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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Ransom Note Being Investigated In Nancy Guthrie Case Gives 5 P.M. Deadline; Prominent Individuals Mentioned In The Epstein Files; Tech Giants Face Lawsuits For Alleged Social Media Addiction; Film Goes Inside One Of The Nation's Deadliest Prison Systems; Parents Push For Accountability As Social Media Giants Face Landmark Youth Addiction Trial; Report: Job Openings Drop To Five-Year Low. Aired 5- 6p ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

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[17:00:24]

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: Thanks to my panel for being here today. Really appreciate your time. Really appreciate all of you at home for watching as well. But don't go anywhere. Jake Tapper is here. He's standing by for The Lead. Hi, Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Hey, Kasie. We'll look for more tomorrow in The Arena.

HUNT: See you tomorrow.

TAPPER: A ransom note in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie included a 5:00 p.m. deadline. The Lead starts right now.

Law enforcement authorities revealing new details in their search for the mother of Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie, Nancy Guthrie, after Savannah's heart wrenching plea on social media with her sister and brother for their mother's safe return.

Among the developments and details, a deadline in a ransom note that authorities are investigating, a doorbell camera going offline before Nancy was reported missing and an Uber driver question. We're going to go live to Arizona.

Plus, President Trump had a traditionally nonpartisan prayer breakfast this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat. I really don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: OK, so hear how else he went on the attack in a way that his critics say was wildly inappropriate.

And the new jobs report in America, layoffs way up, hirings way down. Is it just a blip or reason to worry?

Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start with the breaking news in our National Lead. The clock is ticking for investigators in the tragic disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. The mother of Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie reported missing from her Tucson home on Sunday.

The FBI special agent in charge, appearing to at first let it slip this afternoon that the ransom note sent to several media outlets has a rapidly approaching deadline today. Here's what the FBI agent said when asked again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEITH JANKE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: So the ransom note that was distributed to the media did make a demand for 5:00 p.m. today. And if a transfer wasn't made, then I think a second demand was for next Monday. We're not going to go beyond that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Presumably that's 5:00 p.m. Arizona time. The FBI would not say what would happen if the ransom demand is not met or if they're 100 percent sure that this ransom note is legitimate. Officials did confirm today that the FBI assisted the family with the emotional video that Savannah Guthrie and her brother and sister posted on social media last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NANCY GUTHRIE'S DAUGHTER: Our mom is our heart and our home. She is 84 years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer. We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media. As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Tough to watch. CNN's Ed Lavandera is on the ground in Tucson with more details on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pima county sheriff revealed key details in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, including evidence that showed blood found on her front porch matches the 84-year-old mother and grandmother.

Investigators also laid out a time of her disappearance according to her family and data from digital devices including multiple cameras in the Guthrie's home and a front door camera that is missing. On Saturday at 5:32 p.m. Nancy traveled to visit her family in an Uber. At 9:48 p.m. Nancy is dropped off at home by a family member and then at 9:50 p.m. Nancy's garage door closes.

On Sunday, at 1:47 a.m. the doorbell camera disconnects. At 2:12 a.m. the sheriff says software detects a person on camera. Then at 2:28 a.m. her pacemaker disconnects from the app on her phone. After receiving a call that morning at 11:56 a.m. the family checks on her home and finds that Nancy is missing. At 12:03, the family called 911.

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Approximately 10 minutes later, 12 minutes later, our patrol teams arrive. They see the scene and we start our response with our search and rescue teams and our detectives from homicide and various units also.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The FBI announced a $50,000 reward, but investigators say there are no suspects yet.

[17:05:00]

NANOS: We believe Nancy is still out there. We really just want mom back.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): FBI agents were on scene at Guthrie's home late Wednesday, conducting an additional search of the crime scene, using detection dogs and taking bags of evidence. At the same time, Savannah Guthrie, along with her sister and brother, posted a heartbreaking video, painting a loving picture of their mother.

ANNIE GUTHRIE, NANCY GUTHRIE'S DAUGHTER: She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you'll see she chooses joy day after day, despite having already passed through great trials of pain and grief.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The siblings ask for proof of life while reaching out directly to anyone involved.

GUTHRIE: We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Still, officials say there is no evidence that reported ransom notes are legitimate, though they are still investigating, including one sent to media outlets that set today as a deadline for payment.

