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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: Wave of Violence Hits Mexico After Killing of Cartel Boss; Tourists Trapped as Killing of Cartel Boss Sparks Violence; Mexican Cartel Boss Killed in Military Raid; Peter Mandelson Arrested; European Parliament Postpones Vote on Trade Deals with U.S.; Ukraine Marks Fourth Anniversary of Full-Scale Invasion; Greenland to Trump: "No Thank You"; Powerful Snowstorm Slams Northeast U.S. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired February 23, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and
you're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, Mexico tries to restore order after the killing of a top cartel boss sparks a wave of deadly violence. The former U.K.
ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. And a powerful blizzard in the northeast U.S.
leaves more than half a million homes and businesses without power and lots of snow.
We do begin in Mexico, which is grappling with a wave of violence after the military there killed the country's most wanted cartel boss. In a daring
operation, Mexican forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho. The country's defense minister says eight other cartel members
were killed in the operation.
Oseguera's killing set off a wave of retaliatory violence. Suspected gang members torched buses and businesses. Officials say 25 members of the
National Guard died in those subsequent clashes. So have dozens -- over 2,000 troops have been sent as reinforcements to Jalisco and neighboring
states.
By Monday, Mexico's president, Claudia Schaumbach, said peace had been restored.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The most important thing right now is to guarantee peace and security for the entire
population of Mexico. And that is what is being done. Today, there's already more calm and there is a government. They are armed forces and
there is a security cabinet and there is a lot of coordination. So, people can be assured that peace, security and normalcy are being maintained in
the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The U.S. State Department is still asking Americans who are visiting Mexico near this area to shelter in place. Some airlines have
canceled flights to certain destinations, leaving tourists stranded. Do you see them panicking there in the midst of the violence?
One of those Americans joins me now. Yoni Pizer was in Puerto Vallarta with his husband and friends. He says they were attacked by members of a cartel.
Yoni, it's good to have you. I'm glad you're safe. I wonder if you could tell us what you experienced, what you saw.
YONI PIZER, AMERICAN IN MEXICO: So, Sunday morning, we left the house, my husband and I and two of our friends, to go on a whale watching expedition.
About 8:30, we were about halfway there, about three miles from our home, when the car in front of us suddenly made an abrupt U-turn. We thought that
was odd, but I pulled to the side and kept going.
And immediately thereafter, we looked to the intersection and there was a white box truck, which was awkwardly centered in the intersection. And
immediately thereafter, a young man came running with a gun pointed at our windshield to us, screaming in Spanish, get out of the car, get out of the
car. I held up my hands. We thought it was just a carjacking or a robbery. So, we jumped out of the car and my passenger behind me couldn't get his
car open and door open. And so, the terrorist was banging on the window.
Finally, we got out. The guy jumped in the driver's seat and with his gun in one hand and holding onto the steering wheel, he was able to maneuver
our car just adjacent to the truck in the intersection, hopped out and threw an incendiary device or some sort of bomb in the car, which
immediately exploded in flames. And then two seconds later, the truck was also on fire.
At that point, we started running away and then there were explosions from the car and then there was gunfire and people running after us. More people
with guns. Then they just started grabbing people as more traffic started coming towards the intersection.
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Some people were able to squeal and make U-turns and head away. others were caught and were dragged out of their cars, and that there were -- cars were
moved also to block the road. And then shortly, we're talking like a matter of seconds probably 20 seconds later, a city bus came up. And one of the
terrorists ran onto the bus, shot his gun several times and everyone ran off the bus, and then he commandeered the bus and made it also block the
road and then set off a bomb in there.
SCIUTTO: Good lord.
PIZER: At that point, we were running down the street. One of my friends and I went to one side of the road, my husband and our other friend went to
the other side of the road. In the chaos, we were -- we got separated. We were all just running away from the gunfire and explosions. And then a car
came squealing past me and then suddenly stopped. And the driver motioned in Spanish to -- that I should jump in his backseat. I jumped in the car
not knowing who he was.
