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CNN This Morning
Supreme Court Rules Trump's Tariffs Illegal; Iran's Foreign Minister Optimistic Deal Can Be Reached Soon; Officials Probe Terrorism Threat After Hits Nevada Power Site; Families Honor Avalanche Victims As Questions Grow About Guided Trip. South Korean Officials Meet Today After Supreme Court Ruling on Trump's Tariffs; Trump's Border Czar Tom Homan Suggests Bovino Should be Investigated for Lying Under Oath; Girl Scout Troop Serving Minnesota Now Selling Online. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired February 21, 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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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Other people that brought the lawsuit. And you know, they're sleazebags, major sleazebags.
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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump lashed out at business owners and the Supreme Court after justices struck down his tariff policy Friday. Hours later, he imposed new tariffs. But the next big question is what will happen to all the money the administration has already collected?
The U.S. is building up forces in the Middle East as President Trump weighs military strikes on Iran. Well, this morning we're hearing from Iran's foreign minister and he says there is still a deal to be made.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she was really, she just seemed like a super friendly, great mom.
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BLACKWELL: We're learning more about the victims caught in that tragic avalanche in California. Officials will try to recover their bodies this weekend, but there's a new danger they'll face while doing so.
Plus, the ripple effects from immigration enforcement actions are now affecting Girl Scout cookies. We'll explain how coming up.
It's Saturday, February 21st. Welcome to the show. I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to have you along. Live look from the White House this morning, hours after justices
delivered a major blow to the Trump administration. The ruling 6 to 3. The court ruled the president's sweeping emergency tariffs are illegal. He railed against the Supreme Court in a news conference shortly after.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And I'm ashamed of certain members of the court. They're just being fools and lapdogs for the rhinos and the radical left Democrats. They're very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution. They don't want to do the right thing. They were afraid of it. The court meant it because the court doesn't show great spirit toward our country, in my opinion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The president has already now issued a 10 percent global tariff under a specific trade law in response to that ruling. And there's one big question. The Supreme Court didn't answer this one. What happens to the $130 billion collected from the tariffs? Joining me now is Ari Hawkins with Politico.
So that's the first big question. Good to have you along. What does this mean? And how do they even start to get answer to that? Are they waiting for that first lawsuit?
ARI HAWKINS, REPORTER, POLITICO: So the Supreme Court left it pretty open ended as to how these refunds will actually take shape. In theory, this would go to the U.S. Court of International Trade. And we are on the cusp. Already there have been a flood of lawsuits from companies seeking to preserve those ref rights.
At the same time, the Trump administration has moved quickly to lock in those tariff rates. We are on the cusp of a flood of lawsuits, some of which we've already seen. But this will be litigated for years to come, as the president said.
BLACKWELL: All right, Ari, let's talk about how this impacts policy beyond just the tariffs, the foreign policy strategy. The president used these tariffs beyond trade. Canada runs an ad he doesn't like threaten tariffs. The president of Colombia doesn't want to take a plane full of migrants threatened tariffs. And so how does this impact or realign his leverage?
HAWKINS: The Trump administration has frequently used these threats as a means of not only raising revenue, but also as a crudgel for trade partners. Now, the Trump administration is no longer able to make that credible threat. And this really has been a centerpiece of the Trump administration's negotiating strategy.
We've seen this with China, where the threat of tariffs was used to extract specific concessions from agricultural purchases to export controls. And while the Trump administration can still impose tariffs, that threat of immediate, sweeping high tariffs is effectively off the table. Now, that could have a wide range of effects. If the Trump
administration is making strides with warming up to China, then if anything, this removes that aspect from the conversation and clears the way for potentially more focused negotiations for these concrete, narrow agreements that have perpetually hurt the U.S.-China dynamic from issues from agriculture to export controls. This could clear the way for that focus to be maintained.
BLACKWELL: Domestically the latest polls show that most Americans believe that these tariffs hurt the U.S. economy.
[06:05:06]
And you look at the numbers broken down by party, one in five Republicans think they're bad for the U.S. economy, nine out of 10 Democrats, more than 60 percent of independents. So what does the next chapter of the president's fight for tariffs portend for his domestic standing?
HAWKINS: So we can see that the Trump administration very quickly moved to reimpose the vast majority of the tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down. The tariffs polling has indicated are not as popular as the Trump administration would have liked them to be.
