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Benghazi Attack Arrest; Senior Russian General Shot; Jeffrey Epstein Pursued Novel Genetic Testing?; U.S.-Iranian Talks; Search For Nancy Guthrie Continues. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 06, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

OLIVER LIBBY, AUTHOR, "STRONG FLOOR, NO CEILING: BUILDING A NEW FOUNDATION FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM": Twenty-seven percent of Americans believe that there's an American dream. There's no 9/11 or Pearl Harbor that can destroy America. That can.

And so if people believe, hopefully, that we can do a strong floor with no ceiling, then we have the hope to relight the American dream.

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Thank you so much for being here, Oliver Libby.

And, again, a strong floor, no ceiling is something, if you're paying attention to politics, which people who watch INSIDE POLITICS probably are, have heard. Congratulations. And thanks for coming in and explaining it.

LIBBY: Thank you for having me.

BASH: Thank you for joining INSIDE POLITICS.

Join me on "STATE OF THE UNION" this Sunday. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries will be on the show, along with Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Hope to see you at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Ransom revelations. What we are now learning about the purported notes, as the search for Nancy Guthrie enters its sixth day. Her son now issuing a new plea for her return.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, U.S. and Iranian officials gathering for high-stakes nuclear talks, negotiations taking place as the Trump administration ramps up its military buildup in the Middle East.

And a new, bizarre twist from the latest release of the Jeffrey Epstein files -- how the convicted sex offender was trying to extend his life using novel genetic testing.

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

KEILAR: Today, we're learning some new details about these purported ransom notes in the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother.

TMZ was one of three media outlets to receive one of the letters via e-mail. And speaking with CNN, TMZ's founder, Harvey Levin, says the note they received began by stating that Nancy Guthrie is -- quote -- "OK, but scared." But it provided no way for the Guthrie family to contact her alleged captors.

Levin said the note also may have detailed information that only someone privy to the case would know. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARVEY LEVIN, FOUNDER, TMZ: They do mention an Apple Watch, as the FBI said, and they do mention the floodlight, the damaged floodlight. There is something else, and it is the placement of the Apple Watch which has not come out, and if that placement is accurate, I'm sure that is something that puts this letter on the FBI's radar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We now also know that the apparent ransom note included two deadlines. The first expired yesterday at 5:00 p.m. There's a second deadline that is next Monday.

And, last night, Nancy Guthrie's son Camron issued another plea for his mother's safe return.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMRON GUTHRIE, SON OF NANCY GUTHRIE: Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.

But, first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I'm joined now by CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller.

John, how critical is this moment as the Guthrie family is trying to establish communications with her kidnappers? And how unusual is it that these alleged kidnappers would not have provided that communications avenue?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, the kidnapper starts the note, according to Harvey Levin, by saying this will be the only contact. There will be no further contact. So they have tried to create a one-way channel of communication with a demand for money.

The second plea from the family, which was limited to, we need to talk to you, we need to know our mom's OK, and we need to know you actually have her, was them reaching out again, with shows, after their first plea, apparently no contact was made.

If we don't hear anything in the next couple of days, that could be because contact is made and that they are talking, and we probably won't hear anything. And if by the end of the weekend, they issue another plea to be in contact, we know that they're not hearing it.

The problem is that the kidnapper has to show some kind of proof of life, some kind of legitimacy that they have her and she's OK, or it's just as likely that they're not who they're claiming to be and it could be a hoax. So it's very critical.

KEILAR: Yes, exactly right.

And we're also learning these new details about the cameras around Nancy Guthrie's property. The sheriff is now confirming a front door camera is missing. Tell us what you're learning.

MILLER: So the front door camera goes missing about 45 minutes before authorities believe she leaves the house, which shows someone was on the set there -- on the property and removed that camera, because it disconnects from the system. And it used to be on a bracket right by the front door.

[13:05:06]

That is not a camera that records or saves video because of the nature of the subscription. But another sensor later at, I think, 2:12 detects movement around the house. And then at 2:28, you see that her pacemaker disconnects its Bluetooth connection with the iPhone.

What that suggests is, somebody arrived, removed the front door camera, may have been in the house for at least 16 minutes because of the movement sensor and the disconnection of the phone when she's removed from the property, and, of course, the ominous idea that there is blood outside the front door on that step, which indicates she may have been injured in a struggle with whoever took her or whatever occurred there.

KEILAR: John Miller, thank you so much for the very latest there. We appreciate it -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: We're seeing positive signals today out of Oman, where a delegation of U.S. officials held high-stakes talks with Iran's top diplomat.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke through an intermediary with the Iranian foreign minister, who said the discussions were a good start. Tensions have been escalating between the two nations since last summer's strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and then the mobilization of more U.S. forces into the region since.

CNN's Kylie Atwood has been following these latest discussions.

So where do the talks go from here?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a good question.

