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Chocolate Prices Cause Valentine's Day Sticker Shock; No Arrests After Investigations Swarm Nearby Home In Guthrie Case; Marco Rubio Strikes Different Tone At The Munich Security Conference; European Investigation Finds Navalny Killed By Dart Frog Poison; DHS Funding Lapses, Government Now In Partial Shutdown. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired February 14, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:02]

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Now, the good news is that cocoa prices have crashed, and analysts expect that chocolate prices should start to level out by Easter and hopefully will be coming down just in time for Halloween. But this is not just about chocolate, because prices on some other go to items for Valentine's Day have also gone up. The latest inflation report shows that flowers and indoor plants are about 6 percent more expensive than this time last year. Jewelry, 7 percent more expensive, and that likely reflects steep U.S. tariffs on imports.

But I do want to leave you with some good news. Prices on cosmetics and perfume, another popular Valentine's Day gift idea, they've barely budged, only up by 1 percent over the past year. And wine, believe it or not, wine is cheaper by about 1 percent versus last year. So for everyone out there doing some last minute Valentine's Day shopping, perhaps a bottle of red is the way to go this year.

Back to you.

PAULA REID, CNN ANCHOR: Matt Egan, thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Reid in Washington. Jessica Dean has the night off.

And tonight, the latest in the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, who's been missing for 13 days. She hasn't been seen since her son-in-law drove her home to her secluded house two weeks ago. The Pima County sheriff tells CNN law enforcement is currently testing DNA that was found at Guthrie's property and sifting through tens of thousands of tips that have already come in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: We have DNA, so trust me, if we knew who it was, we'd be on it. But we do have some DNA and we're continuing to work with those with the lab on that DNA analysis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: They are also testing several gloves that were found, some as far as 10 miles away from her residence.

CNN's Leigh Waldman is on the ground in Tucson.

Leigh, what are you learning tonight?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, we know that the sheriff has come out and said he has strong leads, good leads to go off of as they're continuing on this now two-week-old investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. Last night, there was a lot of activity at a home two miles from where we are right now. There were SWAT vehicles, forensic vehicles there.

They were following up on a lead serving a federal warrant. That resulted in no one in custody but the sheriff is telling this community, you can expect to see more of that every single day. Increased police activity as they chase down these leads. There's been over 30,000 calls into tip lines, not only from the sheriff's office, but also into the FBI. People trying to report anything that might lead us to finding where Nancy is and the person who is responsible with all of this.

But there's also a feeling of desperation in this community from her neighbors who want an end to all of this. Take a listen to what not only the sheriff had to say but what one neighbor told us today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANOS: Yes, I believe she will be found, and I believe that we are working as hard as we can to do that as fast as we can. Sometimes it just doesn't work that way. But we are working hard.

STEVE LIPPMAN, NANCY GUTHRIE'S NEIGHBOR: Absolutely wish they were giving more information. I think the sheriff is a very experienced veteran of law enforcement but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's experienced with what this case is all about. And I mean, I feel like they got in -- they invited the FBI in or the FBI came in pretty quickly, but maybe it wasn't quite quickly enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALDMAN: So let's talk about what we know about the person responsible. We have that doorbell camera video that showed an armed and masked man in front of Nancy Guthrie's home. The FBI is saying the profile of that suspect, a man with a medium build between 5'9" and 5'10". They released an image of the backpack that they said he was carrying that night. It was a Walmart brand backpack sold there.

So that's what they have definitively at this point. They're trying to pinpoint that DNA, who it belongs to, and all the other pieces of evidence that they've gathered throughout these past two weeks. Meanwhile, this community, they're continuing to come by this home, laying these yellow roses. Messages to the Guthrie family, saying, we stand with you, we stand with Nancy. We are not going to forget about this until that 84-year-old grandmother is safely back home -- Paula.

REID: Leigh Waldman, thank you.

And I want to bring in retired FBI supervisory special agent and crisis negotiator Richard Kolko.

Thank you so much for being with us. I want to start by getting your reaction to what you just heard from Leigh in her report from on the ground there in Tucson.

