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Partial Govt. Shutdown Expected to Last Until at Least Tomorrow; Trump's One-Time Weaponization Chief Expected to Depart Justice Department in the Coming Weeks; Trump Urges GOP to "Take Over" Voting Process, Nationalize Elections; "Today" Anchor Savannah Guthrie's Mom Missing; Crime Scene Found. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired February 02, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Now, this game, it's being called the "Malcolm Butler Revenge Game." This is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX that famously ended with Butler intercepting Russell Wilson at the goal line in the final seconds, winning the game for the Patriots. That robbed the Seahawks of back-to-back titles. But Seahawks fans, you know, of course, would certainly love to win this game here at Super Bowl LX and kind of put that game behind them.

Seattle is four and a half point favorites for this game. But Boris, the underdog has won the past three Super Bowls, so we'll see if that trend continues. Tonight's going to be opening night where both teams and coaches meet with the media. That's going to be over in San Jose.

And Boris, I know we've been covering it a lot, how a lot of places are digging out of the snow. Not here in the Bay Area. It's 65 and sunny, and it's going to be like that all week.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Looks quite nice out there, Andy Scholes. We look forward to more reports from San Francisco. Thank you so much.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Deal or No Deal: Can house speaker Mike Johnson get Republicans to agree to a deal cut by Democrats to end the partial government shutdown before it gets any worse?

And police in Arizona say they are dealing with a crime scene at the home of the missing mother of "Today" show anchor, Savannah Guthrie. Why police believe Nancy Guthrie did not leave her home on her own.

And a good night for Bad Bunny, the artist, with a historic win at last night's Grammy Awards, making a political statement ahead of next weekend's Super Bowl halftime show.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

Right now, on Capitol Hill, House Republican leaders are trying to move quickly to approve a spending package that would end the partial government shutdown. The final vote is expected as early as tomorrow, but with a very narrow majority. Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a tough test to get all of his members on board. The Senate agreed to a deal over the weekend that would fund most of

the government through September, but it only funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks, which would give both parties some time, at least, to negotiate reforms on immigration enforcement.

CNN's Manu Raju is on the Hill and is with us now.

Manu, where do things stand at this moment?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, right now, a number of Republicans are just coming in, meeting with Republican leaders to try to figure out how to proceed here and whether or not they will indeed have the votes to reopen the government, and that vote is expected to happen tomorrow. In fact, I just asked the House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, who's in charge of all federal spending, whether he's concerned. He does not have -- they don't have the votes to reopen the government. He says, I am concerned, and until we have the votes, I am concerned.

And that speaks to the moment that Mike Johnson is in right now, because the Speaker of the House needs Republican votes to reopen the government because the Democrats are not planning to cooperate to move ahead on this bill, at least not at this moment. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, told Mike Johnson over the weekend that they would not agree to fast-track this bill to approve it on Monday night.

If they took that procedure, it would require two-thirds of the full House to finalize this bill, but Johnson, Jeffries says they were not part of these negotiations, and now Johnson has to deal with it on his own and his very thin Republican majority, where he can only afford to lose one Republican vote on a party-line vote. And there are many Republicans, particularly on the right flank, who have voiced objections to this bill for various reasons, and a key vote is expected to happen tomorrow afternoon, the first procedural vote to take up this bill, where Republican votes would be needed. That is something to watch.

Mike Johnson, time and again, has struggled to pass procedural votes in the United States House, sometimes having to rely on President Trump himself to get directly involved, pressure lawmakers to fall in line, and will that happen here? That seems to be a very likely possibility if Republicans continue to hold out, because the longer this drags on, meaning that the shutdown will continue to drag on, and it doesn't just affect the Homeland Security Department.

Major federal agencies are now closed, like the Pentagon, Health and Human Services, Labor Department, thousands of employees of the federal government have been furloughed, questions about when they will return to work. The big question is when the House will get the votes, and if Mike Johnson can't get the votes on his own, he will need Democratic support, which means they'll have their own list of demands, which could delay things even further, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Manu, live for us from the Hill, thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: We turn now to some exclusive new reporting to CNN. Sources tell CNN that the man President Trump once picked to run his weaponization group is now expected to leave the Justice Department, not even a full year into his time there. CNN Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid helped break this story.

Paula, what more are you learning?

[15:05:00]

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So, Boris, we're learning more about Ed Martin. He was, of course, one of the most feared prosecutors in Washington, because he made it very clear he was going to use whatever power he had to implement President Trump's priorities. One source once referred to Ed Martin as Trump's favorite U.S. attorney.

But he was unable to secure a confirmation for that post, so he was sent over to the Justice Department, and President Trump announced that he had two jobs there. He was going to work on issues that they described as weaponization, so investigations into prosecutors who -- who investigated Trump, and also he would be the pardon attorney.

