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CNN This Morning

Supreme Court Rules Pres. Trump's Tariffs Are Illegal; Blizzard Conditions Expected Across Parts Of The Northeast; Iran's Foreign Minister Optimistic Deal Can be Reached Soon; Police Searching Former Home Of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor; Small Business Owner Who Sued Trump Over Tariffs Reacts To Supreme Court Ruling; Groups Sue Trump Admin Over National Park Crackdown. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired February 21, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They also are a, frankly, disgrace to our nation. Those justices. They're just being fools and lapdogs for the rhinos and the radical left Democrats.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump bashed the Supreme Court, including justices he appointed, after it struck down his emergency tariffs. But the president is now doubling down, imposing new tariffs. We've got new reaction to that coming in from world leaders.

The Pentagon is building up U.S. military assets in the Middle East as President Trump considers another strike on Iran. But Iran's foreign minister says there is still time for diplomacy.

Officials in Nevada say a man purposely rammed his car into a power substation, and they're investigating it as a terror-related event. We'll tell you what we know about that.

We have triggered our emergency operations plan.

BLACKWELL: Cyber-attack has nearly crippled one of Mississippi's largest health care systems. Dozens of clinics are closed, and some procedures have been canceled.

And there is no stopping Alysa Liu. We've got more of our Coy Wire sit-down conversation with the figure skater who just brought home that gold medal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Welcome to your weekend. It's Saturday, February 21. I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for joining us.

Leaders around the world are digesting now the latest turn in President Trump's trade war, hours after the Supreme Court delivered a major blow to the administration. Six-three ruling here, the court decided the president's sweeping tariffs are illegal. Two of the president's own picks for the court ruled against him. And now the question is, what happens to the more than $130 billion collected from tariffs? Some lawmakers say it needs to go back to consumers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): And what the Trump administration should have been doing over the past several months, knowing that this opinion was coming, is start putting in place a way to refund the money directly to the American families who paid for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, President Trump has not said anything about what will happen to that money but he's already retaliating against the ruling. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more. Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Victor, on Friday night, President Trump announcing on Truth Social that he had signed a 10 percent global tariff. Now, of course, this came after a press conference he gave where he railed against the Supreme Court and particularly the justices who had ruled against him. Of course, one thing to note is that two of those justices were handpicked by him. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, as well as Neil Gorsuch. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing. And I'm ashamed of certain members of the court -- absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, it was clear during this press conference that he was growing more and more angry. He was taking this incredibly personally. It seemed as though he believed, because he had appointed these justices in particular, that they should have ruled in his favor.

And the other part to point out here is just how critical these tariffs are to President Trump's agenda. Not just his economic agenda, which, of course, they serve as the center of. He has been using the revenue. He has touted the revenue from these tariffs.

In fact, they were counting on some of the revenue to pay off a hefty portion of these giant tax cuts that he signed into law as part of the big beautiful bill. But in addition to that, it's really been a source of power for President Trump on the international stage. He has used them as leverage in almost every foreign policy meeting that he has had with various leaders.

So, it's unclear how that's going to play out now. But, of course, we reported that there are other avenues. He said he's already going to impose these tariffs, as well as look into other ways to utilize various different trade laws, something we'll be keeping an eye on very closely.

But again, he views this as a real betrayal. At one point, he said that those justices that he had appointed were an embarrassment to their family. And got incredibly personal. Victor.

[07:05:22]

BLACKWELL: Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you. We're also hearing from world leaders in the wake of that Supreme Court ruling. French President Emmanuel Macron is praising the decision as good for democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through a translator): First, I think this invites everyone to reflect. It doesn't seem bad to have Supreme Court, and therefore a rule of law. For those who think Supreme Courts create problems in political life, Supreme Court looked at the Constitution and said, this is not in line with the Constitution.

Now, everyone says this is great. There you go. It's good to have checks and balances in democracies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Also new this morning, South Korean officials are meeting today after President Trump immediately slapped new 10 percent global tariffs. The foreign minister said the South Korean government will review the ruling and work on future response plans. Trump announced the new tariffs after the Supreme Court ruled that his emergency-based tariffs were illegal.

