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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Family Cleared as Suspects in Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance; British Princesses Swept Up in Parents' Epstein Scandals; Obama: Aliens Are Real, But I Haven't Seen Them; One-on-One with 'Real Time' Host Bill Maher; Pacific Storms Bring Flood Threat to Coastal California. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired February 17, 2026 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: Their families as well at FBI.gov/Wanted/Kidnap. Each person has a story and a direct number to call if you have any information to help.
That's it for us tonight. I'll see you back here tomorrow. "THE STORY IS WITH ELEX MICHAELSON" is next.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Just ahead on THE STORY IS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS all clear. Savannah Guthrie, her siblings and their spouses are not suspects in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. Ed Lavandera is in Tucson for us.
THE STORY IS aliens. Former President Obama's interview with Brian Tyler Cohen about what's out there is going viral. Brian is here with us live.
And THE STORY IS Bill Maher, one-on-one with me talking the environment, Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: And welcome to THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Thanks so much for being here.
Tonight the top story is the tireless search for the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie. On Monday, Arizona's Pima County sheriff officially cleared all of Nancy Guthrie's family members as possible suspects in her disappearance. This after a wave of baseless claims online suggesting that the family was somehow involved.
Now that announcement comes more than two weeks after Nancy was believed to have been abducted. At this time there are still no suspects named in her investigation. The FBI says it is now awaiting final DNA test results from a glove recovered about two miles away from Guthrie's home. The agency says the glove appears to match those worn by the person who was seen on doorbell camera footage approaching Guthrie's home on February 1st. Nancy was reported missing just hours after this video was captured.
President Trump is now threatening those responsible with the, quote, "most severe federal penalties" if Guthrie is not returned safely. On Sunday, Savannah Guthrie appeared to address her mother's alleged abductor directly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA GUTHRIE, DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE, "TODAY" SHOW HOST: To whoever has her or knows where she is, that it's never too late. And you're not lost or alone. And it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Joining us once again from Tucson is CNN's Ed Lavandera.
Ed, you've been with us night after night. What was the most important headline of the night for you?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, clearly, I think it was the statement from the sheriff essentially clearing the immediate Guthrie family, the siblings of Savannah, as well as their spouses, because that has really been a focal point of rather intense online speculation, some really nasty stuff being said about them over the last 16 days ever since Nancy Guthrie disappeared.
And essentially the sheriff coming out to say that the -- Nancy Guthrie's children, their spouses are all cleared, that essentially what they've been put through is, quote, "cruel" and that they have been nothing but cooperative throughout this entire process. And it's also significant on another level is -- it's also because until now investigators haven't said anyone is cleared or that anyone is not -- you know, could possibly be a suspect so that kind of clarity is not something we've had at all during the course of this investigation.
MICHAELSON: How do they know that they are cleared? And what does that tell us about what's next for this investigation?
LAVANDERA: Well, we know that over the last few weeks there has been a great deal of attention. Obviously, it was -- a member of the Guthrie family was the last person to have been with Nancy Guthrie when she was last seen on that Saturday night before, after she had spent the night with -- the evening with family, having dinner and playing cards, and then being brought back here to her home.
So obviously investigators were going to check out all of those family members, check out all of their alibis. We know that we have seen investigators coming and going from Savannah's sister's home, where Nancy Guthrie spent that last night here in Tucson, playing with her family that Saturday night before coming back home. So, you know, at this point, 16 days into this investigation, presumably a lot of investigative work has been done to clear them, to check out all of the information that they've shared.
[00:05:05]
And it's significant that the sheriff has said that all of them have been cooperative with investigators from the get-go.
MICHAELSON: Yes, and hopefully they are getting closer. In fact, they are able to rule them out, hopefully as a sign that they are be able to start to rule other people in.
Ed Lavandera, thank you so much appreciate your reporting once again from Tucson.
LAVANDERA: You got it. Good to be with you.
MICHAELSON: Joining me now live here on set, CNN law enforcement contributor and retired FBI supervisory special agent Steve Moore.
Steve, welcome back to THE STORY IS.
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Good to be here.
MICHAELSON: Let's pick up where we just left off with Ed. The family ruled out. How were they able to do that?
