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One World with Zain Asher

Mexican Cartel Leader Killed in Military Raid, U.S. Provided Intel; Hungary Opposes $106B EU Loan to Kyiv Amid Oil Pipeline Dispute; Heavy Snow, Whiteout Conditions Slam the U.S. Northeast; Accountability Over Epstein Files Seems Elusive in the U.S.; Many Ukrainians at Breaking Point as Thousands Still Missing; Team USA Beats Canada in Overtime to Win Men's Hockey Gold. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 23, 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)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Tourists are trapped in a popular resort town after a drug kingpin is killed by Special Forces. "One World" starts

right now. We'll go live to Mexico City amid a wave of violence triggered by the death of a drug cartel boss.

Plus, this fallout from the Epstein files topples elite figures in Europe, we'll examine why the U.S. reckoning has been more muted. And CNN's

Clarissa Ward takes us inside Ukraine, where many are at breaking point, as thousands are still missing in this conflict.

Live from New York. I'm Paula Newton, and this is "One World". Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says peace and security will soon be restored

throughout the country. This is an unprecedented wave of violence sweeps right across several Mexican states following the high stakes military

operation that targeted the cartel leader known as El Mencho.

He led the much-feared Jalisco new generation cartel, and died on Sunday following a raid by Mexican Special Forces. Now in retaliation, gangs lit

cars on fire, torched businesses and clashed with security forces. The U.S. is among several countries advising their citizens in Mexico to stay

indoors until further notice.

The violence prompted several airlines to cancel all flights in and out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, those stranded in Mexico now saying it

feels more like a war zone. I mean, this video we're showing you gives you a taste of what they're seeing. Mexican President Sheinbaum tried to

reassure her country and tourists earlier Monday, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: The most important thing right now is to guarantee peace and security for the entire population of all of Mexico.

And that is what is being done today. There's already calmer, and there is a government, they are armed forces, and there is a security category. And

there is a lot of coordination, so people can be assured that peace, security and normality of being maintained in country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Valeria Leon joins us now from Mexico City. I mean, Valeria, look, we just heard from President Sheinbaum there. She says the military and security

forces will restore calm. But I'm wondering how challenging this could be?

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've heard from the government this morning that they have now regained control following the wave of cartel

violence that erupted after this operation against Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho.

And what we're hearing from President Claudia Sheinbaum is that she had now put together a group to coordinate with other states and vigilant if there

are another violent attack or violence attack registered today. But she praised the Mexican military for carrying out this operation, calling it a

significant achievement for national security.

Meanwhile, we also heard from Mexico's Defense Secretary. He has released new details about how authorities were able to locate and detain El Mencho.

And according to the official, the first critical lead on this whereabouts emerged in Tapalpa Jalisco after intelligence units began tracking the

movements of our romantic partner linked to the cartel leader.

And by following that trail, authorities were able to identify elementary support network and also pinpoint the location where he was hiding. And

that intelligence led to the military operation. This morning, he shared more details about that. Let's take and listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL RICARDO TREVILLA TREJO, MEXICAN DEFENSE SECRETARY: Once the situation was under control, military medical personnel went to the

location where El Mencho and his security circle were, along with his two wounded bodyguards. They determined it was necessary to evacuate them.

They were in very serious condition. A helicopter was requested to land and transport them to a medical facility in Jalisco.

[11:05:00]

El Mencho and his two body guards and the wounded officer were transported. Unfortunately, he died en route.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEON: The military operation that resulted in this detention, an operation that officials describe as one of the most significant blows to organized

crime in recent years. And despite the government's insistence that order has been restored, security forces remain deployed in key areas as

authorities continue monitoring for any renewed retaliation.

Authorities also say that 2000 military personnel have been deployed to Jalisco, especially to reinforce security and prevent further unrest. But

the impact polarized is still being felt. Classes have been canceled in three Mexican states, and for now, the government says control has been

restored.

But whether this operation marks a turning point against cartel violence or the start of a new phase of instability, remains to be seen Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah. Valeria, what you say is so clear, because I'm sure the Mexican government itself, while it's trying to exude certainly calm and

the fact that everything's under control, that is the question about what happens next. Valeria Leon, you'll continue to update us on the situation

there. Appreciate it.