JANKE: First, I think was five o'clock today and then it had a second deadline after that. So we are continuing in a normal kidnapping case. There would be contact by now.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The FBI says at least one of the ransom notes is fake.

JANKE: We have made one arrest related to an imposter ransom demand and a complaint will be presented to a magistrate judge later today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And Jake, we spent some time this afternoon speaking with the sheriff. He told us that Uber driver had been interviewed. It was a female driver, that they had seen video from inside the car that everything appears to be fine. It does not appear that driver is going to be a suspect in any way.

And the sheriff also told us that all of Savannah Guthrie's family members continue cooperating with investigators. And the sheriff still remains striking an upbeat tone, believing that they will be able to find Nancy Guthrie alive. But with every passing day, everybody knows that the urgency of this moment just intensifies even more than it already is. Jake.

TAPPER: All right, CNN's Ed Lavandera in Tucson, Arizona, thanks so much. Let's bring in Mary Ellen O'Toole. She's a former special agent and senior profiler for the FBI. Mary Ellen, what was your biggest takeaway from what officials told us today?

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER SENIOR FBI PROFILER: One thing that really struck me today is when the sheriff talked about the offender may not have forced his way into or their way into the residence. So there may not have been indications of forced entry.

And I think that consideration is very important because when a profiler is looking at the fact pattern of this case, they're looking at a low risk victim in a low risk environment when they were approached. And then this -- if the offender was able to access that house without breaking down the front door, that would suggest that there was some kind of recon that was done on that property before the kidnapping ever took place, which is consistent with what we're see and thus far that this offender probably had knowledge of that neighborhood, probably had knowledge of the house and the comings and goings within that house, which is consistent with other kid -- certainly other kidnappings that I've worked.

And when you see that fact pattern begin to shape with those variables, it suggests someone that, again, has knowledge of that property and the pool of suspects begins to narrow. And that's important for investigators.

TAPPER: And we learned today that the FBI was involved in the creation of that video last night that Savannah and her brother and sister released, although they did emphasize it was the family's decision to make and post it. And there did seem to be a suggestion in that message that they were speaking to whoever is holding their beloved mother and that the proof that they have her wasn't necessarily credible enough. Is that what you took from that?

O'TOOLE: It is. And I've been involved in cases where I've scripted the family on what to say, and I thought it was very well done because it communicated two themes to me. The first theme was to humanize their mother, and I thought they did a beautiful job of that.

Now, that would not appeal to the kidnapper, because kidnapping tends to be a crime that for offenders who are very cold and callous and have no regard for their victims. So it would not have appealed to the kidnapper, but that's not who it was intended for. It was intended for the -- if there were any co-offenders that are involved in this case who don't have the same personality traits or someone who knows the offender suspects that they may have been involved in this case, and they would have been touched by the appeal, the emotional appeal by the family.

[17:10:05]

And the second theme, though, of the appeal was very transactional. You do this, we'll do that. That would have appealed to the kidnapping, the kidnapper. So I think there were two themes, and both were very effective.

TAPPER: We're in a -- what people call a post-media age, meaning that a lot of people get their information from influencers, from YouTubers, from folks who don't have the same editorial standards or techniques or protocols as legacy media. And the sheriff today felt the need to push back on some of the reports in terms of whether there was a prime suspect, in terms of whether or not the cameras in the house had been smashed, things that were just inaccurate.

I'm wondering, what kind of impact does that have on the investigation? What kind of impact does that have on the actual criminal to see the confusion here?

O'TOOLE: Sure. When -- when -- my concern is that when there are theories or misinformation that are put out to the public, the offender is watching the press conferences. They're paying attention to how the investigation is evolving. And if it looks like the investigators don't know what they're doing or there's conflicting information that empowers an offender, and we don't want that.

We want to show a show of force, that we know what's happening and we're making progress, that's really important, because otherwise, when you empower an offender, he's less likely to make mistakes. Right now, we want this offender to make mistakes. That's important. So when we misinform in the public, it can have critical consequences for the investigation.

TAPPER: The sheriff confirmed today that the investigators were able to identify the blood on the front porch of the home as Nancy Guthrie's home due to DNA testing. What do you make of that, given what we now know about the timeline?

O'TOOLE: Well, I think that's important. And of course, the blood spatter pattern is going to be important as well. How did that blood fall from the victim to the floor? What does that indicate in terms of the injury pattern? So that's certainly one thing.

