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CNN This Morning
Trump Condemns, Won't Apologize For Video Depicting Obamas As Apes; FBI Investigating "New Message" In Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance; War Department Cuts Ties With Harvard University; Arctic Blast Brings Life Threatening Cold To Northeast; Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Open With Dazzling Ceremony; Iran Rules Out U.S. Demand To End Uranium Enrichment; GOP, Democrats Expect DHS Shutdown After Talks Fizzle. Democrats Demand No Masks for ICE Agents; Trump Wants Rebrand of Dulles Airport and Penn Station; Judge Orders Release of Body-Cam Video, Text Messages in Marimar Martinez Case. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired February 07, 2026 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:00:28]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Saturday, February 7th. Welcome to Saturday. It's CNN This Morning Weekend and I'm Victor Blackwell. Here's what you need to know this morning.
Gone but not forgotten. President Trump deleted that racist video depicting the Obamas as apes, but will not apologize for posting it. What he said to reporters about that video overnight.
There are new details this morning in the search for Nancy Guthrie, what we know about a new note sent to the media and what investigators are focused on today.
Also breaking overnight, Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles, dozens of them, at Ukraine. The response just in from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That's coming up.
And what's in a name? Apparently everything if you're President Trump. We take a look at his effort to put his name on everything. Buildings, coins, train stations.
And the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics kicked off last night in Italy. We will take you to the first day of competition coming up.
We're beginning this morning, though, with President Trump refusing to apologize for a racist video that appeared on his social media. It depicted former President Barack Obama and the former first Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Now, this video sent the White House into damage control mode for most of the day. Friday sparked bipartisan outrage. Republican Representative Mike Lawler posted on X urging President Trump to delete it along with Senators Pete Ricketts and Roger Wicker. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted the post and the president on Instagram.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): This disgusting video posted by the so called president was done intentionally. Fuck Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on the White House's response.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (voice-over): This video sent the White House into damage control mode for most of the day on Friday after it appeared on the president's feed around midnight. Initially, the White House tried to downplay it, the press secretary calling it fake outrage before the video was taken down and the White House blamed a staffer.
Now, late Friday, the president offered more of an explanation of how all of this happened. He said that he had viewed only the beginning of the video, which included debunked claims about voter fraud and voting machines, before the racist image of the Obamas suddenly appeared at the very end.
The president said he had passed along the video to a staffer who also did not watch the video to the end and then posted it online. The president said, quote, somebody slipped and missed a very small part.
But the president again declining to apologize, even though a number of Republicans had been calling on him to do so. You know, the president had created something of an uproar, including from members of his own party. The senator, Tim Scott, who is the only black Republican in the Senate, said it was the most racist thing he had ever seen come out of the White House.
The president said, quote, I looked at the beginning of it was fine. He said it was a strong post in terms of voter fraud. And he said, quote, nobody knew that was in the end, if they would have looked, they would have seen it and probably they would have had the sense to take it down.
The president claimed that they took the video down, quote, as soon as we found out about it, although it had remained on his page for nearly 12 hours. Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Well, there are new developments this morning in the search for Nancy Guthrie. FBI officials are investigating a new message sent to CNN affiliate KOLD. The outlet says the note does not appear to be ransom, but it contains sensitive information and no deadline. Hours after the note surfaced, drone footage captured FBI agents and
local deputies swarming Guthrie's Tucson area home. President Trump also suggested to reporters on Friday evening that the FBI has some very strong clues and that answers in Guthrie's disappearance could come soon. CNN senior U.S. national correspondent Ed Lavendera has more.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For nearly a week, the desert neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home has felt frozen in sorrow.
[06:05:05]
LAURA GARGANO, NANCY GUTHRIE'S NEIGHBOR: See that there? That's called a pack rat nest.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Laura Gargano has lived around the corner from Guthrie for 11 years. She's tried to help investigators searching her home security cameras, hoping to find the clue that could identify the culprit who abducted her 84-year-old neighbor. But she says it doesn't feel like enough.
LAVANDERA: There's also like a helpless feeling, right? Like there's not much you can do. Or do you feel that?
GARGANO: Yes, I think that there are some people who feel that way for sure. I definitely feel that way. I wish there was something more I can do. And it almost feels like time is standing still right now, that it almost feels inappropriate to go on and continue with our lives.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Investigators keep scouring the neighborhood, returning day after day, looking for any evidence that will bring them closer to bringing Nancy home.