But now we're learning that once he got there, the Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanch, really tried to limit Martin's power, and that out of frustration, he is expected to leave in the coming weeks. Now, when we say his power was limited, we've learned, for example, in the weaponization group, that he was layered. There was someone sort of put over him, so he wasn't able to really work on those issues. One source suggests, though, that Ed Martin really wasn't doing a whole lot on the weaponization group.

Now, when it comes to being pardon attorney, we're told that's where he's working. He's working in the pardon attorney's office. He's helping to review applications, but we know, Boris, most pardon decisions are ultimately made inside the White House.

So, Martin is expected to leave the Justice Department in the coming weeks. It's unclear exactly where he's going to go, but a source told us he has been at the White House for the last week.

This is breaking news, so we don't have a graphic, but I do want to get in the Justice Department's official statement. They say, quote, "President Trump appointed Ed Martin as pardon attorney, and Ed continues to do a great job in that role."

SANCHEZ: Really fascinating, especially given that the other story you've been working on today is about this weaponization group.

REID: Yes.

SANCHEZ: The fact that they were launched, what, a -- a year ago, they haven't come out with anything publicly, but we just learned that they're now -- now going to start meeting every day with the goal of getting something out to the public within the next two months. A bit too much of a coincidence for him to be leaving as this is happening, right? REID: Yes, exactly. We have asked if Ed Martin was invited to that

meeting today, because this is an effort, now that they have some of the Epstein file reviewed behind them, they have more resources freed up, more mind share to deliver on these priorities for the President. He has admonished recently Justice Department officials for not delivering on his -- his key investigations that he believes should be pursued.

Now, some people believe Trump even saying that is the weaponization of the Justice Department, but this group is meeting. They're expected to meet every day to try to deliver on this in the next few months. It's unclear if Ed Martin was invited to this meeting, but that weaponization group, that would have been a really powerful post, the director of that group, but again, he has not really been serving in that role. He says he was layered. Other sources tell us that he wasn't doing much, so lots of intrigue today over at Maine (ph) Justice, but this is significant, because there are a lot of concerns about how the Justice Department is -- is being used, and who is able to wield power is a very important question.

SANCHEZ: Now, we'll see where Ed Martin winds up next, whether the White House or -- or somewhere else in the administration. Paula Reid, thanks so much for the exclusive reporting. Appreciate it.

Still to come, President Trump now calling on Republicans to nationalize future elections just days after the FBI searched a Fulton County, Georgia elections office.

Plus, officials in Arizona asking for the public's help after Savannah Guthrie's mother is reported missing, her home now being described as a crime scene.

We also have some breaking news into CNN. The shooting death of Alex Pretti has officially been classified as a homicide. That is according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner. It's now been nine days since the ICU nurse was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. We're going to stay on top of this story and bring you the latest developments as we come back.

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[15:13:03]

KEILAR: President Trump is now calling on Republicans to nationalize future elections. He floated the idea during an interview today with Dan Bongino, who, of course, is the former deputy director of the FBI. And it comes just days after the FBI searched a Fulton County, Georgia elections office and seized 700 boxes of election materials as part of an investigation into alleged voter fraud in the county. Georgia and Fulton County in particular, long been a target of Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Republicans should say we want to take over. We should take over the voting -- the voting in at least many -- 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. And we have states that are so crooked and they're counting votes. We have states that I won that show I didn't win. Now, you're going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with the court order, the ballots. You're going to see some interesting things come out. But, you know, like the 2020 election, I won that election by so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by John Jones. He's a former U.S. district judge in Pennsylvania.

I wonder what you think it would mean to do what President Trump is describing here.

JOHN E. JONES III, FORMER CHIEF JUDGE, U.S. MIDDLE DISTRICT COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA: Hey, Brianna, it's good to be with you.

Well, it's flatly unconstitutional. Article I Section 4 of the United States Constitution gives state legislatures the power to regulate the time, place and manner of elections for U.S. representatives and senators. So, I -- I -- I don't mean this disrespectfully, but I mean it directly. The President of the United States needs to read the Constitution. What he's proposing is -- is not legal.

KEILAR: He references the FBI search last week of the Fulton County election office where they took those 700 boxes of election materials.

[15:15:00]

And you also have the Trump administration suing 23 states and the District of Columbia for voter information. The Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has linked the immigration crackdown in Minnesota to her agency's demand for the state's unredacted voter rolls. Put together, how are you viewing these efforts?