It's noteworthy that both sides, according to the Iranian foreign minister and a source I spoke with, have agreed to continue these talks. We don't know exactly when that's going to take place. We don't know where it's going to take place. It doesn't sound like a major development, obviously, Boris, but it is significant given the context here, which is we have seen these aggressive threats against Iran by President Trump.

We know that there have been considerations for striking Iran by Trump administration officials in recent weeks. So the expectations going into these talks were not all that high. The fact that they are going to have follow-on talks is critical here.

And we should also note that the Iranian foreign minister said that they could discuss frameworks for future talks. So, effectively, it looked like it was talks about future talks that they had today, but it is noteworthy that they are going to continue having them and also that we haven't heard from the Trump administration yet, but they haven't come out saying that these were negative talks in any way, shape, or form yet.

SANCHEZ: Yes, just the fact that they're having a conversation is noteworthy, given where relations have been.

Separately, we have some new details about a Chinese nuclear test.

ATWOOD: Yes.

So, yesterday, the Trump administration allowed New START, which was the final treaty between the United States and Russia when it comes to nuclear arms control, to expire. And this morning, there was a speech by the top State Department official on arms control who gave us some new information, Boris, saying that there was -- China had conducted a yield-producing nuclear test in 2020.

That's the first time that we have heard from a U.S. official that China actually conducted a nuclear test in recent years. We have heard U.S. officials say that that is one of their concerns, particularly because China is building up their nuclear program. They're set to have about 1,000 warheads, if not more, by 2030.

That's very concerning to U.S. officials. It is one of the major reasons that the Trump administration said that they allowed New START to expire. They believe that a new treaty is necessary right now, not just between the United States and Russia, but also including China. That's going to be a really tall task, though, because China hasn't demonstrated any interest in coming to the table for strategic nuclear talks.

SANCHEZ: We will see if that changes, given that the president is set to meet with Xi Jinping later this year.

ATWOOD: Good point.

SANCHEZ: Kylie Atwood, thank you so much. ATWOOD: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Still to come: new details about Jeffrey Epstein's efforts to extend his own life using novel genetic testing.

Plus: a senior Russian general shot in Moscow, the Kremlin now pointing the finger at Ukraine.

And later: Lindsey Vonn passing a key test before competing in the Winter Olympics with a ruptured ACL. How is she even doing this?

We will discuss next on CNN.

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[13:13:44]

SANCHEZ: So, a week after the latest release of Epstein documents, we're learning the convicted sex offender paid for experimental testing to apparently explore extending his life.

KEILAR: Yes, the files reveal e-mails and also an invoice from a Boston doctor whom Epstein paid to sequence his genes and look into editing genes so that he might live longer.

The communications took place several years after Epstein's 2008 conviction on charges tied that ultimately made him a sex offender.

And CNN's Sarah Owermohle looked through the Epstein records to report this story.

Sarah, this is odd. I mean, what do these e-mails show?

SARAH OWERMOHLE, CNN HEALTH POLICY REPORTER: Right.

So they show that, in 2013 and '14, Jeffrey Epstein was essentially looking at harnessing his own genetic material to learn more about what risks of diseases he had, but also if he could extend his life, if he could explore mutations in those genes that could increase longevity.

And so while they started with, as he said, the genome sequencing, they were talking about doing things like very novel treatments that would edit his genes and even doing broader studies that could teach him more about just the use of genetics and genetic changes.

SANCHEZ: Interesting.

What do we know about the doctor behind this, Joseph Thakuria?

[13:15:01]

OWERMOHLE: Yes, Dr. Thakuria, he worked at Massachusetts General Hospital at the time.

He was a pediatric geneticist. So, one of his interests that he says in the e-mails is actually about studying how to use these treatments for children who are sick. And while it was very novel treatment at the time, it's worth noting that they are being studied that way.

He's also -- he's not accused of any kind of wrongdoing himself. And in a statement to CNN, he did say that -- I can read of part of it -- that he was a physician researcher and Epstein was a research subject. He feels terrible for what the victims went through and regrets not knowing about his background or the extent of his crimes at the time.

KEILAR: This genetic testing, we should note, it wasn't the only time that Epstein was sort of looking at this kind of thing, right?

OWERMOHLE: No, not at all.

We know from previous document releases, we know from previous reporting that he really cultivated a lot of relationships with people in these fields that he was interested in, whether it's genetics, evolutionary biology. He donated a lot of funds both before his 2008 conviction and after towards these types of causes. So I think we will be seeing a little bit more about that too.

SANCHEZ: Wild.

Sarah Owermohle, thanks so much for the reporting.

OWERMOHLE: Thank you for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

So, a top Russian general tied to the Ukraine war shot, seriously wounded in Moscow, he's also been linked to toxic nerve agent attacks in England. That story is next.

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[13:20:54]

KEILAR: Russian investigators are scrambling at this hour to find a gunman who shot one of the country's top generals.

