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What We Know with Max Foster

Sheriff: Blood On Porch Is From Nancy Guthrie; Starmer Apologizes To Victims: "We Will Not Look Away": Kremlin: "Let's Not Waste Time" On Claims Of Ties To Russian Intel; U.S. Intel Director Seizes Puerto Rico Voting Machines; Cuba: Ready To Talk To U.S., But Not About Regime Change. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:25]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: New details and new deadlines in the hunt for Nancy Guthrie.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Officials in Arizona say Nancy Guthrie's blood was found on the porch at her home. Authorities believe she was abducted on Sunday. The FBI says a

ransom note gave two deadlines. One for today at 5:00 p.m.

Nancy is the mother of NBC "Today Show" anchor Savannah Guthrie. With the search now in a critical fifth day, the FBI has announced a reward of

$50,000 for the return of the 84-year-old.

The sheriff in Pima County spoke just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS, PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home. Our department, the sheriff's

department, along with all of our partners at the FBI, have been working around the clock and we just want her home and get and find a way to get to

the bottom of all of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, crucially, we do now have a timeline of the sheriff's department -- from the sheriff's department of the night that Guthrie went

missing. So, she was dropped off at home by her family at 9:48 p.m. on Saturday, and her garage door closed two minutes later.

Then, at 1:47 a.m., her doorbell camera disconnects. A few minutes later, a person is detected on camera, although the video of that moment isn't

available.

At 2:28 a.m., Nancy's pacemaker app disconnects from her phone. Just before noon on Sunday, her family checks on her and eventually calls 911.

Now, those ransom notes were sent to several media outlets. They demanded large amounts of bitcoin in exchange for Nancy Guthrie's return. On

Wednesday, the Guthrie family posted a message on social media pleading with the kidnappers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC "TODAY SHOW" HOST: We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media. As a family, we are doing everything

that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she

is alive and that you have her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Our law enforcement analyst, Chief Charles Ramsey, joins us now. He led the police department in Washington and Philadelphia.

Thank you so much for joining us, Chief.

Let's talk about the ransom note. The police are taking it seriously, but there's no contact details on it, obviously, and they don't seem to have

reached out to the family. So, what are they left to do?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, yeah, I mean, it's interesting. First of all, they haven't been able to determine if the

ransom note was real or not. There was one that they were able to trace down the sender and find out that that person was simply trying to extort

money. That doesn't mean the other two aren't valid. But as my colleague John Miller mentioned before, so far, it's just a one way conversation.

There needs to be a conversation between the family and the individual or individuals responsible for the abduction.

Clearly, they're looking for something. It'll be up to the family to decide whether or not they comply with whatever the demands are. But they need

proof of life. They have to make contact at some point in time and prove that Nancy Guthrie is alive.

FOSTER: As Savannah Guthrie was suggesting there, we live in an era of deep fakes, don't we? So how do they get that proof of life and know for

sure that Nancy Guthrie is at least okay right now?

RAMSEY: Well, the FBI is involved. And if they did get a video for an example, they'll be able to determine whether or not its a deep fake or if

its actual. If there's a conversation, it would be something that they would ask that A.I. could not answer. I mean, some tidbit of information

that only a family member would know.

So, there are a variety of ways in which they can verify that its really her. But again, until they know that she's alive, then how can you comply

with any demands?

FOSTER: And the FBI saying it is up to the family to decide whether they pay this ransom. What would your advice be?

[15:05:01]

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, it is up to the family. Family. I mean, there have been instances where people have complied. Theres been some where they've

recommended that they don't. But, you know, the bottom line is they have to get her home safe.

And the mere fact that you pay a ransom doesn't necessarily guarantee that the person will be returned alive. So, it's a gamble either way, but it's

going to be the family that has to determine that, simply because they're the ones that have to really live with the, outcome one way or another.

This is a very difficult situation they find themselves in, and there is no right answer.

