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The Situation Room

Memorial Services For Jesse Jackson; Midlife Exercise and Brain Health; Colin Gray Trial Continues; Bill Gates Apologizes For Jeffrey Epstein Connection; FBI Withholding Epstein Documents?; Judge Rules Against Trump Immigration Policy. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 26, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez joins us.

Walk us through this ruling, Priscilla.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a significant ruling because it strikes at one of the key strategies that the Trump administration has tried to employ when dealing with nationals of countries that the U.S. has frosty relations with, which means that deporting those individuals is much, much harder.

So they rely on these far-flung what we call third countries to send that individual there to carry out the deportation, even if that person has no ties to that place.

Now, the judge in this case said that this is unlawful. He said that individuals have the right to meaningful notice and the opportunity -- and should have the opportunity to contest their removal to these countries. Of course, the Supreme Court did step in last year in rule in favor of the administration, the judge now coming back and again, saying that this is unconstitutional.

We should note though, the administration has deployed the strategy, of course, since the Supreme Court gave them that green light. In fact, we know from a Democrat report on the Hill that they have spent $30 million to send people to these far-flung countries with which they have no connection, and they have agreements with or have sent individuals to more than 20 countries.

And I am told that those negotiations are still happening behind the scenes. So, certainly, this is a ruling that they will be paying attention to. It is suspended for 15 days, allowing the administration to appeal.

BROWN: Thirty million dollars. Wow.

ALVAREZ: That's a lot of money.

BROWN: That's a lot of money, right?

I want to look at this other story that we have been following today that there's a new investigation looking into the death of a nearly blind refugee in Buffalo, New York, and it comes after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop?

ALVAREZ: That's right.

So there's a lot of moving parts here, and we're still trying to get more clarity, and so is the state and local officials who are calling for an investigation. So this is a 56-year-old refugee. As you mentioned, he's nearly blind. He had spent much of the previous year in custody, not federal custody, with the locals, awaiting trial on criminal charges that were ultimately resolved with a misdemeanor plea deal.

In the process of the discharge of this individual from the jail, the deputies notified Border Patrol because the agency had put an immigration detainer on him, so they had shown interest in this individual to take him into custody. However, when he was brought into custody, the federal authorities realized he was not amenable to removal because he's a refugee.

He came in legally, and he is a refugee in this country. In -- the issue here and what the investigation is looking into is what happened between the moment of the release from the jail, transferring to the custody of Border Patrol, to then this drop-off at a coffee shop, and then his -- he was missing for a few days and now found dead.

So it is that part of the timeline that is still murky. Now, I do want to read what the spokesperson of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency did say.

The timeline here from CBP noting that: "On February 19, Erie County Sheriff's Office alerted Border Patrol about a noncitizen in their custody. Our agents confirmed that Mr. Shah Alam entered the United States as a refugee on December 24, 2024, and was not amenable to removal.

"Border Patrol agents offered Mr. Alam a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept, to a coffee shop determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than being released directly from the Border Patrol station. He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance."

They have called this a courtesy ride because typically Border Patrol would transfer the individual to another's custody or would just release them from the facility. So that's why they're saying that this is a courtesy ride to this shop.

I will note that the Erie County medical examiner conducted an autopsy and said it was health-related death. They ruled out exposure and homicide. So, as I mentioned, local officials are highly critical in scrutinizing what occurred here, why this individual was dropped off, where they were dropped off, and the family saying that they received no notification about this.

So who were they supposed to get notification from? Is it the jail that he was being transferred to another's custody or was it Border Patrol? So, these are all the questions that we're trying to get answered, but, certainly -- and so are the locals.

Certainly, this has launched an investigation into what occurred and we will be trying to dig in more as to, again, that timeline. What happened between that release and the moment that he was found dead?

BROWN: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Thanks for me as well. Update, excellent.

Also, new this morning, the FBI served search warrants at both the Los Angeles Unified School District's headquarters and the superintendent's home yesterday. Officials declined to give details about the nature of the investigation, but the nation's second largest school district said it was cooperating.

The superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, was previously named superintendent of the year and arrived at the school district at a critical moment after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, back in 2024, Carvalho was tied to an A.I. chatbot probe involving fraud, but he denied any wrongdoing, according to "The Los Angeles Times."

BROWN: Well, just ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM: The Justice Department is now reviewing if certain Jeffrey Epstein documents mentioning President Trump were incorrectly kept out of recent releases.

[11:35:09]

CNN's new reporting up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now: The Justice Department is reviewing whether Epstein files that mentioned President Trump were improperly withheld from public release.

Multiple news outlets reported that records appear to be missing from the large trope of files, including three interviews related to a woman he accused Trump of sexually assaulting her decades ago. We should note, President Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein case, and the White House called the allegations false and sensationalist.

But I want to bring in our CNN senior reporter, Marshall Cohen, who has been covering the Epstein investigation at length.

[11:40:04]

And, Marshall, you have new reporting about botched redactions. What more are you learning?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Hey, Pam.

