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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson
Reports: Ransom Note Demands $6M For Nancy Guthrie's Return; Seahawks Celebrates Super Bowl Win from Seattle to Disneyland; Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Headliner; Skier Lindsey Vonn "No Regrets" after Crash at Olympics; "Bridgerton" is Back. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 10, 2026 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: After their decisive win over New England in Santa Clara, said the Lombardi Trophy there. Meanwhile, running back Kenneth Walker, the third, the game's MVP, joining quarterback Sam Darnold, Orange County native and Mickey Mouse for parade down Main Street in Disneyland on Wednesday. Up to a million people are expected to line the parade route along 4th Avenue in Seattle as the team celebrates its championship season. So what did they do? They went to Disneyland.
Congrats to them. Next hour of The Story Is starts right now.
The Story Is a plea for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, "TODAY" CO-ANCHOR: We are at an hour of desperation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Savannah Guthrie releases a new video. We talk live with one of the world's top hostage negotiators of what's really going on behind the scene?
The Story Is Cuba in crisis. Our Patrick Oppmann on the ground in the midst of a fuel shortage.
And The Story Is Benito Bowl. Dr. Vanessa Diaz wrote a book and teaches a college class on Bad Bunny. She's here to break down his historic performance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Los Angeles, The Story Is with Elex Michaelson.
MICHAELSON: Tonight, the top story is the search for Nancy Guthrie and a second reported ransom deadline that has now come and gone. The alleged note threatened Guthrie's life if her family did not pay $6 million in Bitcoin by Monday at 5:00 p.m. local time in Arizona. Her daughter, host of the "Today" show, Savannah Guthrie, says the family is now at what she calls an hour of desperation. This is her latest plea to the public. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTHRIE: We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken and we don't know where and we need your help. We are at an hour of desperation and we need your help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Over the weekend, the Guthrie family said they would pay the ransom as they begged for Nancy's safe return. It's unclear, though, if any financial transaction has occurred. Investigators returned to the 84-year-old's home on Sunday, but still have not publicly identified a suspect linked to her disappearance just over a week ago. CNN's Jake Tapper is in Tucson with the latest on the search.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: A theme today from the Guthrie family, specifically from Savannah Guthrie speaking on social media a few hours ago and the FBI and the Pima County sheriff is that there are not as of now, any serious leads or persons of interest in the mysterious disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. Two Sundays ago on February 1, you heard the message from Savannah Guthrie in which she was pleading for help for any tip from anyone, no matter whether they're close to Tucson, Arizona or not. In addition of course, there was a statement from the FBI saying that they were not aware of any continued communication between the Guthrie family and the purported kidnappers, nor have we identified a suspect or person of interest at this time. And the FBI reiterating we still need the public's health, someone has that one piece of information that can help us bring Nancy home.
In addition to Pima County sheriff reiterating a few hours ago, investigators have not identified any suspects, persons of interest or vehicles connected to Nancy Guthrie. And then they give the tip line, which is 1-800-CALL-FBI or here in Arizona, 88-CRIME. It is a day where the family and law enforcement are trying to appeal to the public's help. On one level, that's distressing. We're about on day nine here and to still have no serious leads is concerning. On the other hand, directly asking for the public's help, which is not anything that the Guthrie family did until Monday before that, all their messages were for the suspected kidnappers.
There have been ways that the public has helped before, whether in the assassination of Charlie Kirk or in the killing of the United Healthcare CEO and on and on. The public, if engaged, can be solicited for help. And they have in the past, especially in the recent past, been able to do so. So we can only hope and pray that that happens and that there is a tip that comes through and Nancy Guthrie is brought home safely.
