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What We Know with Max Foster
British Government Facing Crisis of Confidence Amid New Revelations; Border Czar: 700 DHS Officers To Leave Minneapolis Immediately; Trump: We May Need "Softer Touch" On Immigration; Trump Says Iran's Supreme Leader Should Be "Very Worried"; Officials Probe Possible Notes For Nancy Guthrie; Fulton County Asks Court For Seized Ballots To Be Returned. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired February 04, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:20]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Could a scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein bring down the British prime minister?
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Fallout over the Epstein files is snowballing this hour into a crisis of confidence for the British government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under
fire for appointing Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the U.S. after he knew of Mandelsons ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Starmer says Mandelson lied repeatedly about the extent of those ties. Mandelson was fired as ambassador eventually last year and is now under
criminal investigation for allegedly passing government information to Epstein.
Well, British lawmakers have just agreed to release papers relating to Mandelson's appointment. Mr. Starmer and the U.K. opposition leader spoke
in parliament today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEMI BADENOCH, LEADER, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY: The whole house will be disgusted by the latest revelations about Jeffrey Epstein. All of us want
to see his victims get justice. But the political decision to appoint Epstein's close associate, Peter Mandelson, as Britain's ambassador to
Washington goes to the very heart of this prime minister's judgment.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Mandelson betrayed our country, our parliament and my party. Mr. Speaker, he lied repeatedly to my team when
asked about his relationship with Epstein before and during his tenure as ambassador. I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he
would never have been anywhere near government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Bethany Dawson is the London Playbook Diary reporter for "Politico".
Thank you so much for joining us.
I mean, there's so much to get into here. But the question that keeps coming to my mind is, of course, Mandelson lied. And I'm saying that with
hindsight. But this vetting procedure for the top job in Washington is meant to see through that.
So, do we know what went wrong?
BETHANY DAWSON, LONDON PLAYBOOK DIARY REPORTER, POLITICO: This is why the government have said that they will release these kind of papers, revealing
what the vetting procedure looked like and the communications around that. And these are the kind of questions that M.P.s are asking today, why they
forced the government to make this move.
They are furious. They are furious that this kind of stain is on the government now. They're saying it was avoidable. There is, you know, when
you talk to people who worked with Mandelson when he was in government, they describe him as someone that was always, you know, always had a
scandal around him, whether that's the two that he ended up resigning from government posts due to or other things.
You know, there was this air of always waiting for the shoe to drop. However, it has dropped. And what a shoe it was.
They -- but they also paint him as someone, you know, a good politician, someone who has charisma, charm, who was -- would be a good candidate for
working with Donald Trump. So there are supporters of the prime minister that do press. There was reasons to make the appointment. However, as you
say, there were clearly failings, massive failings with the vetting procedure.
And it seems as though over the next few days, maybe weeks, that will start to be clear. But if it is weeks, I think that's going to get, you know,
fury and anger, impatience in Westminster.
FOSTER: Yeah. And Mr. Starmer won't be able to do anything, will he be, to just have this cloud over him the whole time? But --
DAWSON: Well, this --
FOSTER: It is a reflection on his judgment, isn't it? The prime minister's judgment? Because, you know, many people expected a career diplomat to be
appointed. To Washington. It was a bit of a gamble taking this labor grandee back into the fold and sending him over there.
But then, you know, you're talking about Mandelson's charm. He's obviously famous for it. I think people are thinking he charmed the prime minister.
DAWSON: Well, there's a debate over who made this final decision. The buck does stop with the prime minister. However, a lot of eyes are on Morgan
McSweeney, the Number 10 chief of staff, kind of runs the show in the background. Lots of debates over whether he will stay in post. A lot of
people in Westminster, a lot of M.P.s are calling for him to go again, whether he will is a different story.
People, you know, people are hoping for change. They are wanting reform in that vetting procedure that you were talking about, and also in the general
culture of politics. And there is a feeling among some M.P.s that a big firing, a big resignation would kind of represent that reform and
commitment to change. However, you know, we have so many times sat in in the middle of political scandals and kind of place bets on who would go.
[15:05:01]
And either nobody does or it's completely someone that wasn't on the cards. So, it's still kind of feel totally up in the air.
FOSTER: It would be a different story, though, wouldn't it, if he wasn't so vulnerable before all of this. He's had a hell of a year, Keir Starmer.
