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Savannah Guthrie's Plea for Help; Sharlene Rochard is Interviewed about Maxwell Seeking Clemency; Vittoria Elliott is Interviewed about Immigration Officials to Testify Before the House; Politics on Center Stage at Olympics. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired February 10, 2026 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Say she will clear Donald Trump's name to get it. I'm going to be talking to a survivor of Epstein's abuse next about what she makes of that proposal.

Plus, we're live from Arizona with the latest in the search for Nancy Guthrie.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw the names of lots of people who were redacted for mysterious or baffling or inscrutable reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Millions of documents and what some are calling a number of, quote, "unnecessary redactions." Lawmakers get the opportunity to view the Epstein files.

[06:35:02]

But what can they do with that information?

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING.

It's half past the hour, and here's what's happening right now.

President Trump threatening to block the opening of a new bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada. The Gordie Howe International Bridge connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Major construction that Canada paid for is done. It is expected to open later this year. President Trump is demanding Canada turn over at least half of the ownership of the bridge. It's unclear if he can actually block the opening.

And this week the supreme -- the South Carolina Supreme Court will hear Alex Murdaugh's appeal of his double homicide conviction. Murdaugh was found guilty of killing his wife and son in 2021. He is currently serving two life sentences. His attorney wants his conviction overturned, and Murdaugh granted a new trial over allegations of jury tampering.

And today, 19 Buddhist monks will complete their walk for peace. A 2,300-mile journey they began in October. It took them from Fort Worth, Texas, all the way to Washington, D.C., and they met thousands of people along the way. Today, they will make it to their final stop, the National Cathedral here in D.C.

And a new plea from the family of Nancy Guthrie as an apparent ransom note deadline has come and gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NANCY GUTHRIE'S DAUGHTER: We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help.

So, I'm coming on just to ask you not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you're far from Tucson, if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement. We are at an hour of desperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: This morning, FBI offices across the country are heading to Tucson to help in the search for the 84-year-old.

Joining me now from Tucson, CNN's Ivan Rodriguez.

Ivan, first, can you walk us through some of the latest developments this morning?

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN REPORTER: Audie, this morning, outside of Nancy Guthrie's home, there's a sheriff's deputy parked out there, much like we saw yesterday, at the request of the Guthrie family. They're going to continue to guard that home.

Now, over the last week, we've really seen four videos now released by the Guthrie family and they've all varied in tone and also audience. In that very first video from last week, we see Savannah Guthrie and her three siblings. They're sitting together, humanizing their mother, saying that she's a loyal, good person. They also address her health issues and appeared to also try to communicate with the alleged abductors, saying that we want to hear from you and that we are ready to listen.

Yesterday, we heard from Savannah Guthrie on her own, and it was a very different tone. And she's asking the entire country to keep an eye out. And it's really the first time we've heard from the Guthrie family directly asking the public for help.

Hear what TMZ's Harvey Levin had to say about this latest video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ FOUNDER: It just seems like Savannah is throwing her hands up, saying law enforcement is doing everything they possibly can, but she is begging for the help of anybody, no matter how far away, for anything that could be a clue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGUIZ: Now, the FBI has also released a statement last night, again asking the public for help. And what we've heard from many investigators, even former law enforcement, is any one tip can really help to break this case, Audie.

CORNISH: OK, that's Ivan Rodriguez from Tucson. We'll be checking in with him later today.

In the meantime, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is once again staying silent about her ties with Jeffrey Epstein. But her lawyer says she can clear the names of President Trump and former President Clinton if given clemency. Now during her brief appearance before Congress yesterday, Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment. Epstein survivors say it's just another letdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ STEIN, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: You know, it's hard for us to see Ghislaine Maxwell being given multiple attempts to come forward and talk about what she saw but we haven't even been spoken to, and we're the victims of this crime, so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: All right, joining me now to discuss, Sharlene Rochard, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

Thank you so much for being here.

SHARLENE ROCHARD, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Thank you for having me.

CORNISH: So, first, I want to just get your reaction to Maxwell's offer through her attorney, and whether you think the president would do it.

ROCHARD: My reaction is that there's no accountability with pleading the Fifth. We are hoping for truth and honesty, and that's just not there. Also, there's no honor among thieves.

[06:40:03]

And birds of a feather often flock together is my honest opinion on whether or not he will or not. I don't feel that -- I feel like predators are being protected in this situation.

CORNISH: I want to play for you something that Democrat Jamie Raskin said on Monday. Here was his reaction to some of the things he saw unredacted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): There is no way that somebody is running a $1 billion global child sex trafficking and abuse ring for more than a decade and there are only two people committing crimes. It just is absurd. It is ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHARD: I completely agree. This is absurd and ridiculous. There are so many more people. In fact, it was just suggested yesterday that when they looked at the files there are names and there are a lot more names of people involved in this. And it's just not two people.