Let's go to CNN Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley now. Will, good morning.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Victor. Yes, it's interesting you mentioned South Korea. They, along with Japan, have pledged to invest tens of billions of dollars into the United States. Here in Taiwan as well.

You're talking about over $100 billion in investments to try to avoid these escalated tariffs that the Supreme Court has said, at least in some instances are illegal. So, now, there's a lot of questions about what's going to happen next. Is any of the money going to be reimbursed?

What is this going to mean for future negotiations with the Trump administration, which has essentially been a year and one month so far, Trump 2.0 of this chaos and uncertainty when it comes to foreign policy, particularly trade? So, when you have voices like Macron in France and voices in the EU at large saying that this is a victory for rule of law, certainly they're trying to be pointed in their response, yet they still have to figure out exactly how they're going to deal with the United States. The UK saying, for example, they're expecting their trade ties to continue a strong trade relationship between the U.S. and the UK. But business groups there say they're not sure what's going to happen now. Same thing in South Korea, where they're going to be reviewing and assessing next steps from here. New Zealand saying that any relief from tariffs would be welcome. But all of this uncertainty remains.

And then, of course, here in Taiwan, where they worked very hard as sort of an underdog to try to negotiate a trade deal with the United States, where they are now celebrating a huge increase in trade between the U.S. and Taiwan. Actually, Taiwan surpassing China at the end of last year in terms of export numbers. Meaning, that there's been such a steep drop in imports from China.

And such a surge in exports from Taiwan that Taiwan is actually now selling more to China -- more to the United States than it does to both China and Hong Kong. President Trump talked about Taiwan, actually, in his press conference at the White House. He mentioned it as a success story when it comes to his tariffs. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Taiwan would argue that they didn't steal the chip industry, but they spent decades building a chip manufacturing ecosystem that continues to send huge amounts of advanced chips, not just to the United States, but really vital for tech around the world. I think the bottom line, though, Victor, is that nations globally that have all been impacted by these tariffs now are looking at the rules possibly changing again. Existing trade deals are now in question.

And this just global uncertainty continues. Uncertainty and chaos have been two of the key words during this first year and one month of Trump 2.0, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Will Ripley for us from Taipei. Thanks so much.

Here are some of the headlines we are following this morning. A major cyber-attack has forced one of Mississippi's largest health systems to shut down clinics across the state. All 35 of University of Mississippi Medical Center's clinics are closed. Emergency rooms are still open, but officials warn that this could last for days. Doctors are using pen and paper because they cannot access electronic records.

Investigators are looking into what they believe was a planned terror attack on a power station in Nevada. Police say that 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. Now, he had 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 on the news. The power grid was not damaged, but officials are now reviewing security at other sites.

A mega wildfire is hitting the plains for a fourth straight day, with crews working nonstop. They're fighting more than a dozen wildfires that have already burned tens of thousands of acres. More than a million people in Eastern New Mexico and Western Texas are under alert.

The largest, known as the Ranger Road Mega Fire is nearly twice the size of Chicago, but only 20 percent contained. There is some relief ahead, though, with conditions expected to ease a bit later today.

[07:10:26]

Right now, there is a blizzard warning in effect for parts of the northeast from Connecticut to New York as another winter storm is moving in. Let's get right now to Meteorologist Chris Warren. Chris, walk us through what is potentially coming, because earlier in the week, it didn't look to be maybe this big of a deal.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yesterday morning it didn't look to be this big of a deal. But things can change.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WARREN: We get several forecast models that come in during a 24-hour period from different models and different times. And so what we're going to see with the rain and showers in the southeast associated with that area of low, it's going to strengthen. And as it does, the position of it will make a huge difference to see how much snow ends up falling and the wind. But the models have been trending closer to shore, which means the potential for a higher-impact event.

Snow right now not associated with what is to come, but there is some snow. This is what is to come. Local National Weather Service offices issuing winter storm warnings. And the orange color here from Delaware all the way up to Connecticut, blizzard warnings. So, blizzard conditions are possible, if not likely, in some of these areas.

So, with that, one of the forecast models, the European, starting to trend to a higher amount of snowfall, especially in New England. Whereas the American model, the GFS, has been consistent, saying this could be a blockbuster storm. So, with the European, coming more in line. With the GFS, it is possible some areas now will see several inches, maybe even a foot or more here by Monday.

