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FBI Says No Proof Of Line, No Further Contact Tied To Ransom Letter; FDA Approves Use Of Another Natural Food Dye; Trump Administration Launches Drug Platform TrumpRx; U.S. Strikes Another Boat In Eastern Pacific, Killing Two; Funeral Home Owner To Be Sentenced For Abusing Decomposing Bodies; Tiny Michelangelo Sketch Of A Foot Brings Auction Record $27.2 Million. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 06, 2026 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:18]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Right now, officials are scrambling to determine if several purported ransom notes sent to media outlets in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance are legitimate.

Her family has made another direct appeal to their mother's kidnapper or kidnappers on social media. Let's discuss with CNN Law Enforcement Contributor, Steve Moore. He's a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent.

Steve, thanks so much for being with us. Why would a potential kidnapper make it seemingly impossible to communicate with them?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR AND RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Because they're a bad kidnapper. Listen, rule one, first job of a kidnapping is you -- after getting the victim, you keep them alive. You find a way to negotiate with them, with the family, and you give them hope of an imminent return. Without those things, there's nothing. Nobody is going to pay anything unless they have proof of life. These people did not know what they were doing.

SANCHEZ: To the question of proof of life, it's been about 24 hours since we heard from officials there in Pima County in a press briefing setting, and at that point, they indicated there had not been any proof of life sent. How would a potential captor now go about doing that?

MOORE: It wouldn't be hard, but what it would involve is information that they would have to get from or questions that they would have to get from the family. For instance, you say, ask your victim there what her favorite color is and what car her dad bought her on her 18th birthday, something that only she would know and that no amount of research by the kidnappers could tell them, and something that wouldn't have come out in normal conversation.

That way, when the kidnapper provides that information back, it's essentially like the combination of a lock. They know that the person, number one, is alive, and number two, that it is that person, so that's how you would start that.

SANCHEZ: What about the insistence, the demand for payment in Bitcoin? Why Bitcoin?

MOORE: I don't know. It's not a really good strategy. Again, it could be just kind of an amateur hour here. I'm not sure, but Bitcoin is one of the most tracked currencies that exist and certainly, the FBI has already had some significant success in dealing with ransoms or extortions that are paid in Bitcoin. This, again, is not -- they think they're solving the problem of numbered bills, I guess. I don't know what it is, but it's not a very good plan.

SANCHEZ: So the ransom note had two deadlines. One was yesterday at 5 p.m., the second next Monday. How do you view that?

MOORE: Again, I hate to keep harping on this, but it sounds amateurish. If you're going to be a kidnapper, you say, this is your deadline. This is what you've got. If you say, do it by Friday at five o'clock, or if you can't do that, Monday is OK. This is not something that instills confidence that this person, that the kidnapper knows what they're doing. And it also gives -- it shows some weakness on their part, weakness of resolve.

[13:35:00]

And I think that's kind of what I'm getting here, is I feel a weakness of resolve in these kidnappers, that whether they've lost their nerve or they've lost something else, they aren't proving themselves to the FBI to be a serious negotiator. Because kidnapping, as horrible as it is, is actually a transaction. I give you this, you give me this. They have defaulted on their end, and now, it becomes something totally different.

SANCHEZ: It's counterintuitive to hear your impression that this is amateurish, given that the doorbell camera was taken and that there's no DNA that we know of at this point that was left behind. How do you read that? Because that, at least in my untrained mind, would lead me to think that they were prepared for this, that there was some level of planning, you know?

MOORE: No, I'm not saying that they're not experienced criminals. But what you'll find in the world is outside of European terrorists and things like that, kidnappers rarely get a second chance at kidnapping. They don't have institutional knowledge that comes up because they're always caught the first time they try it.

So I suspect that what these people might be good at is robbery. And I would be looking at people who have done residential burglaries, things like this, high-value burglaries, because they did enter a home and exit a home with something of value without being caught. That does not mean that they know how to go forward and exchange that victim for money. They may be good robbers, but they're not good kidnappers.

