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Isa Soares Tonight
Milan Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Begins; Iran's Foreign Minister Says Indirect Talks With U.S. In Oman Are A Good Beginning As Both Sides Agree To More Discussions In The Future; Bipartisan Outrage In The U.S. As President Trump Shares A Racist Video Depicting The Obamas As Apes; Dow Hits 50,000 Points For First Time; Trump Shares Racist Video Depicting Obamas As Apes; U.S.-Iran Talks End In Oman, Iran Says They'll Continue; Opening Ceremony For Winter Olympics Underway In Italy. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 06, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony
begins this hour. We're live from Milan with all the excitement as well as expectations ahead of the games.
Then, Iran's Foreign Minister says indirect talks with U.S. in Oman are a good beginning as both sides agree to more discussions in the future. I'll
have the very latest on that. Plus, bipartisan outrage in the U.S. as President Trump shares a racist video depicting the Obamas as apes, which
was then removed hours later.
We'll have that and much more ahead. Right now, though, literally at this moment, the 25th Winter Olympics are getting underway in Italy. The opening
ceremonies are always a must-see as you know, as the host country tries to really wow the world.
Among the big moments look forward to will be performances by singers Mariah Carey as well as Andrea Bocelli; one of the legends of Italy as you
well know. These Olympics come at a fragile time as relations between the U.S. and its long-time allies in the west have never been more strained.
As well as tensions are running high, of course, in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere. Let's get to the Olympics and to the sport, our
"WORLD SPORTS" Amanda Davies is the lucky reporter correspondent there on the ground to cover the game. She's one of many I know.
Amanda, she joins us now live from Milan. So, Amanda, talk us through the opening ceremony. What we can expect, some big names, Mariah Carey, Andrea
Bocelli, just to name a few.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, this is Olympic games number eight for me, Isa, and I have to say, it's really exciting to be back here on the
ground at a Winter Olympics after the COVID restrictions of Beijing four years ago.
I was covering that one from London, so it's great to get back to to this feeling. But so much has happened already. It feels like we're making up
for lost time, and it's hard to believe that this opening ceremony is only just getting started. But that is what is happening.
This is the first ever Winter Olympic games with three venues. So, we've got a ceremony, unusually being spread out across Cortina, which is in the
mountains, about a six-hour drive from here, then Livigno, and then we've got here in Milan at the San Siro, no less.
And a sporting venues is going -- it really doesn't get much more iconic than the San Siro. It's the home of AC and Inter Milan. I know your boys
will be very excited about that. You know, it hosted the Champions League final in 2016, and that infamous Cameroon victory over Argentina at Italia
'90, which is more -- you're in my generation.
SOARES: Yes --
DAVIES: But the theme for this ceremony we're told is "Armonia", and that means harmony, which, as you rightly point out, is incredibly apt in these
political and social times. We were sitting just alongside the U.S. delegation of J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio at the -- at the hockey last
night, the women's ice hockey.
You mentioned Andrea Bocelli, you mentioned Mariah Carey. We've got the pianist Lang Lang, who is also putting on a bit of a show. And you can't be
in Milan without fashion. And apparently, there is going to be a really special tribute to the late Giorgio Armani, who passed away at the age of
91 last year.
For so long, he designed the Italian Olympic uniforms, I remember some incredible details, like the words of their national anthem inside the
jackets in the lining. But this is a real show of, you know, culture, and that sport fashion crossover that we're seeing at the moment across
society.
So, there are going to be some brilliant uniforms. Mongolia's are epic. They're getting a real reputation for that. They were in Paris at the
Summer games in '24. Paris pretty classy, I've got to say. But Haiti, have a look out for that one as well.
And then the climax, which is what this opening ceremony is all about after, you know, the Olympic torch has spent the last three months
traveling from Olympia in Greece, the home of the Olympic movement, all the way across Italy to here in Milan.
It actually passed by us just underneath a CNN studio a few hours ago. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has carried it today, but there will then be
that iconic moment, which is the lighting of the cauldron. And that means the games will officially begin.
[14:05:00]
SOARES: And do we know -- Amanda on that point? Do we know who is going to light the cauldron? Someone Italian, I'm guessing.
DAVIES: Yes, I have to say, I don't. I haven't seen the full running order. It is generally released a short while before, and I'm afraid I haven't
been able to see it. But it is going to be different because we've got these different elements --
SOARES: Yes --
DAVIES: Of the torches, and the different parts of the flames across these few venues. So, I think it's going to be fascinating to see how it all
plays out.