My friend happened to be in the front seat. Two strangers were in the backseat with me, and then we just squealed out of there and headed
downtown. We all hopped out. And then my friend and I ran towards the beach. And as we turned around, there was columns of black smoke not just
from the street we were on but to the left, to the right. And all behind us there were new columns of black smoke from recently set fires.
And at that point, we realized it was not a simple carjacking of us, that it was something much more significant going on.
SCIUTTO: Good lord. I am so glad you're safe. I mean, in the midst of that --
PIZER: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: -- you must have been thinking you were lucky, right, to escape alive.
PIZER: Absolutely. I mean, in the moment, it was just shocking. We couldn't believe that it was happening. We felt like we were on a movie
set. This is obviously -- we've been in Puerto Vallarta for over five years, nothing like this has ever happened. Puerto Vallarta is a very safe
tranquil, calm, beautiful place. And suddenly, we were having guns pointed at us with explosions and fires and bombings and people running. It was
crazy. Absolutely crazy.
SCIUTTO: Yes. I, mean it's -- I was going to say it's like being in a war zone -- it was a war zone for those moments you witnessed there. Do you
have any guidance from the U.S. State Department now as to where is safe?
PIZER: I mean, when we got back -- my friend and I got back to our place, you know, obviously, we were checking our cell phones and once we got back,
we were on online. We saw that there was a notice from the governor of Jalisco in, which Puerto Vallarta is, that everyone that there was a cartel
leader who was killed and that everyone should stay inside, shelter in place and not go outside, and that there was violence in the streets.
Then we saw online, there was a message from the Canadian government and ultimately from the U.S. government just basically saying the same thing,
just shelter in place, everyone stay inside. And you know, every -- all six of us at that point we're all online on our phones, on our laptops trying
to get information.
I will say that there was a lot of false information, disinformation, A.I.- generated photos and videos. It was hard to sometimes decipher what was real and what was not real. But the underlying theme of this is a
widespread violence campaign was pretty clear.
SCIUTTO: Do you have a way out now? Is anybody helping you get out of the country now?
PIZER: I work for Congressman Mike Quigley of the 5th District of Chicago of Illinois and he's been in touch with me from the very beginning. And the
various WhatsApp chat and group text chats and -- I'm involved so many expats -- who have places here who are visiting here that quickly, there
was a lot of information, including some notices from the U.S. government about disinformation, about things that weren't true and other things that
were true.
And, you know, the airport was not closed right away. In fact, while we were still -- my husband and our friend were still sheltering in place,
which is a whole other story, they said that the airport was still open and that flights were still getting out.
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We had friends who, despite my better recommendation to them telling them to stay at their hotel and not leave their hotel, they ventured out. Their
car that they had hired canceled on them for obvious reasons. They were able to somehow get a driver to take them to the airport, pass burning
cars, burning vehicles, got to the airport, and then at first their flight was delayed and then ultimately it was canceled and they actually sheltered
at the airport overnight.
They -- there was a bomb scare at Puerto Vallarta. They had to evacuate the airport, sent everybody out onto the tarmac after the bomb threat was
deemed not real. They were all put into one of the terminals and then into the lounge where they slept overnight.
In about two minutes, I will find out if two of our friends, actually the two friends that were in the car with us going to whale watching, they
wanted to get out right away. Their airline has said that their flight is supposed to leave at 5:10 Central Time, which is right now. They were able
to get to the airport and at last, talking with them about three minutes ago, right before I got on the on the call with you, they were at the gate.
The plane had landed from Houston and they were boarding and the pilot said, we are taking you to Chicago, so we'll see, but we do see some
flights. We can see the airport from our place and there are flights taking off. So, you know, it doesn't appear that, you know, we're stranded, as you
may have said in the intro, but we'll find out for real. I'm still waiting for a message from my friends that they're actually able to get out.