SANCHEZ: Steve Moore, so great and fascinating to get your perspective. Thanks for joining us.

MOORE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Up next, the FDA announcing changes to food labels, why the move aims to make noticing artificial colors easier.

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[13:41:37]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": The Trump administration is taking another step towards eliminating the use of synthetic dyes in food and beverages. The FDA says it has approved the use of natural food coloring, beetroot red, and expanded the use of spirulina extract, which is a blue-green powder or liquid derived from algae.

Food experts say petroleum-based artificial dyes have dominated the food industry because they're cheaper and they are more shelf-stable for longer. They can stay on grocery shelves for longer. But some of the most used synthetic dyes have also been linked to increased health risks, including in some cases cancer and neurobehavioral issues in children.

The FDA announced that products without any petroleum-based dyes can now be labeled no artificial colors. Before, companies generally could only make those claims if their products had absolutely no added dyes. So let's talk about this now with FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, who's here with us. Thank you so much.

DR. MARTY MAKARY, FDA COMMISSIONER: Good to be with you, Brianna.

KEILAR: -- for coming into the studio. OK, how is this announcement going to help Americans when they're in the grocery stores looking for the products that they might buy every day?

MAKARY: Well, now the label that says no artificial dyes is actually accurate. And so, the FDA has taken a lot of action in the last 10 months to approve six natural dyes from natural ingredients like the ones you mentioned.

And the idea is to have cost-neutral alternatives to these chemicals that parents don't want their kids eating. And as you said, there's been health concerns associated with them. But now, people can trust that 'no artificial dyes' label, just like they can trust the FDA brand.

The FDA brand is one of the greatest brands in the world. And so, we want people to be able to trust the labeling on food.

KEILAR: California has actually led the way on legislation that has banned artificial dyes. And there's 26 states that have followed suit, banning, restricting, or requiring labels for artificial colorants. I wonder, have you considered a warning label for foods that can contain these artificial dyes, these petroleum-based dyes? Why not have a national warning label about that? MAKARY: Well, first of all, what California did was in a small pocket. They did it for school meals, and they did it for some of the artificial dyes. We're doing it for all nine petroleum-based food dyes. And we are under the philosophy that you can win more bees with honey than fire sometimes.

So, we asked all the food companies to come in and agree to removing all nine artificial food dyes. And the vast majority have said yes. And actually, many have already done it. And these are the giant brands, the companies that people said you could never get them to do it -- Conagra, Kellogg, Pepsi, Nestle. These are the giant multinational corporate food companies.

Many of them were already making cereal without these petroleum-based dyes, using natural ingredients for other countries, even though it was made in the United States. And then they were making it with the petroleum-based dyes for American kids. So we just asked them, can you give the healthier version of your foods for American kids?

KEILAR: Did you say honey than fire?

MAKARY: Yeah, you can win more bees with honey than fire.

KEILAR: There's another phrase, but I hear what you're saying. OK. So -- and you said Nestle.

MAKARY: Yeah.

KEILAR: So they haven't done it yet, just to be clear.

MAKARY: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: They're doing it this year. So the phase out is supposed to be 2027. But sort of what you're getting at there, this is voluntary. It's not binding. How do you make them do this? Considering the majority of these companies, they're pledging to do it, but they actually haven't given you a timeline.

[13:45:00]

MAKARY: Yeah, and first of all, that timeline is correct. We'd like to see them out of the food supply by the beginning of that -- the end of the school year in 2027, or the end of next calendar year. Some companies have already done it. Dunkin' Donuts did it.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: OK, but some haven't. The parent companies of Oreo and Coca- Cola, like they're working on it.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: They're telling you that, but a couple, I mean, that's huge, right? I mean, Oreos, Coca-Cola. So they've not committed to it and there's no timeline. They're just working on it.

MAKARY: Yeah.

KEILAR: So, what is that exactly?

MAKARY: So voluntary removal is the best form of removal --

KEILAR: Sure.

MAKARY: -- in the food supply. And so, we're going to see the market change because when we talked about added sugar --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Why is it the best if it doesn't actually result in it being removed?