SOARES: Absolutely. And they always do it so creatively and so beautifully, Amanda. One thing that I know you have your eyes, you know, on very clearly
is U.S. star Lindsey Vonn, who I believe skiing just, you know, after weeks of having a ruptured ACL.
I mean, she is a phenomenal woman. Just talk us through how she looked today during her training run. Give us a sense of what you saw.
DAVIES: Yes, I think it's fair to say that Lindsey Vonn will be focusing on other things other than the opening ceremony this evening. Her coach, Aksel
Lund Svindal described her first run earlier today as smart skiing. And I think it's being viewed as a step in the right direction for her.
It was her first downhill training run in Cortina. She got through it despite the best attempts of the weather to try and thwart her early return
to action. But to put it into context, it was a week today that she suffered that really serious crash in Switzerland and completely ruptured
her ACL on her left knee.
But she made it. She was wearing a knee brace. It wasn't perfect by any means, but this is the venue that's brought her more success than any
other female alpine skier. I have to say, for those of us watching on who have invested in Lindsey's story over the last couple of years, we were
holding our breaths and wincing with every single time she hit the snow.
But she gave very little away afterwards. She seemed pretty happy. She finished 11th in a field of 43, and she's invested so much in this combat -
- comeback, very much against the odds since her return to action after she retired in 2019, she then had knee replacement surgery on her other leg, on
her right leg.
And it seems all the messaging from her and her camp, she is not giving up on the idea of this Olympic competition number five, a chance of winning a
medal. She has mentioned gold, but it will be really interesting to see after the last few days -- last few days.
But this would be 16 years after she won her gold in Vancouver. And she's saying, you know, very philosophically, I know how lucky I am, I'm not
going to waste this chance, I'm going to give it all I've got. And her and her team are going to decide overnight tonight if she's going to do another
training-run tomorrow, which she can.
But because she's already got one in the bag, she doesn't have to do that. So, she could just decide to work on the rehab, rest a little bit, and of
course, then give everything and more in terms of Sunday's big race.
SOARES: Well, we are all rooting for her, that is for sure. Amanda Davies will join us in about what? Forty minutes or so here on the show live from
Milan, of course, looking very dashing, you look glorious, Amanda, great colors on you, great to see you.
Amanda will join us in -- a bit later in the show. Good to see you, Amanda. Well, the U.S. is keeping up economic pressure on Iran even as it pursues a
diplomatic resolution to concerns over its nuclear program. The two sides held indirect talks in Oman today for the first time since the U.S. and
Israel bombed Iran last Summer.
They agreed to hold more discussions without giving details. Moments after the talks were over, the U.S. rolled out new sanctions on Iranian oil and
vessels. Earlier, Iran's Foreign Minister said the talks were a good start, but acknowledged some issues of trust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS ARAGHCHI, FOREIGN MINISTER, IRAN (through translator): This mistrust has been created, and this was added to the previous mistrust between
parties. But there is a big challenge on the way of the negotiations.
And we want to create a framework, a new framework for negotiations which would ensure the interests of the people of Iran. But today's negotiation
was carried out positively and it will continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more on this. Betsy Klein is at the White House. So, Betsy, both sides agreeing to continue talks. I suspect that is a good
sign. What more do we -- do you understand came out of these talks from the U.S. side?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, Isa, we're still waiting for a readout from the United States, from the Trump administration. But as you
just said, I think it's very positive sign for these talks that there are plans to continue these discussions.
The U.S., of course, still looking to put economic pressure on Iran as we saw them roll out a new batch of sanctions on Iranian oil just moments
after these talks wrapped up. And it's notable who was in the room here. The talks were led on the U.S. side by the President's special envoy Steve
Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
[14:10:00]
But there was a third name, a third person in the room that was quite notable, and that is U.S. Central Command Commander Brad Cooper. This is
the first time that a U.S. military official has been this involved in these discussions. And these were indirect talks.
They did not sit down across from each other in a room at a table. It was moderated instead by Oman, and it marked the first time that these two
sides had had direct or indirect negotiations since the U.S. launched those significant airstrikes over the Summer on Iranian nuclear facilities.
And according to Iranian media, Iran's Foreign Minister presented what was described as a preliminary plan to, quote, "manage the current situation
between the U.S. and Iran." And prior to those talks, Tehran had indicated that they wanted to keep these discussions very narrowly focused on Iran's
nuclear program.
The U.S. instead had much broader expectations for these talks. We heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio prior to the talks that in addition to
the nuclear program, he wanted to discuss nuclear ballistic missiles, support for militant groups in the Middle East, as well as Iran's treatment
of its people.
