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Heading to the Polls; Heart-Wrenching Message; Show of Military Force. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired February 08, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in CNN Newsroom with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, voters head to the polls in Japan's snap elections. We will go to Tokyo for an update.

A heart wrenching message from the family of Nancy Guthrie, they say they'll pay to get their mom back.

And a show of military force as the U.S. and Iran look to come to terms on a nuclear weapons deal.

Welcome. Japan's first female leader is taking a big bet on her popularity. Voting is underway in a rare winter snap election that could deliver a big win for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. She called the election just three months after taking office, and she's vowed to step down if her party fails to secure a majority. Takaichi's approval ratings are notably higher among Japan's young and older voters alike, but there is some concern that the record snowfall is blanketing much of the country could impact voter turnout.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has the latest for us from Tokyo.

We will bring that to you in a moment, but for now, voters are also heading to the polls in Thailand for an election featuring a three-way battle between the country's conservative, progressive, and populous groups. But with no one party expected to secure a clear majority, the election could prolong the country's political instability. We're seeing some live pictures there from Bangkok, Thailand, as that gets underway.

Voters are also deciding whether a new constitution should replace Thailand's 2017 military-backed charter.

We'd be glad to know we are now ready to bring you CNN Hanako Montgomery. Here is the latest from Tokyo. Here it is.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Much of Japan is seeing a snow storm, but that isn't stopping millions of people from casting their ballots in Japan's lower house elections. Now, the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called this election just three months into her premiership for really two main reasons. The first reason is because she wants to get back a majority government.

Currently, she is ruling a minority government. Of course, it's much more difficult to pass legislation, to push bills forward. So, she is hoping to gain the majority and make it easier to govern, make it easier to do her job.

Now, the second reason is because she is banging on the fact that she's very, very popular right now among the general public. If you look at her personal approval ratings, I mean, these are ratings that we haven't seen in recent years, some polls putting her at an approval rating of over 80 percent.

Now, her party, on the other hand, the Liberal Democratic Party, is not doing so well at the polls. So, she is again hoping that her star power, her popularity will translate at the polls and people will vote for her party and thereby for her. In fact, last week we spoke to some of her fans to understand why she is just so popular among young people and old people alike. Listen to this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a drummer. I'm a rock and roll musician. Ms. Takaichi is the same age as me. And when she became prime minister, seeing her work so hard made me feel like life was worth living,

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MONTGOMERY: And it really does seem as though it's more of her personality rather than her politics. That's what makes her so popular at the moment. I was speaking to some young people who also said that they just appreciate the way that she's posting on social media. They like the videos that she posts. She's easy to understand. And that isn't something that we've had with recent Japanese prime ministers.

So, again, voters here in Japan, they approve of her personality, they approve of her as leader, but, of course, it still stands to see what her policies actually will be if she does against secure that majority and still remains as the prime minister.

There is a whole list of concerns among voters right now, including high cost of living, inflation, also a poor Japanese yen, one that keeps sliding against the dollar. So, again, a long list of issues that Takaichi and her government must deal with if she does secure that majority and stay on as a Japanese prime minister.

Now, according to recent polling, it does seem as though she will secure a landslide victory.

[03:05:01]

But, again, we will confirm those results in the coming hours.

HUNTE: Nancy Guthrie's children are making a new plea for her safe return more than a week after she disappeared from her Arizona home. Police believe that Guthrie was taken from her home against her will. They have not identified any suspects in the case yet, but the search does continue.

Earlier, at least three deputy sheriffs were seen at her eldest daughter's home. They appear to be taking photos. Nancy Guthrie's youngest daughter, NBC Today Show Host Savannah Guthrie posted this video on Instagram on Saturday.

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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, TODAY SHOW HOST/NANCY GUTHRIE'S DAUGHTER: We received your message and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us. And we will pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: So, it is not clear if the Guthrie family has received any new information after they called for proof of life from their mother's possible captor. Federal investigators are examining two messages related to the case that was sent to media outlets this week. One was an apparent ransom note.

CNN's Ed Lavandera brings us the latest on the investigation.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another painful turn of events in the investigation and search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Late Saturday afternoon, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings released another video communicating directly with whoever is sending the family messages about the ransom for Nancy Guthrie.

Still, to this point, after the release of this latest video, investigators have not said whether or not these messages are authentic or legitimate. But, clearly, the Guthrie family behaving and speaking with whoever is writing these messages as if this is, in fact, the conditions and the situation that the family is facing at this moment.

