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Heaviest Snow Expected To Hit Overnight In Northeastern U.S.; Violence Erupts Across Mexico After Death Of "El Mencho"; Poll: 60 Percent Disapproval Of Trump's Performance Ahead Of Speech; Trump To Deliver State Of The Union Address On Thursday; Powerful Winter Storms Slamming the Northeast U.S.; Ukraine Prepares to Mark Fourth Anniversary of Invasion; Team USA Wins First Gold Medal in Men's Hockey in 46 Years; Robert De Niro Celebrates New Location of Hotel Chain. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 23, 2026 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:36]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

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

Our breaking news this hour. A powerful winter storm is intensifying as it lashes the northeastern U.S. with heavy snow and gusty winds. Coastal areas of New York and New Jersey have already seen wind gusts over 50 miles per hour. Nearly 10 inches of snow has fallen in some parts of the New York metro area. The Storm Prediction Center warns that prolonged overnight whiteouts are possible from New York to Boston.

Some heavy bands could dump up to two inches of snow per hour. More than 40 million people across 11 states are under blizzard warnings and right now power outages stand at 115,000 and they're climbing as snow and strong winds knock down trees and power lines.

Chris Gloninger is a meteorologist and climate scientist and he joins me from Centerville, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, right in the heart of the blizzard warning zone. We're kind of seeing that at the moment. Crazy. Can you tell us what is it like out there right now? It looks very cold.

Tell me about it.

CHRIS GLONINGER, METEOROLOGIST AND CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Ben, this is about the second hour of what will be a 22 hour blizzard across parts of southeastern Massachusetts. Typically the jackpot zone for snowfall in mass lines up around the 128 corridor, which is metro west in Boston. This time it's southeastern Massachusetts. And this is where we have a pretty sizable pine forest which really can't handle that much snow. We're talking about 24 inches of total accumulation by the time this storm wraps up tomorrow evening then.

And you know what, as we continue to warm, as our planet warms, these storms are holding more moisture. For every 1 degree of warming that we see, the atmosphere holds about 7 percent more moisture. So these storms are just gargantuan. The National Weather Service put out in their blizzard warning. This storm has the potential of being historic and, quote, "destructive" as it moves through, the worst of it later on this morning and into the early afternoon, Ben.

HUNTE: Tell me about how what you're feeling there compares to what the radar and forecasts were showing. Does it match up with the expectations?

GLONINGER: The snow actually started a little bit earlier here in southeastern Massachusetts, which you wonder what will happen with the end totals. Could that mean totals will be a little bit more inflated? It's certainly possible. Some of the latest guidance that we looked at just about 30 minutes ago showed upwards of 30 inches are now possible in this part of Massachusetts. You take it back to the 2013 or Easter where 700,000 residents were without power.

That's the kind of event that we're expecting. And along the coast now, 70 to 75 mile per hour wind gusts. So we're up around Category 1 hurricane intensity wind gusts with very heavy wet snow clinging onto the trees behind me. And you can see, let me show you the snow, this is heavy, wet, packing snow that we have, heart attack snow. So use caution if you are trying to remove the snow anyone older than 60 years old having preexisting heart issues, let the younger generation handle this and take care of it because this is the kind of snowfall we're expecting across this part of the state.

Again, another 22 hours left of this storm before it finally winds down.

HUNTE: Gosh, heart attack snow doesn't sound good, does it? Have you heard of any surprises from other weather specialists as they move through this storm? Any wind shifts or anything that might catch people off guard?

GLONINGER: One thing I am watching are the tides. We fluctuate between high and low tide every six hours, right? And the good news is the worst of the surge should coincide with low tide. But as you have these winds that pin the water into the harbors and inlets, that may mean that high tide during the afternoon on Monday. So later on this afternoon we could see some moderate coastal flooding. So moderate flooding in the next couple of hours is possible and then another round of high tides as those winds pick up.

So that's another element of this storm that I think we really have to focus on because that is where it could be destructive along the coastline with severe beach erosion and moderate pockets of coastal flooding, Ben.

HUNTE: How quickly is this situation changing? Should people expect conditions to get worse before they get better, do you think?