But at the same time, we can see that the Trump administration is increasingly leaning into these alternative authorities. Of course, that authority that he used to impose this latest round of tariffs does have a deadline. It requires Congress to perpetuate it past that 150 day mark.
However, that is enough time for the Trump administration to use these alternative authorities. Meaning while this is unpopular, there's no indication that the Trump administration is backing off, even though Congress will have much to say about this as the months go forward.
BLACKWELL: Ari, what was, or rather what explains the relative meh from the markets yesterday? I mean, all three indices were up, but nothing dramatic on such a dramatic day.
HAWKINS: So we did see a bit of a market rally in response to that immediate decision from the Supreme Court. However, Trump very quickly signed an executive order reimposing the vast majority, meaning that level of uncertainty is still there and the bulk of the tariffs are still in effect.
We see we have to keep in here that compared to the start of the first or the second Trump administration, tariffs are now higher than they have been for nearly a decade or a century rather. And that is going to persist. We can see that the focus is now shifting to this sector based tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as a variety of other sectors. And all of those are still in force. Effectively, these tariffs are not going away across the board. And if anything, this decision just added to the level of uncertainty in the market and for business owners.
BLACKWELL: Ari Hawkins, thank you so much. We're also getting reaction this morning from world leaders. They're reacting to the Supreme Court's decision. We'll bring you that in about 30 minutes.
Let's turn now to the Middle East, where Iran is preparing a new draft proposal after nuclear talks with the U.S.-Iran's foreign minister is optimistic about a deal and he told MS Now that they're hoping to hand over the proposal to Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, soon. He also says the U.S. has not asked Iran to halt uranium enrichment and Tehran has not offered to suspend it voluntarily.
Meanwhile, President Trump warns that he's considering limited strikes on Iran to pressure the country into a deal. The USS Gerald Ford, we have pictures now. The strike -- the carrier strike group is now already in the Mediterranean heading towards the Middle East to join other U.S. military assets in the region.
But top Democrats are urging the Trump administration not to take military action without congressional approval.
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REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): We strongly and I join this statement, we strongly oppose preemptive strikes in Iran, that we must focus on diplomacy first, that we must focus on sanctions. And the Constitution is clear. War powers lie within the American people, within Congress.
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BLACKWELL: And so next hour I'll speak with Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior director of the Iran Program, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. And we'll talk about how negotiations with Iran are shaping up and if there is cause for, as we're hearing from the Iranians, optimism. So stay with us for that.
British police, they're still searching the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and that search is expected to extend into Monday. And the former Prince Andrew has been released after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has not commented on the recent allegations against him, but he has previously denied any wrongdoing related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
British media reports that British lawmakers may consider removing him from the line of royal succession once the investigation is complete. CNN's Nada Bashir joins us from London.
What do we know about the investigation so far and these reports of removing him from the line of royal succession?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, those investigations are still very much ongoing. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has now been released under investigation. So he hasn't been released on bail. He's not under any sort of specific conditions at this stage, but he could be asked to return for further police questioning if deemed necessary.
[06:10:06]
And as you mentioned, Victor, we are seeing police continuing their search of his properties, including his property on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he was arrested on Thursday morning, as well as his former residence, the Royal Lodge in Berkshire, just outside of London, where he resided for some 20 years and was evicted just shortly, a few months ago by the king as a result of his relations with Jeffrey Epstein in the scout scandal surrounding the former prince.
Of course, his title was revoked also by the king as a result. But there are many questions as to what now lies ahead for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. As we know, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct while in public office.
And it's understood that those allegations center around his time as U.K. trade envoy between 2001 and 2011. And of course, this comes after documents were revealed as part of the Epstein files, essentially showing that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, during his time as trade envoy, had potentially shared sensitive government information regarding investments with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
Now, of course, there is also questions around Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor's links with Jeffrey Epstein, his awareness of his crimes as a sex offender, and potential involvement and implication in those crimes. This is understood to be a separate series of allegations that is not at this stage being addressed by U.K. police. U.K. police right now are focusing primarily and solely on those allegations of misconduct while in public office.
But of course, for many, there are questions as to whether this could lead to perhaps a broader investigation as the search of his properties of documents continues, whether they might find any further evidence that could implicate him further in the broader Epstein scandal. That certainly has been a question, of course, for the survivors of the Epstein scandal, victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, and whether this could lead to further accountability.