For some perspective now, we want to bring in Malcolm Beat, Beith, pardon me. He has extensively written about Mexico's drug wars, and is the author

of the book "The Last Narco: Inside the Hunt for El Chapo". I want to welcome you to the show.

And I am wondering what you think of what you just heard. Sheinbaum certainly trying to project calm and the fact that everything is under

control. But I really want you to try and give us a sense of if you're a visitor to Mexico, if you're a family in some of those areas right now,

there is a lot at stake here, not to mention the World Cup coming up in June.

Do you believe that the Mexican government can get this under control in the next few days, weeks, months?

MALCOLM BEITH, AUTHOR, "THE LAST NARCO: INSIDE THE HUNT FOR EL CHAPO": I think it's going to take a little while. I'm not on the ground there. I'm

in Washington. My perspective is, when I reported there in 2008; I was there for a few years working on Chapo Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel, and

we had -- there was similar violence at that point, and it took a couple of months to simmer down.

This happened last year as well, when El Mayo Zambada Sinaloa Cartel was captured, brought to the United States, there was a month of mayhem. What

we've seen in the last day is, I think, unprecedented. I think we're looking at 250 or so narco block chaos, narco blockades, which they call

them, that could be burning trucks, burning gas stations, whatever, in 20 of 32 states.

That's pretty much unprecedented. That'll be up to the military. And, yeah, the immediate, you know, if you're there immediate -- in the immediate

right now, anyone down in those parts of Mexico, you know, hopefully, is staying home and waiting for the official sort of clear and green light to

go out.

NEWTON: Right.

BEITH: Hopefully, U.S. authorities, the embassies, consulates, are in touch with anyone being who lives there. There are a lot of Americans who live in

Mexico, as we know.

NEWTON: Absolutely.

BEITH: Looking ahead at the World Cup, my question right now is whether the U.S. military will in a sort of volunteer capacity, hopefully, from my

perspective, ask if Mexico needs assistance during the World Cup, that would be unprecedented. We we've had -- long had military advisors in

Mexico, but it would have to be politically, you know, done diplomatically, not we're just going in. It can't be that way.

NEWTON: And it would be stunning, even if that happened, given Mexico would normally rebuff that very quickly.

BEITH: Yeah.

NEWTON: Can you bring us into, though the world of these narco gangs, given exactly what happened here and the interplay between Mexican politicians,

Mexican law enforcement, and this particular narco trafficker, this drug kingpin, we were showing a map just exactly what kind of a profound hold it

had, really throughout the country of Mexico.

BEITH: Yeah, I think I not to plug my own book. But when I did work on the last narco, I called Chapo Guzman, who was -- he was sentenced to life in

2019 here in New York. I called him the last narco because I thought that he would be the last of a certain type of drug lord to benefit from massive

corruption.

Because the Calderon Administration of that time, 2006 to 2012 was using the military against the drug lord -- drug traffickers like no other. Now,

it turns out I was wrong, because in that time El Mencho Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, he's 59 now, so he's benefited. He came about when I was down

there 2009.

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I think was when the Cartel de Nueva Generacion, Jalisco, CJ and G came about. And what's happened in Mexico over the last I would say you're

looking at 15, 17, years is the splintering and rebirth of cartels. The cartel, the word cartel, academics don't like it, because they don't

actually control the price of the drugs. Generally, the demand is there.

But what you've had is these very well armed and powerful. And they powerful gangs, groups. They're organizations. They're not just small

gangs. And the CJ and G what they -- they were the first group to use rocket propelled grenade to shoot down a military helicopter in 2015.

So, while El Mencho has been on the run, let's say he's actually been we know there's protection. The question is, we don't know always, you know,

long for by, say, we, I mean journalists, academics, law enforcement, the people cover this, don't always know exactly who.

And you know, there was a trial a few years ago of the Former Police Chief that effectively the depart -- the Head of Director of Homeland Security,

that would be Genaro GarcA-a Luna, and he was tried in New York and sentenced to life and, or I'm not sure, I think he got life in the end, for

all sorts of, you know, evidence that I thought was a lot of speculation.

And the current, effectively the Federal Security Chief, I think they call him, Federal Security Chief, Omar GarcA-a Harfuch, has made a clear effort

to go after El Mencho and some of these top leaders. And he was even threatened with assassination in 2020. There was an attempt on his life.

