Transcript of Guthrie Door Camera Footage, Trump & Netanyahu Meet On Iran, DHS House Hearing New

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00:00:01

The FBI released security images from the home of Nancy Guthrie on the morning she went missing.

00:00:07

It shows a man wearing a mask and gloves who seems to be carrying a gun, walking up to the door and trying to obstruct the doorbell camera.

00:00:13

I'm Steve Inscape with Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. Israel's Prime Minister meets President Trump at the White House today after signaling progress in talks with Iran. I think Iran looks like they want to make a deal very badly. As they should. Benjamin Netanyahu wants to make sure that any deal protects Israel's security.

00:00:36

And ICE's acting director told lawmakers he would not ask agents to reveal their faces. That's one of the core demands by Democrats after two US citizens were killed by masked officers last month. Can Congress reach a deal to fund Homeland Security before Friday's deadline? Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day.

00:00:55

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00:01:58

Police briefly detained person for questioning Tuesday night in the kidnapping case of Nancy Guthrie. According to several news outlets, that person was released after a few hours.

00:02:08

Guthrie is the mother of Today's show host, Savannah Guthrie, and investigators are still looking at another lead. Images and video Captured by a Security Camera at Nancy Guthrie's Arizona Home. It's from very early in the morning that she disappeared more than a week ago.

00:02:22

And parents, Elana Weis has been following this story, and she's with us now. Good morning, Alana. Good morning. So what's the latest?

00:02:28

The Pima County share Sheriff's Apartment said Tuesday night it had detained the person during a traffic stop south of Tucson and was conducting a court-authorized search related to the investigation. The Sheriff's office hasn't commented since then, but as you said, other outlets have reported that the person was released. Npr has not independently confirmed this. A New York Times reporter posted video on social media of the man who was detained. He was speaking to reporters outside his home saying he is not the suspect, and he hopes Guthrie is found safe.

00:02:58

Say more about this video. Many people may have seen it yesterday.

00:03:02

Yeah. Up until yesterday, officials hadn't been able to recover video footage from a doorbell camera at Nancy's house. But working with different agencies in the private sector, they scored a break. The FBI released several stills and two short videos that show someone wearing a mask that covers everything but their eyes and mouth. The person has gloves on and a backpack, and they appear to be armed with a gun. In the videos, you can see the person come into frame at Nancy Guthrie's front door with their head down, and they try to cover the camera lens with their hands balled into a fist. Then the subject steps off the porch and grabs a handful of this leafy material that they then try to put over the camera lens.

00:03:43

Has law enforcement said or have they indicated whether they have a sense of who that is in that footage?

00:03:49

They still haven't named any suspects, and there still hasn't been any proof provided that Nancy Guthrie is still alive. But the FBI is still soliciting tips for any information to help find her or whoever might have taken her. Last week, the agency announced a $50,000 award for any information that led to Guthrie's recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone who took her.

00:04:11

What is Guthrie's family saying?

00:04:14

They're continuing their calls for help from the public. The FBI is yet to say whether it's verified the authenticity of any supposed ransom notes, but it did say it's taking seriously some ransom messages that were sent to several media outlets. Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's children have made several appeals to whomever might have their mother, and they said they're willing to pay ransom. Here's Savannah Guthrie in an Instagram plea over the weekend directly to the alleged ransomers. We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay. On On Monday, the FBI said it wasn't aware of any, quote, continued communication between the Guthrie family and suspected kidnappers. After the FBI released the surveillance footage, Savannah Guthrie posted the video to her Instagram page, and said that she believes her mother is still alive.

00:05:17

That is. And Alana Weis. Alana, thank you.

00:05:20

Thank you.

00:05:21

President Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.

00:05:33

It's a hurried visit, and it comes days after Trump declared very good talks were taking place in Oman with Iran over its nuclear program. Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly. We have to see what that deal is. But I think Iran looks like they want to make a deal very badly, as they should. Netanyahu is signaling he wants to make sure that Israel's needs are taken into consideration.

00:05:55

Npr Whitehouse correspondent, Franco Ordonias, is here to tell us more about this. Good morning, Franco.

00:05:59

Good morning, Michelle.

00:06:00

What specifically is Netanyahu worried about?

00:06:03

Well, Michelle, the Middle East has been undergoing major changes recently. Just a few weeks ago, you had these unprecedented protests against the Iranian regime. The death toll has surpassed 6,000 people, according to the US-based human rights activist news agency. And Trump was actually talking about strikes on Iran, which, of course, is perhaps Israel's greatest security threat in the region. So Netanyahu was pretty happy with that situation., according to Matthew Cronig, who worked on the Iranian file at the Pentagon. But Cronig says the Prime Minister is now watching Trump make this 180-degree turn with talks of a deal with Iran, and he's worried about what will actually be in it.

00:06:44

President Trump is known for being unpredictable. He is known for liking deals, for being a pacemaker. I think Netanyahu is worried that maybe in that rush for a deal, that the President will agree to terms that harm Israel's security.

00:06:59

Cronig says Netanyahu wants to make sure that whatever is presented is the strongest deal possible. That includes things like reductions on ballistic missiles and ending support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah in the region.

00:07:12

How much weight should we give to President Trump's boast that Iran wants a deal, Iran is close to making a deal.

00:07:19

I mean, it is really hard to say at this point. The visit does come days after Trump's envoy, Steve Wykoff and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Iran's foreign minister. Trump clearly is trying to put as much pressure as he can on the Iranian regime. The US has also amassed a very large military force in the region, and he's even threatening more strikes.