Of course, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any allegations around those offenses linked with the Epstein scandal, as well as misconduct while in public office. Of course, that investigation continues.
BLACKWELL: All right, we'll see if we hear anything from the former prince or from the palace. Nada Bashir, thanks so much. Next on CNN This Morning, video shows the moment a driver rammed a car into a Nevada power station. And this is now being investigated as a terrorism related event.
Plus, it was the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. in nearly a half century. We'll tell you what we're learning about the nine victims who died on that mountain in Northern California.
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BLACKWELL: All right, a look at headlines for you this morning. Investigators are looking into what they believe was a planned terror attack on a power station in Nevada. Police say 23-year-old Dawson Maloney drove a car through the gate of a substation near Boulder City on Thursday. He was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He'd been reported missing from New York and his family says that he sent some troubling messages saying that he wanted to harm himself and do something that would put him in the news.
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SHERIFF KEVIN MCMAHILL, LAS VEGAS POLICE: The search from the hotel room revealed multiple books. You'll see those on the screen to my left related to extremist ideologies, including right and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacy, and anti- government ideology.
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BLACKWELL: The power grid was not damaged, but officials are now reviewing security at other sites.
The U.S. military carried out another strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific yesterday. Three people were killed. Officials say the boat was tied to groups the U.S. has labeled as terrorist organizations and no U.S. service members were hurt. Officials say at least 138 people now have been killed in similar operations so far.
New Jersey police shared new body cam footage officers catching a man jumping from a burning building. Watch.
The footage shows officers running to the back of the home earlier this month. Now, two people made it out, but a 92-year-old woman, she died in that fire. Officials say the fire started in a storage container outside the house and was likely sparked by failing batteries. They've ruled it an accident.
This morning, we're learning more about the nine people who died in that devastating avalanche in Northern California. Families are now sharing who they were and how they lived. Questions, though, are growing about the guided trip itself and investigators are looking closely at what happened on the mountain. A vigil is planned for the victims tomorrow. CNN's Stephanie Elam has more on what we're hearing from families and from officials.
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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than three days after the country's deadliest avalanche in 45 years, we're now learning more about some of those nine victims who lost their lives on Castle Peak. Among them is the spouse of a member of the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team, which is involved in the search and recovery efforts, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said.
[06:20:02] Also on this trip were eight friends. Six of the victims, all mothers and wives who were experienced backcountry skiers, shared a bond of their love for the outdoors. Their families say they are sisters, Liz Clabaugh and Caroline Sekar, Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse and Kate Vitt, whose neighbors in Mill Valley, California are reeling.
SHERYL LONGMAN, NEIGHBOR OF KATE VITT: Friendly person. No, devoted to her kids. I'd see them, she'd walk them to school in the morning.
CARLEEN CULLEN, NEIGHBOR OF KATE VITT: She was just out there with her kids and getting them hustled off to school and after school activities. And she was really, she just seemed like a super friendly, great mom.
ELAM (voice-over): Their families released a joint statement saying they, quote, have many unanswered questions about the professionally guided two night back country hut trip, noting that the group trusted their professional guides.
California's workplace safety agency has launched an investigation into the company that led the tour, Blackbird Mountain Guides. The Nevada County Sheriff's Office tells CNN it is also looking into any possible criminal negligence. Blackbird says its four guides on the trip were highly trained and certified instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.
Six people, five clients and one guide were rescued off the mountain about 11 later. The bodies of the skiers killed remain on the mountain. Hazardous weather conditions in the rough, rugged and vertical terrain have hampered recovery efforts. Eight bodies have been located in the midst of the football field sized slide. One person is still missing but presumed dead.
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ELAM: And Victor, this storm has just been a beast. And finally the snow has stopped. So first responders will be able to get out there to recover these bodies. However, they've got to take care to not trigger a new avalanche with all that new snow. And they'll be contending with some bitterly cold temperatures as they take on this recovery mission which is expected to go through the weekend. Victor.
BLACKWELL: Stephanie Elam, thank you for the report. All right. Right now there's a blizzard warning for parts of the Northeast as another winter storm is moving in. Crews in Ocean County, New Jersey started preparing for it yesterday. This could end up being their third major storm of the season. Let's bring in now meteorologist Chris Warren.