Again, the corruption is the key. But whenever you go after the corruption deeply, you end up with one, a lot of arrests. But also, you -- the

violence breaks out when you really go after It.

NEWTON: Yeah. And Malcolm --

BEITH: I know you have to have --

NEWTON: And Malcolm apologies, we do have to leave it there, but I will say you may have been wrong about the fallout from the insidious nature of

corruption and these drug cartels really inserting themselves in law enforcement and politics in Mexico, but you were not wrong about the

violence. I will say that you definitely called it that this would keep up in Mexico, unfortunately, for many years. Malcolm Beith, we will be in

touch with you again. Appreciate that.

Now on the eve of the four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, deadly new Russian strikes are being reported across the

country. Regional officials say at least four people were killed and 17 others injured in attacks on Central and Eastern Ukraine in the early hours

of today.

Now you're looking at images from the Odesa region, where two deaths were reported. The war will officially enter its fifth year on Tuesday. Talks

last week in Geneva between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington ended without a major breakthrough as key territorial issues remain unresolved.

Ukraine has been in full focus at a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels over the past few hours, but it's unclear how much progress will

be made after Hungary said it opposes a new round of sanctions against Russia. Budapest also says it is blocking an EU loan with $106 billion for

Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of holding back Russian oil deliveries through a pipeline that supplies Hungarian deliveries.

Clare Sebastian is following developments for us from London. Good to see you, Clare. I'm sure you like me can hardly believe we are entering the

five-year mark of this war, and yet what we just explained was the fact that not only is there not unanimity between besides trying to negotiate

peace, or, for that matter, the United States and the sides trying to negotiate beach peace, but also now within Europe?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, look, I think this is certainly not the sort of lead up to this anniversary that Europe was hoping for. We

have just heard from Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, that they haven't been able to reach an agreement today on that 20th package of EU sanctions.

It was said to be a pretty hard-hitting package. It was going to include a ban on all shipping services to vessels carrying Russian oil, which was --

would essentially supersede the existing system which was the EU countries couldn't provide shipping services to oil that was sold over a price cap.

So that's what they were hoping to do.

They haven't been able to reach that. Kaja Kallas was calling it a set-back a message we didn't want to send today, she said. But the work continues.

Now the background to this, of course, is that Hungary had said it was going to block this sanctions package because it is accusing Ukraine of

essentially withholding oil supply.

Is that transit from Russia via Western Ukraine, via the Drupal Pipeline to Hungary. Hungary and Slovakia still rely on Russian oil supplies.

[11:15:00]

They're pretty much the only European countries that do at this point. Ukraine says that it hasn't been able to send that oil because of a Russian

attack on the pipeline infrastructure in late January, and it says that the repairs are continuing, and has apparently offered an alternative route for

those oil supplies.

But of course, Hungary says that that attack hasn't happened. That's what we heard from the foreign ministry today, and both sides are now accusing

each other of blackmail. And what you're seeing there another part of this tangled web Paula, is that Ukraine, a senior source in Ukraine Security

Service has told CNN today that its long-range drones have attacked another part of that Drupal Pipeline that's in Tatarstan, in Russia.

We have verified that video. And so, I think you know, this is a message from Ukraine on the eve of this anniversary, that they still have quote,

unquote cards to play their long-range drone program being one of them, and that they are not going to bow to political pressure. But as of now, it is

not the picture of unity from Europe that either Ukraine or many of those EU members would have wanted.

NEWTON: Yeah, which could make getting to any kind of a peace agreement in the near term next to impossible. Clare Sebastian, appreciate you updating

this us on all of this. Now later in the show, a nation at breaking point. CNN has a report from inside Ukraine.

You do not want to miss it. We will have a scene of this war that is now set to enter its fifth year. Plus, millions of Americans are facing white

out conditions as a Bomb Cyclone pummels the Northeast. The latest on the conditions there just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Some 40 million Americans are under blizzard warnings as a massive winter storm is slamming the Northeast. Thousands of flights have been

canceled, and more than half a million customers are without power right across the region.

Now, the powerful Bomb Cyclone, yes, that's what it's called, is pummeling several states with near hurricane force wind gusts and extreme snowfall.

