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Don Lemon in Court, ‘New World Order’, ‘Quad God’ Stumbles and more
CNN 5 Things
Feb 13, 2026
Independent journalist Don Lemon has entered a plea in a federal case against him - calling the charges politically motivated. The US Department of Health and Human Services is facing another leadership shakeup. World leaders have gathered to address the growing divide between the United States and Europe. President Donald Trump has dispatched a second US aircraft to the middle east, as negotiations with Iran continue. Plus, we break down the latest Olympic performance from an American figure skating favorite.
Episode Transcript
Eryn Mathewson
00:00:01
From CNN, I'm Eryn Mathewson with the five things you need to know for Friday, February 13th.
Eryn Mathewson
00:00:08
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has pleaded not guilty to two federal charges, both stemming from his presence at an ICE protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota last month. He was back in Minnesota's capital city today for a court hearing. CNN's Brian Stelter has more.
Brian Stelter
00:00:24
Hey Eryn. Yes. Lemon said outside court afterward that he will fight these quote baseless charges, and many press freedom groups are standing with him. Reporters Without Borders said today that quote, prosecuting journalists is the desperate tactic of authoritarians, but attorney general Pam Bondi and her team has portrayed the DOJ as defending religious freedom through this case. Legal experts have told CNN that that might be true, but that this case will be very hard for prosecutors to prove. The interference charges that Lemon is facing have never been applied in this before. This afternoon, after pleading not guilty, Lemmon said that for the Trump administration, quote, the process is the punishment. He clearly believes that this is all politically motivated, and he says he will prevail.
Eryn Mathewson
00:01:05
Still ahead, world leaders are meeting to discuss a quote, new world order and what role America will have in it.
Eryn Mathewson
00:01:15
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is shaking up its leadership again. Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill and General Counsel Mike Stewart, two top aides to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are expected to leave the agency soon. And according to two sources, Trump administration officials have discussed offering them other positions in government, but the move is part of a broader restructuring plan at the agency ahead of the midterm elections. CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more details.
Jacqueline Howard
00:01:44
What we also know is that this is all happening at a time when public trust in health agencies is declining. There's a KFF poll that shows overall trust in the CDC now stands at 47%. So these sudden changes could be having an impact on the public's trust and image of the federal health agencies right now.
Eryn Mathewson
00:02:10
World leaders are gathering in Munich for an annual security conference. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is there, and he met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the rift between NATO and the U.S. And what's been described as the New World Order.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
00:02:25
'We live in a new era in geopolitics, and it's gonna require all of us to sort of re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.
Eryn Mathewson
00:02:33
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is also in Munich, and he says the reaction from European leaders to that message has been swift.
Nick Paton Walsh
00:02:40
'A real pushback here already from the European leaders as to the concept that the old ward were older. Dying, not necessarily, I think, because they don't imagine a world where the United States' role is no longer given. That is something Europe has really quickly had to adjust to since the debacle when President Trump said he might use military force to invade Greenland, but to essentially, I think still try and gather from the remnants here an old NATO-European alliance that could find a way to move forward.
Eryn Mathewson
00:03:11
President Donald Trump says he's dispatching a second U.S. Aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, just in case he's unable to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran. It'll join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region, expanding Trump's options for a potential military strike on Iran. The president said if diplomacy is successful with the country's leadership, the ships would depart. CNN's Kevin Liptak is in Washington.
Kevin Liptak
00:03:36
This aircraft carrier that's going to be moving now from the Caribbean Sea over to the Middle East, it is the world's largest aircraft carrier. The USS Gerald Ford, it's all of its attendant ships, missiles, airplanes, all of these aspects that will increase the pressure on Tehran as the president tries to encourage them to come to the table to negotiate some sort of deal.
Eryn Mathewson
00:03:59
America's quad god comes up short.
American Athlete Ilia Malinin
00:04:06
I blew it. That's honestly the first thing that came to my mind was, there's no way that just happened.
Eryn Mathewson
00:04:12
That's quad god Ilia Malinin. The Team USA skater has missed out on Olympic gold in the men's single figure skating event in Italy. He made several uncharacteristic mistakes, then knocked him off the podium and into eighth place. He fell on a quad Lutz, his quad Saukow turned into a double, and he popped the highly anticipated quad axle midair. That's the jump where you turn four and a half rotations in the air and then land on one leg. And it's something no other human has been able to do. Ballin had never quite recovered from those errors and looked his shock to spectators when he got off the ice.
Eryn Mathewson
00:04:47
That's all for now. Tune in tomorrow for another episode of 5 Good Things, wherever you get your podcasts.