We do not yet have details on the scope of today's meetings and whether any of those topics were addressed. But the biggest sticking point that the
U.S. has made very clear that it rejects Iran's demand to enrich uranium. It's not clear at this point whether there was any progress made in those
discussions.
But it all comes as the U.S. has moved significant military assets into the Middle East. That includes the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.
And prior to these talks, President Trump making very clear he had no plans to tone down his rhetoric.
In an interview with "NBC News" just a couple of days ago, he said that Iran's supreme leader, quote, "should be very worried." Now, one thing we
don't yet know is where and when this next round of talks will take place. We do expect it to again be in Oman, but no time or place has been set or
announced just yet.
So, we'll be watching very closely for how the U.S. ends up talking about these discussions and how that moves the ball forward here.
SOARES: Indeed, and that readout, if it does come. Betsy, thanks for laying it all out for us, appreciate it. And we will have much more on this story,
we'll speak with an Iranian journalist who says his government is under enormous pressure at home, and that could influence its willingness to
potentially make a deal.
You don't want to miss that conversation in about 20 minutes time. Well, a Russian General has been shot and severely wounded in Moscow. That is
according to the Russian investigative committee. It says Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev is in serious condition in intensive care.
He was serving as a deputy head of Russian Military Intelligence, and this is the latest in a series of attacks on top military leaders. Our Fred
Pleitgen has more details on the shooting for you from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Another one of Vladimir Putin's top generals targeted right here in Moscow.
This time it was the deputy head of Russia's Military Intelligence Service, the GRU, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev.
Now, the investigative committee here in Russia says in the early morning hours of this morning, he was gunned down inside a residential building in
the northwest of Moscow. The investigative committee says so far, they've not apprehended any suspect.
However, they are saying that there is forensic work going on, that they are going through surveillance camera, video, CCTV video, and have also
talked to eyewitnesses as well. The Lieutenant General himself, the Russians say, is in a hospital now, and as they put it, in serious
condition.
Now, this is not the first time top Russian military officials were targeted here in the Russian capital. In fact, about a month ago, a top
military commander was killed in a car bomb incident here in the Russian capital. And at the end of 2024, there was a major car bombing also here in
Moscow that killed another top military official.
So far, the Russians say they do not have a suspect. They don't know who is behind this. However, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, has come out
and blamed the Ukrainians and accused the Ukrainians of trying to derail a negotiations process that, of course, is going on at the moment.
The Ukrainians themselves have not commented on the matter, but the Kremlin has, the Kremlin saying they understand that their top military brass is at
risk, of course, with the military operation in Ukraine ongoing. At the same time, they also say that they wish the General a recovery and a speedy
one at that. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, Storm Leonardo has forced thousands of evacuations in both Spain and Portugal. There's more rain, unfortunately, on the way.
Torrential downpours have swamped the Iberian Peninsula, large parts of the Portuguese town of Alcacer do Sal remain partially submerged for a third
day after the River Sado overflowed, as you can see there, into the streets.
One of Spain's main rivers, the Guadalquivir, was closed to bursting its banks. Today, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is warning tough days
are coming as the country braces for more storms this weekend. Well, we are keeping a close eye, as you've seen along in the last 15 minutes on the Dow
Jones, because the Dow is nearing the 50,000 mark.
[14:15:00]
It's been flirting with it for the last few moments, as you can see. And that of course, hitting the 50,000 points, that would be a big milestone.
Markets are enjoying a bit of a Friday rebound after this week's selloff. I understand that the Dow rally is really driven in part by performances that
we've seen from Goldman Sachs, the banking giant, Caterpillar, Amgen, Sherwin-Williams.
I understand healthcare stocks as well doing particularly well, such as Johnson & Johnson and Merck, as well as consumer staples such as Coca-Cola
and Walmart, all contributing to the Dow's gains, flirting ever so closely to 50,000. We'll have much more coming up on this "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS".
So, do look out for that, and we'll continue to have a look at the Dow, keep an eye on the Dow for you, but at least, it's green arrows right at
this moment. Still to come tonight, a suicide bombing rocks a mosque in Pakistan's capital in what is the country's deadliest attack in years.
We'll have the very latest for you. And then later, new urgency to find Nancy Guthrie. We'll tell you what we've learned about a second ransom
deadline.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, Pakistan is reeling from a suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. Authorities say at least 31 people were killed at a Shiite
Mosque, roughly 170 others were injured. And it happened at the height of Friday prayers when the Mosque was filled with hundreds of worshipers.