And the west track does mean more snow a little bit farther offshore, which is still possiblewould mean a little bit less snow. And this all gets going during the day tomorrow with really things, Victor, ramping up into the evening hours tomorrow, lasting into the overnight into Monday. Power outages possible, and very treacherous travel.

BLACKWELL: Here we go again. Chris Warren, thank you.

Still ahead. Conservation groups have taken the Trump administration to court. They're fighting changes to America's national parks and monuments. Plus, the search for Nancy Guthrie enters now a fourth week. We'll hear from the 911 dispatchers who man the tip line.

Plus, Iran is laying out its vision of a nuclear deal with the U.S. just as the U.S. moves more military assets into the region. Can diplomacy ultimately win? We'll talk about that next.

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[07:17:29]

BLACKWELL: Iran is preparing a new draft proposal after nuclear talks with the U.S. Iran's foreign minister is optimistic about a deal. He says the U.S. has not asked Iran to halt uranium enrichment, and Tehran has not offered to suspend it voluntarily. He told MS Now they're hoping to hand over the new proposal to Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: And I don't think it takes long. Perhaps in a matter of a week or so, we can start real serious negotiations on the text and come to a conclusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Meanwhile, the president warns that he s considering limited strikes on Iran to pressure the country into a deal. The USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group is already in the Mediterranean Sea, 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.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins us now. Thanks for coming back. Let's take this in bites.

First, the optimism you're hearing from Foreign Minister Araghchi, at least on the path to substantive negotiations. I read that you see Iran playing the game it has always played. What do you see here in this optimism?

BEHNAM BEN TALEBLU, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF IRAN PROGRAM, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Well, great to be back with you again. I think we have to pay attention to who the real decision-makers are in the Islamic Republic of Iran. And that's not the foreign minister. It's actually the Supreme Leader.

And that's a title meant to be taken rather literally. And he hasn't been speaking that much since the end of the 12-day war with Israel and America. But he's spoken about maybe 14 or 16 times since then. And his most recent speech struck a drastically -- and I want to stress that for the audience, drastically different tone than what Araghchi has said, both in his Fox interview as well as in his MSNBC interview that you just alluded to.

So, while Araghchi is injecting a little bit of cautious optimism, I would say the chances of a deal are about 20 percent and dropping with the Islamic Republic at this rate. Even if, for example, enrichment was not discussed, there's a whole host of other issues that do divide and keep apart the U.S. and Iran, especially at this very tense moment.

BLACKWELL: And so, you say there's a strong contrast between what we're hearing from the ayatollah and what we're hearing from the foreign minister. What's the most relevant contrast that you hear from the supreme leader?

[07:20:00]

BEN TALEBLU: Well, I don't want to get too into the details. It might sound a bit too theological. But the supreme leader of Iran also is an ayatollah, as you mentioned. And he does reference Islamic political history and in particular Shiite political history to justify political moves.

For example, when he authorized nuclear negotiations with President Obama back in 2013 under the auspices of the P5+1, he talked about Imam Hassan and he talked about heroic flexibility, needing to show flexibility with your opponents. And that paved the pathway for the 2015 JCPOA deal.

But here, he's been talking about Imam Hussain, whose epithet, the master of martyrs, kind of tells you all you need to know about the direction the Islamic Republic is headed in. And is it -- it's quite rare also internally to have military, political, and religious elites sing from the same sheet of music. And the same sheet of music is that if there's a strike, no matter how limited, Iran will respond in a massive way.

BLACKWELL: And so, you mentioned the JCPOA that President Trump ended in his first term in 2018. And I just want to read a bit of what we learned from that interview from the foreign minister. We've not offered any suspension, and the U.S. has not -- the U.S. side has not asked for zero enrichment. What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever.

Which would be too similar to the JCPOA that it would be a complete contrast to what we're hearing from President Trump publicly. Is that credible at all that continuing enrichment program is part of the conversation?

BEN TALEBLU: Well, certainly, the challenge for the Islamic Republic right now is how to transpose the reality that they're currently not enriching since the end of the 12-day war into something that looks like it's a concession for the United States of America. And that's precisely why America can ask for bigger things, more things, more challenging things, because it's actually taken away enrichment from the Islamic Republic.

