00:01A blowout on the field and backlash off it.
00:04The Seahawks win the Super Bowl, but President Trump unloads on Bad Bunny's halftime performance,
00:10calling it offensive and un-American.
00:12Plus, a desperate plea as the clock is about to run out.
00:16Savannah Guthrie and her siblings again beg for their mother's return,
00:19with the second ransom deadline now just hours away.
00:23And fallout grows after a racist video targeting the Obamas.
00:27Why Trump says he won't apologize, even as pressure builds from both parties.
00:34The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:40These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:46Good morning, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
00:47Super Bowl 60 may be over between a dominant Seattle Seahawks win,
00:52a history-making halftime show, and sharp reaction from President Trump.
00:56It's a night that is still driving conversation this morning.
01:00Let's start with the game.
01:01The Seahawks' swarming defense stepping up with sacks, fumbles, and interceptions
01:05to carry the team to a 29-13 victory over New England.
01:09It's the second Lombardi trophy for the team in its history.
01:13Kenneth Walker III becoming the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP award in nearly 30 years.
01:19He had 135 yards rushing.
01:21Much of the post-game buzz has centered on halftime and the reaction it sparked.
01:26Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny made history as the first Latin solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
01:34The performance leaned heavily into Puerto Rican culture,
01:37with palm trees, sugar cane, and dancers portraying farmers and local vendors.
01:41At one point, Bad Bunny climbed a malfunctioning utility pole to perform El Apogon,
01:48a song tied to Puerto Rico's long-running power outage after Hurricane Maria.
01:53The 13-minute set also included a real wedding on the field and a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga.
02:00Bad Bunny even signed the couple's marriage certificate.
02:03There was also an appearance from fellow Puerto Rican artist Ricky Martin.
02:06Bad Bunny also presented his Grammy Award, which he won last week, to a young boy,
02:11while his speech played in the background.
02:13In that speech, Bad Bunny spoke out against ICE and the Trump administration's anti-immigration efforts.
02:19Trump, who had already opposed Bad Bunny headlining the show,
02:23posted on Truth Social during the broadcast that the performance was, quote,
02:27The search for Savannah Guthrie's mother in Arizona is entering a critical day,
02:46as investigators return to the field, and a key ransom deadline arrives.
02:51Law enforcement was back at Nancy Guthrie's home in Tucson on Sunday,
02:55with sheriff's vehicles and investigators seen around the property,
02:59as the case now moves into its eighth day.
03:02Authorities were also spotted over the weekend outside the home of Guthrie's daughter, Annie.
03:06A sign investigators are widening their work across multiple locations tied to the family.
03:12All of that comes as a second deadline tied to a purported ransom note is set to pass later today.
03:19According to reporting from a local CNN affiliate,
03:21the note demands $6 million and threatens Guthrie's life if the payment is not made by 5 p.m.
03:28There are still no named suspects.
03:31Over the weekend, Guthrie's children released a new public plea,
03:35their most direct yet, saying they are prepared to pay for their mother's return.
03:40We received your message and we understand.
03:43We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.
03:51This is the only way we will have peace.
03:55This is very valuable to us and we will pay.
04:00Investigators have said the decision to pay any ransom ultimately rests with the family,
04:05while law enforcement continues advising them behind the scenes.
04:09Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home last weekend.
04:13DNA testing previously confirmed blood found on the porch was a match for her.
04:19And officials have said she needs daily medication.
04:22The fallout continues this morning after President Trump shared and later deleted
04:26a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama
04:30and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
04:33The video was posted to Trump's Truth Social account late Thursday
04:37and remained online for about 12 hours before being taken down.
04:42The White House blamed the post on a staffer.
04:44But on Friday, the president took responsibility and made clear he will not apologize.
04:49Some Republicans are calling on you to apologize for that post.
04:53Is that something you're going to do?
04:55No, I didn't make a mistake.
04:56I mean, until you give, I look at a lot of thousands of things.
05:00And I looked at the beginning of it, it was fine.
05:04They had that one post and I guess it was a takeoff.
05:07By the way, a lot of people covered, if you look at where it came from,
05:11a lot of, I guess it was a takeoff on the Lion King.
05:14That response has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats
05:17and rare pushback from some Republicans.
05:20He definitively needs to apologize.
05:23It was a disgusting video.
05:27And the president was rightly and appropriately and forcefully denounced
05:31by people all across the country, Democrats and even a handful of Republicans
05:37who finally showed some backbone in pushing back against the president's
05:42malignant bottom feeder like behavior.
05:45Sometimes in our public discourse, it is best to just say, I'm sorry.
05:53You know, I take the White House at their word that this was a mistake.
05:57But at the end of the day, given the history of our nation,
06:02given the insensitivities with some of the stereotypes
06:08that have long been promulgated to attack African-Americans,
06:13I think it's imperative to recognize that and meet the moment.
06:19The NAACP called Trump's decision to share the video,
06:23especially during Black History Month,
06:25a stark reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people,
06:29adding, we'll remember that in November.