MICHAELSON: Joining me now for more on all this is law enforcement and litigation expert Sunny Slaughter. Sunny, thank you so much for joining us. I know you find this 6 million amount interesting, you think it could provide clues to the motive. How so? [01:05:02]
SUNNY SLAUGHTER, LAW ENFORCEMENT & LITIGATION EXPERT: Hi, Elex. Thank you for having me. Well, one of the things, it is a very unique number, and this case is really around a lot of intrigue. And when you think about $6 million, one of the things that I have said earlier is that you need to tie in that particular conversations. This case is around something, in my opinion, someone that is familiar and familial. So what happened in the last few months, in the last few weeks and days, around $6 million?
Was there a conversation, was there something to connect this amount of money to something that Savannah was doing or someone in the family is doing? It's a very odd and unique number. So it really does not make sense. And whether or not there's actually a ransom demand or is there someone that is playing a game using this as a tactic to further delay whether we are in a rescue mode or recovery mode. So there's only three Rs, this ransom, the rescue, and the recovery.
None of it is making sense, but it is grieving the nation.
MICHAELSON: What do you think is really going on behind the scenes right now? Which R is it?
SLAUGHTER: So, unfortunately, I believe that we are in a recovery mode. If you've noticed, we have not heard anyone, including Savannah and law enforcement, speak any further about Nancy's medical condition. The medical condition makes her a critical and vulnerable person in addition to her age. That means she should have had medication. And if this was planned out well, then we can potentially assume that these abductors, I think it's more than one person, may have taken the medication with them, or they may have found out what the medication is because they are familiar and or familia with her condition and had it in advance and she is getting the medication that she needs.
Otherwise, we would have to figure out what medical conditions and what delay and what could happen to her without this medication. And we know that she needs this medication. She needs it daily. And we have not heard anything about that, which makes me think, based on everything that we are talking about and doing, that she has not been retrieved yet, which means she has not been rescued. Law enforcement, the FBI, put out a very unique statement and that they have not seen anything or not -- and the family is not communicating with these individuals.
So the time has lapsed. It's very long. And I do not think, unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong. I would love to be wrong, that we are in a rescue, but we are in recovery.
But it also makes sense what Savannah is saying. They are in a desperate hour. Regardless of where we are, they want her home.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And if you're Savannah or her brother and sister, you can feel for them and you know you would want any sign of hope that you could focus on as well. Sunny Slaughter, thank you so much for sharing your expert perspective. We appreciate it.
Earlier, I spoke with Harvey Levin, the founder of TMZ, who received one of the alleged ransom notes linked to Nancy Guthrie. He explained a few of the reasons why this investigation has captured the nation's attention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARVEY LEVIN, FOUNDER, TMZ: Part of it is Savannah Guthrie is very famous. But an even bigger part is that you have this elderly woman who is going about her life, who is frail, and on the surface, it seems that she was taken out of her home in the dead of night. And suddenly you have this CSI like, you know, something you would see, you know, on CBS, this ransom demand, sending it to television stations. It has mystery. It is relatable because people have elderly relatives.
I think so much of this connects to people because, you know, you think about what Nancy Guthrie must have gone through in that house and what's going on now, and you see Savannah and you see the emotion, it's when you really break it down, it's unsurprising. Everybody is captivated by this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Thanks to Harvey for that earlier.
Again, authorities asking anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department. That number on your screen, 520-351-4900, where you can contact the FBI directly.
[01:10:06]
Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, refused to answer questions from the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Monday. Instead, she sent a clear message to President Trump. Her lawyer says if the president grants her clemency, she would clear his name of any wrongdoing as it pertains to Epstein. Lawmakers asked her several questions, but were met with the same answer every time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHISLAINE MAXWELL, JEFFREY EPSTEIN'S ACCOMPLICE: I therefore invoke my right to silence under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. constitution.
I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.
I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.
I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.
I invoke my Fifth Amendment Right to silence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Remember, she says, I won't be silent if I'm completely cleared by the president. Lawmakers on the committee are accusing Maxwell of trying to buy her clemency by refusing to testify.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA): What we did not get were any substantive answers to the questions that were asked that would advance our investigation, to help us learn who were the other men involved in these crimes, to help us learn who were the others who knew about these crimes.
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY), HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMMITTEE CHAIR: Her attorney said, Maxwell didn't say, her attorney said that she would answer questions if she were granted clemency by --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By President Trump.
COMER: -- by the president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meantime, Congressman Thomas Massie saw unredacted versions of the Epstein files on Monday. He says he was personally able to identify six men whose names were redacted when they shouldn't be. Massie didn't rule out revealing those names himself, but he's giving the Justice Department a chance to do it themselves first.
In the U.K., British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting to stay in power and calls for his own resignation. He is facing backlash for appointing Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the U.S. last year. Mandelson resigned from both the House of Lords and the Labour Party after new mentions in the latest release of Epstein's documents. Now lawmakers are calling for a complete cleaning of house.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANAS SARWAR, SCOTTISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change. We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: Meantime, Britain's King Charles says that he is, quote, "ready to support police." They investigate a report about the former Prince Andrew for suspected misconduct in public office. The new report accuses Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of sharing confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as U.K. Trade envoy. So again, the king saying he's ready for police to investigate his brother.
Cutting flights to Cuba, how airlines are coping with the U.S. oil blockade and the impact on the island himself. We'll have a report from Havana next. And later, skier Lindsey Vaughn says she has no regrets after a devastating crash at the Winter Olympics. More on her decision to compete with a ruptured ACL just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:17:43]
MICHAELSON: The U.S. military has struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific. U.S. Southern Command says two people were killed and one survived Monday's strike, claiming the vessel was operated by, quote, "designated terrorist organizations." At least 121 people have now been killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats since September in what's become known as Operation Southern Spear.
So far, the Trump administration has given little public evidence that those killed were affiliated with cartels or that the boats being targeted were indeed carrying drugs. The Pentagon says the U.S. military forces have boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. A tracking organization reports the ship departed from the Venezuelan coast last month after the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro. But the Pentagon didn't say whether the ship is connected to Venezuela. Data transmitted from the tanker shows it is not currently carrying crude oil.
According to tracking data, the ship's radio transponder has been turned off for months, a tactic commonly used by smugglers trying to hide their location.
Meanwhile, Cuba is running out of oil. The U.S. blockade is having disastrous consequences, not just for the country's ability to run itself, but also for Cuba's tourism industry. The Cuban government announced that from about now through March 11, arriving jets will not be able to refuel. Air Canada already says it is suspending flights to Cuba, and other airlines are likely to follow. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has our report from Havana.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As more and more time goes by and oil shipments don't arrive to Cuba, stopped by the Trump administration's insistence that countries are no longer able to send the government, the Cuban government, any kind of oil, saying that Cuba represents a threat to the United States, we are seeing the impacts more and more here. There are less cars on the road. And now we're hearing that airlines are cutting flights to Cuba because there's not any jet fuel for them here to be able to refuel and bring the passengers back home. So this is, of course, going to have an impact. There'll be less tourists coming here.
[01:20:01]
It really becomes a chain reaction for the already struggling Cuban economy. Mexico is sending aid, tons -- hundreds of tons of food, but they're not at this point sending any oil under U.S. pressure to not do that. The Kremlin has said that Cuba is now facing a crisis. The government here, essentially their ally, their old ally, is in deep trouble as what they call a U.S. chokehold continues on and on.
We know the U.S. and Cuba are exchanging messages that are holding talks. Remains to be seen though, if any deal can be struck because the U.S. is really insisting on regime change, the government leave power, open up to multi-party elections, that political prisoners here are framed and a lot of other steps that the Cuban government up until now has been unwilling to agree to.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
MICHAELSON: Thank you, Patrick.
Iran's foreign minister says the first round of indirect nuclear talks with the U.S. is a quote, "good start." But he emphasized the need to address longstanding distrust of American intentions and objectives. The U.S. wants Iran to give up all plans to develop a nuclear weapon. If not, President Trump has threatened military action. Diplomats from Washington and Tehran negotiated via a mediator from Oman on Friday.
A top Iranian official is working to set up the next round of indirect talks.
