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Nancy Guthrie's Son to Kidnapper: We Want to Talk to You; Authorities Release New Timeline of Guthrie's Disappearance; Shifting Explanation for Gabbard's Presence at FBI Raid. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired February 06, 2026 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: -- especially if you're in the market for a new canine companion. It's the Puppy Bowl, a record-breaking 150 dogs from shelters all over the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands will be competing in this year's game. The annual event promotes pet adoption. The tournament ends with a trophy for the most valuable puppy and the underdog. You can catch the Puppy Bowl Sunday on Animal Planet.

All right. That'll do it for us this week on Early Start. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. Stick with us, because CNN This Morning starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Today in the group chat, someone sent Tulsi Gabbard to Georgia to look for 2020 ballots. How come no one in the White House wants to take credit for it? Plus, the boss at a big- time law firm quits after his name turns up in the Epstein files. So, where's the rest of the reckoning in the business world? And Bad Bunny says he'll bring his culture to the Super Bowl halftime show. The big question, will he bring his politics? CNN This Morning starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMRON GUTHRIE, NANCY GUTHRIE'S SON: Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The family of Nancy Guthrie makes another direct appeal to their mother's kidnappers as the first deadline in an apparent ransom note passes.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish, and that's where we're going to begin, because authorities are working to determine at this point these several ransom notes distributed to media outlets are legitimate. The letter stated that Guthrie was OK but scared. It also set two deadlines. One was yesterday, the other for next Monday.

And it comes as police release a new timeline and new evidence. Blood found on Guthrie's porch, it turns out, was hers, and her front door camera detected motion around 2:00 a.m. on the night that she went missing. That camera is now missing as well. This morning, the sheriff does believe they will find the 84-year-old alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: People are always asking, do I believe she's alive? Absolutely. Absolutely. There's nothing to say she isn't. We're waiting for that one big break. I just hope it comes faster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now, Josh Schirard, former Galveston, Texas, police captain. Good morning. Thank you for being with us.

JOSH SCHIRARD, BYRNA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR, FORMER SWAP COMMANDER AND FORMER POLICE CAPTAIN, GALVESTON, TEXAS: Yes, good morning. Thanks for having me, Audie.

CORNISH: I want to start with the video we just showed everyone. That's from Camron Guthrie. It was posted hours after the first ransom deadline passed. And the thing that's interesting about it is him saying, we need a way to get in touch with you. Can you talk about what you're interpreting from his message?

SCHIRARD: So, what we know from law enforcement is that these ransom letters, especially the one that they seem to be giving the most credibility at this particular time, really didn't have any two-way communication methods. It made a demand, supposedly, a couple deadlines, but no other way to communicate those that may have authored it. And obviously, we're past one of those deadlines and working towards another now through the weekend. So, the family has obviously been making a couple pleas, and I'm sure will continue to do so to establish that communication.

Look, unfortunately, we've already had one arrest for fraudulent ransom. I'm sure there's other illegitimate ransom notes out there as well. That has to be priority right now is establishing the legitimacy of these ransom notes before they can really start to continue down that path of seeing if they do have Nancy and how to get her back. And part of that is establishing that communication with those that may have sent it. And this is the family really making that emotional plea to do just that.

CORNISH: Now, with your caution in mind about the legitimacy of these notes, I want to play for you something Harvey Levin from TMZ. TMZ, one of the outlets who received some kind of ransom note. Here's how he described what they got.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ FOUNDER, RECEIVED RANSOM NOTE: My sense is this is -- whoever sent this letter is based in the Tucson area. And I say that because of a reference made in the letter, a sentence in the letter. It feels to me reading it that this is Tucson based. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Is there helpful information from something like that or as you said, are there just too many of these notes to kind of make heads or tails of it?

SCHIRARD: You know, there could be. And you have to look at every single one with anything that you can get out of it. But this is a prime reason of why police are so reluctant to release any kind of details about a case.

[06:05:00]

One of these ransom notes, it references an Apple Watch and a particular floodlight on the house that's fairly identifiable. But if you really dig into it, both of these things could have been gleaned from just Google Street View and information that the police had already released concerning her pacemaker being connected to Apple devices.