MAKARY: Because consumer demand is going to complete what we start. So for example, with added sugar, we created that label. We saw food companies market their products as low in added sugar. And now, they compete on who has lower added sugar or no added sugar. And the government is not doing anything.

So, we know there's a tremendous amount of consumer demand. There's 90 percent public support for our action on removing these petroleum- based artificial food dyes. So, we think that consumer market is going to eclipse the remaining holdouts. And we're going to continue to look at every regulatory authority we have to ban dyes if we need to.

KEILAR: So it might eclipse, but is it going to fully get rid of it? And the reason I ask you is because there is consumer demand, but it's from people who can afford it. Because let's be clear about this. Reuters has reported the food manufacturers are taking longer to switch over because they're citing cost.

When we're talking about beetroot dye or spirulina, those are not as readily available. They cost more than these petroleum-based dyes. How do you ensure then that that actually happens specifically for lower- income Americans who have a harder time eating healthier meals? And also, we should note, this is important because they actually have higher levels of the conditions that are associated with these artificial dyes.

MAKARY: Well, it's actually cost neutral or sometimes cheaper. And why did Dunkin' Donuts already do this years ago? Because they know that there's no cost difference. And it's not a theory. It's not a theoretical -- there's no need to debate this. We already see the natural ingredients used in Canada and Europe, and the prices are not different based on those natural ingredients.

Now, you raise a good point. Converting the manufacturing has a capital cost. And so the companies have said, hey, give us time to implement that capital cost that's required.

KEILAR: The health department, a spokesperson telling Reuters nearly 40 percent of the entire packaged U.S. food and beverage supply has publicly committed to removing dyes. So, I mean, that's a big part. But that's 60 percent that haven't. So certainly, it's something to watch, right?

MAKARY: Yeah, I mean, some companies have done a partial commitment. So, they've said they're going to do it a little later than our deadline or just in certain products. So overall, I think you'll see about 60 percent of the food in the U.S. food supply right now has that commitment to get the petroleum-based dyes out.

Consumer demand may drive that even further. But look, if we get to 80 to 90 percent, that's a lot better than where we started, which was zero percent, because randomized trials have shown associations with attention deficit disorder --

KEILAR: Yeah.

MAKARY: -- and other problems. And we can't keep drugging our nation's kids at scale, which is what we've been doing.

KEILAR: TrumpRx, the administration's direct-to-consumer drug platform --

MAKARY: Yeah.

KEILAR: -- just went live and it includes Novo Nordisk Wegovy pill.

MAKARY: Yes.

KEILAR: Not the injection, but the pill for as low as $149. Yesterday, the company Hims & Hers announced a similar compounded semaglutide pill that starts at just $49. And you had said that the FDA will take swift action against companies that are mass-marketing illegal copycat drugs. Are you talking specifically about this Hims & Hers pill when you say that?

MAKARY: So I'm talking about non-FDA-approved compounded drugs that are copycats of FDA-approved products.

KEILAR: Would this fit that bill?

MAKARY: Yeah. It would fit that bill. And we cannot, at the FDA, vouch for the safety or efficacy for copycat drugs that are being mass-marketed using a provision for 503 compounding, which is a type of compounding that historically was in the back of the pharmacy, or they would customize a pill based on your allergies or a specific dose you might need. That was the basis of 503A compounding. And this appears to be crossing that line.

So, we're looking at it very carefully. And if we do see the violations that we're suspecting, we will take swift action.

KEILAR: Dr. Marty Makary, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

MAKARY: Good to be with you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Boris?

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. The U.S. military says two people are dead after its latest strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Southern Command announced Thursday's attack on X, saying no U.S. military personnel were harmed. This is the second known attack on a suspected drug trafficking vessel this year.

[13:50:00]

At least 119 people have been killed since the Trump administration launched its aerial campaign on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean last year. It has, though, offered little evidence that the people actually being attacked are linked to drug cartels.