FOSTER: What do you make of the fact that there's, you know, they are no closer days later for finding a suspect or even a person of interest? There

seems to be so little evidence at the scene, very little technological evidence, and no suggestion of a forced entry. I mean, it's pretty

baffling, isn't it? But what do you make of the fact that there's just they just made no progress?

RAMSEY: Well, you know, I've been involved in a lot of investigations and you don't always make it publicly known exactly what it is that you have.

They could be in communication with an individual they believe is responsible right now, but they're not going to make it public. I mean, we

just don't know.

There are a lot of unanswered questions, for example, was there a forced entry, into the home? The sheriff did not answer that. He refused to answer

that particular question, but that's a major piece of evidence whether or not there's forced entry or not.

I mean, you can look at the timeline, and you can assume that the crime was committed sometime between 1:45 and 2:30, roughly Arizona time simply

because of the time with the doorbell being disconnected. And then eventually with the pacemaker. Not no longer recording. I mean, so

something happened during that particular time frame. The question is, what and who's responsible? There doesn't appear to be any real video evidence

because the video cameras that they have, the system, you know, repeats over and over again, it doesn't save the images.

Now, the doorbell camera would have. And that was disabled. And so, it's someone that had some knowledge either of the home or certainly the

technology during this period of time.

One of the cameras did pick up a motion detection that it was a person that was moving around in the house. But according to the sheriff you know,

there's no image associated with it. Simply, recording of a movement by a person.

FOSTER: Chief Charles Ramsey appreciate your insights on this horrifying case for the family. And indeed, Nancy.

Now, here, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, is apologizing to victims of Jeffrey Epstein, vowing, quote, "we will not look away." He's

fighting for his political life right now. After acknowledging he appointed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. despite knowing of his friendship

with the late sex offender. Mr. Starmer addressed victims directly today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am sorry, sorry for what was done to you. Sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having

believed Mandelson's lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you're forced to watch this story unfold in public once again

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The Kremlin responding to accusations that Russian intelligence may have been involved in Epstein's operation, saying reporters should not

waste time looking into the claims. Poland's prime minister, former president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, says his country will

investigate whether Epstein's sex trafficking ring was a trap meant to ensnare the elites of the Western world.

Stephen Collinson is in Washington.

I want to start on that. First of all, Stephen, this Russian link, so many people have been talking about it for a while. Then you have the polish

prime minister saying it and, you know, the Kremlin saying nothing to see here.

For a lot of people, it does add up that he might have had some sort of link with the KGB, for example.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah. And you look through this massive trove of emails that was released last week, and it

did strike me that there is an awful lot of information about Russia that was released, whether it's foreign policy briefings, discussions between

Epstein and other people about Russian politics, it seems clear, at least, that Russian and Russians were part of this massive web network that

Epstein cultivated all over the world.

I know some people in the United States have raised questions about whether that can somehow form part of one of the mysteries of Epstein, and that's

where he got a lot of his money from.

[15:10:07]

Where -- where did the finances come that he was donating to a lot of these big international philanthropic organizations, for example, as with most of

this, though, it's very difficult to run any evidence down. And the fact that there is this supposed Russian angle is only adding to the fuel for

conspiracy theorists, which have always gathered around this Epstein situation. And the problem is, when you get more information and some of it

doesn't seem to add up, people draw lines between various pieces of information, and that only makes the conspiracy theorists bigger.

So, this is something I think the next we get clarity is not going to go away, and it's going to become even more intriguing.

FOSTER: But the fallout does continue in very real terms for the British prime minister and the way he appointed Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador,

despite knowing he had a relationship with Epstein. He's struggling with this, isn't he? He was already weak. We should point out before any of

this. So, the knives were out in parliament anyway, but he's trying to argue that Mandelson lied to him.

But, you know, on that basis, he just took Mandelson's word for it. I mean, these appointments shouldn't be based on taking someone's word for

something, should it?

