Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Blizzard Warnings For Millions Across Northeast; Cartel Leader "El Mencho" Killed In Mexican Military Operation; New Poll Shows 60 Percent Disapprove Of Trump's Performance Ahead Of Key Address; Interview With Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA); Forecast Has Storm Strengthening Into A Bomb Cyclone Overnight; Armed Man Killed After Entering Secure Parameter Of Mar-a-Lago; Trump Weighs Iran Action Amid U.S. Military Buildup in Mideast. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired February 22, 2026 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:01:27]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean here in New York City.

We are tracking what could be one of the biggest winter storms in years here in the northeast. New York, Philadelphia, Boston, all expecting a foot and a half of snow or more before the storm ends later tomorrow.

Here in New York schools will be closed tomorrow. No remote learning. It's a full snow day. Boston public schools and offices will also be closed, and tonight, travel will be banned in New York except for emergency vehicles. Thousands of flights have already been canceled with many more set to be affected tomorrow.

Meteorologist Chris Warren is at the CNN Weather Center tracking all of this.

Chris, this is developing rapidly. Every time we talk to you, it's certainly getting heavier outside. What are you seeing?

CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, well, we are seeing the snow increase in some areas. This is the forecast satellite and the majority of the explosive development. So this rapid strengthening, the majority of that process is going to happen between now and around 1:00 in the morning with the look of the satellite going from this to that, much more symmetrical look which is usually a sign of a strengthening storm.

But then it's going to stay strong at its strongest mid-day tomorrow until it passes by. So wind and a lot of snow. That combination is the reason there are blizzard warnings, blizzard conditions expected from Virginia, here on the Delmarva, all the way up to the entire state of Delaware, the entire state of New Jersey under a blizzard warning, and all the way up to parts of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, both states under blizzard warnings. Most of Massachusetts' coastal areas, New Hampshire, and in Maine. Here is the snow, darker purple showing an increase in the heavier

snow. As it gets into the overnight hours, winds are going to pick up and the snow is also going to pick up. Not as much rain. That is changing over now in Virginia to snow. Snow is moving into Connecticut, Rhode Island now, starting to get into Massachusetts, snow falling on the south shore in Nantucket.

The European forecast model has come into line at least closer to the GFS, this one showing a foot of snow in many locations. Another forecast model is showing that we're going to see potentially up to a couple of feet. Here's the timing for this. With the snow ongoing through mid-morning, afternoon, evening hours before it pulls off. Coastal flooding also a possibility.

And, Jessica, what we are expecting in terms of the severity of this system, widespread here, millions of people here, tens of millions, millions of people with major impacts and extreme impacts in some of these areas where blizzard conditions are expected.

DEAN: All right. Thank you so much for that update.

I do want to touch base now with CNN's Gloria Pazmino, who is outside here in New York.

Gloria, you've been out there now for a while and seeing how things are evolving. What is the latest?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica, definitely starting to feel those blizzard like conditions. The wind has significantly picked up in the last hour or so, and we are just getting a heavy, heavy, steady snowfall now. It is very much starting to stick and it is starting to accumulate on the ground, on surfaces, sidewalks, cars that are parked. So over the next several hours, we expect conditions here to continue to deteriorate into the evening and into the early morning hours on Monday.

[19:05:04]

Now, the city of New York is taking this very seriously. They've put severe, drastic measures into place, including a travel ban, which is starting at 9:00 this evening. And of course there have been significant travel disruptions. More than 8,000 flights have been canceled. Some of the train systems, NJ Transit, Amtrak, the MTA, all making adjustments to their schedules.

And of course, it's New York City, Central Park, so it's usually packed with tourists, including several who we spoke to here today who told me their travel and their plan had been disrupted, but they're still just trying to enjoy the beautiful snow earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLORENCIA GUERENDIAIN, TOURIST: Beautiful.

PAZMINO: Yes? GUERENDIAIN: Awesome.

PAZMINO: Yes.

GUERENDIAIN: Yes. Even with this snow, I love it. The only thing is that with our Chicago -- Broadway "Chicago" show was canceled for today.

