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FBI Releases New Details About Suspect In Guthrie Disappearance; DHS Set To Shut Down At Midnight After No Deal On Funding Fight; Scoring Controversy Surrounds French Figure Skating Judge. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 13, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Jeanne Shaheen from Munich, today. Thank you so much for coming in. Coming up for us. Don Lemon, former CNN anchor and now independent -- turned independent journalist. He's to be arraigned in federal court today as he's facing felony charges for allegedly disrupting a church service last month in Minnesota.

He, of course, denies all of that and is fighting this very hard. Also ahead for us, Valentine's Day with a Halloween twist. A look at a seasonal Haunted House opening its doors to embrace the terrifying nature of love, and they do weddings.

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[09:35:00]

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BOLDUAN: New this morning, fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files has now reached one of the largest investment banks in the world, Goldman Sachs. The bank's Chief Legal Officer, Kathy Ruemmler, now says she is resigning. In recent weeks, she has weathered numerous stories examining her relationship with Epstein over the years.

Ruemmler is a former White House Counsel to President Obama. She and those around her have insisted that she -- her relationship with Epstein, it was a professional relationship through and through and ended. A spokesperson for Ruemmler declined to answer some of the detailed questions sent to them from CNN, but said that Ruemmler said this, has done nothing wrong, has nothing to hide, nothing in the record suggests otherwise, adding that Ruemmler has been clear and consistent from the outset.

She knew him through her work as a criminal defense attorney, shared a client with him, received referrals from him, and was friendly in that professional context. After her announcement, her resignation announcement, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, David Solomon told CNN this, throughout her tenure, Kathy has been an extraordinary general counsel, and we are grateful for her contributions. He went on to say, I accept -- I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision. BOLDUAN: Joining me right now is Gretchen Carlson, the Co-Founder of

Lift Our Voices, a non-profit that works to end mechanisms that prevent survivors of sexual assault and harassment from being able to speak out publicly, has been a very important voice in this conversation through and through, thanks for being here.

GRETCHEN CARLSON, CO-FOUNDER, LIFT OUR VOICES: Good to see you.

BOLDUAN: So you see this Kathryn Ruemmler announcing this resignation. This is really the first real fallout, I think, we could say or consequence that has happened in the United States from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. What do you make of that?

CARLSON: What it says to me is that this is all about power, right? And that it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, or a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent, power usurps all of that, and especially when you're involved in this level of power.

I don't think we should be surprised to see women who are on the Democratic side or otherwise being the people that are going to fall down from this. Now whether or not she did anything illegal is not what the question here is. The question is that she continued an association with a known child sex trafficker, and she received gifts in return.

And you know, so this is very questionable, that somebody should be as high up as she is at Goldman Sachs. It's a huge question of judgment.

BOLDUAN: That same question goes to so many more people now, right? That is coming out in these files. This is the first and only so far person to face consequences, and not one of the people, though, that is listed in FBI document as a co-conspirator of Epstein's, right? This is that whole thing that Tom Massie and Ro Khanna, they went in, they read through the files. They said they found six names that were redacted, that were listed by the FBI as co-conspirators.

They went to the floor, they read the names, then they're unredacted -- oversea -- and nothing from that. Overseas, you have a prince and Ambassador, senior diplomats, top politicians, all brought down by the Epstein files, all in Europe, not in the United States. I don't know what to do with this.

CARLSON: Well, I think it's completely contingent on this administration. I mean, they have been the ones that have called it a hoax. They have been the ones that have not, you know, had any sort of admiration for the survivors and the kind of bravery that it's taken for them to come forward.

And you had Pam Bondi giving one of the most despicable performances two days ago in front of that -- that House committee, and not even acknowledging the survivors that were standing behind her, that photo is going to go down in infamy with her back to them. So I think if we had a different administration that really wanted to get to the bottom of this, and I should also mention that they never got to the bottom of it, in the Biden administration, the Bush administration, the Obama administration. BOLDUAN: Yeah, five administrations, I think.

CARLSON: But I think now you know, we've seen such a change in tenor, because the survivors are being believed. This movement continues. It's different than those other administrations, and for the last year, there's been nothing -- nothing but an apparent cover up to not get to the bottom.

Let's not forget also that Ghislaine Maxwell said in a court document in January that she knew of 25 co-conspirators, and then she came before the House Committee and pled the fifth this week and said, I'm not going to tell you who any of them are, unless you give me clemency.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

CARLSON: So the President United States today should say that he's not giving her clemency and that he is not going to pardon her so that she can no longer use that chip.

BOLDUAN: Staying focused on the survivors and your -- I was going to mention that photo, and I'm so glad you did of them sitting -- standing behind Pam Bondi this week and then watching the Attorney General get into shouting matches with lawmakers for asking questions about Epstein when the Dow is at 50,000, let me play this.

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PAM BONDI, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Dow -- the Dow right now is over -- the Dow is over 50,000 -- I don't know why you're laughing. You're a great stock trader, as I hear, Raskin. The Dow is over 50,000 right now.