COLLINSON: Yeah. And especially someone who has as controversial a record as Peter Mandelson. You know, he had to resign twice from previous labor

governments. The big problem in politics comes when there is something that happens that appears to confirm what a lot of people believe about a

politician already.

So, the rap on Starmer, of course, is that he's a weak politician, prime minister, as you say, he's not been successful in sketching a vision for

the country despite that big landslide he won less than two years ago that his government is reeling from crisis to crisis, and that he doesn't have

good political judgment. Notwithstanding some of his successes on the international stage.

Well, this question is all about why. It's a simple question as well. So, it's easy to understand, why did you appoint Mandelson when you knew that

he had this friendship with Epstein? And that's the clarity of this is what's so damaging for Starmer, and that's what it seems to be having a lot

of trouble wriggling out of, because it just creates this impression that this is a directionless prime minister at a time when he's already, you

know, fighting, as you say, an existential fight for his political career.

FOSTER: Stephen Collinson in Washington, thank you so much.

Now there's cautious optimism following the latest round of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. that have wrapped up now in Abu Dhabi.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says the next meeting will be held in the near future. His chief of staff was amongst the negotiators who

described this week's discussions as constructive.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff says Kyiv and Moscow each returned 157 prisoners of war to the other side. It's the first prisoner swap since last

October. Donald Trump's director of national intelligence is injecting herself again into the debate over election integrity.

Meanwhile, CNN has learned that Tulsi Gabbard obtained voting machines from Puerto Rico so they could be tested for security vulnerabilities.

Cybersecurity experts say the move is unnecessary and appears designed to intimidate and denigrate the efforts of local election officials.

Just last week, Gabbard took part in an FBI search of the Fulton County election office, where boxes of ballots and voter rolls were seized, though

critics say her appearance there was unusual. The White House said just minutes ago that it was more than appropriate for Gabbard to be present at

the raid.

Let's bring in CNN's cybersecurity reporter, Sean Lyngaas, with us, with more.

The White House saying Gabbard's presence at these events is completely normal. Obviously, a lot of commentators saying it's completely unusual,

and we're trying to piece together what any of this actually means.

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Yeah. Max, I think -- I think it's factual to say this is not normal. It's -- there's never been a case.

I mean, the director of national intelligence in the U.S. is a position that's only just over 20 years old after the 911 attacks. It was created

to, you know, synthesize intelligence across the vast spy agencies here in the U.S. but still, this is really unprecedented.

The role of the director of national intelligence is actually to take intelligence and brief policymakers, coordinate. They do not have any

operational role, meaning they can't, you know, run operations, certainly not in the U.S. in terms of spy operations. But they also don't have any

law enforcement authority to issue subpoenas or stuff like that.

That's why it was so unusual, and for many people, alarming to see the director of national intelligence at an FBI criminal search warrant last

week.

[15:15:06]

But as we've reported and as President Trump and Director Gabbard have more or less confirmed is that she is on the hunt for this elusive voter fraud

that has been debunked many times since the 2020 election. And as a cabinet member, as the head of the intelligence community -- yes, she has every

right to look into claims of foreign interference in the election. That is definitely her job.

But what experts tell us is not her job is to have any hands-on role in voting equipment. Voting here in the -- in the states is run by the

individual states and in this case, a U.S. territory in Puerto Rico. The reason why I chose Puerto Rico appears to be there were some reports of

some errors in counting ballots in a previous election that security experts tell us can be controlled through paper audits and other

mechanisms.

So, these aren't new issues. But what is new, Max, is using the top spy official in the U.S. to go investigate them, and it has a lot of Democratic

election officials on edge. And I'm sure Republican election officials, too, in the privacy of their homes, are worried about this because they see

it as an intrusion on the administration of elections, Max.

FOSTER: Interesting, Sean. Appreciate it.