This marked the deadliest attack in the country in three years. But the insurgency in Pakistan is being fueled in part by U.S. weapons left behind
after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Our Ivan Watson traveled to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and has this exclusive report,
and a warning, some of the images in the report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): These are M-16 rifles, property of U.S. government.
(voice-over): Along the border with Afghanistan, the newest generation of Jihadi militants carry out insurgent attacks using weapons that were made
in the USA.
(on camera): And it's manufactured by FN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
WATSON: USA, out of Columbia, South Carolina.
(voice-over): The Pakistani military gives me an exclusive look, bringing me to the border town of Wana, and the aftermath of a recent suicide truck
bomb.
[14:20:00]
(on camera): The size of this explosion, you can tell, was massive. It ripped out the fortifications, the walls here at the front, at the gate of
the school, and killed in this location at least three Pakistani army soldiers.
(voice-over): Moments after the blast, four insurgents stormed the school.
(on camera): These steps are still splattered with the blood of a school cook and a waiter who were both killed.
(voice-over): This could have been a bloodbath because there were more than 500 students aged 12 to 18 on campus. But over the next 24 hours, Pakistani
soldiers successfully evacuated all of them before killing all of the insurgents. Colonel Muhammad Tahir(ph) of the Pakistani Special Forces says
the attackers were all citizens of Afghanistan.
(on camera): Look closely here, what does it say, colonel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, it says property of U.S. government.
WATSON: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: M-16.
WATSON: I'm taking photos of the serial numbers of these M-16s. And what we'll try to do is go back and kind of cross-reference them, check with the
U.S. government to find out what they're doing here.
(voice-over): The U.S. military confirmed to CNN, that three out of the four rifles were supplied to Afghan security forces in and around Kabul
years before the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The Pentagon declined comment further on this matter.
(on camera): I've counted more than a 100 M-16s, all with the marking, "property of U.S. government", and the Pakistani military says that these
were all captured from the hands of killed Taliban fighters.
What happens to the weapons that were supplied to the Afghan government?
JOHN SOPKO, FORMER SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION: Well, the Taliban get it all, or a majority of it.
WATSON (voice-over): John Sopko spent 12 years as Special Inspector General for the U.S'. $148 billion Afghanistan Reconstruction Program. It provided
billions in weapons to the Afghan security forces.
SOPKO: Three hundred thousand some small arms weapons ended up with the Taliban, and it could go down the list. I mean, grenade launchers,
communication stuff.
WATSON: In a video statement, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban denied accusations that the Afghan government was arming his fighters. Pakistani
military statistics show a surge in casualties since 2021, the year the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
This war is getting worse. Violence fueled in part by a huge armory of U.S. weapons, a legacy of America's 20-year long war in Afghanistan. Ivan
Watson, CNN, along the Pakistani border with Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, bipartisan backlash after President Trump shares a racist image of former President Barack Obama and former
first lady Michelle Obama. What the White House is now saying about that video. And then later, a new plea for the return of Nancy Guthrie, the
mother of "NBC's" Savannah Guthrie.
We're also keeping a close eye, as you can see on the Dow Jones. Let's have a look, and we bring you the Dow full screen if we have it from our
Director, Paul. And there you go, the Dow Jones had been flirting for hours now on the 50,000. It's now hit that mark. A busy day of course.
Here, we'd seen a selloff not only in stocks, we're seeing also tech stocks early in the week had been dragging down Wall Street. That has had -- we
had a turnaround now after what has been a turbulent few days. Some banking stocks, but tech stocks primarily really turning the tide here.
So, Dow Jones ending the week on this big milestone, of course, as you know, hitting 50,000. The question now is how far does it go? We're going
to take a short break. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: And I want to bring you the breaking news that we had just brought you in the last few minutes before we went to break. The Dow Jones hit a
major milestone, hitting 50,000, is now creeping back down again. Fifty thousand mark for the first time ever.
Let's get Richard Quest on this. So, Richard -- do we have Richard with us? Oh, he's not with us. I promise you, he will come to us, but he is not with
us right now. But this is a major milestone, of course, for of course, for the Dow Jones. We had seen some volatility in the market for some time.
But banking stocks doing particularly well when I looked just before it hit the 50,000 mark. Banking stocks doing well. And it is tech stocks that seem
to have turned around as well. Look, I promise you, Richard Quest and he's here.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Yes, you know, I was just upstairs in the office, apologies --
SOARES: I'm glad you came here to save me. How --
QUEST: Don't look at my desk. I don't look at my --
(LAUGHTER)
SOARES: How significant -- I mean, this is -- this is -- this is a bit --
QUEST: Oh, look, I love this. I love these stories because it's a number, is a number, is a number, it's meaningless at one level.