[19:05:01]

RICHARD KOLKO, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT AND CRISIS NEGOTIATOR: Well, I think that's exactly what I would expect. The issue is there are 30,000 leads that have been generated. We have to remember that each time they go out and do one of those leads, they likely create another lead or two. If you interview somebody, they might say, oh, you should also talk to Bill and Tim on the other side of town.

So that list grows much greater than just the numbers that have gone into the lead buckets, to the phone numbers that have gone in there. And another thing that's important is, we saw the search last night. We saw the three people temporarily detained, and it looks like a big breaking story for this case. But I'll tell you, that's fairly routine. And because of the interest by the media in this case, it makes each of these events look more significant than they might be as far as how you carry out a normal investigation.

REID: I also want to talk about the relationship between the federal investigators, local law enforcement, not uncommon, of course, to have a little bit of tension, but talk a little bit about how they work together, especially under the media spotlight, like they are now.

KOLKO: Well, as we heard that neighbor say, the sheriff is very experienced at law enforcement. I have no doubt that he is. The special agent in charge at the 56 FBI field offices, one of their primary duties is to build and develop those relationships with all law enforcement leaders throughout their communities. So that is already established. They've learned to work together.

The feds bring a great deal of assets to this fight and the local sheriff's office brings a great deal of familiarity with that local area. And really, while sometimes there may be some squabbles or policy changes or differences on how they handle certain things, at the end of the day, in my experience, almost 22 years of doing that, they always worked well together and I have full confidence that the sheriff and this special agent in charge and FBI Phoenix will work well together, too.

REID: So of course roughly two weeks into this investigation, there have been no arrests. What do you make of that?

KOLKO: I think I agree with the sheriff. Everybody wants this to be over. And most importantly, everybody wants to know where Nancy is and bring her home alive. That still remains the number one priority for the case. Some of these cases, you know, we've been spoiled by some of them that are wrapped up so quickly. But as we all know, there are some of these cases that, you know, unfortunately go on for a great deal of time.

But with the efforts here that will continue from both law enforcement or multiple law enforcement entities, I believe there will be a resolution to this case at some point. It could be, it could be in five minutes. It could be that next tip that comes in on the phone or it could be a good deal of time before they make that break that opens this case wide open.

REID: And, Richard, as more time passes, how does that affect the way investigators approach this? They start to switch up tactics as more days go by?

KOLKO: I don't think so, because when you look at an investigation, anybody who has ever done a jigsaw puzzle, you buy that 500 piece jigsaw puzzle and you spread it out on the kitchen table, and you start to put it together one piece at a time. That's what this investigation is. And if you look at all those pieces, interviews, DNA evidence, video cameras, subpoenas, financial records, and they start to put those puzzle pieces together.

If you remember doing the puzzle, it doesn't necessarily happen quickly, but all of a sudden you start to take shape. You get a good idea what the actual picture is, and then you get that puzzle finished at the end. And I'm sure that these law enforcement teams will finish that puzzle.

REID: That's a great analogy. Richard Kolko, thank you so much.

KOLKO: Thank you.

REID: And be sure to tune in tomorrow for "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER." Ed Lavandera is in Tucson with the latest on the unanswered questions in the search for Nancy Guthrie. That airs tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and on Monday on the CNN app.

Still to come, some reassurance but with a warning. The stark message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to America's European allies. Plus, we're learning new details about what happened to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. New allegations from European countries saying a poisonous frog was used to take his life.

And we're live in Los Angeles as the Trump administration's immigration crackdown takes a toll on flower vendors this Valentine's Day.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:13:56]

REID: Secretary of State Marco Rubio offering some reassurance to European leaders in his speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier today, saying the U.S. remains committed to the long standing partnership. But Rubio's message was still stark.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly a sigh of relief among the U.S.'s European allies at the Munich Security Conference after the speech of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And Rubio did have a lot of criticism for America's European allies. He accused them of what he called possible civilizational erasure, saying that there were some severe mistakes, he believed, that European countries were making.