Some context about how this message was delivered. Remember on 5:00 P.M. Thursday, that was a deadline that FBI investigators said was alluded to in one of the initial messages sent to various news organizations to here in Tucson, as well as TMZ. There was a video put out by Savannah Guthrie's brother, Cameron, right as that deadline hit on Thursday. But it wasn't until Friday morning that a second message was received, and now more than 24 hours later, the Guthrie family putting out this other message.

It's also important to explain that this is a situation where FBI hostage negotiators are the ones helping the family. I spoke with the sheriff a couple days ago who told me that he was not aware that the Guthrie family was putting out the first video. So, clearly, this is a situation where the federal investigators are managing this part of the investigation and the communications with whoever's writing these letters. But it also comes as investigators continue to do groundwork across the Tucson area. They were searching these areas Friday night, and we know investigators say that they continue to search for video or other clues around the city as well.

Ed Lavendera, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.

HUNTE: Breaking news out of Russia, the country's security service says it has arrested the suspected shooter in the attack on a top military general in Moscow. The statement says the attacker was caught in Dubai and an alleged accomplice has been detained in Moscow, while another person reportedly involved in the attack fled to Ukraine.

General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot and seriously wounded on Friday before the attackers fled. He reportedly has regained consciousness and doctors are now cautiously optimistic.

The Ukrainian president says the U.S. expects Russia and his nation to be back at the negotiating table in about a week with a peace deal concluded by June. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the next meeting will likely be in Miami and Ukraine will be there. He spoke as his country was picking up the pieces after an attack on the backbone of its power grid.

More than 400 drones and missiles targeted high voltage power lines and thermal plants overnight on Friday, causing widespread outages. And Mr. Zelenskyy says Ukraine's nuclear power plants were not spared either.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Tonight, the Russians struck among other things at facilities on which the operation of nuclear power plants depends, and this is a danger for Ukraine, for our entire region and for Europe. Today, the units of our Ukrainian nuclear power plants reduce their generation. One unit automatically shut down. This is a level of strikes that no terrorist in the world has ever allowed themselves.

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HUNTE: Michael Kimmage is director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center. He's in Washington, D.C. Thank you so much for being with me.

Jumping straight into this, this war is really dragging on.

[03:10:01]

What does peace actually look like to Vladimir Putin right now, and is he willing to make any real concessions at this stage?

MICHAEL KIMMAGE, DIRECTOR, KENNAN INSTITUTE: Well, I think peace in actual fact is very difficult for Russia to achieve on its terms. Although I think that Putin is going to strive in that direction more or less in the spirit, that he can't give up on this war that he has begun and is going to be pushing as hard as he can to get to the finish line. But the closer he gets to the finish line, the more it recedes. But I think Putin is stuck in the spirit of not being able to give up on a gradually hopeless cause. HUNTE: Zelenskyy says that the U.S. says it wants a deal by June. Based on what you know about Putin's mindset, is that timeline actually realistic or does it not really consider how he views this war?

KIMMAGE: I think it's completely unrealistic. I mean, Russia is in fact making a few gains on the battlefield. Russia has been devastating the electrical supply in Kyiv and the energy infrastructure in Ukraine. So, Russia's able to wreak a lot of damage and harm on Ukraine. And Putin can claim that that's progress in the war that's very, very difficult to turn back at the moment and suggest to me that Putin is going to push on in this direction for many months, if not many years to come.

HUNTE: We have been seeing massive attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure with many civilians facing blackouts, and some even being urged to leave because of how unlivable the conditions are becoming. How does targeting civilian life fit into Putin's broader strategy?

KIMMAGE: I think it's very contradictory for Putin because he wants to gain political control over Ukraine. For that, you need the buy-in of Ukrainian elites and Ukrainian citizens, and that's what Putin consistently destroys with these very harsh attacks on civilian life in Ukraine. So, I think it's what he's able to do militarily and so he can demonstrate to the Russian people that he's doing something, but, strategically, I think it sets Russia back more than it really, you know, gives Russia the chance to make progress on the war.

HUNTE: Take me back to when this war first started. Did you expect that we would still be here at this point?

KIMMAGE: I didn't expect four years, although I did expect it to be a long war. The thing is Russia has a huge amount of capacity. It's a big population, it's a big economy, it's a nuclear power, and Ukraine is fighting for its life. And it also has a reasonably large population. It has a lot of countries supporting it. And there's no reason for Ukraine to surrender because of the costs that would be involved in surrendering.