[01:05:08]

GLONINGER: Things are going to get a lot worse. The worst of it here in southeastern Massachusetts won't be until about 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. You mentioned two inch per hour. So for rates, I said the last half hour we've seen a newer model data come in, we could see three to even four inch per hour snowfall rates. So Department of Public Works cannot keep up with that kind of snow.

Even if you are seeing snow plows out on the highways and the interstates, you know, you make one pass and within 15 minutes the road is all already covered. So I think between 5:00 a.m. and noontime is the worst of it, where you are going to want to stay off the roads because it is going to be dangerous for anyone traveling. Even if you're used to these storms, a lot of New Englanders, you know, they're hardy, they like to get out and see what's happening. This is one of those storms, Ben, where you just want to park it at home and watch CNN.

HUNTE: Yes, indeed. Chris Gloninger, thank you so much. When we tell everyone else to be at home and hide away from storm, you are outside in the heart of it. So we really, really appreciate your work. Thank you.

GLONINGER: Thanks, Ben.

HUNTE: Onwards, violence has erupted across Mexico following the killing of the country's most wanted drug leader, known as "El Mencho", in a military operation on Sunday. You can see smoke billowing into the sky there in this retort town on Mexico's Pacific coast. A witness says fires are ongoing and smell like burning rubber. Officials say suspected members of organized crime groups unleashed the wave of violence after the death of "El Mencho". He was a former police officer who was one of the world's most wanted traffickers.

He led the powerful Jalisco and New Generation cartel, or the CJNG. CNN's Valeria Leon has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fire, smoke and chaos across several Mexican states. Cities brought to a state standstill as criminal groups retaliate after Mexico's most wanted drug leader died following a military operation Sunday. Blocked highways, drivers forced out of their cars at gunpoint, trucks and buses set on fire. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a former police officer known to most as "El Mencho", was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, wounded during a Mexican military operation and later died while being transported to Mexico City. The U.S. played a role in Sunday's operation, according to U.S. defense officials, though it's unclear to what extent as fear spread.

Many Mexicans spoke out, calling for an end to the violence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): People are aware of this violence and. And what they want is peace. To live in harmony and justice, not in war. LEON (voice-over): Blockades were reported across various states and classes were suspended in at least three states as officials try to contain the violence and keep civilians off the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm tired of seeing this continue every single day.

LEON (voice-over): Under "El Mencho"'s command, the cartel expanded rapidly, challenging rivals like the Sinaloa cartel for control of territory and trafficking routes. According to U.S. and Mexican officials, "El Mencho" managed to avoid capture for years. His detention and debt is one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years and the first high profile operation under President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The fall of El Mincho may mark a major security milestone. But with tourism, foreign investment and security for the 2026 World Cup at stake, the world is watching how Mexico handles what comes next.

Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: In some towns, tourists and residents have been urged to stay indoors. And David Bar-Tal is a U.S. citizen who has been living in Puerto Vallarta for almost a year and he joins now.

Thank you so much for being with me, sir. I really appreciate it. We are so sorry that you're going through all of this. Could you just explain to me what is it like where you are right now? What's the atmosphere like?

What have you been seeing so far?

DAVID BAR-TAL, U.S. CITIZEN AND PUERTO VALLARTA RESIDENT: Yes. So the morning started really hectic and eventful. We were having our morning tacos. I know it's stereotypical, but were having our morning tacos at 8:00 a.m. in the stadium where I live. And all of a sudden we watched from the south it was like, oh, what is that smoke?

That heavy smoke, heavy black smoke. And it was funny because my partner said, let's go home. I feel weird about it. And I said, I don't know, it's OK. And I think that's kind of like summons up our relationship.

By the time went to home, which is like five minutes from that restaurant, we already heard more explosions. And we saw two fire pillars, black fire pillars, really close to our house. Again, my partner said, something is wrong. And I was like, no, they're probably burning crops, which there's no crops here. But, you know, optimistic me said, it can be there.

[01:10:20]

And I think we just started -- and I think the news started coming very quickly and we understood that these are not just occasional smoke that kind of like -- and then we saw photos coming online from buses and cars and OXXO, which is like the local 7/11 stores being on fire. And then Costco, not Costco itself, but the cars at the parking lot. And, yes, and it just continued and I just took the lead. I have -- I have my own page, which is just -- yes, which is just about the day to day. It's not about news or anything big.