SCIUTTO: Well, Yoni, I hope you do get out. I'm glad you got through this alive, frankly.
PIZER: Thank you. And just so you know, my husband and our friend did -- I don't mean to interrupt, but just to let you know that my husband and our
friend, they sheltered actually in a children's orphanage for eight hours with an orphanage, 35 kids and the staff of this incredible orphanage that
took them in and sheltered them and they locked the gates and they were able to make it home after eight hours sheltering there late last night and
we're all, eight of us, we're here overnight. So, it -- you know, all's well that ends well, but we're just hoping that this all gets behind us as
soon as possible.
SCIUTTO: Moments of generosity, right, in the midst of, in the midst of danger. Yoni Pizer, get home soon and thanks so much for sharing your
story.
PIZER: Thank you. Thank you for reaching out and caring.
SCIUTTO: Well, joining us now from Mexico City is CNN's Valeria Leon. Valeria, I wonder as you listen to that account there and you've been
reporting this, so you know the mayhem that followed this strike, was there any planning by Mexican authorities for this kind of retaliation? Because
it sounds like it got out, well out of their control.
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, we don't -- you know, they didn't communicate there was a plan in case something like this happened. I
think they were expecting that. I mean, if we take into account that when Ovidio Guzman and Chapo was captured back in Sinaloa, something very
similar happened.
What we're seeing this, I mean, unprecedented is that with Ovidio Guzman, this wave of violence spread just in the State of Sinaloa. What we're
seeing and when we saw yesterday was the spread of this wave of violence in at least five Mexican states.
And as we were hearing from your guests, this terrifying testimony, this contrast with the message from Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum right
now that she said, restore order, contain violence and also project control. She said the situation is under control, but on the ground, the
reality is much more complicated because after the military operation and the death of one of the country's most powerful criminal leaders, we've
seen this retaliation, burned vehicles, attacks on businesses and disruptions to airports in key states. Security forces have been deployed
in large numbers.
And this is how the government is now reacting to the violence that we saw yesterday, particularly in the state of Jalisco, but also in neighboring
regions. This is, of course, to prevent further escalation, but the immediate challenge is stopping the violence from spreading. Right now,
it's very concentrated in the state of Jalisco, but these groups are trying to demonstrate strength and also send a message that they can paralyze
cities if they chose to.
So, the next few days are critical, but the coming weeks may be even more difficult because this isn't just about restoring calm. It's about what
happens inside the criminal organization now and security forces will likely stay on high alert.
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Also, intelligence operations will intensify and there will be enormous pressure, both domestically and internationally, to ensure tourist areas,
economic hubs, and also World Cup host cities that need to remain secure.
SCIUTTO: It's a great point given the World Cup's coming up. But Valeria, can I ask you, is the impression there that Mexico carried out this
operation under pressure from the U.S.?
LEON: Well, I think it was a joint operation. The Mexican authorities said that in the part of intelligence, they worked closely with U.S. officials,
but they totally rejected that there were American boots on the ground. Now, we're knowing more details about this capture.
Today, Mexico's defense secretary shed a light on how authorities were able to find El Mencho, and the defense secretary said that the breakthrough
came when intelligence teams began tracking the moments of a woman described as being romantically linked to the cartel leader, and that trail
led investigators to his inner circle and ultimately the location where he was hiding. Now, security forces are likely to stay on high alert after
this happened. Jim.
SCIUTTO: Valeria Leon in Mexico City, thanks so much. In the U.K., British police have now arrested the former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Peter
Mandelson, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He is accused of passing sensitive government information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey
Epstein while he was the country's business secretary. He has previously denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein.
This arrest comes just days after police arrested and released King Charles' brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of course, former Prince
Andrew, without charges in his case. He also denies allegations of wrongdoing and has said he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior
with women that Epstein is accused of.