Chris, I've been following this on socials watching you and it could either be something a few inches or it could be a massive storm.
CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I tell you what, it is looking more likely to be a massive storm.
BLACKWELL: Wow. WARREN: I would not have said that two days ago going from nothing to
holy cow. Now the American model has been the holy cow and the European has been the nothing. Europeans coming more in line with the holy cow.
BLACKWELL: Wow.
WARREN: So end up with a very big deal across to the Northeast. I'm going to say that again. Blizzard conditions expected blizzard warning in effect. So an area of low pressure bringing some wet weather to the Southeast today, eventually going to be bringing the rain turning to snow by tomorrow evening in the Northeast. And it does look like it is going to end up being a big one along the 95 corridor.
Right now, a few snow showers not related to what is to come. But a little primer there in New England with the winter weather alerts. The pink winter storm warnings, Delaware, parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. But this orange color in here. Blizzard warnings. That's right. Blizzard warnings for parts of the Northeast, major cities. Looks like we'll have major impacts. Show you these two models.
The European forecast model showing a lot more snow than it did just a couple of days ago. Pink colors. That's going to be to the higher impact. Half a foot, up to a foot. So that's the European model.
Now let's take a look at the GFS. Much bigger deal. Now, probably not going to be on the high end, but still, you know, getting close to this is going to be a foot some areas, possibly even 2ft of snow. Track still matters about 36 hours away from the start of this event. If it does shift a little bit farther offshore, it's going to be a little bit less snow. Timing for this rain changing over to snow, Victor, by 6 o'clock tomorrow evening. And then the Northeast gets clobbered during the overnight hours into Monday morning could be a very tough morning commute.
BLACKWELL: They need a break.
WARREN: This weekend.
BLACKWELL: All right, Chris Warren, we'll get more into it later in the show. Thanks so much. Next, economies around the world. They're working on now the next steps in trade relations with the U.S. now that President Trump has imposed a new 10 percent global tariff. We're live with reaction. Next.
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BLACKWELL: Top Stories we're following this morning. Now, President Trump signed a 10 percent global tariff on all countries after the Supreme Court struck down his initial tariffs from Friday. The White House says the new tariffs take effect Tuesday.
The U.S. military is building up its forces in the Middle East as President Trump considers military strikes on Iran. And the buildup is happening as the U.S. and Iran try to negotiate a new nuclear deal. The president said Thursday that he would know within about 10 days whether a new agreement was possible.
British police are expected to continue searching the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor this weekend. The former Prince Andrew was arrested and then later released from custody Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing. He has not been charged.
This morning, South Korean officials are meeting to discuss next steps in their trade relationship with the U.S. after President Trump imposed that new 10 percent global tariff.
[06:30:09]
Trump immediately announced the new tariffs after the Supreme Court's decision to strike down his so-called Liberation Day tariffs.
CNN's senior international correspondent, Will Ripley joins us now. Will, good morning to you. What's been the reaction?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting. There's been reaction coming in not only from this region, but really all around the world, Victor, including -- we just heard from the French President Emmanuel Macron, who says this ruling shows the value of having a Supreme Court, and the value of rule of law and checks and balances.
That's been some of the language out of the EU, people saying that this ruling really is a victory for rule of law. Still, a lot of uncertainty, though, about how businesses are actually going to be impacted. France and other nations, they're reviewing this 10 percent global tariff and what impact it may have.
The EU is seeking clarity on businesses that are just begging for predictability. And really, this past year of the Trump administration has been kind of marked by unpredictability and really chaos. It's become almost par for the course, the United Kingdom saying that they have a great trade relationship with the United States.
They expect that it will continue. But business groups also, they're complaining about the uncertainty in all of this. South Korea had a special ministerial level meeting to try to figure out what they're going to do because they've pledged to invest tens of billions dollars in the United States to try to avoid larger tariffs.
And now, there are questions about whether this ruling could somehow disrupt the flow of investment dollars into the U.S., similar concerns being voiced in Japan. In New Zealand, they're saying any relief from tariffs is welcome. But the volatility, they're expecting it to persist.
