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Estrogen Patches In Short Supply As Demand Grows; Ex-U.K. Ambassador To U.S. Arrested Amid Epstein Probe; 30M Plus People Under Blizzard Warnings Across Northeast; NYC Schools To Hold In-Person Classes Tomorrow; Violence Erupts Across Mexico After Military Kills Cartel Boss; CDC Deputy Director Abruptly Leaves Agency; Lindsey Vonn Avoids Leg Amputation, Credits Doctor; School Gunman's Mother Testifies Against His Father. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired February 23, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

DR. TARA ALLMEN, BOARD CERTIFIED GYNECOLOGIST: You're absolutely right. There are so -- women -- so any women who can't use hormone therapy for many, many reasons, but there are options, really great options for them. So, if -- if your viewers take anything home from this segment today, it's that you've got to find a healthcare professional who's an expert in midlife women's health. I'm going to strongly encourage everyone to go to menopause.org. That's The Menopause Society. That's where you're going to get great information.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. And we got some with you here today. Dr. Allmen, thank you so much.

ALLMEN: Thank you.

HILL: And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A bomb cyclone slamming the Northeast, hurricane-force winds and extreme snowfall are paralyzing multiple states. Thousands of flights are canceled, travel bans are in place, and power is out for hundreds of thousands.

HILL: A cartel kingpin killed, unleashing violence across several parts of Mexico. The State Department now advising Americans in those areas they need to shelter in place.

A new protest erupting in Iran as President Trump considers military action. Talks over a nuclear deal appear deadlocked.

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

We are also following developments out of the U.K. where there's been another high-profile arrest in Britain amid the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. London police taking the former British ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, in for questioning this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office, which is the same language police used in describing last week's arrest of former Prince Andrew. Mandelson has been under investigation for allegedly passing market- sensitive information to Epstein when Mandelson was serving as Britain's business secretary. Earlier this month, the veteran politician resigned from the Labour

Party. He quit Britain's upper house of parliament. You may recall he'd been fired from his role as ambassador in September following a previous release of Epstein documents.

Joining me to discuss is Dal Babu, who's the former chief superintendent of the London Metropolitan Police. It's good to have you with us this hour.

So, we did know that Mandelson was under investigation. Did you expect, though, an arrest here?

DAL BABU, FORMER CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: No, it's happened very, very quickly. I think this has -- this has caught everybody in Britain by surprise. We know the Epstein files were incredibly damaging. They showed terrible evidence of men -- privileged men, taking advantage of young women. But I think this arrest is in relation to misconduct in -- in public office, which relates to Mandelson sharing sensitive information with the convicted pedophile Epstein.

So, but we are -- it's -- it's quite surprising how quickly things have moved here. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested last Thursday. We've had Mandelson now arrested. I think people are surprised at the speed of events. And Mandelson was arrested. He's a man who is not without controversy. He lost his job previously for not disclosing the loan he had from government. He then lost his role in relation to concerns about his involvement in British passport applications to some billionaires. And then more recently, he lost his job because he had failed to disclose his full friendship and dealings with convicted pedophile Epstein.

HILL: How is this -- you mentioned that the arrest comes as a surprise, how quickly everything is moving. Can you give us a sense of how this is actually playing out in the U.K.? How are all of these developments being received?

BABU: Well, I think the -- the idea of a -- a former prince being arrested was -- was quite shocking last Thursday. You'd have to go back 350 years before you saw arrest of a -- a -- a senior royal. And King Charles -- and he -- he's -- it didn't land well with him because he ended up ripping the rails and getting executed. So, people were quite shocked to see that Prince Andrew -- former Prince Andrew had been arrested.

And then to see the arrest of Mandelson, who was a member of the Lords, one of the -- one of the key chambers in -- in Britain. And he played a prominent role in politics for many years in the Labour Party. So, people have been quite surprised. I think one thing that's really surprised and more of a discussion is -- is that in America, we don't seem to have had any arrests in relation to Epstein files. But in Britain, things have moved relatively quickly in order to try and deal with the -- the fallout and the terrible evidence that's coming out regarding Epstein's crimes and his links with powerful men.

HILL: Yes, that has certainly been a focus here in the United States as well, I can tell you. I was speaking with our chief legal analyst earlier, who was noting that there is this treaty, right, between the U.S. and the U.K. when it comes to law enforcement, that the DOJ could potentially be asked by the -- by U.K. law enforcement for help, for information in either of these cases.

[15:00:14]

Based on what we are seeing in terms of how things are playing out in the U.S., do you see any reason that that standing treaty would be ignored?

BABU: No, I -- I -- I think the one thing that police will do, I think fairly quickly, is some of this arrest, the speculation is based on the Epstein files, i.e., Mandelson and indeed Andrew sharing information, sensitive information with other -- other parties, financial information. One thing that we haven't got is unredacted versions of these releases.

So, I think that would be very helpful just to see the unredacted files. And at the moment, some -- some of them are -- some of the information, as you will -- will know better than me, some of the information is entirely redacted. It's -- it's probably as useful as a chocolate teapot.

So, I think we really need to see unredacted information and we need to make sure that the men who've carried, and I appreciate Mandelson and Andrew are saying that they have not committed any offenses, but we need to make sure the men who are implicated are -- are dealt with or are questioned, and asked to account for their behavior.

HILL: Yes, Dal Babu, really appreciate your insight. Thanks for being with us this afternoon.

BABU: Thank you very much.

HILL: We should note, of course, Mandelson has not publicly commented on these allegations and he did previously apologize for his association with Epstein. Also, important to note that the inclusion of any name in the Epstein files is not necessarily evidence of wrongdoing. Brianna?

KEILAR: And we turn now to the dangerous bomb cyclone hammering the Northeast. This hour, 10s of millions of Americans are still under blizzard warnings, with at least five states now seeing more than two feet of snow and it's not over yet. In some places, wind gusts have also been hitting 75 miles per hour, which is as strong as a category one hurricane. Here's a scene in Boston just a short time ago.

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MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Blizzard-type conditions here in Boston, Massachusetts. See, we got the gusts picking up at points. We have a lot of snow coming down. You can see some of the snow, they've already started to pile up here in downtown Boston. We're right by the harbor, right near the New England Aquarium, for those who are familiar with this spot. And normally, as we're looking up towards the rest of downtown, you'd be able to see some of the buildings. Obviously, we have some of those whiteout conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And let's go to CNN's Bill Weir, who is in New York City, where it is idyllic looking there where you are, Bill. And the storm just made a top 10 list.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This is a tale of two cities, depending on who you are and where you are. It's gorgeous. If you're a big furry dog or a small child with parents that can pull you around on a sled, like these lucky ones. But if you're a grownup who has to make a living driving maybe deliveries or moving people or goods around, not so great. Because this blizzard of '26 will be remembered, not so much for the cold, thankfully, but for the amount of water in this snow, just for -- oh, here's a good -- here's a good way to show you.

Say 10 inches of good powder that, you know, the kind you like to ski in, you might get one inch of water out of this. This stuff is so dense, you might get one inch of water out of six inches of snow. So, that wreaks havoc on trees. About 300 trees reported down just here in New York City. Power lines, hundreds of thousands of people suffering when these things bring power lines down with them. And then there's the cleanup mess. You got a big front-end loader going there. Those are worth their weight in gold when it comes to moving these snow berms.

Let's go around this way. We're at Central Park West. So, you can see sort of the edge of the park where it's still fun and beautiful. And the reality of what's coming for people as this stuff turns to slush. But again, thankfully, the temperatures are above freezing, going into the 40s the rest of the week. So, hopefully a lot of this will be melted off. Unlike January where these icebergs just were persisted for week after week, make it hard to -- to navigate, took the lives in New York City of at least 20 unhoused people. They had to come up with emergency shelters, warming buses, those sorts of steps going forward. But right now, the worst of the blizzard here in New York City, it seems to have abated.

KEILAR: And what kind of -- what does this do for snowballs in terms of the density of the snow there? That's really important because today Bill is ...

WEIR: Yes.

KEILAR: ... I mean, the kids have off school and they don't -- they don't have to be in front of a screen, right? Which is a very important distinction. Though, unfortunately tomorrow, I guess it sounds like ...

WEIR: Exactly.

KEILAR: ... according to the mayor, they're going back to school in person.

WEIR: They are going back to school in person tomorrow. And he said, you know, you can bombard me with snowballs out of anger though. The -- the new mayor has said this.

[15:10:06]

But yes, these will hurt. These are the kinds of snowballs that can get some mass behind them and some velocity, and they hurt your lower back if you're trying to move it with a shovel and not take an adequate break. So, yes, these - these - these big rain events, these big water events on our overheating planet, whether it's a bomb cyclone in the east or it's an atmospheric river out in the Sierra Nevada that creates dangerous avalanche conditions, this is the new reality here.

I was talking to somebody remembering -- talking about how back in the 19th century they used to ice skate regularly here in Central Park. It doesn't freeze, it's not cold enough for a long enough period of time for that to happen anymore. I mean, instead, when you do get a big event like this, it's got a lot more water packed into it.

KEILAR: Yes, and that's why those kids were crying in your last live shot, because they were throwing snow ice balls at each other, which is kind of a bummer. That's not as much fun as it could be.

WEIR: That's right.

KEILAR: It's ruining everything.

All right, Bill Weir, thank you so much for that lovely live shot. We appreciate it.

And still to come, Americans in Mexico urge to shelter in place after the country's most wanted cartel leader is killed, sparking violence. How the operation could fuel a turf war among drug gangs there.

Plus, the mother of a teen who opened fire at his school is called to the stand as her estranged husband is tried for murder in connection with the mass shooting.

And then later, a top Trump official says the president is curious as to why Iran has not capitulated in nuclear talks, even as the White House weighs potential military strikes. We'll have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:16:05]

KEILAR: Happening now. Communities in Mexico are bracing for what comes next after the military killed the country's most powerful cartel leader during a raid on Sunday. The death of the drug kingpin, known as El Mencho, sparked retaliatory violence across Mexico. Officials say dozens were killed in the clashes, including 25 members of the Mexican National Guard. And as of this hour, the U.S. State Department is telling Americans in several Mexican states to continue sheltering in place until further notice.