JULIA SAVILL, TOURIST: Well, we're supposed to go back tomorrow at 8:06, but we've realized our flight has been canceled. We're going to go to "Wicked" tonight, and that's been canceled.

MICHAEL FRITZIMILRIAR, TOURIST: Maybe, maybe, maybe it will be canceled. We got a message on our mobile phone that maybe it will be canceled.

PAZMINO: OK, are you ready?

FRITZIMILRIAR: Yes, yes. We will stay at the hotel. They have rooms, and I would be happy when I would stay because I like snow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Jessica, as we get into this evening and as conditions continue to deteriorate, very important to mention also the city keeping close watch on vulnerable New Yorkers, homeless people who may be outside. They have significantly increased the number of warming centers, homeless shelters, relaxing their requirements so that people can go inside, take shelter. 84 people were put into shelter as of yesterday. Many more tonight.

There are teams out there 24/7. Of course, the last winter storm was extremely dangerous, very cold, 19 people died as a result. So the city also keeping a close eye on that tonight -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Gloria Pazmino, with the latest from outside in New York. Thank you so much for that.

I want to take you to Mexico now where a wave of violence erupted in several states in Mexico after one of the most wanted cartel leaders died following a Mexican military operation. The outrage comes after the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Drug Cartel was killed, and the governor there says suspected gang members have set busses on fire. They've blocked roads in the area. They have clashed with authorities.

You're looking there, a video from Puerto Vallarta. The cartel boss, known as El Mencho, was widely regarded as one of the country's most violent criminals. And this is important, a U.S. Defense official telling CNN an American task force played a role in that operation. In fact, El Mencho was also wanted here in the U.S. The Justice Department had a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

As of now, the U.S. embassy in Mexico has issued a shelter-in-place order to all U.S. citizens in areas where those security operations are taking place.

Let's bring in CNN's Valeria Leon from Mexico City.

Valeria, why is this so significant? Tell us, give us some context around what's happening here.

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, it's significant because El Mencho was one of the most powerful criminals in Mexico and worldwide. He was the leader and the founder of the new -- Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most powerful in the country and worldwide. And soon after the operation, this violence broke out in several parts of the country. We haven't seen this before. Armed groups -- I mean in so many Mexican states, right, at the same time, armed groups blocked major highways, forced drivers out of their vehicles, and set trucks and busses on fire, and using them to shut down roads and paralyze entire cities mainly in the Mexican state of Jalisco, but also in four different Mexican states.

And authorities reported these blockades in five Mexican states apart from Jalisco. And also as a precaution, classes were canceled in at least three states while security forces worked to restore order and prevent civilians from being caught in the unrest. And El Mencho was not simply a regional criminal leader. He was, as I said, the founder and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations operating in Mexico.

And under his leadership, the group expanded rapidly, challenging rival cartels for control of territory and trafficking routes, and becoming known for its use of military grade weapons and drones, highly visible displays of force -- Jessica.

[19:10:02]

DEAN: All right. Thank you so much for that reporting. We really appreciate it.

Still to come here, new polling showing an uphill battle for the White House as President Trump prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address since returning to office. We'll have a preview of what we might hear from him. Plus, an armed man shot and killed at Mar-a- Lago in Florida. The president was not there but we'll tell you what investigators said led to the Secret Service opening fire.

Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:15:08]

DEAN: On Tuesday, President Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union Address to a dissatisfied American public. Today's ABC News- "Washington Post" polling showing his approval rating at 39 percent. That leaves 60 percent of Americans disapproving of the president's job performance. The last time Trump's overall disapproval rating was at that number was shortly after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol in the end of his first term. Let's bring in CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook.

Julia, obviously, low approval numbers. We also just on Friday seeing the Supreme Court dealing him this blow on his top economic policy. What do we know about how they're preparing now for the president's message on Tuesday?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this speech, the first State of the Union of President Donald Trump's second term, it comes at a crucial time, as some are already looking toward the midterms and as Republicans control the White House, the Senate and the House. And as you pointed out, that recent polling shows that his approval rating sits at just 39 percent. So as he looks to tout his administration's biggest accomplishments so far, what he considers his administration's biggest accomplishments, it will be up to Americans watching at home, this nationally broadcast speech, to see if his framing aligns with what they're feeling.

