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Signs of Progress But No Breakthrough in Nuclear Talks; Afghanistan and Pakistan Exchange Cross-Border Strikes; Clintons Called for Depositions to Conducted Publicly; Venezuela's Acting President Asks Trump To End Sanctions; Mexico's Message To FIFA And Tourists: The Country Is Safe; Officials: Nearly Blind Refugee Found Dead In New York. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 27, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Iran is claiming progress with the U.S. as both countries work to strike a nuclear deal, but the U.S. president is presented with potential military options. Afghanistan and Pakistan continue cross- border strikes following months of skirmishes as Pakistan's defense minister declares an open war. And the former U.S. secretary of state and wife of a former U.S. president answering questions about her family's past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber."

BRUNHUBER: We begin in Washington where a source tells CNN that U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on potential military operations in Iran over its nuclear program. The commander of U.S. Central Command met with the president on Thursday. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs was also in attendance. The U.S. and Iran are set to continue nuclear talks in Vienna next week. The two sides wrapped up discussions in Geneva on Thursday with signs of progress, but no major breakthrough. Here's how the Iranian foreign minister described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): During these several long and very intensive hours, we have made good progress and very seriously entered into the elements of a possible agreement, both in the nuclear field and in the area of sanctions. On some issues, we have now become very close to an understanding. On certain other issues, we still have differences of opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More U.S. military forces are en route to the region. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told "The Washington Post" on Thursday there is no chance the U.S. will become involved in a years-long war in the Middle East. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the latest on the nuclear talks in Geneva.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the things that we have to know about the talks that took place here is that they were a lot longer than the talks that we've seen, the first two rounds that we saw, between the United States side and the Iranians over the past couple of weeks. Those lasting, I would say, maybe two to three hours. This had two sessions that were three hours each. So, a lot longer. And it seems as though the two sides delved a lot more into details than a possible text than they did before.

But the Iranians already came to this meeting here with a proposal that they had formulated, something the United States asked them to do. The U.S. in the last meeting had said that there were certain red lines for them, and they wanted the Iranians to work out at least what a document could look like, and that seemed to be the basis of what was going on.

There are, of course, still a lot of things where the two sides still appear to be maybe not that far apart, but pretty far apart. The main thing, of course, is nuclear enrichment by the Iranians. There was an Iranian source with knowledge of the talks that told me the Iranians are continuing to insist on nuclear enrichment, saying that is a right that they have and not something that they're going to give up.

The U.S., of course, wants zero enrichment, but it's unclear whether or not the Trump administration would be willing to settle for something along the lines of very little uranium enrichment possible for medical purposes and maybe other smaller purposes as far as research is concerned.

And for the Iranian side, and this is something that an Iranian source told me as well, for them, sanctions relief is really something that's extremely important to sort out. They want major sanctions relief if they're going to make big concessions on their nuclear program. And they say that involves not only U.S. sanctions, but also United Nations Security Council sanctions as well. For the Iranian economy, obviously, that would be very important. It's being strangled.

And at the same time, of course, as you mentioned, that military buildup by the United States still going on in the Middle East. The Iranians saying that if they get attacked, they're going to hit back in a major way.

So, right now, the tension is still there. I think everybody who took part in these talks today and everybody who's observing these talks, certainly waiting to see what President Trump's next words are going to be, whether or not he also assesses that these talks went in a positive manner.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on the U.S. and Iran tensions, I want to bring in Maha Yahya. She's the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and joins me now from Beirut in Lebanon. Thanks so much for being here with us. Appreciate it as always. So, we just heard there, both sides calling this, so far, a productive session longer than the other two rounds. There's talk of another meeting next week. How is that actually -- does it actually feel like progress to you?

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, Kim. It's good to be with you. Look, it feels like a step in the right direction.

[02:05:01]

It's a baby step, but it's a step in the right direction. Everybody was gearing up for war breaking out over the weekend. The U.S. Embassy evacuated some of its non-essential staff and their families from Beirut. So, from where we're sitting, the tension has been really high. So, it is a step in the right direction.

My understanding is there's going to be even some technical talks in Vienna probably Monday between U.S. and Iranian teams, and then Geneva also towards the end of next week. So, we'll see. We'll see where this goes.