So, that's why it's so critical about what information as law enforcement gets released into the public, because now you have a ransom note that seems fairly credible. It's got some good details in it. And you have to look back and say, well, were these details available to the public before this actual ransom note? So, that makes things even more challenging and difficult as we move forward, trying to parse through all this evidence, including these ransom notes, to determine the legitimacy so that we can really devote our efforts to that particular avenue of this investigation.

CORNISH: I want to play one more piece of tape for you. A, there's a new timeline out. So, you do have investigators saying, look, we know a little more about where Nancy Guthrie was at any given moment, what time she traveled home, 5:32 p.m., and then what happened overnight. That's where you would see that dotted line, right? This is the question mark. And then the disconnect of the doorbell at 1:47.

Can I focus on the doorbell for a second? This is what the sheriff had to say when people were asking about some of the challenges in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANOS: If you're in an urban environment, it's, you know, streets and sidewalks and houses next to each other, all the ring cameras and business cameras, nice. This isn't that. This isn't a very suburban rural area of the Tucson area in a very mountainous side of town where vegetation is extremely thick. It's dark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: I actually found this context helpful because the first thing I thought is like, there must be cameras everywhere, right? In this day and age, it feels like so many people have doorbell cameras or security cameras. What did you think hearing this? SCHIRARD: What it told me was that investigators have been able to acquire a lot of that video in that neighborhood. I'm sure that residents in that neighborhood were coming forward saying, hey, you can have my video, you know, please use it in this investigation. Obviously, they've been through, you know, at least some of it to know that unfortunately due to that vegetation or topographical geography that it wasn't useful. But that's just it.

You have to -- you're not really sure what could be useful until you start to really narrow down some of the details in this case. You know, somebody's video showing a street that may not show anything remarkable may hold the key once you learn that, well, it was this particular car that was leaving the scene that we also then see on this video camera.

So, it's really important to kind of hold those -- that evidence and that video surveillance. And then as we start to narrow down some of the other evidence in this case, go back and see what that will tell you in the future. So, hopefully we'll lend us a little bit more information in the future as we start to learn more of those details.

CORNISH: That's Josh Schirard. Thank you so much for your time. Coming up on CNN this morning, a defiant message. You've got two Democrats telling the Justice Department what they will not do about that illegal orders video. Plus, the Olympics are already underway with a big win so far for Team USA. And then we're going to ask who sent Tulsi Gabbard to Georgia to look for 2020 votes because the narrative from the White House is shifting. And I'm sure the group chat has thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You see, why is she doing it? Right, Pam? Why is she doing it? Because Pam wanted her to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What I'm telling you is that it is more than appropriate. In fact, it is Tulsi Gabbard's job to ensure that our elections are safe and secure, and that's exactly what she's been doing on the ground in Georgia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: That's the latest explanation from the White House about why Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was on the ground during an FBI raid of election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, for documents related to the 2020 election. Questions about Gabbard's presence started swirling when pictures of her near the scene emerged. The Trump administration itself also seems to be at odds over why the intel director, who has no domestic law enforcement function, was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She's working very hard on trying to keep the election safe, and she's done a very good job, and you're going to see some interesting things happening.

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: The fact that she was present in Atlanta that day, you know, is something that shouldn't surprise anybody.

I don't know why the director was there. She is not part of the grand jury investigation.

TRUMP: I'm not involved in it, but they are inspecting and checking the ballot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is Tulsi Gabbard there?

TRUMP: I don't know. Why is she doing it? Because Pam wanted her to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Gabbard's office is not shying away from explaining her presence. There is their new social media page showing Gabbard at the scene with the words, Americans deserve the truth.

[06:15:00]

They also issued this statement, quote, "There's no contradiction. As the president said, he asked for director Gabbard to be there. Attorney General Bondi also asked for her to be there. Two things can be true at the same time."

Joining me now in the group chat, Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst and national political correspondent at Axios, Elliot Williams, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Rob Bluey, president and executive editor at The Daily Signal and Jerusalem Demsas, founder and editor of The Argument.

First, I just want to lay out the stakes here. In her capacity, she is supposed to have authority over foreign interference, right? That's where you bring in the national security person. Do I have that right?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AND FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Largely. So, there's 18 organizations, the intelligence community and the director of national intelligence overseas, the coordination between all of them, that's the CIA, the NSA, the FBI's counterintelligence operations and so on.

