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No DNA Matches for Glove Found Near Guthrie Home; Christian Nationalist Pastor Leads Pentagon Prayer Service; Ukraine Touts "Progress" as Peace Talks with Russia and U.S. Wrap. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 18, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. our meteorologist Chris Warren, thank you very much. In the next hour, we're going to update you on the latest after an avalanche raged through California, burying skiers. We'll update you on that in the next hour. Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Wolf, happening now, the sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, says investigators are looking into genetic genealogy databases to figure out whose DNA is on a glove found near Nancy Guthrie's home. The DNA turned up no results in the FBI's national database. Investigators say the glove appears to match those worn by the suspect as seen on Guthrie's doorbell camera right here.

CNN Senior National Correspondent Ed Lavandera is in Tucson. Ed, the FBI database came up empty. What more do we know about this new effort to track down the DNA?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are going through these genealogical services, kind of like 23andMe, in hopes that perhaps there is some sort of identifying marker that can be connected back to the DNA that was found here at the Guthrie property. So, that could take some time. And obviously, you know, the investigators are happy that they have that level of detail and evidence from the actual crime scene.

But we should also point out, look, we don't know exactly if it really is the suspect. We don't know whose it is at this point. They're hoping to be able to identify that. Obviously, at this point, it could create a very valuable clue and lead for investigators to go on that is tied directly here to the crime scene. But the downside of this is that it could very well take some time to go through that process and get all of that done.

So, we are now on day 18 of this search. You know, the desperation with the Guthrie family is palpable. You know, it was more than a week ago, I feel, that Savannah Guthrie said that we're in their hour of desperation and we are long past that. So, it's a grueling wait for the Guthrie family, for any kind of lead to develop here that would bring them closer to bringing Nancy Guthrie back home.

BROWN: Yes. Ed Lavandera, thank you. I know you've been tracking every step of this investigation. We appreciate it. And if you have any information that could help investigators, please call the numbers on your screen. The FBI tip line is 1-800-CALL-FBI. And the Pima County Sheriff's Department is at 520-351-4900. No tip is too small. We'll be right back.

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[10:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS WILSON, CO-FOUNDER, COMMUNION OF REFORMED EVANGELICAL CHURCHES: It's a very great privilege to be speaking to you today and I do thank God for the opportunity. In addition, I'm very grateful to the secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, both for starting this meeting and for inviting me to be here with you today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: That pastor you just heard is Christchurch Senior Pastor Doug Wilson. He presided yesterday over a prayer service at the Pentagon, a voluntary event implemented last summer by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth himself is a follower of Wilson's and praised him for the service yesterday. The Department of War's rapid response account posted an image of them together with the caption, we are one nation under God.

Well, Pastor Wilson leads a growing network of conservative Christian churches and preaches a strict biblical interpretation of various issues. His followers are taught to follow specific gender roles where wives submit to their husbands and make being a mother and homemaker their primary role while the husband acts as the head of the household and makes the executive decisions for the family.

For my upcoming documentary I embedded with a tight-knit conservative church community in southeast Texas that belongs to Wilson's network of churches. The women there told me they're flourishing in their role as submissive wives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIERRA MCILWAIN, MEMBER, CHRIST FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: I'm not used to the wife and the mother role that I am stepping into.

BROWN (voice-over): Sierra McIlwain left her combat role in the army to undertake a life of submission to her husband Andrew a little over a year ago.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BROWN (voice-over): They live in this conservative faith-centric community in Taylor Texas. She's now in the reserves and says she's still transitioning to this new life of being a stay-at-home mom to her three kids and allowing her husband to be the head of the household.

S. MCILWAIN: I'm learning how to be a wife and a mother as I'm doing it and so being coming alongside other women in households who are already doing it and have been for years helps me.

BROWN: Yes, I mean you're learning and it's unique because Andrew, she has been a leader in the military, right?

ANDREW MCILWAIN, MEMBER, CHRIST FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: Yes.

BROWN: And she's also taking on this role to try to be, you know, to be submissive to you as the husband. How has it been?

A. MCILWAIN: We make a decision and, you know, Sierra will say one thing and I might say something different. We talk about it. You know, most of the time, you know, I want Sierra to be -- and our family to be happy. You know, I want joy to reign supreme in our household. I want the love of God to flow out. I want there to be, you know, just peace and Christ-filled home. I'm submissive to Christ and then Sierra is submissive to me.

BROWN: And it's interesting because I know Sierra, you've had to really adjust to this idea, but it sounds like, Andrew, you're also trying to figure out what does it mean to be the head of the family and for my wife to be submissive to me.

