Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Officials Plead for Public's Help in Search for Nancy Guthrie; Trump Doubles Down on Call to Nationalize Elections; Players Extol the Coaches Who Led them to Super Bowl LX. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired February 04, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, a possible ransom note tied to the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, now three days since she was taken from her Arizona home. Police are begging the public for help.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And new developments from the Epstein files. Melinda Gates is opening up describing the unbelievable sadness of seeing her ex-husband mentioned in the latest drop of documents. And this morning, Bill Gates is responding in a new interview.

And an amazing story of survival made possible by a teenager. He swam for miles through choppy seas to save his mother and siblings after they were swept from shore clean just to a paddleboard.

John Berman is out today. I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, the search for Savannah Guthrie's mother becomes even more urgent. 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday when she did not show up for church. Police believe she was abducted from her home. And TMZ is now saying that it received what appears to be a ransom note that they have now turned over to investigators. That note has not been verified, but at least one other local newsroom in Tucson says they have received a ransom note as well.

The sheriff in Pima County saying right now it is unclear if one or multiple suspects could be involved. There is just so many questions, many clearly more than answers at this point are surrounding this entire investigation.

They do say that they're combing through digital evidence, like license plate readers, surveillance video from around the neighborhood, and also working through, they're saying, any data that may be available about a pacemaker.

Nancy Guthrie has been missing now for more than three days, and authorities are still begging for the public to help.

CNN's Maribel Gonzalez is in Pima County, Arizona, with much more on this. Maribel, what is the latest that you're picking up? MARIBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. There's still so many lingering questions in this case, starting with most importantly, where is Nancy Guthrie? You know, right now investigators are not shedding any information on whether there's a suspect in this case, whether there are multiple suspects, and whether there is a motive or direct evidence right now indicating that this was a targeted incident. For now, the Pima County Sheriff says that is not the case. They don't believe that that is the case right now.

Now, as you mentioned, these media outlets have received what appears to be these ransom notes. Those have been forwarded to authorities. The Pima County Sheriff says they are taking every lead seriously, they're trying to vet every single lead, every tip that can help with their investigation. And they have confirmed to CBS that they have forwarded those ransom notes to the Guthrie family. Here's more on what he had to say on this subject.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there anything in that note that seems credible at this moment that you were giving weight to?

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: The entire note. That's what I would --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The entire note?

NANOS: When the note comes to us, we look it's like any piece of evidence. You give it to us, you give us a lead. We're going to look at every aspect of that lead and work it as a lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you're not dismissing this note at this point?

NANOS: Absolutely not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is potentially credible?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GONZALEZ: Now, we also pressed the sheriff on details of whether or not there was a forced entry in the Guthrie home, whether there was blood recovered in or around the scene, and whether or not there were specific suspects that had been identified or any sort of leads. Again, the sheriff declined to share specific details, but did say that they have evidence from the scene to indicate that Guthrie was taken against her will. This is not a case, they say, of someone who just walked away.

Now again, at this time, they are not -- they're saying that they don't have direct evidence to indicate that this was a targeted incident, but investigators continue to stress to the public that they need their help with any sort of videos, tips, or photos that can help bring Ms. Nancy home. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And we're showing that tip line. We were just then showing the tip line, the FBI tip line right there on the screen next to you. Maribel, thank you so much for that.

[07:05:01]

Sara?

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Kate.

Every passing minute in this case is critical and it is obviously agonizing for the entire Guthrie family. But they are holding out hope that she will return home safely.

CNN's Brian Stelter is joining us now. What are you learning from the Guthrie family? Savannah is -- we know they're on the ground trying to help find her mother.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, I did speak with a source close to the family who said, time is of the essence, emphasizing what we've heard from local law enforcement as well, that Nancy Guthrie needs her medications and that she's in grave jeopardy without them.

Here's the most notable. Telling quote from this source close to the family, talking about whoever could be out there with information, whoever could have abducted her who might be listening right now, the quote is whomever has her, could drop her off at any fire station, any hospital, any grocery store, and there would be no questions asked. That's what a source close to the family wanted to relay.

So, that really speaks to this information void that continues to exist as the search enters the fourth day, this idea that the abductor could be out there, could be watching the coverage and that they could drop Nancy Guthrie off at any time and just make this all over, let this end this, horrible nightmare end for the family.

Now, recognizing the sensitive nature of the situation, the Guthrie family has also been trying to keep some of the details of the investigation out of the press, out of the media, that that has been a lot easier said than done. And, certainly, there's been an appreciation for all of the local and national media coverage getting the tip line out there, getting Nancy's photo out there, helping spread the word. But there is some concern that some of the sensitive details about the crime scene or about the investigation do need to be held close as investigators try to figure out who could be the suspect.

