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Meta and YouTube Accused of Addicting Children to Their Platforms; FBI Deploys More Personnel to Tucson in Search for Nancy Guthrie; Documents Raising New Questions on Epstein's Ties in U.K.; Trump Dead Set on 250 Foot Arch Despite Concerns. Aired 8:00-8:30a ET

Aired February 10, 2026 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: ... their arguments in this case. And the companies have said that they reject this idea that their platforms cause people mental health challenges. They also indicated during jury selection that they plan to argue that Kaylee's difficult childhood and abusive father were responsible for her mental health challenges, rather than these platforms. Also read to you what meta and YouTube spokesperson told us about this lawsuit.

A meta spokesperson said, "We strongly disagree with these allegations, and we are confident the evidence will show our long standing commitment to supporting young people."

A YouTube spokesperson told me, "Providing young people with a safer healthier experience has always been core to our work. The allegations in these complaints are simply not true."

But this case is really a significant moment for the parents, the families, the advocates who for years have been asking for more accountability and more guardrails from these platforms. This is just the first of hundreds of lawsuits against these companies. And it really could have significant ramifications in terms of how those other cases are resolved if Kaylee wins this case. We could see the tech companies on the hook for monetary damages and requirements to make changes to their platforms.

So something that we'll be watching very closely as this trial plays out. It is expected to last through the end of March. And we also expect to hear from executives from these companies, including Meta's CEO in the coming weeks.

Back to you.

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A reported deadline for Nancy Guthrie has now passed. The FBI has a new statement out. One expert told us they're trying to quote, "tickle the wire with the possible kidnappers. Prompt some kind of new contact."

Everyone has known he's been doing this. A new report says that those words come from an alleged conversation with Donald Trump talking about Jeffrey Epstein when he was first investigated.

And then the roads are supposed to be for cars, bikes and motorcycles. So what was a plane doing there?

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the FBI says they are sending additional resources to Tucson to join the effort to find Nancy Guthrie. It's been 10 days since the mother of NBC Today show host Savannah Guthrie disappeared -- was abducted. And right now, the FBI says they still have not identified a suspect or a person of interest.

A purported ransom deadline set for 5 p.m. yesterday has come and gone. Overnight, the FBI released a new statement saying they are not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers. It comes after Savannah released a new video yesterday pleading for the public to help. In the absence of new investigative details, there are new details coming from TMZ founder Harvey Levin about one of the purported ransom notes which his media outlet received.

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HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ FOUNDER, RECEIVED PURPORTED RANSOM NOTE: I want to read you just -- I'll read you one line from the ransom note we received, and they say it is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible. I don't think there is direct contact. I read this first ransom letter as almost braggadocious that it's sort of, you know, you're not going to find me.

The police aren't going to be able to help you. I am not going to get -- I'm not going to give you any more information. Don't bother trying to find me.

You know, it feels almost like you are not going to think -- you're not going to figure out who I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And joining us right now is former FBI special agents Richard Kolko and Ken Gray. Gentlemen, thank you for being here. Richard, the Phoenix FBI office statement that they released last night, I've read it.

I want to read it again, which is the FBI putting out this statement saying, "The FBI is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest in this case at this time."

What do you take from them making this decision very specifically to put out this statement? What are they trying to do with it?

RICHARD KOLKO, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: I think they're probably trying to beat down some rumors at this point that the Guthrie family is in touch with somebody out there. But you got to remember the decision to make statements to communicate belongs to the family. They get to decide what they're going to say and how they're going to say it.

The FBI and other law enforcement is there to help support them in that decision.

[08:05:00]

They'll review what is written or what the statement is going to be to make sure that they hit critical points that would be effective with the hostage takers or those are trying to communicate with. But at the end of the day, you know, Savannah Guthrie is certainly a communications expert. She's probably advised by additional other people, religious leaders, family, attorneys, others that can help her make the decision she wants to do with law enforcement there as part of that decision making.

But I would be surprised if she's just ignoring what the FBI is doing. She probably is consulting with them and working with them very closely.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And let's add that into this conversation, Ken, with what Savannah has said most recently. Let me play what she put out in the newest video just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC TODAY SHOW ANCHOR: I'm coming on just to ask you not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you're far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement, we are at an hour of desperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Ken, does that give you a window into I don't know what they're dealing with, have or don't have in terms of a lead? Does it feel like the investigation has hit a wall from your vantage point?