A. MCILWAIN: Yes, that's exactly right. I'm just -- you know, I read scripture and I read those passages and I'm like, what does that mean? So, I -- you know, I have to -- I defer -- you know, that's why we go to the church, we do, because they don't shy away from what scripture says. They get right into it.

[10:40:00]

And it's more so a thing where it's like, we don't favor what culture says or what trends say. And we need to have the opposite and really lean into what scripture is saying. And then we're morally corrupt. It's not scripture. So, we need -- there's something wrong with us and we need to adjust ourselves to what the word of God says.

BROWN: But I'm sure it can be hard day to day to know where that line is.

S. MCILWAIN: Oh, yes. We're figuring it out every day. Like every -- I mean, to answer the first, like a lot of trust. He trusts me in our home. Like he's going to go away to work, whenever you're home with the kids, I'm going to trust you to lead our home while he's gone at work, our children, raising them up and the admonition of the Lord.

BROWN: And what has that been like for you, Sierra, as someone who is an authority figure in the military, but is now trying to learn how to be submissive to your husband?

S. MCILWAIN: Yes. I had just promoted to captain, crying in my car and I felt like a piece of me was dying. And I just prayed. I was like, Lord, what is this? Why do I feel so broken? I love my family. My kids are something I could have never imagined for myself. I don't know how to explain it. If you're a mom, you probably understand how can these two things -- how come I can't have both? How can they be so separate? But this is like what made me who I am. And then my kids on the other hand are like, what is making me who I am becoming. And I love both of them, but I can't have both of them. I learned like this, there was a season that was passing. and it doesn't mean that those things inside of me passed too.

BROWN: How have you managed that transition? And what have the challenges been?

S. MCILWAIN: All of the military stuff, the medical stuff that I was pursuing, all of these things, these challenges, these hard things that are difficult to, to accomplish that I put my foot, my effort toward, they have been challenging and they have been rewarding. None of them have even come close to how challenging and rewarding being a wife and a submitted under Christ.

BROWN (voice-over): Kynleigh and Jonah Kirby live in the same conservative Christian community and have four kids. They welcome the patriarchal hierarchy and their marriage.

KYNLEIGH KIRBY, MEMBER, CHRIST FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: Ultimately me trusting in him and trusting in his leadership is trusting in God.

JONAH KIRBY, MEMBER, CHRIST FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: Seeking to live how God has designed you to live, how he has designed marriage how he's designed male and female in a marriage. I think that's the most freeing thing. when you try to fight that, you invite a lot of problems and trials.

BROWN: What does that mean in terms of expectations for both of you?

K. KIRBY: He is a provider. If he's the provider, he would provide her home, provide her food, provide our means. And my job of glorifying it is creating a beautiful dish or creating a, you know, a beautiful, beautiful place to sit and enjoy that dish or a happy, a happy aroma of, of a home with my own attitude and our children's attitude. And just to kind of glorify what he is providing.

BROWN: What about, can you say no, like I don't want to do that or I want to go do this and you wouldn't want her to -- how does that work?

K. KIRBY: Ultimately the, the buck does stop with him. And there have been moments where I am hesitant or I may question like, what are we doing? Should we think this through? And that's part of my job. Part of my job as the help mate is to make sure we have thought of all that we can think of, but ultimately, he'll make the executive decision.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (on camera): So, Wolf, I was really grateful to these women for sitting down with me, letting us into their home, sharing their perspectives about marriage and patriarchy. So, often I think people hear about these communities and make their own judgments. And so, I hope that this will shed a light for people and to better understand how they live. In reality, the women I spoke with there, and Taylor, were welcoming. And as you heard them say, they truly believe the role of a homemaker is their God given purpose. Tomorrow I'll explore another side of the picture. The courageous women I sat down with who have left patriarchal Christian communities telling me they experienced a darker side.

And you can watch my hour-long documentary on The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN or the next day on CNN's all access streaming platform. Wolf.

BLITZER: Really, I'm looking forward to it. And I'm sure all of our viewers will want to watch it as well. Thank you very much for doing this documentary. BROWN: Yes.

BLITZER: Also new this morning, redemption for us gear, a Mikaela Shiffrin, the 30-year-old just won gold in the women's slalom. She first won Olympic gold when she was 18, but has not been on the podium in that event since. That's despite a whopping 71 World Cup wins. The 12-year gap between medals marks the longest for an individual winter Olympics event.

[10:45:00]

BROWN: And coming up here in the Situation Room, Russian delegates teasing another meeting with the U.S. and Ukraine. But is this potential progress or just kicking the peace can down the road? We'll discuss next.