But I think the other thing that's important about that is if there is other blood that was commingled with Nancy's, they would have run it through CODIS, which is the acronym for the FBI database, that where we can put in a sample and maybe hopefully identify someone. That doesn't seem to be the case here, but it doesn't mean that it ends there. The FBI has other techniques which they can use in an attempt to identify any other blood that is not consistent with Nancy's and come up with the name of somebody. TAPPER: Mary Ellen O'Toole. Thank you so much and thanks for your

expertise. For anyone out there watching or listening who may have any information, no matter how big or how small, you think it is related to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, regardless of what nonsense you hear on social media about this investigation, please call the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900. That's 520-351-4900. Or call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or reach the agency online at tips.fbi.gov. It's tips.fbi.gov.

Coming up here on The Lead, the president's contradiction adding a new layer of questions about why exactly the director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard felt the need to fly to Georgia to be on site as the FBI raided an election office in Fulton County to seize ballots from almost six years ago.

But first, some of the details emerging in the newly released Epstein files and a major resignation stemming from private emails now public.

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TAPPER: In our Law and Justice Lead, new details from the released Epstein files revealing the deceased pedophile's wide reaching global network of the rich and powerful. Remember, it was August 2006 when Palm Beach police went public with their investigation. August 2006 when police said Epstein had committed unlawful sex acts with and lewd and lascivious molestation of five underage girls.

2006, Epstein would a couple years later be convicted on two counts of solicitation of prostitution, one of those counts involving a minor. So that's 2008. Yet, these individuals associated with Epstein years after those facts were well known.

So today, let's start with a prominent name with which you might not be familiar. Brad Karp, the now former chairman of Paul Weiss, one of the nation's top corporate law firms representing some of the biggest companies in the world.

Karp abruptly resigned yesterday following the release of his email exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein, such as this 2015 email in which Karp profusely thanked Epstein for hosting him, writing, quote, I can't thank you enough for including me in an evening I'll never forget. It was truly once in a lifetime in every way, though I hope to be invited again.

Epstein responded writing, quote, you are always welcome. There are many, many nights of unique talents. You will be invited often, unquote. Unique talents. These sort of cringy, chummy emails between Epstein and Karp continued as recently as February 2019. That's the year that Epstein showed up dead in his cell, later ruled a suicide.

And only months before he would face a second set of criminal charges for sex trafficking minors. In a previous statement to the Wall Street Journal, the Paul Weiss Firm said, quote, Mr. Karp never witnessed or participated in any misconduct. Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets. I bet he does.

Karp's own statement says, quote, recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.

Despite stepping down as chairman, the law firm says Karp, quote, will continue to focus his full time attention to client service at the firm.

We're also getting our first look at the hundreds of friendly text messages between Epstein and former Trump advisor MAGA Svengali Steve Bannon. They include crude sexual jokes about women and Trump and discussions on countless other topics.

[17:20:05]

Put together, the communications suggest a much closer relationship between the two that was widely understood. There's also a nearly two- hour long, largely sympathetic interview filmed around 2019 that Bannon conducted with Epstein, which was reportedly originally intended to be part of a documentary intended to, we believe, rehabilitate Epstein's image, something other than a pedophile and predator and trafficker in child rape.

Several exchanges from the interview stand out, such as this one where Epstein is asked about being a sex offender.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: What are you? Class 3 sexual predator?

JEFFREY EPSTEIN, CONVICTED CHILD SEX OFFENDER: Tier 1.

BANNON: Tier 1 is the highest and worst?

EPSTEIN: No.

BANNON: The lowest.

EPSTEIN: I'm the lowest.

BANNON: A tier one, you're the lowest. But a criminal?

EPSTEIN: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Bannon has not responded to CNN's request for comment. We should note that Bannon has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Later here on The Lead, the far reaching fallout of the Epstein files. How the scandal could cost British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his job. But first, the dangers of social media for those underage. A group of parents need you to know their stories and one mom is going to join us next.

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TAPPER: our Buried Lead n ow that's what we call stories we feel deserve more attention than they're getting. In the wake of a landmark case accusing social media giants of knowingly creating addictive algorithms which harm all of us, but especially young people.

Grieving parents held a vigil earlier today to raise awareness about the dangers of social media for kids. They spoke about the deaths of their children because of cyberbullying and scams, and Fentanyl laced pills advertised on these sites, holding images of their children for 2,000 seconds. One second for each of the more than 2,000 cases filed against social media platforms.

