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Trump Hours Away from Delivering Primetime Address; Hughes Brothers Of U.S. Men's Hockey Show Support For Women's Team; U.S. Men's Hockey Team Arrives Ahead Of The President's Speech; Family Offers $1 Million For Tip In Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance; Source: Suspect Seen At Guthrie's Door Before The Day She Disappeared; School Gunman's Sister Testifies In Father's Trial. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired February 24, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And -- and the President has made it very clear in the past that he thinks the economy is doing very well. And I think you're going to see a lot of forward-looking discussion this evening, but not necessarily the kind of -- I feel your pain moment that Bill Clinton, for example, was -- was famous for. I don't -- I don't think we're going to hear a lot of that. He does have a big task at hand, because the majority of the American people, according to polls, disapprove of the job he's doing, including economically. But the President, I think it's fair to say, does not think he deserves those - those low marks, and he'll make a case tonight for why he thinks the economy is doing much better than -- than polls indicate the American people do.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: All right. Jake, I really appreciate that. Thank you.

Stay with us. A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: President Trump is expected to focus at least part of his State of the Union address tonight on the economy. A new polling suggests that is exactly what the American people want. With the President's approval rating at just 36 percent, will he also use this moment to try to boost his support?

HILL: We do know dozens of Democrats will actually not be in the room tonight. They are planning not to attend, a large number, as you can see. So, what can those in the room and watching at home expect? Chuck Todd joins us now, host of "The Chuck Toddcast." Chuck, good to be with you. Good to have you with us, rather.

So, Jake was just walking us through, right, the -- the lunch that he just had, along with our colleague Dana Bash, a number of other news anchors ahead of this State of the Union. And -- and he said the President will say you're about -- we're about to have the best three years and it's already started when it comes to the economy.

What more are you expecting from President Trump? What more could President Trump say to better connect with the American people?

CHUCK TODD, HOST, THE CHUCK TODDCAST: Well, I think it's always a challenge when you're trying to tell the people, hey, what you're feeling is not what is true. Right. Perception is reality in politics more often than not. And so, the perception that the country has that this isn't a good economy. And the thing is, is that it's not that, okay, unemployment is -- is somehow high. It's not. It's that people are feeling it's an insecurity. And I think ultimately his challenge tonight, I think, is a difficult one, if he would even acknowledge it.

And based on what Jake was saying, he doesn't accept the premise that people are unhappy with this economy, right? And I think how he messages that, you know, the infamous I feel your pain. That was the -- the magic of Bill Clinton, which is you -- you need to empathize more.

Now, empathy has never been a strong suit of this president. One would argue if empathy mattered to the voters, he wouldn't have ever gotten elected either time. So, I think in that sense, he -- he is, you know, that is who he is. But when you are -- I just think it's a tougher sell when you tell people what you're feeling is not what is, right? Joe Biden tried that. It didn't work.

No, no, no, no, no. Inflation is coming down. You're like, yes, but prices are still going up.

No, no, no, no. Prices are going down. But prices are still higher than they were last year, which is what Donald Trump's trying to argue.

So, I think it is -- it's how he sells it. Look, Barack Obama famously in 2012 was able to convince people, hey, look, you -- you are not better off now than you were four years ago. But I'm going to promise you, you'll be better off four years from now than if you use the other guy's plan.

In essence, that's what the President's going to try to argue tonight. I think that's difficult because if you don't meet it, if people don't start feeling it in the next, you know, we're -- we're short -- we have short attention spans here. They don't feel it in the next six months. It's going to be a drubbing at the midterm polls.

KEILAR: I think it's a natural sort of human response to lack empathy if you're mad, right? And we -- we know the President's mad right now, Chuck. He's really ticked off about the Supreme Court decision on the tariffs coming just a few days before his State of the Union of speech -- speech. And -- and it might be kind of tempting, right? They're going to be sitting in the Supreme Court justices right in front of him. It might be tempting for him to chide them, to address it with them. How should he address the issue of tariffs?

TODD: Well, I imagine Susie Wiles is going to tell him, don't attack the Court, don't attack the Court. Maybe he instead overly praises Brett Kavanaugh, who wrote the dissent. And then -- so that, you know, let us read between the lines that he's unhappy with -- with the other two appointees that he made to the Court.