CORNISH: I want to play something for you that actually kind of surprised me. It's from a lawmaker, Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who's a Republican, and it says, "it has become very apparent that Jeffrey Epstein was grooming some of his victims to become traffickers. And once you turn 18, if you're still engaged in trafficking children, that is a choice. At that point, you're no longer a victim, you're a coconspirator."

She was saying this in the context of telling the public, there are women who should be held accountable as well among the victims.

ROCHARD: I disagree with that because when you are groomed and manipulated as a child under the age of 18, you -- your mind is in such a state that it's almost like you will do anything that your abuser asks you to. So, that is the abuse continuing on. You don't all of a -- all of a sudden change your mind and think, oh, I'm 18 now, I'm no -- I recognize this as being grooming. You don't. This is clear manipulation and it has been from the very start.

CORNISH: It's interesting because when I heard that, I thought, it's odd. There's another way of saying, it's the women's fault, right?

ROCHARD: Right.

CORNISH: So like, the files come out unredacted. Oops, we showed some photos of the victims with no clothes on. Oops, we put their names in there. And yet for the men, there's this kind of, like, no, we got to -- we can't say anything about this.

What's it been like for you all seeing how this has actually played out, the reveal of these files?

ROCHARD: The reveal of these files has been absolutely atrocious. I mean the government putting out naked pictures of young girls, that's unacceptable. And not redacting our names and redacting predators, that was not what was stated in this law. They are clearly going against the law.

CORNISH: We're going to be hearing from Pam Bondi due to testify tomorrow. We had another survivor on yesterday saying that she felt Republicans were being pressured by the White House to sort of take it easy on Bondi and not ask about this. Have you heard something similar? What would you like them to ask Bondi?

ROCHARD: I have heard something similar, and I would like to know what the legal precautions were that they took in redacting these predators is a big question I have, and what safety they're going to give survivors going forward. And how actually can we stop this from happening again? It's so important. This was the largest sex trafficking ring in the world. It included most of the highest profile people. And what can we do going forward to stop this from happening again? We have young girls in this country, they're being born every single day. People have daughters, sisters. These people matter. It's not just us. This is for the American people. The American people deserve to know what actually happened here, and how can we prevent this from happening again.

CORNISH: All right, I want to thank you so much, Sharlene, for being here. And I know there's more news to come this week. So, stay with us.

If you missed part of that conversation, maybe you want to share it. We've been talking with victims this week. We're a podcast. And if you scan this QR code, you can find it. But in the meantime, CNN THIS MORNING is actually available anywhere you get your podcasts.

And next on CNN THIS MORNING, top immigration officials in the hot seat today, as we talk to a reporter who went inside the forum where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents complain about their jobs.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My parents being immigrants, this one definitely hits pretty close to -- close to home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:44:57]

CORNISH: Athletes speaking out. But will the politics of the Olympics impact their game?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CORNISH: ICE and Border Patrol leaders set to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee today. The chairman says it's an effort at transparency. It comes as it appears that there is tension within those agencies that is mounting. "Wired" magazine released reporting looking into an online forum where ICE agents complain about their jobs, has more than 5,000 members who claim to be current and former agents, and it's filled with a lot of complaints about long hours, missing paychecks and poor leadership.

So, here is an example of a post. "Some of the worst leadership I've ever witnessed. This agency has managed to turn a righteous mission into complete clown show."

So, Vittoria Elliott is the "Wired" reporter behind that story. She joins me now.

Vittoria, thank you so much for being here. I always like to read your stuff.

[06:50:01]

VITTORIA ELLIOTT, REPORTER, "WIRED": Thank you so much for having me.

CORNISH: So, I want to walk through some of the complaints because some of the complaints are about just the long hours and things like that. But an example of one that really struck me is a user who alleged that arrest reports are falsified, that are -- they're lies in some cases. And they say "lots of false statements at worst, misleading statements at best. Plaintiff's lawyers gonna have a field day with lawsuits after Trump leaves."

ELLIOTT: Yes. So, I think it's first important to say, you know, these are people claiming to have worked this job. And, you know, this forum has been around for quite some time. And so, there is a lot of credibility. But I want to like lay out that we weren't necessarily able to get these users to confirm exactly who they were or where they were working.

But in the case that you just mentioned, what we were seeing is definitely this one particular user be concerned about the way that officers in the field were describing their work. And, you know, while they didn't give specific examples in the forum, I think we're now starting to see more and more examples coming out where, for instance, in one of the cases that the "AP" originally reported on out of Minneapolis, a man was brought to a hospital with injuries that hospital staff said, you know, it was very unlikely he could have sustained on his own.