I'm not a betting person, but all the indications, so far, point more to a military confrontation than a negotiated settlement. And if there's going to be some sort of negotiated settlement, it will be something, I think, short term.

Both positions, both parties are starting from a position of deep mistrust. The bottom line of what the Americans are willing to accept doesn't anywhere meet what the Iranians are willing to offer. But there is room for maneuver. For example, the Iranians would like to see full sanctions relief, economic sanctions relief. They're offering the U.S. investments in its oil sector, but also in its critical mineral sector, which we know is quite important to President Trump. But the U.S. is saying, no, we're not ready to go down that road yet. We'll look at U.N. sanctions, for example.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, you say we're closer to military strikes than a deal. Is that because the biggest gap, so far, is on that critical issue in Richmond? Iran says it's a right. They won't give up. The U.S. is pushing for zeroes. So, you think there isn't basically much room to maneuver between those two positions?

YAHYA: I think there is room to maneuver. It depends on how willing -- yes, I can.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

YAHYA: I can hear you.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Go ahead.

YAHYA: I can hear you.

BRUNHUBER: Go ahead. I can hear you as well. YAHYA: So, no, there is room --

(LAUGHTER)

OK. No, there is room to maneuver, there is room for maneuver, a good room for maneuver. It depends how much each side is willing to give up. You have to start from the point that -- I think both sides want to avoid the war. For President Trump, he'd rather not get dragged into another conflict, I suspect. We're coming into midterm elections this year. He came on the promise of ending these wars. I mean, there are reports coming out of Washington of military readiness, etcetera. So, I think both parties would rather not get into a conflict.

But, however, they're both starting from a position of deep mistrust in each other. So, while the U.S. has overwhelming military power, the Iranians have a greater capacity to absorb losses. Winning for the U.S. is Iran's capitulation. Winning for Iran is survival of the regime. So, it's a very diametrically opposed position in terms of how they're viewing this conflict.

BRUNHUBER: You talked about President Trump not wanting to get dragged into another conflict. We heard earlier the U.S. vice president, said there's no chance the U.S. gets drawn into a years- long conflict in the Middle East. But, of course, nobody does that on purpose. It just happens. I mean, given how these situations can escalate, how much stock do you put in that comment?

YAHYA: I think he's sincere about not wanting to get dragged into a long conflict in the region. However, the kind of military buildup we've seen, military experts say we haven't seen anything like this since 2003 when the U.S. invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein. So, there was a regime change operation with U.S. troops on the ground.

You don't do this kind of military buildup and then walk away from it. The moment the conflict begins, we don't know how it will end. We genuinely don't know how it will end because it depends on how Iran responds, what will the Houthis do. They're already positioning themselves and getting ready to be involved in the conflict, including closing off attacks in the Red Sea, etcetera. So, the moment this begins, there's no way for us to figure out how it will end or predict how it will end.

And this will not be, the Iranians have learned their lesson from the 12-day war in 2024, this will not be another kind of orchestrated tit for tat and kind of ends there.

[02:10:02]

At least this is what they're saying. And because they feel this is regime survival that is at stake, they're likely to stick to that and say, fine, you're going to open war on us, we're going to destabilize the region as well and drag everyone down with us.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So much clear rewriting on next week's negotiations. Really appreciate your insights. Maha Yahya in Beirut, thank you so much. YAHYA: Thank you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the next round of peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. are expected to take place next month in Abu Dhabi. Now, it comes after Kyiv's delegation met with top U.S. official Thursday in Geneva to discuss a prosperity package for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Russian state media report that the U.S. also held talks with Moscow's special envoy in Geneva.

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(STRIKES)

BRUNHUBER: We're following a developing story in South Asia where forces from Afghanistan and Pakistan are trading cross-border attacks. A video from Afghan forces released Thursday show military vehicles on the move with the sound of heavy gunfire in the background. A fragile ceasefire has been in place between the neighboring countries since October until last weekend.