So, you have two relatively big countries with lots of capacity that have many reasons to fight, and that's the recipe for a long war. But I'm shocked that it's four years in the making and quite possibly another four years to come.

HUNTE: Have you been surprised by President Trump's push for peace?

KIMMAGE: I haven't been surprised by it in the sense that President Trump, you know, on the campaign trail said that he was going to do this. And it's sort of in his character and of a piece with other peace initiatives that Trump has been making over the past 12 months. But there seems to be very little agenda, very little framework, very little clarity coming from the White House as to what the White House wants. And I have yet to hear sort of understandable, rational path from war to peace from President Trump.

HUNTE: If diplomacy does fail and Russia escalates instead, what does that escalation actually look like from Moscow's perspective? And what could a worst case scenario be?

KIMMAGE: I mean, I think Russia is doing everything it can do in Ukraine. I don't think that Russia's going to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but they're already unleashing as much horror as they can on Ukraine in midst of the war. We've already mentioned the cost to civilians.

Where Russia could escalate is outside of Ukraine, so Russia could hit supply route coming into Ukraine. That would take the war in some ways to Europe, to NATO. Russia could start to hit the satellites that supply the targeting and information gathering for Ukraine. And Russia could escalate in something that it's doing already, which is acts of sabotage across Europe, which are not costly for Russia and which could cause a lot of damage. So, unfortunately, Russia has a great deal of escalatory options in this conflict.

HUNTE: Appreciating that, what is the biggest mistake that western leaders could make right now when it comes to the next phase of talks and negotiations?

KIMMAGE: I think the mistake that western leaders can make is to overpromise on the diplomacy and to underdeliver on the military support for Ukraine. What Ukraine needs now is something very practical. It needs help with the electricity. It needs help with its air defenses and it needs sustained support with artillery and drone warfare, the basic mechanics of war. And that's really what leaders should be focusing on as opposed to a rushed peace process that's very likely to prolong the war.

So, the practicalities are the important part. The rhetorical promises are easy, but quite deceptive and misleading.

HUNTE: Okay, we'll leave it there for now, but thank you so much, it was really fascinating, and, yes, four years.

[03:15:03]

Michael Kimmage, thank you so much.

KIMMAGE: Thank you so much.

HUNTE: After indirect nuclear talks produced a handshake and some statements of goodwill, the U.S. is reminding Iran about its military muscle. American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier on Saturday. It's part of the military force that President Donald Trump has deployed to the region for possible strikes, if there's no new agreement. A source told CNN that Tehran knew about the visit in advance.

Iran is still pushing back. It repeated on Saturday it would hit U.S. bases in a region if it comes under attack. And Iran's foreign minister says Tehran is not ready to fully give up its nuclear enrichment.

President Trump called for talks very good and says they'll resume next week, but Iran says no date has been set. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the U.S.-Iranian talks.

Okay, anti-Olympic marches turned violent overnight in Milan, and police are investigating suspected sabotage of rail lines in Northern Italy. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Welcome back. Environmental and social justice groups marched in Milan on Saturday. They were protesting against what they called economic and social harm caused by the Winter Olympic Games. As Antonia Mortensen reports, demonstrations started calmly but escalated overnight.

ANTONIA MORTENSEN, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER: Milan's (INAUDIBLE) protest after the excitement of last night's Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Saturday afternoon, anti-Olympic group marched across the city in a national demonstration that drew participants from Milan, Lombardy and the wider northern region. What had been a largely peaceful march turned confrontational several hours in as protesters clashed with police.

The rally was led by the Unsustainable Olympics Committee along with several environmental and social justice groups. They accused the Milan Cortino winter games of causing environmental, economic, and social damage. Police later used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, ending a day that began calmly, but escalated quickly.

And elsewhere in Northern Italy, authorities are investigating what they describe as possible premeditated sabotage on key railway lines around Bologna. Rail officials say they uncovered three separate incidents, a rudimentary explosive device left on the Bologna-Padova line, severed electrical cables and a fire set inside an electrical cabin near Pesaro.

Investigators say they are not ruling out anarchist groups, noting similarities to attacks on France's rail network ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Italy's transport minister, Matteo Salvini, condemned the events as a, quote, act of delinquency, saying that if the disruptions were deliberate, it suggests someone wishes ill upon (INAUDIBLE).