Max Foster is now live in London. So, an arrest here, I mean, presumably police don't make an arrest unless they believe they have some evidence. Do
we know where their investigation stands and what the evidence is?
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that they've searched his two houses, one in London, one in Wiltshire, and the investigation
started on the 3rd of February. So, presumably, something might have come out of that or they have extended the investigation. This is something that
has really swallowed up a lot of time in Westminster.
He was one of the most powerful figures, really, in Westminster, well connected, certainly, starting in the Labour Party in the 1980s and, you
know, helping create New Labour with Tony Blair, arguably the person who created New Labour, and he's had many senior jobs. So, he's very connected
in this world and there's a lot to investigate, I imagine. We haven't heard that he's been released from interview yet. So, he's been there several
hours.
We're heading towards midnight here in the U.K. So, clearly, a very deeper conversation they're having there. He may not be saying anything, but we
know that this is off the back of what was seen in the Epstein papers. And you talk there about his public position and how -- when he was business
secretary, crucially, Jim, this was just after and during, in fact, the financial crisis when the U.K. was looking at selling assets, issuing
bonds.
So, any sort of information he could have shared at that time could have been particularly sensitive. So, this is a pretty profound case.
SCIUTTO: Yes, business-sensitive information. Max Foster, thanks so much. Still ahead, President Trump's historic defeat in the US Supreme Court
could actually make the battle over tariffs worse in some ways. One top E.U. trade official calls the Trump administration's current policy pure
tariff chaos. We're going to see how the markets are reacting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks fell sharply today amid fresh global trade uncertainty. Investors fear that
President Trump's tariff defeat in the Supreme Court might actually lead to new pressures on companies and nations. The Dow was the hardest hit,
falling more than 1.5 percent.
Over the weekend, the U.S. president raised the 10 percent replacement tariff he had announced on Friday up to 15 percent. That is the top limit
he can charge under the different tariff statute that Trump is now claiming. Despite the 150-day limit on such tariffs under this statute,
Trump claims he does not have to go to Congress to then get it extended. In another social media post earlier today, Trump threatened to hike tariffs
even further on any country that backs away from earlier trade deals with the U.S. He warned them not to, quote, "play games."
That said, the European Parliament today postponed a vote to ratify the trade agreement it struck with the U.S. last year, citing uncertainty over
where things stand. European Parliament trade head Bernd Lange, who's been on this program many times, said in a statement, quote, "Pure tariff chaos
from the U.S. administration. No one can make sense of it anymore."
The Peterson Institute for International Economics said Monday that Trump's new tariffs will likely be challenged in court as well. And it is not just
trade rattling stocks. Fears of trouble in the private credit market, as well as A.I. disruption concerns, also weighed on sentiment today. Those
are two issues we've been hearing a lot in the markets about lately.
Art Hogan joins me now. He's chief market strategist at B. Riley Financial. Art, good to have you back.
ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY FINANCIAL: Great to be here, Jim. Thanks so much for having me.
SCIUTTO: All right. So, first on the tariff element here, because as much as the world hated tariffs and as much as it was leading to economic
numbers, at least they had some clarity. Now, trade partners have no clarity, which means businesses and importers have no clarity. Is it
arguably worse now than it was before the Supreme Court decision?
HOGAN: I would say yes and no. I think two things to be true at the same time. So, I think we waited a long time to get the result from the Supreme
Court. That result came out as expected, pushing back on the use of the Emergency Powers Act that using the Statute 122, which was something that
came out in 1974 when we went off the gold standard and really hasn't ever been used for the purposes that it's being used now for.
But I think, you know, you talked about it directly, it's only good for 150 days. After that, the president would have to either use another statute,
which means you have to open up investigations on each and every tariff that you want to put out. And you have to get congressional approval.
So that's why we went with the Emergency Powers Act to begin with. Obviously, not a constitutional use of that. I think the Pearson Institute
said this is probably not the right use of 122 either. That's why we're just embroiled in this uncertainty. And that uncertainty goes with it,
decision making, right? If you're a company, do I hire new people? Do I invest in plant equipment? Do I know what my input costs are going to be?