Cars buried under piles of snow line the streets of New York as the city is hit with the most snow fall it's seen from a single storm in five years,

more than two feet has already fallen in some parts, with more to come.

Now we go to New England. Boston is experiencing wind gusts of up to 97 kilometers, or 60 miles per hour. The heavy snow and powerful winds brought

down trees and power lines in the Philadelphia area, and that's where we find our Brian Todd. I mean, Brian, look, I thought I had bad walking two

blocks to work this morning, and those winds were severe. But Philadelphia is really getting pummeled as well.

[11:20:00]

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Paula. I can tell you that the snow is a little bit lighter, so that's the good news. But the bad news is

that the wind has really kicked up here in the Philadelphia area. My team and I just got buffeted by winds of about 35 miles an hour. So, it's

actually a little bit more uncomfortable for us out here now, even than it was earlier when the snow was coming down.

This is a wet, heavy, slushy snow. It's great for making snow men and snow balls like this, but for navigating the streets, it is really tough. I'm

going to show you the juxtaposition of that in a second. We've got a truck coming by here. When the truck passes, I'm going to show you the difference

between the secondary roads and the main highways. Soon as this truck clears here, we're on Vine Street.

This truck is moving along fairly well, but you can see down here they're still struggling a little bit to get the roads plowed. It's still very

slushy, heavy, wet snow, a little bit tough to navigate for trucks and cars alike. But the difference between the secondary roads and the highways is

this. Got this little opening in the fence line over here, and I can show you how clear the highway is.

That's Route 676, that goes through the heart of Philadelphia. Look at how clear that is, and the smooth sailing that the cars and trucks are

experiencing as they move right on through as if there's been no weather event here at all.

Now, the city authorities have been under some pressure to clear these streets, because in the last snow storm about a month ago, the last major

one, there were calls for days afterward complaining that they were not clearing the streets fast enough. So that's been a bit of a controversy

here in Philadelphia.

I can tell you that they've been very conscientious about clearing the roads. At about 06:00 a.m. Eastern Time this morning, my team and I were

out on Martin Luther King Boulevard near the Philadelphia Museum of Art earlier when a massive tree came down on all across that major artery in

Philadelphia.

Well, within a few minutes, a major front-end loader, a multi ton front end loader, came and just basically cleared that big tree right off to the

side. And I asked the driver of the front-end loader, I said, well, what are conditions all along this area? There are a lot of these downed trees.

He said there were.

He said that was about the third or fourth one that he had to clear this morning. So that is an issue. It's the downed trees. It's the heaviness,

again. This is a very, very heavy and wet snow. And you know when it gets onto the trees and under the power lines, that's when it really gets dicey.

Power lines could come down. That's what they're worried about. Hasn't been so much of an issue here in Pennsylvania as it has been in other places,

but they are worried about it just because of the heaviness of this snow Paula.

NEWTON: Yeah, and always good advice to just stay home if you can everywhere. Brian Todd, for us in Philadelphia, appreciate it.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is going to tell us exactly how long this storm is sticking around? I mean, look, I don't know anything about that term

Bomb Cyclone. I just know that I've seen a couple and they're not pleasant.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, you don't necessarily want to live through one unless you're of course, a meteorologist changes the game a

little bit. But it's a classification just on the strength of the storm and how quickly it strengthens or deepens.

What you're looking at right now is just kind of adding to what Brian was talking about the heavy wet nature of the snow so critical. So, to my left

is a live look at Boston. All right, you can see the heavy wet snow. That's a plowed parking lot. To my right, this is mystic Connecticut, near the

Coastline of Southern New England.

Again, more heavy wet snow across this particular area, and this region has now entered into the what we're calling the two-foot club. This is snow

fall that's measured in excess of 60 centimeters in many locations, impressive, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey,

Pennsylvania. You really got to put this into context.

There is a large population density of the United States that lives along this coastline, and with what is effectively a hurricane racing off the

Northeast Coast. Yes, it's a nor'easter, we call it, but it's got characteristics of a hurricane. It's got the strong winds gusting to

hurricane strength, but it's also got a pressure reading that's low enough to be equivalent to a category two hurricane.

So, put those two together and you've got blizzard conditions because the wind whips up the snow and it drops. The reduces the visibility, and

anywhere you see that shading of red that very highly populated I 95 Corridor from Boston to New York City to Philadelphia, where Brian is,

that's where you start to drop the visibilities.