SOARES: Is it?
QUEST: Yes, well, no, it's a -- it's a meaningless number. It's 15 -- it's 50,000. It's -- you know, why is that any different? The significance of it
because that's what you need to know --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: The significance is that the market had been down so sharply in recent weeks, recent days, four days out of -- three days out of four
because they were worried, first of all, the entropic. Secondly, A.I., fourth -- you know, thirdly, the results, was it all going to happen?
So, what changed in the last 24 hours? Nothing. Nothing --
SOARES: So --
QUEST: Other than a feeling that actually the A.I. revolution is going to pay dividends, whether it's this year, next year or whatever, it is going
to pay dividends. And now that we've had Amazon saying they're spending 200 billion this year, you've had Alphabet saying 200 billion.
SOARES: Nvidia as well, I think I saw some comments on Nvidia also coming out recently on the list --
QUEST: Right, and they're all -- it's Nvidia that's pushing the market --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Up today. They're all basically saying, look, we know there is a risk that this isn't going to go as well as everybody hopes, but it is
going to happen. And this is what is being priced in. This is -- it's not - - it's what Mohamed El-Erian beautifully calls rational exuberance. Rational irrationality.
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: That's what this is.
SOARES: So, viewers looking at this and thinking, you know, the economy is doing well, Richard. You know, all this -- all this thinking the U.S.
economy isn't doing well. Is this a sign --
QUEST: No --
SOARES: That the U.S. economy is on --
QUEST: No --
SOARES: A healthy path?
QUEST: No, it's not. This is a sign that the market is pricing in what it believes is going to happen with the tech stocks, how it's going -- you see
the entropic announcement, you know, where computers can program --
SOARES: Yes --
QUEST: Themselves -- sorry, you can all do it, we can all buy it ourselves. The entropic announcement was very bad for some companies, but it was good
for those that make that sort of software.
SOARES: Yes, it is -
[14:30:04]
QUEST: And that's the underlying tension that's taking place in the market at the moment. We saw it when the Chinese announced their own version of
chat GPI -- ChatGPT and the market fell very, very sharply and then bounced back again. This market has a natural ebullience about it. It wants to
rally. And in the absence of really serious reasons otherwise, it's going to continue to bounce back.
SOARES: And it's still in 50,000. Paul, bring it up. Yes, it is.
QUEST: Yes. The --
SOARES: The question is how far does it go? How far does it go?
QUEST: What, today or --
SOARES: I mean -- I mean, it's -- it seems to be doing pretty well today.
QUEST: OK. Will we close over 50,000?
SOARES: What's your -- what do you think?
QUEST: I've got a 50-50 choice. Yes, I think we will.
SOARES: We've got about an hour and a half for this.
QUEST: The only thing that could really take it off would be that the market in that last 20 minutes -- trades are in 10 minutes -- they tend to
sort of correct the algorithms, correct and all of that.
SOARES: Yes, yes.
QUEST: But I'm an optim -- I'm a natural optimist. It's a Friday afternoon.
SOARES: Oh, we need good news.
QUEST: I'm feeling in a good mood.
SOARES: Good.
QUEST: It's going to end up over 50.
SOARES: Watch CNN Business. He'll give you the closing bell. Richard, good to see you. Thank you very much.
Now, it clearly has not been, I think it's fair to say, the greatest of weeks for the U.S. President Donald Trump as we've showed you here on the
show. Mr. Trump is facing plunging poll numbers over his immigration crackdown following the deaths of those two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
There's also growing backlash over his call to defederal -- to federalize elections, of course. A new numbers show the job market, as Richard was
hinting on this as well, at its lowest levels since the pandemic.
In the midst of all of it, the president unleashed an extraordinary three- hour flurry of social media posts on Thursday, many of them pushing long and debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.
Including in one of those messages, a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The video which sparked bipartisan outrage remained online for hours before being taken down. The White House blames a staffer for posting it. So,
we've given you the contest. This is what the White House is saying.
Let's get more on all of this. Joining me now is Kevin Liptak who's at the White House as well as political commentator and Republican strategist,
Shermichael Singleton. Gentlemen, great to have you both on the show.
So, Kevin, let me start with you. Lay out for us what the president posted and then that retraction, that follow from the White House because that
wasn't immediate, Kevin.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No, it wasn't immediate. It took many, many hours for the White House to take that down. What the video
depicted was essentially sort of a minute-long conspiracy theory about voting machines during the 2020 election. At the very end, this clip sort
of suddenly appeared depicting the faces of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama superimposed on animations of ape's bodies.