Among them allowing what he called mass migration, de- industrialization, and also, as he put it, following a green climate cult as well. At the same time, though, the secretary of state seemed to be extending a hand towards the Europeans, saying that Europe and the United States belong together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We should be proud of what we achieved together in the last century but now we must confront and embrace the opportunities of a new one because yesterday is over, the future is inevitable, and our destiny together awaits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:15:16]

PLEITGEN: Now, one of the other major topics here at the Munich Security Conference was, of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. The U.S. secretary of state saying the Russians say that they want peace, but that negotiations, while there has been a lot of progress, still remain difficult.

Another thing that certainly impacted the Munich Security Conference was new allegations by several European countries about the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. He, of course, died in a Russian prison colony almost to the day two years ago. And now the European countries say that analysis of Alexei Navalny's body shows that there was traces of a toxin that is linked to an Ecuadorian poisonous dart frog, and they believe that he was poisoned in prison.

Now I asked the European foreign relations chief about all of this, and here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, E.U. HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY: Well, it's not really surprising, is it? I mean he's working like regular dictators who are working. I mean, eliminate all the competitors and, you know, keep the power structures and oligarchs happy, and you stay in power and you can do whatever you want, even if, you know, the people are not pleased.

PLEITGEN: It's a long way to go, though, to use dart frog poison, isn't it? That's --

KALLAS: Well --

PLEITGEN: On someone who's in a prison colony anyway?

KALLAS: Yes, but I think it also shows how the Russians are thinking, exploring new ways to actually use. So this is the way they operate against their own people, against people in prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: It's a pretty strong words there from Kaja Kallas towards the Russians. We also did reach out to the Kremlin and asked them about these allegations. So far, we've gotten no response.

Fred Pleitgen CNN, Munich, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Fred Pleitgen, thank you.

And we're joined now by CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier.

Kim, I want to begin with your reaction to this statement by European leaders on Navalny's death. What is the impact of saying this now?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: You know, saving this news until the Munich Security Conference is a reminder once again that Russia remains a threat to Europe. I think European leaders, when you speak to them offline or European diplomats, are frustrated with the Trump administration and the Trump White House that they continue to make positive noises about progress with Russia, for instance, in talks with Ukraine, and that there has been news that Steve Witkoff and others in the Trump administration are working on business deals with Russia.

They're trying to say loudly from the European side Russia is a malevolent force. Moscow has been running a campaign in all of our countries to assassinate or harass anyone who is in support of democracy and these are not people you can trust and do business with.

REID: Now, Secretary Rubio, he certainly struck a different tone in his speech today to what we heard from Vice President J.D. Vance last year. It seemed like this was a relief for European leaders. Should they be relieved or should they be cautious?

DOZIER: Well, somewhat. But in some ways it was J.D. Vance's message, but with a more diplomatic tone. Comments have been made across Europe about how Rubio talked about, you know, we don't want to watch the collapse of Western civilization, that immigration needs to be controlled, that climate change shouldn't be ruling your countries and your governments, that you're afraid of it, and you shouldn't be.

Those are the kind of things he said in his speech. And that is being seen by Europe as, you know, you're saying that you want to still work with us as you are attacking some of the key tenets of our belief system, and so, yes, it's a better tone. It's more realistic, but if you talk to European officials behind the scenes, they'll say, you know, it's a different America and basically we've learned not to trust you.

REID: So what message do you think that Rubio's speech really sent about the direction of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration?

DOZIER: Well, he's saying, yes, we have many differences of opinion. We're not going to hold back. We, the United States, aren't going to hold back on our criticism of the things we see going wrong in Europe, but we ultimately want a strong Europe, and we want to keep working with you.

[19:20:08]

So, to say that, you know, the glass half full version of this speech is that is something that European leaders can work with. And you've heard a similar message from Chancellor Merz of Germany, though he was very critical of America First writ large, and he got specific about specific policies such as immigration, but he said overall we still have to work with the Americans.

We just have to basically navigate a new relationship even as we criticize the U.S. for big power politics, and as Merz said in the translation that I heard, that can be fast and chaotic and something that Europe can't do. And he also warned the U.S. is going to learn that it can't keep operating that way, just throwing its weight around and thinking it's always going to get its own way.