It wouldn't actually take much more for the party to revolt, would it? I mean, when we talk about him potentially falling as a result of this, is it
quite a real debate, isn't it, in parliament right now?
DAWSON: Absolutely. I mean, the ice was already quite thin. He's only just got over a really intense period of discussions around his leadership being
potentially short lived. There were -- there were and still are discussions as to whether he will survive after May, which is when we have big local
elections, which are predicted to go very badly for labor.
So, this is very much just another headache. Another thing that has gone wrong. Another reason for the public to continue to lose trust in the
political structure as a whole, and this government. So, it's absolutely just another card on the deck that they really don't need.
FOSTER: Keeping you busy. Bethany, thank you so much for joining us.
Another person mentioned in the Epstein files is the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. There are draft email messages in Epstein's email account
referencing Gates and marital discord. It's unclear who wrote those emails, and a spokesperson for Bill Gates says the claims are, quote, absolutely
absurd and completely false.
While Bill Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing, he expressed regret about ever associating with the convicted sex offender.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL GATES, COFOUNDER, MICROSOFT: I met Jeffrey in 2011. The focus was always he knew a lot of very rich people, and he was saying he could get
them, to give money to global health. You know, in retrospect, that was a dead end. And I was foolish to spend time with him. I was one of many
people who regret ever knowing him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, tells NPR she's filled with unbelievable sadness over Bill Gates's inclusion in those
files. Gates adds that she hopes the victims find justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELINDA FRENCH GATES, EX-WIFE OF BILL GATES: Whatever questions remain there of what I don't -- can't even begin to know all of it. Those
questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.
I'm able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, my God, how did they? How did that happen to those girls, right?
And so, for me, it's just sadness. Sadness for -- you know, I've left, I had to -- I left my marriage. I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave
my marriage. I had to leave the -- I felt I needed to eventually leave the foundation.
For me, I've been able to move on in life, and I hope there's some justice for those now women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Now in Minnesota, it appears the Trump administration is trying to calm some of the anger over federal officers deployed there. Trump's Border
Czar Tom Homan today announced he is reducing the number of immigration agents in Minneapolis by 700. That will still leave, though about 2,000
agents deployed there. There have been widespread protests over the Minneapolis surge, especially after agents shot and killed two people in
recent weeks.
Homan admits the operation has been less than perfect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: I think I just listed a bunch of people we took off, you know, took off the streets of the Twin Cities. So, I think it
was very effective as far as public safety goes. Was it a perfect operation? No, no. And I told you we created one unified chain of command,
make sure everybody's on the same page. Make sure we deconflicting targets and making sure we follow the rules.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So, President Trump also now admits that a softer touch may be needed in his immigration crackdown. Speaking today on NBC News, Mr. Trump
said he'd learned lessons from the fallout in Minneapolis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTERVIEWER: Mr. President, speaking of Minneapolis, what did you learn?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. These
are criminals we're dealing with, really hard criminals. But look, I've called the people. I've called the governor. I've called the mayor, spoke
to him, had great conversations with him. And then I see them ranting and raving out there. Literally, as though a call wasn't made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes joins me now.
I mean, how do we read this? Because it's not a huge drawdown, is it? Compared with the numbers that are still on the streets out there in
Minneapolis, and they've still got the same principle in terms of what they want to do in terms of illegal immigration.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, just going back to what Trump just said during that NBC interview, I think it is
worth noting, noting that that is a rare concession for the president. He often doesn't say that he learned anything from any kind of negative
experience. But even just the mention of a softer touch there shows what we've been reporting is happening behind the scenes, which was the White
House, the administration, they were all looking for an off ramp and an attempt to try to turn down the temperature, particular when it came to
Minneapolis and Minnesota.
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And, you know, yes, that this is not a huge percentage of the amount of agents on the ground. But one of the things that we had told -- we had been
told that Homan was there to do was work with these local officials and try and figure out a path forward. And Homan has a very different approach to
immigration than Bovino, who is leading the operation there. And even Kristi Noem and her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, have had in the past,
which is that Tom Homan's kind of expertise or belief when it comes to immigration, is doing these much slower but much larger kind of sweeps that
will still pick up people. They call them collaterals that are not necessarily a dangerous criminal that is here illegally, but this is a more
targeted approach that would get the people they want to get when it comes to these dangerous criminals, people who are here illegally off the
streets.