We're joined now by CNN's Rafael Romo. And Rafael, who could take over control of the cartel? And could this turn into a bloody turf war? We've seen so much in the way of these smoking and -- and flaming cars and so much to worry about as we've seen across so many cities.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Brianna. And those are fundamental questions. The challenge here is that the cartel is structured like a franchise business, according to the DEA. And a security analyst we spoke with says it is composed of around 90 different organizations. As for a bloody turf war, the Mexican government says it has regained control in some of the areas where criminals block the streets, burn buses and vandalize businesses.

Regarding the alleged drug lord, he was perhaps the most powerful cartel boss since Sinaloa Kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was arrested last time in 2016. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho, was 59 years old. He was the leader of a vast criminal organization accused of masterminding efforts to push fentanyl into the United States.

Mexican Defense Secretary, Ricardo Trevilla said earlier today that thanks to Mexican intelligence and some information provided by the United States, special forces from the Mexican National Guard raided a location in Jalisco State Saturday where Oseguera had earlier been spending time with a woman.

During the operation, a shootout broke out and eight heavily armed members of the cartel boss security died. Oseguera escaped with several bodyguards, but was later shot in another shootout with federal forces and died as he was being transported to a hospital.

Oseguera formed and led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The United States alone was offering, listen to this, a $15 million bounty for information leading to his arrest in 1994. He was convicted in California for conspiracy to distribute heroin and served three years in a U.S. prison. He returned to Mexico and became, imagine this, a police officer for some time in Jalisco State before resuming his criminal activities.

U.S. Army retired Major Mike Lyons called the operation targeting the drug lord a big national security win for the United States and says he expects more cooperation between the two countries in the future. This is how he explained it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR MIKE LYONS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): I think that you're going to see a lot more of this cooperation between the United States and the Mexican government as they -- as this administration, the Trump administration leans into this very much so, especially in this hemisphere, using all those same tools that we used again to take out the Venezuelan leader. And -- and you'll -- I think you'll continue to see a lot more of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And finally, Brianna, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is known as a ruthless criminal organization accused of masterminding efforts to push fentanyl into the United States. According to the U.S. Department of State, it has contacts in over 40 countries from the Americas to Australia in February 2025. Last year, the U.S. government designated the cartel as a terrorist organization. Brianna, now back to you.

KEILAR: All right, Rafael, we'll be watching very closely. Thank you.

The mother of a school shooter testifying about a chilling conversation that she had with her teenage son just months before he would open fire on his teachers and classmates. We'll have that next.

[15:20:00]

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[15:24:37]

HILL: Let's get a look at some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. A top CDC official abruptly leaving the agency. Principal Deputy Director Dr. Ralph Abraham, we've learned, is stepping down. He was only sworn in on December 15th. The agency says Abraham chose to leave due to, quote, unforeseen family obligations. His departure comes shortly after NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya had temporarily stepped in as the acting CDC Director.

Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn is sharing a health update after her terrifying crash at the Winter Olympics earlier this month when she was trying to add to her medal count. She says the injury is the most challenging one she's faced yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSEY VONN: I had a complex tibia fracture. Also fractured my -- my fibular head, my tibial plateau. I'll be in a wheelchair for a while because I also broke my right ankle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Vonn, of course, underwent reconstructive surgery to address the several fractures in her left leg. She credits her doctor with saving her leg from amputation due to complications that she was facing in surgery. She had arrived at the Games and of course was battling a severe ACL injury when she took that first competition run.

A big return for Ecuador's -- to Ecuador's Galapagos after nearly 150 years. After the last giant tortoises were removed from one island, dozens of juvenile hybrids have been released to begin restoring that island's depleted ecosystem. 150 turtles between the ages of eight and 13 were sent to their new home from the Galapagos National Park Breeding Center. The director says they do plan to eventually release some 700 turtles. Now, These turtles carry 40- to 80 percent of the genetic makeup of a species that has been extinct for over 150 years.

Right now, the mother of a Georgia school shooter is on the stand testifying against her estranged husband. Colin Gray is on trial. He's charged with 30 felonies including second degree murder for allegedly providing the rifle which their son Colt used to kill four people in 2024. Prosecutors say Colin had received previous warnings to restrict his son's access to weapons.

Colt's mother Marcy has been telling jurors today about Colt's troubled childhood involving her addiction issues, multiple moves and also Colt's anger and panic attacks. She detailed that Colt had texted her, quote, "I'm sorry," on the day of the shooting, strengthening suspicions on that September day. The defense says Colin Gray had no idea his then 14-year-old son was going to attack the school. We will continue to follow all of those details for you as we monitor those developments.

Next up here, university students in Tehran launching a new round of anti-government protests as American forces gather offshore ahead of a possible attack against the regime. The latest from the region ahead.

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