And joining us now is one of those moms -- we just lost Julianna Arnold. OK, well, we're going to take a quick break and we will be right back with Julianna Arnold.

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TAPPER: Our Buried Lead now, that's what we call stories we feel deserve more attention than they're getting. In "The Alabama Solution," a documentary that we should notice distributed by our sister company HBO, the filmmakers go inside one of the nation's deadliest prison systems by using inmate videos to capture shocking accounts of abuse and systemic failures endured by men incarcerated in Alabama's Department of Corrections, also known as ADOC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have record numbers of people leaving out of their body bags. They don't want the public to see what's really going on, on the inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can a journalist go into a war zone but can't go into a prison in the United States of America?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state is selling one lawsuit after another. There's no consequences for their actions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not the inmate that's killing them folks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The documentary has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. Joining us now is one of the film's directors, Andrew Jarecki. Andrew, so good to see you. So this documentary has been six years in the making. What sparked your interest in making this film?

ANDREW JARECKI, DIRECTOR, "THE ALABAMA SOLUTION": Well, I was always interested in incarceration and the problems that we have in this country around locking people up. And I had made a number of films around that, the jinx and capturing the freedmen and ultimately learned that the situation in Alabama was very dire and then went down there, met a prison chaplain who said, why don't you just come in as a volunteer? And I said, you know, we're filmmakers. They're not going to let us in here. And he said, no, you don't have to film anything. Just come in and you'll see what's what.

And when we went in, we started talking to the men inside. And it was so shocking what we learned. And it was so desperate, the situation, that we realized we needed to make a film about it. And then we discovered that these men inside, that there was a sort of a network of them who had access to contraband cell phones and had been documenting for years the horrific experience that they have in that system.

TAPPER: So I thought about you and your film last month when we learned that a Cuban migrant had died at a Texas detention camp. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement initially claimed that he died after experiencing medical distress. They didn't give it much detail about what led up to his final moments. But then just a few days ago, a medical examiner ruled that his death at that Texas facility was actually a homicide.

And it made me think about your documentary and how abuse by law enforcement in the U.S. happens every day and is covered up every day, regardless of all the officers and guards, et cetera, who do their jobs well and effectively.

JARECKI: Yes, in the United States, prisons are often treated like black sites and the public sort of drives by and sees a little sign on the side of the road that says XYZ Correctional Facility and they think, well, you know, if anything really bad is happening back there, somebody would probably tell me about it. But the truth is that the press is not really allowed inside.

And so you don't find out what's happening inside these places where we're essentially, you know, able to disappear people. And when you don't have that light, when you don't have journalists or filmmakers able to go in and see what's happening, very bad things happen. And we're seeing that, you know, in the detention centers as well.

TAPPER: Yes. And you tell me that the three main prisoners featured in your documentary are right now in solitary confinement. Why?

JARECKI: Well, you know, they've been activists for years. The amazing thing about them is that they've always done this on behalf of the other 20,000 people who are in that system. You know, both of the main people in the film are people who have life without parole sentences. So they're doing this work and they're always doing it in a nonviolent way. You know, they're very much they sort of take the Mandela philosophy, which is like we've got to get there through nonviolence. And always the authorities react to them with violence. In this particular case, there have been a number of things happening.

But things that that these men are able to do, namely to get the word out, to motivate other prisoners, they've been involved in a lot of work strikes over time, which interferes with the Department of Corrections ability to generate now $450 million a year in free labor. And so, you know, they're often targeted. And in this particular case, they were sort of taken out of circulation before a planned work strike. And that that's really a horrible thing.

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I mean, it's not just that they're alone, right? It's that they're in a windowless cell in an institution where they have no contact with anybody. They're not allowed to talk to other prisoners and they're not allowed to have contact with their families. Their lawyer visits are cut back. They can't have pencils or pens. It's a very brutal mini system within an already brutal system.

So they're sort of treating them like Hannibal Lecter. Nobody can go near these people, even though they're incredibly thoughtful, brilliant guys who've been running a nonviolent protest movement.

TAPPER: Yes.

JARECKI: That's the fear right now, is that there's so much of this brutality and that it's being done undercover, that it's not something that the public is allowed to see.