LAVANDERA: There are no videos or photographs that you guys have been able to release. Does that mean you're not getting anything that is of true value?
SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: We're still in the process, right? But so far we've gotten some things back, but there's nothing that's -- that you would say, aha, this is it. So we're just working. It's us. I, you know, these things are done in an hour on, you know, law and order. But this is real world and it just takes some time.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): This is not a television show. And it's time that. Stretching longer as each day goes by with no word of Nancy's whereabouts. For neighbors like Shirley Harvey, it's hard to make sense of a tragedy that hits so close to home.
LAVANDERA: What has this week been like for those of you who live around Nancy Guthrie?
SHRILEY HARVEY, NANCY GUTHRIE'S NEIGHBOR: But there's still no news. So I think the general consensus is people are in shock because we still don't know where she is.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): She says they're haunted by what's happened to their neighbor. Taken from her home in the middle of the night while those around her slept.
HARVEY: And I can't even imagine how she would cope with something like that. What she would even do and how it would affect her if, you know, if that happened to her in the middle of the night. It's just a very unnerving thing to happen to somebody, especially an elderly woman.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Another day passes investigators keep returning to the rolling hills in this neighborhood, searching for a clue that might be hiding in the desert brush. While everyone desperately waits for this dreadful moment to end.
LAVANDERA: This search that started Friday night here in Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood started right after news of the second message from the alleged ransom author emerged and was reported by CNN affiliate KOLD. We do not know if the search here or the return of law enforcement activity is connected in any way to that letter. And we don't know what investigators have found here.
But we do know that they were put down evidence markers in various areas and that they were on top roof belonging to Nancy Guthrie's home. So the wait here continues after the sixth day of the search for Nancy Guthrie. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: And as the FBI scrutinizes this latest message, the Guthrie family is holding firm to one demand, proof of life. CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey describes just how vital proof of life is when it comes to cases like this one.
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CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's difficult to determine just how sophisticated they are because there's one bottom line thing with any kidnapping case, before any ransom is paid, you have to show proof of life. So you can send all the letters you want to send.
But until the family sees that person is alive and they can actually get them back once they, you know, pay the ransom, they're not going to get too far with this. And if she's not alive, then the only thing they'll gain is not money. They'll gain a first degree murder charge is what they'll wind up gaining.
So they're in a position as well where they have to make a decision. They've got to show proof of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Let's check other headlines for you this morning. A judge in New York has ruled that Luigi Mangione will face trial on state charges in June, and that's three months before his federal trial. Mangione's defense attorneys say that they cannot be ready by June because they still don't know whether evidence from his backpack will be allowed.
But prosecutors say the state must go first. And they warn that if the federal case must moves ahead, double jeopardy rules could jeopardize the state charges. Mangione spoke out in court yesterday against the back to back trials. He told the judge that it's double jeopardy and he faced his life in prison for the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Police say the person found in a pond north of Atlanta is believed to be Nathan Smith, the son of rapper Lil Jon. Smith, known as DJ Young Slade left his home in Milton early Tuesday under what police called unusual circumstances. He ran out without a phone and family feared that he was not thinking clearly.
The search teams found a body yesterday in a nearby pond, and police say official confirmation of the identity will come from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office.
[06:10:08]
The Pentagon will end its relationship with Harvard this fall. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims that the school's culture no longer aligns with the military's mission. The move stops all graduate level programs, fellowships and certificates for service members. Current students can finish their courses. The policy takes effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
Harvard pointed to its long history with the military but did not comment further. Hegseth says that other Ivy League partnerships are now under review.
Right now, more than 90 million people from Virginia to New York are waking up to the coldest air of the season. Extreme cold alerts stretch across the entire region. We're also talking about D.C. and Philadelphia.
New York City is bracing for the bitter cold temperatures. Homeless outreach teams were out yesterday trying to get the unhoused into shelters. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here.
To call this the coldest air of the season. That's saying something considering what we've seen over the last couple of weekends.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I do think that's very important because you're right. I think people think like, oh, it's already been very cold. Yes, but this is even colder than some of these areas have already seen. That also means this system that's moving in is bringing snow showers to some of these areas.
So we take a look at what you've got here. Again, you can see quite a bit of snow across portions of the Northeast. This include areas of Boston, Hartford, Providence. All of these areas, by the way, would normally have high temperatures up in the upper 30s. New York normally averages around right around 40 degrees, which means normally this would be rain, but it's actually snow because of all of that extremely cold air that's in place. So yes, you can see all of the alerts right through here indicating those temperatures well below average.