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BRUNHUBER: Let me bring in CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson, who reports from Hong Kong. I mean, a surprising conflict in some ways. So, take us through where things stand and whether this has the potential to escalate even further.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, the relations just keep deteriorating between these two neighbors. What you had Thursday night was the Taliban government in Afghanistan announcing a series of cross-border raids into Pakistan along the Durand line. That's that 1,600-mile, around 2,600-kilometer-long mountainous border between the two countries. And then Friday morning, the Pakistani government responded with what appeared to have been airstrikes, hitting Kandahar, Paktia Province, and the Afghan capital Kabul as well. Both sides claim to have killed scores of soldiers on both sides of this conflict. And, also, there were unconfirmed reports of civilians who have been wounded as well.

This is not the first round of violence between these two neighbors. There have been other -- there were airstrikes that Pakistan carried out last Sunday. Pakistan has long accused the Taliban government in Afghanistan of supporting insurgents inside Pakistan, the so-called Pakistani Taliban or TTP.

All of these is a remarkable reversal, Kim, because for decades, you had critics that accused the Pakistani government of actually supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan when it was fighting the previous government in Kabul, that US-backed government. And I asked Pakistan's defense minister back in November, you know, what happened? Take a listen to what he had to say.

Oh, I'm afraid we don't have the excerpt of my interview with the Pakistani defense minister, Kim. But basically, he confirmed that senior Afghan Taliban officials still own properties in Pakistan. They still have families and relatives in Pakistan. And then I followed up to say, is this blowback? You had close, intimate ties with the Afghan Taliban leadership that you're currently battling with? And the response was, yes, this is the definition of blowback.

So, you've had alliances frayed and reversed in the region and real concerns that this could escalate further with the insurgency inside Pakistan, claiming more and more lives with every passing year, and now direct attacks back and forth across the border between the Pakistani military and the military in Afghanistan. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We'll be watching to see where things go from here. Ivan Watson live in Hong Kong, thanks so much. U.S. officials tell CNN that a U.S. citizen was among four people killed Wednesday when Cuban forces fired on a speedboat in Cuba's territorial waters. U.S. officials said a second U.S. citizen was wounded and is now receiving medical treatment in Cuba. Havana insists the boat's passengers were trying to -- quote -- "infiltrate the island." The country's deputy foreign relations minister blames the U.S. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOS FERNANDEZ DE COSSIO, CUBAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS (through translator): This is not an isolated action.

[02:15:00]

Cuba has been victim of oppression and countless terrorist acts for more than 60 years. Mostly, these have been organized, funded, and carried out from the territory of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Still so many questions surrounding Wednesday's incident off the coast of Cuba. What the government in Havana is saying is that an armed group, 10 people in total, tried to -- quote -- "infiltrate" the island nation with a speedboat here.

POZZEBON (voice-over): This area is called Falcones Cay and it's just over 100 miles from the coast of Florida. Cuban authorities say when they approached the U.S.-registered speedboat, one of the passengers fired at them, and Cuban forces retaliated.

Four of the speedboat passengers were killed and the remaining six were wounded. Cuba says they are currently in custody and receiving treatment. An investigation is ongoing. But the country's interior ministry has been quick to brand the group as terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): According to preliminary statements from those detained, they intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Cuba says it arrested an 11th man. They said he flew in from the U.S. to -- quote -- "guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration." Now, Washington says whatever this was, it was not a U.S. operation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also seemingly skeptical of Havana's version of events.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: It's not something that happens every day. It's something, frankly, that hasn't happened with Cuba in a very long time. But we're going to find out. We're not going to base our conclusions on what they've told us. And I'm very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON (voice-over): The shootout happens as the U.S. is ramping up pressure on Cuba, the island nation facing severe shortages of basic food items but also fuel. And that's because Washington has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the country since it captured Venezuelan leader and Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro in January. The U.S. stricter stance, part of a more ambitious goal for the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: Cuba's status quo is unacceptable. Cuba needs to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: As Cuba and the U.S. both carry out their investigations, more details of this incident should be made public soon with tensions seemingly destined to rise even further.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Hillary Clinton under oath. She faces off against House Republicans, and she's asking why they're questioning her about Jeffrey Epstein and not Donald Trump. We have details on her testimony coming up. Stay with us.

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[02:20:00]

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BRUNHUBER: The Green Party in the United Kingdom has made history. Voters have chosen its candidate, Hannah Spencer, to fill a vacant parliamentary seat. It's the first time the Greens have won a one-off election for seat in parliament in the north of England. The win is an embarrassing defeat for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party. Their candidate came in third place even though it was considered one of Labour Party's safest seats. Labour has dominated the Greater Manchester area for almost a century.

