Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

King Charles "Ready To Support" Police On Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor Allegations; FBI Calls On Public To Help Investigators Find Nancy Guthrie; U.S. Blockade Causes Cuba To Ration Remaining Oil Supply; Dozens of Palestinians Return to Gaza Through Rafah Crossing; Israel Moves to Tighten Control Over West Bank; Protesters Clash With Police Over Herzog's Australia Trip; Skier Lindsey Vonn Says No Regrets After Crash at Olympics; Olympic Athletes Deal With Broken Medals; Unity, Joy Take Center-Stage in Bad Bunny's Halftime Show; Meta & YouTube Accused of Addicting Children to Their Platforms, Tech CEOs Expected to Testify. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 10, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:35]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi everybody, thank you so much for starting your week with us. I'm Polo Sandoval. This is CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's coming your way:

A new twist in the Jeffrey Epstein case, Ghislaine Maxwell says that she is ready to talk and to clear Donald Trump's name of any wrongdoing with one condition, we'll tell you what it is.

And a new plea, Savannah Guthrie releases this new video saying that her family is at an hour of desperation. An update on this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just the arm piece, like this is just what goes on my arm here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And a little later, we're going to give you an inside look at the bushes, or rather, the people in the bushes during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show.

ANNOUNCER: Live from New York. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Polo Sandoval.

SANDOVAL: Let's begin with new developments in the Epstein files controversy that now suggesting that lawmakers, both here in the U.S. and in the U.K. that they are seeking answers.

On Monday, Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein refused to answer questions from the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Instead, well, she sent a clear message to President Donald Trump. Her lawyer says that if the president grants her clemency, that she would clear his name of any wrongdoing as it pertains to Jeffrey Epstein. Lawmakers asking her several questions, but each time, or most of the time, responding with this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHISLAINE MAXWELL, LONGTIME ASSOCIATE OF CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN: I therefore invoke my right to silence under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.

I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.

I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.

I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So, again, she says she will talk, that's if her conditions are met. Lawmakers on the committee are accusing Maxwell of trying to buy her clemency by refusing to testify.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): Unfortunately, she had an opportunity today to answer questions that every American has, questions that would be very important in this investigation, and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights.

Her attorney said Maxwell didn't say her attorney said that she would answer questions if she were granted clemency by the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: A reminder that, starting this week, some members of Congress do have potential access to some of those files, and that includes Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who says that he identified some names of men that were redacted in the Epstein files when they shouldn't be. He reviewed those unredacted versions of the files on Monday. Massie did not rule out revealing some of those names if he were to be on the -- on the floor of the House of Representatives, both he and his colleague, Congressman Ro Khanna, they are calling on the Justice Department to own up to their mistakes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): What I saw that bothered me were the names of at least six men that have been redacted that are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files. So, that's the first thing that I saw. It took some digging to find them.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Our law was very clear, unless something was classified, it required it to be -- to be un-redacted, and there's -- they have not complied with that law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Britain's King Charles says that he is, "Ready to support police as they investigate a report about the former Prince Andrew for suspected misconduct in public office."

The new report is accusing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of sharing confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as U.K. Trade envoy. This is now the latest of multiple scandals in the U.K. since the last release of Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Let's go now to CNN's Max Foster who wraps it all up for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, King Charles, signaling his readiness to cooperate with U.K. police in any investigation into his brother Andrew. The Epstein crisis now engulfing the palace and the U.K. parliament. U.K. police are, quote, assessing reports that former Prince Andrew shared confidential information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Emails suggest that Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor, in his previous role as trade envoy, sent Epstein reports in 2010 containing briefings on official government visits to Asia and investment opportunities.

[02:05:12]

Prince William, breaking his silence on the Epstein affair ahead of a visit to Saudi Arabia, a palace spokesperson saying the prince and princess of Wales thoughts remain focused on the victims.

King Charles reiterated the same sentiment in a later statement, saying if they're approached by Thames Valley Police, we stand ready to support them. As you would expect, as was previously stated, their majesties thoughts and sympathies have been and remain with the victims of any and all forms of abuse.

Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and ordered to leave his royal residence last year due to his ties to the late sex offender Epstein. This photo showed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with Epstein's former girlfriend and convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was just 17. He settled a civil lawsuit by Giuffre out of court in 2022. Giuffre died by suicide last April.

On January 30th, the latest tranche of Epstein documents had three undated photos showing Andrew kneeling over what appears to be a woman or girl whose face has been redacted, lying fully clothed and supine on the floor. Andrew's previously denied any wrongdoing.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: He lied about that.

FOSTER (voice-over): U.K. Premier Keir Starmer, facing his own storm over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. in 2024 despite knowing about his ties to the late child sex trafficker.

Documents reveal that Mandelson, too, shared confidential information with Epstein.

STARMER: To learn that there was a cabinet minister leaking sensitive information at the height of the response to the 2008 crash is beyond infuriating, and I am as angry as the public and any member of this house. Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party.

FOSTER (voice-over): Mandelson resigned from the ruling Labour Party and the House of Lords and is under police investigation. Calls for Starmer to step down have grown following the resignations of his top two aides, including his long-serving chief of staff, who stepped down on Sunday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why the distraction needs to end, and the leadership in downing street has to change.

FOSTER (voice-over): The more we see of the Epstein files, the deeper it plunges, the British establishment into crisis.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Let's go now to CNN European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas for more on how these Epstein files are causing plenty of controversy overseas. Dominic, thank you so much for staying up late for us.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you so much for having me on again, Polo.

SANDOVAL: So, from the royal family to Parliament, these Epstein files, they are certainly causing -- shall we say, a reckoning in the U.K. You just heard in Max's piece a short while ago, hearing from the prime minister sharing those remarks while he himself is facing those calls for resignation.

So, you have resignations, calls for resignations, investigations. Why aren't we seeing that level of fallout here in the U.S., which is where really much of the story originates?

THOMAS: Yes, it's so interesting, Polo, to look at how on either side of the Atlantic, for the time being, anyway, this Epstein case is unfolding in very different ways, certainly in the U.S., the focus has been on the one hand, on the kind of bringing documents to sort of attention, the question of redacting and so on, the information that's in there.

But really, the focus has been on impunity and sort of moving on, whereas across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, the bigger question of accountability is front and center here, particularly since it has involved a number of political figures across the spectrum.

Interestingly enough, the focus is not really on the question of sexual misconduct, certainly when it came to former Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles, that is the issue that really we're talking about here, about business links professional misconduct and also personal ties with Epstein that continued after his conviction, and this therefore has raised serious questions about what Keir Starmer knew when he had information and about his particular judgment, and it is distracting from the business at hand and this incredible majority that the Labor Party currently holds in Parliament.

SANDOVAL: Dominic, I wonder if you could just share a little bit more of that, just what the general feeling has been among people in the U.K., as they closely follow, of course, the investigation in the United States and what they're most worried about. I mean, you touched on it just now.

[02:10:00]

THOMAS: Well, I think that, you know, at the end of the day, there are really two things here. There's the widespread belief that this issue is not going to go away until there is full transparency. And the consensus is where there is smoke, there is fire, and they want to know the full details as to what is happening, what is unfolding, who is involved, who knows this information, and what does this tell us about the political leadership and about certain individuals in British society. That's absolutely key.

When it comes to the Labor Party, this is an extraordinary distraction away from politics with important local elections coming up, and the big debate is whether or not Keir Starmer is the right person for the job at this moment, and whether or not, strategically, the time has come to replace him.

SANDOVAL: Right, and for people in the U.K., may be too much in the weeds, but I do wonder what they will make of Epstein's girlfriend and convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, as you know, basically coming forward saying that she's offering to clear the name of President Trump if she's granted clemency.

I mean, I'm asking, didn't she already technically do that when she met last July with the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that she said that she never witnessed any sort of inappropriate behavior by Donald Trump. So, really, is there any sense in Europe that Maxwell has anything to offer prosecutors, and is she even believable?

THOMAS: I think at this case, the believability question is absolutely out the window, because we know that her number one objective is to be released from prison, and for that, it's clear she's willing to do whatever it takes to get the one way out, which is a presidential pardon from President Trump.

