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President Trump Announces 15 Percent Global Tariffs After U.S. Supreme Court Rules His Previous Tariffs Unconstitutional; U.S. Trading Partners Uncertain Regarding Future Of Potential U.S. Tariffs; Small Business Owners Praise Supreme Court Decision Striking Down President Trump's Tariffs; U.S. Military Buildup In Middle East Continues As U.S. Holds Nuclear Talks With Iran; Eight Backcountry Skiers Killed In Avalanche Near Lake Tahoe; USA Men's Hockey Team To Play Canada For Gold Medal In Winter Olympics; Police Officer and Fireman Save Woman From Burning Wreck. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired February 21, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:34]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Breaking news. Effective immediately, President Trump announcing global tariffs will now increase to 15 percent just a day after lashing out at the Supreme Court for ruling his sweeping trade tariffs are illegal.

Plus, officials in California are working in really challenging weather conditions to find the bodies of those killed this week on a backcountry ski trip. We'll tell you how helicopters are being used to lower the risk for another avalanche.

And later --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALYSA LIU, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Point your toe.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Point my toe.

LIU: Hand on your hip.

WIRE: Hand on my hip.

LIU: And then point up.

WIRE: Point up.

LIU: And that's it.

WIRE: I got that gold medal glow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: I'm going to need some more of that. CNN's Coy Wire caught up with Team USA figure skating star Alysa Liu after her gold medal winning performance

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

JIMENEZ: All right, everyone, thanks for joining me. I'm Omar Jimenez in for Fredricka Whitfield. We've got a lot of news to get to. We're going to start with breaking news. A defiant President Trump is pressing ahead with a new round of tariffs today after really a devastating ruling from the Supreme Court that determined his sweeping emergency trade duties are illegal.

This morning, the president announcing on social media that he's raising worldwide tariffs to 15 percent after signing a 10 percent global tariff order late Friday. And today, the president continues to lash out at the Supreme Court, calling it's six-three court decision on his signature economic policy extraordinarily anti-American.

I want to bring in CNN's Julia Benbrook, who joins us now live from the White House. So Julia, what do we know about these tariffs and the president's plans moving forward?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Omar, when the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that President Donald Trump violated federal law when he unilaterally imposed sweeping tariffs across the globe, which is, of course, a key part of his agenda during the second term, he made it very clear that he was not happy. And he doubled down, in fact, he announced that he was imposing a 10 percent additional tariff on top of levies already in place, and that would -- it could be enacted using this different law referred to as Section 122. And that could be temporarily in place for up to 150 days, then it would need congressional approval to go more long term.

But as you mentioned, this morning he announced that he was going to raise that rate even higher. I want to pull up his social media post for you now. In it he said, in part, "I, as president of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10 percent worldwide tariff on countries, many of which have been ripping the U.S. off for decades without retribution until I came along, to the fully allowed and legally tested 15 percent level now."

Now, the executive order that he signed for the 10 percent tariff did say that it would go into effect early Tuesday. So we have reached out for the White House for any clarification on the timeline with this 15 percent rate, if it would remain the same.

But he has been lashing out at the justices who ruled against him. We saw two justices that he appointed, Justice Amy Coney Barrett as well as Justice Neil Gorsuch. They joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices in the majority opinion. And during his press conference yesterday, Trump said that he was deeply disappointed and ashamed of some of those justices. When he was pressed on the two that he appointed specifically, he had some strong words. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you surprised, in particular, by their decision today? And do you regret nominating them?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't want to say whether or not I regret. I think their decision was terrible.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --

(CROSS TALK)

TRUMP: I think it's an embarrassment to their families, you want to know the truth, the two of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And then on the flipside of that, he has been praising those who sided with him here. In a post this morning, he said that Justice Brett Kavanaugh was his, quote, "new hero" on the Supreme Court, and added that those that dissented, he said, really believed that they could make America great again, using his own campaign slogan to describe the judicial branch here.

And I also wanted to note on Tuesday we could see a really interesting visual. Trump is set to give his State of the Union address, and that's when we typically see those justices sitting there on the front row. I have no doubt that he will likely have some criticism for this, and we may get to see those reactions in real time.

[14:05:6]

JIMENEZ: We will see. Julia Benbrook, appreciate the reporting, as always.