So, clearly racist, clearly vile, you know, propagating one of the, you know, worst tropes in American history when it comes to African-Americans.
It was posted almost at midnight last night. It was amid this sort of flurry of re-Truths on the president's Truth Social platform. It took many,
many hours before the White House initially responded to it. Karoline Leavitt, the Press Secretary, essentially dismissed the entire thing,
called it fake outrage and sort of tried to make the case that it was a meme that the president had selected.
She said, it was from an internet meme depicting President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Although
the video that the president posted contains none of that. It seemed to have been clipped from an original video. But what the president put out on
his social media platform only included that racist image of the Obamas. Then she went on to say, please stop the fake outrage and report on
something today that actually matters to the American public.
But I think it was clear the outrage was anything but fake. You heard all kinds of castigations from members of Congress, including many Republicans.
Eventually, the White House came out to say that it had been posted in error by a staffer, which I guess raises all kinds of different questions
about why a staffer has access to the president's social media at midnight. But clearly the White House trying to walk it back after initially
suggesting there was nothing wrong with it.
SOARES: So, Shermichael, to you. I mean this -- and I think this is important to raise to our viewers. This was on the president's feed for
roughly 12 hours. Just your reaction first of all to the post. I mean this is clearly racist. There's no debating this. But your take on the post and
then the reasoning or the excuse they've given which is a White House staff erroneously made the post. Did you buy this?
SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. Well, first of all, I don't think you can make an excuse for something like this. Like, I'm a
Republican. I've been a pretty big supporter of the president, but you got to call out this type of racist nonsense. When you think about the
depictions, historically speaking, of African-Americans tied to monkeys, gorillas, or apes, it was for two purposes.
One, one that Black people were somehow different from White Americans on a biological genetic level -- one. Number two, it was also to elude that
there was a decrease in intellectual faculties and capacity of Black Americans compared to white people. So, so there's a lot of history tied
into this.
I'm happy to see one that there are bipartisanship, Republicans, Democrats coming out calling this out. But I just got to say politically, Donald
Trump received 24 percent of Black male votes in 2024. Now, we have since seen those numbers shift completely back to the Democratic side.
And as a strategist, when you look at this and you think about politics going through culture and how that connects to people, where they are at
the human base level, if you're a person of color who was Trump curious, Republican curious, you see stuff like this and then you think historically
all of the tropes that have unfortunately come from various people in my party's history over time and you say, you know what, I may agree on
economics, I may agree on immigration, I may agree on some cultural stuff, but you will lose me every single time you cross the racial barrier.
And so, for me, this isn't just about Trump. It's about the implications of what this means for the Republican Party, a party that has tried for a
very, very long time to reach out to people of color. Well, this damn surely doesn't help. Excuse my language.
[14:36:41]
SOARES: And look, Shermichael, I'm going to be frank with you. I'm going to be transparent. Our newsroom and indeed my team, we spoke at great length
today about whether we should show the post, whether we should clearly give this racist and offensive post any airtime. I do want to show though the
viewers the post the president put which will many will find -- not many -- all should find offensive.
Let me show them that because the question is -- becomes -- this is it. The question there becomes how do we cover this without giving it a bigger
platform? Because this is not coming from any B politician. This is the President of the United States, and like you clearly outlined, a
significant percentage of American population voted for him. So, speak to that.
SINGLETON: Look, I grew up in the South and my grandparents were a part of the first class to desegregate their high school. And my grandmother always
tells this story. I mean, she's almost 80 now. When she was in high school, she had always dreamt of pursuing a PhD, originally in mathematics. And the
teachers are said, you know, this is not a thing that Black people can do. You all are not good in math.
So, she ended up graduating, going to college. Initially started on the pursuit of that PhD in math and ultimately changed to get a PhD in
education focusing on child psychology because as she will ultimately tell the story as she typically tells it, she wanted to make sure that every
young Black kid never felt that they somehow could not achieve academically.
And so to me, I take stuff like this very, very offensively. I had a great- grandmother who lived into her 90s. She only died six years ago. So, I grew up hearing very real stories and experiences of what Black Americans,
specifically those who were segregated in the South, went through. And so, for me as a Conservative, this does not make me happy. This does not bring
any type of satisfaction to me to see the president, one who represents my party, but two, who represents the entire country posting this type of
garbage.
And I know the White House is saying, well, maybe someone else posted it or it was tagged at the very end of a video. Well, at a bare minimum, should
we at least not be conscious to watch every single thing we're posting on our feed? That alone should bring into question what the hell is the
president doing at 12:00 in the morning just posting any and everything with no regard for what it may be. You cannot excuse this.