MOORE: You know, I don't know the exact things that they know about the crime that would exclude them. But what it does say is that they do know something about the crime that they didn't know before. I mean think about this. You cannot, you cannot exclude somebody unless you have information about the crime. If you don't know what time a crime occurred, then you can't -- an alibi is not useful.
So they have to have enough information to exclude them, which means they are gaining more and more information on the case itself. This to me is actually a very strong indicator of progress, that they know enough about this case to be able to say they couldn't have done it.
MICHAELSON: Of course then the question is who did do it, which we don't really know yet, but you think that Walmart might be a key thing in solving this crime.
MOORE: You know, and there's probably other agents out there saying, what is he talking about? I think that it appears to me that every single thing that the man at the door was wearing could have been purchased at Walmart. The chances are that -- chances of him going to different stores to get all those things that he could purchase in one store is really small.
To me, it looks like he went in and he purchased everything he would need to do the crime. And so now, depending on the inventory control data and digital data that Walmart has if they could come up with a ticket, a sales ticket where all of those items were purchased at any store, it would lead you towards that person. I just -- I think they would have had that information a little while ago, but maybe, maybe it's come up with something and they're using that right now.
MICHAELSON: Well, what if he was, like, online shopping or somebody else was online shopping for him?
MOORE: Well, you kind of hope that he was online shopping because then at least you've got an address where it was shipped and you have an address of a billing.
MICHAELSON: Yes. In terms of the DNA, that was one of the headlines over the weekend, this idea that a glove was found with DNA that they think matches the DNA from the house. How does that -- what do you do with that?
MOORE: You know, I hope, like everyone else, that this is -- that this is the homerun they're looking for. But when you're talking about a glove, I mean, I have some gloves similar to this for working on my car in the garage. I probably have a box of 50. These are common gloves. And if you pull up a good DNA sample on it and are able to connect that to an individual, it's not connected at all to the crime.
It's connected to being on that road at one point, which, you know, you can narrow it down to a quarter of a million people over the last week or two. So I don't think that unless they can take that DNA and connect it to DNA in the house, it seems to me to be kind of a Hail Mary. I hope they -- I hope they catch the ball. I hope they score. But --
MICHAELSON: Every once in a while, a Hail Mary score.
MOORE: Trust me. Yes. You live off that. And in terms of, you know, it's been three weeks now there's been no motive explained?
MICHAELSON: Do you think they have a motive?
MOORE: I think yes. I mean that's a tough one.
MICHAELSON: Because that's what most everybody watching right now wants to know. Why would somebody do this? What's this about?
MOORE: Well, the simple answer for me is money. But I think, and -- but I'm not getting there because they say it's a kidnaping. I'm getting there because you have to eliminate things that don't make sense. If this was a burglary and you -- and she confronted the burglar and something bad happened, they don't take the body with them.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MOORE: If there's --
MICHAELSON: And they didn't take anything else, as far as we know, right? Not like they took a bunch of valuables from the house.
MOORE: Exactly.
MICHAELSON: Right. MOORE: There was -- there was no indication that we know of.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MOORE: Of anybody rifling drawers, anything like that.
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So to me a burglary doesn't work. Same with any other kind of assault, or even a planned -- a planned assault against somebody just because they hated Savannah Guthrie or anything like that. The only thing that makes sense is that somebody came to that house to remove her from that house, successfully did so, and two days or so later, there was a ransom note. So right now, the only thing that fits all the circumstances is a kidnaping.
But we're dealing with somebody who may not be thinking straight. And so, you know, like we used to say in the FBI, if you understood the bad guy, you wouldn't be really normal.
MICHAELSON: I know. But that's the job, right? To try to understand these people that are not that normal.
Steve Moore, thank you once again for your insights.
MOORE: Thanks, Elex.
MICHAELSON: And hopefully some night soon you will be here when this case is solved and hopefully when Savannah --
MOORE: Oh, man. Wouldn't that be great?
