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

0:02The FBI released security images from the home of Nancy Guthrie on the morning she went missing. 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. I'm Steve Inskeep 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. And ICE's acting director told lawmakers he would not ask agents to reveal their faces.

0:40That's one of the core demands by Democrats after two U.S. 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.

0:58Police briefly detained a 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. Guthrie is the mother of Today 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. NPR's Alana Wise has been following this story, and she's with us now. Good morning, Alana. Good morning. So what's the latest? The Pima County Sheriff's Department 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.

1:38The 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. And say more about this video. Many people may have seen it yesterday. 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.

2:13The FBI released several stills in 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 sort of balled into a fist. Then the subject steps off the porch and grabs a handful of this sort of leafy material that they then try to put over the camera lens. Has law enforcement said or have they indicated whether they have a sense of who that is in that footage?

2:49They 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 reward for any information that led to Guthrie's recovery and or the arrest and conviction of anyone who took her. And what is Guthrie's family saying? They're continuing their calls for help from the public. The FBI has yet to say whether it's verified the authenticity of any supposed ransom notes, but it did say it's taken seriously some ransom messages that were sent to several media outlets.

3:27Meanwhile, 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 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.

4:17That is. NPR's Alana Wise. Alana, thank you. Thank you.

4:28President Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. 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. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez is here to tell us more about this. Good morning, Franco. Good morning, Michelle.

4:59So what specifically is Netanyahu worried about? Well, Michelle, I mean, the Middle East has been undergoing major changes recently. I mean, 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 U.S.-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 Kroenig, who worked on the Iranian file at the Pentagon. But Kroenig says the prime minister is now watching Trump make this kind of 180 degree turn with talks of a deal with Tehran.

5:41And he's worried about what will actually be in it. President Trump is known for being unpredictable. He is known for liking deals, for being a peacemaker. And 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. And Kroenig says Netanyahu wants to make sure that whatever is presented is the strongest deal possible. And that includes things like reductions on ballistic missiles and ending support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah in the region. How much weight should we give to President Trump's boast that Iran wants a deal?

6:17Iran is close to making a deal. I mean, it is really hard to say at this point. The visit does come days after Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, 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 U.S. has also amassed a very large military force in the region, and he's even threatening more strikes. But you also have these historic protests. Of course. I mean, the protesters in Tehran 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.

6:59But 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. She says Iran is, you know, the idea of Iran caving to this pressure would essentially be giving up on a government structure that they've built up for decades. And like many experts, she just doesn't see that happening. In new comments, Iran's president apologized 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?

7:32Yeah, I'll be watching to see if Trump opens up the meeting with Netanyahu to the press. It'll be a sign 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? That is White House correspondent Franco Ordonez. Franco, thank you. Thank you, Michelle.

8:10The leaders implementing President Trump's immigration enforcement agenda came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Lawmakers in the House called them after two U.S. 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. NPR's immigration policy correspondent Jimena Bustillo has been tracking all this, and she's with us now. Good morning, Jimena.

8:41Good morning. So tell us, who did we hear from, and what did they say? Officials from the three immigration agencies were on tap. 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 Edlow faced the fewest questions, even though his agency has leaned into policing tactics and reviewing the status of more immigrants.

9:22That's interesting. Okay, so 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? 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.

9:57So 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. 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 Lyons said that that could result in doxing for their officers. Republicans generally are still opposed to mandating that officers remove their face masks. OK, so the two sides, the Republicans and Democrats, do seem to agree about body cameras, at least the importance of body cameras.

10:30So 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? Both Democrats and Republicans suggested ICE may have gone too far in recent actions. For example, one Republican, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, said he believed, quote, roving patrols should be done at the border rather than in major cities of the United States. Ending these, quote, roving patrols is something Democrats also want. McCall also applauded the leadership changes in Minneapolis, which removed Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and sent in White House Border Czar Tom Homan to lead on-the-ground operations there.

11:08McCall said this was, quote, returning to the original mission of ICE. OK, so at least one Republican seems to have some sort of alignment with the Democrats on these issues. So there is this funding deadline on Friday for the Department of Homeland Security. What could happen in the next few days? 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.

11:40Now, 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. That is NPR's immigration policy correspondent, Jimena Bustiu. Jimena, thank you. Thank you.

12:05And that's Up First for Wednesday, February 11th. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Steve Inskeep. Whether you are into skis or skates or snowboards or sleds, Up First Winter Games has you covered a video podcast from NPR, which you can find every afternoon at youtube.com slash NPR. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Rebecca Methler, Anna Yukoninoff, Emma Bowman, Kate Bartlett, Mohamed Elvardisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Zia Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hines. Our technical director is Simon Leslie Jansen. Our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin.

12:41We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.