Yes, if you squint really hard, you can find a way for Tulsi Gabbard to be there because there is a foreign interference element of national security that ties to elections.

CORNISH: In Georgia?

WILLIAMS: The problem is, number one, in Georgia. Number two, the president for years now has made clear that the issue he's not concerned about is foreign interference. It's the fact that he did not lose the 2024 election.

CORNISH: But is there -- one question I have that I want to bring it to the group. Is there a legal reason why they're not admitting to like who is involved, right? Are you able to -- could states later challenge it if they say, you know, it was reported that the president talked to the FBI guys on the ground, that Gabbard was there? Like are there some legal ramifications and is that why Democrats are raising challenges now?

WILLIAMS: I think there's embarrassing political ramifications. It's hard to see --

CORNISH: All right. Lawyer, you're out there. Yes.

WILLIAMS: No, but I'm serious though. It's hard to see -- they can put anyone there that they want, it's just embarrassing and a sign that it's questionable as to who's in charge when they're running search warrants, particularly when you have cabinet level officials looking over the shoulders of rank-and-file FBI officers when they're technically executing a criminal search warrant.

CORNISH: OK. Alex, tell me what the White House is trying to do. We know that it is raising questions with Democrats on the Hill who are concerned that this is laying the groundwork, telling the public over and over again, there's something there, there's something there ahead of the midterms.

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Well, let me give you some internal behind the scenes context, which is that Tulsi Gabbard had been sidelined in recent months. There were some really huge consequential decisions, most notably kidnapping the president of Venezuela, something that she had previously been publicly very opposed. She is seen as one of the most dovish members of the administration, one of the most, pull it back, don't get involved in any sort of regime change. And this is also in the context of considering strikes on Iran. She had been effectively sidelined in serious policy considerations.

And what you are seeing here is part of a larger, just honestly, culture in this administration in which in order to get on the president's good side, a lot of people will sort of peacock in front of the cameras, try to make an effort to -- especially in front of the cameras, you see this with Kristi Noem, you see it with Pam Bondi, to go in and show the president they are on top of the things that he cares the most about. And what is one of the things he cares the most about? The 2020 election.

CORNISH: All right. Let me bring it over to you guys. First of all, we want to remind people that the number of recounts in Georgia topped out at five, I think here, which did include a statewide hand audit, a voting machine review. Trump got his machine recount and never mind the fact that it's six years later. There have been many, many elections since. So, this, is this about then, or is this about 2026 and 2028? I don't know who wants to --

JERUSALEM DEMSAS, FOUNDER AND EDITOR, THE ARGUMENT: Yes. I mean, I think it's just interesting that he has not let 2020 go. Like he won the 2024 election. He won the popular vote there. It's not contested. And still this loss in 2020 still rankles him. I think this is a bigger part of Trump's psychology, which is like losing that election was incredibly psychologically devastating for him.

And this is something that he's just not going to move on from, which I think should be concerning because, in one sense, because of course you kind of want a president who can kind of move on from these kinds of defeats, but it's less concerning also because it indicates to me that maybe this won't mean meddling in the midterms. It's more about, let me -- I'm trying to prove that I actually did win in 2020.

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE DAILY SIGNAL: In 2020, Georgia was decided by less than 12,000 votes. In just December, we learned from Georgia State Election Commission that Fulton County officials admitted that 315,000 ballots did not go through the proper certification process where election officials failed to sign at the beginning or the end of the tape. So, we don't know how many of those might be in question.

So, I think that the president is right to raise concerns about this, when even Fulton County is acknowledging that things didn't go exactly according to plan.

CORNISH: What they did not acknowledge, though, is widespread problems that would change the fundamental count. Do you want to spend time talking about this for the next six months?

[06:20:00]

BLUEY: I think election integrity is critically important to talk about right now.

CORNISH: Well, like -- I'm being serious. Like the economy.

BLUEY: Yes.

CORNISH: Venezuela, Iran. Like do Republicans want to spend their time on this, as they're literally getting booed at events over ICE?