Guthrie, her siblings, they remain in the Tucson area to assist the investigation in any way that they can. But as I said, Sara, this information void is becoming even more apparent as the sun begins to rise across the U.S. and people wake up hoping to hear maybe there was some development overnight, but there doesn't seem to have been a breakthrough overnight in this case.

SIDNER: It is just awful. Can you give us some sense of how this is being received and what kind of support they have been getting to family from even complete strangers learning of this situation that they are now in? STELTER: Yes, and all the way up to President Trump, who talked about this yesterday, who expressed his sympathies to Savannah Guthrie, someone who has interviewed him over the years. NBC now calling this a race against time and mobilizing all of its considerable resources to support one of its best known stars.

You know, if you think about this from a little bit of a zoomed out level, people do go missing in the U.S. every day, but this particular story has people's stomachs in knots. They're thinking about the importance of family and also, you know, the fragility of life itself. And, of course, certain crimes do break through in the public consciousness for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it's the type of crime, sometimes it's the victim, sometimes it's the suspect. In this case, it's about the connection to one of the best known television personalities in the world.

And as our colleague, Brianna Keilar, said the other day, to know Savannah is to love her and to know how much she loves her mom. This is so relatable in that way. And, again, that's why it has so many people's stomachs turned up in knots this morning.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, it's also because this is a woman who we know has mobility issues and just disappears from her bed. It is unconscionable to think that someone would do something like this.

Brian Stelter, thank you so much for your reporting on this and we just want to give the tip line now. You saw the local police tip line. There is also an FBI tip line, 1-800-CALL-FBI, if you have any details, any information on this case.

All right, ahead, President Trump doubling down on his push to federalize elections, saying states are, quote, agents of the federal government. That's not what the Constitution says.

And new overnight, Bill Gates apologizing for spending time with Jeffrey Epstein after his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, says her former husband has questions to answer over the latest Epstein files dump. Bill Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

And how did a kangaroo end up blocking traffic in Virginia?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't even know if the last one would've worked on it. Like I said, you get out the car and she's already across the field.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, President Trump is doubling down on his calls to essentially throw out the Constitution, at least parts of it, and take over voting operations in more than a dozen states across the country. He first -- as we talked about yesterday, he first said this on a podcast, and then he was asked to clarify, and he did clarify, it appears, defending his call for Republicans to nationalize elections, saying, here's the quote, the federal government should get involved, at least it appears in the places where he doesn't like how the votes have turned out in the past, like the election he lost in 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Take a look at Detroit. Take a look at Pennsylvania. Take a look at Philadelphia. You go take a look at Atlanta. Look at some of the places that are -- horrible corruption on elections. And the federal government should not allow that. The federal government should get involved.

[07:15:00]

These are agents of the federal government to count the votes. If they can't count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House for us with much more. So, what now, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And it is just so striking to hear the president kind of redouble these calls to nationalize elections, particularly because a few hours beforehand, the White House had tried walking it back, and many Republicans said that they didn't agree with the president on this idea, in no small part, because the Constitution says that states administer elections, that they're governed, you know, by local municipalities.

Remember, President Trump first raised this in a podcast interview with Dan Bongino. He said that, quote, Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. He called for Republican officials to, quote, take over voting procedures in 15 states, although he didn't name them.

When Laroline Leavitt, the press secretary, was asked about that yesterday, before the president appeared in the Oval Office, she said that he had actually been talking about this pending legislation on Capitol Hill that would require people to produce photo I.D.s before they registered to vote. Listen to what Karoline Leavitt said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What does President Trump mean when he says Republicans ought to nationalize voting? What does that look like in practice?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What the president was referring to is the SAFE Act, which is a huge common sense piece of legislation that Republicans have supported, that President Trump is committed to signing into law during his term, and he's spoke with the speaker directly about that yesterday about the need to get that bill on the floor for a vote because it provides very common sense measures for voting in our country, such as voter I.D.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, President Trump actually made no mention of the SAFE Act either in that podcast interview, or in the Oval Office a few hours later. Instead, he said, quote, I want to see elections be honest. And if a state can't run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it, referring to the members of Congress who are joining him there in the Oval Office.

All of this seems to point to a broader effort by the president to sow distrust in elections, of course, months before the midterms in November, all of it, of course, undergirded by his unsubstantiated claims that elections are rigged. Kate?

BOLDUAN: That's right. Kevin, thank you so much for keeping track of it. I really appreciate it. Let's see what clarification comes, or not, today.