This is the current temperature, 25 in New York, 26 in Boston. It is negative one in Buffalo. That's not the feels like temperature. That is the actual air temperature. But we do also have very windy conditions too. Here's a look. Every single one of these dots you see on the map has the potential for a record today.
Now the ones out to the west are for record warm temperatures this afternoon. The ones in the east, those are your afternoon highs that are expected to meet record low temperatures as we head into the rest of the day.
But notice the rest of the week, a lot more orange starting to fill up on that map so we are finally going to get some warmer temperatures out there for a lot of areas in the coming days. It's just going to take some time.
Now we also noticed to the wind that's going to play a big impact this weekend in terms of those temperatures because some of these wind gusts, you're not just talking to 10 or 15 miles per hour. You're talking 40, 50, 60-mile per hour gusts, which not only can trigger some damage, it's taking those already very cold temperatures and bringing the wind chills down.
Look at this forecast. Wind chills tomorrow morning, negative 13 in New York. Same thing for Boston, minus 24 is what it is going to feel like tomorrow morning in Buffalo. Monday, not much better, although some of the numbers do improve slightly.
But again, still all of these negative numbers you see not just in the Northeast, but around the Great Lakes into the Midwest, the Ohio Valley again because those very gusty winds are there air, but also those air temperatures are incredibly, incredibly cold, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Good news though, I hear there's a warm up on the other side of it. It is.
CHINCHAR: We just got to get to next week.
BLACKWELL: Always got to have something to look forward to. All right, Allison, thank you.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are now underway in Milan. The opening ceremony delivered a star packed start to the Winter Games with performances from Andrea Bocelli and Mariah Carey. Team USA's flag bearers were bobsledder Frank Del Duca, speed skater Aaron Jackson. El Duca becomes the first bobsled athlete in 70 years to lead the American delegation at an opening ceremony.
He'll compete in both the two-man and the four-man events starting February 16th. Jackson, who made history in 2022 as the first black woman to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Olympics, is now the eighth U.S. speed skater to carry the flag on opening night. This year's U.S. roster includes 232 athletes. This is the largest Winter Olympic team the U.S. has ever sent.
And all eyes are on three time U.S. Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn. She's getting ready for her fifth games this weekend and we've just learned that she crushed through her second training run this morning. She also crushed her first downhill training run yesterday, although she tore her ACL about a week ago and she said, listen, this is it, 50 percent, 80 percent, it's 100 percent gone.
Vonn took on a 2,000 foot drop, handled the turns, jumps and crossed the finish looking strong. Her final training run was set for 5:30 Eastern and we're watching to see whether she was able to make that run Metal Race is tomorrow.
Coming up later this hour, we'll take you to Milan. Our Christine Brennan is there with a look at some of the big moments and key storylines coming out of the Games.
New this morning, Ukraine's president reacts to Russian attacks overnight.
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Plus, what we've learned about talks to negotiate an end to the Russia Ukraine war. We're also monitoring talks between the U.S. and Iran. Iran's foreign minister said it included a handshake with the U.S. delegation. What President Trump is saying about the latest round of negotiations.
And President Trump's latest push to put his name on more U.S. landmarks. Now it's New York's Penn Dulles International Airport. We'll tell you who shut him down.
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BLACKWELL: Some new details this morning. In Russia's nearly four year long war on Ukraine, President Zelenskyy says the U.S. is pushing for a peace deal to end the conflict by June. Zelenskyy says there is a timeline although there's been no major breakthrough in recent talks.
In the meantime, Russia launched overnight strikes in the Kyiv region of Ukraine. Drones struck a warehouse, sparked a fire. Attacks also targeted key energy infrastructure in several regions. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says that more than 400 drones and 40 missiles were part of the assault.
A Russian spokesperson says in Moscow, a Russian general is intensive care after being shot in a building on Friday. The 64-year-old is the latest top military leader to be targeted.
Russia's foreign minister blamed Ukraine for the shooting without providing any evidence. Ukraine has not commented on that shooting.
And this just coming in, in the high stakes talks between Iran and the US. Iran's foreign minister is vowing to continue Iran's uranium enrichment program. That's despite calls from the U.S. for Iran to stop its nuclear program completely. Indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear future set to continue next.