And so, they are attempting to try something different. I mean, just a reminder of what we were seeing in Minneapolis besides the violence that we
were seeing from these ICE agents. The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, for example, we were also seeing these kind of, operations that were people
pretending to be, you know, they had to go to the bathroom in a Target and then arresting people, saying that they would go eat at a restaurant and
then arrest everybody who worked there. Those were not big, targeted, thought out sweeps.
So, President Trump wants to continue with his immigration crackdown, but move to Tom Homan's approach, which, by the way, Tom Homan is no way a
moderate. He just happens to have worked in law enforcement for decades. And he is considered by the administration to be somebody who has worked
with the Democrats before. So, they wanted him to go in there and again turn down the temperature and find a pathway forward.
FOSTER: Can I also ask you about another, point of that very interesting interview? U.S. President Trump saying to NBC that Iran's Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei should be very worried. This is just days, isn't it, before the two countries are due to meet for nuclear talks?
HOLMES: Yeah. And there had been some reporting that these talks were off, that there were too many issues and that no one was going anymore. We have
just heard from these officials in Iran confirming that the talks are still on, that they're happening in Oman on Friday.
But this is really very much part of President Trump's strategy when it comes to foreign policy. He believes in flexing the United States military
as one of his greatest assets. Just to look at what we saw in Venezuela before the capture of Maduro, it was months that President Trump was
putting this pressure on Maduro, and at the same time, building up this armada outside in the Caribbean, striking boats, trying to put this
pressure on Maduro to work with the United States.
We are now seeing a very similar tactic when it comes to Iran. We saw President Trump threaten strikes on a number of occasions. Now he is saying
that the supreme leader should be very worried.
We know that there is an armada that is basically within striking distance of Iran. If they were to complete any kind of military operation there,
this is all part of President Trump's negotiation tactics, and it works with a lot of these countries. Just to be clear, because he is putting the
weight behind the U.S. military as they go into these negotiations.
FOSTER: Okay. Kristen, fascinating. Thank you so much for joining us.
Staying in the U.S., officials in Arizona saying they are investigating potential ransom notes for Nancy Guthrie. She's the 84-year-old mother of
"Today Show" host Savannah Guthrie. TMZ saying it received what appears to be a ransom note. It turned over to investigators. At least two local
newsrooms in Arizona say they also received possible ransom notes. The Pima County sheriff's department says it's coordinating with the FBI on this
now.
Josh Campbell joins us from L.A. on this. I mean, there's some hopefulness to this as well, isn't there, Josh, that they are calling for ransom, which
suggests she's -- she might be okay.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You know, but authorities are trying to run that to ground. They say that they are taking
those notes seriously, but they have not yet confirmed that they are indeed credible.
Unfortunately, you know, we also have to note that in these high profile type cases that get a lot of notoriety, a lot of times, investigators are
flooded with tips. Some of them turn out to be credible. Some of them are from people who may have good intentions but send information that's not
related to the case at all. And then this last category there are, you know, people, mischief makers and people with sinister intent who will just
try to, you know, send in information, disinformation. And so they're trying to figure out which category these notes might fall under, whether
they're actually relevant or not.
The next step, you know, if they are indeed able to open a line of communication with the person or the people who might have abducted Nancy
Guthrie would be to try to determine, well, you know, what are they demanding?
[15:15:04]
And how do they bring about some kind of safe resolution? But authorities are working on that, you know, behind the scenes right now. We're also
learning that based on new information, new reporting, that it appears that Nancy Guthrie had a pacemaker in her heart that would sync up with her
phone.
As you know, technology often does that allows doctors to see how a pacemaker is doing. It appears that the last time that her pacemaker
connected with her phone was 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, which is an important part of the timeline because there were these 12-plus hours between when
she was last seen and when she was reported missing. The authorities really didn't have any indication of where she might be. Her cell phone was left
behind at the residence. So 2:00 a.m. that could have been the moment that she was actually separated from that phone and actually removed from the
residence.
Authorities continue to ask people for any information, any tips. They say that there were security cameras that were inside the home, but they're
still working to process that information. You know, they don't -- they're trying to determine did the recordings kind of record over itself, in which
case they have to bring in the company that made it to try to resurrect that data again, all to get an understanding of what was happening in the
home, who this person may have been that was responsible for her abduction, and obviously, which direction did they leave?
They say right now, Max, still no suspects.
FOSTER: Okay, Josh, thank you.