KEN GRAY, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Absolutely. So the first two communications from the Guthrie family was appeals to the kidnapper, the first one to humanize their mother, try to get contact with them to start negotiation. The second one, much more shorter.

Yes, we will pay. We want our mother back. This one, on the other hand, is not towards a kidnapper.

This one is towards the public seeking potential leads for law enforcement, because right now law enforcement seems to be running up against the wall here. So far, day 10, we don't have any suspects. We don't have any persons of interest.

We see law enforcement they're repeating steps they've already taken before. And so this appeal to the public to generate additional leads, this was an act of desperation, I think, on the part of the Guthrie family to try to move this forward.

BOLDUAN: It's so -- it is so heartbreaking to see that it has gotten into a 10th day that Nancy Guthrie is out there and Savannah and her siblings and their families are just needing to live through this nightmare still. Richard, the statement, the information that Harvey Levin, a TMZ has put out, I found very interesting and how talk about a communication specialist. He is a man who is very adept at, you know, at speaking publicly.

What do you make of how he has characterized the purported ransom note that TMZ received? Does that sound like a typical ransom communication?

KOLKO: That's a great question. And I listened to what he had to say, and he thought it was a very well written, well prepared letter. I certainly agree with that.

Whether it was AI assisted or somebody had the ability to write that note on their own is fine. But I don't think we've touched on the reasons specifically why people would, you know, may carry out this kidnapping. There's basically one of three things that likely happened.

A lot of these -- a lot of kidnappings may be for some political reason, revenge. They have some statement that they want to make about the current events. And none of that appears in that first letter. So it doesn't appear it's that.

Another reason that people do kidnappings obviously is ransom, to make money. And they know that you have to establish that two way communication of working with the negotiators to get that proof of life before anybody is going to hit send on a Bitcoin for millions and millions of dollars.

The third one is, you know, somebody had some interaction with Nancy Guthrie and then something just went wrong. And that's what law enforcement and FBI are working to discover right now. And while they haven't released anything about a specific suspect or what kind of leads they have.

I've sat in these command posts. I know Ken has as well. My guess is that there are many agents in there are deputies, police that have their own theories on what happened. And they're working towards those theories and whether they're right or wrong.

It's just as important to investigate them, because if they're wrong, they want to they want to put them out of the way. And if they're right, they want to head down that investigative path.

BOLDUAN: So interesting. And you hit on something I actually was going to ask about, Richard. Ken, let me let me ask you about this, which is when this started -- when we first learned of her disappearance, it was not clear when you're hearing from law enforcement that this -- if this was -- they believe it was a crime of opportunity, a random burglary gone wrong or somehow connected to Savannah's name and fame. Now, after how much time has passed, the purported ransom notes that have come out, do you leave open the possibility this still could have started as a random crime? Or do you think the FBI is working with the assumption that Nancy was targeted because of her daughter's high profile?

[08:10:00]

GRAY: So I believe that the FBI is looking at all possibilities in this case, one being that this was not a kidnapping at all, that somebody is joining in on this situation and trying to make money out of it. And that could explain why they are not providing proof of life is because they don't have the proof of life to be able to fulfill that request.

You notice there's no two way communications here, by the way. It's all broadcast out with no exchange of information. But in addition to the possibility that this may not even be a kidnapping from the first place, it could be a crime that started out as just a crime, maybe a break into our place that turned into a kidnapping, which may have gone bad.

But it's still an attempt to gather some profit off of this. But I'm sure that they are pursuing those avenues in addition to the kidnapping itself. But the lack of communication here, if you're trying to get money from somebody for kidnapping, you're going to want to exchange information.

You want to give them a way to contact you so you can prove that you have them, so you can get that payment. And that's not occurring.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it is just so sad, confounding and horrible. Richard, Ken, thank you both for coming on. I appreciate your time -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. I had new details this morning on how the president is pushing ahead with plans to build a massive arch in the nation's capital, despite concerns it could block views and impact air travel.

Plus, King Charles heckled as fallout continues after the release of millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and a member of his family.

Plus, Lindsey Vonn sneaking out for the first time since the terrifying crash that ended her Olympic bid and sent her to the hospital. Those stories and more ahead.

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SIDNER: The difference between the U.K. and U.S. couldn't be more stark when it comes to how they're handling the Epstein file revelations. The U.K. is actually trying to do something about the damage done. One person has been stripped of his post, and the calls for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign are gaining momentum.

