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Team USA Wins Hockey Gold; BAFTA Controversy; Menopause Treatment Shortage; Nick Reiner in Court; Mexican Forces Kill Cartel Boss. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 23, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But with tourism, foreign investment and security for the 2026 World Cup at stake, the world is watching how Mexico handles what comes next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEON: And Mexico's defense secretary has revealed new details about how authorities tracked the drug lord down.

The first key lead emerged in Tapalpa, Jalisco, after intelligence teams followed the movements of a romantic partner linked to the cartel leader. That trail led authorities to his inner circle and to the location where he was hiding.

The operation that followed is being described as one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years. For Americans, the immediate concern has been safety. In resort areas like Puerto Vallarta, a major destination for U.S. travelers, visitors reported hotel lockdowns, with the staff urging guests to stay inside and roads blocked by burning vehicles.

Some international flights were canceled, leaving travelers stranded. And the U.S. department advised Americans in affected areas to shelter in. And now President Claudia Sheinbaum says the government expects all flights to resume as soon as today -- Pam.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right, Valeria Leon, thank you so much -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And just ahead: Nick Reiner is back in court and is expected to enter his plea any moment now in the murders of his parents, Rob and Michele. We have the latest on his case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:36:06]

BLITZER: Happening today: An arraignment hearing is about to get under way in Los Angeles, in a court in Los Angeles, for Nick Reiner, the son of famed film director Rob Reiner. The hearing is the first formal proceeding, where a defendant is told to charge against them.

He's facing two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. If convicted, Nick Reiner could be sentenced to life in prison without parole or even the death penalty.

CNN's Nick Watt is outside of the court.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Pam, Nick Reiner faces two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing his parents to death in the master bedroom area of their home not long before Christmas.

Now, Reiner was in court early January. We expected a plea then, but, during that hearing, his high-profile defense attorney abruptly withdrew from the case, he said for reasons beyond his control, but he stressed, and the wording here might be key, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.

Then he departed. Nick Reiner is now being represented by a public defender and will be in this court today. Now, the alleged murders took place in the early hours of a Sunday morning, not long after a party at Conan O'Brien's house.

Nick Reiner at the time was living in the guesthouse of his parents' place in Brentwood, California. Nick Reiner had struggled for years with mental health issues, with addiction concerns. His parents appeared to have been extremely supportive of him.

As I say, Nick Reiner at the time was living in the guesthouse of their home in Brentwood when the pair were killed. Now, of course, this is a high-profile case, given the stature of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, in the Hollywood community. Of course, Rob Reiner made his name in "All in the Family" and then went on to have an extraordinary directing, producing career, movies from "The Princess Bride" to "Misery" and "A Few Good Men," a much-loved figure and a tragic end.

His son Nick, as I say, in this courthouse today charged with murdering his father and his mother -- Wolf, Pam.

BLITZER: Our special thanks to Nick Watt for that report -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, with us now is former L.A. County prosecutor and criminal trial lawyer Loni Coombs.

Good morning to you, Loni.

So, Nick Reiner was set to be arraigned in early January, but that was delayed after his former high-profile attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from the case. A public defender took over. How significant is that move?

LONI COOMBS, FORMER LOS ANGELES COUNTY CRIMINAL PROSECUTOR: Well, everybody was wondering why Alan Jackson came off it, right? He is a very high-profile, very well-respected attorney. I worked with him in the DA's office years ago. He's an excellent

attorney. People are wondering why he had to step down. It was clear he didn't want to step down, but what he said, for reasons he was not going to disclose. People are wondering if it was because of money issues. He was switched to a public defender.

Now, many people think public defenders, oh, you're settling for a not a good attorney. But I will tell you, there are excellent public defenders. And in cases like this, especially, when it looks like there's going to be mental health issues, public defenders are very well-versed in this kind of case and may be excellent representation for Nick in this type of defense that he might be raising, the mental health defense.

BROWN: Yes, you're right, because people might think a public defender, the defense may not be as good. But that's an interesting point that you make there.

Nick could enter a plea today. What is your prediction on what that plea will be?

COOMBS: You know, there's a couple of things that happen.

There may not even be a plea. The defense attorney may come in and declare a doubt as to his competency. Now, remember the first time he was supposed to come in for his arraignment, they said it was delayed because he was not medically cleared to even come to court.

[11:40:01]

The next day, he showed up on one of those anti-suicide vests. He was allegedly on suicide watch for quite a while. When he did appear in January with Alan Jackson, he didn't have the suicide vest on anymore, and he has apparently been taken off suicide watch.