The -- what immigration authorities said was that he had run into a wall and caused a lot of facial fractures. And hospital staff who spoke to "AP" just said that that just seemed highly, highly unlikely. So, this idea that somehow officers in the field are not necessarily being accurate on what they're reporting and what they're saying is happening, what the incident reports mean, and in some of what this user alleged, maybe even the reason that they are attempting to speak to someone or what they consider to be an appropriate reason to approach someone.

CORNISH: Yes.

ELLIOTT: You know, while we don't know the specifics, it doesn't necessarily look like that that is not happening in the field.

CORNISH: There have been so many complaints outside of ICE about training. Is that something that people within this community are debating as well?

ELLIOTT: Yes. So, I think it's important to distinguish between what they're calling retired annuitants, which means that's people who have been in the federal workforce, often federal agents who have retired and are now coming back to work. And then there are people who are these brand-new people that they're trying to recruit into ICE and immigration enforcement as well.

So, it seemed like a lot of the people on this forum were often talking about their experiences being rehired annuitants, so people who were in the federal workforce coming back in, and they described a pretty chaotic process of, you know, going through some training, but then not necessarily being signed off to be in the field, getting gear but not necessarily knowing what they're supposed to be doing, or, in some cases, you know, because we're seeing people being moved in very high volumes into a city like Minneapolis, they're at peak -- there were some 3,000 border agents and immigration authorities there. You know, that is not necessarily a situation that a lot of these people, even if they are previous federal agents, are used to working in.

CORNISH: Yes.

ELLIOTT: And so we're seeing that be a strain. And then they're also complaining about the new recruits, people who are maybe part of this newer batch of ICE recruits who are not getting the same levels of training. That training has been truncated to try and get people through the system more quickly. And the -- what they describe as sort of a unprofessionalism amongst them. So, I think there's two avenues through which there's concern being expressed around their preparedness for this moment.

CORNISH: Vittoria, I have to let you go. But before I do, did they talk about what it was like to deal with protesters? Like, did they express the fears that we've heard from the border czar Tom Homan?

ELLIOTT: There's definitely frustration, it seems, with people pushing back and this sense of having really hostile communities. It's interesting, there wasn't a ton of conversation in this particular forum around the time of the shooting of Renee Good. But you can definitely see that there is a lot of tension and that people kind of feel like this job is maybe not necessarily worth it for the kind of public backlash that they're afraid they're going to get.

CORNISH: Yes.

ELLIOTT: And they're definitely one that didn't make it into the story. You know, there is concern that they're worried they're going to be doxed, that they're going to be identified for their safety, for their family's safety, but also for their ability to have normal lives.

CORNISH: OK, that's Vittoria Elliott. You can read her writing in "Wired."

Thank you for being here.

ELLIOTT: Thank you so much for being with me.

CORNISH: And then I'm going to turn to one other thing, the political tensions in the U.S. Part of the global conversation. But with the Winter Olympics, the U.S. is under an even brighter spotlight.

[06:55:05]

You've got protests breaking out in Milan because demonstrators were rallying against U.S. immigration officers on the ground there. The tensions are also internal. The U.S. Olympic athlete, a U.S. Olympic athlete finds himself in a spat with the president. He shared his concerns about what's going on in the U.S. while representing the country on the world stage. Then President Trump called him a loser.

So, Hess posted on Instagram, "there's so much that is great about America, but there are always things that could be better. One of the many things that makes this country so amazing is that we have the right and the freedom to point that out."

I'm bringing it to the group chat because, honestly, a couple people said -- answered questions about what was happening in the U.S. and Minnesota. For some reason Hunter Hess is bearing the brunt of the criticism from the president. Can you talk about how -- why this is playing out the way it is?

TAL KOPAN, DEPUTY D.C. BUREAU CHIEF, "THE BOSTON GLOBE": Well, there's sort of been a long-standing convention that when a politician or a member of the U.S. is sort of in the foreign sphere, you kind of present a united front.

CORNISH: No airing the dirty laundry. Yes.

KOPAN: Right. Right. But like, you know, we're also in an era where everyone in the world can see footage of what's happening in the U.S. I mean, think about how we view footage of protests happening in other countries. You know, it seems like a very big -- and so for U.S. athletes, for them to not address those concerns, and keep in mind, we're basically a 50/50 country, right? The rest of the world sees the administration, they think, this is official U.S. policy. But about half the country does not want to be associated with this administration.

CORNISH: Also, his statement was so anodyne.

KOPAN: It was.

CORNISH: "There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of."

KOPAN: Yes.

CORNISH: I mean there's -- I have heard more intense things. But here's Byron Donalds' response. You wear -- "you chose to wear our flag. You chose to represent our country. You chose to compete in the Olympics. If that's too hard for you, then go home. Some things are bigger than politics. You just don't get it."