00:07:39

But you also have these historic protests.

00:07:41

Of course. I mean, the protesters in Toronto are doing incredibly brave things. But I spoke to Emily Harding, who handled the Iran portfolio in the George W. Bush White House, and she told me that the challenge is that they're battling a regime whose entire rule is based on fear and total control. Control.

00:08:00

But when you come right down to it, it's very, very difficult to put pressure on a regime that sees this as a potential existential threat.

00:08:09

She says the idea of Iran caving to this pressure would essentially be giving up on a government structure that they've built up for decades. Like many experts, she just doesn't see that happening.

00:08:20

In new comments, Iran's President apologizes to those affected by the crackdown against the protests and said Iran is ready for verification that is not seeking nuclear weapons. So what are you going to be watching for as these talks with Iran continue?

00:08:33

Yeah, I'll be watching to see if Trump opens up the meeting with Netanyahu to the press. It'll be assigned, whether he's happy with the discussions. And if he does, will he publicly back Israel's calls for limits on ballistic missiles? Or will he talk more generally about the nuclear program, which could open him up to some political criticism for striking what some see as a deal similar to the one that the Obama administration did, which Trump frequently mocked as weak.

00:08:59

That is Whitehouse Correspondent, Franco Ordonias. Franco, thank you.

00:09:02

Thank you, Michelle.

00:09:09

The leaders implementing President Trump's immigration enforcement agenda came at Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

00:09:16

Lawmakers in the house called them after two US citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. In theory, a hearing like this is to hear from the officials. In practice, it's often a chance for lawmakers to say what they think, so people were watching for clues as to whether Republicans are as concerned as Democrats about the conduct of agents.

00:09:36

In Paris, immigration policy correspondent Jimena Bustillo has been tracking all this, and she's with us now. Good morning, Ximena. Good morning. Tell us, who did we hear from and what did they say?

00:09:45

Officials from the three immigration agencies were on tab. All wanted to talk about how they were implementing President Trump's agenda, so that's reducing the number of people crossing at the Southern border, increasing arrests and deportations, and bringing more scrutiny to legal immigration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons faced most of the questions, even though his agency is not the only one conducting immigration law enforcement. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Steve Edlow, faced the fewest questions, even though his agency has leaned into policing tactics and reviewing the status of more immigrants.

00:10:22

That's interesting. Democrats have been demanding that agents be equipped with body cameras for agents to identify themselves and to use judicial warrants when they go into people's homes. Those are just some of the demands, but those seem to be the main ones. Did those come up yesterday?

00:10:37

Yeah. Republicans asked about body camera availability, and Lyons said that ICE only has 3,000 cameras for 13,000 Officers, and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott noted that only half of 20,000 CBP officers have body cameras, and not enough people to fully implement them. Here's Scott's plea to Congress.

00:10:58

So fund the entire program so that we can be transparent and that we can make sure America knows what we're doing because that trust is critically important.

00:11:07

Lyons promised to release body cam footage of enforcement in Minneapolis as well. But Lyons also said that he would not ask his officers to remove their face coverings. Both Scott and Lyon said that that could result in doxing for their officers. Republicans generally are still opposed to mandating that officers remove their face masks.

00:11:24

Okay, so the two sides, the Republicans and Democrats, do seem to agree about body cameras, at least the of body cameras. Were there any other areas where the two parties seem to be on the same page about what has been happening and what should happen next?

00:11:38

Both Democrats and Republicans suggested ICE may have gone too far in recent actions. For example, one Republican Representative Michael McCall of Texas, said he believed, Roving patrols should be done at the border rather than in major cities of the United States. Ending these, Roving patrols, is something Democrats also want. Mccall also applauded the leadership leadership changes in Minneapolis, which removed Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and sent in White House borderar Tom Homan to lead on the ground operations there. Mccall said this was returning to the original mission of ICE.

00:12:13

Okay, so at least one Republican seems to have some alignment with the Democrats on these issues. There is this funding deadline on Friday for the Department of Homeland Security. What can happen in the next few days?

00:12:24

Well, all three are scheduled to be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday to do it all over again, but this time before the Senate. I'm going to continue to keep an eye on what Republicans are asking for and how far apart the two parties are in their concerns. But if they can't come to an agreement, parts of DHS may see their funding slowed down. Now, this would be particularly things like the Transportation Security Administration or disaster response. Now, Border Patrol and ICE got that infusion of cash last summer from Congress, so they can continue to dip into that and work and get paid, even if there is a shutdown to the agency.

00:12:57

That is NPR's immigration policy correspondent, Ximena Bustiu. Ximena, thank you.

00:13:00

Thank you.

00:13:03

That's Up First for Wednesday, February 11th. I'm Michelle Martin.

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Episode description

The FBI released door camera footage from the home of Nancy Guthrie, the 84 year-old mother of Today Show host Savanah Guthrie who's been missing for eleven days.President Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s security, as the White House signals possible progress in nuclear talks with Iran.
And immigration officials defend enforcement tactics on Capitol Hill while lawmakers remain divided ahead of a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Anna Yukhananov, Emma Bowman, Kate Bartlett, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Simon-Laslo Janssen.Our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.(0:00) Introduction(01:58) Guthrie Door Camera Footage(05:29) Trump & Netanyahu Meet On Iran(09:11) DHS House HearingLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy