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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

Violence Flares After Security Forces Kills Mexican Drug Lord; Trump's Job Performance Disapproval Remains High At 63 Percent; Suspect Approached Nancy Guthrie's Door Before The Night Of Her Disappearance; Bomb Cyclone Hits The Northeast U.S.; Ukraine Marks Four Years Since Russian Invasion; Ukraine Marks Fourth Anniversary of the Invasion; Former U.K. Ambassador to U.S. Arrested; Nick Reinter Pleads Not Guilty in Parents' Stabbing Death; Parents are Buying Kids Landlines Instead of Cell Phones. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 24, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Members of the gold medal winning U.S. Men's hockey team as they returned back to the United States. And after spending some time on the ice, what better place to go than Miami? That's where they landed after their overtime win against Canada on Sunday.

The team celebrated in the locker room in Milan, even with FBI Director Kash Patel on hand, who shared a congratulatory phone call from President Donald Trump himself. And now they're on their way to Washington to attend a State of the Union address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plane. I must tell you we're going to have to bring the woman's team. You do know that. I do believe I probably would be impeached. OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The gold medal winning U.S. Women's Hockey Team has declined an invitation to the State of the Union address -- citing skill -- scheduling issues. And I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Thank you so much for watching. Stay with us. The next hour of The Story Is begins right now.

Hello and welcome to all of our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York in tonight for Elex Michaelson who is enjoying a well-deserved night.

And tonight the top story is in Mexico. Mexico's president and defense ministry claim that the country is getting back to normal after the killing of the drug kingpin El Mencho triggered an explosion of violence over the weekend.

But many people, tourists and locals alike, they are still extremely alarmed and on edge by the unrest that was experienced on Sunday. Americans desperate to get out of Mexico have been told by the U.S. State Department to stay put, stay indoors. Cartel members have been seen clashing with security forces and police, even setting up roadblocks and setting fire to buildings in several parts of the country.

And Mencho was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel which operates across most of the country. You can see where they maintain some of their most significant presence, especially in the state of Chihuahua and other parts of the U. S. Mexico border. This cartel also operates in almost every U.S. state according to federal officials.

An American in Puerto Vallarta, in a resort city along the Pacific which saw some of this outbreak of violence. He was with his husband and friends when he says that they were attacked by cartel members. Listen to what he told CNN about his encounter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YONI PIZER, AMRICAN IN MEXICO: 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. He 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 that 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: CNN's Valeria Leon has a closer look at how the violence is now affecting the country and how the operation to take out El Mencho one out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Scorched vehicles in the streets of Jalisco. This is a warlike scene left behind by the violence that erupted after the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mincho. Residents of Puerto Vallarta fear tourists will flee the country's third most visited destination.

SALVADOR, TOUR GUIDE IN PUERTO VALLARTA (through translator): We've been eagerly waiting for spring break and Easter because that's when business really picks up. We can earn extra money for our families, but now we don't know what's going to happen. We live off tourism. LEON (voice-over): Flights to the beach town were cancelled through

Monday, paralyzing the airport, businesses looted and vandalized, prompting a state of emergency declared by the governor of Jalisco. President Claudia Sheinbaum assured the public on Monday that the situation is under control.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The most important thing is to guarantee peace, security and tranquility throughout Mexico, and that is what is being done.

[01:05:02]

LEON (voice-over): Mexico's defense secretary provided details about the operation that led to the capture of the infamous leader and founder of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Authorities say they tracked the movements of one of El Mencho's romantic partners, which led them to Nemesio Oseguera.

RICARDO TREVILLA, MEXICAN DEFENSE SECRETARY (through translator): On February 20 for Central Military intelligence work, a trusted associate was located one of the romantic partners, El Mencho, who transported her to a facility in the town of Tapalpa, Jalisco.

LEON (voice-over): Mexican army ground personnel carried out the operation with the country's National Guard, authorities said, and sustained casualties after criminal groups launched counterattacks.

OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH, PUBLIC SECURITY SECRETARY (through translator): 27 cowardly attacks against authorities were recorded. In Jalisco alone, there were six attacks in which 25 National Guard members lost their lives.