It's taken away the capacity. It hasn't taken away the capability, a.k.a. the know-how. But nonetheless, Iran is not currently enriching today. So, the Islamic Republic has increasingly -- I say, increasingly been able to actually threaten to restore enrichment or anything else like that. And therefore, it's trying to find a way to make Trump pay what he previously got for free. And that gets at the heart of the matter of enrichment in this agreement.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The USS Gerald Ford, that carrier strike group, is in the Mediterranean. Of course, the Abraham Lincoln has been there for some time. You've said that the chance of a deal is 20 percent and dropping. So, we know what you believe about the potential for a military strike. What are the indicators from Iran that they believe that a military strike is coming?

BEN TALEBLU: Well, it's actually very interesting that both America and Iran continue to talk about being interested in negotiations, but also continue to do things physically that tell you that they're getting ready for a strike. The Islamic Republic, for example, continues to build back better when it comes to its ballistic missile program. We know that that's really the spinal cord of its deterrence at this point in time. It's the long pole of the regime's security strategy.

And then, most importantly, it seems to be a hardening some nuclear sites. So, in the case that there's a strike that is not just against missile facilities, but actually against what's left of the nuclear program, particularly, you know, a future -- a plant that is believed to be a future enrichment facility or previous research and development labs. Those things per commercial satellite imagery are being hardened. So, when you take its tough rhetoric on missiles, and then you look at this kind of hardening and dispersal, it looks like both sides are getting ready for exit options from negotiations.

BLACKWELL: Behnam Ben Taleblu, thank you so much for being with us.

Still ahead. Police are gathering evidence after the arrest of the former Prince Andrew. Where do investigation could go from here? Plus, where will the billions of dollars in tariffs go now that the Supreme Court says they were illegal? We'll speak with one business owner who sued the administration.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:39]

BLACKWELL: British police are still searching the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. And it's expected to extend into next week. Now, 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. UK media outlets are reporting 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. Two things here. Let's talk about that investigation and the potential that he could be removed from the line of royal succession.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, Victor. The investigation is still ongoing. But Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation. He isn't under bail, so he's not under any conditions specifically. But that doesn't remove the possibility of him being rearrested for further questioning if police deem it necessary.

Now, we understand that he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct while in public office. And it's understood that this is all centered around his time as the UK trade envoy, between 2001 and 2011. And this comes after documents were released by the U.S. Department of Justice, as part of the Epstein files, which appear to indicate that the former Prince Andrew may have shared sensitive government information with the convicted sex defendant, Jeffrey Epstein.

[07:30:07]

So, somewhat different from the allegations surrounding the Epstein scandal. And as you mentioned, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has not commented on these most recent allegations, although, he has previously denied any wrongdoing, in relation to the Epstein scandal.

But, of course, as you mentioned, the investigation is ongoing. There are multiple calls now for further accountability, including questions around the possibility of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being removed from the line of succession. That is something that lawmakers in Parliament may be considering, following the end of this investigation, once it does come to a close.

He is already, of course, been stripped of his royal title, but he remains eighth in line to the throne here in the United Kingdom. But, of course, as the investigation continues, police will be looking for further evidence to substantiate any claims that have been made against him, That includes searching his properties, but also, includes, according to London's Metropolitan Police, reaching out to his current and former close protection officers for any information they might be able to provide with regards to things they may have witnessed while serving for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Nada Bashir, reporting from London. Thank you.

The search for Nancy Guthrie is now in its fourth week. Investigators are facing mounting pressure to find a suspect. Right now, they are running more lab tests on DNA found at Guthrie's house and on gloves found two miles from the home.

Teams of FBI and local law enforcement are also reviewing thousands of hours of video obtained from the greater Tucson area. Authorities believe Guthrie was taken from her home against her will, but still have no theory about why. The biggest break in the case so far is this surveillance footage. I'm sure you've seen it by now. And images recovered from Guthrie's doorbell camera. After releasing the images to the public, the FBI and Pima County were flooded with thousands of tips, some more helpful than others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOANNE AMSTUTZ, DISPATCH SUPERVISOR, 911: We are also getting a lot of calls with just people that have theories and ideas of things, which I get that they are trying to help. But sometimes, it inundates our call load and makes it hard for us to deal with, like 911 calls to actually come in and whatnot too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, if you have information about Nancy Guthrie or potentially a suspect, call the number on your screen.