Now, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure, Cuba says it's willing to have a dialogue with the United States. But the Cuban president made it

clear today that regime change on the island is completely out of the question. The United States has threatened to enact tariffs on nations that

export oil to Cuba, striking another blow to Havana's already dwindling energy supplies. Cuba's leader is calling on the U.S. to respect his

nation's sovereignty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL, CUBAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Cuba is willing to have a dialogue with the United States, a dialogue on any topic that one

wishes to debate or discuss, under what conditions, without pressure. Under pressure, no -- one cannot have a dialogue without preconditions in a

position of equals, in a position of respect for our sovereignty, our independence, our self-determination, without addressing issues that harm

or that we may understand as interference in our internal affairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Coming up, bitcoin getting battered. Prices have fallen through a crucial level now. Where will the selling stop? We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:48]

FOSTER: Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein speaking out over mishandled redactions in Epstein files. The Justice Department is accused of botching

the release of more than three million documents. In the hours after Friday's release, CNN reported that multiple survivors, including anonymous

Jane Doe victims, we're seeing their names and information throughout the published documents. Some survivors say the Epstein files appear to shield

those who enabled the convicted sex offender's abuse.

Joining us now, Gloria Allred, a veteran women's rights lawyer and the attorney to some of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

Really appreciate you joining us, Gloria. I know how busy you are at the moment.

I mean, I know you must be furious.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN SURVIVORS: Thank you very much for inviting me, Max.

FOSTER: You must be furious about the, you know, identities being revealed in these documents. I mean, how responsive are the DOJ been to your

complaints?

ALLRED: Furious is a good word and is actually accurate. I am beyond furious because it is so upsetting to so many of my clients who have been

Jane Does for so many years, and who were promised by the FBI, by Homeland Security, by prosecutors to whom they shared their terrible, painful,

traumatic experience with Jeffrey Epstein and some with Ms. Maxwell. So many years ago. And they were short of privacy that they would never have

their names and other information published.

And it would only be known if they ever testified at a trial, which, of course, they never did, because there was no trial for Jeffrey Epstein. In

2008, he entered a plea meaning no trial, a sweetheart deal for him. And then in 2019, when he was facing charges and would have had a trial, he

suddenly died or was killed while he was in the custody of the federal government in Manhattan.

Now, the files, which many of them not my clients but others had pushed to have made public so that the names of the predators, those who might have

conspired with Jeffrey Epstein, assisted him, enabled him, supported him so that their names would be released, and perhaps they could then finally win

some form of justice, but instead, some of the predators names or information, or what they had done, has been redacted. But while their

names, the names of the victims and survivors have been published, in some cases, Max, their photos have been released, their drivers licenses have

been released, their emails, their direct messages, their texts with and from Jeffrey Epstein have been released.

All of this has been very traumatic, very disturbing, life changing to many of my survivors. In fact, today, I have a call scheduled with one of them,

and she's about to have a nervous breakdown because she is being contacted by press in her country, not the United States, but she's in a different

country who have discovered her name. And there are all kinds of bullying and threats she's receiving inquiries from press. She doesn't want to be

public. And she's being portrayed in a light that is false and damaging to her.

FOSTER: Well, it's a complete mess. Especially when the DOJ, when they released this, said there are redactions because were protecting the

identities of the women. But I wanted to just ask you about the other sort of big theme that we've had today. Have any of your, clients talked about

Epstein's links with Russian intelligence?

ALLRED: Well, I cannot disclose what my clients say to me or what I say to them, because that's attorney client privilege, confidential information

under the law, not allowed to disclose it without their consent. And no one has given me their consent to disclose anything that would answer your

question.

FOSTER: Is it a shock to you that these, you know, Donald Tusk of Poland saying he's looking into it?

ALLRED: Well, it's not a shock to me that someone, if that's what they believe, would look into it.

[15:25:05]

In fact, if that is what they believe, they should look into it.

FOSTER: Okay.