LEON (voice-over): Emerging from the chaos, young residents are sending a message to authorities.

CAMILA GONZALEZ, JALISCO RESIDENT (through translator): I hope authorities can secure the areas that were most affected so we can feel safer.

LEON (voice-over): 2,500 army troops have been deployed to the state of Jalisco to maintain orders, the federal government confirmed. And as calm slowly returns, residents are still taking precautions.

BIANCA GUADAUPE, WORKER IN JALISCO (through translator): If anything happens, I close my business. If we hear anything at all, we shut down.

LEON: Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Chris Dalby is a senior analyst for the Dyami Security Intelligence and also the author of "CJNG: A Quick Guide to Mexico's Deadliest Cartels." He joins us from the Netherlands. Chris, thank you so much for joining us.

CHRIS DALBY, SENIOR ANALYST, DYAMI SECURITY INTELLIGENCE: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

SANDOVAL: Chris, I want to begin by discussing a very specific tactic that we witnessed in multiple Mexican cities on Sunday. For decades, at least as long as I've been covering cartels, we've seen clashes spill over onto the streets, usually either cartel on cartel or cartel with authorities.

But for the CJNG to orchestrate this kind of indiscriminate chaos by ordering some of its foot soldiers to do things like setting businesses on fire, carjacking people, and then setting their cars on fire. What is their ultimate objective in doing that? Is it more than just retaliation?

DALBY: So we have to distinguish between two types of response. This type of response is what we call narco blockos in Spanish or narco blockades. And it's quite a common tactic that we see in after major cartel leaders are killed, arrested or extradited. It's a way for a cartel to make a show of strength to signify that we're still here. But the removal of El Mencho in this case doesn't mean the removal of the CJNG.

That type of violence will probably be quite short lived. Claudio Sheinbaum has already said they were bringing order back to Jalisco, to Guadalajara, to Puerto Vallarta. Mexico is going to be very keen to show that they can control those cities because they're major business and tourism hubs.

The more worrying type of violence is what we might see in the coming days, weeks and months as the CJNG reorders itself, whether there's a civil war within it, as different lieutenants seek to take over from El Mencho. And that's a much more permanent structural kind of violence that could spread across Mexico.

SANDOVAL: Yes, we remember the Culiacanazo from just a few years ago when the Sinaloa cartel launched these waves of violence after one of the Chapitos, one of Chapo Guzman's sons, had been detained. Obviously, their goal was to try to get them back in that case.

So you answered my question about what we could see with the fragmentation of this cartel. Let me ask you this. Obviously it's highly recommended that people, especially traveling, rely heavily on the State Department and what they're hearing from authorities. But from your expert perspective, what do you believe to be next for especially Mexican resort cities? I mean, these are places that were traditionally spared much of this narco violence.

I mean, do you believe that it should be safe for civilians in certain parts of Mexico after what we saw play out on Sunday?

DALBY: So cartel violence is not new in Mexico, and El Mencho's removal doesn't change that dynamic in a particular way. For decades, Mexico has had a crippling violence problem. Tens of thousands of homicides every year, and yet millions of tourists visit Mexico every year. It is one of the most frequented countries in the world by international travelers, and 99.999 percent have a perfectly safe time. One thing has changed is that we do feel a more heavy cartel presence

in the Puerto Vallartas, the Cancuns, the Playa del Carmen those tourist resorts.

[01:10:05]

But again, that criminality is not targeting tourists directly most of the time. It's targeting the infrastructure that generates money, the hotels, the restaurants, the businesses that are paying extortion fees to these cartels. That is increasing. But the Jalisco cartel being in charge of Puerto Vallarta is not new. They've been there for 15 years. We're just seeing a response to old men show dying.

Now, the problem is this is a very sensitive year. Claude Sheinbaum is in the first year of her administration. The World Cup is only a few months away and he's going to have games played in Guadalajara. So that is a much more short term reality that tourists have to reckon with.

I completely understand. Anyone who had tickets for those games, who decides not to go when four months before the game they see the city on fire.