It's just about tacos, of course, and other events that's happening in the city. But all of a sudden I felt that people asking me questions. So I --

HUNTE: Yes.

BAR-TAL: -- started getting information from government officials. And this is where it's kind of like became like what's true and what's not. And of course, some AI generated fake photos of the burning church or anything else. So I kind of like, man, try throughout the day to make sure that the journalist in me --

HUNTE: Yes.

BAR-TAL: -- brings the right -- the right information. And, yes, and it's been crazy throughout the day. Then the curfew started and we started getting more information and also we saw all the mini markets and everything around us being asked to close down. We live by the stadium, which on Sunday it's really lively, there's a lot of people there. And police came and asked everybody to -- everyone to go home.

That's it, more or less. Now it's -- wll, now it's midnight. It's been quiet for quite a while. No explosion -- no explosions, no cars on fire. But still tomorrow we've heard that it's going to -- the curfew is going to continue and everybody's going to stay at home.

No schools, no banks. So, yes, we'll see. No tacos.

HUNTE: I'm glad you've still got a sense of humor because these pictures that we're seeing while you're talking is absolutely insane. Truly, truly wild.

BAR-TAL: (Inaudible).

HUNTE: But yes, we really appreciate your time and please do stay safe. You just did my job for me. Everything was there, all the information was so clear. So thank you for that. David Bar-Tal, appreciate it.

BAR-TAL: Thank you so much. Have a good night.

HUNTE: Thank you. You too. You too.

OK. Still to come, what a new poll shows about President Trump's approval ratings ahead of his state of the union address on Tuesday. Details just ahead. See you in a moment.

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[01:17:42] HUNTE: Welcome back. We are, of course, tracking a major winter storm in northeastern United States. More than 40 million people are under blizzard warnings across the east coast from Delaware up to Maine. You are seeing some live pictures there of Buffalo, New York, looking very snowy. The National Weather Service predicts the storm could bring snowfall of two to three inches per hour overnight into Monday.

The Storm Prediction Center warns that some of the heaviest bands are producing blizzard conditions and whiteouts, making travel very dangerous if not impossible.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address to a very dissatisfied American public on Tuesday. A fresh ABC News and Washington Post poll shows his approval rating at 39 percent, with 60 percent disapproving of how he's handling his second term. The last time that President Trump's overall disapproval rating was that high was shortly after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

A significant majority say they disapprove of how the president is handling the economy, tariffs, inflation and relations with other countries, too. Let's bring in CNN Senior Political Analysts and Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Ron Brownstein to discuss.

Ron, thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good evening. Good to be with you, Ben.

HUNTE: Good to see you again. The Supreme Court issued its ruling on the tariffs case and there's been so much pushback against the justices. How do you see this reshaping the White House's economic messaging? And what kind of pressure does it now put on Congress politically?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, it's interesting. I mean, there were a lot of Republicans who privately were hoping that the Supreme Court would do what they were unwilling to do, which was essentially say no to President Trump about the tariffs. I mean, we've seen consistent. President Trump was elected above all because people felt that their cost of living was out of control under Joe Biden. And people believe the tariffs are making are compounding rather than alleviating the problem.

So they have been consistently unpopular. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 percent of Americans have consistently said that they oppose the tariffs. So there were a lot of, I think Republicans in Congress who are hoping that President Trump -- that if the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs, that President Trump would use that moment as a kind off ramp to move away from the policy. Instead, he is doubled down. I mean, with this across the board 15 percent tariff on essentially the entire globe.

[01:20:10]

And you've seen very, very few Republicans in Congress being willing to push back. So they're kind of, you know -- they look -- they basically lashed themselves to him. And unless they are willing to establish more distance, I mean, this is something that could really come back and bite them, because this is an idea the American public has simply never warmed to.