But that's a risky move if he goes down the grievance road, right? He cannot turn the State of the Union into his version of festivus. You know, I got a lot of problems with you people in this room, right? And wherever he looks, I got a problem with you, Supreme Court.

HILL: I -- I was going to say.

TODD: I got a problem with you ...

HILL: Yes.

[15:05:00]

TODD: ... you know, congressional. And he may, right, he may be the festivus president here where he's going to air his grievances. But that's not good politics, and that's certainly not what the public wants to hear about. I think, he -- he does need to make a better case of why -- I think on tariffs, the problem is most Americans believe they pay the tariff, not the party -- not the party that that supposedly being charged the tariff. And I think ultimately, it's why the President's had a terrible time convincing anybody outside of his most devoted base that tariffs are a good thing.

I mean, just look at all the polling. There are large majorities that don't like these tariffs.

HILL: I mean, the New York Fed, too, saying that, you know, consumers pay something like 90 percent of those tariffs. So, it's important to note that there -- there is the -- the data there as well.

TODD: And for saying that, Erica ...

HILL: What's that?

TODD: ... he's angry at the New York Fed for putting out that report.

HILL: You can add that to the list of grievances for festivus. So, we -- in all seriousness, there are things the President can highlight that are wins. One of the -- one of the main issues in 2024 was immigration. His wins on the border are good for him to highlight, right? The problem is the operations that we've seen in the interior, what we saw in Minneapolis, is there a way to balance those two?

TODD: There would be if he chose to do it and we'll see if he does, right? I mean, I think the problem he's got is that the country has separated immigration from border security. They are more favorable to his border security policies because they view that as chaos at the border versus his immigration policies, which is now being seen through the prism of ICE enforcement. And that is growing more unpopular.

Does he show a little bit of empathy here? Here I am bringing up a word that I said he isn't really accustomed to -- to feeling or using. But, you know, I think that's the best way to -- you know, does he go out there and say, look, I know some of our tactics have come across as harsh to some. But look, the main goal was to do this. I did this and we're going to try to do better over here, but that is not in his vocabulary, right?

He never wants to accept the premise that somebody in his administration didn't do it the right way, even if that is indeed the case, even if that's what we all seem to agree is the case, which in -- in as far as ICE enforcement is concerned, that's another one where there are now large majorities that include members of his own base who do not like the tactics that are used, even if the outcome is -- is pleasing.

KEILAR: Yes, such a good point. Chuck, always great to talk with you. It's a big night. So, we're going to see how it goes. And there'll be a lot to talk about tomorrow. Chuck Todd, thank you so much.

TODD: You got it.

KEILAR: The Olympic champions, the U.S. Women's Hockey Team, are not going to be at the State of the Union tonight. They actually declined President Trump's invitation, citing scheduling issues. A team spokesperson said the women were grateful for the recognition and made no mention of an online clip that has gone viral and elicited just this huge social media backlash.

HILL: So that video, if you haven't seen it, shows President Trump on the phone with the men of the hockey team in the locker room after their victory over Canada in that gold medal game, where he appears to make a joke about inviting the women's team to the State of the Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plan or something, but if you would like to, it's the coolest night. It's the biggest ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the women's team (INAUDIBLE) ...

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I do believe I probably would be impeached, okay?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Later, the Hughes brothers, who are stars, of course, of the men's team, expressed their support for the players on the women's team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUINN HUGHES, MEMBER, OLYMPIC CHAMPION U.S. MEN'S HOCKEY TEAM: I'm glad you mentioned the women's team again. You know, we're really happy for them. There's a lot going on social media right now surrounding our team and their team. But, you know, in the last couple of summers, we did a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of them really well. JACK HUGHES, SCORED GOLD-MEDAL WINNING GOAL: I think everyone in that

locker room, you know, knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. And we feel the same -- the same way we feel about them. We know they feel that way about us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Well, just moments ago, a contingent of the men's team arrived at Joint Base Andrews. They took some time there as they showed their medals to the troops who were there to greet them when they landed. Joining us now is CNN sports anchor Patrick Snell. So, as we noted, several members of the men's team expected to be at the State of the Union tonight. And this is still a major topic of discussion.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORT ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And I'm going to get some sound from the Hughes brothers' mother as well, because she's been weighing in on this topic. It's -- yes, let's just say, first of all, from a sporting perspective, it has been the most momentous last few days at the Winter Games initially for both the USA's women's and the men's team.