Antonia Mortenson, CNN, Milan.

HUNTE: World class Olympic athletes are ready for action as the second four day of the Milan Cortina Winter Games gets underway. American skier Lindsey Vonn is just hours away from a women's downhill final despite battling through an injured left knee. The 41-year-old completed two training runs on Saturday and posted the third fastest time in another run. It was cut short by weather.

Switzerland took home the first gold medal of the Winter Games on Saturday in men's downhill skiing. 24-year-old Franjo von Allmen topped the podium over host nation Italy who took silver and bronze. Italy found its first gold medal during the women's 3,000-meter skate. Francesca Lollobrigida set a new Olympic record on Saturday on her home soil, all while celebrating her 35th birthday. Happy birthday to her.

The NFL's Super Bowl 60 is finally here, and football fans all around the world are gearing up for a long awaited rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

CNN's Andy Scholes is in California with more on what's at stake for both teams in the biggest game of the year on Sunday.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: We are now less than 24 hours away from Super Bowl 60 here in the Bay Area. And come tomorrow night, either Drake Maye will become the youngest quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl or Sam Darnold will have completed the incredible comeback journey from bust to champion.

Now, Maye is just 23 years old. And when he was 13, his dad brought him to the Super Bowl here in the Bay Area to see his favorite team, the Panthers play Peyton Manning and the Broncos. And Maye says it's pretty incredible that he is now back playing in the big game.

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DRAKE MAYE, QUARTERBACK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: It's a full circle moment. I think that's the biggest thing. You know, what a moment. I'm just so thankful with my dad that was able to take -- you know, take me to the Super Bowl. That's -- you know, don't take you for granted. You know, not every kid gets to experience that. And I was watching my favorite team at the time and got a chance to watch, you know, Peyton Manning's last game. You know, what a cool experience that was. And now to be here and playing in, you know, one myself, you know, I don't take that for granted and know, you know, how special this is and just trying to enjoy it, you know, enjoy it with my teammates, enjoy it with everybody who, you know, helped get me here and from there, go try to win it.

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SCHOLES: And when talking with people here in the Bay Area this week, lots of people are pulling for Sam Darnold. But if he is to win the game on Sunday, Darnold's going to have to do something he's never done before and that's play well against the Patriots. In his career, Darnold is 0-4 against New England with one touchdown pass at nine interceptions. But he's not dwelling on the past. He's looking to complete his incredible comeback journey on football's biggest stage.

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SAN DARNOLD, QUARTERBACK, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: I grew up dreaming of this moment. So, you know, I grew up watching, you know, a ton of great football players and a ton of great football teams, get to this moment and make great plays. And I feel like, you know, whenever that happened after a Super Bowl, I was always, you know, emulating that in my backyard, my front yard with my friends. So, yes, I always dreamed of moments like this.

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SCHOLES: Now according to the American Gaming Association, a record $1.76 billion is expected to be bet on Super Bowl 60.

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And, of course, there are tons of fun prop bets you can do. For example, what will Bad Bunny's first song be? Titi Me Pregunto is the favorite. Now, will Stefon Diggs propose to his girlfriend, Cardi B., after the Super Bowl is another one, yes, pays 11 to 1 and there's actually a lot of Cardi B. bets. She's the betting favorite to join Bad Bunny during his Super Bowl Halftime performance, J-Lo also one of the favorites there.

You can also bet on if a player or coach will be shown crying during the national anthem. We've seen it before and well, the odds suggest we're going to see it again. And, of course, you can bet on what color Gatorade's going to get poured on the winning coach, orange, yellow, and blue, basically all the same odds. Yellow did win last year.

And before the game, there's always the coin toss. You could bet on that. And tails is actually winning right now 31-28 in Super Bowl. So, I guess heads is due.

HUNTE: Guinness World Records has named it the most expensive rice on the planet, but is it the best? According to the makers of Kinmemai Premium, it is. What started as a one-off product is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. And only 1,000 boxes are sold each year. The latest release went for just over $73 a piece. CNN spoke with one chef who compared the grains of rice to diamonds.

Despite its hefty price tag, the company says it's not profitable, but it was never meant to be. The company owner says the project is meant to boost the global profile of Japanese rice. Well, we are talking about it.

Thanks so much for joining me and the team. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I will see you at the same times as tomorrow. African Voices Change Makers is next. Then there's so much more CNN Newsroom at the top of the hour. See you tomorrow.

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