TAPPER: One of the directors of "The Alabama Solution," Andrew Jarecki. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

JARECKI: Yes, thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: Is former Vice President Kamala Harris plotting some sort of political comeback? The message she posted online that sure seems to suggest so. Hear it for yourself, next.

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TAPPER: And we're back with the push from hundreds of parents trying to raise awareness today about the dangers of social media for their kids. Julianna Arnold is back with me. We're hoping her signal holds up here. Julianna, your daughter Coco, who we can see behind your left shoulder there, she was only 17 when she died of fentanyl poisoning. She got that after an Instagram drug dealer sold her counterfeit Percocets. Tell us more about Coco, what you want people to know about her story and why it has led you to this moment.

JULIANNA ARNOLD, FOUNDING MEMBER, PARENTS RISE!: Sure, Jake. Thank you. First of all, say thank you very much for having me here. My daughter, Coco, was a bright, adventurous, curious, sometimes a smartass, I have to say, who always told the truth. She was very blunt. She was also very sensitive. And so she really, really resonated with people who were in pain and trying to really wanted to do good with her life. And she won't have that opportunity now.

And Coco struggled because she was a sensitive type to social media, you know, and she became it kind of got control of her. And we really worked hard to, you know, help her and to, you know, do all the things that parents should do to keep their kids safe online. And it didn't work. And she just got more and more addicted to her phone. And it was a tough time for us. And this is how it ended.

TAPPER: And for years, you and other parents have been raising the alarms about the risks of social media for kids. In 2024, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta owns Instagram and Facebook, directly apologized to families whose children were harmed by his platforms. And now the social media addiction trial is unfolding. What are you and other parents who have lost your children because of the harms and threats of social media? What are you hoping to get out of this trial?

ARNOLD: Well, I think first and foremost, we're looking for the truth. I mean, we've sat in a number of congressional hearings and listened to the testimonies of these tech CEOs and have them say that their platforms are safe. They're doing everything in their power to make these platforms safe. But what we know now is this information is coming out from the trial. And what we will see when they're sitting on the stand and testifying under oath, as they were in congressional hearings, what the truth is and if it's different than what they told, you know, the legislators on the Hill.

And we just want the truth. We want the truth to be known that they are intentionally designing their platforms to hook our kids and to get them to have more engagement, because that's how they fuel their business model and make the billions of dollars that they're making. And our kids should not be the collateral damage on this road to innovation.

TAPPER: So this trial is a chance for these companies to take accountability. What specific protective features do you think these platforms should have? For example, when it comes to selling drugs, selling pills, selling anything that a kid would ingest or a human would ingest. Do you think they need to do due diligence there before they take ad money?

ARNOLD: Well, yes, I mean, I'm not sure the drug dealers are doing ads like that. They're really doing more home grown stuff, in my opinion. But, you know, I think most of all, they need to stop some of the addictive features that are getting our kids and really causing a lot of this mental health issues that we're having in harms, like the, you know, infinite scrolling, you know, the notifications that are very addictive for kids because they get a dopamine hit and things like that. And then I also think as far as the drug dealers go, they have all this technology.

I mean, these are the top companies in the world, you know, and they have the ability to find and remove illegal content, illegal content. And this is -- but the issue with this trial is not about content. We're talking about the design features of these platforms and that we now have seen through the internal documentation that these companies, they knew, CEOs knew that their platforms were causing harm.

They did internal research, yet they chose not to do anything about it. And this kind of for us is so important because we've been talking about our stories for years now. Some of the parents I work with have been doing this for decades, a couple of decades. And still, this is the first time that we're really going to see, you know, what's really going on under those companies and have them. It's a road to accountability.

[17:45:15]

TAPPER: Yes, just so you know, I mean, we've been covering this story for a long time. And we told the story at one point of Eli Weinstock, who was a college student and the nephew of former Congressman Ted Deutch. And Eli bought, I think he thought some like herbal supplements or something, something legal. And it had fentanyl in it and he died as well. It's just horrible. Julianna Arnold, thank you so much for sharing your story and Coco's story. May her memory be a blessing.

ARNOLD: Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

Turning now to our politics lead, a few minutes into his speech at what is supposed to be a nonpartisan national prayer breakfast, President Trump attacked Democrats over their opposition to imposing strict nationwide voter I.D. laws.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat. I really don't. And I know we have some here today and I don't know why they're here because they certainly don't give us their vote. I certainly know that we're not going to be convincing them to vote for a little thing called voter I.D.