SANDOVAL: Chris Dalby introducing so many other factors and so many dynamics that are at play as the situation continues to evolve on the ground. They're just south of the border. Thank you so much for letting us tap into your expertise.

DALBY: My absolute pleasure. Thank you.

SANDOVAL: U.S. President Donald Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address to the American public on Tuesday. He says that he's looking to celebrate the strength of the economy and is indicating that it might take some time to cover his lengthy agenda.

But many Americans, they don't seem to share President Trump's optimistic tone as many remain dissatisfied with key issues like the cost of living.

On Monday, U.S. stocks, they fell sharply amid uncertainty over President Trump's new tariffs, his now global 15 percent levies. They are set to take effect in just a matter of hours. And new CNN polling now showing that 63% disapprove of President Trump's job performance. His address will be aiming to shift public sentiment toward his policies. CNN's Harry Enten is here with a breakdown of some of those polling numbers.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, Polo. Look, later tonight, President Donald John Trump will be giving his first State of the Union of his second term. And according to our latest CNN SSRS poll, he goes into this State of the Union, well, in record breaking shape and not in the way you want to be breaking records.

What are we talking about? Well, let's take a look here. Trump's net approval rating right before the different State of the Union addresses. Look at how low he is this year. He's 27 points underwater. His net approval rating considerably lower than where he was in his final State of the Union during his first term when he was 10 points underwater. 15 points underwater was where he was in 2019 going into that State of the Union. Again, 27 points underwater, way, way lower. And then the same 15 points underwater in 2018.

The bottom line is this, is that Donald Trump goes into this State of the Union weaker with a lower net approval rating than for any of his prior State of the Union addresses.

Now, we're comparing Trump in term number two to Trump in term number one. But what about other presidents at this point in term number two? Where were their net approval ratings going into the State of the Union address? Well, once again, Trump is breaking records in the ways you don't want to break them.

Because just take a look here. OK, 21st century presidents about this point in their second term in term number two, just before their State of the Union addresses. Look at this again. Trump, 27 points underwater. Barack Obama was underwater too, but not to the same level that Donald Trump is.

He was underwater by 15 points, a negative 15 point net approval rating. And then George W. Bush minus 11 points. Again, you don't have to be a mathematical genius to know that minus 27 points is way, way lower than minus 11 points. Of course, we had a winter storm in New York City on Sunday into Monday, and I will just say it's up to my knees in terms of the snowfall and Donald Trump is way, way down in the snow. He is way, way down there in terms of his net approval rating.

Now, finally, I will note why, what is going on? What is driving Trump's low net approval ratings at this point? Well, the name of the game in politics is independence. It's the center of the electorate. And look at how low Donald Trump is now with that group. Take a look here.

OK, Trump's net approval rating among independents. Polo, look at this. 47 points underwater. Boy, if you think that's low, it's because it is low. It's record breaking low. We're not just talking about before, say, the union addresses and every single prior CNN poll taken up to this point. Donald Trump was never as low as he is now with independence.

A year ago, Trump was 13 points underwater. What are we talking about? We're talking about a nearly 35-point drop in Trump's net approval rating with independents. Look, when you're 47 points underwater with independents, you can't possibly be popular with the overall electorate. And that's exactly what we see when with Donald Trump.

[01:15:00]

We'll see if his address later on today into this evening changes the name of the game. But at this point, Donald Trump has a lot, a lot of work ahead of him in order to become popular with the American public. Polo, back to you, my friend. SANDOVAL: Harry Enten, nobody can break down the numbers the way you can. And don't forget, you can watch the special coverage of President Trump's State of the Union address right here on CNN. It starts Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. in Washington. That's 9:00 a.m. if you're watching in Hong Kong.

Well, a new clue has emerged in the Nancy Guthrie investigation. A source now telling CNN that the masked person that's seen on the doorbell camera footage of the 84-year old's home the morning that she is believed to have been kidnapped, that person was also at her doorstep on another night. According to the source, the photos and video of the suspect were taken on two different days. These photos that you're looking at.

Not just on February 1st, when officials believe that Guthrie was abducted and that the masked person is not wearing that backpack in one of those shots. Guthrie, the mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, she was last seen on January 1st, I should say on January 31st.