The United Nations chief Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE are condemning Israel's latest moves to widen its powers in the occupied West Banks. Israel's security cabinet has approved measures to expand settlements in the west bank which are considered illegal under international law. Measures also expand Israel's enforcement powers in areas designated to fall under Palestinian administrative control. U.N. officials say this will hinder the peace process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, UNITED NATIONS SPOKESPERSON: The secretary general warns that the current trajectory on the ground, including this decision, is eroding the prospects for a two state solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: This comes says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet in Washington on Wednesday. CNN's Nic Robertson has more.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This is really interesting because the same group of international countries that President Trump leant on to give support and credibility to his Gaza peace plan late last year that envisaged a Palestinian state is now sort of those same countries criticizing what Israel is doing because they see it as shutting down that possible pathway to a Palestinian state that President Trump's 20 point peace plan talked about. The Palestinian Authority sees this as a just a way that war is being waged on the Palestinian people. That's what they say, Bezalel Smotrich, the far right finance minister here in Israel, who's the author and the sort of engine behind this change that's making it easier for settlers to get property inside the West Bank, to get land inside the West Bank. A vision he's always had and one that really pushed to enable settlers to not just take land, but to legitimize the taking of that land. And now this next step, while it seems an incremental part of a process that this far right wing alliance in and around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intent on doing. Although it seems incremental, it is significant because the push and the drive is there to do it from part of the Israeli side. And this is going to make it easier and therefore put pressure on those Palestinians inside the west bank and drive them, they assess, to sort of live in smaller and smaller areas, be pushed into their big cities. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan have all jointly signed a letter condemning this act by Israel. But remember, those were the eight countries that President Trump went to in the margins of the U.N. General Assembly September last year when he was proposing his 20 point peace plan for Gaza. And they came back to him later and said, all this talk back in the fall of last year about annexation in the West Bank, we don't support that, we don't want it.
So President Trump actually came out then and said he was against annexation of the West Bank. So all of that in context, those same countries that supported President Trump's 20 point peace plan, which included the possibility of a path to Palestinian statehood, are coming out again. So when President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu, these eight nations, of course, and others will be hoping that the President brings that up with the Israeli Prime Minister as an issue of concern.
[01:25:05]
MICHAELSON: Buddhist monks conducting a cross country walk for peace met with members of the public in Virginia during the final days of their inspirational journey. Spending more than 100 days in 2,000 miles. The walk is meant to promote global harmony by inspiring compassion and coexistence. They're expected to arrive in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
Now, despite what President Trump may say, Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime show proving to be one for the records book. Just ahead, my panel and I discuss the hidden and not so secret messages throughout historic his performance. Vanessa Diaz wrote a book on Bad Bunny, which Segun Awolowo is clearly reading. Hopefully he'll put that down and talk with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Welcome back to The Story Is. I'm Elex Michaelson.
[01:30:08]
Let's take a look at today's top stories.
A second reported ransom deadline in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance has now passed. Her daughter "Today" show anchor, Savannah Guthrie made a new plea on Monday, asking the public for any information in the case.
The FBI says they don't know of any new communication between the Guthrie family and possible captors, and no suspect has been publicly identified.
Epstein accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right to silence during congressional deposition on Monday. Lawmakers call her decision, quote "disappointing".
Maxwell attorney says she is willing to testify and clear President Trump's name of wrongdoing if he gives her clemency.
The U.S. military has struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific. U.S. Southern Command says two people were killed, one survived Monday's strike. It is the third publicly-known attack of the year and the second to leave a survivor. At least 121 people have now been killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats since September.
THE STORY IS sports.
The Seattle Seahawks, celebrating their new status as Super Bowl champs carrying the Vince Lombardi trophy. Fans turned out at the airport to welcome the team after the decisive win over the Patriots.
Meanwhile, two of their stars fulfilled the old commercial line, "We're going to Disneyland." Running back Kenneth Walker III, the game's MVP, joins quarterback Sam Darnold, a native of Orange County who I'm sure went to Disneyland plenty as a kid at Disneyland in Anaheim.