President Trump said Friday's discussion in Oman was or at least went very well. But the talks did not stop Trump from hitting Iran with new sanctions hours later. The sanctions affect Iranian oil and the 14 vessels transporting it.
Trump also warned Iran the US military buildup in the region will continue. So let's go now to CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson. Nic, good morning to you. The Iranians say this program will continue. The president says it has to stop.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. And the president's applying more pressure through the use of those sanctions. These sanctions are designed to stop Iran being able to provide funding for terrorists to be able to oppress their people on the streets. That's what the State Department is saying.
Both sides came out of those talks yesterday and remembering these talks were not face to face. Steve Witkoff did not meet face to face with the Iranian foreign minister. It was through the Omani foreign minister who was interlocutor. They had a couple of sessions. The Iranians made their points to the Omanis. Witkoff got his points backwards and forwards like that.
But the meeting broke up with both sides saying that they were believing that there was a possibility for the negotiations to continue. The Iranians sort of framing it as longer term negotiations despite the lack of trust.
President Trump having this to say about the talks.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: The results today were with Iran. It was a meeting we're going to meet again early next week. And they want to make a deal. Iran as they should want to make a deal. You know the consequences if they don't make a deal. The consequences are very steep. So we'll see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Yes. What's happened today, the Iranian foreign minister has gone for a meeting in Qatar with the Qatari foreign minister has had some comments to the media there. And in those comments, he said if the United States strikes Iran, we will strike U.S. bases in the region. His point to the Qatar is, of course, we're not targeting our friends in the region, just the U.S. bases because going back to the summer of last year when the United States struck Iran fired back at U.S. bases in Qatar, which obviously had a big concern for the Qataris.
But that's the message coming from the Iranians. But I think the tough message that is coming across now, the Iranians saying they're only negotiating on the nuclear file. That's the enrichment and the removal of the highly enriched uranium that exists in Iran right now.
And the Iranian foreign minister today doubling down on their position, saying and it's an inalienable right that Iran can enrich uranium, zero enrichment is not on the table. That seems to fly in the face of what President Trump wants. And they're also saying they're not willing to discuss Iran's ballistic missiles at all. That's not going to go on the negotiating table. They say again, that's something President Trump wants to see taken out of Iran's hands.
BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson reporting. Thank you very much.
Border security, federal funding and a clicking a ticking clock. Next, the latest showdown over DHS money and the impact if that funding is not approved.
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[06:29:07]
BLACKWELL: Republicans and Democrats, they expect funding for the Department of Homeland Security to lapse at the end of next week. Negotiations are continuing this weekend with Democrats demanding restrictions on ICE that Republicans are outright rejected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Democrats are holding the Department of Homeland Security funding hostage to what I would consider ridiculous demands.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): These demands are demands, not requests, not proposals. In my view, they are the minimum that ought to be required of the Department of Homeland Security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: If DHS funding does lap, it's not just ICE and Border Patrol that will be impacted. FEMA and the TSA also fall under the Homeland Security umbrella. Let's bring in now Mia McCarthy. She's a congressional reporter for POLITICO. Mia, good morning. Welcome to the show.
Let me ask you, I mean, we saw this ahead of the 43 day shutdown last year where even a week out on Capitol Hill, it was obvious that they weren't going to come to a deal. Are all arrows pointing to another shutdown for DHS?
MIA MCCARTHY, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, POLITICO: At this point, I would say, yes, I mean, we have less than a week to come to a deal. That funding is going to dry up on February 13th, which is this upcoming Friday. And right now, the two sides could not be more far apart. Democrats are making their demands that Republicans are saying are unreasonable.
The two aren't necessarily talking to try to reach an agreement right now. So, we're going to see what happens up on Friday. But right now, it's looking like we're seeing a shutdown.
BLACKWELL: And so, let's talk about the political element of this, because the Democrats in October leading into that longest shutdown in history, they demanded an extension of the subsidies for the ACA and didn't get it. What's on the line for them politically as the country was outraged over what they saw in Minneapolis last month?
MCCARTHY: Yes, I mean, there's definitely a lot of pressure for Democrats to do something about the -- about Trump's immigration policies, what they're seeing right now, you know, and I think they see this as a big message ahead of the Midterms in 2026.