HUNTE: I'm still trying to get my head around how President Trump received the ruling and then immediately slapped fresh tariffs on the world.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

HUNTE: Distinct tariffs under a different law. Can you just break down for us what's really going on here?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, look, I mean, you know, I think above all, I mean, one thing that is very consistent about Trump in his second term is that he is looking to expand presidential power in ways that arbitrary exercise really presidential power in ways that we have never seen. There's been extraordinarily little pushback from Congress, virtually none. Republicans have essentially kind of written him a blank check. The Supreme Court has said no a couple times before on the national federalizing the National Guard, for example. But more often than not, through these unsigned emergency docket rulings, they've enabled what he's been trying to do.

This is probably, along with the National Guard, the highest profile example of them saying no to him. And he is reacting in the way that someone who does not hear no very often, you know, does. And it is just a reminder that how intent he is on rolling over what have traditionally been kind of the separation of powers and checks and balances in our constitutional system.

HUNTE: And how things have seemingly always been until now. We have Trump's State of the Union address coming up. What should we be watching for and what might he be trying to signal to voters and party leaders or even foreigners, others?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you noted that poll today. Here's why that is significant. Views of the incumbent president really have been the most powerful force in shaping every off year election during his presidency. In 2018 and 2020, when Trump was in office the first time, exactly 90 percent of people who disapproved of his performance said in the exit polls that they voted Democratic for the House. And in fact, 89 percent or more of people who said they disapproved of his performance voted Democrat for the Democrat in every Senate race during his first term except for one.

Now, obviously, if you got a disapproval rating at 60 percent and 90 percent of those people are going to vote for the other side, that is a pretty ominous prospect for your -- for your party. So really the question is, does Trump have any kind of reset in him? I mean, the story of his second term is that he has been pushed back really into the core of his base. I mean, the millions of voters who came to him in 2024 somewhat ambivalently because they disliked, as I said, their economic experience under Biden and thought that Trump would do better, they've been frustrated by both by what he has and has not done. I mean, he has not achieved as much as they expected on the most important reason they voted for him, which is getting their cost of living under control.

And he has pursued a lot of initiatives that they were hoping he would not. In particular, the very aggressive ICE enforcement. And you see that again in the -- and the tariffs, and you see that again in the polling today. So does he have any message that can reach beyond his core supporters? Because that is what he is kind of eroding his support down to.

And as I say, that is a ominous prospect for Republicans. If he can't, you know, if he can improve from where he is now, then there are people are going to wake up on Election Day who we never saw coming, who are going to lose. Now --

HUNTE: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: -- you know, he does have -- he does have eight more months. He can recover. But if he doesn't, it could be a very long night for Republicans.

HUNTE: It could indeed. Can you believe it's another big week run? Wow, wow, wow. But thank you so much for now. I'm sure we're speaking again very soon. Appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

HUNTE: We, of course, continue to track this dangerous winter storm as it slams into the U.S. Eastern Coast. After the break, we'll speak to a meteorologist and climate scientists about what to expect in hours ahead.

[01:24:28]

Plus, Russia's war in Ukraine is about to enter its fifth year. We'll look at the state of the war now and how Ukrainians are battling to defend their countries in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back. More than 40 million Americans are under blizzard warnings and coastal flood alerts with more than 180,000 households without power now. Snowfall is ramping up with heaviest bands potentially dumping up to three inches per hour tonight. The Storm Prediction Center says prolonged whiteouts are expected as wind gusts could reach 40-70 miles per hour.

Parts of New Jersey have already seen more than half a foot of snow, and forecasters say some areas could see, well, more than a foot overnight. Back now to meteorologist and climate scientist Chris Gloninger in Centerville, Massachusetts.

Thank you so much for being again with me, sir.

[01:29:47]

Could you just update me? Has anything changed where you are or elsewhere in the U.S.? What's going on now?

CHRIS GLONINGER, METEOROLOGIST AND CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Ben I don't know if you can tell or the viewers can tell, but the flakes are gigantic snowflakes -- another technical term are dendrites.

So the dendritic growth is when you really see large flakes that stack up. We're entering into that part of the snowstorm.

And this again is going to wrap up as a historic event. We are seeing a bomb cyclone -- bombogenesis is when you have a storm intensifying 24 millibars in 24 hours. We are surpassing that threshold -- 30 millibar drop in less than 24 hours.