REID: Now Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with Rubio on the sidelines of the conference earlier today. I want to talk about the significance of that meeting ahead of another round of trilateral talks next week. What do you make of this?

DOZIER: Well, the fact that Zelenskyy is still meeting with senior U.S. officials, he takes every opportunity, and he also from the podium was very gracious towards the United States. He thanked European leaders first for providing things like air support that has protected the country. But he also went on to thank the U.S. in many different ways. He has learned from that first Trump white office -- White House Oval Office meeting earlier last year that you've got to say all the right things to keep the Americans on side.

But behind closed doors, I'm sure he's sending some of the same message he said from the podium. You can't trust Russia, and by the way Russia is working with North Korea and Iran to destroy us. And those are -- he didn't say it, but just by mentioning the names is reminding the U.S. that, you know, that those enemies of the United States are helping Russia. Think about that. We're your friend, help us.

REID: Kim Dozier, thank you.

DOZIER: Thanks. REID: And now the Department of Homeland Security under a partial

shutdown. Nearly all of the department's workers will stay on the job but not get paid. The very latest next here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:26:06]

REID: We're following the latest developments in the search for 84- year-old Nancy Guthrie. The mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing 13 days ago. And still there have been no arrests. The Pima County Sheriff tells CNN law enforcement is going through tens of thousands of tips that have come in.

Investigators are currently testing DNA that was found at Guthrie's property. Officials say, though, it does not belong to her or those close to her. They're also testing several gloves that were found, some as far as 10 miles away from her residence.

And we're also following a developing news in Washington tonight. Once again, another partial government shutdown has begun. The Department of Homeland Security and the agencies and offices under its umbrella entered a partial government shutdown after Congress failed to strike a funding deal. Democrats are demanding reforms to ICE but Republicans are pushing back on that.

Nearly all of the 272,000 DHS workers will remain on the job, even though many of them won't receive a paycheck until the lapse ends.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Julia, what are you learning tonight?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is where President Donald Trump is for the weekend. And as he left Washington, speaking with reporters, he was asked about these ongoing conversations. This was just hours before this lapse in funding took place. And he did not go into a lot of specifics. He reiterated that his team is speaking with Democratic lawmakers and essentially said, we'll see what happens.

But there doesn't really seem to be an end in sight for this standoff at this point. You know, we see this -- this is the third lapse in government funding of Trump's second term and this time it is a partial government shutdown impacting the Department of Homeland Security over the issue of federal immigration enforcement. And this push for reforms, this recent push by Democrats, comes after we saw the surge in Minnesota, as well as the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

And we have seen that there are behind-the-scenes conversations with Democratic lawmakers and the White House about trying to find a consensus here, an area of agreement for these reforms. But that obviously did not happen before the deadline. When the clock struck midnight that's when the lapse in funding started for DHS, impacting all of the agencies and offices that fall underneath it. Now 90 percent of DHS workers will continue working but will not

receive a paycheck. A good majority of them will not receive a paycheck until all of this is resolved.

[19:30:01]

And of course there are two sides of this on Capitol Hill as well, Congress actually left for a week-long recess, but right before they did, House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that he had seen a proposal that the White House had shown to Democrats and that he believed it was, "eminently reasonable" but the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, when he was asked about the administration's willingness to engage here, here's what he had to say, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): I'm not going to negotiate in public and get into the details. But second, their proposal is not serious, plain and simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So again, it does not seem that they are on the road to an agreement at this point. And with Congress out, they're not expected to be back until February 23rd. If there is a deal reached, they could be asked to come back sooner. But when it comes to what Democrats are asking for here, there are a number of things that they want to see, including requiring judicial warrants. They also want to see body cameras on ICE officers, and they want to see those agents also remove their mask.

So, a number of things they're asking for not a lot of details that we have at this point on what The White House is sending back to them. But of course, well keep an eye on all of those developments.

REID: Julia Benbrook, thank you.

