share her medal with the star of the race though. I don't blame her.

All right. That does it for "One World" today. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. "Amanpour" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:00]

END