Small business owners are trying to weigh their options after President Trump's so-called Liberation Day tariffs were ruled unconstitutional.

Now, the president he did not hold back. He lashed out at the entrepreneur who sued him over his tariff policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know the people that brought the lawsuit, you know, they are sleaze bags, major sleaze bags.

We got sued by sleaze bags. I know them well, that are very outside country. China centric, but outside country centric. And they are going to end up not doing as well as they did before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Joining me now is the man who sued Trump and won Rick Woldenberg, he is the CEO of Learning Resources. Rick, thanks for joining me this morning. I know it's been a busy 18 hours or so since the ruling.

I'm going to ask for two reactions, because I saw you in the preview monitor. React silently to what the president said about you. Let me start there. Any words in response to what the how the president described you personally?

RICK WOLDENBERG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LEARNING RESOURCES Well, I'm not usually called a sleaze bag. We make educational products for schools and homes, not very controversial. And I don't think a lot of people think we are sleaze bags.

BLACKWELL: All right. Second reaction to the Supreme Court ruling.

WOLDENBERG: Well, obviously, really gratified. You know, when Liberation Day came along, the future of our family business was threatened significantly. We have been in family business for over 100 years, and we are also a mission driven business. We are trying to give kids a great start in life. That, plus the relationship with our employees and their families who depend on us, was a threat to our existence. And so, we had to pursue this and to have the court stand with us that in our contention that it was an unlawful tax, and to also to reinforce the rule of law meant a lot to us. We are proud of this.

BLACKWELL: And so, as you know, the Supreme Court offered no remedy to return the money, or even said that the administration must do it. What will be your first step to try to recover the money you spent?

WOLDENBERG: I think the case has been remanded to the Court of International Trade, who very often oversees this kind of resolution, this kind of dispute.

Also, the federal government has made numerous filings in our case and other cases indicating if the tariffs were declared unlawful, they would return them.

[07:35:02]

So, the fear mongering, the hand wringing about how difficult this is, it's hard to take seriously, they are very good at taking the money. I think they should just reverse the gears and give it back. And I expect that's what's going to happen.

BLACKWELL: How much did you spend additionally because of these tariffs?

WOLDENBERG: Well, when we finally toted it up for 2025, we had spent over $10 million. Plus, additional monies on the expenses of moving our supply chain, and that's putting aside the cost of litigation, and we have spent more in '26, I don't have that number.

So, it's a very substantial sum. We borrowed it from the bank, and we would like the money back. But, you know, we danced between the raindrops, and we finished the year in a healthy condition, and we are ready to start growing again. We've got to get out of the cycle of being reactive and run our business.

BLACKWELL: Did you have to raise your prices because of the tariffs?

WOLDENBERG: For sure, we did. Our marginal tax rate last year was over 100 percent, between federal, state, and IEEPA taxes. You can't run a business where make a dollar, spend more than a dollar in taxes that has a very sad ending. And we can't do any good for people if we get sick.

So, we had a modest mid-single digits price increase last year, but we also strongly believe we wouldn't, within this case, which we did. So, we elected not to raise our prices for '26. And so, we are trying to give the money back by averaging our price down. And I would hope that by the end of next year, our prices will be where they would have been, but for the tariffs. (CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: OK. So --

WOLDENBERG: So, we are trying to get back to something fair and reasonable as quickly as we can.

BLACKWELL: So, you are trying to return your prices back to where they were, or at least, mitigate the increase now that the tariffs have ended.

Let me ask you this question. If the 10 million, and you say 10 million just in tariffs, if that's returned to you, do you return any of that to the to the customer who paid the increase based on the tariff.

WOLDENBERG: Some customers actually reimbursed us for tariffs. So, of course, they will get their money back with the same interest that we collect from the government.

But, you know, it's very difficult to assign us the task of putting Humpty Dumpty back together again when the government shoved them off the top of the wall. So, I'm not sure how we do that. The approach that we have taken when considering this equitable question is to return our prices as quickly as we can to where they would have been.