JONES: Well, two points I would make, Brianna. First, I read today, as you probably did, that the President got on Tulsi Gabbard's cell phone and congratulated the agents who enacted -- the FBI agents who enacted the search of the Fulton County Election Bureau. That's unprecedented. I've never heard of anything like that. And it's a further interference, my view, with the independence of -- of the justice system and the investigatory functions of the -- the justice system.

In -- in terms of the rest of -- of what he's trying to do to get the voter information, I think the defense to that is clearly going to be what I just mentioned, which is Article I Section 4. The states don't have to give that up. It's within the purview of the states to maintain that. And I -- I see no reason that that should be given up to the federal government. It -- it's really a backdoor way, I think, Brianna, of trying to federalize elections because it can't be done in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

KEILAR: So, I mean, this idea of nationalization, as the President calls it, how does that play out if states find themselves having to fight it? I mean, is this just as simple as court cases proceeding up to the Supreme Court? What do you think?

JONES: Well, I -- it's -- it -- you know, it's flatly unconstitutional. But knowing this administration, which tends to strong arm its way into things, if -- if it begins to issue, for example, executive orders ordering states to do certain things with respect to time, place and manner of elections, yes, you're exactly right. They're going to have to take the administration to court.

And as has happened so many times since January the 20th of last year, they're going to have to challenge these executive orders as being unconstitutional. There's not going to be legislation passed to do this. I -- I -- even a pliant Congress isn't -- I don't think is going to pass legislation that -- that flies in the face of the clear dictates of the Constitution.

But I wouldn't put -- put it past the administration to have executive orders. And -- and that's the way they'd have to be challenged.

KEILAR: How do you see this in the President's broader legal push against people who investigated him before and those who are his perceived political enemies?

JONES: Well, you just mentioned Ed Martin leaving the Department of Justice. And, you know, it's curious to me that at -- you know, as somebody who worked closely with the Department of Justice for 20 years when I was on the federal bench, the ironically named weaponization task force, you know, if you have -- if this wasn't so serious, it'd be funny. Because what we've seen is a systemic weaponization of the Department of Justice. And I think maybe because it's what have you done for me lately in this administration, Mr. Martin had to fall on his sword because of all these failed prosecutions. But I don't expect that to stop at this point.

And now, we're looking for the holy grail, which might prove the narrative that the election was stolen in 2020. And, you know, 60 separate lawsuits were -- 60 plus separate lawsuits were resolved, finding no evidence of fraud in that election, including one by my successor as chief judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

So, I, you know, I don't know what we're looking for here, but I'll bet you that that search didn't reveal anything meaningful in terms of fraud in Fulton County.

KEILAR: Judge John Jones, always great to get your perspective. Thank you.

And coming up, authorities are investigating the disappearance of "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother as a crime, and they are asking the public for help. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:23:55]

SANCHEZ: A search for the mother of NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie is taking a more urgent turn. Officials are now asking for the public's health -- help in finding Nancy Guthrie. Video just into CNN shows the exterior of her home. Police say this is now a crime scene. The 84-year-old was last seen Saturday night near her home in suburban Tucson, Arizona. CNN's Josh Campbell is following the details here.

Josh, what more are you learning?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, this has certainly taken a dire direction now. What started out as a missing person's case is now being called a crime by the sheriff's officials there in Arizona. As you mentioned, Nancy Guthrie went missing. She was last seen on Saturday evening. When she didn't show up at church on Sunday, that's when people got concerned. The authorities were eventually called. They launched this investigation working throughout the night. It's a large search team trying to find her to no avail.

The sheriff spoke just a short time ago. I'll play you some of that. He talked about the shift in this investigation based on what they found at the home.

[15:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: We believe now after we've processed that crime scene that we do in fact have a crime scene. This is not a dementia-related. She is as sharp as a tack. The family wants everybody to know this isn't somebody who just wandered off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, there is a big question still if it's a crime scene, a crime committed by whom? Authorities have not indicated any information about a possible suspect nor are they detailing exactly what they found at the residence that now has led them to believe some type of crime was involved in this. They're keeping that information close to the vest right now. What they are doing is appealing to the public, particularly neighbors in and around that Tucson area, asking them to proactively go through things such as doorbell camera footage to see if they might have seen anything suspicious.

They say they're also using license plate readers to try to determine if they can identify any possible suspect vehicle that may have come to the residence and then departed. Still major questions obviously and that is, you know, chief among them, where is she? Authorities have not indicated that they know the answer to that question yet. Obviously, a heartbreaking story. Everyone hoping, you know, the best for Savannah and her -- her family and her mother, but just a -- a different shift now in this investigation.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we're hoping for some good news on this soon. Josh Campbell, thank you so much for that report.

Liam Ramos and his father are back home in Minnesota after a federal judge ordered their release, slamming the White House's immigration crackdown. The details after a quick break.

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