Investigators still have no leading theory about a motive or her possible whereabouts. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that more than one person was involved in this.

All right. Let's talk weather now, especially that massive system that was battering parts of the northeastern United States where cities from Virginia all the way to Maine, they are reeling from this powerful winter storm that broke records across the region. And this as it swept in with some heavy winds and also a lot of snow.

This bomb cyclone, fortunately, it's now headed out to sea, but not before bringing some blizzard like conditions and blanketing several states with more than 2 feet of snow in some parts. Providence, Rhode Island, they saw the most snowfall, more than 3 feet. I want to show you some drone footage also from the U.S. State of Massachusetts. You could see just the extent of the fury of this system as hurricane force gusts hammered this coastal community and even took down power lines.

In fact, more than 6,000 flights were also canceled on Monday amid this winter storm and about 1,500 of those were at airport in the New York area. And there were also some disruptions on the road where the snow left treacherous travel conditions. Just about everywhere you look on your screen you can see getting around was extra difficult. Let's Go now to CNN's Bill Weir for full report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMIATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Scandinavian proverb tells us there is no bad weather, just inadequate clothing and few places prove it, like New York's Times Square in a bomb cyclone blizzard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We knew it was going to snow, but we didn't expect it to be like this.

WEIR: Right. Right. Is it hampering your vacation, your holiday? It's making it better.

WEIR: But while it can be fun for tourists from London.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go. Let's go, let's go.

WEIR (voice-over): And kids sprung from school. This kind of wet, heavy and sudden emergency can be a nightmare for commuters. And the governors and mayors elected to look out for them, especially those still fresh on the job like Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey.

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D) NEW JERSEY: The entire state of New Jersey, all 21 counties, is under a blizzard warning for the first time in 30 years.

WEIR: (voice-over): New York struggled to clear sidewalks during a brutally cold January. So now new Mayor Zohran Mamdani hopes to recruit thousands of paid volunteer shovelers by offering a raise of more than $10 an hour.

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D) NEW YORK: As of today, they can now deploy 1800 New Yorkers per shift. Due to the historic nature of this blizzard, we've increased pay to $30 per hour.

WEIR (voice-over): But places with less manpower and even more white stuff are now at the mercy of the melt. And until it comes, Providence, Rhode Island, has to figure out what to do with a record shattering 33 inches.

GOV. DAN MCKEE (D) RHODE ISLAND The number one key for me when this is all said and done is that everybody was safe. And for that to happen, we need to continue to have the cooperation from the people who live in the state to stay off the roads and then check with your neighbors.

WEIR (voice-over): Dozens of small towns across the Northeast are wrestling with two wet feet. And Boston will cancel school for the second day as they dig out of the blizzard of '26.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to CNN's Bill Weir for that report in the snow. And still to come, right here on The Story Is, CNN's interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He tells us what Ukraine would like to see come out of a peace deal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:23:57]

SANDOVAL: Well, maybe 1:23 a.m. here in New York, but in Ukraine it is Tuesday morning and that marks the fourth anniversary Russia's invasion. Ukrainians they are attending memorials for the loved ones that they've lost. But the war is dragging on and Russian airstrikes are still killing civilians.

Across the country, attacks on power infrastructure is plunging hundreds of large parts of the country into darkness. In the frigid cold, CNN's Clarissa Ward sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and he explained what his country needs in order to sign a peace deal with Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: For me, it still is not clear that if Russia will begin aggression against us. What I wanted very much to have in the 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.

[01:25:00]

ZELENSKYY: I want very -- I will 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 are 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 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.

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 VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Clarissa Ward for that interview. Let's now go to Kira Rudik. She's a member of Ukraine's parliament and joins us now live from Kyiv, where it's coming up on 8:30am thank you so much for taking the time to join us.

KIRA RUDIK, MEMBER OF UKRAINE'S PARLIAMENT: Good morning and thank you so much for having me.