Remember, we are in an inflationary environment too.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Sure.

WOLDENBERG: So, costs rise every year. So, we are trying to average it down, and I think that, that will be welcome with our customers.

BLACKWELL: Rick Woldenberg, I appreciate the conversation. Thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, America is running out of Topo Chico. Help. What's causing a shortage of this popular mineral water? And if you are 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.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:43:06]

BLACKWELL: Three people have been killed in another American strike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific. The U.S. military released a statement, saying the vessel was operated by "designated" terrorist organizations.

At least, 138 people have been killed in strikes on boats which the Trump administration says are aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.

About a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein will be guests of several Democratic lawmakers at the State of the Union address Tuesday. The survivor's appearance comes weeks after Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to acknowledge them as she testified in a House hearing about how the Justice Department handled that investigation.

Now, if you love Topo Chico, prepare yourself. Have a seat. The mineral water is currently unavailable here in the U.S. Coca Cola says it's upgrading facilities to address quality issues that have impacted Topo Chico's water source in Monterey, Mexico. So, it has to stop production just for now.

In a letter to distributors, Coca Cola says it expects the mineral water to return to us shelves later this year. Other Topo Chico drinks are not affected.

One of the latest legal challenges against executive orders focuses on a national park crackdown. You remember, President Trump has ordered the removal of what he called corrosive ideology from national parks.

Where parks across the country changed or took down displays on everything from slavery to LGBTQ+ rights and climate change. But now, a group of scientists, park rangers, and others are suing. They say America can handle the truth about its troubled past.

The Trump administration is dismissing the lawsuit, saying in part, that it's "based on inaccurate and mischaracterized information."

With me now, Edward Stierli with the National Parks Conservation Association.

[07:45:00]

Edward, good morning to you. I want to read something from your senior director of your organization. He wrote in a statement to POLITICO that the lawsuit that you and others have filed is taking a stand for the soul of our National Park. Say more.

EDWARD STIERLI, SENIOR REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE MID-ATLANTIC, NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION: Yes. Good morning, Victor. And thanks for having me on.

You know, that's absolutely right. I mean, here, we are in 2026, at a time when we should be celebrating, you know, America's 250th birthday. And unfortunately, for the last month, you know, we have seen the Trump administration now, which is focused on, you know, erasing history, censoring science in our national parks.

You know, and this is one of the reasons why national parks exist to begin with, and we feel as though it's threatening, you know, the very ideals of both parks and America.

BLACKWELL: I read just a few words of the statement from the White House. Let me read the statement in full. "This lawsuit filed by radical left-wing organizations is based on inaccurate and mischaracterized information. The Department of the Interior is engaged in an ongoing review of our nation's American history exhibits in accordance with the president's executive order to eliminate corrosive ideology, restore sanity, and reinstate the truth. However, the department's actions are not yet finalized, and therefore, these lawsuits are premature." What do you say to that?

STIERLI: I mean, we have seen the facts as they are playing out in the ground right now. You know, over the last couple of weeks, we have seen the administration, you know, direct park service employees to take a crowbar to science and parks.

You know, these are exhibits and displays about that tell the story of slavery in the United States. You know, our struggle for civil rights, for women's history, LGBTQ history. You know, climate science. I mean, we are, you know, we are seeing this played out right now.

So, it's certainly not premature to move forward in this. You know, in fact, over the last couple of weeks, we have seen, particularly at Philadelphia, at Independence Hall, for example, where, you know, the administration, you know, forced the Park Service to remove an exhibit that told the story of slavery at the first president's house, and now, we are forced to partially restore it the other day.

So, you know, certainly we view censorship has no role in our parks. And you know, we need to act swiftly on this, you know, to make sure that this doesn't happen.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and a judge ordered that those panels be replaced, and they have been to be put back up. You know, even in my introduction, I think we often consider this in a domestic framework, like American history for Americans. What is your view about what this means for the 14 million or so international viewers to our national parks every year and the story that we tell the world?

STIERLI: Yes. I mean, I would say certainly, when you visit our national parks, you learned about the complex history of the United States, you know, at a time when we are celebrating 250 years of since America's founding, I mean, this is a great time to show both the good and the bad parts of our history.