MICHAELSON: When Nancy Guthrie has returned home safe. Thank you.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators are preparing to hold nuclear talks in Geneva in the coming hours. Iran's foreign minister is expected to attend, as well as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. President Trump says he's going to play an indirect role in these talks. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll be involved in those talks indirectly. And they'll be very important. We'll see what can happen. It's been typically -- Iran is a very tough negotiator. They're good negotiators or bad -- I would say they're bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knockout their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s. I hope -- I hope they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: The U.S. military has been building up air and naval assets in the Middle East ahead of those talks. The U.S. is already moving a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region. Sources tell CNN that air force assets including refueling tankers and fighter jets are also being moved there. Multiple sources say it is a direct attempt to intimidate Tehran and to give the Trump administration options to strike inside Iran if nuclear negotiations fail.
Iran is also projecting its own military message. State media released new propaganda video showing military drills in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham says that regime change in Iran is, quote, "the best answer." He met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel just one day ahead of the Iran talks. The U.S. lawmaker says the U.S. and Israel have, quote, "the capability to deliver a decisive blow to the Iranian regime."
Graham also said that President Trump should follow through on his promise to strike the Islamic regime over its brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. And if talks fail, then a military strike is another option.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): There are two lines in the water right now. One is a diplomatic line, trying to find a way to end this regime diplomatically that will advance our national security interests. The other line is the military option. I think President Trump is looking for which line can catch the biggest fish. The bottom line is we're into weeks, not months, in terms of decision making.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Israel is facing massive pushback for its latest move to extend control of the occupied West Bank. On Sunday, Israeli lawmakers approved a process to officially designate parts of the West Bank as state land. Israel's foreign minister calls it a, quote, "administrative measure to bring order to land registration." Palestinians call it a, quote, "de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory." The U.N. secretary general calls the move a, quote, "flagrant violation of international law."
A live picture from Washington, D.C., where it's just after midnight. There's been some small movement on talks to reopen the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown. Democrats have sent a counteroffer to the White House on reforms that they want to see in the DHS before agreeing to vote on funding. But the timeline could drag on with Congress in recess this week.
They're not even there working on this issue, and it doesn't sound like lawmakers are too worried about the fact that they're not there working on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D-NY): If the Republicans think that just because they have money for ICE and that it's OK not to pay TSA, not to pay Secret Service, not to pay the Coast Guard, then they're in for a difficult road in terms of the politics of this all, especially because they will be held accountable. REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): ICE is funded through 2028. And so there's
really nothing here -- no pressure to do something about ICE because ICE is funded. They're going to continue to do whatever it is they're doing right now. And so this whole thing about shutting down DHS to prove a point I think it's political theater, to be honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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MICHAELSON: President Trump says the partial shutdown will not affect his plans for the State of the Union address next week. When asked if he would still give the annual address, he said, wouldn't bother me. That speech currently set for next Tuesday night. CNN will carry it live.
Still to come here live on CNN right now, a high school hockey game interrupted by gunfire. At least two people are dead. What we're learning about the alleged shooter. And the daughters of the disgraced former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson are caught up in their parents' Epstein scandals. Details after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MICHAELSON: President Trump is looking for results ahead of the next round of talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, they're big talks. It's going to be very easy. I mean, it's -- look, so far, Ukraine better come to the table fast. That's all I'm telling you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Negotiators are set to meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva following talks in Abu Dhabi last month. Next week marks the four-year anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is joining the U.S. delegation in Switzerland, which includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are part of apparently every negotiation. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Ukraine's president over the weekend, and he talked about the Trump administration's goals on Monday, following a meeting with Hungary's prime minister in Budapest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States' interest is to see the war end, and we want to do what we can to make it, and we're the only nation on earth that apparently can get both sides to the table to talk. I'm not here to insult anybody, but the United Nations hasn't been able to do it. We think it's a war that's incredibly damaging. We think it's a war
that's incredibly destructive. We think it's a war that never should have happened and should end as soon as possible
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Mourners across Russia are remembering opposition leader Alexei Navalny on the second anniversary of his death in prison. Navalny's mother and wife attended a graveside memorial service in Moscow on Monday. Mourners also turned out at the Russian embassy in Berlin. The anniversary comes as five European countries said in a joint statement that Navalny was killed by a lethal toxin found in poison dart frogs. The Kremlin called the claims biased and unfounded.