On Wednesday, up to a million people are expected to turn out for a parade in Seattle as the team celebrates its championship season.
After the game last night, CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes and myself hosted a live post-game show from the field at Levi's Stadium, and we spoke with Seahawk's head coach Mike Macdonald -- look at those teacups -- to talk about the team's success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MCDONALD, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH: 12 is one thing -- synergy, man. It really matters. When you're connected like that, the way our guys are connected, the way they love each other it's about -- football teams are the coolest things ever.
I mean, you got guys from all over the place that came together for a common goal, all different backgrounds. You learn off each other. I mean it doesn't get any better than.
MICHAELSON: The thing with 12. The 12 was here tonight. That's right.
MACDONALD: That's right.
MICHAELSON: Loud -- the fans for the Seattle Seahawks described as the best fans in the league.
MACDONALD: Well, they backed it up today. I don't know how much more evidence you need. But if you saw our playoff atmosphere and our games this season, they absolutely backed it up.
They're the best. They need to get ready though, because we're going to be partying this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: That parade is going to be something. Our thanks to him for talking with us last night.
So the moment that perhaps got even more attention than the game itself was Bad Bunny's halftime show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAD BUNNY, PERFORMER: God bless America. Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Panama --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELSON: So this year's headliner Bad Bunny said God bless America, but emphasized that American extends beyond just the traditional United States of America.
The Grammy award winner, who hails from Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, went on to name more than 20 nations in North, Central and South America.
He also displayed a message written on a football that read, "Together we are America". There also was a big sign behind him that said, "The only thing that's stronger than hate is love".
President Trump apparently not a big fan of that message, called the show, quote, "a slap in the face".
I'm joined now by Emmy award winning journalist Segun Oduolowu and Vanessa Diaz, associate professor at Loyola Marymount University, where she teaches a class on Bad Bunny.
She's also the coauthor of "How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance". Here is that book cover. There it is. Looking good. I got it in my hand as well.
Welcome back to THE STORY IS, both of you guys.
VANESSA DIAZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Thank you. We talked to you last week ahead of this. We wanted to get your update.
Now that we're back, we're getting plenty of book --
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Book-ending.
MICHAELSON: -- book-ending with a books.
So first off, I mean, you wrote about this today in "Rolling Stone". You wrote about it in "The New York Times". Your analysis on this. What did you see?
And this was the headline in "The New York Times", "Which Bad Bunny halftime show did you see?"
Which one did you see? What did you see that perhaps the rest of us didn't see?
DIAZ: I saw the one that was for America as opposed to America. And --
MICHAELSON: Ok.
ODUOLOWU: America.
[01:34:49]
DIAZ: Yes. And for Puerto Ricans -- for Puerto Ricans. There was so much special messaging for Puerto Ricans and Latinos, too.
MICHAELSON: What did -- what was some of that messaging that we might have missed?
DIAZ: Ok. So, I think that to me, the most important moment was when we see Bad Bunny emerge from what was supposed to be the sugar cane, and he's holding a flag, and that flag has the triangle of the Puerto Rican flag in light blue. And this is actually known as the independence flag. This is the Puerto Rican flag before the U.S. changed the color in 1952 to make the flag dark blue to mimic the colors of the United States flag.
And so that light blue appears in a lot of different moments. And that is really his alliance with Puerto Rican independence. So that was something that --
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: Is that him saying he doesn't want to be a part of the United States?
DIAZ: No. Well, it's -- it's not an option for Puerto Rico, right?
MICHAELSON: It's like you -- it's not a choice they are held as a territory, but it is a desire for sovereignty. And so from that moment, we then see those figures that were the cane workers become electrical workers, and they're climbing electrical poles. And then Bad Bunny joins them there.
This is a reference to the blackouts. He's performing this song, "El Apagon", which is blackout in Spanish and that entire reference of the poles is actually harkening back to the longest blackout in American history, which was the one that followed Hurricane Maria.