I do want to pull up some specifics from that polling to go into some more detail here. And it showed that when it comes to inflation, just 32 percent say that they approve. He has a 34 percent approval rating on his handling of tariffs, on imported goods, a 40 percent on immigration and 41 percent on the economy.

Now, a few things specifically to look out for here. It is likely that we will still be experiencing a partial government shutdown when this speech takes place. It is impacting the Department of Homeland Security specifically. Democrats have been withholding their votes on a funding bill as they want to see reforms when it comes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While there have been discussions with the White House, it does not seem like there's been any breakthrough in recent days.

And then, as you pointed out, this comes just days after that ruling, that blow to the administration dealt by the Supreme Court when they found that Trump violated federal law when he unilaterally imposed sweeping tariffs across the globe. And he has made it clear that he is deeply disappointed in that decision, saying that he's ashamed of some of the justices, too, that he specifically appointed. Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Neil Gorsuch were a part of that 6 to 3 majority. And that could create an interesting visual because you typically do see those justices sitting on the front row during that speech.

Now those are some topics we expect him to take head on in some way. There is also a topic that he has made it clear he wants to move on from, and that is the controversial release of the documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lawmakers typically bring guests that represent issues that are important to them, that are important to their constituents. And according to sources familiar, we do expect some Epstein survivors to be there in the audience.

DEAN: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for that reporting. Really appreciate it.

We're joined now by Republican Representative Kevin Kiley of California.

Congressman, thank you so much for your time tonight. We really appreciate it.

Listen, you are -- your district is an interesting one. It's like, obviously it's being moved around based on redistricting. But typically you ran in a district where you would be considered a frontliner. So what would you like to hear from President Trump on Tuesday?

REP. KEVIN KILEY (R-CA): Yes, I would love to hear an optimistic, forward-looking vision for the country that embraces a spirit of partnership with Congress. You know, in spite of all the difficulties and challenges we have right now, this is the greatest country in the world. We're living in an extraordinary time and I think we can accomplish extraordinary things together if we put partisanship aside and pursue what's in the interest of the American people.

And specifically on two areas, you know, I would like to see a little clarity from him. Number one, when it comes to national security issues. I think he'll rightly, you know, focus on areas where there has been big improvements, like at the border. Obviously, Iran is a very volatile dynamic situation right now. I would like to see some clarity about what the future holds for Latin America and the questions that exist there.

And then finally, when it comes to the economy, I think that he should rightly note areas where we've seen big improvements while also addressing the fact that affordability is still a huge issue for many people across the country, especially in my state of California, which has the highest cost of living of any state.

DEAN: Yes. And you mentioned the economy. He said he's going to focus on it. And in that event in Georgia last week, he said, in his words, that he's won affordability.

[19:20:03]

Do you think he needs to acknowledge to voters that aren't feeling that way that they're -- he and the administration have fallen short on some of the promises they made them during that campaign?

KILEY: Well, I think he should acknowledge that this is still a huge issue for many people, and it's way too difficult for many people across this country to get by. But I do think it would be fair for him to point out that the affordability issues are not felt uniformly throughout the country. So, for example, earlier today on CNN, Dana Bash asked the governor of my state, Gavin Newsom, why does California have the highest cost of living of any state in the country, and he didn't have an answer.

But the answer is very clear. It's that we massively overregulate energy and housing and water, and all of these other sectors, agriculture, that contribute to the cost of living. If you just look at gas prices, for example, they're the highest in California of any state in the country by far, higher even than Hawaii, because we have the highest gas tax. And we have all of these limits that -- regulations that have caused refineries to close, so that we're now actually importing gasoline from the Bahamas, which isn't very good for the environment either.

And so the president, I don't want him to use that necessarily as a way to say, you know, to criticize particular governors or particular states, but rather to say we can learn a lesson here that states that overregulate, that have this scarcity mindset drive up the cost of living. But if we embraced an abundance mentality, one that's designed to increase housing, one that's designed to increase access to health care, one that's designed to increase domestic energy production, then we could lower the cost of living and improve the quality of life for folks in every state in the country.