SANDOVAL: So, several years in now, after so many years of war, what do you see as the prospects for peace? RUDIK: Look, what we have said over and over is there is no simple

solution to a complicated problem. We here on the ground haven't seen any single sign or fact that Russia is ready for peace. Actually, during those peace negotiations, Russia continues attacking us, continues attacking our energy infrastructure, pushing at the front line. So that's why we were really supportive of President Trump's idea to start with a ceasefire.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. And so we are supporting our diplomatic team with their efforts and attempts to bring peace the diplomatic way. Actually, the truth is we do not see it in the nearest future. Russia has no incentive right now to end the war. Why would they?

SANDOVAL: My colleague Clarissa Ward, who had an opportunity to sit down with President Zelenskyy, also shared in one of our other reports that out of her many trips that she's taken to the region to tell the story of Ukrainians as they struggle through this war, that she has seen a noticeable drop in morale, Kira. So, speaking for the Ukrainian people, how do they overcome this, especially with few to no signs, as you point out, of us getting closer to a deal?

RUDIK: This winter was indeed hard, the hardest winter since the beginning of full scale invasion, when Russia was using everything they could to freeze us, to bury us in the darkness. And it has been indeed such a huge and unbearable challenge for Ukrainian people.

However, there is one thing I never heard from anyone. People sitting in their cold apartments, people are trying to get electricity. They never said we should capitulate. We didn't choose to do it in 2022. We are not going to capitulate right now. We understand what's going to happen to us at the territories where Russia comes.

And this is why, no matter how hard it is, the only path forward for us is to stand united, to support each other, to find a way of moving forward against all odds.

And believe me, we know what it is to fight against all odds. We have been doing this for years and years. What we really need to have this hope, to have this future in our side is a change of the strategy of our partners. Because the ending of the war is in weakening Russia to the point where they cannot continue the fighting and strengthening Ukraine to the point where we can defend ourselves clearly. And we would know that we can defer any sort of Russia's attack in future.

That is the path. And this is why we are calling to our partners to agree to this plan and not some attempt of finding a simple solution to the complicated problem.

SANDOVAL: Expand on that last point too, Kira. As you just heard from President Zelenskyy right now, that one of those non negotiables is those guarantees to make sure that he knows exactly what partners will do what if Putin attempts this again?

[01:30:05]

So what is it specifically that you want some of these partners in the International Community to hear?

RUDIK: Well, the first and foremost is to protect our skies. It's critically important. This is, if you remember the day one of the full-scale invasion, this is what we were begging for. Help protect our skies because this is life of civilian population, it's the ability to just simply go to bed and know that you will wake up in the morning. We still do not have that.

Second point is to know that it will not be yet another four-year (ph) round of sanctions against Russia, that it will be very clear strict plan on how to cut them out of the global economy once and for all.

Third thing, of course, is developing of the weapons and supplies and providing them to Ukraine, not in a very tiny bits, but actually in the amounts that will allow us to fight back.

And of course, boots on the ground will be an important part because no matter what kind of peace, deal or agreement there would be, there needs to be a monitoring mission.

And right now, the war is very different from all the wars that were happening before. They include drones. They include different kinds of technologies. So the monitoring needs to be here on the ground and needs to be present and needs to be acknowledged and educated on how to make sure that Russia doesn't break their part of the deal.

We know that these are all complex problems, and we are grateful that they are in talks and negotiations right now.

But again, the question is in three -- five years if the leadership in different countries change, can we count on them actually executing on what was agreed right now by the current leadership?

This is the biggest question. And this is why the president is so concerned. And we are all concerned.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it certainly does not help that it is essentially in Putin's interest to prolong this -- these negotiations.

But you mentioned that hope. That is certainly something that after years of reporting on this and covering this, that has remained -- that hope among, and unity I should say, to use your word among Ukrainians that does remain now four years in.

Thank you so much for your time, Kira Rudik. Our best to you.

RUDIK: Thank you and glory to Ukraine.

SANDOVAL: Well, London police say they have made another high-profile arrest amid the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. What they're saying about the former British ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson.

[01:32:42]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANDOVAL: London police say that the former British ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, has been released on bail. He was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid that growing Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Mandelson is accused of passing sensitive government information to the convicted sex offender while he was the U.K.'s Business Secretary.