Now to Republicans pressing the Clintons for answers about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Former President Bill Clinton will testify before House Committee in the day ahead. Hillary Clinton was deposed on Thursday behind closed doors. Both she and her husband demanded a public hearing, but the Republican-led House Oversight Committee refused. The former secretary of state denied any prior knowledge of Epstein and his crimes, and appeared exasperated with the proceedings. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I thought it was very repetitive. I thought that -- they asked literally the same questions over and over again, which didn't seem to me to be very productive. I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices. So, it's on the record numerous times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Other Democrats accuse the committee of staging a clown show, and they say more Republicans and conservatives named in the Epstein files deserve a turn on the hot seat. CNN's MJ Lee picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came out of an almost seven-hour deposition behind closed doors with members of the House Oversight Committee here in Chappaqua, New York. And she essentially said what she has been saying for a while, that she told these lawmakers that she didn't know Jeffrey Epstein, didn't have any information to share about his criminal activities.

But, of course, the story tomorrow as it concerns her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is going to be very different because he is somebody that did have a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and his name and his photos are all throughout the Epstein files that have been released by the Justice Department.

And one question that I asked the former secretary of state when she came out to speak to reporters afterwards was whether she is 100 percent confident that Bill Clinton didn't know anything about Epstein's crimes. This is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I am. And I think the chronology of the connection that he had with Epstein ended years, several years before anything about Epstein's criminal activities came to light, and that he was charged and sadly given a sweetheart deal which, as I said in my statement, had that not happened, perhaps, his predatory behavior could have been stopped earlier.

[02:25:03]

But I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of people who had contact with him before his criminal plea in '08 were like most people. They did not know what he was doing. And I think that is exactly what my husband will testify to tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Hillary Clinton also said that she found the questions during Thursday's deposition quite repetitive. She also said there were some unusual moments confirming CNN's earlier reporting that at times, Republican lawmakers were asking her about UFOs and also the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.

We also reported that one Republican lawmaker, Nancy Mace, had asked Hillary Clinton how she felt about young women massaging Bill Clinton, the former president. And I'm told that she responded by saying she's not here to speculate about things she's not aware of and that she's also not here to talk about her feelings.

MJ Lee, CNN, Chappaqua, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, Epstein files have claimed another casualty, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum who interviewed President Trump just last month. Borge Brende announced he's stepping down following an independent investigation into his ties to Epstein. Emails indicate the former Norwegian foreign minister dined with Epstein several times years after his crimes were exposed. Brende also visited Epstein at his home in New York just weeks before his arrest on federal child sex trafficking charges. Brende said he regrets not conducting a more thorough investigation into Epstein's past.

A major news for this network, CNN, and our parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery. Paramount Skydance is now in position to acquire WBD after rival suitor Netflix refused to match its latest offer. Paramount is willing to pay $31 a share for all of WBD's assets, whereas Netflix wanted only the Warner Brothers movie studios and HBO. President Trump said in December that it was imperative CNN be sold. The regulatory review process will still take several months at a minimum, and California's attorney general is vowing a vigorous challenge.

Mexico is cleaning up after a weekend of drug cartel violence. Just ahead, what tourists and locals are saying about safety in their country. Stay with us.

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[02:31:57]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM. Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, is calling for the U.S.

to end sanctions and an oil blockade on her country. While speaking at a youth event on Thursday, she appealed directly to President Trump, calling him her friend and asking for his help.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELCY RODRIGUEZ, ACTING VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: President Trump as a friend and partner, now we're opening a new agenda of cooperation with the United States, end the sanctions and end the blockade against our homeland, because the blockade is also against the youths of Venezuela and the youths of Venezuela as a whole are calling for an end to the sanctions and an end to the blockade against Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: This comes as Venezuela has reformed its laws to allow U.S. companies to operate in its oil sector. President Trump had previously declared an oil blockade on the Latin American country resulting in the seizure of oil tankers.

An attorney for Nicolas Maduro is asking a U.S. judge to throw out the narco-terrorism charge against the ousted Venezuelan president.