Nobody believes that that file somehow exonerates a whole range of individuals on whom she has information, and therefore there's little trust in any kind of testimony she gives.

And I think that ironically, the problem will not go away just because she provides information that she claims will exonerate the president, because I think at this stage, there is a great suspicion that information is being withheld and covered up here, and so therefore, until full disclosure takes place, if indeed it ever will, this issue will simply not go away and continue to plague presidents and prime ministers on both sides of the Atlantic, Polo.

SANDOVAL: And Buckingham Palace, making it very clear that it is willing to assist in any investigation.

As always, Dominic Thomas, thank you so much for your expertise and your analysis.

THOMAS: Thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: A vigil is currently forming near the mailbox of Nancy Guthrie's home, where authorities believe the elderly woman was abducted just over a week ago. A second reported ransom deadline has come and gone as the search for the 84-year-old grandmother continues in the state of Arizona.

The alleged note threatened Guthrie's life in her family -- if her family did not pay $6 million in Bitcoin by Monday.

Over the weekend, the Guthrie family said that they would pay the ransom as they begged for Nancy's safe return. However, it's still unclear if any financial transaction has actually occurred so far.

Investigators they returned to Guthrie's home on Sunday, but still have not publicly identified any suspects linked to her disappearance or any persons of interest. Nancy's daughter Today show host Savannah Guthrie says that the family is now at an hour of desperation. That's Ed Lavandera is in Tucson, Arizona, following the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: We believe our mom is still out there.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Savannah Guthrie, sitting alone, makes a direct appeal to the public for help in the search for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, nine days after she was taken in the middle of the night from her home in Tucson, Arizona

GUTHRIE: We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock, trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don't know where.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): It's been three days since the alleged kidnapper sent a ransom note to a local tv station after demanding $6 million. The latest note did not include a deadline.

The FBI and the local sheriff's department have searched Nancys neighborhood day and night, scouring her home, her rooftop, even an underground septic tank near her property. Searches by air and ground of the nearby foothills and desert. And still Nancys no closer to coming home.

Savannah and her family are reaching out again this time for more than prayers, asking people to look for their mother wherever they can.

GUTHRIE: 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.

[02:15:08]

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Expressing gratitude in this horrific moment as she appeals to everyone concerned about her mother's fate.

GUTHRIE: Thank you so much for all of the prayers, because we believe that somehow, some way, she is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): This is the fourth video the family has posted to social media including two from all three of Nancys children and one video just from her son. Previous posts were aimed at the kidnappers.

CAMRON GUTHRIE, SON OF NANCY GUTHRIE: First, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): And even directly to their mom.

GUTHRIE: Everyone is looking for you, mommy, everywhere. We will not rest.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): On Saturday, the siblings again reached out to the kidnappers, offering payment

GUTHRIE: 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.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): With each message, another glimpse into this nightmare that Nancy Guthrie's family is facing, seemingly with no end in sight.

GUTHRIE: We are at an hour of desperation and we need your help.

LAVANDERA: Monday night, the FBI released a new statement to CNN, saying, "The FBI is not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or persons of interest." And this also continues as the FBI is continuing to urge people to call in any tips, any clues, anything that might help them find Nancy Guthrie.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Earlier, CNN spoke to chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller. He explained why investigators are calling on the public to continue offering as many tips and leads as they can.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: The Guthrie statement and the FBI statement both say everybody needs to be on the lookout. We need those tips. We basically are saying we don't know if these people are who they say they are, or if they really have her. And we don't want people who may know something, who thought they knew something and then said, well, I'm not going to come forward, because it looks like this is all working out to not come forward.

And the FBI goes further, you know, they say there's that one person out there who knows, and I think what they're talking about, and we find this in a lot of cases, just to close, is there's that accomplice who decided not to join the plot. There's that accomplice who didn't like it and walked off the plot. There's that girlfriend or spouse or roommate or brother who actually knows what's going on, and they are pushing them to come forward with a tip as to the who and the where and what's real.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And over a week into that search, authorities are still hopeful that they will find Nancy Guthrie. If you have any sort of information that could help in the investigation, you're asked to call the FBI at that number you see on your screen.