Police have not confirmed any specifics about the investigation that led to his arrest. Mandelson has not publicly commented on the allegations, but he did previously apologize for his association with Epstein.

Let's go now to Chloe Jay, a senior partner at Shentons Solicitors, joining us live from Winchester, England. Chloe, it's great to see you again.

CHLOE JAY, SENIOR PARTNER, SHENTONS SOLICITORS: Hi.

SANDOVAL: So remind our viewers just how we got here. Can you tell our viewers just how Peter Mandelson goes from being U.K.'s ambassador to the U.S., quite literally standing alongside the president of the United States at one point, to where we are today now facing criminal charges amid this Epstein scandal?

JAY: Yes. Well, it appears that the relationship between him and Mr. Epstein was not fully understood and known. And obviously, the documents that have been released by your Department of Justice have revealed a much closer relationship than anybody understood the pair to have.

And there appears to be the sharing of confidential information which has led now to the police having a reasonable suspicion of an offense and arresting Mr. Mandelson.

SANDOVAL: Just purely speaking, obviously, about the U.K. side of things, I just wonder what you make of some of the criticism that we've heard here in the United States, even from Congressman Ro Khanna, who essentially co-authored the legislation to release these Epstein files.

This criticism that though lawmakers in the U.S., they were the ones that passed this legislation that got us the Epstein files, it's authorities overseas who seem to be moving forward with actually pressing charges.

JAY: Yes. Well, it does appear that we're taking more action in the U.K. than is being done in the U.S. All I can say is this is standard procedure for here given that the information that's been revealed and the relationship and the sharing of information, we would expect investigations to proceed. And that's what's happening.

SANDOVAL: Yes. And on that point, can you speak a little bit about that shocking moment for the British public with the scandal that's now reaching both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace? What has been public sentiment about this? JAY: I think the arrest of former Prince Andrew is hugely shocking for

the British public. It's pretty much unprecedented in this country. And its shaken everyone to their core.

[01:39:53]

JAY: Mr. Mandelson has obviously been at the top of British politics for decades, could not really be more senior a figure. And to the combination of both of them being arrested in such a short time and the links to such a terrible person as Mr. Epstein, obviously people are shocked.

SANDOVAL: Just -- if you could just speak to the extraordinary nature also of what we've seen and even that willingness to cooperate with authorities from Buckingham Palace that we saw recently, I mean, how unusual is that? And when was the last time that we saw this level of scandal

JAY: I don't think we've ever had -- I don't think the royal family's ever been linked to a scandal of this nature. I think the King has been very clear that he thinks the law should take its course. And that he's not standing in the way of that.

We understand he didn't know about Andrew's arrest, which is standard procedure. You wouldn't tell the family member of someone that was going to be arrested.

So obviously he respects the legal process, is allowing it to take its course, and is certainly showing his confidence and support in the British police in following what they now need to in relation to this investigation.

SANDOVAL: Without a doubt incredibly unprecedented.

Chloe Jay, as always, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN and for sharing your perspective. We appreciate your time.

JAY: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: You're watching THE STORY IS. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. For our viewers in North America, I'm joining you again in just a few moments with more of your headlines.

[01:41:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner. He appeared in court on Monday for his arraignment.

CNN's Nick Watt was there. Here's his full report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Nick Reiner, through his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty. He walked into the court -- brown prison overalls, short-sleeved, head shaved, arms shackled.

He said only one word during the proceedings. That was when the judge asked him if he was happy to essentially give up his rights to a speedy trial, because the dates they were putting in the calendar might make the trial move -- lag a little bit. And that is because there is so much information, so much evidence, so much data.

The district attorney said they've gathered a lot of it. They've handed that to the defense. But there's more to come. For example, the coroner's report.

Now, Nick Reiner of course, faces two charges of first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing his mother and father to death in the early hours of Sunday morning, December 14th in the master bedroom area of their Brentwood, California home.

The three of them had been to a party at Conan O'Brien's house the previous night. People I've spoken to who were there said Nick Reiner was behaving strangely.

So he allegedly then stabbed his parents in the early hours. He was arrested that Sunday night without incident.