Meanwhile, many of the U.S. trading partners around the world are welcoming the Supreme Court ruling that declared Trump's global tariffs illegal. But they're also expressing uncertainty about this ruling and how Trump's new announcement of tariffs on all countries will impact trade. CNN's Will Ripley has the global reaction to the court ruling.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Really, the word you're hearing around the world right now is "uncertainty." In Europe, the reaction is cautious but pointed. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the decision, saying it shows the value of checks and balances. Macron also said after Trump announced a new 10 percent global tariff that France would assess the consequences and adapt, stressing trade should be based on reciprocity, not unilateral decisions.

More broadly, in Brussels, the European Commission says it's analyzing the ruling and seeking clarity from Washington, emphasizing businesses need stability and predictability. In the U.K., the government says it expects its favorable trading position with the U.S. to continue. But Britain's business community says this ruling does not really clear up much, especially since other tariffs remain in place under separate laws. Here in Asia, the tone is measured. South Korea says it will

comprehensively review the ruling and discuss next steps. New Zealand says any tariff reduction would be welcome, but warns uncertainty with U.S. trade policy is likely to persist. And here in Taiwan, right at the center of President Trump's tariff strategy, officials are watching this Supreme Court ruling very closely, trying to figure out what actually changes. And President Trump is still framing this around Taiwan and chips. He talked about Taiwan at his press conference at the White House

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: Taiwan came in. They stole our chip business. Now all those companies in Taiwan are building factories in Arizona, Texas, and various other places because they don't want to pay tariffs. They're all pouring into the United States

RIPLEY: Last year, for the first time in decades, U.S. imports from Taiwan overtook those from China. December data shows imports from China fell sharply while imports from Taiwan surged. Taiwan's cabinet says it's closely monitoring the ruling and insists the newly announced 10 percent global tariff would only have limited effects here. But the reality is nobody is entirely sure how this plays out and what will happen when President Trump flies to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the end of next month.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

JIMENEZ: And while these tariffs have global implications, as you just heard from Will Ripley, some of the plaintiffs who sued the Trump administration over its sweeping tariffs were small businesses here in the United States. And while these companies won the legal battle, some still face personal attacks and seven figure legal fees. This morning, one of the CEOs from the Supreme Court case spoke with CNN's Victor Blackwell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK WOLDENBERG, CEO, LEARNING RESOURCES: It was a threat to our existence, and so we had to pursue this, and to have the court stand with us that in our contention that it was an unlawful tax and to also to reinforce the rule of law, meant a lot to us. We're proud of this. So it's very difficult to assign us the task of putting Humpty Dumpty back together again when the government shoved them off the top of the wall.

So I'm not sure how we do that. The approach that we've taken when considering this equitable question is to return our prices as quickly as we can to where they would have been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino joins me from New York. Gloria, what are you hearing from business owners?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, Omar, it's interesting hearing the CEO which helped bring this lawsuit ultimately to the Supreme Court, talking about how he's hoping that prices can sort of bounce back, right that prices will, in fact, go down and that things will normalize a bit after this decision.

But the reality here on the ground, talking to small business owners, is that that they are not so hopeful that that is going to be the case. And the reason for that is they point to this constant state of uncertainty after the tariffs were increased even after this decision from the Supreme Court yesterday and the president's comments since that decision has been made, including the comments that he made earlier this morning, have just created a lot of open questions about, one, whether prices can come down, and whether or not they're going to be new tariffs that will be coming into place.

Now, there are many sectors of the economy that have been affected by these tariffs, including specific lines of products that have seen a significant price increase -- shoes, for example. A majority of shoes that are sold in the United States of America are imported. And so for small businesses that are independent, they have been severely impacted by these tariffs. And so every day, while they're trying to run their business, they're having to make a lot of decisions. It's a balancing act trying to decide how do they adjust their marketing, how do they adjust their business plan to make sure that they are not passing on the increased costs to the consumer. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:10:08]