The U.S. oil squeeze it is having new consequences in Cuba, also causing new concerns for tourists, even some of the airlines and shuttle them to and from the island nation. We'll have a report from the Cuban capital, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:22:55]

SANDOVAL: The U.S. military has struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific. U.S. Southern Command says that two people were killed and that one person survived Monday's strike, claiming that the vessel was operated by a, "Designated terrorist organization." At least 121 people have already been killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats since the start of September, and what's now become known by the U.S. government as Operation Southern Spear.

But so far, the Trump administration has offered little public evidence that those killed were in fact affiliated with cartels, or that the boats that were targeted were indeed carrying narcotics.

The Pentagon says that the U.S. military that they have boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. In another case, a trafficking -- I should say, a tracking organization are reporting to the ship departed from the Venezuelan Coast just last month after the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro.

But the Pentagon didn't say whether the ship is connected to Venezuela. Data transmitted from the tanker, it shows that it is not currently carrying crude oil, and according to tracking data, the ship's radio transponder has been turned off for months now, and that's a tactic commonly used by smugglers to hide their location.

Cuba is running out of oil, the U.S. blockade, it is having disastrous consequences for not just the country's ability to run itself, but also Cuba's tourism industry. The Cuban government announcing that from now on, really until March 11th, I should say, that arriving jets won't be able to refuel. Air Canada. It's already said that it is suspending flights to Cuba, and other airlines are likely to follow. Here's CNN Patrick Oppmann with his report from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As more and more time goes by and oil shipments don't arrive to Cuba, stop by the Trump administration's insistence that countries are no longer able to send the government, the Cuban government, any kind of oil saying that Cuba represents a threat to United States, we are seeing the impacts more and more here. There are less cars on the road.

[02:25:04]

Now, we're hearing that airlines are cutting flights to Cuba because there's not any jet fuel for them here to be able to refuel and bring the passengers back home.

So, this is, of course, the impact. There'll be less tourists coming here. It really becomes a chain reaction for the already struggling Cuban economy. Mexico is sending aid, tons, hundreds of tons of food, but they're not at this point sending any oil under U.S. pressure to not do that.

The Kremlin has said that Cuba is now facing a crisis. The government here, essentially their ally, their old ally, is in deep trouble, as what they call a U.S. choke hold continues on and on.

We know the U.S. and Cuba are exchanging messages that are holding talks. Remains to be seen, though, if any deal can be struck, because the U.S. is really insisting on regime change, the government leave power open up to multi-party elections that political prisoners here are afraid, and a lot of other steps that the Cuban government up until now, has been unwilling to agree to.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The commander of Ukraine's armed forces, reporting progress in the month of January, he says that Ukrainian troops have stabilized the front lines and also inflicted heavy losses on Russia, about 30,000 casualties they say. Ukraine has also launched a rare counter offensive in the south, taking back some settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian officials say that at least four people were killed by Russian drone attacks on Monday alone, tens of thousands of people across the country are currently without electricity in the dead of winter.

Well, the latest now -- coming up after the break, we're going to have the latest on the Winter Olympics, including the first statement from injured skier Lindsey Vonn after that devastating weekend crash. Does she have any regrets?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:31:28]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Now to scenes of joy in Gaza as Palestinians reunite with their families after being months apart. Dozens of people there returned to the city of Khan Younis using the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Most of them had traveled to Egypt for medical treatment and had been separated from their loved ones. That is until now.

The Rafah border crossing, it is now only partially open after being closed for nearly two years. The Israeli government had been responsible for that closure. The European Union Border Assistance Mission is now operating it as the final step of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.

The United Nations chief as well as officials in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE, they are all condemning Israel's latest moves to widen its powers in the occupied West Bank. And this comes as Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President, Donald Trump are expected to meet in Washington this coming Wednesday.

Here's CNN's Nic Robertson with more.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This is really interesting because the same group of international countries that President Trump lent on to give support and credibility to his Gaza peace plan late last year that envisaged a Palestinian state is now sort of, those same countries, criticizing what Israel is doing because they see it as shutting down that possible pathway to a Palestinian state that President Trump's 20-point peace plan talked about.