You know, for example, when you visit Independence Hall, there is no doubt that you leave a tour or a ranger program feeling inspired about, you know, the accomplishments of our founding fathers, of the founding of our nation, but you also need to learn about the juxtaposition of the people who were enslaved by some of those very same people who -- and the struggle that they had to go through at that same time.

So, I think it's important that we tell this entire story. You know, indigenous history is American history, women's history is American history. Our civil rights story, it's all a part of our narrative, and it's important that we tell the complete and whole story, because we know that Americans overall want to hear the truth.

BLACKWELL: Edward Stierli, thanks so much for the conversation this morning. Still ahead, American figure skater Alysa Liu, fresh off winning two Olympic gold medals, speaks with CNN's Coy Wire about what's next. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:58]

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.

CNN's Coy Wire, joins us now from Milan. Coy, how you doing?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Man, Victor, incredible day. I'm not doing good, I'm doing great.

The NHL players, they are back in the N.H. -- in the Olympics for the first. Time in 12 years, and these guys are showing out.

The U.S. completely, trouncing Slovakia six to two in the semifinal. Their droves of NHL stars like Jack Hughes out there. Hughes had two of those goals in this game. That means we get an epic gold medal game. Just like the women's hockey final. Team USA versus Canada. That will be on Sunday, February 22nd. That's the same date as the 1980 U.S. versus Soviet Union Miracle on Ice game.

These teams have combined for 27 Olympic medals overall. Canada has the most all-time. The U.S. has third.

After years of trying, Team USA's high flyer, Alex Ferreira is finally at the top of the Olympic podium, taking gold in men's free ski halfpipe, getting his best score on his final run at 31 years old. He had won silver in Pyeongchang, bronze in Beijing. His mom said he wanted to complete the rainbow. He got his gold here in Italy.

Now, Victor, he has an alter ego, hot dog, Hans. He dresses up as an old man and goes down these slopes just completely shocking the other skiers pulling off moves that won him Olympic gold.

Now, I caught up with Team USA's superstar figure skater, gold medalist Alysa Liu. She is the prime example of being unashamedly yourself. Her unique piercings, her striped hair. I asked her what she hopes her journey says to all of those out there struggling to find their sense of place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALYSA LIU, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: 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.

[07:55:02]

WIRE: Can you teach me a pose a position? (CROSSTALK)

LIU: Yes.

WIRE: I got to --

LIU: Yes.

WIRE: I got to show these to my daughters. Right?

LIU: OK.

WIRE: Where we got one. Here we got one.

LIU: We will do my ending pose.

WIRE: Your ending pose.

LIU: So, you point your toe.

WIRE: Point the 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: Oh! I got that gold medal glow!

LIU: Yes! You do it.

WIRE: Congratulations.

LIU: Thank you.

WIRE: Amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right, Victor. We are on the top of Green Ashanti (PH), a big shopping center on the HBO Max set. I have not had gelato since I've been here. I wanted to save this moment for you. Gelato in Italy is, yes, it makes me want to slap my mama. I love you, mom.

Also, this is not just any old cannoli. It's like a transformer. You got the pistachio and the chocolate.

Oh, Mamma Mia.

And I told them, I said, I want to have a drink with my friend on air. But they brought me two drinks, Aperol Spritz. Oh, my goodness. And Victor --

BLACKWELL: Wait, you don't have to taste both of them, Coy. They both taste the same.

WIRE: Yours is good too. I love you, Man.

BLACKWELL: All right, Coy. Enjoy Italy. All right. Thanks, Coy.

Hey, "FIRST OF ALL" is coming up at the top of the hour, ahead of the State of the Union next week, we are checking in on the state of black MAGA. And my guest says Trump's support among the black voters who backed him in 2024 is starting to crater. Is that true? We will discuss.

Plus, rapper Luther Campbell is here to talk about his plan to run for Congress in South Florida. Could Uncle Luke soon be Congressman Luke?

And this may be my favorite story, the morning. The story behind a new cartoon character that had people online with some mixed feelings. Captain Durag. You'll meet him this morning.

Those stories and conversations you will not see anywhere else coming up after a short break on "FIRST OF ALL".