When you go to the polls, you show up. Yes, my name is so-and-so and I live in the country. I'm here. I can vote. They say that's not allowed. And everyone's trying to figure it out. And they do something to win. You know what it is? They cheat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Senate Republicans are trying to pass what's called the SAVE Act, which would, among other things, require voter I.D. and proof of citizenship at all polls in federal elections. It is already, of course, against the law for people who are not U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections. And experts say it does happen, but rarely and seldom enough, if ever enough, to influence an election.

My panel joins me now. Marc, you're a person of faith, I believe. Like, what's your take on President Trump saying no person of faith could ever vote for a Democrat? I don't understand it.

MARC SHORT, FMR. CHIEF OF STAFF TO VP MIKE PENCE: Well, I think the National Prayer Breakfast has had a proud history of having a bipartisan format and celebration, honor our God. And, you know, I think he's entertaining, but there's a time and place for that. And I think that for the National Prayer Breakfast, I think has lost some sponsors in recent years because of its politicization and allowing that

So it was a proud and long history of having a wonderful breakfast. We'll see what it moves forward with. But look, I support the President's position there. There's just a time and place for it.

TAPPER: Oh, yes.

SHORT: There's just a time and place for that sort of speech.

TAPPER: Well, on the legislation, you're saying?

SHORT: Yes.

TAPPER: Yes. Xochitl, again, I believe that you are a person of faith and you are not only do you vote for Democrats, you are a Democrat.

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I am a Democrat and I am Catholic. And what I find interesting about his comments there is that we saw what we saw in Tarrant County recently was a 50 point shift from with Latino voters. And many Latino voters in places like Texas and all across the country are very Catholic. And you're seeing them switch from Republican to Democrat.

And so that is what I find interesting is instead of having a sort of positive message of faith and how we believe that we must be inclusive and, you know, the ICE tactics went too far and things like that. He is sort of turning off those voters that he actually once won, right? And so and he did target them with a message of faith through mail and T.V., et cetera. So it's interesting that he's doing this route. I feel like he's alienating some of these voters and I don't think it'll help in 2026.

TAPPER: So former Vice President Kamala Harris dusted off her 2024 campaign accounts today. She posted this video under the handle headquarters underscore six-seven. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Kamala HQ is turning into headquarters and it's where you can go online to get basically the latest of what's going on and also to meet and revisit with some of our great courageous leaders, be they elected leaders, community leaders, civic leaders, faith leaders, young leaders. I'm really excited about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The updated presence on tick tock connects is an effort to reach and turn out young voters ahead of the midterms. First of all, I think we can fairly say if this is if this six-seven references a reference to Gen Z doing six-seven, I think we can officially declare that meme dead if a presidential no offense to Kamala Harris, but if a presidential candidate is using it, I think. But what do you think?

SHORT: Look, I think there's nothing better for Republicans than for Kamala Harris to remain the face and leader of the Democrat Party and the extent that she's out doing that. It's going to continue to be good for our side. I think that, you know, for a lot of voters, there was obviously dissatisfaction with the four years of Biden-Harris. I think that her campaign was pretty lackluster. And so I think there's probably a bigger headache for Democrats right now to see her continuing to put herself out front.

TAPPER: So Xochitl, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno's chief of staff reacted by posting, "Wow, a six-seven joke in the handle to the kids will love it. No chance she crashes and burns against relaunching like this." What do you think?

[17:49:57]

HINOJOSA: I think she's trying to build her list for 2028 and she wants to -- it's under the guise of trying to help candidates and community leaders in 2026. I will say that I agree with you. I don't think it is helpful. And I don't think that some of these statewide candidates and these members of Congress will be using her as a surrogate unless you're in a place like California or maybe places that she won.

But I think that if you're in a swing state in a state that is a swing Republican or Dem district, you're probably not having her campaign there. Where she can be helpful, and I'm actually surprised about this, is she can give money to candidates.

TAPPER: Yes.

HINOJOSA: Instead of having a public sort of platform going out and giving speeches, having this Kamala HQ, if I were her, I would start raising money and start giving out checks to vulnerable Democrats in or or in Republican districts. And that it's unfortunate that that's what she's doing.

TAPPER: Well, that's certainly how you get friends.

HINOJOSA: That's how you get friends. And also, that's how you win. I mean, Democrats are being outspent across the country. You would think that she would try to raise for these Democrats.