The Palestinian Authority sees this as a -- just a way that war is being waged on the Palestinian people. That's what they say. Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister here in Israel, who is the author and the sort of engine behind this change that's making it easier for settlers to get property inside the West Bank, to get land inside the West Bank, a vision he has always had and one that he has really pushed to enable settlers to not just take land, but to legitimize the taking of that land.

And now this, next step, while it seems an incremental part of a process that this far-right, right-wing alliance in and around Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is intent on doing. Although it seems incremental, it is significant because the push and the drive is there to do it from part of the Israeli side and this is going to make it easier and therefore, put pressure on those Palestinians inside the West Bank and drive them, they assess, to sort of live in smaller and smaller areas, be pushed into their big cities.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, have all jointly signed a letter condemning this act by Israel. But remember, those were the eight countries that President Trump went to in the margins of the U.N. General Assembly September last year when he was proposing his 20-point peace plan for Gaza. And they came back to him later and said, all this talk back in the fall of last year about annexation in the West Bank, we don't support that. We don't want it.

So, President Trump actually came out then and said he was against annexation of the West Bank. So all of that in context, those same countries that supported President Trump's 20-point peace plan, which included the possibility of a path to Palestinian statehood, are coming out again.

[02:35:00]

So when President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu, these eight nations, of course, and others will be hoping that the president brings that up with the Israeli Prime Minister as an issue of concern.

SANDOVAL: That's CNN Nic Robertson reporting. Australian (inaudible) is calling for calm after clashes broke out between police and protesters opposing the Israeli president's visit to their country. The largest protest that was held in Sydney on Monday where police arrested dozens of people, even used pepper spray to attempt to disperse the crowd. Meanwhile Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, he's continuing his multi-city trip in Australia with a visit to a Jewish school in Sydney.

Herzog and his wife, they were greeted by cheering students waving Australian and Israeli flags, as you see there.

Well, more gold medals, they will be up for grabs in the hours ahead as competitions resume at the Winter Olympics this year. Among the finals, women's alpine skiing, men's slope style and mixed double curling. Let's give you an idea of where things stand right now with this medal count when it comes to the gold. Norway and Switzerland, they are leading the way with three medals each, but better watch out for Japan, Germany and the U.S. as they are not far behind.

Unfortunately though, gold slipped out of reach for U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn over the weekend. She's speaking out for the first time since her crash at the Winter Olympics. In a social media post, she said that she has no regrets over her decision to get back into the competition. Vonn was skiing on Sunday in the downhill race with a ruptured ACL.

Here's CNN's Don Riddell with more on that.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: As Lindsey Vonn recovers from the devastating crash that ended her Olympic dream on Sunday, the 41-year- old American is now reflecting on what went wrong. Quote, "I was simply five inches too tight on my line when my right-arm hooked inside of the gate," she explained in an Instagram post. She continued twisting me and resulted in my crash. My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever.

Now, Vonn had completely ruptured her ACL nine days before the downhill race in Cortina but she opted to ski anyway and she promised that she'd go for it. Unfortunately, she crashed just 13 seconds into her run. It had already been reported that Vonn had undergone two surgeries to stabilize her fractured left tibia. She says her leg is now stable, but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.

You know, a few of us can imagine what it must be like to compete in such an adrenaline-fueled sport, but Vonn gave us a further sense of what was going through her mind on Sunday. She said quote, "Standing in the starting gate was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there, having a chance to win, was a victory in and of itself. Yesterday, my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn't a storybook ending or a fairy tale. It was just life. I dared to dream and I'd worked so hard to achieve it, because in downhill ski racing, the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as five inches and similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump and sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don't achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is also the beauty of life. We can try."

It is of course too soon for Vonn to be considering a return to the slopes, but it seems likely that she won't be competing at the Olympics again, but whether she's thundering down the slopes or convalescing in hospital, Lindsey Vonn's attitude to life and to sport remains highly inspirational. Back to you.