It is so intense then that we have lightning and thunder not too far offshore. And we expect with some of these heavier bands when you mentioned the three inches per hour, that could be accompanied by a clap or two of thunder during the predawn hours of our Monday morning.

HUNTE: You look absolutely freezing, I have to say. So thank you so much for doing this. We appreciate it.

Before we started tonight, there was so much talk on social media about how reliable the forecast would actually be for the next couple of days. And looking at these pictures, they do seem pretty accurate.

But what should viewers be paying attention to as things evolve to see if everything is actually as expected?

GLONINGER: Because the worst of it is probably around 5:00 in the morning through 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. And I said this at the top of the hour, I think a lot of New Englanders think this is just another nor'easter.

But when you have the National Weather Service in Boston, you have meteorologists that have been on staff for decades, that have been forecasting, that have the institutional knowledge, and they're calling this a potentially destructive historic storm, this is one where you want to just stay home.

Allow the first responders to get out there and do their job. As I mentioned three-inch-per-hour snowfall rates. When you have snowplows, even those convoys of snowplows on the highway, 15 minutes later, you have another inch of snow on the road.

That is the kind of snow that we're seeing and also, if you bend over once more, this is the kind of snow we're dealing with -- very heavy, wet snow.

So blowing and drifting may not be a problem here, but now we're talking about some load issues because we've had snow since late January on some of these roofs. You add on another 24 to 30 inches of accumulation, Ben. That is a lot of weight on roofs and especially some flatter roofs. So we could see some structural damage as well.

Plus, we are in the midst of a pine forest. I know it's a fairly urban area in Massachusetts but there are these forests. And when you have 12 inches of snow, they cannot withstand that kind of weight.

So we will see power outages, probably in the hundreds of thousands, just in the Commonwealth itself by tomorrow afternoon or by Monday afternoon.

HUNTE: Wow. Chris, thank you so much for doing your work. We really, really appreciate it. And we are waiting to see how bad things get overnight. Thank you.

GLONINGER: You bet, Ben.

HUNTE: Onwards. On Tuesday, Ukraine will mark a very grim anniversary, four years since Russia's full-scale invasion. Four years since this sound became a harrowing part of daily life for Ukrainians.

Those sirens are still wailing every time Russia launches air strikes on Ukrainian cities.

But in the nearly four years since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not achieved his war goals. And Moscow has suffered staggering losses on the battlefield.

But Ukraine is now facing waning support from the country's largest ally, the United States under the Trump administration.

Andriy Zagorodnyuk is a former Ukrainian defense minister, the chairman of the Center for Defense Strategies and a distinguished fellow at The Atlantic Council. He joins me now from Kyiv.

Thank you so much for being with me. I just want to ask, how are you doing at the moment?

ANDRIY ZAGORODNYUK, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Thank you, Ben. Ok, thank you.

HUNTE: Good to see you tell us about some of the misconceptions that Ukraine's allies keep making about ending this war. Is it about military aid, pressuring them to give up territory or something deeper? And why do these misreadings keep happening?

ZAGORODNYUK: You're right, Ben, that there's quite a bit of misconceptions about the war. One of them, that this is a war about territory, and it's not. It's about existence of Ukraine.

Putin's goals are to destroy us as a country, eradicate us as people. He claims that Ukrainians don't exist and those kind of things. So clearly it's not about several small towns and villages of Donbas.

There is a massive misconception about that in the, in -- around some of the western policy makers that if Ukraine gives up some territory then the war is over. But it's not the case.

[01:34:42]

ZAGORODNYUK: And we, you know, we see the Poles and Ukrainians don't believe that. I don't believe this. And many Western, including United States analysts like professionals, don't believe this at all.

Because what we understand is that Putin is, of course, as happy to take whatever Ukraine can concede and after that, simply continue the war. He did it many times. He walked away from his agreements many times and so on. So that's the first one.

Second one is that all that can be secured by so-called security guarantees. The problem is that as soon as we discuss particular parts of the security guarantees, then we see that no country wants to send proper troops to Ukraine to fight.

There's like very -- there's no appetite in the United States government obviously. There is no appetite in Europe and frankly speaking, there is no capability in Europe to do that effectively.