TAPPER: So prominent infomercial salesman Vince Shlomi, a.k.a. the sham wow guy, is taking on eighty four year old incumbent Republican Congressman John Carter, who represents the northern suburbs of Austin, Texas. He's out there with an ad and describes John Carter as a guy who says, vote for me, a guy who's not half dead. Stop having a politician that's worse than Biden. You've seen the ad. What do you think?

SHORT: Look, John, Judge Carter has represented that area for quite a long time. This guy lives in California, has a part time residence in Miami. He doesn't even reside in Texas. He's not really spending money on this. He's just a showman who's looking to try and get attention. So I'd be really shocked if the sham wow guy ends up getting more votes in the primary district than Judge Carter does.

TAPPER: So Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner. You guys rooting for anybody in particular? No?

SHORT: No, my team's out.

TAPPER: Yes, me too. But in any case, here's a campaign ad from the conservative group One Nation backing Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine. Obviously, that is an important race for the midterms for Republicans. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When lives are on the line, they don't hesitate to run towards danger. Unfortunately, the same gear that protects them from deadly plagues can be hazardous to their health. Senator Susan Collins to the rescue. Susan helped introduce legislation that protects firefighters and first responders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So if you miss that on Sunday, it's also going to air during the Winter Olympics. Some people tune into the Super Bowl just to watch commercials. You think that one's going to stand out?

SHORT: I think it already has. I mean, the fact is we're talking about it here. I was hearing a lot of other shows today talking about the ad. I think very few people actually watch political ads anymore, Jake. I think a lot of consultants make money on those.

TAPPER: Yes.

SHORT: But in this case, if you're actually stirring other stories and getting more attention throughout other news cycles, then it's a productive ad.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks to both you. Appreciate it.

A new report shows layoffs are way up in America and hirings are at a notable low. Is there reason to worry or is this just a blip? We're going to get some context from our business team. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:57:11]

TAPPER: Our Money Lead today, not a good day for the U.S. economy. Wall Street adding to it, the Dow, the S&P, Nasdaq all ended their day down. And earlier today, we learned the estimated number of job openings in the U.S. dropped to about 6.5 million at the end of December. That's the lowest level since September 2020 during the pandemic. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is traffic -- tracking the numbers and the potential impact. Vanessa, what else stands out to you?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so investors were a bit nervous today as they got news about A.I. enhancements affecting the job market, but also two pieces of news regarding the labor market. The first came from Challenger Grain Christmas, which reported that in January, companies announced eight, excuse me, 108,000 layoffs. That is the most since 2009. And compare that to January of last year, up over 100 percent. So you're talking about twice as many layoffs this January as last January, compare that to just December a month ago, three times as many layoffs announced in the month of January compared to just a month ago.

The biggest companies reporting layoffs, you have Amazon and you also have UPS making up 40 percent of all layoffs that are coming in January. And that is simply because those two companies actually cut ties with one another. And those feed into the reasons of why companies have announced layoffs. The contract loss there between UPS and Amazon.

You also have people having questions about what the economy is actually looking like. Restructuring, closing of some companies and artificial intelligence. That has been creeping up in terms of reasons why companies have been announcing layoffs. Jake, that's not great for people looking for jobs right now, 6.5 million open jobs compared to the number of people looking for jobs right now, 7.5 million. Jake, you can do that math. That just makes it a harder market for people looking for a job today.

TAPPER: Vanessa, some other big news. For the first time in 15 months, Bitcoin fell below the $70,000 mark. What's going on there?

YURKEVICH: Yes, a notoriously volatile market to begin with, but certainly coming off some of those staggering highs that we have seen with Bitcoin. This is the nervousness that usually feeds into Wall Street, feeding into crypto. People are worried about geopolitical volatility that they've been seeing. Bitcoin often referred to as digital gold, which is considered a safe haven. So we're looking at the gold market, the silver market, usually safe haven assets for investors also feeling nervousness.

Look at this. Gold is up, trading about 4,800 an ounce. Just a week ago, 5,500 announced. Look at silver, 7,600 an ounce, excuse me, $76 an ounce. Just a week ago, $110 an ounce. You can just see how investors are still continuing to be nervous about what's happening with the overall economy right now. Jake?

[18:00:08]

TAPPER: All right, thank you so much, Vanessa Yurkevich.