Also, a Colorado funeral homeowner convicted of abusing dozens of bodies set to be sentenced today. John Halford and his wife pleaded guilty to stashing nearly 200 decomposing corpses in a building near Colorado Springs for over four years, then giving grieving families fake ashes. Investigators said the remains, which included adults, infants and fetuses, were stacked on top of each other and stored at room temperature.

Halford now faces between 30 and 50 years in prison. His wife is set to be sentenced in April. And take a look at this, a tiny, barely bigger than a hand Michelangelo sketch of a foot that just broke an auction record at Christie's. After a fierce bidding war, it sold for more than $27 million. The owner, who had no idea what it even was or its significance, sent the drawing etched in red chalk to an online auction portal. That's when Christie's identified it as authentic. Michelangelo sketched the image in preparation for one of his frescoes painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512. The sketch, now the most expensive Michelangelo work, sold at auction.

Ahead, the final stretch before the big game. In just two days, the Seahawks and Patriots face off in the Super Bowl. We'll take you live to San Francisco next.

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[13:56:44]

SANCHEZ: Are you feeling the hype? We're officially entering Super Bowl weekend. The New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks about to face off in the big game. Let's get right to CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes, who's in San Francisco for us. Andy, it has been an exciting week. We had the NFL Honors last night. One of the closest MVP races --

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: -- we've ever had. And what some would say was a vote for Justin Herbert that kind of threw a wrench in things.

(LAUGH) SCHOLES: Yeah, it certainly changed everything, right, Boris? Because Rams Quarterback, Matthew Stafford, he was named the NFL MVP for the first time in his career here in San Francisco at NFL Honors. And it was one of the closest races we've ever seen. So, the 37-year-old Stafford got 24 first place votes.

Drake Maye for the Patriots, he got 23 first place votes. And if had he gotten that extra one that Herbert ended up getting, he would have won based on all of the second and third place voting. But, Stafford, he was a deserving MVP, that's for sure. And he accepted the award at NFL Honors, along with his four daughters on the stage. They were all matching, which was really good.

And then, Stafford then told his daughters, can't wait for them to cheer him on next season, which was his way of saying that he is not going to be retiring. He will be returning to play for the Rams next year. But a tough loss for Maye. But the win he really wants this weekend is going to be Sunday against the Seahawks. And Maye and Seahawks Quarterback, Sam Darnold, both speaking with the media one more time yesterday, ahead of the big game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DRAKE MAYE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: I'm really excited. You know, a chance to play in this game is a dream come true and what you work for all year long. I still don't know as much as a lot of people do in here. But, trying to -- you will figure out what's at stake and how much work needs to put in to come up with wins in the win column.

SAM DARNOLD, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS QUARTERBACK: I've just learned a ton throughout my career. And every single year, I just -- I do what I can to make sure that I don't get ahead of myself. And I take it one day at a time because I feel like that mindset, you know, has proved successful for me in every aspect of life, whether it was growing up, high school, college, and now here, on the biggest stage, I'm just continuing with that mindset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, the Patriots did get a win last night. Mike Vrabel was named the 'Coach of The Year'. He's the seventh coach ever to win that award for two different teams. Now, the Super Bowl on Sunday, it's being called the Malcolm Butler revenge game because back in Super Bowl XLIX, when the Patriots and Seahawks squared off, Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson on the one-yard line at the very end of the game to win the game for the Patriots.

And I got the chance to catch up with Butler yesterday. And I asked him what was going through his mind on that last play.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALCOLM BUTLER, GAME-SEALING INT FOR PATS IN SUPER BOWL XLIX: When I got in the game, I'm like, man, what can I do? I really can't do nothing. If they run the ball, I'm not going to make that tackle, right? I'm not going to make that tackle. I damn near want to leave from the quarterback position and go in the box and play linebacker.

SCHOLES: Yeah.

BUTLER: But I said, I'm just going to do my job. And I went against the odds. They did, too. It didn't work out right. God made a move like he was going to do something. And I said, I'm going to do something, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yeah, Boris, Seahawks fans certainly don't want the game to come down to the play on the one-yard line, that's for sure.

(LAUGH)