Now, Nick Reiner has suffered for years with mental health and addiction issues. His parents, by all accounts, extremely supportive of him.

He was living in their guest house at the time that they were stabbed. They asked Conan O'Brien if they could bring him along to that party.

Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner even made a movie about a family dealing with this kind of problem.

Now, the district attorney also came out after court and he said two counts of first-degree murder. This is potentially a death penalty case, but we're going to take our time. We're going to really consider that family members are often involved in that decision. We are going to take our time on deciding whether we are going to pursue the death penalty here.

Next court date, tentatively end of April. That could slide, as I say, because there's a lot of information that needs to be gone through by both sides before this goes to trial. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Nick Watt for that report.

So if you're old enough to remember landlines, I am, well you may be in for a treat. You see they're making a comeback apparently. Hear why some kids are now ditching smartphones for some good old-fashioned telephone lines.

[01:48:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANDOVAL: Remember those long-extinct landlines? Well, it seems that they might be making a comeback. Not for adults though, for kids. A company called Tin Can is marketing a kid-friendly home phone that's screen free.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich explains why children and their parents are loving this new but nostalgic way of communicating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. Universe?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: When it first rang, did you, like, recognize that it was a phone ring?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I'm like is that a fire alarm?

YURKEVICH: Brooks, Harry and Charlotte had never used a landline before their mom, Sarah, got them one for Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I use it a lot because I could call my friends on it. She's probably waiting.

YURKEVICH: Landlines are the latest craze for kids. Parents hoping to push off getting their kids' smartphones are ordering modern day wi-fi connected landline phones made just for kids.

I spoke to the CEO of Tin Can. Their phones are on backorder through April.

Chet?

CHET KITTLESON, CEO, TIN CAN: Hello. Hi, Vanessa.

YURKEVICH: I cannot remember the last time I called someone on a landline, honestly. Have you heard that this actually either prolongs the kid asking or acts in place of a cell phone?

KITTLESON: What a kid is asking for is almost never a cell phone. What they're asking for is a way to connect with people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't hit that.

YURKEVICH: The telephone has been around for 150 years. But with the rise of smartphones in just two decades, landlines have all but disappeared.

KITTLESON: We lost sight of the fact that there was this major population of people that relied on the landline for decades, and we left them behind -- that's kids sort of launched head first into the mobile era.

YURKEVICH: Research shows kids who get smartphones at a younger age are more likely to suffer from obesity, depression and not get enough sleep.

Why, in your mind, was a phone still a version of a phone, but a landline better than a cell phone?

SARA EBERLE, BOUGHT TIN CAN PHONES FOR HER KIDS: No screen. And I thought, well hey, they're going to have to learn how to communicate. So many kids, the communication is lacking I feel like.

YURKEVICH: parents can control who calls in and out, can set hours for use, and can add 911 as an option.

[01:54:42]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes we actually will fight like I'll get it. And then every now and then, like I answer it, and Harry called dibs first. And we actually kind of fight with each other but don't actually hurt each other. It's just tough love, basically.

YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN -- Frederick, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Lindsey Vonn says that she almost lost her leg after her brutal crash at the Winter Olympics earlier this month. The downhill skiing superstar says that her leg nearly had to be amputated due to the extent of her injuries and also a life-threatening complication known as compartment syndrome.

In a social media post, Vonn expressed her gratitude to her medical team. And she also shared the good news that she finally left the hospital after two weeks. Just look at her x-rays.

Well, she's now currently still immobile. She's in a wheelchair and certainly in some pain, as she says. But also is sharing in her own words, "I'd rather go down swinging than not try at all."

Well, a boxing match that many consider the fight of the century, it is getting a sequel. Netflix saying that it will be airing a rematch between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on September 19thin what will be the first-ever professional boxing match to happen in The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Mayweather, who turns 49 on Tuesday, he won the first meeting in 2015 and also boasts a perfect 50-zero professional record.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, now 47, just came out of retirement last year but still showed that signature speed and also power that has made him a worldwide superstar.

Appreciate you joining me. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, in for Elex Michaelson.

The news continues with my colleague Rosemary Church.

[01:56:31]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)