So they do -- they do offer some symbolic presence in Ukraine after the ceasefire. But at the same time we don't think that those numbers which we're hearing about are enough to be a deterrent for Putin. So it's all on us again.

And then the question is, ok, if we theoretically reach some ceasefire and then Putin collects forces and then strikes again who else apart from us can stop him and there's not much.

So we need to keep on fighting against Russian invasion, you know, and basically, that's what we're doing.

So, frankly speaking, here in Ukraine there is a very clear understanding that we have an existential threat. We need to keep on -- we need to keep on defending our country.

We have airstrikes, as you just mentioned, literally on a daily basis.

HUNTE: Yes.

ZAGORODNYUK: In Kyiv, it's like every -- every few days. But at the same time, in the west, there is constantly like this distraction about, oh, what about giving up territories? What about peace? What about -- and frankly speaking, it's not much related to reality. That's the --

HUNTE: Yes.

ZAGORODNYUK: -- that's the problem.

HUNTE: Well, on that, how does Ukraine view the West right now? Is it as a dependable ally or are there cracks in trust when it comes to providing real security guarantees?

ZAGORODNYUK: Right. There is -- we don't consider West as a sort of one thing. I mean because we have a number of countries, a number of regions which are supporting us differently.

So Europe, and that includes U.K., so the European Union and U.K. they stepped up substantially over the last years. And then they frankly help us to survive. The United States unfortunately, apart from the providing intelligence and selling weapons, is not helping now at all. And so basically first two years of war, United States -- the first three years of war the United States was the biggest supporter of Ukraine.

But since the change of administration policy it has -- it has essentially gone. And right now, we use European money to buy weapons from the United States, obviously at a very high price.

And yes, we still appreciate U.S. support in terms of the intelligence, in terms of selling weapons because some of these weapons are completely critical, such as Patriot air defense, missile air defense systems, which help us to defend ourselves from ballistic and other missiles.

But yes, so the whole landscape of the support of Ukraine has changed and shifted towards Europe.

Europe though, is very determined, is absolutely focused on helping Ukraine. They understand that Russia is also threatening Europe and most of European leaders believe that this is a very credible and absolutely serious threat.

And yes, and so they help us in order to support us and also to buy themselves time to, to arm so they can, they can -- they can become an actual military power.

HUNTE: Given Zelenskyy's inner circle having faced scandals and Ukraine still struggling to mobilize enough troops by itself, do you think that the country can still realistically expect the help that it does need to defend itself? And how long do you think this can last for?

ZAGORODNYUK: Well, that depends on a number of -- number of things which are yet either -- are yet to happen or rather than happen or they don't. But particularly, it's about the pressure on Russia, economic pressure on Russia because the war will take as long as Russia can afford it.

We see that Putin is, for lack of a better word, obsessed with this war. I mean, he is -- he lost well over 1 million soldiers. He's transferring half of his public spending to the war effort. The country struggles already inside Russia, you know, and he still is focused on winning.

Some people say that if he cannot win, then basically he has a threat to his own regime inside the country. Maybe that's the case, but that doesn't make our life easier and clearly the only way for him to stop is to, first of all, to understand that he's not going to win. So we need to neutralize the aggression on the front.

[01:39:45]

ZAGORODNYUK: And secondly, they need to run out of money. So all that is potentially achievable, but it requires much more resolved economic warfare against Russia from the leading countries in the world. We don't see that yet happening. There's a lot of talks. There's a lot

of discussions -- papers, conferences, all kinds of advice, you know, about that. But it's not yet happening.

And so far we don't have any other options. So yes, we do struggle to get enough people. At the same time, we still feel the 1 million army. At the same time we still don't let them go through our lines in pretty much all the -- all the areas.

We actually even like, regained some territory recently. So we don't have any other option. It's not a question, can we or can't we. We need to do that because otherwise we disappear.

HUNTE: Well as you're speaking there, we're seeing some pictures from recent days. It looks absolutely awful.

So, thank you so much for your work and thank you for speaking to us again.

ZAGORODNYUK: Thank you.

HUNTE: Andriy Zagorodnyuk, thank you.

ZAGORODNYUK: Thank you.

HUNTE: Ok. For our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. And for those of you here in the U.S. and Canada, I'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM. See you in a moment.