And people just in neighborhoods, like anyone of us could have been someone who might have climbed those poles in an attempt to get power at a time when the whole island was without power.
And so this was really this kind of messaging about the suffering that Puerto Ricans have experienced and the lengths that they would go to in order to really try to help their community.
MICHAELSON: What did you think of the show?
ODUOLOWU: It was ok. And I say that, and it doesn't make me a bigot, it doesn't make me hate Puerto Rico, it doesn't make me dislike Spanish. And I followed as long -- along with the show as best I could with my collegiate level, you know, rudimentary Spanish that I was able to speak.
But people need to understand that the halftime show in the stadium is not really for the fans. It's a television -- it's a television spectacle.
MICHAELSON: That is definitely true. As somebody who was there --
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: -- I mean -- they literally brought people as plans to cover up the thing so you couldn't see it.
ODUOLOWU: Yes. It's a -- it's made for TV viewing.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ODUOLOWU: And if you're watching it at home and just put the language barrier aside, if all of the easter eggs that he put in there forced you afterwards to go and try and decipher it, it misses -- it kind of misses the mark where you're looking for the spectacle in the show.
There were parts of it I absolutely loved. I loved Ricky Martin coming up. I thought that homage to Puerto Rico with Ricky Martin being Puerto Rican, I loved that.
I loved Lady Gaga and the flower that she had being a symbol of Puerto Rico. I loved some of the things that I caught.
But when I thought of the overall like spectacle of halftime shows, I thought the strawman drawing of like, "Oh My God, it's anti-American," kind of drowned out and made it bigger than it needed to be.
It was just an ok, like performance. It was good but was it like you know, the greatest halftime show of all time? No, I will counter and say, the biggest thing for me, I did not agree with President Trump saying that this was a slap in the face.
The only slaps I saw were the beats, the bodies and the booties. I was there for it. For that part of it, it was a great show.
I think it can be summed up perfectly by what J.J. Watt said. "Did I understand everything about it? No. Was it a vibe? Absolutely." And that's what it was. It's a vibe. And that's what Bad Bunny is.
But to try and make it as -- bigger than what it was, it was a good show, that's all. It was good. It was ok. It's ok.
MICHAELSON: You agree it was just ok?
DIAZ: No, I actually think it was an incredible show. And I think it was an incredible show because of all of those historic meanings.
Bad Bunny is an artist. He's known for these easter eggs right? Bad Bunny brings the easter eggs. But really, there's always these messages. And, you know, as an educator, for me, that's exciting to then go talk to my students. And they're like oh, I noticed this.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
DIAZ: And they picked up on the electrical grid. They picked up on the flag because we're learning that history. But also, I think a lot of other folks -- I mean, the point of the opening with the people who were working the sugar canes, I think, was to show this connective history that is across the Americas.
We saw different flags displayed. We saw kind of, you know, the taco trucks and all of these different references that were supposed to connect to a broader audience while still really making it about his homeland. And that's what he does best.
MICHAELSON: What a day for you to be at the -- at the Bad Bunny class.
DIAZ: Yes.
MICHAELSON: How did that go today?
DIAZ: I mean, the students were so excited because they're actually all writing for their -- like their midterm project is an opinion piece about the Super Bowl so they were ready and they had really watched it and studied it.
[01:39:49]
DIAZ: And so, you know, it was really exciting to talk to a group of young students who had so much to say.
ODUOLOWU: Why didn't she -- well, why didn't Bad Bunny come in on a wrecking ball like Miley Cyrus and bust through like an ICE effigy of Donald Trump? You have your moment with the whole world --
MICHAELSON: No, no. No, no.
ODUOLOWU: What do you mean, no?
MICHAELSON: I actually disagree.
ODUOLOWU: Ok. I'm all ears.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: I actually think the way he did it was so much smarter than doing that.
ODUOLOWU: How so?