CAMPBELL: You bet.
FOSTER: Coming up, Georgia wants its ballots back. The fallout from the FBI search in Fulton County as Donald Trump ramps up the rhetoric on
elections.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Federal agents took boxes full of ballots from an election office in Georgia, and now that office is going to court to get them back.
Last Wednesday, we told you about the search warrant executed in Fulton County, which covers the city of Atlanta. Federal agents took ballots from
the 2020 election, which Donald Trump believes was stolen despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
[15:20:06]
Fulton County officials have now asked a federal court to return those ballots. Mr. Trump recently called for Republicans to, quote, take over
future elections.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRUMP: The Republicans should say, we want to take over. We should take over the voting -- the voting. And at least many, 15 places the Republicans
ought to nationalize the voting. And we have states that are so crooked and they're counting votes. We have states that I won that show I didn't win.
Now you're going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order. The ballots. You're going to see some interesting
things come out. But, you know, like the 2020 election, I won that election by so much.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
FOSTER: While there are many countries where elections are run by the federal government, the United States just isn't one of them. Article One,
Section Four of the Constitution requires the states to run elections, and the law seems pretty clear on it. It's been upheld multiple times in
courts, including in cases where President Trump has falsely alleged fraud.
That's not stopped his Justice Department, though, from trying to get ahold of voter rolls from dozens of states. And one of those states is Georgia,
where that office in Fulton County has searched or was searched last week. An official told CNN there's something sinister going on here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBB PITTS, CHAIRMAN, FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: Listen, I'm no constitutional scholar, but I do know that the states control elections,
not Congress, not the White House. And clearly, not the president. So, he's treating the Constitution as if it's a suggestion. And it's not. It's the
law.
And further, I will say that this is -- this whole issue with the raid was more about a distraction to what's really going on. Something sinister is
going on. And I think this is really more about power on his part than it is about policy. It's power and not policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So what we want to know is, is there really, quote, something sinister about these search warrants?
Joining me now is our senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein.
I mean, we're taking lots of different elements here. And coming up with the word sinister, aren't we? But what do you think is going on?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, I think an overriding lesson of the past year is that there is no idle musing in the
second Trump term. Doesn't mean he gets to do everything he speculates about. Sometimes he stopped, but I think it does mean that he tries. And
so, we ought to take him both seriously and literally when he's talking about nationalizing elections.
You know, the Constitution and the lack of 60 votes in the Senate make it highly unlikely that Congress is going to pass some kind of legislation,
asserting national control, for example, over ballot counting. But I think the raid in Georgia should be seen less as a look back than as a fast
forward preview of what they may try to do through executive action in November, ranging from using ice to discourage voters in Democratic central
cities. Steve Bannon said today, that damn right we're going to have ICE out at the polls to potentially trying to seize ballots and or stopping
states from counting mail ballots that are received after election day.
I think we should be taking this very seriously as we as you know, as on many fronts, the Trump administration tries to kind of pound away really at
pillars of kind of our democratic constitutional system.
FOSTER: Why do you think they wanted the physical ballots?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. You know, like I said, on the one hand, you could say, well, it's part of his obsession with 2020, and he's looking for any proof
that he was somehow wronged. I think it's a test run for trying to seize ballots in November of 2026 and seeing what the courts and the country and
the congress do. He has already said he regretted not sending in military forces, the National Guard, to seize ballots after 2020.
And again, I think you have to look at this not so much in his tendency to kind of say, well, he's got this strange obsession. He can't give up that
he was actually defeated in 2020.
That all may be true, but I think what's more relevant is the degree to which he is trying to establish precedents and a model for what he might do
in 2026, an election, Max, that by all indications, is shaping up as extremely difficult for Republicans.
FOSTER: But he's talking about some interesting things coming out from what they found there. That would imply, looking back at the last election,
wouldn't it, at this point?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. But to create justification for actions, I think, on the next election, you know?
FOSTER: Some sort of recount or what is it
BROWNSTEIN: Who knows? I mean, who knows? I mean, you know, who knows what the chain of, you know, chain of custody on the ballots are and who knows
what they are doing?
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It's extraordinary. I don't think there's ever been anything like this with the federal government seizing control of actual ballots. I mean, I don't
think there would be a lot of faith that they would kind of be in a good faith way. There have been, what, three full recounts in Georgia?