[15:10:05]

Both absolutely fantastic performances in both cases, the U.S. beating their fierce North American rivals, Canada, and in overtime, too. Just as a reminder, it was Jack Hughes who grabbed the history-making winner Sunday in Milan, a goal that saw America win its first men's gold medal in hockey since, get this, the famed Miracle on Ice team in 1980. That's almost half a century ago now, 46 years. And then this after his older brother, Quinn, had netted the overtime winner in the quarterfinals against the Swedes.

So, we now know this is the state of play as it is right now. The two siblings will be attending the State of the Union address tonight in Washington, D.C. Earlier, Quinn telling ABC's "Good Morning America," I don't know how much I'm allowed to say, but yes, we're excited to go.

Now, in contrast, the women's gold medal winning team, they were also formally invited. But as you said off the top, the team declining the invitation, citing a scheduling issue. Their decline came after that video emerged from the men's locker room amid all those celebrations during which the U.S. President Donald Trump somewhat awkwardly tacked on that invitation to women's team during the congratulatory call with the victorious U.S. men's team.

And potentially -- here's the awkward part, potentially making it even more awkward. Jack and Quinn's mother is Ellen Hughes. She's a player development consultant on the women's team. Her reaction to the incident. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN HUGHES, USA WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY CONSULTANT: You can see what we see from the inside and the men and women sharing, you know, dorms -- dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

E HUGHES: That's what it's all about. And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and they care about the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Ellen Hughes speaking there. Now, the NHL season resumes tomorrow after the Winter Games break. Some of these players may well just have a conflict. Jack Hughes' New Jersey Devils play Buffalo on Wednesday evening, while Quinn's team, that's the Minnesota Wild, they're in action against Colorado on Thursday. With that, I'll send it right back to you, Brianna and Erica.

But you can be sure there's more to come. I'm quite sure on all of this. We'll stay across it.

HILL: Yes, there certainly will be. And important is, as we heard from -- from the Hughes brothers on "Good Morning America," as you play -- as you played, they do support the women's team. They were there at a number of their matches. The concern I think you're seeing in a lot of the frustration online is does the public support match what's happening and what was potentially a private moment.

Lots more to come.

KEILAR: Yes.

HILL: Patrick, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead this hour on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, an emotional new message from Savannah Guthrie and an offer of up to a million dollars for information about the disappearance of her mother, Nancy. The latest on that investigation.

Plus, with President Trump weighing military strikes against Iran, Tehran now making a new offer as part of nuclear talks. We'll tell you what the regime is now suggesting.

KEILAR: And later, NASA once again delays the launch of a historic mission that is trying to send four astronauts on an unprecedented path. We'll have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:27]

KEILAR: Savannah Guthrie is again pleading for the public's help to find her mother, and she's adding a $1 million dollar reward as an incentive, a big reward from the family.

Guthrie made that offer in a new video posted to Instagram, and she also made a painful admission that her beloved mother may be gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad, and with her beloved brother, Pierce, and with our and with our daddy. And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Investigators are facing renewed pressure to solve the case. It has been 24 days since Nancy Guthrie disappeared and now a source tells CNN these two images are the same mass suspect captured on doorbell camera footage on Nancy Guthrie's front porch on two different dates.

I'm joined now by Richard Kolko, a retired FBI supervisory special agent.

Richard, thank you for being with us. And you hear Savannah there. She is saying the family still believes they are praying, they are hoping and hoping for a miracle. But if her mother is gone, they want her back. And -- and I wonder what you make of this latest message.

RICHARD KOLKO, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Well, this latest message is just heartbreaking, as we all saw and heard from Savannah, but it's very important that this case remains at the forefront of the public's eye. And Savannah, because of her stature in -- in the United States and as a media person, she's -- has the capability of doing that. But she's doing that not for herself and not for her family, but because she wants those tips to continue to come in.

We know that there's been 10s of thousands of tips, but the law enforcement, FBI, Pima County sheriff is still waiting for that important tip that is going to help break this case, and it is out there. It could come in five minutes and it could come in a long time from now. But her -- her messages, her increasing the reward, this is all helpful to keep the case front and center.

[15:20:01]

KEILAR: Our John Miller reported about this $1 million reward, that it's actually something the family wanted to do earlier, but they were counseled against doing it, that it might open the floodgates too much. There was already so much interest. They were getting a lot of tips.