And this is the current look at the wind gusts in Nantucket, gusting to 74 miles per hour. That is equivalent to a category one hurricane. When it's

sustained, it actually is but that's gusting, so that's really impressive. Now, the snow has come to an end in places like DC, but still the Delmarva

Peninsula cranking pretty heavily.

Now you can see into Eastern Long Island, even down to New York City, the other Bureau boroughs in New York City still getting pounded. But this is

the area where we're talking about two to upwards of three inches per hour, just South of Boston, inland from the Cape Providence, Rhode Island, that

area getting the heaviest snowfall right now.

[11:25:00]

We could still pick up easily another three to six inches of snowfall on top of what's already accumulated. And Paula, I'll leave you with this when

you have winds gusting over hurricane strength, and you've got the heavy, wet nature of the snow that will bring down power lines and trees.

NEWTON: Yeah, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that some of that will stay away for the rest of the day, because that's really when things get

difficult. Derek Van Dam for us. Thanks so much for that update.

Still ahead, the contrast is striking. We'll take a look at the stark differences in the fallout over the Epstein files in the U.S. versus

Europe. Plus, Trump doubles down, even after the U.S. Supreme Court says many of his tariffs are, in fact, illegal. What European leaders are saying

and how China sees all of it that's ahead?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: And welcome back to "One World". I'm Paula Newton in New York. Here are some headlines we're watching today. Mexico's President says peace and

security will return to her country. This after the death of the Cartel Leader known as El Mencho sparked violence right across Mexico. He was

killed in a military operation.

Now, in response, gangs set fire to cars, blocked roads and clashed with police. El Mencho was head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and

Mexico's most wanted fugitive. The son of Slain Hollywood Film Maker Rob Reiner is due in court for his arraignment on murder charges following the

fatal stabbing of his parents last December.

The hearing is set to begin in Los Angeles around a couple of hours from now. 32-year-old Nick Reiner is expected to plead not guilty to two counts

of first-degree murder. If convicted, as charged, he would face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Fresh protests are erupting in Iran Monday as Tehran faces mounting pressure from the U.S. to curb its nuclear program. It follows anti-

government demonstrations last month in which thousands of people were killed.

[11:30:00]

Iran's state media is also reporting demonstrations in support of the government and against the U.S. The European Union is calling on the U.S.

to honor its bilateral trade deal after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a large chunk of President Trump's tariffs on Friday, calling them illegal.

The deal still has to be ratified by the European Parliament, but it hasn't stopped Donald Trump, his administration, has announced temporary new

global tariffs up to 15 percent.

And we do want to bring in our Anna Cooban who is following that story for us from London. I mean, look, Anna, the EU was fairly muted in its response

on Friday, it really struck back on Monday, saying, I believe the quote is a deal is a deal?

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes, the EU like the UK as well it also struck a deal with Trump on trade last year. It really is in

their interest to keep things, you know, the status quo, because uncertainty is something that European and UK businesses are just pretty

allergic to like most businesses.

But really, this Supreme Court ruling strikes at the heart of Trump's signature economic policy to enact tariffs as a way to extract concessions

from countries. But the UK today, the government's come out to say to urge the U.S. to stay the course. They've said that its Business Secretary has

been in touch with U.S. counterparts to try and urge the deal to be honored.

And let's remember the baseline levy in that UK deal was 10 percent so less than this 15 percent that's being threatened by Trump. And in the EU, this

was a 15 percent baseline levy agreed in this deal with some key carve outs.

Now the EU, like you said, have said that a deal is a deal, urging Trump to stay the course, but we have heard today from the EU that all progress on

pushing that deal through the EU parliament, a multi stage process, is something that's now been put on pause, which we saw a few weeks ago after

Trump remember those threats to get to annex Greenland, the EU also reacted by putting that deal on ice.

But Trump, for his part, has said that any country that will, in his words, play games on the back of the Supreme Court ruling, can expect to

experience higher tariffs, yet another threat coming out from Trump.

But Paula, it really is difficult to understate just the severity of the damage that this Supreme Court ruling has done to Trump's credibility to

use his favorite economic weapon. Now countries like the UK, like trading blocks, like the EU, are questioning whether or not these deals will have

to be renegotiated because they were negotiated on the basis that Trump had the authority to do this.