Obviously, people are pretty outraged across the country over what's happening, especially the recent shootings. So, that is what Democrats are really pushing for. They're pushing in their requests for things like body cameras required for federal agents, prohibiting masks, things that they want to see implemented in the next DHS bill.
But like I said, right now, there's -- Republicans aren't meeting those demands. But Democrats are going to be pushing, especially ahead of the Midterms.
BLACKWELL: And have Democrats moved the ball because there was a shorter list before the vote that funded the other departments and added this two weeks of funding to continue negotiations? But have they added requirements and demands to their list?
MCCARTHY: Most of their demands have been pretty much the same. Again, like I said, the prohibiting masks, the requiring body cameras, they -- you know, want to require judicial warrants. A lot of these things relate back to some of the overall broader requests that they had made again.
Now, just a little bit more specific, they gave Republicans a wish list of what they want to see in the DHS bill, what reforms they want to see on immigration. So, again, they handed that to Republicans. We're just kind of waiting now to see how that all shakes out.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and spare a thought for the TSA workers, especially some of these workers who are essential. And for that month and a half shutdown in 2025 had to show up, although, they were not getting paid, they could be going right back into that and fewer than 90 days after coming out of the last one.
Let me ask you about the Save Act coming up for a vote next week. Republican legislation that will require proof of citizenship to register for federal elections, voter ID In 50 states, several other additions. This does not have 60 votes in the Senate, and there are some Republicans who want to make Democrats do a standing filibuster. What's the conversation inside the conference about how far to go with this legislation?
MCCARTHY: Yes, so, the House is going to be taking up the Save Act up this week. It's already passed the House back in the Spring. Again, it's designed really just to put pressure on the Senate to take it up. But again, even if it goes over to the Senate, it's unclear and unlikely at this point that it would pass. It would meet the 60-vote threshold.
So, you know, this is a demand that's coming from a lot of conservatives in the -- in the Republican conference that really want to see this bill passed. It's kind of become a central part of Republicans agenda going into this week. And, you know, their argument being, if we're opening DHS and we're -- and we're changing the policy here, we want to see the Save Act implemented in that as well, or get its own vote separately.
BLACKWELL: Mia McCarthy of "Politico", thanks for joining us. Branding has always been a big deal for Donald Trump. He's now pushing to have Washington Dulles Airport and New York's Penn Station renamed after himself. It's the latest example of his obsession with stamping his personal brand on America. Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Trump is sharp.
Trump was right.
And they love Trump.
Trump.
Trump.
Donald Trump.
I love Trump.
Donald J. Trump.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What's in a name? Apparently a lot of your President, Donald J. Trump, who now wants to add Washington's Dulles Airport and New York's Penn Station to the long list of landmarks, programs and properties renamed in his honor.
TRUMP: These are the best in the world.
FOREMAN: A class of battleships have been tagged for Trump, so has the U.S. Institute for Peace, which has budget cuts nearly wiped out. There he was on a massive banner hanging from a government building.
[06:35:00]
There he is on that gold visa offering residency to foreigners who donate a million dollars to the government.
TRUMP: It's sort of a green card-plus.
FOREMAN: Here he is again on a new commemorative coin on some passes to national parks on retirement accounts for children.
TRUMP: I believe the Trump accounts will be remembered as one of the most transformative policy innovations of all time. FOREMAN: And just this week, the White House rolled out a new way for
consumers to buy prescription drugs.
TRUMP: That's trumprx.gov.
If you like your steak, you'll absolutely love Trump steaks.
FOREMAN: Trump's name has long been a feature of his private business empire. The wins and the losses.
TRUMP: At Trump University, we teach success.
FOREMAN: But his attempts to brand his name all over the government has repeatedly met controversy, legal challenges and ridicule. Look at this meme from New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Of course, Trump was thrilled when his new hand-picked board at the Kennedy Center suggested adding his name to that building.
TRUMP: And they voted unanimously. So, I was very honored by it. Thank you.
FOREMAN: But with numerous artists canceling their appearances and a reported deep dip in ticket sales, the center is now being closed for two years for renovations. It all may be a painful truth for this President, who has proposed a new monumental arch in his honor, has shown interest in having the local NFL stadium bear his name, and has suggested maybe he would look good on Mount Rushmore.
SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: People are very frustrated with his administration, and they're frustrated with where the standing is of the economy and how he's handling immigration. Those are the issues people want to hear about, not his name on another building.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right, Tom Foreman, thank you for that report. Next, a judge clears the release of video and texts in a border patrol shooting in Chicago. A protester was shot in her car last October. We'll walk you through what these videos and texts will reveal to the public.