SANDOVAL: Thanks Don. Well, athletes at the Winter Olympics, they are being tasked with a new goal. Do not jump when celebrating the coveted medal win. Here's why. The iconic medals, they appear to be breaking almost as soon as they are awarded on the podium. With athletes reporting damaged medals, some even split from the ribbon. When American Women's downhill champion, Breezy Johnson showed off her medal, it was chipped and missing its ribbon. It fell off while she was celebrating. Oops.

This figure skater, Alysa Liu also showing on social media that her medal had separated from the ribbon and also the same thing happened to a pair of German biathlon medalists. Look, when you're the best -- one of the best athletes in the world, you do deserve a medal that doesn't break.

And whether you're a player or a performer, the Super Bowl, it is what dreams are made of. Just ahead, here on "CNN Newsroom", we're going to be speaking with one of the musicians who beat the odds to make it to one of -- no, the biggest stage in entertainment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:44:35]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back, you're watching "CNN Newsroom." We are currently still waiting for the official numbers of Sunday's Super Bowl ratings, but the moment that perhaps got even more attention than the game itself, without a doubt, it was Bad Bunny's historic Halftime Show.

The Grammy Award winner who hails from Puerto Rico redefining what it means to be an American, in his own way. Let's remember that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAD BUNNY, PUERTO RICAN RAPPER AND SINGER: [Foreign Language].

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:45:00]

SANDOVAL: You see that musician that was right next to the conductor? Well, her name is Rose Crelli. She's a violinist who's living her own American dream. And she says that she is proof that you should never give up and chase your dreams. So how about we talk to Rose? She's joining me now from San Francisco.

Rose, thank you so much for coming on to share your story.

Thank you so much for having me.

SANDOVAL: No, it's our pleasure. So shortly after Sunday's performance, I saw that you went online. You shared with the entire world that you were, in fact, the violinist, one of the violinists who performed alongside Bad Bunny, something that you said you had to keep a secret until game day.

But you also shared what I thought was just an incredibly powerful reflection about your journey. We'll put it up for our viewers around the world. You wrote, part of it, "From being abandoned as a baby at an orphanage in China to growing up in rural Alaska without running water, electricity or Internet, to now performing on the biggest stage in the world. I'm so emotional."

So Rose, how did your journey lead you there and what was going through your mind as you were performing?

ROSE CRELLI, VIOLINIST, PERFORMED AT SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW: Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my journey. I feel like, in that particular moment when Bad Bunny is the translation to English is, if you see me performing the Super Bowl, it's because I never gave up on myself or my dreams. And I resonate with that so deeply as a musician who just started building my career in San Francisco from like scratch.

I moved here knowing absolutely no one. And in the past five years, I've been able to make a living for myself in this beautiful city as a full-time performing musician. And there's been so many moments of self-doubt and wondering if I'm doing the right thing and looking for the signs that I'm on the right path. And I feel like the Super Bowl performance affirmed to me that I am doing the right thing. I'm exactly where I need to be and doing what I need to do.

So, Bad Bunny's message in that moment just was an exact reflection of how I feel in my life.

SANDOVAL: A lot has been said over the last 26 hours or so about the true significance of that Halftime Show. You touched on it just now. I wonder, what do you hope? And you were there, you were on the field, so you felt the energy and you heard the message. What do you believe that message should be to the rest of the world? The main takeaway from those, what, 13, 14 minutes.

CRELLI: For me and what I heard from overhearing the cast and the dancers and the musicians speaking and sharing their feelings and their excitement about this show, I felt like the overall message was, at this current time, when maybe people feel some fear about expressing their heritage and their culture, maybe being bilingual, this is a time when some people feel like they need to hide that.

I feel like the Super Bowl Halftime Show was a beautiful expression of, no, instead we can celebrate our heritage, our culture, the fact that we might be immigrants, the fact that we might have come from different countries. That's not something to be ashamed of and to hide. That is something to celebrate because I believe that is what makes America a beautiful place. As a naturalized citizen and adoptee from China, I consider myself an immigrant in a way, and it was just so meaningful to be a part of this show.