06:32The backlash comes at a sensitive political moment for the president.
06:36Trump made notable gains with black voters in the 2024 election,
06:39winning about 15 percent of the black vote, nearly double his share from four years earlier.
06:44But recent polling shows his approval among black Americans has declined since taking office.
06:50Some Republicans worry this episode could undercut those gains heading into the midterm elections,
06:56especially as Democrats seize on it as part of a broader pattern.
07:00A Venezuelan opposition leader is missing this morning,
07:04just hours after his release from prison.
07:06Allies say armed men kidnapped him in Caracas.
07:10Authorities claim he violated the terms of his release.
07:14They took opposition figure one Pablo Guarnepa overnight
07:17from a residential neighborhood of Caracas,
07:19according to opposition leader Maria Karina Machado.
07:23Machado says heavily armed men in civilian clothes
07:26arrived in multiple vehicles around midnight and seized Guarnepa by force.
07:31Guarnepa had been freed earlier Sunday after more than eight months in detention.
07:34Following his release, he spoke publicly, saying he believed the country had completely changed
07:40and urged supporters to continue pushing for a free and democratic country.
07:45In a video posted after leaving prison,
07:47Guarnepa also called for the release of other political prisoners
07:51and described the current government as illegitimate.
07:54The seizure comes as Venezuela's interim government,
07:57led by acting President Delcy Rodriguez,
07:59continues a limited prisoner release program launched after U.S. forces
08:04captured former President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.
08:08Venezuelan authorities now say they were seeking court approval
08:11to place Guarnepa under house arrest,
08:14alleging he violated the terms of his release,
08:17though they have not publicly said what those violations are.
08:20New information this morning on the so-called Epstein files.
08:24A deep review by the Associated Press of newly released Justice Department records
08:28confirms that Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused underage girls,
08:33but found no evidence of a broader sex trafficking ring involving powerful men,
08:39as some conspiracy theories have claimed.
08:41The AP examined millions of pages of documents recently released by the Justice Department,
08:47along with video and photographic evidence recovered from Epstein's homes
08:50in New York, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
08:53While multiple accusers said other men abused them,
08:57investigators concluded there was not enough evidence
08:59to bring federal charges against anyone beyond Epstein
09:02and his longtime associate, Jelaine Maxwell.
09:05Federal prosecutors did confirm that Epstein,
09:08who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage girl,
09:12served time and was later arrested again in 2019,
09:15sexually abused Virginia Jaffray, one of his most prominent accusers.
09:19But according to an email cited by the AP from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Comey,
09:26investigators found no photos or videos showing victims being abused by others,
09:31no images implicating additional men,
09:33and no evidence supporting charges beyond Epstein and Maxwell.
09:38Maxwell is slated to appear from prison later today before the House Oversight Committee.
09:42Her lawyers say she will plead the fifth.
09:45Members of Congress will begin reviewing unredacted Justice Department files today,
09:49as well.
09:50Finally this morning, Team USA is off to a fast start at the Winter Olympics,
09:55already stacking up two gold medals.
09:57The first gold belongs to Breezy Johnson,
09:59who powered through the women's alpine downhill,
10:02becoming the second American woman ever to win Olympic gold at the event.
10:06Johnson finished in one minute, 36.10 seconds,
10:10edging Germany's Emma Eicher by four hundredths of a second.
10:14But the race also delivered a scary moment.
10:17This was really a terrible shame.
10:19Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, competing at 41 years old and racing with a really bad knee injury,
10:24crashed just 13 seconds into her run.
10:27She was airlifted to a hospital and later underwent surgery for a leg fracture.
10:32Officials say she's in stable condition.
10:34Meanwhile, Team USA delivered again on the ice.
10:37The Americans successfully defended their figure skating team event gold,
10:41narrowly beating Japan,
10:43with quad god Ilya Malinan attempting, get this,
10:46a total of five quad jumps.
10:49Wow.
10:50And the medal count is just getting started.
10:52The Winter Games continue through February 22nd,
10:55with more chances ahead for Team USA to add to the haul.
10:58And with NFL football finally over,
11:00I think I'll get a chance to watch some of those games.
11:02Just so much going on this weekend.
11:04You can only watch so much, right?
11:05Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
11:08In San Francisco, thousands of public school teachers are preparing to walk off the job,
11:13the city's first teacher strike in nearly half a century.
11:16In Minneapolis, former CNN anchor Don Lemon is due in federal court for a hearing
11:21tied to his coverage and involvement in a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
11:26Later this morning, reaction from Super Bowl 60 with a press conference
11:30with head coach Mike McDonald of Seattle
11:32and MVP Kenneth Walker as the Seahawks celebrate their win over the Patriots.
11:38At midday, opening statements in a closely watched trial,
11:41accusing Meta and YouTube of harming kids through addictive platforms.
11:46Want more unbiased updates?
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11:55Those are your unbiased updates for this Monday.
11:57We'll see you back here tomorrow.
11:58For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
12:02Have a great day.
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