So, there are a lot uncertainty still at play Paula, but one thing right now is quite clear is that Trump's authority has very much been undermined

on this issue.

NEWTON: Yeah, and the markets don't like the uncertainty of this at all Anna. Markets down today, quite significantly as they continue to try and

parse this, you see, pretty much since the open, the DOW down now, almost 700 points. Our Anna Cooban in London, grateful to you.

Now the British government received a letter from the Australian Prime Minister today in it, Anthony Albanese says he would support the removal of

the Former Prince Andrew from the line of succession by law consent from Commonwealth nations, all of them would be needed if he were to be removed.

Police were spotted for a fifth day at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former residence. He was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public

office. He was detained for more than 10 hours before being released. Police have not said what led them to arrest the Former Prince, but

previously said they were assessing whether he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein during his decade as UK Trade Envoy.

Mountbatten-Windsor has not been charged with any crimes. He has previously denied any wrongdoing related to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, while European

Royals, politicians and CEOs are facing intense scrutiny over their ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, accountability seems

largely elusive so far in the United States.

While some prominent Americans have stepped down from their jobs after their name surfaced in the Epstein files. The Justice -- the Department of

Justice has said there isn't enough evidence to charge anyone with crimes over their ties to Epstein. And we want to remind you that the inclusion in

the Epstein files, of course, is not indicative of any wrong doing.

We want to bring in Richard Painter. He is a Former White House Ethics Lawyer under the Bush Administration, and a Professor of Corporate Law at

the University of Minnesota. He's also the Co-Author of "American Hero: The History of the Destruction of the Rule of Law and Why Trump is the Worst

Offender".

Richard, good to see you again. And just to open this conversation up, I mean, look, you contend that the difference between the United States and

the rest of the world is that there are massive amounts of money at play here, and the so-called billionaire class.

And I will say a lot of people are calling it the Epstein class, it is protected because of this. But what kind of evidence do you have? Because

the Justice Department continually says, look, we don't have the evidence to prosecute anybody.

RICHARD PAINTER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS LAWYER: Well, the first problem, as we know in the United States, money makes a huge difference in politics.

[11:35:00]

And we have billionaires who decide who our president is and who are members of Congress. Our billionaires have an extraordinary influence.

Second is the president's control over the Justice Department. This is an issue that I explore in a recent book that I just published two months ago

with the Constitutional Law Scholar Tom Sullivan on the president's control over the Justice Department and other aspects of presidential power,

responsibility, accountability.

You cannot have accountability when the Justice Department is controlled in this manner by president who views the attorney general as his personal

lawyer. And is very clear that instructions are being taken from the White House with respect to the Epstein files and many other issues, including

the prosecution of President Trump's political enemies.

So, we do not have confidence in the United States in our Justice Department be independent. First, in decisions about what to release from

the Epstein files? The files have not all been released by the Justice Department. The files that were released were heavily redacted.

And second, prosecution, it's amazing that this many people would have gone to Epstein's Island, and yet we only have one person serving a 20-year

prison sentence in connection with that, and Epstein haven't committed suicide.

NEWTON: Now, it's important to note here that many in the Republican Party, in the MAGA Movement, were supportive of releasing the Epstein files. They

still want more accountability. I want you to listen now, though, to just a snippet of that Pam Bondi Congressional hearing the other week, and when

the Congressional testimony, it pointed to the victims that were standing in the back. I want you to listen now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): To the survivors in the room if you are willing, please stand. And if you are willing, please raise your hands if

you have still not been able to meet with this Department of Justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, Pam Bondi said meeting with these survivors, she called it theatrics, but she also said it wouldn't add anything to the

investigation. Do you believe if those survivors were heard in a confidential way, so that they were not re-victimized? Do you believe we

could possibly have more criminal charges here or more accountability like we have seen in other jurisdictions?

PAINTER: Well, I think the primary way of detecting who was guilty of sex crimes would be to speak with the victims, and if the victims are willing

to speak with the Department of Justice, there certainly should be confidential interviews. And there are a lot more victims than those that

were in the room at that hearing in Congress.