[01:40:52]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back.

The Olympic flame has now been extinguished and the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina have bid farewell to the 2026 Winter Games. The grand finale of Sunday's closing ceremony illuminated the historic Verona arena. Thousands gathered to celebrate the unity among athletes and nations.

Norway was the clear leader in this year's medal count with 18 golds. The U.S. came in second with 12 gold medals, marking the country's most successful Winter Games ever. And the Netherlands and host country Italy each finished with ten golds.

The last gold medal for the U.S. came in a hard-fought overtime win over its fierce rival, Canada in the men's hockey final.

CNN Coy Wire caught up with U.S. forward Tage Thompson for his thoughts on winning gold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Man, take me through that golden goal moment. What's going through the mind as you hear the crowd roar? TAGE THOMPSON, U.S. HOCKEY TEAM: Oh, it's crazy. Yes. I think every

kid dreams about that moment. I think, you know, going into that intermission after the third, they're just looking around the room just thinking someone's going to be a hero.

And this is a pretty special feeling, obviously. You know, Jack comes through for us there, you know, makes our dreams become a reality. You know, being gold medalists.

WIRE: Face all bloody, teeth missing. I mean, if you had to describe him in that moment, like the snapshot of that image what would it be?

THOMPSON: He's just a gamer. You know, I've known him a little bit before coming here. And my brother actually played with him in Jersey for a bit and spoke very highly of him.

And you know, getting a chance to know him a little bit better. You know, be in this tournament, he's just an awesome dude. Away from the rink, you know, just really fun to be around.

And then you know, when he's on the ice, he's just a guy that walks the puck at all times and wants to be the difference maker. And he was tonight.

WIRE: And 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 U.S.A. hockey player dreams of this moment. And now we're sharing that exact feeling that they had. And it's pretty special. Honestly, it's tough to put -- to put to words.

WIRE: One player out there had one Hellebuyck of a performance tonight. What do you make a Connor Hellebuyck's job in the goal.

THOMPSON: Yes. Honestly, he won us that game. The series he made tonight were beyond incredible, just a surge of energy through our bench when he makes those saves.

You know, obviously Canada is just filled with talent. And you know, when they're getting those chances and he's shutting the door like that, it just gives us a huge boost. And you know, I think gave us a huge confidence knowing we're just going to go out and finish the job.

WIRE: Yes. I know like, you know, growing up in the locker room, you know, there's nothing that unites people more than sports. You have all different personalities and people working towards a common goal.

When you heard those chants of U.S.A. what do you wish people out there knew about, you know, like what it takes to come together and work together?

THOMPSON: Yes. I mean, I think just the amount of pride that everyone in that room has is something I don't even know if that can be depicted, you know, even from watching the game. Just the group of guys we had on that team and, you know, the

character in that room, the selflessness, the willingness to, you know, put the team above themselves and sacrifice. Obviously, it's more than yourself. It's -- you're playing for your country, for the men and women that have fought and served for this country and died, you know, to give us this life that we get to live and, and you know, we want to make them proud.

And I think there's no egos. I think everyone checked them at the door and, you know, did whatever it was going to take to get the job done.

[01:49:47]

WIRE: Now, he's not an alpine skier. So why are you wearing these goggles? Tell the people why you have the goggles.

THOMPSON: Yes, the goggles. I mean, you win -- you win gold. I think there's going to be a big party, a big celebration, and you know, it's something we've been thinking about since we were kids, and now getting to live it, you know.

You're having fun and, you know, I got to wear the goggles for protection in the locker room. Champagne and beers flowing, so.

WIRE: The champagne stings.

THOMPS: Yes. It burns the eyes. So you got to -- you got to protect the eyes. But no, it's been -- it's awesome, man. Like, you can't even draw that up any cooler than what played out today. U.S. versus Canada, gold medal game in overtime. I think that's what every kid goes to bed at night dreaming about.

And obviously, you know, we came out on the right side tonight, so it's a -- it's a surreal feeling for sure.

WIRE: From a former Bill to a Saber. I say, let's go Buffalo.

THOMPSON: Go Buffalo.

WIRE: And congrats, Olympic champion.