But there's an issue. That's whether he's even competent to stand trial yet. That's a question of whether he understands the charges against him and if he can actually assist his defense attorneys in putting on his defense. If he's not, the defense attorney declares a doubt to the judge.

And at that point, it actually pauses all the trial proceedings. It puts everything into a mental health focus. The case actually gets transferred to Department 95, which is a courtroom that focuses solely on competency. And both sides, defense and prosecution, will be asking for medical health experts to be appointed and to interview and examine Nick and give their recommendations to the judge.

And the judge there will then decide is he competent or not. If he decides he's not competent, then he is sent from the county jail to a state mental health facility, a custodial state mental health facility like Atascadero.

Well, they will do this intense examination, diagnosis, medication to try and get him stabilized. Now, that can take years. We saw that in the Elizabeth Smart case. It took years for that case to go to trial because the defendants were considered to be incompetent for that long.

If he's finally declared competent, it comes back to the trial system. He comes back to the county jail and they set it for trial. Now, Pam, I have seen sometimes -- I have had this happen in cases myself in L.A. County, where they get back into the county jail system, they're awaiting their trial, and they decompensate again, to the point where the defense attorney declares a doubt about competence, and that whole cycle starts all over again.

So, first of all, we will see they actually go that route. If not, then there's the question, is he going to plead not guilty and get it onto the trial process or not guilty by reason of insanity? And that would be based on this mental health history and if they want to go that route as a defense.

It's not an easy defense. It's only raised in about 1 percent of all the cases, felony cases in California, and it's not very successful. Juries don't like that, the not guilty by reason of sanity, because they feel like, where's the accountability in it, right?

BROWN: Right.

All right, Loni Coombs, thank you so much. Great to see you.

COOMBS: Great to see you.

BROWN: And coming up: A common menopause treatment is suddenly hard to find, leaving women across the country scrambling for alternatives.

We are taking a closer look at what's causing the shortage and what patients can do in the meantime.

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[11:46:56]

BLITZER: New this morning, the British film awards show was interrupted last night in London by a racial slur. It happened as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award. We have beeped it out, but take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL B. JORDAN, ACTOR: Delroy and I are delighted to be presenting the first BAFTA of the night for a vital part of moviemaking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

DELROY LINDO, ACTOR: We're here to celebrate the artists who expand what's possible on screen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The man behind the slur has Tourette's syndrome, which can trigger such outbursts, and he was there because he is the subject of a film. The BBC just issued an apology, saying -- and I'm quoting now -- "We

apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer" -- end quote.

Let's go live right now to CNN entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France.

Lisa, what more do we know about all of this?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, Wolf, we know that the sense among many is that this was not handled well from beginning to end.

John Davidson, the man who made the racial slur, there was a great deal made earlier asking basically for grace and forgiveness for him. And while people do have sympathy for the fact that he does have Tourette's syndrome, there's feeling -- and I do not speak for the black community -- let me start by saying that.

But there's definitely conversation and feeling that black people are being asked to show grace, and grace is not being shown to them about how incredibly, powerfully just upsetting this word is how painful this word is for many in the black community, and also, Wolf, unfortunately, it overshadowed the fact that "Sinners" made history at BAFTA, now with its three wins, including best supporting actress, for the glorious, glorious Wunmi Mosaku.

It now is the most celebrated and honored film by a black director in BAFTA history with those three wins and people aren't really talking about it because of this racial slur.

And, again, Wolf, I just want to remind people who think that this is not a big deal and think that people should just suck it up, that this word is so incredibly painful because we remember historically that for many black people this was the last word they heard before they swung at the end of a noose, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, and it was such a sad situation indeed.

All right, Lisa Respers France, thank you very much for that report.

RESPERS FRANCE: Thank you.

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: Well, now to a health alert. There is a nationwide shortage of estrogen patches, a treatment that many women rely on to manage symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, really rough symptoms.

Demand for hormone therapy has surged, and manufacturers are struggling to keep up, leading to frustration and concern for women across the country.

I want to go live now to CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard.

All right, Jacqueline, tell us more about this shortage, because it's a big deal for women who are having to cope with these horrible symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: That's right, Pam.

Yes, many women are having to switch brands or switch up pharmacies or switch the type of estrogen they're being prescribed because of this ongoing shortage. The manufacturers I have talked to did tell me, Pam, that this shortage comes down to increased demand.

[11:50:11]

And this is a demand that has been driven by greater awareness around the benefits of these therapies for menopause and perimenopause symptoms. And this demand also, some manufacturers say, has been tied to the FDA's recent action to remove the black box warning on some menopause therapies due to wanting to represent a greater understanding of the risks and benefits there.