I mean, it's been from 2020, described as the most scrutinized single election, probably in American history. They're going to find something
now. I mean, this is a little like OJ, you know, starting his search for the real killer, you know, back in the back in the 1990s.
But I do think the key here is that this is not fundamentally directed at looking back. I think this is fundamentally directed at establishing a
precedence for what might be coming. And we, as on many different fronts, are kind of step-by-step walking into a degree of constitutional crisis
that, you know, I'm not sure all Americans are prepared for. I would say one last thing. I mean, if Trump in fact does try in various ways, from
seizing ballots to disrupting polling places to subvert the 2020 election, I think he is extremely misguided to think that blue America, the blue
states and cities are simply going to kind of, you know, accept it and say, oh, well, well played. You got us.
I think that disrupting and subverting the election would open the door to a level of civil unrest that we have not seen in this country for a very
long time, and I think it would be more comparable to what happened in some place like the Velvet Revolution in the late 1980s in the eastern bloc. I
think they are playing with fire, and they are wrong to assume that they are the only actors in this with agency.
FOSTER: Let's see where they take it. Ron Brownstein, appreciate you as ever.
The man who planned to assassinate Donald Trump at his Florida golf course in 2024 has been sentenced to life in prison. Ryan Routh was convicted in
September after plotting, stalking and lying in wait for the right moment to shoot and kill the then candidate, Trump. The charges included attempted
assassination of a major presidential candidate. His assassination attempt was thwarted by a Secret Service agent.
Still to come, his motto is democracy dies in darkness. Now the Jeff Bezos- owned "Washington Post" faces an uncertain future following massive layoffs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:43]
FOSTER: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has moved out of his longtime Windsor mansion, the plan moved to Norfolk in the east of England, was brought
forward after the former prince again appeared in the latest batch of files concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles cast him
out of the monarchy in October over the scandal. Royal sources told me the former prince is being given a house on the king's private estate in
Sandringham.
And the latest files and undated photos appear to show Andrew kneeling over what appears to be a woman or a girl who's lying fully clothed on the
floor. The photographs don't suggest any wrongdoing.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told a London newspaper, `The Daily Mail", on Tuesday that he is certainly open to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
testifying before the U.S. Congress over his friendship with Epstein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thought Keir Starmer said something about this, right, that he should go and testify. I mean,
look, I'd be -- I'm certainly open to it. I think we let congressional Republicans determine whether he has anything. I know that they're doing a
very exhaustive investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, we don't know. Will Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor face further fallout over the Epstein files?
Joining me now is British broadcaster and royal watcher Bidisha Mamata.
Thank you so much for joining us, Bidisha.
I just wanted to ask you quickly about what you made of this move, because he wasn't meant to be going. According to "The Sun", that clearly has won
some sort of sauce. He left in the middle of the night after those photos appeared of him riding through the park. He looked pretty relaxed, even
smiling at points, despite the fact the Epstein files have dropped.
Do you think the king just had enough and wanted him out?
BIDISHA MAMATA, BRITISH BROADCASTER: Frankly, I think that's exactly right. Maybe he wasn't meant to have moved in the middle of the night in
this way so quickly, but I have no doubt that the king himself had been thinking about this for many, many months and that this is no surprise to
anyone. Not only that, but there would be internal pressure within the family. External pressure amongst people, commentators, society and then
that middle layer of pressure, of course, which is the press and the tabloids, which the royal family dislike so much in their speculation.
So, there's no way out for Andrew at all whether or not there's anything to investigate at a criminal level right now. It makes no difference at this
stage.
FOSTER: Yeah. I mean, I can't even mention some of the things that we've seen in the last 24 hours about him in the Epstein files. I mean, it's
pretty grotesque in terms of allegations at least.
But one thing that did really stand out to me was an email from Ghislaine Maxwell making it pretty clear that that famous photo of the then Prince
Andrew with -- you know, his main accuser standing in an apartment which he claimed was made up, was fake. Ghislaine Maxwell saying it was definitely
true and really stood it up. And, you know, that simple thing. Actually, it's that photo that started a lot of this story, wasn't it? And knowing
that it is real completely undermines his entire story.
MAMATA: Yes, he'd always complained that he had no recollection of meeting Virginia Giuffre, the late Virginia Giuffre. It was probably staged. He
doesn't remember it. Lots of things were happening. And even if it was real, what does it really show?