Again, I'm not happy about this and I think Republicans have to call the president out. And if I were advising him, he should call the Obamas,
apologize and issue a public statement and apologize. We can have political differences, but racism should never be tolerated in this country because
there are a lot of people who are still alive, including in my very own family who lived through that. And they went through crap that I could
never imagine so that I could have the opportunity to say, I want to be a Republican, to be on CNN, to start a business, to do things that they could
not have even imagined. One, because it was difficult, and because there were a lot of dorm people who structurally made sure that they couldn't do
it.
And so, I'm pissed off about this. And I do want the president to come out and apologize because there are a lot of people who gave him an
opportunity. People who voted for him who hadn't voted for Republicans ever, Black, Hispanic, Asians. What do you say to those people who you are
to represent as a leader of this country?
[14:40:23]
SOARES: Shermichael Singleton, very well put. I appreciate you coming on the show. Shermichael, Kevin, thank you to you both. We're going to take a
short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Back now to one of our top stories, today's high-stakes talks between the U.S. and Iran. The Iranian foreign minister calls the
discussions in Oman a positive and a good start, saying they're focused solely on Iran's nuclear program. He says they agreed to continue talks and
would set up a date in the future. It is the first time both sides have sat down since the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear sites, if you remember, last
summer. And it's taken place against the backdrop of an American military buildup in the region.
Let's get more now from Iranian journalist and researcher Abas Aslani. He's a senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East and Strategic
Studies. Abas, great to have you on the show. So, give me your sense of the takeaways. Both sides seem to be -- agree to continue the talks. We don't
have the readout from the U.S. side. But what is your sense of how this is going to progress because the tensions have been exceptionally high?
ABAS ASLANI, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST AND STRATEGIC STUDIES: Thank you for having me. The initial reaction and results at least
according to Iranian side seems to be very cautiously optimistic and not pessimistic. And you know, the -- when it comes to the volatile geology of
Iran relations, the day after the negotiations is more critical than the day of.
Now, the immediate challenge shifts from the negotiating table to the capitals and the risk of a pivot remains high because you know the talks in
Muscat were unfolding under a heavy canopy of uncertainty. The Trump administration's mercurial policy shift compounded by the spectra of past
negotiations that were abruptly shattered by military strikes cast -- will cast a long shadow over the negotiating table.
So, that's why I think it's a bit early to judge and we have to be watching that how things emerge in the coming days. Now that specifically after the
delegations are going back to the capitals, after those consultations I think we can have a better judgment of the situation.
[14:45:15]
SOARES: Right. OK. So, the next few days will probably be a bit more telling to see who exactly it's come out of that. What we do know, Abas, is
that President Trump doesn't like any sort of protracted or kind of long negotiation, especially of course given that he's got all those assets in
the region. He won't want to keep them there too long.
So, how do you think this will start? Will this start with some sort of nuclear understanding, some sort of framework before they move elsewhere?
How do you think they play this?
ASLANI: I think the primary round served as a litmus test for seriousness and the two sides were gauging the depth of their seriousness in terms of,
you know, intention to engage diplomatically but the interim periods between the rounds can act as a petri dish for sabotage. The longer the gap
between these rounds, the higher the risk and the danger could be because there are those opponents who do not like to see the deal and interaction
between Iran and they get out of the states, and they will be willing and interested to fill that vacuum between these rounds in order to torpedo the
process and stop this from working.
So, that is a risk which is being important for the two sides. For Iran, time is important because of this, you know, factor as well as the economic
hardship that exists in the country. So, the sooner the sanctions are lifted, the better it will be for the government and the people. For the
United States also the status quo could be risky. They know that the alternative to this diplomatic process could be a regional, let's say,
conflict and war which could have consequences not just for Iran but for the United States, Israel, and regional players.
That's why we are seeing a, let's say, collective efforts in the region excluding maybe Israel to see a deal coming in future maybe.
SOARES: Yes. Many looking of course for an offramp. But just now your perspective given that you are Tehran -- in Tehran. But President Trump of
course told Iranians was it three weeks ago? I've lost track of time. You know, help is on -- help is on the way. Iranians are looking at these
discussions and they're thinking what, Abas?
ASLANI: You know, about the approach of Trump toward the Iranian people, does he care about the public here in Iran or does he care about what the
Iranian, you know, average citizens are dealing with? That was a question a couple of day -- a couple of weeks ago. And some were arguing and
questioning this, you know, narrative because what is happening today also has made it clear for the rest that Trump does not care about the average
citizens.