At this point in time, offering that reward, can you talk a little bit about what you think that might enable at this point?

KOLKO: I think it's helpful and John was right, if they had they done this out of the gate, it kind of would have been almost too much too soon because we saw there was immense -- and remains immense public interest in providing those tips. But this million dollar one, it really is. When you -- when we look at that video or we look at that photo, there's something about that person that somebody is going to recognize.

We know a neighbor may have been acting a little bit unusual. We know somebody might be missing. Somebody might have spoken about, you know, strange things, and people just weren't willing to pick up the telephone. Maybe, hopefully, that million-dollar reward will say, you know what, I will call the FBI or I will call the Sheriff's Department.

So, it's the right thing Savannah following that counsel, and I -- I think they did this at the right time, and I -- I'm sure you'll see an uptick in leads, both fruitful, and you'll also get some that are less than fruitful, but law enforcement's used to that.

KEILAR: Yes, they'll have something to sift through, but at least they'll have something, right? So, we've been looking at -- this is one image that we're looking at here, but we've been looking at two images, and a source tells CNN the masked person seen on the doorbell camera footage on Guthrie's home the morning that she's believed to have been kidnapped, that's on the right, was also at her doorstep on another night. And the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement, there's no date or timestamp associated with this image, and any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.

I have a couple of questions on this one. What does that tell you, if there's two different nights, or maybe even more, and why is this something that law enforcement might choose not to share publicly?

KOLKO: Well, law enforcement's always going to hold some stuff back, that's just part of doing an investigation. But as an experienced investigator, this is -- this is actually good news, okay, because initially they said she went missing on the night of January 31st, in the morning of February 1st, so if you were one of the agents or deputies assigned to go out there and cover leads, that's the question you would have been asking, did you see anybody this night? And that kind of limited the timeline of what you were looking for.

Now, that there's potentially another night, that opens it up. There's more video to look for, more witnesses to look for, the cell phone analysis, people can do more nights that they can check this out. So, I think it's very, very helpful that -- that these pictures may have been different days, and that also, in conjunction with the added reward, and possibly multiple nights, I think it's helpful for the investigation.

KEILAR: Richard Kolko, thank you so much. Obviously, a key moment with this huge new reward being announced.

Ahead, the sister of the high school shooter in Georgia testifying as her father faces murder charges. The latest on the trial against Colin Gray, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:36] KEILAR: Today, the sister of a Georgia school shooter testified before the prosecution at her father's trial. Colin Gray is on trial, pardon me, for allegedly providing the rifle that his son, Colt, used at Apalachee High School in 2024.

HILL: That rampage killed two students, two teachers, and wounded nine others. Prosecutors say Colin disregarded repeat past warnings to restrict his son Colt's access to weapons from authorities. Those warnings coming from authorities as well as his family. The defense says Colin Gray had no idea his son was going to attack his school. CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now.

So, what do jurors hear today, Jean, from Colin Gray's daughter?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's still on the stand. She is a minor, and she's living with a foster family now. And she said she's had no contact for the last two years with her father, with her mother, with her -- her siblings, but she feels loved now. She's in a family environment.

She said on the morning of September 4th of 2024, when this all happened, that Colt had a different -- different personality in the home that morning, that it was just different. And she really was concerned that something was going to happen. She saw his backpack. She saw something sticking out of the backpack. She saw a poster board wrapped around it, but she didn't know what it was.

And -- and -- and she said in a forensic interview that she wasn't quite sure that she remembered that she went into his room after that, after he'd left for school, and she didn't see the gun anymore there. But she also testified that she was in middle school, and that once there was lockdown, there was a school shooting, she realized and heard that three people had died. She and her father had a text exchange. Listen to what she testified to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALIX DANIEL, ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, BARROW COUNTY, GEORGIA: So, this is at 12:19 P.M. on September 4th of 2024. Colin texted you and said, "Jenni, have you talked to your brother?" You respond, "No," at 12:19 P.M. And then at 12:20 P.M. you said, "But I think we're thinking the same thing and I don't want to talk about it over text." Colin then responds still at 12:20 P.M. He says, "Yep, 10-4, I'll be there here in just a few. Let me know when you're back in the building and when I can come get you."

You said, "I think we're both thinking the same thing."

[15:30:01]

What are you referencing there?