MICHAELSON: Because. Because the last message that he put up there was the whole point. That the only thing stronger than hate is love. That was the theme of the whole thing.
And so to make it all about Trump -- don't need to make it about Trump. It's about love. It's about positivity. It's about the fact that we're all America. It's the fact that everybody was joyous. Things that people can relate to.
ODUOLOWU: But which American -- wait a second.
MICHAELSON: A wedding -- a wedding. A taco stand. Other things.
ODUOLOWU: Which America -- Which America do we live in where he got no new fans from the people that dislike him. You have an opportunity now to -- look, if you --
MICHAELSON: I don't agree with that.
ODUOLOWU: You -- are you rushing out to go buy the new Bad Bunny?
MICHAELSON: Yes.
ODUOLOWU: Stop it.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: No. Honestly, I'm more into Bad Bunny after this whole thing, I am.
ODUOLOWU: I think -- I think he had a moment --
MICHAELSON: And I think there are people around the world that does too.
ODUOLOWU: I think -- I think the people that love him were going to love him no matter what he did. And I think this was an opportunity to show strength in a way that make us catch it.
If you have this opportunity to be overt, be overt because --
MICHAELSON: Why?
ODUOLOWU: -- because the -- because those easter eggs fall on like we need a college professor.
MICHAELSON: Maybe just having -- maybe just having the vibe is the point.
(CROSSTALKING)
ODUOLOWU: Ok, no but here's the thing. We needed a college professor to break down the easter eggs of a halftime show. You missed the mark.
MICHAELSON: No, we didn't. We -- I mean, I appreciate what she said but --
(CROSSTALKING) DIAZ: This would be fair. In Kendrick Lamar's halftime show last year, other "Rolling Stone" writers broke down the show in the same way we did. It just happens that I'm a professor.
ODUOLOWU: Right, yes. But --
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: We are out of time.
ODUOLOWU: Ok.
MICHAELSON: I wish we weren't. This is great stuff.
ODUOLOWU: We need to come back. I don't mind being ganged up on.
MICHAELSON: Thank you, guys.
(CROSSTALKING)
MICHAELSON: Great stuff. Congratulations and congrats on the book.
DIAZ: Thank you.
MICHAELSON: Thanks for watching THE STORY IS.
For our international viewers WORLDSPORT is next. For our viewers in North America, I'll be right back.
[01:41:53]
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MICHAELSON: U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn is speaking out for the first time since her crash at the Winter Olympics. In a social media post, she says she has no regrets over her decision to compete.
Vonn was skiing Sunday and the downhill race with a completely ruptured ACL.
CNN's Don Riddell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLDSPORT ANCHOR: As Lindsey Vonn recovers from the devastating crash that ended her Olympic dream on Sunday, the 41-year- old American is now reflecting on what went wrong. Quote "I was simply five inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate," she explained in an Instagram post. She continued, "twisting me and resulted in my crash. My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever."
Now Vonn had completely ruptured her ACL nine days before the downhill race in Cortina, but she opted to ski anyway, and she promised that she'd go for it. Unfortunately, she crashed just 13 seconds into her run. It had already been reported that Vonn had undergone two surgeries to
stabilize her fractured left tibia. She says her leg is now stable, but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly. And a few of us can imagine what it must be like to compete in such an adrenaline- fueled sport.
But Vonn gave us a further sense of what was going through her mind on Sunday. She said, quote, "Standing in the starting gate was an incredible feeling that I will never forget, knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself."
"Yesterday, my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn't a storybook ending or a fairy tale. It was just life. I dared to dream and I'd worked so hard to achieve it."
"Because in downhill ski racing, the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as five inches. And similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream, we love, we jump, and sometimes we fall."
"Sometimes our hearts are broken, sometimes we don't achieve the dreams we know we could have but that is also the beauty of life. We can try."
It is of course, too soon for Vonn to be considering a return to the slopes but it seems likely that she won't be competing at the Olympics again. But whether she's thundering down the slopes or convalescing in hospital, Lindsey Vonn's attitude to life and to sport remains highly inspirational.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELSON: Thank you, Don.