He, you know, initiated the maximum pressure. Now his concern is the no- nuclear-weapons. And when it comes to the, you know, ballistic missiles, he cares about the security of Israel. And Iranian, let's say, perspective is
that Trump wants to make Israel as the regional hegemon, not a relative hegemon but absolute one, that's why they are not tolerating a relative
deterrence from Iranian side. So -- and that is why I think this is the way that the Iranian public and elites are seeing Trump. They see that Trump
might have changed his calculus. He was not able to achieve it through military tools. That's why he's resorting to diplomatic process to see if
that works or not.
SOARES: We shall see what comes in the next few days and when that next meeting is Abas Aslani, thank you very much for joining us on the show live
there from Tehran in Iran.
And still to come tonight, we go back to the Winter Games with Amanda to introduce you to the athlete who's carrying a very special flag in the
opening ceremony. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:51:44]
SOARES: We turn now to our top story. The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics is happening right now in Northern Italy. We are getting
our first little looks at the celebration. We know it will include 200 volunteer performers. They will be wearing 1,400 different costumes and
using more than a thousand different props to put up -- put on a spectacular show. And after all that, we get the special moment when 92
different teams and close to 3,000 athletes will march in the Parade of Nations.
And that's what I believe we are seeing at this moment, Amanda Davies, who's been watching all this. Give us a sense of what we have seen thus
far.
DAVIES: Yes, absolutely, Isa. It's fascinating, actually, seeing the interweaving of these three different venues that we were talking about for
the first time with these Olympic games being held for the first time across these different areas in Italy.
Mariah Carey as you saw got her moment. Interestingly, Volare, such an iconic sporting boisterous anthem she turns into a ballad. That was a
little bit strange, I have to say. But it's colorful, it's artistic. The really lovely tribute to Emporio Armani. I know you love a tailored suit as
much as I do. A really powerful moment where a group of models all in these beautiful power suits. One in a row of red, one in a row of white, one in a
row of green, the colors of the Italian flag, of course, all catwalking across the floor of the San Siro.
But we do now have this parade of the athletes. As is traditional, it was Greece who started proceedings, but now we're in alphabetical order. And
they're intercutting the athletes arriving into the San Siro Stadium with the athletes in Cortina, with the athletes in Predazzo. And it's always
difficult to know with these opening ceremonies just how many athletes are going to turn up because, of course, for those competing as we know a lot
are, the curlers, the female ice hockey players, the figure skaters, a lot of the action is already underway. But there seem to be a good number
there, all very much enjoying their moment.
And for some in particular, those who've been given the honor of carrying the flags for the their countries, this is a particularly special occasion.
And you know, it shouldn't be underestimated what it means to these athletes. They're often voted for by their teammates. They're athletes
who've perhaps broken records or really blazed a trail for their countries through their sports and beyond that. And that is very much the case for
the Ukrainian flag bearer who's taking part in the ceremony in Cortina this evening, Vlad Heraskevych. He was Ukraine's first ever skeleton athlete at
a winter games. That was in Pyeongchang in 2018, but in Beijing four years ago.
You might remember he finished his run and held up a no war in Ukraine sign. And that gained attention all around the world because it was only
four days later that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine happened. It's lasted this entire Olympic cycle. And I've spoken to Vlad a number of times
over the last few years. He's told us his stories, his experiences. And this week I talked to him about this evening's honor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADYSLAV HERASKEVYCH, UKRAINIAN SKELETON RACER: I tried to pay some attention to Ukraine and definitely we need this attention and we need it
now. We need it all these four years because definitely Ukraine cannot won this war alone.
[14:55:09]
DAVIES: Can you put into words what the last four years have been like for people in Ukraine?
HERASKEVYCH: For me, it's really scary that people get used to the war and people get used to had rockets above their heads. People get used to the
shellings of their homes or their friends. People get used to go to the funerals every week and it's really terrible. We need support from other
countries, and we need people understand scale of war because it's really, really huge scale of war and huge scale of victims.
DAVIES: You have been given the incredible honor of carrying the Ukrainian flag at the opening ceremony in Cortina. What does that mean to you?
HERASKEVYCH: I think it's a great honor and especially a great honor in this difficult times because, of course, it's now, this time it's much more
important than any winter Olympics. Before, it's very important symbol when Ukrainian flag is in international stage and we able to be there among all
the nations to show that we are still among the best nations in the world, to bring some support and to spread the truth what's going on in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And our thanks to Amanda. And the best of luck, of course, to Vlad. And that does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW"
with Christina Macfarlane is up next. Have a wonderful weekend and I shall see you on Monday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