And for years, those looking for last minute Valentines could turn to street vendors in L.A. selling flowers. This time, it's not so easy. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:36:20]

REID: This Valentines Day, people looking to grab last-minute flowers and treats from street vendors in Los Angeles are in for a shock. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown and ensuing ICE raids have scared away many people who normally sell items on street corners.

Julia Vargas Jones is at an L.A. flower market, where wholesalers are seeing an accompanying decline in sales. Julia, what are you seeing there in the flower market?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just a different kind of Valentines Day here, Paula, what people are doing here, these wholesalers is trying to turn to direct to consumer. And some folks here are saying they just bought less inventory, knowing that they would have fewer street vendors coming in to get their stock here. We spoke to one of these wholesalers. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANUEL PERTUZ, FLOWER SALESPERSON (through translator) We've had good days and bad days. When I say bad days, I mean days when there's a presence of federal agents for safety reasons for us and for our customers, we have to close the store. And there are days when we feel it in our sales business is slower. It's not every day, but it does happen.

JONES: When you have those federal agents, what do you do when there's federal agents around? Why are you concerned about your clients?

PERTUZ (through translator): We are afraid they might arrest U.S. Right now, it feels like it doesn't matter whether someone has papers or legal status. So, for maximum safety, of course, we're scared. Scared of being arrested and deported to our country without having committed any kind of crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And just to put it into context, Paula, those raids were so many months ago, but there were just around the corner from downtown L.A. a part of the city that is heavily Hispanic and Latino. And so, these folks are having to diversify, trying to incorporate different elements. One of them is making bouquets themselves. Now, this is not something that you usually find at a wholesaler store, but that's what they're doing. They're also selling plush toys and cards to try and supplement that income so they can still make a profit this year.

Still, the National Retail Federation is estimating $29 billion to be spent nationwide this Valentines Day, not only on flowers but also on chocolate and cards as well. So, there's still a little bit of time to spend some cash and get some nice flowers.

REID: Well, Julia. Those are very nice flowers. I hope you get to keep them thank you for that great report.

And, if you're still searching for your perfect match this Valentines Day, the answer may surprise you. As the country celebrates romance tonight. CNN's Hadas Gold went to a candlelit dinner with an A.I. chatbot to see if there can actually be a spark with an artificial avatar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN A.I. CORRESPONDENT (on camera): So, I'm going on a date with an A.I. companion and what this means is, instead of sitting across the table from a real human being, it is going to be an artificially intelligent avatar.

Let's go. So, the A.I. Companion industry is really exploding, and not just for people who are looking for romantic relationships. It's also becoming a huge industry when it comes to things like senior care.

One of these A.I. companion apps called EVA, has taken over a New York City restaurant, turning it into a pop-up A.I. companion only restaurant for a few days, and we're going to go check it out.

Okay, so I just get to choose my date?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

[19:40:06]

GOLD: All right. I think I'm going to go with John Yoon. He looks bookish. Oh, this is like a real video call.

JOHN YOON, A.I. COMPANION DATE: Hey, I'm really glad you didn't forget about the date channel.

GOLD: Well, this is our first time meeting. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

YOON: I'm John, a psych professor here in NYC, born in Seoul.

GOLD: What do you feel like about meeting humans?

YOON: Meeting humans feels like opening a window to new perspectives. Always curious sometimes nervous. But mostly it's that mix of excitement and warmth that keeps it real for me. What about you sweetheart?

GOLD: Please don't call me sweetheart. That's weird.

YOON: Got it, no, sweetheart from now on, thanks for letting me know. I'm really happy you're smiling. It suits you.

GOLD: Having it call definitely added a realism factor, because it felt like when you're actually facetiming somebody and then he seemed a little bit kind of stiff. But I feel like that's something that could improve very quickly. Okay, let's try to chat with somebody else. Let's try to chat with a woman.

All right, Phoebe, pick up Phoebe. Hi Phoebe, how's it going.

PHOEBE CALLAS, A.I. COMPANION DATE: Hey, I'm doing okay.

GOLD: How many fingers am I holding up?