Powerful titans of industry and even members of royalty are facing repercussions after the latest release of the Epstein files. Billionaire Tom Pritzker is stepping down as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Pritzker has been executive chairman since 2004. He also announced Monday that he will not stand for reelection with the company's board. He says he regrets his association with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles, in a CNN exclusive interview, the mayor of L.A. is calling on prominent businessmen Casey Wasserman to resign as chair of the 2028 Olympic Games. Wasserman is a top talent and sports agent. He recently put his talent agency up for sale over his ties to Ghislaine Maxwell. He sent her flirty e-mails several decades ago.
L.A. Mayor Bass does not have the authority to fire Wasserman in her role. She initially said the board of the L.A. 2028 Olympics should decide his fate. They can hire and fire him. The board said he should stay unanimously. But Bass, in an interview with Dana Bash earlier on this set, said he should go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES: Here LA28, which is the committee that is involved with the Olympics, has the discretion. The board made a decision. I think that decision was unfortunate. I don't support the decision. I do think that we need to look at the leadership. My opinion is, is that he should step down. That's not the opinion of the board.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Now, for years, there have been allegations surrounding former Prince Andrew and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Newly released files revealed that Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also had a long standing friendship with the convicted sex offender. Now their daughters are being swept into all this.
Max Foster has more from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of Britain's royal family thrust into the spotlight after being named hundreds of times in the latest tranche of Epstein files. The saga involving the late sex offender had already engulfed both their parents, the former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Now, new details have emerged about Epstein's friendship with the princesses' mother, who seems to have brought her daughters into his orbit even after he was convicted for sex offenses.
A series of e-mails released by the Department of Justice indicate that Ferguson, Eugenie, and Beatrice all visited Epstein in Miami in 2009, just five days after he was released from jail. He served 13 months for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
"Do you need a ride," Epstein asks before they lunch. "No, thank you," the former duchess replies, adding, "It'll be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie," at a time when they were 20 and 19 years old. In a subsequent e-mail, Ferguson tells Epstein, "Cannot wait to see you."
A separate thread between Epstein and his personal assistant days earlier also appears to indicate that he paid about $14,000 for the trio's flights to the U.S.
[00:25:01]
And here's another e-mail chain nearly two years later in 2011 between Epstein, Ferguson and her then spokesperson. In it, the former duchess says that Beatrice advised her on how to handle a British journalist to whom she had given a statement about Epstein. Just last year, Ferguson's spokesperson said she had cut off relations with Epstein, quote, "as soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations." But all these DOJ files suggest otherwise.
As for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Beatrice and Eugenie's father, he remains under pressure from his ties to Epstein. The disgraced former prince has previously denied any wrongdoing, including after he reached an out-of-court settlement with a woman who said she was trafficked to him as a teen.
Beatrice and Eugenie have kept a low profile through all of this, and there's no suggestion of wrongdoing simply because they've been named in the Epstein files.
We have reached out to Ferguson's representatives for comment on these exchanges seen in the Epstein documents, and CNN has sought to contact the princesses for comment, but we haven't heard back from them.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Max, thank you.
Up next, he talked to former president Barack Obama about everything from how Democrats can win big in the midterms to the controversial ape video to aliens. You see him there. Brian Tyler Cohen with the biggest interview in the world. It's everywhere tonight. Brian is here live with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back THE STORY IS. I'm Elex Michaelson. Here's a look at some of today's top stories.
[00:31:17]
The sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, says all of Nancy Guthrie's family members have been cleared as possible suspects in her disappearance.
The search for Guthrie now in week three. Sheriff Chris Nanos says the family has been cooperative and gracious, and suggesting otherwise is, quote, "not only wrong, it's cruel."
President Donald Trump says he will be indirectly involved in the upcoming nuclear negotiations with Iran. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to attend the talks in Geneva in the coming hours.
President Trump has threatened to strike Iran if negotiators [SIC] -- negotiations over its nuclear program fail.
And Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall has died at 95 years old. Over a career that spanned six decades, Duvall became one of Hollywood's most respected character actors. His roles in "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" were among the defining performances of 1970s American cinema.
Duvall's wife says he passed away peacefully at his home in Virginia.