KELSEY HOCKENBERGER, GENERAL MANAGER, NEW HARRY SHOES BY SOLE PROVISIONS: When there's all this uncertainty, it is difficult to make certain plans. We are still going to have to do business the same way that we have been. We're still going to have to make conscientious choices about our buying, about how keeping our customers at the forefront of our mind at every turn, because at the end of the day, there can always be more tariffs, especially since tariffs are a tool that can be used in economic policy and foreign policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: One thing that I heard from that business owner from the shoe store here in Manhattan was her talking about the fact that, you know, customers are coming into the store and talking about the price increases. They certainly feel it. They ask about it. This store in particular has tried to avoid raising prices as to not try and pass on the cost to their consumers in an effort to keep them returning to the store because, of course, a small business like the shoe store where we were earlier this morning, they're competing with all of the other big box giants. They're competing with online stores. So they're really being careful about whether or not they increase those prices and making different decisions about which vendors they order from, which brands they bring into stock, and adjusting literally day by day.

So certainly, a lot of uncertainty is what's making business difficult in addition to the price increases that we have seen over the last year. Omar, you know, I was surprised to learn just that the majority of shoes that are sold here in the United States are actually imported, with China being the biggest importer, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia. So certainly, one very specific but essential product that has been impacted. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Tariffs still top of mind for businesses here. Gloria Pazmino, appreciate the reporting.

Still ahead, Iran's foreign minister sounding hopeful about a nuclear deal with the United States as the largest American military buildup in the Middle East in more than two decades gets even bigger.

Plus, millions of people under blizzard warnings here in the U.S. as a massive snowstorm threatens to dump feet of snow across the northeast again.

And an incredible rescue caught on camera, the first responders who pulled a mother of three from a fiery wreck moments before it was too late. We'll bring you that video coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:17:14]

JIMENEZ: New today, the U.S. military said three people were killed in a strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. Southern Command said in a statement the vessel was operated by, quote, "designated terrorist organizations." For perspective, at least 138 people have now been killed in strikes on boats which the Trump administration says are aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.

Also new today, Iran's president sounding a defiant tone even as President Trump weighs a potential attack. In a speech on state TV, Masoud Pezeshkian said "World powers are lining up for lining up to force us to bow our heads, but we will not bow our heads." Just yesterday, Iran's foreign minister and head negotiator told MS NOW that a deal can be reached, and he expected to send a proposal to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in the next few days.

Here's what President Trump said this week about his own timeline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: We're going to make a deal or we're going to get a deal one way or the other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But with a military strike, do you need to wipe out their nuclear program?

TRUMP: I'm not going to talk to you about that, but we're either going to get a deal or it's going to be unfortunate for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you said today you've given them a deadline firm to make a deal?

TRUMP: I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: We've heard similar timelines floated by the president for other types of plans as well. But the U.S. has been massing it's forces in the Middle East, and the super carrier strike group, the USS Gerald Ford, is also now in the Mediterranean.

With us now, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. He is a CNN military analyst. Good to see you, Colonel. So Iran is saying it's getting another proposal ready for the United States, but how do diplomatic efforts weigh against a potential military action? I mean is the mere possibility of a proposal enough to actually stop something like that?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it really depends on the proposal and the willingness, in this case, of the U.S., Omar, to actually accept that proposal or consider that proposal. So there have been situations in the past where diplomatic activities have actually prevented military action from occurring.

And if we remember back a few years ago when President Trump had a chance to go after Iran in his first term, he chose not to do so at, basically, the very last second of military action. So there are -- there is that possibility. But normally when there is so much firepower in place and when there's a willingness both rhetorically and from a capability standpoint, to use that force, we end up using that force to one degree or another. So it really depends on how willing the U.S. is to accept the Iranian proposal, how close the Iranian proposal is to what President Trump has been talking about. That will really decide what happens in the next few days, I think.

[10:20:10]

JIMENEZ: And when you look at just the buildup in the Middle East, I mean, we've talked about it. Essentially, we haven't seen it to this degree in this region in decades to this point. What intelligence is the United States using right now to plot it's military options with Iran? And does that differ depending on the strategic objective of which the United States and Iran have had many tensions over the past, let's just call it few years, to stick with that timeline?

LEIGHTON: Right. So when it comes to the type of intelligence that's used, the basic collection apparatus that we have in place against Iran is the one that we will use in a situation like this. So that part, the aggregate, the totality, the macro level intelligence doesn't really change.