DEAN: Yes, I had a panel on earlier and Shermichael Singleton, our Republican strategist, laid out kind of similar things to what you want to hear, what he thinks the president should say. But one of our other guests was saying, listen, if the president would just listen to Shermichael and in a sense, listen to what you're saying, that he would be quite well-served. But he tends to veer off message. And he's been quite personal with Supreme Court justices and he does seem really upset about what happened on Friday.

Does that make it harder for you to do your job?

KILEY: Well, you know, my job is to be a representative for my district and for my state. And so you know, the president will have his agenda. And I think that, you know, he's often juggling a lot of things at any given time. I try to steer things in the direction that I think will be best for the folks that I represent. And so I do think that it's incumbent on Congress as Article One, as the legislative branch, to really have a forward-looking agenda for the remainder of this year, where we can work with the administration to address these key issues that are affecting the quality of life for so many people across the country.

DEAN: And you were one of six Republicans who voted with Democrats earlier this month to effectively repeal the president's tariffs on Canada. Now he has put in place this 15 percent global tariff that would need in 150 days congressional approval. What do you think about that?

KILEY: Well, clearly, the power to tariff and to impose taxes rests with Congress. The president himself acknowledges that. His argument at the Supreme Court was simply that, you know, a prior Congress had delegated to him that authority. So the Supreme Court didn't accept that argument. And so now he's saying that another statute, Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, has delegated him the authority to impose this 15 percent tariff.

That's an argument that has never been tested in court. It relates to an issue called balance of payments that really sort of predates the existing international monetary system that we have and so I think that it would be better if Congress played a role here. I think that our government works better. As Justice Gorsuch explained very eloquently in his concurrence, when the entire capacity of the legislative branch, the, you know, the representation that all of us provide to the different parts of the country, and the, you know, the feedback we all get from our constituents, if all of that could be incorporated into the policy making process, then the outcome tends to be better.

DEAN: And speaking of congressional approval, another issue where Congress would like to have a say, Iran and potential military action in Iran. The Trump administration, of course, has amassed this largest buildup of American forces in the Middle East since the Iraq War.

I'm curious if you support the president taking military action and if so, do you think he needs congressional approval?

KILEY: Well, it really depends. You know, when you look at whether something requires an authorization for use of military force or some sort of declaration of war, it tends to be very context dependent and, you know you've seen in modern history, when you take sort of limited actions that does fall within sort of the inherent authority of the president. And that's what makes this different than, say, tariff policy or other aspects of economic policy, is there's a much broader swath of inherent constitutional authority that exists there and for good reason, because when you're dealing with a very dynamic, volatile situation like they have in Iran, where there is an ongoing negotiation but then there's also potentially the need to, you know, act in a kinetic way as well, you can't necessarily have, you know, Congress weighing in on each and every aspect of that process.

[19:25:05]

Now, of course in the long term, if there's going to be any sort of long term engagement, Congress needs to be centrally involved. But the president I think we need to acknowledge in these situations does have, whoever the president is, does have a large swath of inherent constitutional authority.

DEAN: All right. Congressman Kevin Kiley, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.

KILEY: You bet. Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Coming up, millions of people under a blizzard warning in the northeast as a massive winter storm promises whiteout conditions. You are looking live at Philadelphia there, Independence Hall, a travel ban will be taking effect very soon. We'll have more on that. Plus a look at the forecast when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:07]

DEAN: And we continue our coverage of the monster winter storm that could bring record snowfall to parts of the northeast. The snow is coming down fast in a number of states. Whiteout conditions could threaten more than 40 million people. We know one to two feet of snow is expected in major metro areas, including New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Here in New York City, all non-emergency travel has been banned as the city potentially faces its biggest snowstorm in years. CNN's Chris Warren is joining us now from the CNN weather center with the latest. Chris, that ban goes into effect at 9:00 P.M. it's going to go until noon tomorrow, indicating this storm is going to be here for a while.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is and that really goes along the lines with just a couple days ago even the National Weather Service was saying, what is expected with the amount of snow and the wind, treacherous if not life-threatening travel. So, you understand why a travel ban would be going into effect. And this is a product from the National Weather Service. And just by looking at this without talking about what type of weather, just saying that when it comes to winter storm, winter weather impacts major in red, extreme in purple, so major to extreme impacts here from around Atlantic City all the way up to providence, Rhode Island and into Boston, even parts of Maine.