Barry Pollack says the U.S. Treasury granted then revoked, a license that would allow the Venezuelan government to pay him for his services. Pollack says if the indictment isn't dismissed, he wants to withdraw from the case. The lawyer says Maduro will be unable to be represented by any private attorney if he can't pay and that compelling the deposed leader to use a U.S. lawyer would make any verdict against him constitutionally suspect.

Mexico's president has reaffirmed that the country is safe and will be secure for the upcoming World Cup.

Now this comes after violence erupted last weekend near a tourist hotspot following the capture and death of drug cartel leader El Mencho. But some tourists aren't convinced the region is safe, as CNN's David Culver reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is not what most of us would think of when we think of Puerto Vallarta, normally, a tourist hotspot.

We're with the marines as they have recently arrived into the city so as to assure not only locals but also tourists that things are stable, calm, secure.

Those are the marines as well, patrolling from above. Clearly, they have a very visible presence on the ground, in the air, and even at sea. CULVER (voice-over): These reinforcements did not arrive soon enough

for tourists eager to get out immediately following the cartel violence, even if for some, it meant sleeping in the airport for days.

CULVER: And now, are you trying to get on a flight?

MARIA SANCHEZ, AMERICAN TOURIST: Yes.

OSCAR GONZALEZ, AMERICAN TOURIST: We fly out tonight.

CULVER: You fly out tonight, back to California?

SANCHEZ: Right.

CULVER (voice-over): And those with plans to travel in now reconsidering.

TATIANA GOMEZ, CANCELLED MEXICO TRAVEL PLANS: After everything that happened, I'm canceling my t rip to Mexico. I just don't think it's safe right now.

CULVER (voice-over): Perception is everything. Hence the efforts to scrub clean the aftermath.

CULVER: Have you ever seen this here?

LIZ MACIAS, RESIDENT OF PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Here in Puerto Vallarta? No.

CULVER: I'm looking around. And you have these burnt out trucks. But then you have the gas station open, the Costco's open. People, families --

[02:35:00]

MACIAS: We're Mexicans. We're resilient.

CULVER: How important is tourism?

MACIAS: Very much, very, very much important. This is Puerto Vallarta. We feel -- we make the tourists welcome like you are at home. You are at home.

CULVER: And even seeing this, does it change your impression of this place and being here right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It never seemed like they were after people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, it just always seemed like it was an inner battle of the cartel and that they weren't after Americans or citizens. But --

CULVER: You still feel that way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do, definitely.

ANNIE GARCIA, RESIDENT OF PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: From my rooftop, I could see that the fires were strategically making a circle around the city, that caused a lot of panic within myself because we were being boxed in.

CULVER (voice-over): Annie Garcia's drone helped her track the threats.

CULVER: When you get people asking you, should we travel in? We've got trips planned.

GARCIA: I'm not here to tell anyone if it's safe or not to come. My goal was just to show people what the current state is so they can make informed decisions on whether they want to come or not.

CULVER (voice-over): The reality is, for decades cartels have influenced many aspects of this region. Much of this state under the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which also has a significant presence within tourist favorites like Cancun and Tulum, Cabo San Lucas, another coastal getaway under the Sinaloa cartel, whose factions call the shots there, along with most of the U.S. southern border, including cities like Tijuana, even the capital Mexico City, infiltrated by a host of other criminal groups, but rarely are tourists impacted.

MICHELLE FRIDMAN, TOURISM SECRETARY OF JALISCO: I think right now, Jalisco is even safer than it was before Sunday. Of course, something happened, that's undeniable. But many things were took out of context.

CULVER: To your point. The amount of misinformation that spreads and how people cling to that.

FRIDMAN: I mean, I saw images of shootings in the airport that never happened. Images of planes burning in fire that never happened. So, of course, it's important to understand what really happened.

CULVER (voice-over): And what's really going to happen. Jalisco's governor stressing that dozens of Mexican media that any suggestion the upcoming World Cup may be moved out of Guadalajara --

(GOV. PABLO LEMUS NAVARRO SPEAKING SPANISH)

CULVER (voice-over): -- is also not true

GOV. PABLO LEMUS NAVARRO, JALISCO, MEXICO: It's safe to visit Jalisco now.