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BLITZER: Happening now, progress. That according to Ukraine's top negotiator after the latest round of peace talks with Russia ended earlier today. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSTEM UMEROV, UKRAINIAN NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE COUNCIL SECRETARY: There's progress, but no details can be disclosed at this stage. Ukraine remains constructive. The ultimate objective is unchanged, a just and sustainable peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's discuss with veteran diplomat Ambassador Dennis Ross. He was the State Department Policy Planning Director under President George H.W. Bush and was a special assistant to President Obama. He's also the author of the very important brand-new book entitled "Statecraft 2.0: What America Needs to Lead in a Multipolar World," an important read indeed.

[10:50:00]

Ambassador, thanks very much for joining us. These talks today between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. lasted only a couple of hours or so. What does that suggest to you about the possibility of progress?

DENNIS ROSS, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, COUNSELOR AND THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST: Well, it says to me that there probably are some issues on which they can have understandings on. It could be if you actually had a ceasefire, what would be the modalities of that ceasefire? I think the critical question, excuse me, is not whether you have a ceasefire. The question is, are the basic issues between the two changing?

What Vladimir Putin has wanted is to take parts of Donbas that Russia has not seized. Ukraine has actually been prepared, President Zelenskyy has actually been prepared to withdraw from some areas that they control, provided the Russians withdraw as well, and you demilitarize it. If the issue of territory is addressed, then I would say the progress will be real. Until that issue of territory is addressed with some understanding, I think the fundamental gap will not have been resolved.

BLITZER: In a recent interview with Axios, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. mediators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have told him Russia genuinely wants to end this war. Do you buy that?

ROSS: I would buy it if I saw some greater sign of Russian readiness to concede on the issue of territory or at least to come up with a compromise on it. President Zelenskyy came up with a compromise on it. We've not seen anything in any public commentary by the Russians, certainly not by the Russian foreign minister who has repeated all of the maximal demands that President Putin outlined at the very beginning of this a couple of years ago.

So, I would need to see some indication that the Russians are ready to make a concession, at least on the issue of territory, or even on the issue of what are the kind of security guarantees that Ukraine can have, including the existence of forces that are members of NATO who would be on the ground to provide guarantees that Russia would not do this again.

BLITZER: President Zelenskyy also says, and I'm quoting him now, "Russia is trying to drag out negotiations that could already have reached the final stage," end quote. What do you think Russia's aim is right now during these talks?

ROSS: I think Putin is trying to signal President Trump that he's ready to reach a deal without, in fact, making any meaningful concessions, believing that time is on his side, that President Trump will be weary of not reaching a deal and will either wash his hands of this, which would serve the Russian interests more, or will put more pressure on the Ukrainians in order to reach a deal that he would like to achieve. That's what I think fundamentally is what Putin is still doing.

BLITZER: While I have you, Ambassador Ross, I want to turn to another critically important set of diplomatic talks also happening right now in Switzerland. Iran's foreign minister says negotiations with the U.S. to place limits on Iran's nuclear program have yielded what he calls, and I'm quoting now, "good progress." And according to the New York Times, Iran has signaled a willingness to suspend nuclear enrichment for as many as five years in exchange for sanctions relief. How big of a concession is that on the part of the Iranians?

ROSS: At this point, I think it's still more symbolic than real. I say that because suspending enrichment at a time when it's pretty difficult for them to do it anyway because of the attacks in last June. And you say as much as five years.

First, there's three more years while President Trump is still in office. Pretty hard to see them enriching while Trump is still in office. And what they're seeking is the lifting of economic sanctions, which is a way of buying the regime, giving them a kind of lease on life. If I were to see that they were prepared to end enrichment and to ship out all the highly enriched uranium that they have, they have 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium to 60 percent, which is close to weapons grade.

If that was suddenly on the table and there was a readiness to say, OK, we'll talk about other issues like ballistic missiles, like military support for Hamas and Hezbollah, then I think we would really be in a position where the negotiations could lead to someplace that would be quite meaningful. That's not what we're seeing yet.

BLITZER: And the possibility of an Israeli preemptive strike to all of this?

ROSS: I do not see the Israelis preempting, even though they have a new defense doctrine, which is no surprises, and that leads them to strike first if they think they're about to be struck. I think right now the Israelis understand if there's going to be military strikes, it's much more likely the United States is going to do it. Israel would not act in advance of the United States, although it might act in coercion. [10:55:00]

I think right now the Israelis understand if there's going to be military strikes, it's much more likely the United States is going to do it. Israel would not act in advance of the United States, although it might act in coordination with the United States.

BLITZER: Ambassador Dennis Ross, thanks so much for joining us.

ROSS: Always a pleasure, Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Wolf, happening now, a race against time in California. Rescue crews are looking for nine skiers trapped by an avalanche right near Lake Tahoe. We'll speak to an expert just ahead. You're in the Situation Room and we'll be right back.

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