That is a critically important first step for the Justice Department to speak with all of the victims and then track down the perpetrators. And

once again, it's really quite shocking that we don't have anybody indicted other than Ghislaine Maxwell in connection with a massive sex trafficking

operation where many of the victims were children.

And this has caused people to lose confidence in our Justice Department and in the independence of our Justice Department. And quite frankly, we do not

have an independent Justice Department in the United States, the attorney general takes orders from the president.

NEWTON: Now, Richard, I do want to ask you, because if you speak to people in this country, no matter which politician they support, they do wonder

that why in the Biden Administration, his Attorney General, Merrick Garland, never looked into this case. Files weren't released. This was all

still bubbling to the surface and, none of this was done, even when Jeffrey Epstein was charged again.

PAINTER: That's a very good question. And I brought that question up repeatedly during the Biden Administration. Why weren't they more

aggressive in releasing the Epstein files and also proceeding with prosecutions? And I do not know what happened behind the scenes there.

We know that Jeffrey Epstein had powerful connections with politicians and also with billionaires in both political parties. And I think I want to

leave it there. Once again, this entire scandal has exposed the problematic situation we have in the United States when the Justice Department is under

political control of the White House, of the president, whether it's a Democratic President or Republican President, I think this is a very

problematic way to run our justice system.

NEWTON: Richard, I'm grateful to you. We'll continue, obviously, to follow this story, especially as those survivors, the victims, continue to try and

get the justice that they've been looking for, for years. Richard Painter, for us appreciate it.

[11:40:00]

Now next, ordinary life going on under the most extraordinary of circumstances. A special report from Ukraine. You'll want to see this where

the impact of war is permeating daily life in countless ways.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: With more than 80,000 Ukrainians missing as a result of years of conflict, a strain on those left behind. It's hard to bear as CNN's

Clarissa Ward reports, the agony of not knowing where your loved ones are is pushing many Ukrainians to the very brink. Now, I need to warn viewers,

some of the images in Clarissa's report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the outskirts of Odesa at an abandoned railway station, the smell of death

hangs heavily in the air. These railroad cars once carried cargo across the country, now they hold the remains of thousands of Ukrainians.

As repatriations from territories seized by Russia have increased the arrivals have become more frequent and the numbers harder to comprehend.

WARD: More than 80,000 Ukrainians are officially missing in this war, and the vast majority of those who are missing are believed to be dead.

WARD (voice-over): For thousands of families searching for their loved ones, the waiting has become its own kind of battlefield. Outside the city,

we meet Snizhana Shestakova, her husband, Alec, a sergeant in the Ukrainian army, went missing on October 30th, 2024 after a failed attack on Russian

positions in Donetsk.

WARD: Oleg Chevy (ph), that's the sign here that says yes, Oleg is alive. Because you need to believe --.

SNIZHANA SHESTAKOVA, WIFE OF MISSING SOLDIER: Yes. I believe he is alive because he left saying, whatever they tell you, don't believe anyone. I

will definitely return.

[11:45:00]

WARD: She says, the dog is old. Now he's 15-years-old, and they sit and they wait together for him to come home.

WARD (voice-over): Oleg's backpack still sits in the hallway. Snizhana spends her days going through their messages to each other.

WARD: Can you help us understand the pain of living with not knowing. It is one thing to go through, the pain of grieving, but the agony of not knowing

is a unique form of cruelty?

SHESTAKOVA: It's very difficult to live through it. You know it's such a feeling, just dead inside, just dead, torn apart, in small pieces.

WARD (voice-over): After four long years of war, Ukraine and its people are being stretched to the limit. Murals on the road into Kyiv celebrate the

heroism of Ukrainian soldiers, but inside many apartments, families are fighting a quieter battle against the cold.

WARD: I don't know if you can hear. It's almost deafening now, everywhere you go in Kyiv, the sound of generators.

WARD (voice-over): Relentless Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have left residents facing constant power and heating outages during the coldest

winter in years. Mamacita was Svitlana Kivirenko's dream.

WARD: Hello, hi.

WARD (voice-over): Built from the ground up a place where moms and their kids could escape the grind of war.

SVITLANA KIVIRENKO, MAMACITA FOUNDER: It was pure. We had this nail salon. We had makeup here. We had cosmetology so mom could take --

WARD: Break?