THOMPSON: Thank you. That's all.

WIRE: I appreciate, man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Actor Robert De Niro and his business partners are celebrating the very quick expansion of their hotels across Europe. Nobu Hotel chain has new openings in Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, too.

CNN's Clare Sebastian reports on the new hotel restaurant opening in Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROBERT DE NIRO, CO-FOUNDER, NOBU: -- being in Rome again. And I love the (INAUDIBLE) picture forever. We're so happy to be here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you sir.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it feels more like a movie premiere than the grand opening of a hotel. You can see they've closed off a pretty big section of this street, one of the most iconic streets in Rome.

And it's all a way to build up the excitement to really bring the crowds as Nobu gets ready to try to break into a new market.

Since opening its first restaurant in New York in 1994, Nobu has built one of the most recognizable brands in the hospitality world.

When in Rome --

The brainchild of chef Nobu Matsuhisa, producer Meir Teper and Hollywood icon, Robert De Niro, the partnership has spanned more than three decades, a rarity in this cutthroat industry.

NOBU MATSUHISA, CHEF AND CO-OWNER, NOBU HOTEL: Location is important, but the partnership is very important. You know, we have already (INAUDIBLE) than three years I know him what he wants to do.

DE NIRO: I know what Matsuhisa (ph) wants, you know.

SEBASTIAN: Sort of like being on tour with your friends, right?

MATSUHISA: Sometimes we fight too.

DE NIRO: I'm lucky to be in a great situation with a great chef, great partner where all the team, everybody gets excited about going forward. And when it's right, that's what you're supposed to do.

MATSUHISA: Now I'm still a lucky person because still I can traveling. Still I can make the food. And you know, cooking is all my life. Maybe this job, maybe God gave it to me.

DE NIRO: He owes it all to me. I tell him you're putting too much of this ingredient in the black cod.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert De Niro.

SEBASTIAN: While it's common for hotel chains to open restaurants, Nobu is pioneering a new form of so-called upside-down hospitality, with 46 luxury Nobu Hotels either open or in construction, built on the back of the restaurant's reputation.

And to mark Nobu's opening, De Niro was presented with one of the city's highest honors, the Lupa Capitolina, and was granted a private audience with Pope Leo.

DE NIRO: It was great. It was. It was very special. And I'm happy that we -- and I had experienced this time here, along with everything that we're doing.

SEBASTIAN: Is Rome special for you? Does this feel more special?

DE NIRO: I'm connected to Italy in so many ways over the decades that I never thought we'd be opening a Nobu Hotel and Restaurant on the Via Veneto. When I was younger the Via Veneto was the glamor spot of Rome used in movies, and it was called at one point, Hollywood on the Tiber. That added to the glamor and the mystique, if you will, to Rome.

SEBASTIAN: Immortalized by Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" in 1960, Via Veneto has become a focal point in Rome's efforts to revitalize its hospitality scene and cultural district.

Now that you've done so many of them, I mean 30 years of restaurants -- 11, 12 years of hotels, do you feel like you have a gut sense when something will work?

MATSUHISA: I feel, yes. But always I tell to my young generation chefs, don't do easy way. Try do the best. These people make a mistake, but somebody help and somebody support. Means a lot of energy, of course, but energy is makes guests happy.

[01:54:46]

SEBASTIAN: Chef Nobu has been a pioneer of Japanese cuisine and signature dishes like his black cod are now replicated on menus around the world.

But as the brand continues to expand, the founders are eager to avoid compromising on quality.

Where do you see this -- this hotel chain, if I can call it that, in five years' time? How much expansion is too much expansion, right. At what point does it become so big it's less desirable for people?

DE NIRO: You're right. And we don't see that at this point. We look for it, I know I do, and if it feels like it's going in a place that maybe literally and figuratively, then maybe we'd say, well let's hold off on that one.

MEIR TEPER, CO-FOUNDER, NOBU: I don't think we are looking to expand just like other companies. We are -- we rather expand slowly, but the right way. We try to keep it as a family business, not to be too corporate. That's what also I think makes us successful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: All right. That's all I've got for you.

Thanks for joining me and the team.

I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after this quick break.

See you in a moment. [01:55:56]

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