Now to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TYLER COHEN, PODCASTER: Are aliens real?
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're real. But I haven't seen them. And they're not being kept in -- what is it?
COHEN: Area 51?
OBAMA: Area 51. There's no underground facility, unless there's this enormous conspiracy. And they -- they hid it from the president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That was former president of the United States, Barack Obama, chatting about the existence of extraterrestrial life on the podcast "No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen."
Barack Obama has now clarified those remarks, saying, quote, "Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good that there's life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great, the chances we've been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!"
Brian Tyler Cohen is live with me now. Brian, congratulations. This interview is the biggest interview in the world. Five million views in just a couple days. It's everywhere. Congratulations.
COHEN: Thanks, I appreciate it. Who would have guessed that -- that in a 47-, 48-minute interview, that aliens during the speed round at the very end would be the thing?
MICHAELSON: I mean, I probably could have guessed that.
COHEN: I mean, look, it's why -- it's why I asked it.
MICHAELSON: Did I not tell you that the speed round would be the thing that people would be most into? I mean -- I mean, what did you make of that response?
COHEN: Look, I -- in the room, it very much felt like a joke.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
COHEN: I mean, he was even -- you know, he brought up this idea that, unless it's a big enough conspiracy---
MICHAELSON: Yes.
COHEN: -- that even the president of the United States wouldn't know it. And we both kind of laughed it off. Everybody else in the room laughed it off.
And then the next day came, and the whole Internet was ablaze over the fact that -- that, you know, Obama, you know, admits that aliens are real. And it took a life of its own.
MICHAELSON: And by the way, of course, he's right. When you look at the size of the universe --
COHEN: Right.
MICHAELSON: -- how is it possible that we're the only thing anywhere in any galaxy? How arrogant do you have to be to think that? At least that's my opinion.
OK. I don't know that for sure. I haven't seen an alien either.
COHEN: You might have to issue a clarification tomorrow.
MICHAELSON: Now, I've got to issue a clarification after that.
Another thing he talked about for the first time with you was that -- that ape video that President Trump put up there of him, and he sort of indirectly talked about the atmosphere that has been created, which he called a clown show. COHEN: Yes. Yes. I mean, look, it's -- sitting with Barack Obama in
that environment, it kind of reminds you that it doesn't have to be such a clown show. And I think we just -- the Overton window shifts, and we adapt to what is our new normal right now.
But sitting with him for almost an hour and just even listening to these responses in clips that I've been posting online, kind of reminds you that we should be able to have nice things. And hopefully, there's a day where we'll return to some semblance of normalcy.
MICHAELSON: So, you've got one of the most popular progressive podcasts out there. You get over 200 million views a month on YouTube. And a lot of what you talk about is a path forward for Democrats out of the wilderness right now, where they don't have a whole lot of power.
[00:35:11]
And you talked about that topic with him. Here's some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Half of the references that my daughters make about social media, TikTok, et cetera, I don't know who they're -- who they're talking about.
COHEN: Yes.
OBAMA: There is a element of, at some point, you age out. I think there was a certain way of talking about issues for Democrats where we sounded like scolds. You know, a great example -- wasn't political -- Bad Bunny's halftime show.
COHEN: I knew you were going to say that. Yes.
OBAMA: Well, it was -- it resonated. It was smart, because it wasn't preaching. It was showing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Interesting to hear him weigh in on some of the cultural issues there. And this idea that you age out of the presidency, because of last time around, his former vice president was up, and I think the voters of America aged him out.
COHEN: Look, I think that -- I think that Barack Obama doesn't say something unless he makes a deliberate effort --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
COHEN: -- to get a message across. And so, it was a big issue, the issue of age during the 2024 election. It continues to be a big issue right now as the Democratic -- you know, Democratic officials are -- there's a lot of septuagenarians, a lot of octogenarians. And you need to be able to -- you know, look, you need to be able to -- to look like and -- and be among the constituency that you represent. And if you're increasingly 80, 90 years old in office or dying in office, that doesn't help you better reflect the communities that you're representing there.
So that -- I think that was a -- I think that was a pretty deliberate message with Obama to offer up a bridge to the next generation.