I think all of those defenses look extremely flimsy now, and that he is just a small part of a clearly global interest in Epstein, and exactly who
all these cronies were. What were they all doing?
There are so many files, in fact, that they implicate many different people. And this crosses barriers of culture and background left, right and
center. Politicians, people from business, people from the royal family. This is why people are so disgusted and so horrified. Yes, of course,
there's a huge amount of prurient interest here. Gossipy interest. But I don't think that's unjustified because most people do not behave like this.
We don't spend our time doing this and shooting off emails to our buddies who are convicted sex offenders.
[15:35:02]
FOSTER: No. Meanwhile, the survivors just have to watch being told that there's not going to be any repercussions because there's no evidence. It's
extraordinary, isn't it?
Bidisha, thank you so much.
In the final moments of trade on Wall Street, the tech -- the tech heavy Nasdaq remains in the red. The Dow Jones, though, is stabilizing after
yesterday's slide. This is our business breakout.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he had a long and thorough call with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping today. Mr. Trump says the pair spoke about
Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and tensions with Iran on trade. The U.S. president said he spoke to Mr. Xi about potential Chinese purchases of
American oil and gas, as well as China, buying additional U.S. soybeans as well.
Pizza hut closing hundreds of restaurants across the U.S. the chain consistently struggles in a competitive pizza market, recording another
dismal quarter. Its parent company, Yum! Brands, says same store sales dropped 3 percent in the U.S.
Private sector hiring in the U.S. slumped last month. Payroll data shows employers added just 22,000 jobs in January, about half of what many
economists were expecting. Hiring has slowed significantly in recent years as the U.S. labor market settles into a low, high, low fire state.
Now one of America's most revered newspapers, known best for breaking Watergate, one of the biggest stories of the 20th century is sacking nearly
a third of its staff. "The Washington Post" announcing sweeping layoffs today, staffers at the Jeff Bezos-owned paper were bracing for the bad news
for several weeks.
CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter joins us now.
I mean, many in our industry see this as an utter tragedy, such a storied, brand storied newspaper, but also an acceptance that the whole media
industry is facing a financial problem. And there's got to be some sort of give here.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yeah. That's right. Is there something about the news industry more broadly that "The Washington Post,"
this brand that is known in Washington and across the U.S. and around the world, feels that it cannot make a profit with its current staff size or
with its current business model.
This is all a result of Jeff Bezos, "The Post" owner, pushing the management team to achieve profitability to turn things around after years
of declines. And now many "Post" journalists are blaming Bezos for being short sighted and arguing that he's doing this the wrong way.
But as you said, major cuts today, about one in three staffers laid off in the newsroom and on the business side. I've covered many covered many
rounds of layoffs at "The Washington Post". I've never seen such a severe such a deep cut.
Take a look at some of the reactions from reporters who were let go. Here's Lizzy Johnson, the Ukraine correspondent who said she woke up this morning
in Ukraine in a war zone covering the conflict there. She says, I was just laid off by the post in the middle of a war zone. I have no words. I'm
devastated.
These international cuts are notable all around the world. Here's an editor, Anna Fifield, who was laid off as Asia editor of "The Post". She
says, "My heart breaks for everyone who lost their job today, and for the readers who will be the worse for it." And that is really the key point
here, whether we're talking about "The Washington Post" or other legacy media outlets, the pressure on the business model is immense, and we
continue to see cutback after cutback as a result.
But there also may be a political dimension to this story. Some "Post" journalists are increasingly questioning Bezos's motives, wondering if he's
trying to curry favor or appease the Trump administration by letting "The Post" shrink, by letting it wither away to some degree. Bezos has lots of
corporate and political interests, of course, with Amazon, with Blue Origin. He was just spotted a couple of days ago hanging out with Secretary
of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Blue Origin rocket facility in Florida.
So, there is that question out there. Although the Bezos' representatives rejected that idea, they say he wants "The Post" to be sustainable and to
grow. But, you know, we hear back from staffers, they say you can't cut your way to growth.
We've even heard from some senators today, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren saying, look at this. Bezos just fired hundreds of reporters at "The
Post", including the Amazon reporter holding his own company accountable.
And then, Warren goes on to remind everybody just how much money Jeff Bezos is worth. He is one of the richest men in the world. But he has said for
years he wants "The Post" to stand on its own. He does not want the paper to be a money pit.