Now, here in Taiwan, of course, this is something that they're watching very closely in Taipei, because the tariffs really have been central for President Trump's strategy in dealing with Taiwan. In fact, he even talked about Taiwan and chips during his press conference at the White House. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Taiwan came in, they stole our chip business. Now, all those companies in Taiwan are building factories in Arizona, Texas and various other places because they don't want to pay tariffs. They're all pouring into the United States.
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RIPLEY: Now, it's interesting to note that U.S. imports from Taiwan have now surpassed that of China. That happened late last year with the Chinese imports plunging sharply, and Taiwan up pretty dramatically. So, obviously, the impact of these tariffs being potentially felt very acutely here.
I think the bottom line around the world, Victor, is that countries are just trying to recalculate, and they're trying to figure out what's going to happen next. And of course, the big wild card is we just don't know what's going to happen when President Trump visits China and meets with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. That's happening at the end of next month.
BLACKWELL: Yes, that recalculating is here, happening here domestically, too, for what the President will do next. Will Ripley, thanks so much. All right, small businesses here in the U.S., they're dealing with more uncertainty from Trump's tariffs policy.
They're trying to figure out if any of the money that paid -- they paid as importers will be coming back to them. The owner of this, Arizona-based company, distributes fresh produce, he paid $75,000 in tariffs in just a matter of days after President Trump imposed them in April -- last April. He's now managing expectations.
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JAIME CHAMBERLAIN, BUSINESS OWNER: Hopefully, it will be simple, and the U.S. government will just return those duties back with a direct deposit to every company out there. But I have a feeling it's not going to be that easy.
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BLACKWELL: Yes, that business owner says he'll now be looking for guidance from the federal government on the tariff policies moving forward. Coming up next hour, I will speak with a small business owner who was a plaintiff in that lawsuit against President Trump's tariffs.
I'll get his reaction to the ruling and what this means for his business. That is at 7:30 Eastern right here on CNN THIS MORNING. Tomorrow, on the "WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", Pamela Brown explores the rise of Christian nationalism and its growing political influence.
In some churches aligned with Christian nationalism, a movement that does not reflect the beliefs of most Christians, obedience is a pillar of faith. Former members say that they were taught that defying authority meant defying God with eternal consequences. Pamela Brown takes us inside one classical Christian school where discipline can include a paddle.
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PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Within strict reformed churches, disobedience demands discipline, whether from a parent, a husband, or a teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The goal of biblical discipline is to get them back into fellowship with God, with one another. And nine times out of ten, our teachers are able to get that done in the classroom.
BROWN: But when they can't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do have a paddle --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a paddle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do have a spanking policy, we'll make a phone call to the parents and say, we have to resolve the issue. So, whether it's you coming to pick them up or you coming and administering your own discipline, or us administering a spanking, the root of the problem is the sinful heart.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do not ever leave that room after a spanking, and a student is sulky, angry, mad. It is always a restoration of fellowship, and it's a beautiful picture. It really is.
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BLACKWELL: "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER: THE RISE OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM" airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN, and then Monday, on the CNN app. All right, it's girl scout cookie season, and it's taken a drastic turn.
Troops in some states are now moving to digital sales only in response to immigration enforcement in their communities. And if you're out and about, remember you can always stream the show from anywhere in the U.S. right from the CNN app. You can also watch at cnn.com/watch.
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BLACKWELL: President Trump's border czar Tom Homan is setting a standard when it comes to holding top officials accountable. This is from a new interview with CNN's Sara Sidner, and she pressed him on whether top border official Greg Bovino should be investigated for lying under oath. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: I have to ask you, in
November 2025, a federal judge found that U.S. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, quote, "admitted that he lied during a deposition about being hit in the head with a rock before deploying tear-gas at protesters in the Chicago area." Should Greg Bovino be fired or charged for lying --
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: Look, if --
SIDNER: Under oath --
HOMAN: If a judge declared he lied under oath, he needs to be investigated. I think if anybody acts outside of policy, then internal affairs opens investigation. That's the way we handle it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: The White House is distancing itself from the aggressive enforcement tactics Greg Bovino employed while leading ICE and border patrol agents in places like Minneapolis. Instead, they're going back to a more targeted approach. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has details of that.
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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Trump administration is planning to double down on targeted immigration enforcement operations. That means -- and is a return to the way ICE typically does operations, identifying who they're going to go after strategizing.