Now, a big reason for that, the snow, the amount of snow and the wind, blizzard conditions expected. Blizzard warnings here from Virginia and the Delmarva all the way up to Maine. The entire state of Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut Rhode Island in blizzard warnings. And here is the snow that's falling right now. Darker purple is showing us where the heavier snow is coming on shore. Lightning closer to where the development of that center is going to be. The center is developing, and it's going to rapidly strengthen over the next several hours and remain strong throughout the day tomorrow. But right now, rain changing over to snow. Snow getting heavier on Long Island and in New York, Southern Connecticut.

So, it is now getting into the point where it is full swing. Reasonable expectation of what we can expect in terms of snowfall from the Delmarva, anywhere from 8 inches to 12 inches. Now its pockets in here could see closer to two feet but widespread more than a foot of snow can be expected along much of the Interstate 95 corridor. As were seeing these very strong winds pushing the water to the shoreline. Minor to moderate flooding will be significant across some of these areas, with temperatures right around the freezing mark. This is what we call wet snow; they're actually partially melted snowflakes that stick together. These huge looking snowflakes, they're heavier there's more water in each snowflake.

So, what that means is the snow is going to stick to stuff and be heavy. So, branches, power lines more likely to lead to the potential of some power outages. So, Jessica, here's a look at the extent of some of the flood alerts as well. A lot of that ocean water pushing on shore.

DEAN: All right, Chris Warren with the very latest. Thank you so much for that.

Turning now to another top story were following Secret Service agents in Palm Beach County Florida, law enforcement shooting and killing an armed man this morning who they say unlawfully entered the secure perimeter at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Resort.

Authorities say a white man in his 20s entered that property carrying a shotgun and fuel can, and he made it about 30 yards inside the gate before he was then confronted by Secret Service agents and law enforcement and told to drop those items. They say the man dropped the gas can, but raised the shotgun to a shooting position. Officers say that's when they fired their weapons and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Let's bring in CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, who is joining us now. John, there's a lot of kind of angles to this, but let's start first with where does this go from here? The suspect is dead but there will obviously be quite an investigation into how he got there and maybe what he was doing in the lead up to this.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, that's right, Jessica, the FBI is going to take the lead in this the Secret Service mission is protective. The FBI investigation is going to be what was the motive behind this attempted attack, or at least what appears to be.

They'll backtrack through his travels from North Carolina. This is 22- year-old Austin Tucker Martin from Cameron, North Carolina, as he's been identified by the FBI. They're going to want to know what caused him to vanish from his home, what caused his parents or his family to report him missing. It appears that he bought the shotgun along the way, because the box for the brand-new shotgun was in the car that they traced to him parked outside Mar-a-Lago. The question is, what was his intent there since the President wasn't present at that location, but we're not sure whether he knew that or not.

DEAN: Right, of course, and I thought it interesting too, the Secret Service involved, but also Palm Beach County Law Enforcement and it goes to show you kind of the unique situation they have there at Mar- a-Lago where the President again, as you know, not there at the time of this, but does spend a lot of time there but that they really have to rely on each other to secure that area. It's a private, essentially a private club.

[19:35:23]

MILLER: But Mar-a-Lago presents a special challenge. If this were the White House, there's no getting 20 or 30 yards in there without, you know, an immediate tactical response. In this case, he got between 20 and 30 yards in there and there was that response. But Mar-a-Lago is also a private club. It's not just the residence for the President away from the White House there are members and there are events and there are parties.