And by the way, his whole post-presidency, where people have been begging for Obama to come to the forefront and be the person who -- who is campaigning for everybody, he's been -- he's been so deliberate about making sure that he builds a bridge to the next generation and doesn't just put himself, you know, to the forefront.
MICHAELSON: And of course, he's now 64 --
COHEN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- he said in your interview. He's been out of office for a decade at this point.
COHEN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: Joe Biden was 81 and still president.
COHEN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: That makes you realize the age difference.
COHEN: It's wild. It feels inconceivable that we could have had a president that -- that was in his, like, 40s or 50s when he was in office. Because it just feels -- I mean, there are entire generations of Americans who have only known, you know, 70 somethings and 80 somethings.
MICHAELSON: Bill Clinton is the same age as, basically, Trump and Joe Biden.
COHEN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And Bill Clinton's been out of office for 30 years --
COHEN: Yes.
MICHAELSON: -- which is wild.
So -- so, let's get to this other point, which is sort of this path forward. Hopefully, we have some sound of this, of him talking about where to go from here.
We do not. So, let's just talk about what did he say? Where do we go from here?
COHEN: Look, I think he was pretty clear about when -- in the previous clip, when he spoke about, you know, the Democrats not being too scoldy [SIC]. He talked a lot about coalition building.
He's the ultimate pragmatist. And we even brought that up during the interview. And I think at its core, politics is about building up your coalition.
And for a lot of people, this stuff is really personal. And you can feel really emotional about it. But at the end of the day, you know, it's not about purity politics. It's not about litmus tests.
I think the -- the important thing is figuring out how to -- how to reach out to people who are not currently in your coalition --
MICHAELSON: Yes.
COHEN: -- and bringing them in. And that -- if that means not to be too lectury [SIC], not to be too scoldy [SIC]. And the other issues that Democrats have contended with in the past, it's something that we should take into account, because, look, Democrats lost the popular vote in the last election.
And so, our job right now has to be reaching out to people who are not currently in our coalition, giving them, you know, access and welcoming them into that coalition, so that we can get into power, exercise that power, and fix a lot of the issues that we're contending with.
MICHAELSON: And interesting, especially here in California, him suggesting that the homeless policy is not working and is part of the reason people are turned off to the Democratic Party, which is an interesting admission from him.
Brian, congratulations on the interview. People can check it out if they haven't already, although it seems like everybody already has, at YouTube.com/BrianTylerCohen to check it out. Congratulations, again.
COHEN: Thank you so much.
MICHAELSON: Still ahead, I sit down with "Real Time" host Bill Maher for his take on current events, including what he thinks Democrats need to do in the next presidential election. It's a little different than what Brian and Barack Obama want to see. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:44:10]
MICHAELSON: Now to my exclusive interview with Bill Maher, who's in his 24th season hosting "Real Time" on HBO, which is owned by CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
We sat down on his set right after his Friday taping and talked about all sorts of things, including California Governor Gavin Newsom's recent trip to Germany.
We began, though, with the environment and President Trump's revoking the EPA's ability to regulate climate pollution. Here's part of our conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, HOST, HBO'S "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": I just don't know where he gets that authority. But, you know, I question that about a lot of the stuff he does.
I guess if you're the president and it's a regulatory agency, you do have that power. But it does seem absurd -- I mean, almost Orwellian -- that the Environmental Protection Agency is now forbidden to protect the environment.
I said on the show, it's like, you know, telling the Navy, "You can't use boats." It's -- it's just crazy.
[00:45:03]
And also, you know, it's not a hoax. The people who keep playing that card, it's not as bad, possibly, as a lot of the people said 20 years ago. I don't think they did themselves a big favor by sometimes exaggerating. I remember people saying, if we don't do something in ten years, we've hit the tipping point, and there's no point in going.
Well, we obviously didn't.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MAHER: And -- and if we really thought we had hit the tipping point, why are we still arguing about it? Why don't we just party like it's 1999?
Obviously, we still think we can do something about it.
But it is just science. It's about numbers like particles per million, things like that, that we can actually measure. And we do know the effect. It's not rocket science, even. It's science, not just rocket science.
MICHAELSON: Yes. You say 1999. You think about Al Gore in that period.