And if you're heading out, remember, you can stream our show from anywhere in the U.S., right from the CNN app. You can also go to cnn.com/watch.
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BLACKWELL: We're waiting for body-cam footage and a batch of text messages to be released in a high profile case involving the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Chicago. A judge ordered the release yesterday in a case of Marimar Martinez.
Now, DHS accused her of ramming into the car of federal agents. An agent then allegedly shot her five times. DHS later dropped charges against her. Martinez's attorney says that the release of this evidence will clear her name. CNN anchor and correspondent Omar Jimenez has more on what we should and should not expect to be revealed.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really a significant moment, and it happens more than four months after the shooting actually took place. The judge clearing the way to release body camera footage and other text messages from the day of the shooting.
Really, the delay at this point is so that both sides can work out a set of redactions that both sides will agree with. So, that's going to be going through some of the video, that's also going to be redacting some of the names and numbers in these text messages as well.
But the reason this is significant is that even after the charges brought against Marimar Martinez were dropped at the request of the government, the government has continued to refer to her as a domestic terrorist. And for Martinez and her attorney, they have argued that, well, they've been cleared of charges.
That referral should basically stop. She should not be a domestic terrorist or referred to as such to this point. And they feel that the release of this additional evidence will help significantly push back against that narrative. And in other words, essentially help clear her name. Take a listen to some of how her attorney characterized things after the hearing Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER PARENTE, MARIMAR MARTINEZ'S ATTORNEY: The judge essentially, you know, ruled fully in Mrs. Martinez's favor. Everything can be released. We are going to release the body-cam video, which again, you know, I don't want to get your hopes up, but it's not going to be dispositive either way because the agent Exum was not wearing his body camera.
So, I know we're talking about there's funding for this. He had a body camera. He did not have it on. So, as we debate whether these cameras need to be funded, we should also debate instructing agents to turn on their body cameras, because that would have solved everything here and would have saved a lot of time and money for Miss Martinez.
The second thing is the text messages. So, remember, there were 220 text messages by agent Exum. We were given 20, and then the judge ordered them to give us another 20. So now, there's 40 in total. We'll release all of them. Some are obviously more interesting than others, but those will all be released.
And then you're going to see in the discovery itself, some really good things that just completely destroyed the credibility of the narrative that she drove at these agents, that they were boxed in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: And again, we talked about the charges that have been dropped to this point. But on the text messages themselves, more broadly, the reason they wanted those out is because they wanted people to understand how the Department of Homeland Security and its agents respond in real time after incidents like these.
And they specifically pointed to Minneapolis, for example. And they believe that the public has the right or at least, they hope the public gets a better understanding from the release of this evidence so they can better understand if something like this happens in a city they live in. Victor?
[06:45:00]
BLACKWELL: All right, Omar, thank you very much. Italy's President declared the Winter Olympics open with the lighting of two Olympic cauldrons. We're live in Milan with some of the must-see moments and what's ahead for U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn. And Bad Bunny said that we really don't need to learn Spanish to enjoy his Super Bowl half-time show tomorrow, but I wanted to brush up on mine, and my colleague, Isabel Rosales volunteered to help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because Bad Bunny is not his government name --
BLACKWELL: Got that --
ROSALES: Here it is. Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio. You ready?
BLACKWELL: Yes --
ROSALES: Say it with me. Benito --
BLACKWELL: Benito --
ROSALES: Antonio --
BLACKWELL: Antonio --
ROSALES: Martinez --
BLACKWELL: Martinez --
ROSALES: Ocasio --
BLACKWELL: Ocasio --
ROSALES: So, when people say, I'm hosting a Benito bowl party, now, you know what that's about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right, later on, first of all, you'll see more of my Spanish lesson. And there's dancing.
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BLACKWELL: So, one of the most popular sports in the Winter Olympics is curling. You know, the one with the big stone and the brooms, well, it's more complicated than it looks. Coy Wire and I got a crash course in curling from our own expert, our meteorologist Allison Chinchar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: And once we got the rules, it was time to get into the game.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: As I push, you are going to sweep. You're trying to almost make a divot as you sweep. Sweep. Sweep hard!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: So, how do we do? Well, we'll get the full story tomorrow right here on CNN THIS MORNING. Here's a spoiler, Coy is better at this than I am. All right, the Winter Olympics have begun after a historic opening ceremony. For the first time, the opening ceremony took place across four sites in Italy, appropriate since this is the most spread-out Winter Olympics ever.