BLUEY: Yes, they should spend their time on this. The president came out yesterday, emphatically endorsed the SAVE America Act, which is sponsored by Senator Mike Lee and Chip Roy. That is a key priority for them right now. And I think that they will spend time on it, Audie, because we know we have a situation in this country where election integrity, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, depending on who wins or loses an election, you have doubts about the outcome.

WILLIAMS: OK. But then answer the question, why is the Director of National Intelligence the one overseeing the search warrant?

BLUEY: I don't have an answer for you.

WILLIAMS: Well, that's sort of the issue here. No one disputes that election integrity is important and that we should get fraud out of our elections. That still doesn't answer the question of why the head of the DNI is literally sniffing over the shoulders of FBI agents when they're trying to carry out a criminal search warrant, and it's just not good for anybody.

CORNISH: You guys stay with me. We've got a lot more to talk about today. Coming up after the break, high stakes talks now underway. Can the U.S. and Iran come to a nuclear agreement? Plus, will Team USA pay the price at this year's Olympics for President Trump's international pursuits? We're looking live at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the Super Bowl, where we're going to preview Bad Bunny's halftime show a little later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:25:00]

CORNISH: OK. Let the games begin. Today is the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Milan. Andrea Bocelli is expected to headline the ceremony tonight and will be joined by the Mariah Carey.

And the competition is already underway. Curling, figure skating, and ice hockey today. The U.S. women's ice hockey team is off to a great start with a five-to-one lead in Group A in the Olympic opener. Both teams, Hayley Scamurra netted two goals for Team USA. And this morning, Lindsey Vonn set to test that injured knee in her first Olympic training session since revealing that she ruptured her ACL.

So, we have CNN's Amanda Davies joining us now from Milan. I saw Lindsey Vonn showing us her workout on Instagram. What are you hearing?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, that workout yesterday was incredible. We were there, actually, for that Team USA hockey win. It was really, really impressive yesterday. But the challenges just keep on coming for Lindsey Vonn. It was only a week ago, you might remember, that 41-year-old Vonn suffered that crash in training at Crans-Montana. So, many people feared her Olympic comeback dream was over, even before it had begun, with that announcement that she'd ruptured her ACL.

But all the words from her and her camp have been so positive. That video she mentioned that she posted of her workout in the gym was just incredible to see. But have a listen to this. After yesterday's downhill training was canceled with the weather, this morning's has now also been put on hold. Only three athletes made it down before it was paused because of the weather conditions. So, we still haven't seen Lindsey Vonn on skis. I mean, you suspect if this was any other Olympics at any other venue, it might be a very, very different story.

But Cortina is the venue that Vonn has always said is one of her favorites. She's won more World Cup races than any other here. And she knows she's on the verge of history, aiming to reclaim gold 16 years after her last in Vancouver. And as she put it on social media earlier, she said, I know how lucky I am. I am not going to waste this chance.

Speaking of which, let's talk a little bit about the U.S. figure skating team. The program has got underway today. The ice dance elements of the team event taking place this morning with a very frightening prospect. People talking about this year's cohort being the most talented U.S. team in history looking to reclaim gold.

But whilst that's all going on, really exciting is the fact that right here just below us, the Olympic torch is about to pass our studio. It arrived in the center of Milan yesterday. They lit the cauldron by the Piazza Duomo last night. And it's now really very much making its final journey towards that iconic football venue that is the San Siro, where the opening ceremony gets underway at 8:00 local time. That's just under seven and a half hours from now.

I can hear a whole lot of noise over there behind the camera, but it's on foot, of course. So, it's taken quite a while to get to us here. But this is a really interesting opening ceremony. It's going to take part at the three venues, not only here in Milan, but in Livigno and in Cortina as well. And as you rightly said, music, culture, fashion and a theme of armonia, which means harmony, which is very relevant in this day and age. Very apt, I think, isn't it?

CORNISH: It is. Amanda Davies, thank you so much. Coat, sunglasses. Love it. Amazing. You're a full Italian style. I love it. Thank you.

The Winter Games, obviously, are where sports and international politics intersect. The U.S. faces Denmark's ice hockey team in the wake of President Trump's desire to take Greenland. So, is the U.S. going to get booed? Could that also happen this summer when the U.S. hosts the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, because some fans are already threatening to boycott over the immigration crackdown?

So, I was talking on my show, The Assignment, with New York Magazine --

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