MAHER: Yes.
MICHAELSON: And if he would have won, how different the climate policy would have been for the United States.
But here we are now. And the question for a lot of Democrats is how do you fight back? How do you fight back on something like that with the EPA?
MAHER: I -- win elections. I mean, that's the answer. Elections have consequences. And this is -- I mean, Trump has been, if anything, up front about this. I mean, about everything. He tells you what he thinks. He can't --
MICHAELSON: Yes, he said he was going to do mass deportations. MAHER: You can't -- you can't get him on that. I mean, he's been
saying forever he thought it was a hoax. It's just -- it's just a way for scientists to make money. And I mean, I thought silly stuff, you know? But that's -- that's where he was.
And -- and so if you voted for that, you know, knowing that and thinking maybe he won't do it, well, you whistled past the graveyard, because he -- he generally does things like that when he says he's going to do them.
MICHAELSON: What do you make of maneuvers like Governor Newsom right now is in Munich at the security conference. He's talking there on CNN, saying that President Trump has been a wrecking ball, and the United States is no longer the leader in the world.
There's other Democratic governors going on the world stage to challenge him. Do you think that's effective? Do you think that works?
MAHER: I feel like Munich has replaced Iowa as the first primary state.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MAHER: Because he's not the only one over there. Right?
MICHAELSON: Right. Yes, Gretchen Whitmer is there. Others are there.
MAHER: I think AOC is there.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MAHER: Well, you know, I mean, the 2028 presidential election is well underway. And our governor here in California, who I've always liked -- I have issues with him. I'm always trying to assure --
MICHAELSON: Getting -- getting your solar roof.
MAHER: Yes. My solar roof. I was always trying to shoo him toward the center. And, you know, he has made some moves toward doing that. I think he's going to -- he has a long way to go.
I mean, when you're running for president, and you have to wear around your neck some of the problems we have here in California, it's going to be a tough battle to fight.
But he's a talented politician. I hope he can pull it off, because we certainly need somebody to contest what is going on, on the right.
And you know, you know me. I am an equal opportunity criticizer --
MICHAELSON: Right.
MAHER: -- of both sides. But I try to never make it unclear that I do think the right is more dangerous on the environment and on democracy, which are my two big issues. So, I would like to have a strong Democratic candidate to get things
back to a little bit of normal.
MICHAELSON: Is Newsom the strongest?
MAHER: He is right now. I mean, again, California, a lot of crazy stuff in this state. We know better than anybody. You know, if somebody breaks into your house and you shoot them, you have to worry that you're going to go to jail.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MAHER: You know, lots of stuff like that. Homeless on the streets. I mean, and that's not just California. I've seen a number of people have died in New York, homeless on the street, because somehow they got it into their heads that the way to treat the homeless compassionately was not to get them off the streets.
You know, us old-school liberals, when we -- when we used to talk about this issue, the compassionate thing to do was to make sure they got off the streets, not to protect them in their -- in their pristine environment underneath a bridge.
You know, just -- I could go on about stuff like that. And you know, we -- I think old school liberals would like to see a candidate in the Democratic Party who has the strength to disassociate himself from a lot of the stuff that made Donald Trump attractive to people who didn't necessarily like him so much, but just said, you know what? His brand of crazy, yes, I'm going to go with that over their brand of crazy.
MICHAELSON: Another huge issue here in California and across the country is immigration. Now we're going to have a partial government shutdown over DHS funding. The Department of Homeland Security essentially not funded, at least part of it now, going forward for the foreseeable future.
[00:50:00]
Is that the right fight for Democrats? And -- and how do -- where do you think that should go?
MAHER: Well, I think -- I think ICE and the border people already have the money.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MAHER: So -- so no. So, that -- so, I would guess that's not a great way to do it.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MAHER: Because it's not going to --
MICHAELSON: They say that's the only leverage that they have.
MAHER: Yes, I mean, again the leverage they have is to win the next election. I mean, to -- first of all, the midterms are coming up.
I mean, the numbers do not look good for the president or his party. And usually, the party that is in the White House, they take a shellacking during the midterms.
MICHAELSON: Right.