The S&P at almost 7000 and the Nasdaq smashing records. Americans' 401(k)s and retirement savings are booming. That's what we should be talking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I still can't get over that -- that interaction when you know the questions were about a child sex trafficker.

CARLSON: To use the Dow reaching 50,000 to cover up for this massive sex ring is despicable. I actually was listening to this CNN on the car radio when I heard that. I had to pull over on the side of the road because I was so upset that somebody would try to deflect what these women and children have gone through and talk about the economy to try and pump up President Trump and be in good favor with him.

This was the most ridiculous thing that I think I've ever seen. And I just want to stop by saying, or end by saying, Kate, that if it were not for the survivors, we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now. So we need to go back to --

BOLDUAN: You're 1,000 percent right.

CARLSON: We need to go back to the bravery of these survivors continuing to stand up and say, let me be heard, right? And that is what's going to bring us to the end of this story in the end. Besides MAGA now turning on the Trump administration, which is also a huge shift, which I believe is going to get us to the final answers.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Gretchen.

CARLSON: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: That's for coming in. Thank you. John?

BOLDUAN: All right the Back-flipping, Quad God going for gold today in men's figure skating. Let's hope there's no French judge.

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[09:45:00]

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump talking about the stock market whenever he can. His cabinet, talking about it, even in unusual places, like Attorney General Pam Bondi, discussing the stock market when being asked questions about the Jeffrey Epstein case in Epstein files. Why? Why are they doing this with us now?

CNN Chief Data Analyst, Harriet Enten, people looking at the market know the market has been going up, generally speaking. People do like that. But the stock market in general, if you look over time, it hasn't always had a great reputation. So how do people feel about the stock market in general?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: There's a reason why Donald Trump and his administration is talking about the stock market, and that is because it's one of the best economic indicators for the incumbent party. Just take a look at the percentage of Americans who now say that the stock market is doing good compared to where it was around Liberation Day in April of 2025.

Now the clear plurality of Americans say that the stock market is doing good, just 22 percent say doing bad. Very different from where we were back in April of 2025 when the majority said bad and only 27 percent said good. So the down -- the bad way down, the good way up. And I will also note that even among Democrats, it split and among independents, who have been such a bad group for the President of United States. In fact, they, a plurality of them, believe that the stock market is in great shape.

BERMAN: Only one point I'll make. I would hope that Americans would say the stock market is doing well.

ENTEN: Doing good.

BERMAN: But the stock market is good -- ENTEN: That's --

BERMAN: -- or is bad.

ENTEN: I know they should have gone back and done eighth grade grammar lessons with you.

BERMAN: I felt the pollsters on the way they asked that question. OK, where do Americans say that they think the stock market will be going?

ENTEN: Yeah, OK. This is even more interesting to me, because take a look at where at this point, Donald Trump is in his second term. Compare that to Barack Obama, George W. Bush. Say, stocks will rise in the second next six months. Look at that, 50 percent of Americans say they believe that stocks will rise in the next six months.

That is, in fact, the highest percentage for any president in their second term at this point in the 21st Century. So what you're seeing here is it's not just -- it's not just that Americans think that the stock market is doing well now. They expect it to continue to do well, and that -- that 50 percent is quite unusual for a president at this point in their second term.

BERMAN: And again, it gets to what people feel and believe. And you and I always talk about this, sometimes that matters more than what actually happens, because if you feel things are going to get better, you may vote in a certain way. So that's a poll.

What are the prediction markets saying about where people think the market is?

ENTEN: Yeah, OK, if you look for the S&P 500, look at the prediction markets, what's the prediction by year's end? Will the S&P 500 finish the year in the black or in the red? Will it go up compared to where it was at the beginning of the year, or down? At this point, what we're looking at is, in fact, the people who are putting their money is where their mouth is, in fact, do believe, do believe that the market will end up in the black, it will go up in 2026.

So again, this is just another positive sign, and I would expect the Trump administration to keep talking about the stock market, because, truth be told, it's the best economic indicator for them and the voters believe it. And as you said, oftentimes what the voters believe is, in fact, the true reality that matters.

BERMAN: As long as it keeps going up, and as long -- as long as people believe it, will keep going up, he will keep talking about it. Harold (ph) Enten, thank you very much for that.

ENTEN: Thank you, Jonathan (ph).

BERMAN: A lot of news. We'll be right back.

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[09:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Happening today, former CNN Anchor, Don Lemon, now, an independent journalist, is set to be arraigned in federal court in Minnesota. He faces federal charges related to his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church last month. Lemon is charged with conspiring to violate someone's constitutional rights and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits anyone from, quote, intimidating or interfering with people exercising their constitutional right to practice religion.

The indictment accuses Lemon and several others of blocking a pastor at that church. It also claims the protesters targeted the church that day because they believe the pastor was a U.S. immigration official. Lemon is vowing to fight the charges and says he was there to cover the story as a journalist, not a protestor. With us now is Sarah Krissoff, a former U.S. Prosecutor for the Southern District of New York.

You know, Sarah quickly, before we get to the merits of this case, which there's a lot of discussion about, and plenty to discuss there, what happens today?