KIVIRENKO: A break, yes, and relax.

WARD (voice-over): Earlier this month, Svitlana finally had to close Mamacita.

KIVIRENKO: I died that time, really. I mean, because it's my heart. It's my dream, but it was just one day generator broke, and that's it.

WARD: You know, there's this idea that Ukrainians are just like super human, super heroes.

KIVIRENKO: I mean, we are not. We are not super humans. We are not robots. We are not super people. We are human and we are breakable, unfortunately.

WARD: And do you think a lot of people are at breaking point?

KIVIRENKO: I'm sure.

WARD (voice-over): For Veronica Burminova, breaking down is not an option. She is raising her three-year-old daughter, Masha, on her own. Tonight,

they will climb ten flights of stairs to reach their apartment.

VERONICA BURMINOVA, CHARITY WORKER: Masha is a star. Marsha is a good girl.

WARD (voice-over): There is no power, and they do not trust the elevator, even with the emergency generator. After two months of outages, it has

become a familiar routine. Inside the apartment, Masha shows us how they keep the lights on.

WARD: That's so pretty, so pretty. And now you have light from a power bank. Oh, you have two power banks. In the kitchen they make tea by

candlelight using a portable gas stove. Dinner is usually instant soup or noodles. They are lucky that they still have heat.

WARD: How long can you go on like this?

BURMINOVA: Honestly, I don't know. I live in the moment but sometimes it's tough. There are days when I ran out of steam and I tell her, Masha, I'm

not angry at you, and I don't want to shout at you, I just have no more strength. Mama is tired. And she understands.

WARD (voice-over): As night falls, the city goes dark in the end, Ukraine's greatest strength may have become its heaviest burden, a nation expected to

endure without end. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:00]

NEWTON: And finally, for us, thousands came together to bid farewell to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The Olympic Flame was extinguished in

Sunday's closing ceremony at the historic Arena in Verona, as athletes and nations said goodbye to the champions' stage. That is, until 2030 in

France.

Norway was the leader in this year's medal count, with 18 golds, the U.S. came second with 12 golds, marking the most successful Winter Games ever

for the country. Host Italy won 10 golds and did great there, as you can see on the medal count. Now, the final U.S. gold came in a thrilling

overtime win against long-time rival Canada in the men's Ice Hockey Final ending a 46-year hockey gold medal drought.

CNN's Coy Wire takes a closer look at Sunday's emotional heart stopping and for some of us, heart breaking final game.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: For the very last event at these Winter Olympics, we've got an overtime classic in the Men's Hockey gold medal

game, just like the women's final, the USA Vs Canada, and just like that women's game, it's the USA coming out in overtime.

The Americans withstood a barrage of shots from their neighbors to the north. 42 shots on goal, but Connor Hellebuyck saved 41, of them, setting a

new Olympic record for a gold medal game involving NHL players.

And in overtime, it was Jack Hughes New Jersey Devil star, hammering home the game winning goal, laying it all on the line, blood on his face, teeth,

missing an American legend is born. First Olympic men's hockey gold for team USA in 46 years. I caught up with some of the fans who were over the

moon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My goodness gracious me, that was incredible. That's all I can say.

WIRE: Who was the star of the game for the U.S.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time since 1980 gold medal USA, all the way.

WIRE: Man, take me through that golden goal moment. What's going through the mind as you hear the crowd roar?

TAGE THOMPSON, 2026 U.S. OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM GOLD MEDALIST: It's crazy. I think every kid dreams about that moment. Going into the intermission after

the third there, just looking around the room, just thinking someone's going to be the hero is a pretty special feeling. Obviously, you know, Jack

comes through for us there. You know, makes our dreams become a reality being gold medalist.

WIRE: How do you put into perspective when you think about first gold medal for America men's hockey in 46 years did that lake sink in yet?

THOMPSON: No, it's crazy. Every kid grows up watching miracle.

[11:55:00]

You know, every USA Hockey Player dream of this moment, and now we're sharing that exact feeling that they had. It's pretty special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So, with that, and with the closing ceremony, also on Sunday in Verona. That's a wrap from the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

NEWTON: Crosby quite didn't get a medal, but he definitely got a hug from those fans. I want you to stay with CNN. There's more "One World" with my

colleague, Bianna Golodryga, that's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END