ALLRED: There are women from all over the world. I'll just put it this way.

FOSTER: Yeah.

ALLRED: There are victims of Jeffrey Epstein all from all over the world. And it wouldn't be a surprise to me if that were investigated.

FOSTER: And what do you make of matters here in the U.K.? We've seen Peter Mandelson utterly disgraced through this process, clearly sharing, you

know, secret information from government files to Epstein.

But then the, you know, the additional fallout there is that the British prime minister is looking like he could fall because of this, because he

appointed Mandelson as U.S. ambassador whilst knowing he had a relationship with Epstein members of his own party were warning him at the time that

this was going to be a problem. But he insists, you know, he just trusted Mandelson's word. What do you make of that?

ALLRED: Well, I think survivors understand that they trusted Jeffrey Epstein's word. They trusted Ms. Maxwell's word. They trusted the word of

other girls who acted as recruiters -- recruiters for them to get them to Epstein and Maxwell. And, of course, they were betrayed. And there were

lied to, and then they were victims of criminal acts.

But having said this, this is a story that has what we call legs. It's like a spider web. It's just bigger. It's bigger and bigger all the time.

You know, political figures will fall. And if -- they should be accountable in some way, if, in fact, they were involved with Jeffrey Epsteins,

supported him in any way, enabled him. Whether or not they ended up having, you know, sex with any girls or sexual or involved in sexual abuse of them,

they need to be accountable. And so I'm not sorry that this is happening. It's important.

FOSTER: No one's accusing Mandelson of any sexual acts, as it were. In the same way they're not accusing Sarah Ferguson, prince -- former Prince

Andrew's ex-wife, of any sexual impropriety, but they are being accused, and there's lots of evidence that they were, leaning, you know, relying on

Epstein for funds.

So, are they as culpable in this process as anything?

ALLRED: Well, you know, a lot of people were, I'll call it, seduced, poetically speaking, by Epstein's power, by his money, by those who

associated with him and ultimately, they may have received financial gifts, which they accepted or they may have received loans, which they asked for.

And so, yeah, I think that it's important to name them in inappropriate situations, to blame them.

And I do think that people need to take responsibility, as some people have. I know, in Europe many people saying, oh, I'm sorry that I was

associated with him. I didn't know.

Take responsibility, though, it's appropriate to the level of your assisting him or being involved with him. I do think, yeah, the rich, the

powerful, the famous some of them ignored what they saw with their own eyes. Young girls in situations that were not appropriate for them to be

in, they need to take responsibility. I think more heads will fall before this is over. Max, this is only the beginning.

FOSTER: They can start sharing what they do know, so at least it helps you with your investigations. But that's --

ALLRED: That's really important. What you just said. Yes, sharing, because one of the goals of the survivors is the truth. How could this have

happened? We need to know that to prevent it from ever happening again.

So, yes, they should share what they know, what they saw, what they did not. Not only Andrew, formerly known as prince, but all the others as well.

FOSTER: Gloria, I appreciate your time as ever. Thank you so much. I know you've got meetings with clients.

ALLRED: Thank you. My pleasure. Thank you.

FOSTER: It's day five in the search for the missing mother of NBC's Savannah Guthrie. Still ahead, the update Arizona police gave just a short

while ago. Plus, the message to the kidnappers from the Guthrie family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:03]

FOSTER: We continue to follow developments for you out of Arizona. That's where officials say blood found on the porch at Nancy Guthrie's home

belongs to Guthrie herself. Authorities believe Nancy, mother of NBC's Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home on Sunday. The reward for

information leading to her return has now increased to $50,000.

According to the FBI, a ransom note gave Thursday at 5:00 p.m. as a deadline. However, they say there's been no ransom update since the note

was sent. Officials are urging the person responsible to bring Nancy home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEITH JANKE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: To anyone that may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma. This is an 84-year-old

grandma that needs vital medication for her well-being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes a worse -- much worse

scenario for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: What we want to know is how do authorities verify the Nancy Guthrie ransom note?