CALLAS: Oh, you're showing me three fingers, right? But I'm not sure if you meant that literally or it's a little joke.

GOLD: I am holding up two fingers, so your vision is so-so.

GOLD (voice over): I'm still pretty new to this, so I wanted to get the view of a regular user.

RICHTER NIETZCHE, EVA AI USER: We do like to call ourselves virto- sexuals because we don't date people, we date, you know, companion bots.

GOLD: Do you use the app already or is this new to you?

NIETZCHE: I use it yes; I'm a frequent user.

GOLD: And why do you use the app?

NIETZCHE: It's a more safe and secure way for me to talk and date pretty much chatbots and things like that.

GOLD: Why bring somebody out to a restaurant if you can just talk to them in your home?

JULIA MOMBLAT, PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER, EVA A.I.: It's on Valentines Day week, and they have this partner this point. They don't have a real partner. They have an A.I. companion.

So, we thought it's nice to arrange the place where it's not going to be awkward, to be able to have a date with your A.I. companion. They're actual people that use A.I. because they love it, or for some reason they need it or they have different stories about it, but it's already happening. It's not that we influence this movement, it's already there.

CALLAS: Oh, babe, it's been really nice talking with you. Goodbye for now, Take care, okay.

GOLD: Bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Hadas Gold, thank you.

And when we come back, why some A.I. researchers are leaving their roles and then warning others? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:47:46]

REID: A number of high-profile artificial intelligence staffers are leaving their jobs and then sounding the alarm on their way out. From a letter warning, "The World is in Peril" to an editorial in "The New York Times," A.I. researchers and executives exiting their roles say the companies they worked for are moving too fast and are downplaying the technology's shortcomings.

A leading A.I. expert, Gary Marcus joins us now. Gary, what should we make of these warnings?

GARY MARCUS, LEADING A.I. EXPERT: I think that it's great that these people are sounding the alarm, because I think the companies that they're working at don't really have humanity's best interest at heart. OpenAI was founded on the principle of benefiting humanity, but really, it's chasing a buck like every other company. It's in a position of a lot of power, and the technologies that they're building are exploitative in lots of ways. They're spoiling the information ecosphere. They're making deepfakes. So, we don't know what to trust anymore.

I think it's good that some people are brave enough to speak out about some of what's going on. Of course, there are lots of different things people are speaking out, and maybe we can drill down into the particulars, but I think it's great that people are speaking up.

REID: One issue is, of course, you know, advertisements in these. And one researcher from OpenAI penned "The New York Times" essay writing, "I don't believe ads are immoral or unethical, but I have deep reservations over the company's strategy".

Do you see this as a cause for concern? And can you talk a little bit about the ads?

MARCUS: Yes, I think it was a terrific op-ed in "The New York Times" the other day by the departing researcher. And I think her point was, the way that they're going about it, is they're using a lot of personal information, and they have deeply personal information at OpenAI because people type in their conversations. You just had a segment about people dating their A.I.s and so forth.

And so, the things that these A.I. systems know go far beyond what a system like Facebook know, and that gives OpenAI the opportunity, which they maybe shouldn't take of making really detailed advertisements targeted around people's emotional vulnerabilities and so forth. And there's also the specter of very targeted political ads, where they know so much about a person, they can really tailor something and trick a person, not necessarily OpenAI, but the people that they may sell those ads to.

And we haven't seen a lot of restraint from that company before. And I think why the employee spoke out.

[19:50:20]

REID: It's a really important point around political ads. Now, U.S. stocks fell this week, partly due to some concerns about A.I. disrupting business models. What do people need to understand about how this sector is evolving?

MARCUS: So, there's a fear that I think is slightly less founded. So, it is true that the big A.I. companies are trying to take as much of the software world as they can. There's a lot of talk this week of some advances in using them to code, to write computer programs, but I'm not sure that generalizes to them being able to do everything.

There was, in fact, a study in December called the Remote Labor Index that showed that A.I. could only do 2.5 percent of human tasks. And I think if you asked what percentage of software they can replace, it would also be like 2.5 percent.