And the problem for the post, as for so many other media companies, is that as they move from a print model to a digital subscription model, the
challenges, the transformation, it is a dramatic change, a dramatic challenge to move from that really lucrative print model into this world of
digital subscriptions, where you're competing with literally everybody with a phone.
You know, today, what happened to some of the reporters who got laid off? They immediately announced Substack newsletters. They say they're going to
go independent and launch their own newsletters, and hopefully some will succeed. But that that too, is a very difficult business model to be in.
FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. It's getting busy out there, isn't it?
Brian, a sad day for "The Washington Post", but thanks for explaining it.
Still to come, you escape or you die. African men say they were forced onto the front lines to fight for Russia in Ukraine after being duped. Our
investigation, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:43:22]
FOSTER: A CNN investigation is revealing the strategies Russia is using to lure African men into joining its army. Many are job seekers who were given
rosy promises only to find themselves sent to the front lines with almost no training.
Larry Madowo has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Francis.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This disturbing video appears to show an African recruit in the Russian army with a land mine
strapped to his chest. He is being ordered to storm Ukrainian positions on the front lines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) suck. You are a piece of coal. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MADOWO (voice-over): A Russian speaker hurl to racist insult to the man saying he is being used as a can opener to breach an enemy bunker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't see it is so traumatizing. Francis, my -- is my son.
MADOWO (voice-over): CNN traced the man's mother to Kenya. She hasn't been able to reach her son since October 2025, but she recently received another
video of him from an unknown Kenyan number.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be careful you guys, because people are being taken there, and you end up being taken to the military.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you are taken in front line, frontline battle. And there, there is a true killing.
MADOWO (voice-over): Francis is a trained electrical engineer who was promised a civilian job in Russia, but his family says he was forced into
the Russian army and to the front lines in Ukraine.
MADOWO: How long was the training?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three weeks.
MADOWO: They had only three weeks of military training.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only three weeks of military training.
MADOWO: Had he ever been in the police or in the army in Kenya?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no.
MADOWO: Do you know where Francis is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know where he is.
[15:45:01]
I was told he's at in Ukraine, but I don't know specific whether he's there or not.
MADOWO (voice-over): Francis is among a growing number of African men currently fighting for Russia, though exact figures are unknown. Some
Africans in the Russian army glamorize their life on social media, encouraging their countrymen to join.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For those of you in Africa, in Nigeria, they want to come and join the Russian army. It's very, very easy and very good. No
stress.
MADOWO (voice-over): This Ghanaian man posts dance videos and brags about how much money he makes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My salary, go feed your father, go feed your mother, go feed your family for like, two years, three years my salary.
MADOWO: Where are you now? Can you say where you are?
MADOWO (voice-over): CNN spoke to a dozen African fighters currently on the front lines in Ukraine. They described being forced into a deadly war
racism from Russian commanders and unpaid salaries, many say they were made to sign military contracts in Russian without lawyers or translation.
Nearly all told CNN they were desperate to escape, but felt trapped.
Patrick Kwoba is one of the lucky few. He has made it back to Nairobi after escaping the Russian military. He is still carrying shrapnel in his body
from a Ukrainian drone ambush.
PATRICK KWOBA, KENYAN INJURED IN UKRAINE: It hit me down here, but my food backpack saved my life. I didn't get burnt in my back because of my armor
vest, but it tore my pants and burnt my buttocks and legs.
MADOWO (voice-over): Patrick is a carpenter who says he was only given basic military training.
KWOBA: I asked my Russian partner for first aid, but he turned hostile.
MADOWO: So, after you've been hit by a drone --
KWOBA: Yes.
MADOWO: -- and the grenade.
KWOBA: Yes.
MADOWO: You asked for help from your partner?
KWOBA: Yes.
MADOWO: And he sent you away.
KWOBA: Yes. He want to kill me. I'd have to run.
MADOWO (voice-over): Patrick fled to the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow while on leave to recover from his injury.
MADOWO: So, the only way to leave is to escape?
KWOBA: You need to escape or you die. It's only two ways.
MADOWO (voice-over): CNN has seen adverts, messages and recruitment documents aimed at foreign fighters. They offer African sign on bonuses of
$13,000, salaries up to $3,500 a month in Russian citizenship, after a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are lying to people the money that they tell people they pay that is not true.
MADOWO (voice-over): Desperate for work and with a baby on the way, Photographer Charles Njoki (ph) signed up to the Russian army hoping to
avoid active combat. He believed his skills as a drone operator would keep him at a safe distance.