Joining me now, CNN's chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller.

As ever, thank you for joining us, John.

I think the family mentioned this, didn't they, in their video that they released yesterday, that we are living in an era of A.I. and they need to

be able to trust any sort of proof of life that they'll need to take this letter seriously.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, before they even get to the proof of life, Max, their first challenge is to

make this a two-way conversation. Right now, the ransom demand was sent to three media outlets who passed it on to the authorities, who passed it on

to the family. So, what the family is asking is reach out to us directly. And then if they can establish that contact, they can ask for that proof of

life, which the best version of would be to be able to talk to her in a conversation, as you know, and just suggested, because of the different

tools there are, because she's been interviewed by her daughter on television.

[15:35:08]

You know, A.I. tools can take that voice and you can type a script and, and get a voice who sounds just like her to say almost anything you want it to.

So, what they'd really like is a conversation.

FOSTER: So, when we've got this deadline today, how unusual is it for them to leave it to the last minute to reach out?

MILLER: Well, the note only really surfaced yesterday in a public way. Came in the day before to these media outlets. And this is a very tight

deadline. So, they mentioned two deadlines. One 5:00 today. We're assuming that is 5:00 Tucson time, and then another on Monday.

Now, why would you have two deadlines? It suggests, and we don't know this to be true, but it suggests that they may want this much money in one

payment. And then a final payment of that much money. But that's what they have typically if you're negotiating a kidnapping a hostage situation, when

you get deadlines, normally you just talk through them.

And that's because what they're asking for, that amount of money is not the kind of amount of money that anybody has sitting around liquid. It's the

kind of thing you would have to sell things, trade things, and get things together for.

So, I am sure that before they send any large amount of money to a mysterious bitcoin address, they're going to want a little bit more to show

that, A, these people actually have her, and B, that she's okay.

FOSTER: John Miller, our thoughts with the whole family and indeed Nancy, thank you.

It is the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Stocks are down. It's been a tough few days really for tech stocks in particular. This is our business

breakout.

The Nasdaq heading for its worst three day slide. In fact, since last April as nerves about artificial intelligence weigh on the markets, software

companies have taken a big hit in recent days after Anthropic released a new program that could make some coders obsolete.

Gloomy new jobs numbers also weighing on markets. The number of job openings in the U.S. fell to its lowest level since September of 2020.

That's according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's the third straight month that the number of job openings have actually fallen.

The European Central Bank says it's an uncertain picture ahead. The ECB voted to keep interest rates on hold, but warned about continued

uncertainty with global trade and geopolitical tensions. It does, however, say the European economy has been resilient.

Crypto prices are having a dreadful start to the year. Bitcoin is down another 11 percent today, well below $70,000. Look at this chart. You can

see prices are below where they were when Donald Trump was elected president in 2024.

Richard is with us.

What happened to the Trump bump then, Richard?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: What happened is a general unease with what's going on in the U.S. economy at the moment. It's one of

those things where if you take any individual statistic, you can make an argument one way or the other, but put it together and you end up with a

feeling that the market not only is overvalued, but also that the cracks are starting to show.

And those cracks can come in a positive way. Anthropic's announcement, for example, because at the end of the day, Anthropic is saying there is a

better, faster, cheaper way to do programing with A.I. and you can do it yourself, which is great for Anthropic and various companies like it, but

dreadful for all those other A.I. computer companies. And that's why you're seeing that.

You also get earnings which were brilliant or good. AMD had good earnings, but they weren't good enough. So, in a highly valued market where there's

already great uncertainty, this is what you're going to get. And people are rushing.

Bitcoin as yet is not considered a safe haven. Therefore, it's going to be one of those that suffers most.

FOSTER: Yeah. Richard, thank you.