We have known for a while about redaction problems in the Epstein files, but it's much more widespread than we thought. We worked with an A.I. company called Visual Layer to examine more than 100,000 images that the DOJ posted to its Epstein files Web site.

And we found more than a dozen photos that definitely should have been redacted, but weren't, and remained on the public DOJ site for nearly a month. Now, I'm about to show you some of these pictures. Keep in mind, CNN blurred the versions that you're about to see, but they were available fully unredacted on the DOJ site for weeks.

There were pictures of a young girl kissing Jeffrey Epstein on the cheek. There were also nonsexual, but unredacted images of other young children and toddlers who are obviously minors and should have been protected. And, also, there were several pictures of passports and driver's licenses revealing private data, like I.D. numbers, addresses, and dates of birth.

CNN asked DOJ about these images on Monday, and, by Tuesday, they were all taken down and replaced with properly redacted versions. Pam, also, I want to read for you a statement that the DOJ provided about this situation.

A spokesperson told us -- quote -- "Our team is working around the clock to address any victim concerns, additional redactions of personally identifiable information, as well as any files that require further redactions under the act" -- Pamela.

BROWN: And, Marshall, I mean, there are even explicit images posted to the Justice Department's Web site in this probe. What happened there?

COHEN: This was a huge blunder by the DOJ. We found more than 100 sexually explicit photos that the DOJ did post on its government Web site last month.

They took these down pretty quickly, and some were replaced with redacted versions, which is what I'm about to show you on your screen. There were pictures, dozens of pictures, showing what appeared to be two naked teenagers on a beach. There were also multiple uncensored nude selfies and at least one image of Epstein with an undressed female.

Now, we spoke to legal experts and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse. Everyone is stunned that photos like these made it through the DOJ review, especially because top officials were adamant that they rejected -- excuse me -- that they redacted every single woman in the Epstein files.

And, Pamela, the advocates that we spoke to said that this situation will almost certainly retraumatize the victims. Even though the DOJ did take down the explicit photos pretty quickly, we all know that it's basically impossible to truly delete something from the Internet after it's posted.

BROWN: Yes, the damage is done.

Marshall Cohen, thank you -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Awful situation. Also happening now, more fallout from the Epstein files. Bill Gates,

yes, Bill Gates has apologized to the Gates Foundation staff for his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, that according to "The Wall Street Journal." Gates reportedly called his association with the convicted sex offender a -- quote -- "huge mistake."

Let's go to CNN senior reporter Matt Egan.

Matt, what else do we know about this reported Gates apology?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Wolf, these are the most detailed comments to date from Bill Gates about his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

And according to "The Wall Street Journal," during a town hall event this week, Gates told staffers at his foundation that it was a -- quote -- "huge mistake" to spend time with Epstein. Gates admitted to having two affairs with Russian women, affairs that Epstein later discovered.

But the Microsoft billionaire insists that the affairs did not involve Epstein's victims and that he never spent time with any of Epstein's victims. Gates said -- quote -- "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."

Gates acknowledges, however, that he failed to properly check Epstein's background after meeting him in 2011, about three years after Epstein's guilty plea. Gates says that his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, expressed concern about Epstein back in 2013.

According to "The Journal," Gates said -- quote -- "Knowing what I know now makes it 100 times worse in terms of not only his crimes in the past, but now it's clear there was ongoing bad behavior."

And Gates, speaking about his ex-wife, he added: "To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing."

Now, Gates says that, while he spent time with Epstein in Germany, in France, in New York, in Washington, he never stayed overnight, and he says he never visited Epstein's island. Now, I should note that Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing here. We have reached out to the Gates Foundation.

[11:45:00]

And, in a statement, the organization confirmed that, yes, Gates spoke candidly during a town hall this week and that he took responsibility for his actions. Of course, all of this only came after the Justice Department was forced by Congress to release millions of Epstein- related documents.

And, look, Gates is among the prominent individuals facing intense scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. We have seen a number of resignations, retirements, apologies in recent days. And, Wolf, some believe that this might just be the tip of the iceberg and that we could see more prominent individuals caught up in this scandal -- back to you.

BLITZER: All right, Matt Egan reporting.

Thank you, Matt, very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, coming up: the father of accused murderer in a mass shooting carried out by his son. Prosecutors are bringing their case against Colin Gray to a close. Could he take this stand in his own defense?

That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:05]

BROWN: Happening now: New evidence is being presented to the jury as prosecutors in the Colin Gray trial are wrapping up their case.

Gray is the Georgia dad whose son carried out a mass shooting at his high school back in 2024. The final prosecution witnesses are testifying today. And defense attorneys say Colin Gray may take this stand in his own defense. He has pleaded not guilty to nearly 30 charges, including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

So, let's go to CNN correspondent Jean Casarez.

Jean, the state's two final witnesses are on the stand today. What are we hearing? What do we know?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So much. So much.

