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TMZ's Harvey Levin: Note Begins By Saying "Nancy Is Okay, But Scared"; TMZ's Harvey Levin: Note Mentions Specific Placement Of Apple Watch; DOW Soars Topping 50,000 Points For First Time Ever; 25th Winter Olympics Games Begin; Sources: Trump Promised To Release NY Rail Tunnel Funds If Dulles Airport, NY's Penn Station Are Renamed For Him. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired February 06, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

HAFPOR JULIUS BJORNSSON, POWERLIFTER AND ACTOR: Minnesota Vikings reached out to me and they flew me out and make a whole costume for me and I -- I was there with them, the whole team. I spent like a week with them and -- and before a game I blew their horn in -- in Minnesota and then we did the Viking clap.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. Yes.

BJORNSSON: And I remember back then they had -- we had some talks, you know, but obviously like my focus was Strongman first and foremost.

SCHOLES: If you pick me up, how far could you throw me do you think?

BJORNSSON: That's a great question, probably a few meters you know.

SCHOLES: You think so?

BJORNSSON: Yes, I think so. But I'm not going to do it right now, I'm going to injure -- injure you.

SCHOLES: Yes, yes, yes, I'll get hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: But Brianna, could you imagine if the mountain was in the middle of a tush push, he would just blow -- throw people around. I really think -- I really think a coach should try him out and get him out there.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, I think -- you should have taken him to task though, because Andy I will never forgive him for what he did to Pedro Pascal ever, never -- never ever.

SCHOLES: Oh, yes. He told me that was one of his favorite acting moments, actually.

KEILAR: Oh, well, Andy -- Andy Scholes, thank you -- Scholes, thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now. BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We're hearing more pleas from the Guthrie

family nearly a week after Nancy Guthrie's disappearance as new details are revealed on one of the apparent ransom notes.

Plus, stocks hitting a historic milestone as the Dow crosses 50,000 points for the first time, a big surge following a three-day route in key sectors.

And Milan's historic San Siro Stadium now center stage in the sports world as the Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off. Team USA already making some major headlines. We'll tell you about them as we follow these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

Right now, investigators are scrambling to determine whether several purported ransom notes in the abduction of Nancy Guthrie are real as the search for Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother stretches into an agonizing sixth day. Guthrie's family now repeating their plea for the captors to show proof of life. Here's Nancy's son, Camron.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMRON GUTHRIE, NANCY GUTHRIE'S SON: 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)

SANCHEZ: Meantime, we're learning new details about the purported ransom letters. Harvey Levin the founder of TMZ told CNN that the note his news outlet -- outlet received stated that Nancy Guthrie is okay, but scared. And the letter may have detailed information that only someone linked to the case would know like the placement of Nancy's Apple Watch. With us now is CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller.

John, how significant is it that the Guthrie family can't get the kidnappers to communicate with them?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, we don't know Boris and the reason we don't know is that message last night from Camron Guthrie which was a second plea for the kidnappers to reach out was the last thing we heard. The sheriff told us there's not going to be another news conference until they have something to say. There's no plans that we know of for the family to say anything else today.

So, that could mean that they've made contact, that someone has reached out purporting to be purporting to be the writer of that ransom note and that they're in some kind of dialogue. Or it may mean that they're still waiting and, you know, they've taken that submarine under and they're running silent right now. So, we're just -- we're -- we're waiting to hear. If they are in a dialogue, we're likely not to hear about that, because this is a life and death situation and not something that we're going to get updates on.

SANCHEZ: Yes. We've heard repeatedly from our reporters on the ground just how unforgiving the terrain around Nancy Guthrie's home is and how difficult it might make not only gathering surveillance footage at night but -- but even a search during the day. How does that complicate what these investigators are trying to achieve?

MILLER: Well, it's a sprawling area a suburban area but the houses -- are out there in the desert and they're spread far apart. One challenge it presented right away is that houses that do have video systems or cameras are so far from the road that seeing something across the street or next door or being able to identify the make or model of a car in the darkness you know in the early morning hours is not impossible but a real challenge.

And then, the other aspect -- and this is where the sheriff's office is really very good at this.

[15:05:05]

They're used to searches in that terrain -- search and rescue team there is, you know, second to none for that kind of terrain and those conditions but once you get out of that area and you really get into the more barren areas, it's the kind of place where if you were looking for something it could take you a long time to find it.

SANCHEZ: John Miller, appreciate the expertise as always. Brianna.