All the while, the price of imported goods continues to stay elevated and put upward pressure on inflation. So, I think that's why markets look at
this as a step backwards, not a step forward.
[18:25:00]
SCIUTTO: OK. You have these other inputs now, not for the first time. Renewed concerns, I think you could say growing concerns about the private
credit market, but also something we've seen a lot of headlines about is, you know, what kind of businesses are going to see their bottom lines
impacted by A.I.? I mean, that's a that's a volatile mix of negative inputs.
HOGAN: Certainly is. So, I think the private credit issue sort of came up when one private credit fund decided that they were going to return some
money. So, they put up gates and said, we'll return money on a regular basis, basically shutting down that fund. And that that took on a life of
its own, where everyone is questioning the value of private credit.
And it's important to note that this is connected to the A.I. story because a lot of private equity and private credit circles around software, right?
And the assumption was a lot of private software companies at some point would find an exit strategy this year in the form of an IPO. Well, in the
current market environment for software, clearly going through the -- you know, what's going to be disrupted by A.I., it's under pressure. So, that
exit strategy just isn't there. So, it calls into question some of the holdings, both on the equity side and the debt side in private equity,
because a big chunk of that had been in technology and certainly software specifically.
As it pertains to artificial intelligence, every week we're going to hear about another industry that obviously is going to be destroyed by
artificial intelligence. These stories, I think, go a bit too far in some of the assumptions that are made. But it's gone from logistics and
trucking, financial services because of an insurance app that came out or a tax app that came out.
And clearly, I just don't think at the end of the day, enterprises are going to disentangle from the software they've been using. But I suppose
the software they've been using is going to get better and make them more productive. So, I think the rumors of software's demise have probably been
exaggerated in the marketplace, but we're finding into industry every week to make an assumption that it's going to be destroyed by artificial
intelligence.
SCIUTTO: So, let me ask you this, because the Trump administration is convinced, or at least they say so, President Trump, Scott Bessent, that
it's just going to get great for the economy very soon because tax cuts are going to kick in the benefits of dismantling regulation across the board.
Do the markets see some sort of windfall on the horizon?
HOGAN: Well, that's really hard to say, right? And at the beginning of this new administration, some of the pillars of this administration could
be seen as pro-growth and pro-business, right? So, a lighter regulatory touch certainly would be seen as pro-business.
Certainly, getting this bill passed that kept corporate taxes where they were was seen as a pro-business thing. We haven't seen the end result
necessarily. A lighter regulatory touch would likely bring with it more M&A activity. We've seen a slight pickup in that, but we really haven't seen
that en masse. Easier for companies to actually access capital if banks don't have as much of a regulatory overhang, so more lending to both
individuals and enterprise. We haven't seen a lot of that.
In terms of economic growth, it's been a bumpy road, and a lot of that bumpy road sort of sits with the fact that, you know, we're growing at or
about where we should be. You know, call it last year between 2 percent to 2.5 percent. Initial estimates are about the same, 2.25 percent and 2.75
percent. So, it's not as though we're having explosive GDP growth because of the policies of a new administration. I think a lot of it has to do with
the thing we're the most concerned about, CapEx buildout for artificial intelligence, large language model development.
SCIUTTO: Lots for you to watch. Art Hogan, thanks for walking us through it.
HOGAN: All right. Take care.
SCIUTTO: Coming up, it has been four years now since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants to
hear in President Trump's State of the Union address.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.
Mexico remains very much on edge following the killing of the country's most wanted drug lord. The death of El Mencho triggered a wave of
retaliatory violence across the country. Some domestic and international flights cancelled in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. Thousands of people,
including many tourists, have been stranded.
Former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He's been accused of passing
market-sensitive information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the British business secretary. Mandelson has previously
denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein.
Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to murdering his parents. He was arraigned in a Los Angeles court earlier in connection with the fatal
stabbing of his mother and father, the famed director Rob Reiner, and the photographer Michele Singer Reiner. They were found dead with multiple stab
wounds back in December.
It is the early morning hours of a grim milestone in Ukraine. Today is the four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The
heartbreak, the loss of a nation taking a visible toll on Ukraine's leader. Clarissa Ward sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: For me, still is not clear that if Russia will begin against aggression against us. What I wanted very much
to have in this security guarantees. My question is, how partners will react on the aggression of Russia, if it will be. The answer is that it
will not be. It's not the answer to me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, you want a very specific in writing guarantee.
ZELENSKYY: I want very -- we have good things in these guarantees. It's true between us. It's true. But I want very specific answer, what partners
will be ready to do if Putin will come again? And I think this is what Ukrainians want to hear. Just want to hear. I'm sorry. It's not pressure.
It's just to understand.
WARD: If you get those security guarantees, would you be willing to accept a frozen front line whereby Russia keeps the territory that they have
already seized?
ZELENSKYY: We already said that we're ready for the compromise to freeze the points where we stay, the places. It's a frozen contact line. We are
ready for this. It's not a very good position for us. But in any way, we have defending lines. We have these fortifications. But if Russians or
partners in dialogue with Russians want just to withdraw our army from our fortifications, I mean, we can't be such, sorry, foolish guys. We are not
children.
[18:35:00]
WARD: What would you like to hear from President Trump tomorrow at his State of the Union address?
ZELENSKYY: I want him to stay on our side.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Stay on our side, he says. Well, Ukraine has lost some 10 million people in the last four years, between those killed, those who have left
the country, or those who are living now under Russian occupation. On top of that, tens of thousands of Ukrainians are still missing, many of them
soldiers. And that is taking a devastating toll on their loved ones, as Clarissa Ward reports. A warning that some of the images you'll see in this
story, they are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (voice-over): On the outskirts of Odessa 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 territory 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, Oleg (ph), a sergeant in the Ukrainian army, went missing in the middle of the night. Missing on October
30, 2024, after a failed attack on Russian positions in Donetsk.
WARD: It's the sign here that says, yes, Oleg (ph) is alive.
SNIZHANA SHESTAKOVA, WIFE OF MISSING SOLDIER (through translator): I took at it and I repeat it to myself.
WARD: Because you need to believe.
WARD (through translator): Because you need to believe it's true.
SHESTAKOVA (through translator): Yes.
WARD (through translator): That he's alive.
SHESTAKOVA (through translator): Yes. I believe he is alive because he left saying, whatever they tell you, don't believe anyone. I will
definitely return.
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 (ph) backpack still sits in the hallway. Snizhana spends her days going through their messages to each other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I had a great day today, bunny. I'm coming home. Come meet your love.
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 (through translator): It's very difficult to live through it. You know it's such a feeling, just dead inside, just dead, torn apart, in
small places.
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.
SVITLANA KIVIRENKO, MAMACITA FOUNDER: Hi. Nice to meet you.
WARD (voice-over): Built from the ground up, a place where moms and their kids could escape the grind of war.
KIVIRENKO: It was pure love. We had this nail salon, we had makeup here, we had a cosmetologist, so mom could take 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 superhumans, superheroes.
KIVIRENKO: I mean, we are not superhumans, we are not robots, we are not super people, we are human, and we are breakable, unfortunately.
[18:35:00]
WARD: And do you think a lot of people are at breaking point?
KIVIRENKO: I'm sure.
WARD (voice-over): For Veronika Burminova, breaking down is not an option. She is raising her three-year-old daughter Masha on her own. Tonight, they
will climb 10 flights of stairs to reach their apartment.
VERONIKA BURMINOVA, CHARITY WORKER (through translator): Masha is a star. Masha 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.
BURMINOVA (through translator): Woo, we got to our floor.