So this black box warning removal was to really reflect the latest science we have around the risks and benefits. And, Pam, this is one box of estrogen patches or estradiol patches. And they come in these little packets like this in a box that is a prescription.

And the manufacturer of this particular brand, Sandoz, a spokesperson for the company told me in a statement -- quote -- "Recent changes in prescribing behavior due to the FDA's removal of box warnings have created this unprecedented demand."

So, many doctors say, on one hand, it's a good thing that we have greater awareness around menopause care, and many women are getting the prescriptions that they need. But on the other hand, these prescriptions are not being filled as quickly because of this short supply.

So there is this call on the manufacturers to increase capacity to help meet this demand, Pam.

BROWN: Yes, let's speed it up here, manufacturers, because there is a high demand now.

What other options are available to women who can't get their usual prescription?

HOWARD: Yes, so there are many different brands out there, Pam. So some women are being switched to another brand.

And I will say the manufacturers I talked to said they are working to increase supply. But, for now, some women are being prescribed a different brand if the one they're used to is not available. But one concern with that is, if you're switched to a different brand, it may not be covered by your insurance. So it may come with additional costs or it may have different instructions.

So some women may be used to a once weekly patch, and they may have to switch to twice weekly. And then there are other forms of estrogen like oral form, so you may be switched to a pill. But, again, Pam, this just comes down to inconvenience that many women are facing and, again, this need now to meet the demand that's out there.

BROWN: And it's good. As you pointed out, it's a good sign that there is that demand, so that people can -- women can get that relief that they need.

Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Pamela, coming up: a heart-stopping finish for Team USA, the men's hockey team pulling off a very dramatic overtime win over Canada, snapping a decades-long drought and bringing home the gold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:57:35]

BLITZER: The U.S. capped off the Winter Olympics with a huge overtime win for the men's hockey team. Look at the picture there. There you see Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in overtime. They beat their archrivals, Canada.

BROWN: For more on this historic moment, let's go to CNN's Andy Scholes.

So this is the Team USA hockey's first gold since the Miracle on Ice back in 1980. It's such a big deal.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Pam and Wolf, what a moment for our country, right?

And I just love that Miracle on Ice team. The movie is one of my favorites. Yes, I cry almost every time I watch it, but I wasn't even born when that happened. So I like, so many others, could not get enough of this moment. I spent hours yesterday just scrolling.

I wanted to see every angle of that goal. I wanted to see every interview afterwards. And Jack Hughes, he's now just an American hero after scoring the game winner in overtime. My favorite angle is this one right here of the goal, the USA bench just going bonkers, just absolute jubilation after he scored

Hughes, who got smacked with a stick and lost those teeth earlier in the game, as tough as they come, and here he was after one of the greatest moments in U.S. sports history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK HUGHES, U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It's unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. And we have so much support from ex-players. And I'm so proud to be American today.

TAGE THOMPSON, U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: Every kid grows up watching "Miracle." Every USA hockey player dreams of this moment. And now we're sharing that exact feeling that they had. It's pretty special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And that was our Coy Wire with Tage Thompson after the win.

Now, if you weren't wiping away tears after the victory, good luck after seeing what the team did while celebrating. Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski, and Matthew Tkachuk skated around the ice, holding up the jersey of Johnny Gaudreau.

Now, Gaudreau was killed, along with his brother, by a suspected drunk driver while they were riding bikes in 2024. And Gaudreau likely would have been on this squad. The team had Gaudreau's wife, kids and parents there for the game.

And in an awesome moment, the team brought out Gaudreau's children Noa and Johnny Jr. to the ice to be a part of the team picture. And here was Matthews on that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUSTON MATTHEWS, U.S. OLYMPIC ATHLETE: We had his jersey in the room here at the Olympics, and just a subtle reminder that him, his brother, that they're kind of with us in spirit.

[12:00:00]

And to be able to get it done like that, to win, to have his jersey out there, and the team photo, and have his kids come out and be with us, we're obviously thinking of him. And we just felt like his -- the impact that he's had on so many guys in our room was special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, just what a way to end the Olympics.

And what a successful Games it was for Team USA. Guys, we finished with our most golds ever, our most medals ever for a Winter Olympics. You know, it's going to be in France in 2030, but I will tell you what, it is going to be certainly hard to top what Team USA did at these Games there in Italy. What a performance.

BROWN: Yes.

BLITZER: Great performance, indeed.

Andy Scholes, thank you very, very much.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts now.