CULVER: You feel --

NAVARRO: You can trust in that. Yeah, you can trust in that.

CULVER (voice-over): David Culver, CNN, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: Columbia University student detained by federal immigration agents has been released from custody. Ellie Aghayeva posted that she was freed after the university said agents used false pretenses to enter a campus building in New York City. She's from Azerbaijan and was arrested Thursday after DHS claimed her student visa was terminated in 2016 the university's acting president said agents entered her apartment by saying they were police searching for a missing child. DHS denies agents misrepresented themselves.

People gathered in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday to honor a refugee who was found dead after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop alone. Nurul Amin Shah Alam was nearly blind and spoke little English. Authorities are now investigating his death and what led up to it.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The death of a nearly blind refugee in buffalo, New York, after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a location, has prompted calls for an investigation into his final days and also drawn intense scrutiny from local officials. Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old refugee from Myanmar, had been missing since February 19th. His body was found five days later.

Now leading up to that, he had spent much of the previous year in custody awaiting trial on criminal charges that were ultimately resolved with a misdemeanor plea. Now according to his family this had stemmed from a misunderstanding with police. In February of 2025, in that incident, Shah Alam had been out for a walk and was using a curtain rod as a walking stick when he got lost and wandered into private property and there had an encounter with police officers.

Now, Shah Alam, also, according to the family, speaks very little English, but he was released from jail last week after his bond was posted. It's unclear who posted that bond.

However, U.S. Border Patrol had lodged an immigration detainer against him and had taken him into custody until they determined that he was a refugee who arrived in December of 2024 and he was not eligible for removal.

Now, in a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson described the events that happened thereafter saying Border Patrol agents offered Mr. Alam a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station. They go on to say he showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance.

Now I am also told by sources that Border Patrol agents were able to discern where he wanted to go or asked to go by using a translator program, and that he was offered an opportunity to make a phone call and declined to do so.

[02:40:15]

Now part of the concern here is what happened after he was dropped off and in those five days that he was missing until his body was found. Now, the Erie County medical examiner said they conducted an autopsy and it was determined to be health related. His death, and they ruled out exposure and homicide.

But his family is also saying that they were never notified that he had been dropped off at that location. The question as well, is whether there had been any notification from the county jail that he had been transferred into federal custody all of these issues are being raised as part of these calls for an investigation into what exactly happened between the period that he was discharged from the county jail, was in federal custody and then missing before he was found.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Grasslands support over 1 billion grazing animals across the globe. And those animals are under threat due to climate change. Just ahead, what that could mean to food security.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:02]

BRUNHUBER: Well, have a look here at -- looks more like spring than winter in Paris, thanks to a sudden spike in temperatures. This comes after France grappled with nearly 40 consecutive days of rain, leading to severe flooding in parts of the country. Parisians are taking advantage of the pleasant weather some picnicking parks and on the banks of the River Seine on Wednesday, one man was excited to sit in an outdoor cafe during this time of year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GULLAUME ROUARD, STUDENT: I'm a bit blinded by the sun, but it's great. It makes you want to go out, but then it's very hot quite early in the year, so it's a bit worrying, but let's just say the sun is making me worry less. So all's well.

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BRUNHUBER: The world's grasslands could shrink by half as climate change becomes more intense. A new study from a research institute finds the decline could threaten global food systems. Grasslands support over 1 billion grazing animals, researchers say low income nations would be hardest hit particularly in Africa, they warned, by the end of the century, grasslands that currently support 1.5 billion cows, sheep and goats around the world could shrink by anywhere between 36 and 50 percent. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research says countries already experiencing hunger, economic and political instability are vulnerable.

Joining us now from Barcelona. For more on this is the study's lead author, Chaohui Li.

Thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it.

I want to start with the big picture here. So, what is it? What is it exactly about climate change that actually makes grasslands stop being viable for grazing?

CHAOHUI LI, POTSDAM INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE IMPACT RESEARCH: Thanks, Kim. I'm very happy to be here.

Well, what we should know about grassland based extensive grazing systems is that they are heavily reliant on the physical environment, the climate around them. So unlike humans living in air-conditioned buildings, these systems are fully exposed to the climate and a slight change in the climate can impact them in ways that those living indoors can't really perceive.