WARD (voice-over): Inside the apartment, Masha shows us how they keep the lights on.
WARD: That's so pretty. That is so pretty. And now, you have light. From the power bank. Oh, you have two power banks.
WARD (voice-over): In the kitchen, they make tea by candlelight, using a portable gas stove. Dinner is usually instant soup or noodles, but they are
lucky that they still have heat.
WARD: How long can you go on like this?
BURMINOVA (through translator): Honestly, I don't know. I live in the moment but sometimes it's tough. There are days when I run out of steam and
I tell her, Masha, I am 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)
[18:40:00]
SCIUTTO: Having been there when the war started, it's amazing to think it's been going on for four years. Still ahead, President Trump sending
what he calls a great hospital boat to Greenland, even though health care access there is free. We're going to get a reaction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:45:00]
SCIUTTO: President Donald Trump signaling that perhaps he has not given up on his desire to acquire Greenland. Over the weekend, in a social media
post, the president wrote, we're going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick and not being taken
care of there. It is on the way, exclamation point.
The Danish territory responded with a no thanks, saying it has its own free health care system. Trump's post comes a month after negotiations with NATO
apparently tamped down an aggressive attempt by the U.S. president to acquire Greenland.
Joining me now is a member of the Danish parliament, Sascha Faxe. Thanks so much for taking the time.
SASCHA FAXE, DANISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Thank you for having me.
SCIUTTO: So first, I wonder how you read the president's post here, because there had been some hope that perhaps this controversy had been put
behind Europe and the U.S. But do you read this as a signal that he is not giving up?
FAXE: We have no idea that he should have been giving up. It's not our understanding. As I understand it, there are still ongoing negotiations in
the informal working group that we decided on when our foreign minister and the Greenlandic foreign minister visited J.D. Vance's place. So, those
negotiations are still ongoing. But we had hoped that the rhetoric had cooled down and that we could actually concentrate about finding a solution
that would be mutual beneficial. But this is not really a way forward.
SCIUTTO: European allies reacted in unison then, saying no, in effect, to the U.S. president. Do you expect that unity to continue? By all means.
FAXE: I feel that we have a very strong Europe behind us and also not only the European Union, but also many other European countries. So, by all
means, we stand closer than we have done, I would say, ever.
SCIUTTO: Here's a very basic question. Does Greenland need a U.S. hospital ship to deliver health care there?
FAXE: No, they do have a free access health care system. So, I think many Greenlanders and Danes woke up to that message and thought, maybe you
should use it at home because you don't have free access. So, I think the U.S. would need it more for their health care system than the Greenland
would.
SCIUTTO: President Trump in the past had threatened punishing tariffs against Denmark and other countries that stood in the way. Of course, the
Supreme Court has now taken away some of his tariff powers here. Do you fear that military pressure is still an option for the U.S. president?
Military pressure against, we should remind viewers, a fellow NATO ally.
FAXE: So, the latest we have heard on that from the president is actually that he says that he doesn't want to do it. But on the other hand, we do
have an agreement from 1951 that allows the U.S. to use all kinds of military equipment and bases in Greenland. So, it would actually taking a
lot of U.S. soldiers and pointing guns at Greenlanders before it would be actually military force. So, it's open and both for business and for
military. So, we are not understanding why that would actually be necessary.
SCIUTTO: Does that expose to you President Trump's real intention here? Because to your point, that treaty exists and people on this side of the
Atlantic are quite aware of that, that the U.S. already has the ability to deploy the forces it needs there. That President Trump's real desire is not
about security of Greenland, but that he wants to take possession of Greenland for America while he's president.
FAXE: That's a clear understanding, I think, for most by now. It's a matter of possession. It's a matter of being the one who says, I expanded
the U.S. Because I think that's part of the Make America Great Again part. But -- so, there is not anything about minerals. There's not anything about
access. So, it must be something else. And we have also seen him being out in interviews and say it's for his personal success and well-being. So,
it's not about security for the U.S. You can have it and we don't have a huge security issue, actually.