This is the digital forensic specialist, and she is putting on a timeline really between when that rifle was purchased for Colt Gray in December of 2023, month by month up to when the shooting happened. And this is, from the prosecution vantage point, to show the knowledge that colt, that Colton Gray, the defendant in this case, knew what was happening to his son and did nothing about it.

After he purchased that gun for him, as the new year came in 2024, Colt Gray, the 13-year-old, continually asked his father for accessories for that gun, and they were not cheap. And we're talking about lasers. We're talking about sensors. We're talking about magazines. We're talking about bullets. And it's your wish is my command.

And his father continually purchased all these accessories. At the same time, he is texting his daughter, Jenni, saying, what's going on with Colt? He's just -- he's angry. There's something wrong with him. He saw it, and he was confiding in his daughter.

Then, at one point, his grandmother takes him out to Academy Sports and buys him more magazines. Everyone is trying to please him. And then he says to the grandmother, there's something wrong with Colt. Something's going on here. But nothing is done about it. It just appears as though, if I look at the facts, that he thought by continuing to buy him anything he wanted for that rifle, that that could turn him around and everything would be perfect.

Well, as we go on, and this is about two weeks before the shooting, Colt sends a text to his father: "I am sick of you. This is the end of you. No more apologies. I have had it with you."

And then minutes later, ask him, can you go buy out -- and can you buy 150 bullets for me at the Academy when you're on your way home from work? Father says, of course. Of course, I can.

And then, very shortly before the shooting: "Whenever something happens, there's blood on your hands. As for what I feel like doing right now, I have no control over."

All right, during this period of time, the father is starting to research mental health facilities over and over again. He writes a letter to Enlightenment, one of them saying: "I have a son. He's in distress. I need help. I need him to go somewhere."

But the appointment that was finally made was not until the day or a couple of days right after the shooting happened.

BROWN: Wow. That's -- that is quite the evidence that was presented.

Jean Casarez, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, there's some breaking news coming in THE SITUATION ROOM right now.

Hillary Clinton has just released publicly her opening statement to members of the House Oversight Committee right now. She's testifying as part of the committee's investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Her opening statement reads in part -- let me read part of the opening statement. "The committee justified its opinion to me based on its assumptions that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can be. I do not. I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein" -- end quote.

We will, of course, continue to monitor this and bring you all the latest developments. We will be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "Chasing Life" podcast.

You have often heard to start exercising early and often to lower your risk of dementia. But don't let age stop you. It is never too late to start exercising to help with your brain health. New research finds that being active in midlife and onward lowers the risk of dementia by up to 45 percent, even if you weren't especially active earlier in life. Now, while the study didn't say how much to exercise, the CDC says aim

to spend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. It's about 30 minutes of exercise, like brisk walking, five days a week. Also, don't forget to get in two or more days a week of muscle strengthening work.

That doesn't mean you have to lift weights. Try squats or planks or push-ups. Just give your muscle a workout using your own body weight. So get out there. Get moving.

[11:55:08]

And you can hear a lot more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now, memorial services for the Reverend Jesse Jackson are under way in Chicago. His body is lying in repose at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition today. It's the social justice organization that he founded.

Jackson died last week at the age of 84.

CNN senior national correspondent Ryan Young joins us.

So what more do we expect from these memorial services, Ryan?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There will be three memorial services that we're told, Pamela.

And what we know is, there will be the one in Chicago, then in South Carolina, his home state, and then it will move on to D.C. But I can tell you, I have been talking to folks who've been standing in the line out there and they have been talking about people sharing stories about the Reverend Jackson as they wait in line, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition so strong on that South Side of Chicago, helping the community.

As you look indoors here, there are several dignitaries who are in that line. We have the mayor of Chicago is there. We have members of the Jackson family and the Reverend Al Sharpton all standing in line there. Someone who walked through that line less than a half-hour ago actually talked to me about the fact they thought the reverend looked pretty good.

And the thing that stood out to them is just the fact that so many people are sharing lifelong stories about how much Reverend Jackson helped them through their lives. You got to think about this is a man who couldn't check out a library book and became a part of that Greenville Eight and was able to successfully get that book after doing a sit-in to read.

He was not allowed to get the book because he was a black man. He then went on to run for president and through the years have been able to do so much, not only in that community, but internationally. And from what I'm told, the folks who are waiting in line have been talking about the fact of wanting to pay their respects to Reverend Jackson and hoping to see the country rally together to talk about the message of not only peace, but the idea that black people really played a role in this country.

And that's something that we have been hearing over and over again as the time of Reverend Jackson's life is being thought about. He was 26 years old when he was standing next to Dr. King when he was shot and killed so many years ago, and then tried to lead the mantle of extending this peace March all throughout the country.

It's something that we will be watching for the next couple of days, but so far, from what I'm told on the inside there, a lot of people paying memories to a man they really cherished.

[12:00:00]

BROWN: Yes, a cultural titan, as we called him.

BLITZER: And, as I say, our deepest, deepest condolences to his family. May he rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing.

Ryan Young, thank you very much for that update.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts right now.

Have a great day.