Now still to come, Bad Bunny says you don't need to know Spanish to enjoy his Super Bowl halftime show. Just ahead, you'll hear from the Puerto Rican

rapper ahead of Sunday's big game in America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:41]

FOSTER: Olympic boxer Imane Khelif knows how to take a hit, of course, but she was never trained to become a political target. Since her Olympic gold

win at the 2024 Paris Games, the Algerian boxer has been subjected to a sustained campaign of abuse and invasive scrutiny of her gender, driven by

some of the world's most powerful figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

In an exclusive interview, Khelif tells our Christina Macfarlane she has nothing to hide and she prepared to take a test to prove that she's a

woman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SENIOR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Olympic champion banned from her own sport, caught in a culture war about

what it means to be a woman.

Mocked by the world's most powerful man, and now gold medal boxer, Imane Khelif faces an ultimatum. If she's to compete again, she must confirm she

is female.

IMANE KHELIF, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL BOXER (through translator): The truth is I have nothing to do with transgender. I know myself. I was born female. I

was raised as a girl. I went to school as a girl. I played sports as a girl. I have always been female.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): For the first time, she opens up about private details of her troubles and her plan to fight back. We meet in Paris where

18 months ago she clinched the Olympic victory.

MACFARLANE: What's it like to be here again and to have all those memories?

KHELIF: Yeah, Paris, for me, it's my story in Olympics 2024.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): It made her an icon in her home country of Algeria, where as a child she sold scrap copper to pay for her training.

KHELIF: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're so beautiful.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): But then, boxing's ruling body banned her last year, saying she needed to take a controversial so-called sex test to prove

she is eligible to compete. False and hateful rhetoric continues to this day by U.S. President Donald Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You won the gold medal. There were two transition people. They both won gold medals. The whole

thing is ridiculous.

KHELIF (through translator): It is really hurtful to see the president of a country talking about you like this. I want to explain one thing. I have

nothing to do with transgender.

[15:45:03]

MACFARLANE: The president has repeatedly referenced your Olympic victory as a landmark case to support his push to ban transgender women and girls

from women's sports in America.

KHELIF (through translator): I want to clarify to people, to the president, and to all the politicians who are exploiting my image as if I'm

transgender, that I have nothing to do with transgender. I'm just an athlete. My dream is to play sports. Please do not exploit me in your

political agendas.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): If she wants to compete at the 2028 Olympics in L.A., she may have to submit to that test for Games in Trump's America.

Experts have called the test misguided and recently, the IOC vowed it would not bring back a practice it had dropped nearly 30 years ago.

MARK ADAMS, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SPOKESPERSON: We're not calling for people to go back to the bad old days of sex testing, I think,

which was a terrible, terrible thing to do. And I'm sure we all agree that that is not the way forward.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Despite that, she tells me she is ready to face a test, but only if the IOC run it.

KHELIF: Of course, I have the highest confidence in the International Olympic Committee. It is the top body mandated to settle such a matter. Of

course, I would accept doing anything I'm required to do to participate in competition. They need to understand while protecting women, they shouldn't

hurt other women.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Boxing's ruling body provided no justification for its insistence on the disputed test. It came after a 2023 report

alleging that Khelif had XY chromosomes was circulated online. She says it's fake.

KHELIF: You see the report? Personally, you see?

MACFARLANE: I have not, no.

KHELIF: The report -- it's not clear, is just the test, genetic test, with company, small company of tests. But it's not clear.

The report that was published was modified. It was posted by people opposed to me and have animosity towards me.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): While Khelif maintains that test is modified, she reveals that she has naturally higher testosterone levels; currently, a key

test in regulating women's sports.

KHELIF: Even if I have a higher level of this hormone testosterone, it's natural. For a year and a half before the Paris Olympics, I was lowering my

testosterone level. And everyone can review the blood tests that they were done by the anti-doping agency.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): You'll know that there are some people who believe that having high testosterone should exclude you from competing in

women's sport. They believe that it gives you an unfair advantage.