But the details, the types of collection assets that are used in terms of what specific targets they go after from an intelligence collection perspective, that may change because, if you let's say, decide to target a leadership activity then you will focus your detailed intelligence collection efforts on that leadership activity. And if you decide to target an economic target, you will look at the types of economic targets that you find most vulnerable. So those are the kinds of things that they will be looking at. And they will employ both national technical means, in other words, things like satellites, and they will also employ more tactical level assets, such as human intelligence assets to get that type of information that they need really for targeting purposes.

JIMENEZ: And when you look at just the buildup in the region -- we have the graphic up just a few moments ago -- you know, I think about in contrast, sort of the previous recent strike that the United States did on the nuclear facilities in Iran. That was a very targeted, swift attack. Is it your assessment based on the buildup that we have here, that this is a preparation for another similar targeted, strategic attack, or preparing for what may come after a similar type of strike?

LEIGHTON: Yes. So one of the key things that where there's always a bit of worry when it comes to putting things like this together, military assets like this together, is the what comes next question. So right now, Omar, it looks to me as if this is something where we are preparing, like we did back in in June of this past year, for a strike that is basically not quite a one and done type situation, but a strike that is fairly quick and uses those assets in an efficient manner and goes after certain specific targets.

The "what comes next?" question is one that will be one that could potentially strain our ability to perform continued military actions. We do have the capacity to perform those actions. What I'm not seeing right now is intensive planning like we had, for example, in the run up to the second gulf war that would allow us to not only have sustained air campaign, but also other types of campaigns, whether they be a land campaign, which is definitely out of the question at this particular point in time, or something more sophisticated, like a cyber campaign. None of that has at least been made public at this particular point in time, and it probably won't be. But those are the kinds of planning efforts that would need to take place in order to have a sustained campaign in this case.

JIMENEZ: And all of those options being weighed as diplomatic efforts progress as well. A lot to monitor. Colonel Leighton, appreciate the insight as always.

Still ahead --

LEIGHTON: You bet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since she was really, she just seemed like a super friendly, great mom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Friends, wives, and moms with a passion for the outdoors. We'll tell you what we're learning about the lives lost in California's deadliest avalanche on record. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:28:26] JIMENEZ: Millions of people across parts of the northeast are bracing for blizzard conditions as a powerful nor'easter, living up to its name, takes aim at the region. CNN meteorologist Chris Warren explains which areas are expected to get hit the hardest.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's looking like a high impact snowstorm for the northeast. This winter storm is going to pack a big punch and really will be ramping up throughout the day Sunday and even into Monday.

The track this storm takes will play a huge role in who gets how much, who gets how much snow. A track closer to shore, that westerly track, will increase the snowfall from Delaware all the way up to New England. A little bit farther out to sea, not quite as much snow.

Over the past couple of days, the European forecast model, which this is, is showing a track closer to the coastline. So higher snowfall totals. If this were to play out exactly like this one particular model shows, a big wallop of snow for New England and a healthy amount of snow in New Jersey down to the Delmarva. Now, the GFS forecast, the American model, this one has been showing a big time snow for days now.

The truth is probably going to be somewhere in between. And that somewhere in between is still a big snowfall event. The timing for this, as temperatures stay in the 30s, this is going to be a heavy, wet snow. The combination of the snow and the wind will lead to likely some power outages. This is 6:00 during the day on Sunday, and this is the evening, and this is really when things are going to be getting into full swing.

[14:30:02]

The worst of the weather happening during the overnight hours into early Monday, 6:00 a.m. on Monday. There will be heavy snow. There will be wind, likely power outages and treacherous if not life threatening, travel across parts of the northeast. A closer look now at some of the winds. Winds at times gusting 35, 40, even up to 50 miles an hour. Even stronger than that, a possibility at the immediate coast. So overall, it is looking like this is going to have major, if not isolated, extreme impacts from this winter storm.

JIMENEZ: All right, Chris Warren, appreciate it.

Meanwhile, on the west coast, California officials near Lake Tahoe are warning people to stay away from an area where at least eight backcountry skiers were killed in an avalanche. Mitigation efforts to control the snowpack are underway as the search continues for an additional skier, presumed dead.

Newly released video from the Nevada County sheriff's office shows helicopters lowering large baskets and then dragging them in the deep snow. Tuesday's avalanche is the deadliest the country has seen in decades.