Apparently, as an employee was leaving that north gate, the gate opened, which then closes and locks. He grabbed the gate and entered as that employee was going the other way. Before he got very far into the grounds, he was confronted by the two Secret Service Agents and the Palm Beach County Deputy, who, when he put down the gas can and leveled the shotgun is what their account was, they opened fired.

DEAN: Yes, and it just underscores again, I mean, we've been here before with the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania than the other one in Florida not too long after that. There are real security risks around, obviously, the President of the United States, but specifically President Trump.

MILLER: Well, this is directed violence and, you know, on January 5th, there was an incident at J.D. Vance's residence, his home in Cincinnati. again, he wasn't there at the time, nor was his family. They were in Washington, but an individual stormed the grounds. He started smashing windows to get into the house with a hammer. Secret Service opened fire on him when he charged at them with the hammer. And you know you remember, of course, the governor of Pennsylvania, when that individual broke in after a religious dinner, they were all asleep, and he set fire to the place.

So, there are these people who are emotionally in crisis who identify with these very important people and do these things and it's an issue for protection.

DEAN: Certainly, all right. John Miller, great to have you. Thanks for being here.

MILLER: Thank you.

DEAN: And still to come, President Trump reportedly growing frustrated as nuclear talks with Iran drag on as the U.S. Military or as his threats, military threats against Iran could backfire and were talks currently stand, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:42:19]

DEAN: Iran's Foreign Minister says further nuclear talks could be happening as soon as this week but the Trump administration is expressing frustration with the pace of negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: He's curious as to why they haven't, I don't want to use the word capitulated, but why they haven't capitulated? Why under this sort of pressure, with the amount of U.S. sea power, naval power that we have over there, why they haven't come to us and said, we profess that we don't want to, we don't want a weapon. So, here's what were prepared to do and yet it's hard to sort of get them to that place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Tonight, Iran's Foreign Minister responding on X, writing it is, "curious as to why we do not capitulate because we are Iranian".

We're joined now by former State Department Middle East Negotiator Aaron David Miller. He's now a senior fellow at the Carnegie endowment for international peace. Aaron, thanks for being here this is a very interesting time in all of this the next several days, many administrations, Democratic and Republican, have tried diplomacy with Iran. How are you reading where we stand tonight? AARON DAVID MILLER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, thanks for having me, Jess.

Look, there are no good options with Iran. There are no good negotiating options, the President is not going to get what he wants. The Iranians are not going to break with their proxies, fundamentally restrict their ballistic missiles or give up completely the right to enrich not with this brutal, repressive regime and there are no good military options.

And I think the President's frustration reflects the fact that were on the cusp of what could be a major regional war and we seem to be sleepwalking into it without a clear set of objectives of what it is we want to achieve. And that's a very, that's risky business, right? I mean if you don't define what it is you want and obviously, the first shot, the enemy has a vote, wars evolve, strategies change. But if you don't define your objectives, then reality defines them for you.

And frankly, we've had no presentation by the administration of exactly what it intends to do? What are the costs? What are the risks? And I think the President is toggling one day, it's, were going to what, we're going to basically hit them so they come to the negotiating table. And in the months to come, were going to hit them harder. I mean that's just not a strategy. It's frustrating, I understand because this regime, frankly it's almost impossible for America, for the United States to get what it wants either the negotiating table or on the battlefield.

DEAN: Yes, and how much do you think the current situation, what's evolved and happened over the last two years and the severe weakening of Iran and its proxies? How does that factor into this on both sides?

[19:45:16]

A. MILLER: I mean, in a way, you would argue, I mean, see, Witkoff talks about capitulation and when the Iranians ever capitulated, even the Iranian nuclear agreement came at a cost. We conceded the right for the Iranians to enrich Uranium on Iranian soil. So, the Iranians don't capitulate, 40-plus years since the revolution should suggest that that is in fact, the case and frankly, I really don't know where the administration is going.

The weakness implies that the Iranians are vulnerable and they should be willing to cut some sort of deal on terms that the administration could accept. But the weakness argument plays the other way, too. The Iranians are desperate, could be desperate and if they see this as an existential sort of struggle they're going to respond and that I guess, just that's the other thing. What do they do in the event that the administration hits them hard or relatively not hard at all?