And as a musician, who has spoken out and used my platform to share my values and what I believe in, I really, really respect Benito and Bad Bunny for doing that exact same thing, and I think he's empowering other musicians and artists to do the same thing.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, without a doubt. There's a lot of controversy and back and forth about the language, but what's so universal is music around the world, I think, and you're such a great representation on that. Of course, everybody would want to ask you and want to know, did you hear anything from Bad Bunny backstage? We saw some of these videos of him expressing his gratitude to each one of the people who were on -- each one of the persons who was actually on that field making that show a reality. Did you hear anything?

CRELLI: He was so gracious and kind to everybody. On the evening of the dress rehearsal, he got on the microphone and spoke into our in- ear monitors and thanked all of us for being a part of his performance.

And then the evening of the actual Super Bowl, after our Halftime Show performance, he made a point to visit each of the tents, the tent with all the dancers, and then the tent with the musicians and the band and the Paneros (ph), and thanked all of us. It was very special.

[02:50:00]

SANDOVAL: Well, I played back the entire performance just before going on air, and I saw you there. I think you were on camera, or at least in the shot, for some 30 seconds. Advertisers paid like $7 million for 30 seconds worth, so good for you, and the rest of the folks who were playing alongside you. Again, Rose, thank you so much for your time, for sharing your story. May it be an inspiration for musicians in the United States and around the world.

CRELLI: Thank you so much. SANDOVAL: Thank you. Well, if you didn't notice, the sugarcane bushes, they may have been moving around. That wasn't their wind. You see, there were actually people in there, those top-secret performers. They never showed their faces, but they paid homage to Puerto Rico's history. Here's CNN's Zane Heinlein, who spoke with one of those performers about the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZANE HEINLEIN, CNN ASSISTANT PRODUCER (voice-over): 40,000 people are rumored to have applied for this Super Bowl Halftime job. The gig, be a bush, but not just any bush, one in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show.

ANDREW ATHIAS, SUPER BOWL HALFTIME PERFORMER: Like, this is just the arm piece. Like, this is just what goes on my arm here. There's another arm piece that we get, and then there's a headpiece and a backpack, and a tunic and a shoulder. Like, there's a whole process.

HEINLEIN (voice-over): Athias flew around 2,500 miles from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the job.

ATHIAS: The requirements were you had to be between 5' 7" and six foot. No bigger, no smaller. And you had to be somewhat athletic and marching band experience, which I kind of had, and also comfortable with wearing a 45-pound costume and not claustrophobic.

HEINLEIN (voice-over): Athias says organizers opted to use people instead of carts with props, since there's a limit to how many can be on the field at once. But one of the hardest parts, he says, was keeping the gig a secret.

ATHIAS: It was a very serious NDA. They dropped, like, 40 people from this because there were people that shared stuff on TikTok.

HEINLEIN (voice-over): While he didn't get to personally meet Bad Bunny, he says just playing a small part in the show was more than enough.

ATHIAS: As a Jamaican, you know, being surrounded by people of all these different cultures and ethnicities and a Puerto Rican superstar that is on a global scale, we all feel like we're Puerto Rican last night. But at the same time, we all felt human. We all felt like we were people of the same planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That's a great thought.

Thank you so much for that interview there. Still ahead, a landmark case that could reshape social media protections, protections for children specifically. We'll tell you more about that after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:55:18]

SANDOVAL: Opening statements have gotten started in a landmark social media addiction trial that's underway in Los Angeles against tech giants, Meta and YouTube. Here's CNN's Clare Duffy with more.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, opening statements kicked off with the plaintiff's lawyer, Mark Lanier referring to these social media platforms as digital slot machines for children. The plaintiff in this case is a 20-year-old woman known as Kaylee, who says she started using Instagram and YouTube as a young child and accuses the platforms of intentionally developing addictive features, things like their endlessly scrolling feeds and late-night notifications, and she says those features caused her to develop mental health challenges including anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.

Now, we also expect, during opening statements, to get a sense of how the companies Meta and YouTube will form their arguments in this case. And the companies have said that they reject this idea that their platforms cause young 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.

I'll also read to you what a 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 CEO, in the coming weeks. Back to you.

SANDOVAL: Clare Duffy, thank you so much for that, and thank you for joining us.

The last hour of news, I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York. The news continues with my colleague, Rosemary Church, after a short break. Don't go anywhere.

[02:57:48]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:00:00]