CNN's Stephanie Elam has more. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than three days after the country's deadliest avalanche in 45 years, we're now learning more about some of those nine victims who lost their lives on Castle Peak. Among them is the spouse of a member of the Tahoe Nordic search and rescue team which is involved in the search and recovery efforts, the Placer County sheriff's office said. Also on this trip were eight friends. Six of the victims, all mothers and wives who were experienced backcountry skiers, shared a bond of their love for the outdoors. Their families say they are sisters Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar, Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, and Kate Vitt, whose neighbors in Mill Valley California, are reeling

SHERYL LONGMAN, NEIGHBOR OF KATE VITT: Friendly person, devoted to her kids. I'd see them. She'd walk them to school in the morning.

CARLEEN CULLEN, NEIGHBOR OF KATE VITT: She was just out there with her kids and getting them hustled off to school and after school activities, and she was really, she just seemed like a super friendly, great mom.

ELAM: Their families released a joint statement saying they, quote, "have many unanswered questions" about the professionally guided two- night backcountry hut trip, noting that the group trusted their professional guides.

California's workplace safety agency has launched an investigation into the company that led the tour, Blackbird Mountain Guides. The Nevada County sheriff's office tells CNN it is also looking into any possible criminal negligence. Blackbird says it's four guides on the trip were highly trained and certified instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.

Six people, five clients and one guide, were rescued off the mountain about 11 hours later. The bodies of the skiers killed remain on the mountain. Hazardous weather conditions in the rough, rugged, and vertical terrain have hampered recovery efforts. Eight bodies have been located in the midst of the football field sized slide. One person is still missing, but presumed dead.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ELAM (on camera): Now that the snow has stopped in the Sierra Nevada mountains, first responders will have to take care to not trigger a new avalanche while contending with bitterly cold temperatures as they take on this recovery mission, which officials say will stretch into the weekend. Back to you.

JIMENEZ: Stephanie Elam, thank you for that reporting.

Meanwhile, we're following other news today, President Trump rolling out a new plan after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs. Is his agenda in trouble? And what will it mean for the midterms? We'll talk about it all coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:38:21]

JIMENEZ: Today, President Trump is announcing a hike in global tariffs to 15 percent, and he's lashing out at conservative members of the Supreme Court who invalidated his overall policy really. After the rare Supreme Court loss, Trump specifically went after Chief Justice John Roberts and two of the court's other conservatives, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, slamming them, in his words, as disloyal and unpatriotic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: The Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what's right for our country. They also are a, frankly, disgrace to our nation, those justices.

They're just being fools and lapdogs for the rhinos and the radical left Democrats. And not that they should have anything at all to do with it -- they're very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution. It's my opinion that the court has been swayed by foreign interests.

I think it's an embarrassment to their families, you want to know the truth, the two of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Joining us now to discuss, "Axios" senior contributor Margaret Talev. Margaret, thanks for being here. And for folks listening, I mean, the tariffs that he's enacting now, the 15 percent ones, under a different authority than what was struck down by the Supreme Court, just to be clear on that front. But Margaret, can you just set the perspective for us? I mean, how big of a setback is this, actually, for President Trump?

MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, "AXIOS": Well, Omar, I think this could be important for a number of reasons.

[14:40:01]

And one is that this really is the first time that we've seen the Supreme Court under the second Trump administration really restrain him. In fact, it's sort of become conventional wisdom that this manifestation of the Supreme Court has been rubberstamping everything that President Trump wants to do, all the big stuff. And this is the first indication that, no maybe that's not true, especially when it comes to emergency powers.

This is also potentially a really important politically, right? So we've got midterms coming up, the State of the Union in just a couple of days. The timing is a bit awkward for the president But tariffs have become really, really unpopular with the American public. The polling suggests nearly two out of three Americans disapprove. Many of those are Republicans, and many of them, like a majority, are independents, which is a problem for Republicans in the midterms.

So there's this one school of thought, right, that says maybe this could even help Republicans and President Trump, because if it takes tariffs off the table and maybe it could reduce prices and that could help them. The problem with that theory is exactly what you just said, that, you know, a few hours out of the gate and the president said whatever to the Supreme Court, and he's found a legal, temporary legal way to maximize those tariffs at 15 percent.