Theres strikes against the Israelis, there's strikes against economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, or strikes against American Forces at our bases in the Gulf. So again, risky business without a clear end state I think articulated as of yet on the part of the administration.

DEAN: Yes, and that was kind of something we were discussing with a guest earlier in the show, which is okay if you do a limited strike and that still doesn't get them to where you want them to be, you being the Trump administration, then is your hand now forced with this massive military buildup to go in hard? Or are you know are now kind of backed into a corner to have to go in harder?

A. MILLER: I mean I listened to Wes Clarke, described the hardware earlier that we've deployed. It's clearly the largest demonstration deployment of American air power since the Iraq war. I mean, but the reality is, if that is in fact the case, then what are the metrics for success? Is the objective to discharge back up the President's words that help is on the way were going to hit them hard. Is it to fracture the regime? Is it to drop special ops guys on the ground, in an effort to undermine their ballistic missile production or their nuclear sites? Is there an option on the table to identify where the senior leadership is? Where an 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is, and to what do Maduro?

Again, if you don't define the objectives then others define them for you or reality defines them for you. If we want to change the regime, I think there's a way to do it but it's completely unrealistic.

It's Iraq, you want to deploy hundreds of thousands of American forces, occupy a country with roughly 90 million people, and hope you could somehow manufacture and orchestrate a different regime. And even if the regime fractured and again I'll say it again a brutal, repressive regime whose time has clearly come, look at the Iranian public and as the death toll mounts from the first week in January, the question is, how do you effectively either negotiate if that's what the President wants to do or use military force to undermine the regime, to weaken it over time?

Again, I don't think there's a clear set of objectives here.

DEAN: It's about yes, you and to a person, everyone says, it's about defining your objectives, knowing what you're trying to accomplish.

Aaron David Miller, thank you so much. It's good to see you.

A. MILLER: Jess, good to see you, too, take care.

DEAN: Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:53:41]

DEAN: The 2026 Winter Olympics have come to an exciting end. CNN sports anchor Coy Wire is in Milan with highlights -- Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN, SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: For the very last event at these Winter Olympics, we got an overtime classic in the men's hockey gold medal game.

Just like the women's final, the USA versus Canada. And just like that women's game, it's the USA coming out in overtime. The Americans withstood a barrage of shots from their neighbors to the north, 42 shots on goal. But Connor Hellebuyck saved 41 of them setting a new Olympic record for a gold medal game involving NHL players. And in overtime it was Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils star, hammering home the game winning goal, laying it all on the line, blood on his face, teeth missing. An American legend is born.

First Olympic men's hockey gold for team USA in 46 years. I caught up with some of the fans who were over the moon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness gracious me. I was incredible. That's all I can say.

WIRE: Who was the star of the game for the U.S.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to say, the winner, Jack Hughes, it's got to be Jack Hughes, no one else, Hellebuyck, USA, whoa

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't that the greatest? First time since 1980, gold medal USA all the way, whoa!

WIRE: Man take me through that golden goal moment. What's going through the mind as you hear the crowd roar?

[19:55:07]

TAGE THOMPSON, TEAM USA MEN'S HOCKEY: Oh, it's crazy I think every kid dreams about that moment. Going into that intermission after the third, they're just looking around the room, just thinking someone's going to be the hero. It is a pretty special feeling, obviously, you know, Jack comes through for us there. You know, makes our dreams become a reality. Being gold medalist.

WIRE: How do you put it into perspective when you think about first gold medal for American men's hockey in 46 years, did that like, sink in yet?

THOMPSON: No, it's crazy. Every kid grows up watching miracle you know, every USA hockey player dreams of this moment and now were sharing that exact feeling that they had. It's pretty special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So, with that, and with the closing ceremony, also on Sunday in Verona, that's a wrap from the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games.

DEAN: All right, Coy Wire, thanks for that. And thank you for joining me tonight.

I'm Jessica Dean, Polo Sandoval is going to pick up our special coverage after a quick break. We'll see you back here next weekend. Have a good night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)