Instead, Charles says he was pushed onto the front lines and was wounded by Ukrainian drone. He says a rescue team refused to come, forcing him to
drink his own urine to survive.
MADOWO: You feel that the Africans were being sent to the front deliberately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MADOWO: So, you didn't get the money? You didn't get the citizenship?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm here suffering. I have a knee. I have an issue at my spine right now. There is some water. I need to go and be removed.
MADOWO (voice-over): Russian recruitment networks in Africa have gone underground after recent crackdowns. But despite growing suspicion from
locals, recruits are still signing up.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The Russian government has openly acknowledged recruiting foreign fighters, including Africans, to serve in the army, to fight in Ukraine,
and has publicized cases in which some were granted Russian citizenship after their service.
However, Russia's defense ministry and foreign ministry did not respond to CNN's request for comment on allegations that some African recruits were
misled or coerced into fighting.
We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:51:14]
FOSTER: Just two days to go to the official start of the Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony is this Friday in Milan and for the first time ever,
two Olympic cauldrons will be lit, one in Milan and one in the town of Cortina, up there in the dolomite mountains.
Kick starting the games before the opening ceremony is curling. The mixed doubles began earlier with victories for Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and
Great Britain. After a last-minute crisis over music licensing issues, the Spanish figure skater may now be able to perform his unique minion inspired
routine at the Winter Olympics, gaining copyright clearance from the Universal Studios at the 11th hour.
Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate is optimistic that he'll still be able to fulfill his Olympic dream.
CNN "WORLD SPORT" anchor Don Riddell.
They do have to think about these things when they choose the music.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: So, Max, he's been doing this all year without any issue at all, and he actually submitted his music choice to get
the Olympic clearance months and months ago, he says. But he was only told the other day that there might be a problem, which kind of threw his entire
routine, obviously, into some doubt. His backup is Saturday Night Fever. But I think a lot of fans would rather see him perform as a minion instead
of John Travolta.
And this story really just has captured everybody's imagination. If you're a fan of the "Minions" movie, Max, you'll know that they like gelato ice
cream. Of course, Italy is the home of gelato, so I think this story is just meant to be. But what is really interesting is, you know, running into
the issue with the rights clearances and having to deal with the studios and the movie distributors is this didn't used to be a problem because
figure skaters used to dance to classical music tracks. But at the games in 2018, they allowed them to perform two tracks with lyrics. And so, for
example, you had the gold medal performance being performed to Roxanne by The Police, but then, four years ago in 2022, there were a couple of
American skaters that performed to a track where it had not been cleared, and that led to, a whole load of fallout. And now everybody is kind of
concerned that they're not going to get the clearance and it's not going to be approved, and then there's going to be problems, and everybody's kind of
walking on eggshells.
But it does seem as though, this young Spaniard who will be making his Olympic debut is good to go with this routine. And I mean -- look at that.
How is this not fun? How are people not going to really enjoy seeing this performance -- hopefully for real at the Olympics?
FOSTER: Pretty good publicity as well, I reckon. A few people go watch the "Minions" after.
RIDDELL: Well, so "Minions 3" is out this summer. It will be the seventh movie to feature the "Minions" because of course they were also in
despicable me. I think the franchise is big enough that they don't need any extra publicity, but I guess it can't really hurt, can it?
FOSTER: We'll get a different market probably. Don, thank you.
Italian leaders are giving reassurances that there's nothing sinister about the U.S. sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the
Olympics. There's been a chorus of criticism in Italy over the presence of ICE officers at the games. The White House says it's perfectly normal. And
ICE carried out security duties at previous Olympics.
Italy's interior minister says the Americans will not have any policing role.
And finally, tonight, Westminster kennel club has picked its best in show. Here it is. Penny, the Doberman pinscher top dog this year. Penny beat
2,499 other canines to win the coveted prize, making her handler, Andy Linton, a two time winner of the historic competition. This is the
contest's 150th year. So special one, cementing it as America's longest running dog show.
[15:55:03]
And in case you didn't know, the country's second oldest sporting event, some people question the sporting side of it. But Penny's win marks the
fifth time a Doberman has taken home the prestigious prize.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMCEE: For best in show at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club dog show is the Doberman pinscher.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: A popular win.
I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW. Do stay with CNN.
END
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