Buckingham Palace is also responding to the scandals involving former Prince Andrew.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live in London with the very latest. Give us a sense of exactly what's happening here and how serious they are about trying to find some kind of justice for these victims.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, the papers this morning are all splattered with images of the Prime Minister saying he had a near political death experience but has walked away for now. There were growing calls for him to resign over his appointment of Peter Mandelson. This is a man who had close connections with Jeffrey Epstein.

He was British ambassador to the United States until last year, of course, when he was let go of his post over these revelations in the Epstein files. Still, there's been huge rage and anger at the Prime Minister for appointing him despite public knowledge at the time of his connection to Jeffrey Epstein. And yes, the Prime Minister has for now convinced his party that he is the right man to hold the job, but he has felt some consequences, of course, Sara.

His top aide, his chief of staff, has resigned in the wake of this scandal, and there's still fear and concern within his party if he's the right man to do the job.

Now to the Royal Family, where there's yet another earthquake, of course, centered around former Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles, who was stripped of all his royal titles and was mentioned quite heavily in the recent batch of documents. We've heard today from King Charles that if the police come knocking, he says he is willing to cooperate and work with them.

Now, it is extraordinary to hear this, of course, from King Charles, and it is him getting ahead of any potential investigations into his brother because the police says so far, they are now assessing a complaint that has been filed by this anti-monarchy group called Republic. They are accusing former Prince Andrew of passing government secrets, based on these Epstein files, of passing government secrets to Jeffrey Epstein when he was a trade envoy for the country. Now, no investigation has been launched so far, and former Prince Andrew continues to deny wrongdoing.

And with both of these men, Lord Mandelson and Prince Andrew, are massive calls in the United States, cries that are growing louder for both men to testify on Capitol Hill, something so far, they have not seemed willing to do.

SIDNER: We will see what happens going forward, but definitely a move from the officials there in the U.K., which looks very different from what we're seeing so far in the U.S. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much for your reporting there from London for us -- John.

BERMAN: All right, he wants a 250-foot arch dwarfing the Lincoln Memorial. What does this say about the president's plans and maybe his psyche?

So far at the Olympics, there have been fewer records broken than medals. That's right, there are reports that the medals that the winners are getting are falling apart. That's not nice.

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BERMAN: All right, new this morning, a source tells CNN President Trump is, quote, "Dead set on building his version of a giant arch, a 250-foot independence arch to celebrate the 250th anniversary of this country."

Let's get right to CNN's Betsy Klein for the details on this and the problems something of this size could cause.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, John, we have seen President Trump take steps to impose his style and tastes on the White House from the Oval Office to his new ballroom, but now he is trying to get into the business of monuments. So Trump says he is building an arch, and he wants it to be the biggest arch in the world, 250 feet tall to honor the country's 250th anniversary.

But the sheer scope of this project is already prompting pushback. It's likely to face legal hurdles. Trump says he essentially wants an American version of Paris' L'arc de Triomphe, but it's going to be about 100 feet bigger. This proposed arch is 165 feet tall and 165 feet wide.

Then there's a 25 foot pedestal and a 60 foot gilt bronze Lady Liberty sculpture on top. That's according to one source familiar with the plans. But just for some perspective, this is the equivalent of a 16 to 20 story building.

Smaller versions, I'm told, were considered, but the source told me that Trump is dead set on building a huge arch. And there are two key concerns with this project that I'm hearing from sources. One is that it blocks a historically significant view.

This is going to sit at the base of a bridge and a traffic circle that's between the Lincoln Memorial and then Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery. That was the former home to Confederate leader Robert E. Lee.

And according to the National Park Service, the bridge between those two memorials is really a physical and symbolic link between the north and the south. And historic preservationists have warned it's going to obstruct that very important link.

[08:25:00]

And then there are also these concerns about air safety. This is a very tall structure. It's going to sit in an area where approaching planes are flying at only about 492 feet. That leaves very little room for pilot error. And the Federal Aviation Agency is going to have to weigh in here.

Now, President Trump says he'll be signing an executive order on this arch soon, but it's still going to have to undergo a series of reviews. It is almost certain to draw legal challenges -- John.

BERMAN: And of course, right next to the Potomac, where obviously we have seen issues with air safety very recently. Betsy Klein, thank you so much for reporting on all this -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: A new plea from Savannah Guthrie asking now for help from the public, saying that the search for her mother has reached an hour of desperation. Got the latest on that.

Plus, a plane is forced to make an emergency landing in the middle of a crowded roadway, crowded road in Georgia. Multiple people suffered injuries. What the pilots now say happened that led to all of this. We've got that coming up next.

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