Dearest gentle viewers, we take you inside Bridgerton's fourth season. An interview with the actors behind Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury, just ahead.
[01:48:27]
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MICHAELSON: All's fair in love and war is a sentiment woven throughout Netflix's hit series Bridgerton. The regency era drama just returned for its fourth season, pulling in nearly 40 million views in its first four days, that's according to "Variety".
CNN's Lynda Kinkade caught up with two of the show's stars at the heart of London's high society.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I should like great gossip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The social season might look a little --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You must begin the proper way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dearest gentle reader --
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the new season is upon us. Did you ever think back on those first days on set that Bridgerton would be this successful?
GOLDA ROSHEUVEL, "QUEEN CHARLOTTE": No, I think is the simplest answer.
ADJOA ANDOH, "LADY AGATHA DANBURY": I think we thought we'd be in a reasonably successful show, but to have 82 million households watching it within the first 28 days, who can imagine that?
KINKADE: Yes.
ANDOH: It's quite incredible, really.
ROSHEUVEL: Yes.
ANDOH: Bridgerton is a bit of a game changer in terms of a historical drama for -- yes, for its casting, for it's -- for the amount of sex.
KINKADE: Bridgerton's newest season dives even deeper into the social chess match of London in the early 19th century.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The impossible seems possible.
KINKADE: At the center of it all is Lady Danbury -- sharp-tongued, eagle-eyed, and always several moves ahead. She's not only the lady- in-waiting to the powerful Queen Charlotte, she's her friend and confidant.
For three seasons, they've shared a tight, almost dependent relationship.
ROSHEUVEL: Why do you wish to leave me?
ANDOH: Your Majesty.
ROSHEUVEL: You cannot go. I will not allow it.
I truly believe that this is one of the great love stories of Bridgerton.
KINKADE: It really is. You have such a strong bond that's really tested this season.
ROSHEUVEL: Yes.
KINKADE: What was it like preparing for that shift?
ROSHEUVEL: Charlotte plays the Queen card for the first time ever and it's hurtful to have two people of color, women of color sharing the screen is beyond exciting.
[01:54:50]
KINKADE: And they're both such strong characters.
ROSHEUVEL: Yes.
ANDOH: They are. And you know, we get to -- we get to play. You know, we've been strong. We've been strategic. So, we have to find our way back from this impasse where we're -- it's like kids in the playground really.
KINKADE: The wardrobe never gets a break.
ANDOH: John Glaser, our Emmy-award winning costume designer, and his team. They worked so hard, it's stunning.
ROSHEUVEL: They're also keeping this ecosystem of, you know, the felt maker from Italy, or the leather worker from Spain. You know, there are whole little cottage industries of craft-ship that is still continuing, because they've got this outlet in the show now.
KINKADE: Australian Actress Yerin Ha stepping into a leading role as the love interest of Benedict Bridgerton.
This year, you've got Australian.
ANDOH: Yes.
ROSHEUVEL: Yes. Your compatriot.
ANDOH: Yes.
KINKADE: Yes. Fellow Aussie who's wonderful.
ROSHEUVEL: She's amazing.
KINKADE: How does that new energy change the dynamic?
ANDOH: It's energy. And Yerin has got this lightness and this brightness, but a depth to her as well. She's lovely.
ROSHEUVEL: And then we also introduced class, because of the Cinderella nature of the story.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wants to find the lady.
KINKADE: There are countless actors who would love to be cast in "Bridgerton". What would your advice be to them?
ANDOH: That's a good question. Find your connection with the character, and then have fun.
ROSHEUVEL: Yes, I think that would be my one play, play, play, play.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAELSON: That's good advice for life, isn't it? Our thanks to Lynda Kinkade for that.
Our thanks to you for watching THE STORY IS. We'll be back tomorrow with more.
I'm Elex Michaelson, CNN.
[01:56:26]
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