This attack in Moscow is only the latest against a Russian military official, and the target in this case is accused of orchestrating attacks on Ukrainian civilians and arranging a toxic nerve agent attack in England.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another one of Vladimir Putin's top generals targeted right here in Moscow. This time, it was the deputy head of Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev.

Now, the investigative committee here in Russia says, in the early morning hours of this morning, he was gunned down inside a residential building in the northwest of Moscow. The investigative committee says so far they have not apprehended any suspects. However, they are saying that there is forensic work going on, that they are going through surveillance camera, video, CCTV video, and have also talked to eyewitnesses as well.

The lieutenant general himself, the Russians say, is in a hospital now and, as they put it, in serious condition. Now, this is not the first time top Russian military officials were targeted here in the Russian capital. In fact, about a month ago, a top military commander was killed in a car bomb incident here in the Russian capital.

And at the end of 2024, there was a major car bombing also here in Moscow that killed another top military official. So far, the Russians say they do not have a suspect, they don't know who is behind this.

However, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has come out and blamed the Ukrainians and accused the Ukrainians of trying to derail a negotiations process that, of course, is going on at the moment.

The Ukrainians themselves have not commented on the matter, but the Kremlin has, the Kremlin saying they understand that their top military brass is at risk, of course, with the military operation in Ukraine ongoing. At the same time, they also say that they wish the general a recovery, and a speedy one, at that.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Fred for that report.

The Justice Department today is announcing the arrest of a -- quote -- "key participant" in the 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya.

CNN's Evan Perez was there for today's announcement.

Evan, walk us through what they announced.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the FBI took custody of Zubayar al-Bakoush, is, according to the prosecutors, according to the Justice Department, a member of Ansar al-Sharia, which took -- a group that took credit for the attack on the Benghazi consulate where, you remember Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed back in 2012.

And so the Justice Department has been trying to get a number of people who were alleged to have participated in that attack. In this case, al-Bakoush has been under indictment for about 10 years now, and this indictment was only unsealed when he landed here in Washington, D.C., area early this morning.

Now, we don't really know much about the circumstances of his arrest, how did they take him into custody. He was handed over to the FBI in the last 24 hours and they brought him here. He is now going to face charges, including terrorism and arson. And, again, he's now the third person that has been brought to justice here in the United States to face charges related to that attack.

SANCHEZ: Wow. That's a significant step.

You were also there for the press availability where they answered questions about this raid of a Fulton County elections office in Georgia.

PEREZ: Right.

SANCHEZ: What did they say about that?

PEREZ: Well, the unusual thing about that is obviously not only the fact that they're reinvestigating or appear to be reinvestigating the bogus claims that the president has made that there was vote fraud sufficient to turn the election back in 2020.

So what we did was we asked whether the presence of Tulsi Gabbard, the office -- the director of national intelligence, what was she doing there, who sent her there? There have been a number of different explanations from the administration on this.

Listen to the answer from Pam Bondi, the attorney general.

[13:25:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: DNI Gabbard and I are inseparable. We are constantly together, as are the people behind us. We constantly talk. We collaborate as a Cabinet. We're all extremely close, know what each other -- what we're doing at all times pretty much to keep not only our country safe, but our world safe.

And she was down there with Deputy Director Andrew Bailey of the FBI. And I'm not going to talk about any other details of that matter right now, because Georgia is a very important issue to us.

She was there. We're inseparable. That's all I will say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: Inseparable, according to the attorney general.

So, listen, the reason why this matters is this. The president of the United States just in the last few days said that he has no idea why Tulsi Gabbard was there, that Pam Bondi, the attorney general, had sent her there.

Now, Gabbard, for her part, sent a letter to Congress saying that the president told her to be there. And so it appears that we cannot get the story straight as to who -- why Tulsi Gabbard was there.

Now, I followed up with the attorney general at the end of that press conference. And I asked her, are you concerned that the presidents of Tulsi Gabbard in a law enforcement operation, which is -- again, she has no reason to be there. SANCHEZ: Yes.

PEREZ: That that would taint whatever the FBI is doing, whatever investigation it was doing?

And she said, absolutely not. So, again, we don't know what this will turn into, what investigation is actually happening here. The fact that the 2020 election has been investigated over and over again, including by Trump's own Justice Department in the first term, it really makes you wonder what exactly is happening.

SANCHEZ: And his former Attorney General Bill Barr saying repeatedly there was no fraud in the 2020 election. So...

PEREZ: Right. There was certainly not enough fraud to make a difference in the election.

SANCHEZ: Right.

PEREZ: And keep in mind, Georgia was not the only state he lost.

SANCHEZ: Right.

PEREZ: So, even if he had won Georgia, he still would have lost the election.

SANCHEZ: Evan Perez, thank you so much for the reporting.

Ahead, the latest on the search for Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy. What we're learning about the apparent ransom notes sent to media outlets.

Stay with us.

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