And in the process of that operation, if they run into other undocumented immigrants, they too may be swept up, but that is still different from the way that top border patrol official, Gregory Bovino, and his agents were operating in the interior of the United States over the last year. And those broad sweeps, typically in areas trafficked by immigrants.
Now, many officials see this as a rebuke of the Bovino approach, and instead a vote of confidence in the Tom Homan playbook, one that was used after Tom Homan was dispatched by President Donald Trump following the deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis.
One Homeland Security official telling me that the Bovino, quote, "show is shut down". Another official saying, quote, "ICE has been doing interior enforcement before Bovino got involved, they prefer to conduct their ops without the optics." Border patrol never wanted anything to do with these interior ops, and will go back to focusing on the border.
Now, of course, these changes come amid waning public support over the approach that the administration was taking to immigration enforcement, and some sources see this as a recalibration. But they stressed this is not a softening of the immigration crackdown.
They still anticipate that to be aggressive. It just may look slightly different than the way it had over the last year. Now, in a statement, the White House said the following, quote, "the President's entire team is working together to implement his immigration enforcement agenda, which has always focused on prioritizing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.
Now, of course, as it relates to Minneapolis, White House border czar Tom Homan saying on CNN on Friday, that, that operation is drawing down, it will no longer be a surge of agents with the caveat that they continue to get local cooperation. But that type of playbook and approach is one that is likely to be seen. The Homeland playbook in other cities moving forward. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you. It is -- if you don't know by now, girl scout cookie season. And while the cookies stay the same, the way you get them, maybe that's changing. Usually, you might get a knock on the door, you find your local girl scout troop selling them outside the grocery store, right?
But this year, Girl Scouts River Valley, which serves counties across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, they're selling digitally until March 29th. Their chief experience officer, Susan Anderson says it's because a lot of scouts don't feel comfortable selling in person because of ongoing community unrest and instability in the region.
Susan Anderson is with me now. I also read that this is about largely the immigration enforcement. Susan, good morning to you. Walk me through the decision process that got you to digital sales only.
SUSAN ANDERSON, CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER, GIRL SCOUTS RIVER VALLEY: Well, good morning, Victor, it is so good to be with you. I want to start out with a note of gratitude for what we're seeing here in Minnesota, gratitude for families checking in on one another, neighbors helping neighbors, and communities who are choosing empathy.
And that is really the heart of what girl scouting is all about. The girl scout cookie program, as you may know, is the world's largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world.
[06:45:00]
The cookie program powers amazing things for girls. Things like going to horse camp, traveling abroad, highest awards and community service. The cookie program, as you mentioned, traditionally happens door-to- door or at booths held in front of local grocery stores.
But given what's going on in our local communities and what we're hearing from our families, from our girls, and from our volunteers, we wanted to make sure that our girls knew that they could still participate in the cookie program. They could still learn those awesome skills, but do so in a way that was a 100 percent remote.
And 100 percent remote looks like still setting up your digital cookie storefront, sending, marketing messages to your families and friends, tracking your goals and reaching your customers in a new way. BLACKWELL: Yes, and so, I mean, listen, I bought my cookies this
year, ten boxes online, and they came right to my door, but that was by choice. In your region, you're doing it because of what you're hearing. Can you tell me more about what you're hearing? That was the impetus for this choice.
ANDERSON: Sure, so, we're hearing real fears and anxieties from our families, from our girls, and from our volunteers. Now, our volunteers help power the girl scout experience. We're almost 5,000 strong volunteers, and they specifically wanted help and support around safety and respond to the girls who are experiencing unrest and fears.
And so, we did a number of things. One, as you mentioned, we went to a 100 percent online, a remote participation for our girls. We also launched Troop 2026. Troop 2026 is made up of girl scouts who need extra help this year reaching their goals. So, when customers go to troop2026.com, they can directly support those girls.
We know our girls love our patches, and so, we developed a mutual aid community care patch program. This allows girls to learn about inequities in their local communities, and learn more about things like mutual aid. And our volunteers in particular, we're looking for support on how to respond to things in their local communities.
And so, we addressed this through situational awareness training and trauma informed responses, so that our volunteers could step up and meet girls where they were.