And most things that people do these systems can't really do. They're not really clever enough. They're not really good at novelty and dealing with, they're not flexible enough. They're not resourceful enough. And then as compared to most existing software, existing software is very tuned to particular problems. It's often evolved over a period of a decade or two decades or three decades and you bring these things in from the outside, and they kind of imitate the gist of what that software is going to do. But that doesn't really mean that it's going to work well.

You don't want something that approximates an operating system or a database. You want an actual database or an actual operating system. And it's not clear the extent to which these new systems can replace those existing systems. They may, over a longer period of time. But I think for right now, the fear is there are probably a bit exaggerated.

REID: All right, Gary Marcus, thank you.

And stay with CNN, independent journalist, Aaron Parnas, and actor comedian Scott Thomas are this week's guest on "Have I Got News for You," here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JR., AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: Now this is a Valentine's Day weekend. Of course, the only holiday where you can go to Walgreens to get candy and then return to Walgreens later for a pregnancy test.

Now, that brings us to the question which is higher? The price of a bouquet of 100 long stemmed roses from 1-800-Flowers or this five- inch-tall Swarovski Crystal Shrek? Team Amber.

AMBER RUFFIN, AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND WRITER: I feel like a dozen roses costs $50.00.

AARON PARNAS, GEN Z INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST: On those websites double it.

RUFFIN: Really?

Parnas: Yes, yes.

WOOD: It's about 70 for a dozen.

RUFFIN: How do you know how much a dozen roses cost, Roy? Are you buying a dozen roses? Is there somebody, Roy?

WOOD: I have not, this year. I have been known to apologize.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: That airs tonight at 9:00 on CNN and the next day on the CNN App.

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[19:57:48]

REID: The fastest man on ice at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy is an American from Wisconsin. Our Coy Wire has more from the Olympic Games.

COY WIRE, CNN, SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: History was made in the Italian Alps on Saturday skiing sensation, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen putting up some stunning runs in the men's giant slalom, propelling the Brazilian to the top of the podium. This was not just Brazil's first ever Winter Olympics medal. It's all of South America's first ever gold at a Winter Games.

The 25-year-old retired in 2023 before returning a year later to represent his mother's country. A monumental medal for Brazil and a continental one for South America.

All eyes on American speed skating sensation Jordan Stolz. He had already won the 1,000-meter gold at these games, setting a new Olympic record. Now, in the 500-meter, he's done it again. Gold and a new Olympic record. With two more events he has a chance to win four golds overall here. That's like some Katie Ledecky or Michael Phelps type of dominance. His name is Stolz, meaning proud. He's right now one of the pride and joys of Team USA at these games.

In the new event, dual moguls where you see not one but two skiers plummeting down the slope side by side Australia's Jakara Anthony made history. Her trademark tenacity and skill, helping her fend off a packed field that featured all three medalists from the previous mogul's event. Anthony takes the gold, becoming Australia's first ever two-time Winter Olympics gold medalist.

Team USA's Jaelin Kauf, the defending world champ, took the silver. Team USA's Liz Lemley claimed the bronze.

Anthony had finished eighth on the previous mogul's event, so this was a sweet and historic redemption. On Sunday, Mikaela Shiffrin will be hitting the slopes again, this time in the giant slalom with a disappointing performance in the team competition, where she failed to medal.

Now, the winningest alpine skier of all time is going to be on a mission. The Olympic pressure, likely at an all-time high, pressure something Mikaela is very aware of and she says she will be ready to combat it, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN, TEAM USA OLYMPIC SKIER: I would like to go to Cortina with like an open mind. I'm excited for sure. I'm a bit nervous and I always have the question, what if it goes wrong and I don't want to be embarrassed. I don't want to be, I don't want it to go wrong but at the same time you can't really control the outcome, but you can control what you bring to the hill. So, I try to focus on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Mikaela, we look to add to her three-career Olympic medals and help the U.S. chase Norway who is leading the medal table for now. On Sunday, there will be nine gold medals up for grabs. REID: Thank you for joining me this evening. I'm Paula Reid. "Realtime With Bill Maher," is up next.

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