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: OK, here's where I have a problem with all of this. That you could put the words from Hunter Hess into Charlie Kirk's mouth and it would have the same meaning. One -- we talked about the assassination of Charlie Kirk and why that was important. It was because he was opening up debate for young Americans to be able to speak out and talk back and forth and have a dialog. And we have this violence in this country, but we're having this dialog. I read what Hunter Hess is reading, and I could absolutely see where that would come out as a tweet from -- in the past from a Charlie Kirk or someone else. CORNISH: But is that where ethe party is right now when you look at

these responses?

DUBKE: No. They -- I am -- I am -- I am actually saddened by responses like that because, to me, he has every right to say this.

CORNISH: Yes.

DUBKE: Where you were going, the politics ends at the border, is a quaint notion that we had from years ago.

KOPAN: Yes.

CORNISH: Yes. Yes.

DUBKE: Because social media and everything else has made it so that we do know what's happening in the rest of the world.

MARIA CORDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right.

DUBKE: And we, as Americans, should have the right to have this dialog. And I think I'd be intellectually dishonest if I didn't point that out.

CARDONA: I'm so glad you are saying that, Mike. But we also have to look back and figure out why this is happening now. And the reason why this is happening now is because what is happening on the streets of the United States has never happened before. That's why these images are so disturbing, not just to people in this country and not just to the communities that are suffering from all of the violence that is being imposed by these rogue ICE agents, but people around the world are seeing it.

CORNISH: Yes.

CARDONA: And they are now saying, oh my God, we have never seen this from the United States of America. And they're right.

CORNISH: Christine Brennan actually mentioned that when J.D. Vance was booed --

CARDONA: Yes.

CORNISH: That the Olympic team was not booed.

CARDONA: Exactly. People know the difference. That's exactly right.

CORNISH: The crowd understood the difference between the government and its people.

CARDONA: That's right.

CORNISH: All right, we -- I want to talk about what's in group chats, especially with the Olympics going on.

Tal, since you're new to the group, haven't been here in a while, what's in your group chat?

KOPAN: I mean, I was going to say the Olympics. I mean I just -- I love it.

CORNISH: But there's so many things.

KOPAN: I know, but I love it. Every four years I just like mainline the content and it's -- you know, last night we have a six-year-old and we turn on the TV and we're like, oh, this is curling. You've never seen this before in your life. Isn't this a silly sport. Look at them --

CORNISH: What is the deal? Why do people love curling so much?

KOPAN: But, like, everyone gets obsessed with it. Every -- but I just -- I just I love it.

DUBKE: IT's fantastic.

KOPAN: The competition, the obscurity.

DUBKE: Strategy.

KOPAN: Yes.

CORNISH: OK. I'm not going to take away nice things, but, yes.

DUBKE: Look at the --

KOPAN: Someone spent their entire life getting really, really good at this, and this is their moment to show it off to the world.

CARDONA: Yes.

DUBKE: Every single one of those stones comes from the same island off of Scotland.

KOPAN: Yes.

CORNISH: You guys know so much about this.

DUBKE: Curling is a fantastic sport.

CARDONA: It is a little fascinating.

CORNISH: I -- I am a figure skating person.

KOPAN: I love figure skating.

CORNISH: I feel like -- my kid is also young. And I feel like the sport that you get engaged in at that age, right?

CARDONA: Yes.

CORNISH: I remember all the gymnasts from '84 and things like that.

CARDONA: Oh, yes.

CORNISH: And I feel like figure skating, again, if you grew up in the Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul era --

KOPAN: Absolutely.

CARDONA: Yes.

CORNISH: Like, that's your thing. So, that's what I'm into.

DUBKE: Well, that's true crime.

CORNISH: Yes.

DUBKE: Kerrigan is true crime.

CARDONA: Well, the --

DUBKE: So, that's how you got involved with true crime.

CORNISH: Too soon. Too soon.

CARDONA: See, I was --

CORNISH: But we've got this amazing flip. Everybody's been talking about.

[07:00:00]

Like, come on. Come on. Can't do that.

CARDONA: Yes. No, I was -- I was into the figure skating because, a very little known fact about me, I competed in the Puerto Rican synchronized swimming team in the Pan American games.

KOPAN: Wow.

CARDONA: There you go.

CORNISH: Bury the lead, Maria Cardona. Next time I'm going to start with you.

DUBKE: Wow.

CORNISH: I only have more questions now.

CARDONA: Yes, exactly.

CORNISH: I'm sorry we have run out of time.

CARDONA: There you go.

CORNISH: Thank you to the group chat.

KOPAN: That is fantastic.

CORNISH: Thank you for waking up with us. You have a lot of choices where to spend your time, and I'm glad you're here with us.

I'm Audie Cornish, and the headlines are next.