MAHER: People want to voice their opposition to what's going on in any administration. They're not happy with this. They're not happy with that. That's the way to show it.
I mean, the Democrats are going to have to work really hard to figure out how they're going to blow this one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: You can see more of my conversation with Bill Maher next hour. We talk about his relationship with President Trump, Kid Rock, and Bad Bunny.
You can also catch "Real Time with Bill Maher" here on CNN every Saturday night at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.
Still ahead, two people are dead, three others in critical condition after a shooting at a high school hockey match in Rhode Island. The suspected shooter, who police say took their own life after opening fire, appeared to target family members.
Police have identified the suspected shooter as Robert Dorgan, who they say went by the name of Roberto -- Roberta Esposito. Investigators are still looking to a possible motive.
This was the U.S.'s 41st mass shooting since the start of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Heavy rain is lashing Southern California as the first in a series of Pacific storms hit the West Coast. Millions from the central coast to L.A. have been under a level two of four risk for flooding.
Evacuation warnings have been issued in parts of L.A. County scarred by recent wildfires, and emergency response preparations are underway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW DOWD, VENTURA COUNTY FIRE: One of the things that were concerned about with this storm is winds. Winds have been expected up to -- with gusts up to 60 miles per hour.
So, the potential for some damaging winds is there. We're taking some additional measures. We're up staffing, additional resources, hand crew staff that we have, heavy equipment operators.
We've set up a swift water rescue team that's ready to respond. Aviation resources and additional dispatchers. Because call volume typically increases around this time of year.
So, the impact is -- is not only to our firefighters but also to our dispatchers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: There have been some road closures due to flooding already. These storms are just gearing up. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Millions of people are under winter weather alerts across much of the Western U.S. as the first of several systems begins to slide into this region over the next several days.
Now, it's not just snow, but also rain that's going to be a big concern, especially along the coastal areas of California. Here you can see level two out of four for excessive rainfall risk. That's the yellow color you see here on the map. And that includes places like Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
We could be looking at 1 to 3 inches of rainfall on Monday. Keep in mind some of these areas, especially a little bit farther North up around Monterey, already picked up some rain on Sunday. So, this rainfall is going to be in addition to what they've already seen.
Now the secondary system begins to arrive across Northern California and into Oregon early Tuesday. But a lot of that moisture begins to spread Southward and Eastward as we finish out the rest of the day Tuesday and begin to push into Wednesday, when we have yet another system that will be arriving along much of the coastal region.
So, again, back-to-back systems here for a lot of this area.
Now the rain is going to be heaviest right there along the coast, where we could be looking at 3 to 5 inches total over the next several days. Snowfall is going to be measured in feet.
You're looking at the Sierras. Looking at some of these numbers. Look at this. About 3 to 5 feet of snow. That is likely to cause some significant travel problems, especially, say, if you're heading across places like Lake Tahoe, going from Reno to Sacramento or some of those areas.
We're also going to get some pretty decent snowfall across the Rockies. This is actually good news, as many of those areas have been dealing with snow drought so far this winter.
Now, we've got those systems out to the West, but just to the East of that, we're dealing with record warmth, but also very gusty winds and dry conditions, which could in turn lead to a pretty increased level for fire threat across much of the central U.S. in the coming days.
Every single one of these dots you see here on the map represents a record high temperature at some point Monday, all the way through Friday. Some of those cities could end up seeing records several days in a row as these temperatures are running 15 to 30 degrees above average.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Very different pictures on our coast. Allison Chinchar, thank you.
Just ahead, we're galloping into the year of the horse. Lunar new year celebrations officially underway around the world. We will take you live to Beijing, where one of the biggest parties is happening right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:59:35]
MICHAELSON: We're just hours away here in Los Angeles from the lunar new year countdown, joining billions around the world as they enter the year of the horse.
For many Chinese and other Asian communities, it's considered the year's most important holiday.
Celebrations vary by country and region, but there are few traditions that many families share, including a special reunion dinner to enjoy symbolic foods like steamed fish, noodles, and dumplings.
Elders also give children red envelopes filled with cash to wish them good luck and ward off evil spirits in the new year.
And check this out. Kick off the new year. China showed off humanoid robots.