SCIUTTO: So where does that leave the U.S. and one of its closest NATO allies? I mean, do you fear that it will lead to a break? A breaking of
that relationship?
[18:50:00]
FAXE: As I said, we have already a bit flawed relationship, and the working group that is going on is actually trying to rebuild the
relationship. Of course, trust is in the play here, and we need to rebuild that trust. But we are long-term allies. Denmark is the longest-term ally
for the U.S. We've been allies for 225 years, and we certainly hope to continue to be that. But there will be a rebuilding, and the president
keeping coming with, yes, let's put it in that way, interesting signals is not helping that, whereas as the negotiations, by all means, are rebuilding
our relationship.
SCIUTTO: Well, Sascha Faxe, we wish you a peaceful outcome to this ongoing dispute. Thanks so much for joining.
FAXE: Thank you.
SCIUTTO: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: A powerful blizzard in the northeast U.S. has caused power outages, shut down transportation, forced schools and businesses to close.
At least five states have reported more than two feet of snow. That's New York City there. Two feet is about 60 centimeters. This drone video shows
massive waves crashing into homes in Massachusetts. It was a powerful storm.
There have been thousands of flight cancellations across major hubs, including New York's JFK and Newark Liberty International Airport. That's
according to FlightAware. Jason Carroll is in Newark with more.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has just been a nightmare for travelers on this day. I mean, you can look at it and see
what it looks like at this point at Newark International. You could hear a pin drop out here. Basically, no flights coming in, no people coming in, no
people going out. That's why what you see here are empty security lines and so many cancellations on the board here. This board actually isn't pretty -
- isn't accurate, because it does still show some flights being showing on time. That's not true. This board has not been updated. Those flights are
not going to be going out on time.
At one point, FlightAware, the flight tracking website, put it this way. Throughout the day, flights at all the major airports in New York City
basically were not taking off. And not just New York. They also included, at one point, Boston and also Philadelphia International. So, what
happened? The travelers that we spoke to, many of them who couldn't get out, had to end up using this airport as their temporary hotel room. Take a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUNE CONKLIN, STRANDED TRAVELER: I was dropped off at 6:00 yesterday morning because who was going to ride you during the day? So, our flight
was supposed to leave at 11.45. It got delayed twice. And then finally, I guess they fixed the plane, and they were sending a rescue plane, but they
winded up -- we winded up going on the original plane that was delayed coming in.
CARROLL: Oh, boy.
CONKLIN: So, we got on the actual plane. They were de-icing it, and by the time they de-iced it, it was -- the winds, I guess, picked up.
CARROLL: And what time was that?
[18:55:00]
CONKLIN: Maybe around -- we were supposed to board -- we boarded at 6:00, maybe 6.30, 7:00. So, we all got off the plane and then winded up sleeping
here. So, this is something I'll check off my bucket list.
GRACEMERCY ODUSINA, PASSENGER: Yesterday, we was out in New York, and then we got -- I received an email saying that our flight had been canceled.
That's fine. They're going to re-book it. So, they re-booked the flight for today -- no, wait, our flight was meant to be for today, at 6:00 p.m., and
then they cancelled that. Then they rebooked it for 10:00 p.m.
And we're on our way no (INAUDIBLE), right, and then we get --
CARROLL: A notification?
ODUSINA: Yes, a notification, another email stating that our flight has been delayed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: So, what happens next? A lot of these travelers who were supposed to get out today won't even be able to get out tomorrow. Those flights
will, in all likelihood, be postponed until the day after that, the 25th, simply because carriers don't want to overload the system by taking all of
those canceled flights from today and moving them to tomorrow. So, for many passengers, the nightmare continues. Jim.
SCIUTTO: Jason Carroll, thanks so much. Travel nightmare. Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching
"The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