BLACKWELL: Yes --
ANDERSON: And lastly, I'll say that our girl scouts have really stepped up. They developed things like care packages for their sister -- girl scouts, who are participating in online schools right now. And so, again, it's just very humbling and wonderful to see all of the care and concern that our girl scouts are showing up with this season.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and I think that's the good thing, as we wrap up here, is that there's not just the decision. And I think most viewers understand why you made it. It's also the conversation around it, how the girls can also be involved in responding, and at the center of the service of the girl scouts.
Susan Anderson, thank you so much for helping us understand how this is touching so many parts of everyday life. I appreciate the conversation. All right, let's talk about the Olympics now. The U.S. hockey teams are looking for a clean sweep of gold medals. The men cruised into tomorrow's gold medal game. They'll take on Canada. We'll take you live to Milan next.
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[06:50:00]
BLACKWELL: The U.S. Men's Hockey team will be competing in the gold medal game tomorrow morning against Canada. Team USA has been dominant in the tournament, but it will take a full team effort to beat their Canadian rivals for the gold.
The NHL players back in the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, and they're showing out the U.S. trounced Slovakia in the semifinals, 6-2. NHL stars like Jack Hughes powering the effort. He scored two of the goals.
That means we get an epic gold medal game just like the women's final, U.S. versus Canada in the final on Sunday, February 22nd, same date as the 1980 U.S. Soviet Union miracle on ice game. These teams have combined for 27 Olympic hockey medals, Canada has most all time, the U.S. third most.
Speaking of women's hockey, I caught up with, or rather, Coy caught up with team USA's gold medal winning team who took down the defending champs, Canada, they tell us how they did and their why?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBEY MURPHY, FORWARD, U.S. WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM: We were determined coming in here for one thing, and that was a gold medal. That belief factor never left our minds going into that entire game that overtime. So, this group is super special and we're just super happy.
The reason why we play is to inspire others, and you know, I hope little girls can watch this Olympics and hopefully dream to be Olympians one day, because that was me. And so, just super cool to be able to inspire others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Coy Wire joins us now from Milan, and we're hoping for team USA, the hockey team. What we saw for U.S. figure skating.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no doubt about it, Victor, that is going to be an incredible final. And you know, I'm kind of feeling very humbled. I get to hang out with all these Olympians. Victor, I also caught up with team USA's figure skating gold medalist, Alysa Liu; she's the prime example of the liberating power of being unabashedly yourself.
I asked her what she hopes her journey says to anyone out there who's struggling to find their sense of place. Listen.
[06:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALYSA LIU, AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER: It's good to break down, I guess barriers and do risky things and, you know, go against some people sometimes. Yes, it's liberating.
WIRE: Can you teach me --
LIU: Yes --
WIRE: A pose, a position, I've got to -- I've got to -- LIU: Yes --
WIRE: Show these to my daughters --
LIU: OK --
WIRE: What have you got for me? What have you got for me?
LIU: We'll do my ending pose.
WIRE: Your ending pose --
LIU: So, you point your toe --
WIRE: Point your toe --
LIU: Hand on your hip --
WIRE: Hand on my hip --
LIU: And then point up --
WIRE: Point up --
LIU: And that's it --
WIRE: I got that gold medal glow --
LIU: Yes, you do --
WIRE: Congratulations --
LIU: Thank you.
WIRE: Amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: How do you like those lines, Victor? Good lines on me, give me a good score.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: Ten across the board, sharp --
WIRE: I'll keep working on it.
BLACKWELL: All right. Coy Wire --
WIRE: Listen, Victor, welcome to the city center of Milan here, I've got to show you something. We're next to the Duomo, built in 1386, the Milan cathedral, taking nearly 600 years to build. It's covered in more than 3,400 statues. Now, it is absolutely stunning, and it is a stunningly beautiful day here in the city center.
Right at the top of the Rinascente, a big mall, you would fit right in here, Victor, very high end, very nice top. People are enjoying their Aperol Spritzes, they're enjoying their espressos, and yes, you put in a ticket for me, you let me know what you want me to bring back, an Aperol Spritz or some fancy necktie for you, I got you covered, man.
BLACKWELL: Bring me back a Bellini and a necktie --
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: I'll take those two. Coy Wire, thanks so much.
WIRE: All right, brother.
BLACKWELL: All right, much more ahead in the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND, including business owners reacting to the supreme court's landmark ruling against Trump's tariffs.
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