So it sets up a big political question, but it also does show the possibility for about half of the conservative bloc of justices and all of the liberal sided justices to come together and form a bloc that could potentially restrain President Trump on many other tests coming down the pike.

JIMENEZ: Well, and what's interesting about this legally is, I mean, this is a similar authority that the Supreme Court cited in striking down some of President Biden's initiatives around student loan forgiveness, around some vaccine and testing requirements around COVID 19. And, you know, the core of it has been part of what Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed to the court by Trump, encouraged the president to go through congress, stop relying on executive orders. He wrote, quote, just to read some of it, "For those who think it's important for the nation to impose more tariffs, I understand that today's decision will be disappointing. Yes, legislating can be hard and take time. And yes, it can be tempting to bypass Congress. But the deliberative nature of the legislative process was the whole point of its design."

President Trump has a Republican majority right now, thin as it is on the House. Why doesn't he go through the Republican controlled Congress here?

TALEV: Well, there's two reasons. Number one is it just takes longer to get deals through Congress than it does to do them unilaterally. But the other one is there are many Republicans who do not want to have to take an affirmative vote on tariffs, Republicans who are in those frontline districts, in swing districts, when tariffs are unpopular. And they started out more popular. There were people who were willing to see if it helped the U.S. economy. But it has made things more expensive for consumers. That's the downstream effect after these months. And Americans have, the polling suggests, really begun to run out of patience on this. So if you force Republicans in a razor thin majority to have to vote with or against the president, they're kind of damned if they do, damned if they don't by the time the midterms roll around. And that's what many Republicans in Congress are concerned about now.

JIMENEZ: Well, these latest round of tariffs, 15 percent, Section 122 gives them authority up to 150 days. So lets see what happens in those 150 days. It will be a little closer to the midterms then. Margaret Talev, thank you so much for the perspective.

TALEV: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And CNN will have in-depth coverage and analysis of President Trump's first State of the Union address of his second term. That's Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN, or you can watch on the CNN app.

Still ahead, USA hockey on the verge of a historic sweep of Olympic gold. But they've got to go through a friendly, maybe not so friendly neighbor next. We'll take you to Milan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:48:45]

JIMENEZ: Today, Team USA picked up its 11th gold medal at the Olympics when the trio of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Chris Lillis took the title in mixed aerials. The medal lifted the U.S. to a total of 31 overall for these winter games, and now the stage is set for a major gold medal showdown for the U.S. men's hockey team. See if they can do what the women's hockey team already has.

CNN's coy wire at the Olympics for us in Milan, Italy. Coy, get us up to speed on where we are today.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: What's up? How you doing buddy? Incredible times here in Milan. Action is just packed. The games are about to come to a close, but this NHL action is stellar. The NHL players back on the Olympic stage for the first time in 12 years, and they are showing out. The U.S. trounced Slovakia in their semifinal six to two. New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes powering the effort. He scored two of those goals. That means, O.J., that we get an epic gold medal game just like the women's final, the U.S. versus Canada in the final. That will be Sunday, February 22nd, same date as the 1980 U.S. versus Soviet Union "Miracle on Ice" game. These teams have combined for 27 Olympic hockey medals. Canada has the most all time. The U.S. third most.

[14:50:05]

Now, speaking of women's hockey, I caught up with the champions in the latest iteration of one of the greatest rivalries on the planet, Team USA's gold medal winning hockey players who took down the champions, Canada, the defending champs. They tell us how they did what they did and their why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBEY MURPHY, TEAM USA FORWARD: We were determined coming in here, for one thing, and that was a gold medal. That belief factor never, never left our minds going into that entire game that, that over time. So this group is super special and we're just super happy.

HANNAH BILKA, TEAM USA FORWARD: The reason why we play is to inspire others. And, you know, I hope little girls can watch this Olympics and hopefully dream to be Olympians one day, because that was me. And so just super cool to be able to inspire others.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WIRE: I don't know how we did it because she's fast and she is agile, but we were able to track down and sit down with one of the biggest stars of these games, Team USA's figure skating sensation, gold medalist Alysa Liu. She's the prime example, Omar, of the liberating power of being unabashedly yourself -- her unique piercings, her striped hair. I asked her what she hopes her journey says to anyone out there struggling to find their place. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALYSA LIU, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: It's good to break down, I guess, barriers and do risky things, and you know, go against some people sometimes. Yes, it's liberating.