KEILAR: We have breaking news. Wall Street snapping back after a tech meltdown. The Dow soaring hitting a milestone 50,000 points. Let's go right to CNN Business and Politics Correspondent, Vanessa Yurkevich.

All right, why the rebound on Wall Street, Vanessa?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a huge milestone being crossed today by the Dow up -- reaching -- 50,000 points up more than 1100 points, but not after some turmoil this past week. What we have seen is that markets were really curious and cautious about some A.I. announcements that were made by certain companies like Anthropic which announced new A.I. software tools.

So, what we saw the past couple of days was investors selling off in tech stocks and also in software companies. But if you look at the DOW 30, these are the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, you can see that almost all of them are in the green right now. Just a few in the red. But mostly the software stocks and the tech company stocks have rebounded as investors have really tried to shrug off these fears about artificial intelligence and whether or not it could create -- it could replace rather some of the work that these major tech companies and software companies are doing.

I -- had a great -- good read of an -- an analyst note excuse me from Barclays from Nick Dempsey and I thought that he put it quite well about what's happening on Wall Street right now capturing sort of this moment. He says, "It just does not seem realistic to us that the general model companies will be able to create domain-specific A.I. tools that are better than those produced by start-ups and incumbents. But any headline of this kind is clearly not helpful in a market this sensitive around the A.I. theme."

And that is really what we've seen on Wall Street for the past few months, Brianna, is Wall Street and investors are incredibly headline sensitive, news sensitive. And this news about A.I. and these developments really rattled them. However, of course, companies big tech companies are still making investments into artificial intelligence.

If you just look at some of the biggest out there, so we're talking about Meta, Amazon and Alphabet, I mean, that's $500 billion worth of investments which also certainly scares investors a little bit. So, what you're seeing is some investors today buying on the lows of these tech stocks, that's why you're seeing this surge. But also, investors looking to diversify away from tech stocks and software companies.

But a big rally on Wall Street crossing 50,000 points for the first time in the Dow certainly is a milestone. But as I said investors incredibly headline sensitive. We shall see what Monday brings when markets open again after closing today here on the East Coast at 4 P.M., Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, we'll keep an eye on that. Vanessa, thank you very much.

Still to come, the 2026 Winter Olympics officially underway. Details from the opening ceremony and the latest on Lindsey Vonn competing just one week after tearing her ACL.

Plus, what's in a name. Apparently a lot of federal funding.

We'll have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:13:03]

SANCHEZ: Let the games begin. The opening ceremony for the 25th Winter Olympics is underway in Milan, Italy. After months of preparation, today's star-studded ceremony includes performances by several artists including Andrea Bocelli and Mariah Carey. And, of course, all eyes right now are on U.S. alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. The 41-year-old competes Sunday and is hoping to medal in yet another Olympic Games. More impressive this time, if she can pull it off -- if she can do it, competing a little over a week after a serious knee injury.

Let's get more from CNN Sports Anchor, Amanda Davies, who is in Milan for all the excitement.

Amanda, take us there.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, good morning. I mean, it's hard to believe that we're only just at the opening ceremony because so much has happened already this week. But things are very much getting started. This is the first Winter Games, you might know, with three different venues. It's very different.

So, we've got an opening ceremony that's spread out across Cortina in the mountains, which is about a six-hour drive from here, then Livigno and here in Milan at the San Siro. I mean, as sporting venues go, it doesn't get much more iconic than the San Siro. It's home of AC and Inter Milan. It hosted the Champions League final in 2016 and that amazingly infamous Cameroon victory over Argentina at Italia '90.

The theme of the show this evening is "armonia," which means harmony, which is incredibly apt, isn't it, in these political and social times. But we've had dancing coffee pots, rainbow-colored coffee pots. We are going to have music we understand from Andrea Bocelli. We haven't heard from him yet. But Mariah Carey has made an appearance with a ballad version of Volare, which was quite interesting. And, of course, there's been a lot of fashion. There's been a specific -- a really special tribute to the late Giorgio Armani, who passed away at the end of last year at the age of 91.

[15:15:06]

He, for so long, designed the Italian Olympic uniforms. And we had some really smart tailoring, as you would expect, in the colors of the Italian flag, the red, white and green. The models on a catwalk across the floor of the San Siro. And we've now got this parade of the countries starting to make their way, not only into the San Siro, but also at the different venues across -- across of Italy.