What do you say to them?

KHELIF: Boxing does not only rely on the level of testosterone. Boxing relies on intelligence, on experience and on discipline.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Even after her struggle to box, as a woman in conservative Algeria, the abuse has been deeply traumatic for her.

KHELIF: Even for my family, it was extremely difficult time. After the Olympics, and to this day, I'm still working with psychiatrists.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): One place Imane finds comfort is among her boxing fans.

MACFARLANE: What do you say to young girls who want to be like you, who want to be an Olympic champion?

KHELIF: They have to challenge the status quo. They should have the courage to claim their rights and needs, because it is necessary.

MACFARLANE (voice-over): Christina Macfarlane, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:41]

FOSTER: Americans gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday, not just for the football game, but also for the entertainment. Of course, this year, Puerto

Rican singer Bad Bunny will take the super bowl stage, becoming the first Spanish language artist to headline the half time show. It's something he

says is he's extremely grateful for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAD BUNNY, SUPER BOWL LX HALFTIME SHOW HEADLINER: I'm excited about this performance. I'm excited. But at the same time, how I said before is I feel

more excited about the people than even me, about my family, about my friends, people that I know that that they always have believed in me and

they happy because this moment, the culture. And that's what made this show to me make it special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN Espanol's Elizabeth Perez joins us from San Francisco with more.

Are you excited then Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH PEREZ, CNN E SPORTS ANCHOR: Hello, Max. Of course, I'm excited. I think every Latino around the world is excited to see for the first time,

Latino performer doing, as you said, headlining the super bowl. In the past, we have had Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Gloria Estefan. When the super

bowl or the halftime show wasn't as big as it is after Michael Jackson. But now having Bad Bunny that not only represents Puerto Rico, but he

represents all the Latinos in every color, every race, every type of music. It's going to be a big thing for us.

And as we were listening to him talking just a second ago, he is a very genuine person. I think that's why he is so likable. Like he is not afraid

of saying, look, my English is not very good looking, but you know, I'm using all the words that I know in my vocabulary to express myself. It was

a press conference in Spanglish. Sometimes he spoke in Spanish, sometimes in English, and he said something very clear, and is that for him the most

important things are his roots, his Latin culture.

He grew up in Puerto Rico, in La Isla del Encanto, and even though he played, he said that he played sports. He was not very good at it. But what

basically makes him happy is to connect with people. And that is something that we have seen in the last eight, ten years since he came into the world

stage. He has seven albums, but this one, he said, is the most important to him, "DeBi Tirar Mas Fotos", because it's a tribute to Puerto Rico.

Last year, he was doing a residency in the island, 31 concerts, and the last one was in the anniversary of the Hurricane Maria, something that

basically destroyed the electrical infrastructure of the island. And more than 3,000 people died. So, it was very important for him to mark that

anniversary and to let the world know that Puerto Rico is always fighting to be better, and also to not be able to leave. They want to stay in the

island, but we need to help them.

This show on Sunday is going to be a tribute not only to Puerto Rico, but as I said to all Latins around the world, and especially in this moment in

time in America, where we have ICE and we have tensions in Minneapolis for the past few weeks, he was also -- he talked about on Sunday about that

when he won.

[15:55:05]

He won three Grammys, but when he received the second one, he says that we are not animals, that we are humans, we are Americans. So, he is not afraid

of expressing his point of view in a political level. Let's see if on Sunday we see something of that.

But what call my attention in this press conference was that not only we were there like journalists from CNN, from other media outlets, but many

influencers and many foundations, local foundations like big brothers, big sisters asking questions to him. So that is something beautiful and

something that is going to make many Latinos happy on Sunday -- Max.

FOSTER: Elizabeth, a big day. Thank you so much.

I'm Max Foster. That is WHAT WE KNOW.

Do stay with CNN. More after the break

END

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