Also happening right now, the U.S., Ukraine, Russia, all sitting down together just as President Trump says that Vladimir Putin, he believes, kept his word when he was talking about a temporary pause in fighting, as Kyiv is now freezing in the dark after a massive Russian strike.

And Shohei Ohtani has a new gig. The all-star picture is not leaving L.A., do not freak out, but he is now also a children's book author,

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

SIDNER: The Battle of the Mikes is set as the Seahawks take on the Patriots in Super Bowl 60. The head coaches with the same first name will be going head to head as they lead their teams in Santa Clara, California.

Here with me now is CNN's Carolyn Manno. We have the Battle of the Mikes every single day on this show, because we have several of them working here. We know how vicious it can be.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hopefully, they're not too physical with one another. Hopefully it doesn't get physical on Sunday. It is surprising, we've talked about this, that both of these teams are back on the stage, similar names and similar stories, really, when you think about it. I mean, in just his second year at the helm, Seattle's coach Mike McDonald and the youngest head coach in the league right now have been praised for modernizing the Seahawks' culture as he attempts to create this new identity separate from the Legion of Boom that most people associate the Seahawks with. And after this dominant 14-3 regular season, his reputation is that of a defensive wizard, a quarterback whisperer to Sam Darnold, who's had this incredible career resurgence under his leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEONARD WILLIAMS, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS DEFENSIVE TACKLE: He's just a super smart guy. We always joke about how he has a little bit of A.I. tendencies about him. Like we said, that he's like been planted and he is learning how to be human day by day. But I think he's just tremendously smart. We joke about having a -- you need a Harvard education to play his defense,

JARRAN REED, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS DEFENSIVE TACKLE: He demands greatness from us. And you have to have that as a player. You know, you can't shy away from the work, so you got to put the ground in to be able to go each and every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: On the other sideline, Mike Vrabel could become the first person to win a Super Bowl as a player and a head coach for the same franchise after having won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots. He has quickly won his team over in the first year at the helm. Players have talked a lot about how he's shifted away from the colder approach of the past, really emphasized this strong personal connection with the roster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREVEYON HENDERSON, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS RUNNING BACK: He's really passionate and he's done a really good job of just leading this team and helping us get to where we are now. And guys respect him a lot, you know? You know, he cares so much about us, not just as players, but as human beings, and I really respect him a lot for that.

KAYSHON BOUTTE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIDE RECEIVER: He's great playing for Coach Vrabel. I mean, hear the reason why we're here today, came in, talked about identity. Everybody believed in it. And, I mean, I would say it paid off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Also something of an intriguing coaching matchup at last night's Pro Bowl in San Francisco, you had the local icon, Jerry Rice and Steve Young, with the clipboards, which added this great layer of nostalgia.

The NFC ended up winning 66-52 and a flag football shootout that really felt more like a video game than a traditional NFL matchup. But for those who were into it, Jamar Chase had the play of the night, this spectacular one-handed interception that he returned for a touchdown, followed by the back flip. Biggest win here, whether you're pro or anti-pro bowls, that everybody walked off the field healthy in this game.

And, finally, for you this morning, there is nothing that global superstar and reigning World Series MVP Shohei Ohtani can't do, the four-time MVP adding the title of children's book author to his resume. The Dodgers' superstar's first book called Decoy Saves Opening Day, published by Harper Collins on Tuesday.

[07:25:03]

It's a story about his dog, Decoy, tasked with throwing out the first pitch to Ohtani, but he forgets his lucky baseball at home and has to race to get it in time for the big throw.

And, of course, Sara, selfishly, I would say, when this story was alerted to me, I immediately bought it from my six-month-old is going in our nursery. And as I was checking, it's a top seller on Amazon, and I thought, of course, it is because it's Shohei Ohtani,

SIDNER: But also it makes you like an even more that he has a dog that he loves so much, he wrote a book about him.

MANNO: Yes.

SIDNER: Oh, I love it so much. And we're going to be telling people who won the Westminster Dog Show as well that was here in New York.

MANNO: Okay. We'll give it away.

SIDNER: So, it's a whole dog show.

MANNO: But I love a great story. I love the winner, so good.

SIDNER: I know. It's so sweet. Okay. Thank you, Carolyn.

MANNO: You're welcome.

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, for the first time, Bill Gates is now publicly trying to explain the emails he wrote that were revealed in the Epstein files. His ex-wife has something to say about them too.

And speaking of which, this is Penny. She's worth more than gold. Ahead, meet the winner of the Westminster Dog Show

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]