And so, we've got these brilliant sport-fashion crossovers, as we have come to expect. Mongolia's uniforms are absolutely epic. They are really starting to get a reputation for that. They were in -- in Paris. Haiti is pretty special as well. I think the Czech Republic, somebody's likened them to -- to Angry Birds. But then, of course, the climax that everybody's waiting for, the Olympic torch that spent the last three months travelling from Olympia, the traditional home of the Olympics in Greece, to here in Italy. It passed by us, actually, just underneath us a few hours ago. There'll be that iconic moment, which will be the lighting of the cauldron, not only here, but at the other venues as well.

And, of course, that is where the games will officially begin. It's an iconic moment, but we've already had a few already, because you were mentioning Lindsey Vonn. We have seen her on the snow, even before the competition has got underway. The 41-year-old making that much- anticipated first appearance on the downhill course, the training run in Cortina, seven days only after that crash in Switzerland that saw her rupture her ACL.

It definitely was another step in the right direction. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but she made it down. And she made it down at a venue that has brought her more success than any other female alpine skier in history. But to watch, I have to say, it was terrifying. We were all holding our breaths. We winced with every landing, but she gave nothing away in terms of her reaction.

Her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, described it as smart skiing. He said they're going to assess things overnight, look at whether she does another training run on Saturday, which is scheduled. She doesn't have to do it. Perhaps she just keeps her powder dry, minimizes the risk and focuses on Sunday's race.

But before that, the U.S. figure skating team did really, really well today. They're looking to clinch their first gold of the Games on Saturday morning. They've been billed the most talented team in figure skating history, and they've put themselves in pole position, a two- point lead over Japan, their nearest challenges at this stage, heading into Saturday's men's singles. And that is when we will get to see the quad god, Ilia Malinin, finally make his Olympic debut. And that is something you are not going to want to miss.

SANCHEZ: Definitely not. Amanda Davies, live for us in Milan. Thank you so much.

Coming up, cash but with a catch. What we're learning about one senator's fight for federal funding and the strings the White House is trying to attach.

You're watching CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:51]

KEILAR: Trump's push to immortalize his legacy extends beyond Washington. Sources say last month the president told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer he was ready to drop his freeze on billions of dollars in funding for a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, but only if the senator agreed to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles Airport after Trump. CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House.

All right, Kevin, has the White House said anything about this?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: They're not commenting about this proposal specifically, but certainly President Trump has made no secret of his desire to put his name on anything and everything, really, whether it's the Kennedy Center, whether it's the Institute for Peace, whether it's this new prescription drug website that he rolled out yesterday. And now, apparently, Dulles Airport and Penn Station, you know, perhaps not the most beloved transport hubs in the United States, but certainly of interest to President Trump. And he seems willing to do some horse trading.

He has offered Chuck Schumer that he will unfreeze some of the federal funds that had been earmarked for this tunnel project that would go underneath the Hudson River connecting New York City and New Jersey for a new rail tunnel to replace the 116-year-old tunnels that exist now in order to have some of these naming rights. And you'll remember this gateway project underneath the Hudson River, the funding had been frozen. The administration said that it wanted to sort of investigate the project to see that it didn't include any diversity initiatives. That amounts to about $12 billion of federal funding.

The funding had expired today, and perhaps as many as a thousand workers could be out of jobs. The President is telling Schumer that he's willing to let that money go if Schumer agrees to allow these two sites to be renamed. Now, even if Schumer was willing to do that, which it seems clear he's not, he doesn't have the ability to do that. Dulles Airport is owned by the federal government, so that would require potentially an act of Congress.

[15:25:04]

Penn Station is owned by Amtrak. So, it's not clear that Schumer has the ability to actually allow the President to put his name on these buildings to begin with. So, it's -- it doesn't seem certain that this proposal is going to go anywhere. It has drawn outrage from New York Democrats. The senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, saying that these naming rights aren't tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers.

And so, even though this proposal doesn't seem to be going anywhere, what is unclear is what the fate of this amount of money that would go towards constructing this tunnel project, where that ends up. You know, they have said, the delegation from New York, that this is essential. It's sort of a hub of the northeast corridor, the train corridor. And so how this proceeds at this point seems unclear.

KEILAR: All right, very interesting. Kevin Liptak, thank you.

So, it has been nearly a week since Nancy Guthrie disappeared, with no known leads at this point. After the break, we'll be speaking with an expert about how the purported ransom notes could play a crucial role in finding her.

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