Venues are spread across an area the size of New Jersey. CNN's Christine Brennan joins me now from Milan. Christine, I read this morning on your social media that this is your 22nd consecutive Olympic games. Congratulations, 22 Olympiads, fireworks, you've got Andrea Bocelli, you've got Mariah Carey. How did the Italians stack up?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Pretty well, Victor, for sure. And yes, I'm so honored to be covering 22 Winter and Summer. I started when I was in kindergarten, Victor. But you know, I would have hoped to go to one as a girl growing up in Toledo.
And to have all of this is just -- I just feel so fortunate, and I'm loving it. And, you know, the Italians did what the Italians do exceedingly well. They emphasized their culture, music, obviously, the singing, the opera stars, the incredible grand songs and music that we know so well.
Food, their sense of humor, and as you said, spread out. You know, I'm in Milan right now, it's the city. It's actually kind of like Spring time here, about 50 degrees, which I know no one in the United States wants to hear about. You know, I had to actually -- to escape the cold, snow and ice, Victor, I had to come to the Winter Olympics. And --
BLACKWELL: Right --
BRENNAN: It's warm and it's sunny, and it's nice right now. Yes, but in the mountains, of course, a whole different picture. And to see those views, you know, the -- obviously, the opening ceremony, the main stadium, the big soccer stadium here. But then to have the satellite sites and these small towns coming out, the mountain towns, the ski towns, it is -- it is absolutely charming here.
It is exactly what a Winter Olympics should be. That mix of the city with figure-skating, ice hockey, speed skating, indoor venues, and then the beauty of the mountains, in this case, the Alps and the Dolomites. It is just the perfect spot to hold the Winter Olympics.
BLACKWELL: Oh, don't rub it in, Christine, we're dealing with some crazy low temperatures coming across the country. But let's talk about team USA, and of course, the major narrative. The question is about Lindsey Vonn, tearing her ACL, her left knee. She said that it's not 50 percent or 80 percent, it's100 percent ruptured. How is she looking in the early days, though?
BRENNAN: She had a training run yesterday in the mountains in Cortina, which is a mountain she knows well. She's had great success over the World Cup, many years or couple decades of competing. And she finished 11th in that training run, which is kind of remarkable.
I mean, again, you know, the ACL, as you said, a 100 percent ruptured. She's obviously got a brace, maybe some toothpicks and paper clips. Obviously, that's a joke. It's not meant to be funny, although Lindsey Vonn is the kind of person that you can almost say that about.
I mean, this is the most Lindsey Vonn thing that Lindsey Vonn has ever done. This is a fearless daredevil, 41 years old. She's come back from retirement. She's going for it. The Super Bowl is Sunday. Obviously, that's the biggest event. But this Lindsey Vonn barreling down the mountain with that ruptured ACL in the downhill, trying to win a gold medal that she won 16 years ago in Vancouver.
I was there on that mountain. I covered that, that day at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. And to think she's doing it again, extraordinary. This story is off the charts, and only because it's the Super Bowl, is it not the biggest story of the day, and not just in sports, but in our culture. I think everyone is going to be rooting for her.
[06:55:00]
The key element here, she is smart, she knows what she's doing. This is her thing. So, she knows how to push herself, how to handle it, how to -- how to deal with the mountain. If she could win a medal, it would be absolutely extraordinary story. I think even just finishing and acquitting herself well is equally as exciting and compelling.
But whatever is going to happen, I think that there will be millions and millions, millions of people around the world watching and holding their breath to see how she does.
BLACKWELL: Absolutely, millions of people here, certainly in the U.S., pulling forward, because she's also just one of those, that she has a name that transcends the sport. So, of the few people that you'll recognize their name and face at the games, Lindsey Vonn will be one of them.
We'll all be watching. Christine Brennan, enjoy 22 and we'll check back with you throughout the games. Thank you. All right, there's much more ahead on the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND, it's been a roller-coaster week for bitcoin, the world's most famous cryptocurrency.
What's led to a serious dip in bitcoin's value? And tune in tonight for a new episode of "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU". Joining the fun will be California Senator Adam Schiff and award-winning comedian Hasan Minhaj. Watch it tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN, and tomorrow on the CNN app.
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