And we've identified a safe climatic space for grazing, which is essentially a stable window of climate factors where these systems have thrived in the past, kind of like a niche concept. And the impact mechanism is quite simple, really. So, when the climate shifts, it physically squeezes that space and so from the study were seeing a substantial contraction in the future where the environmental conditions have supported these systems in the past are now changing.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So, things get drier. And obviously there are things like fires that are more common and all that eats into the grazing areas. I mean, how quickly is this mechanism happening?

LI: Thanks. Well, it is slowly happening, but it may not be immediately noticeable. But in the long term, we're seeing a very substantial contraction, up to 50 percent of the system may lose viability by 2100.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, when we talk about the areas most affected, I mean, Africa seems to be at the center of this many regions on the continent are already sort of right at the edge of what's tolerable for livestock now. So, what does that look like on the ground for the people who live there.

LI: Yes, exactly. So, as you said, a lot of the regions in Africa are already sitting on the edge of their climatic threshold.

So a slight warm increase in temperature may tilt the system and that could mean that traditional strategies that were used that pastoralists have traditionally used, like transhumance and species replacement may not be effective anymore because the rise of the temperature will be, meaning that there's going to be no place to migrate to or to move to, and that that the species replacement by using goats, which are more heat resilient than cattle, may mean that rising temperature will also push thresholds beyond the climate resilience of the more heat resilient species.

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BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Okay so obviously for the folks impacted -- I mean, we're talking food insecurity and so on. Why should someone who doesn't necessarily live anywhere near a grassland actually care about this issue?

LI: That's a great question. Well, we have to know that grazing systems are not just environmental stuff. They're vital intersections between the environment, the climate and the socioeconomic so a lot of the people that are living there are already experiencing low income and high levels of hunger and social and even political instability and gender inequality.

So, this means that a slight change may result in compounding impact with wider socioeconomic consequences on the society.

BRUNHUBER: Okay. So it exacerbates all the problems that are already going on. Let's talk about solutions. I mean your team came up with this idea of a safe climactic space for grazing. Explain what all this means in plain terms. And if you want to, you know, to tell policymakers one thing from this study, explain what that might be.

LI: Thanks. Well, we see the changes are happening at a scale where incremental fixes aren't just going to be enough at a local level. What we need is robust social protection frameworks and climate informed transitions that help these communities build new forms of resilience. And we need strategic international planning and co- governance in face of these challenges that's confronting the mankind. Thanks.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. No easy solutions, I guess.

Chaohui Li, thank you so much for being here with us. Appreciate it.

LI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be right back with more here on CNN NEWSROOM.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, have a look at this more than 140 French baguettes were submitted for judging at this year's Grand Prix de la Baguette in Paris. One judge says the trademark French bread is what visitors will remember the most so it's important to perfect it. Listen, this to this.

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PASCAL BARILLON, VP, BAKERS' UNION OF GREATER PARIS: It is a moment. We cut, we slice. We are going to make a tartine for lunch or breakfast or dinner. It doesn't matter what. And then always a good baguette that is nice and crispy, that has a good smell, that has a good crumb. [02:55:01]

You put butter, jam, chocolate cheese, you put whatever you want, and then you have a pleasant moment.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, the recipe is so legendary. The best kind of baguette is called a tradition, but the judges say every competitor has their own touch that makes them different. The loaves were judged on appearance quality, smell, taste, and crumb structure.

A baguette from the (INAUDIBLE) bakery took home $7,400 prize. The winning boulangerie also become this year's baguette supplier to the Elysee Palace, in the table of the French president.

Well, in Argentina, a small discovery about a mighty species, researchers have uncovered a fossil of one of the worlds tiniest known dinosaurs, the pint sized reptile, nicknamed "Alna", is about the size of a crow and weighed a pound and a half. Her body was likely covered by a sand dune when she died, which is why she's so well-preserved. Researchers believe Alna probably hunted lizards, snakes, mammals, and invertebrates.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

The U.S. and Iran are set to have more nuclear talks next week, even as a source tells us that President Trump has been briefed on possible military options.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are trading cross-border attacks putting a fragile ceasefire in danger of collapse.

And former U.S. secretary of state --