SARAH KRISSOFF, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NY: So this is a really simple proceeding. Essentially, he is going to enter a plea of not guilty to these charges. They may do a little bit of scheduling, but it's going to be a quick proceeding, although I'm sure Lemon and his legal team are very excited to get in front of the judge and bring this whole case to the judge's attention here.

BERMAN: Yeah, and that's why I was saying, let's make that quick, because Lemon and his team are going to try to get this thrown out as soon as they can. And there are a lot of supporters of journalism who think there's a really weak case here.

[09:55:00]

You know, the Don says he was there covering the story. So how quickly will a judge address those requests?

KRISSOFF: There will be a process for Lemon's legal team to bring motions pretty quickly, just saying this is just on its face, not an appropriate indictment. So they're not really going to argue about the facts. They're going to say, even assuming all of these facts are true, this does not make out a legal case, so I think the judges are going to be given the history here.

We had a very unusual history where the Department of Justice originally tried to charge Lemon in a complaint and a judge refused to sign that complaint. I mean, I think the judge is going to be particularly interested in evaluating these allegations here in deciding whether they can even move forward.

BERMAN: So Don has hired, in addition to having Abbe Lowell, who's a pretty big time lawyer, he's also hired a former federal prosecutor who recently resigned from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. What is the point of a hire like that?

KRISSOFF: Yeah. I mean, unquestionably, Abbe Lowell is one of the best, right? We've seen him in many of the most high profile criminal cases in recent years, and he's been, you know, a leader in this field for a very long time. So by hiring Mr. Thompson, Mr. Lemon, that is a smart move by Lemon.

He is saying, hey, let's get someone on the ground here. Let's get someone that knows the judges, that knows the prosecutors, that knows everyone in the courthouse, right from the court reporters to the security officers. And so that -- that is why he would hire someone like Mr. Thompson, and that's -- that is, as I said, I think a very smart move on his part.

BERMAN: All right, we'll be watching what happens today. Any signs from the judge that perhaps they will process these requests from Lemon's team in a quick way? Appreciate you being with us this morning, Sarah. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Happening today at the Olympics, American Ilia Malinin, the breakout star that we have seen is competing in the men's single free skate, just as a scandal is unfolding over the judging in the ice- dance competition. Controversial -- controversial scoring left Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates with the silver and the French team with a surprise gold.

CNN's Coy Wire is back with much more on this. What are you picking up, my friend.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, this French team, Kate won gold over the three time defending World Champs America's Madison -- Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who put up a season best performance by fewer than one and a half points. Five of the nine judges favored the Americans. Three of the judges that gave the top marks to the French did so by a slim margins.

But one judge, a French judge, favored the French skaters by nearly eight points in the free dance. Hence the controversy. Both teams actually, Kate have the same coach, and the coach thought that Chock and Bates deserved to win. They said the International Skating Union says that it stands by the judging, so if the global governing body is unwilling to investigate the scoring, there is little recourse for Team USA.

But after winning that silver medal, Kate Evan Bates said, we're married, so we're going to be fine. We're going to go home, and we're going to have a life with three Olympic medals to their name. They are tied for the winningest U.S. Olympic figure skaters of all time.

All right, Kate, tonight we're going to -- we'll have finesse, we'll have fury, maybe even a back flip on the ice. The Quad God, Team USA figure skating sensation, Ilia Malinin is flipping and twisting his way into the men's long program. How did he get one of the coolest nicknames on the planet? Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ILIA MALININ, U.S. FIGURE SKATER: Quad God, it all started from the

small joke of just accidentally changing my user name and then everyone being like, why did you change your user name. You only landed one quad at the time, so that kind of gave me the fuel to, you know, go on to land all the rest of the quads. It's not only just now a nickname, but it's also part of me, and there's so many more parts of me to come in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, we had a huge upset in the women's snowboarding halfpipe. Two-time defending champion American Chloe Kim looking to pull off a first ever three-peat in the event, falling on two of her three runs, taking silver. It was 17-year old Korean sensation, Gaon Choi, just two years after fracturing her back on a nasty fall, and after a nasty fall in this event, she considered pulling out, but she perseveres for Olympic gold.

Chloe Kim is one of her idols. It was a special moment when Kim hugged and celebrated Gaon after her run. Awesome sportsmanship, Kate. I'm trying to learn one Italian phrase of the day while I'm here. And there are so many awesome moments, I wanted to learn how to say awesome in Italian. And it's fun to say, e una bomba. Someone told me, it's awesome.

You got to say it with your hands, though, Kate, that's the key. E una bomba. Matter of fact, that's my new nickname for you, e una bomba Bolduan and e una bomba Berman. I mean, it just rolls off.

BOLDUAN: I will take it. I will take it. I'll take anything Coy Wire comes up with especially a compliment.

BERMAN: I think that's awesome. Either that's an awesome phrase or someone is messing with you. Quite Happy Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, John Berman.

WIRE: I love you.

BOLDUAN: I can't as for anything more than just being with you every day. Thanks for joining us. You can go now. I know you want to. CNN News Central is over. Situation Room is up now. You're so sweet (inaudible).