WIRE: Can you teach me a pose, a position? I've got to show these to my daughters.

LIU: Yes, yes. OK. We'll do my ending pose.

WIRE: You're ending pose.

LIU: So you point your toe.

WIRE: Point my toe.

LIU: Hand on your hip.

WIRE: Hand on my hip.

LIU: And then point up.

WIRE: Point up.

LIU: And that's it.

WIRE: I got that gold medal glow.

Congratulations.

LIU: Thank you.

WIRE: Amazing

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: What do you think O.J.? How do you think I did there, buddy? Perfect ten out of ten?

JIMENEZ: That's a gold medal pose, man. I love it, I love it. Coy --

WIRE: Hey, listen, these Olympic Games have been incredible. The food has been phenomenal. I learned a new phrase, l'appetito vien mangiando. It means "appetite comes with eating," meaning, the food is so good, the more you eat, the hungrier you get. I'm going to have to get some stretchy pants when I come back to the States man, because I was carb loading a whole bunch here in Italy. JIMENEZ: I was going to say, I don't need an Italian phrase to tell me

what I've been dealing with my whole life. I can't stop eating.

(LAUGHTER)

JIMENEZ: But that's a separate conversation. We'll talk about that later. Coy Wire, gold medal pose, gold medal report. Good to see you.

All right, a case of being in the right place at the right time has an incredible outcome. A police officer who took a different route to work, and an off-duty firefighter who happened to have his gear in the car, both getting to this fiery wreck at the same time. Both first responders are former marines and jumped into action, saving a mother of three.

CNN's Ryan Young shows the officers going beyond the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the morning of February 18th, 2025, then Officer Brian Larison had just started his shift when he decided to mix things up in his daily routine.

BRIAN LARISON, PATROL SERGEANT, CHANDLER POLICE DEPARTMENT: My normal route is to go down south from my house, but for some reason that day something just told me to take the 60.

YOUNG: It wasn't long before he happened upon a fiery wreck on U.S. 60 near Mesa.

LARISON: As I approached the truck, I noticed there was a young lady inside. You could see her hands were flailing around on the inside.

YOUNG: Moments earlier, the vehicle had been rear ended by a cement truck, flipping it over and trapping mother of three Aymee Ruiz inside. She had just dropped off her kids.

LARISON: So I ran back to my motorcycle and I grabbed my PR-24 baton, which is a side handle baton.

Get out of the way, get out of the way!

YOUNG: After a handful of strikes, Officer Larison was finally able to break open the window.

LARISON: Get out, get out.

YOUNG: But just as Aymee was about to escape, the vehicle pulled back on its wheels, throwing her back inside.

LARISON: At that point, I started running back up to the truck to reach in or try to get her out, and that's when I looked to my right and I saw a fireman and his flame retardant gear.

LARISON: Get her out of there. Get her out dude.

YOUNG: Off duty at the time, firefighter and paramedic Asa Paguia was unusually prepared for the situation.

ASA PAGUIA, CAPTAIN, PEORIA FIRE-MEDICAL DEPARTMENT: I don't normally bring my fire gear home with me. That day I had worked an overtime shift, so I happened to have my fire gear in my vehicle. I couldn't see her, but when I reached in, I felt her legs, and I was able to grab her legs and pull her and help her out of that vehicle.

LARISON: We got you, we got you. Anybody else in there?

PAGUIA: She cried out for help, and she was very confused or hypoxic. So she had probably been low on oxygen from the smoke inhalation. And so she wasn't very cognizant of where she was or what's going on.

[14:55:04]

LARISON: I'm glad you're here, brother.

YOUNG: The two former marines modestly say they were simply doing their jobs. That's what they signed up for to serve and protect.

AYMEE RUIZ: We can't thank you guys enough for my life. There's no words to describe. There's no word big enough.

YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

JIMENEZ: Tonight, two of Hollywood's most dynamic actors, two of my favorites as well, sit down for a candid and wide-ranging conversation in a CNN and "Variety" town hall event.