“Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie said her family is in “agony” in her first interview since her mother Nancy was taken from her Arizona home and reported missing on Feb. 1. 

“Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony, we are in agony,” a tearful Guthrie told co-host Hoda Kotb in a preview of the interview that will air over the course of the week. 

Nancy Guthrie’s case has dominated headlines for weeks, but authorities have been unable to find her in the suspected kidnapping.

Her daughter called the situation “unbearable.”

“And to think of what she went through. I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night,” she told Kotb. “And in the darkness, I imagine her terror. And it is unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought. And I will not hide my face. But she needs to come home now.”

Guthrie has been away from the show since her mother went missing but returned to the Rockefeller Center studio to visit colleagues on March 6. Kotb has been anchoring alongside Craig Melvin while Guthrie is away from the show. 

“Today” will air the reminder of the interview in two parts on Thursday and Friday. 

This is a developing story, more to come… 

Loyal CNN viewers and critics alike were taken by surprise last week at the “experimenting” some of its on-air talent dabbled in.

Anderson Cooper began anchoring his primetime show Wednesday from the newsroom instead of his studio, positioning himself at a table normally used as CNN data guru Harry Enten’s work station, Fox News Digital learned.

Cooper has appeared without a jacket and with rolled-up sleeves while speaking into a large desk microphone. And during a panel discussion, he and his guests discussed the Strait of Hormuz with a physical map on the table, a departure from the interactive map Cooper had used earlier in the week.

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On Friday, Jake Tapper anchored the first hour of “The Lead” from his office similarly accompanied with a large microphone on his desk.

“So, you’re probably wondering what’s going on, why we’re in my office for the first hour of ‘The Lead’ today. So, it’s an experiment,” a tieless Tapper told viewers. “This is my actual desk where I do my actual work, not the desk in the studio. And we thought we would bring you into the space where we and my team do our actual journalism and plan the show every day.”

Tapper showcased his office decor filled with memorabilia from losing presidential campaigns while guests of his sat on the couch adjacent to his desk.

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While Tapper’s experiment lasted only the first hour of Friday’s show, Cooper’s is ongoing — carrying over into this week. 

For some, the image of the large microphones invoked the members of the late CNN icon Larry King or revered broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. But for others, the aesthetic changes were made to have the CNN anchors look more like podcast hosts.

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However, their colleagues say the so-called experiment “didn’t work.”

“Look, I’m all for experimentation. The network has been static for far too long. I applaud the experimentation,” one CNN insider told Fox News Digital. “The question is whether this is the experiment you want to be running? But the good news is that if doesn’t work, you can try something else.”

Regarding CNN’s effort to podcastify their shows, they say talents like Cooper and Tapper don’t fit the mold.

“You need looser personalities, not just looser sets,” the network staffer said.

A second CNN staffer says the changes that were made on Cooper and Tapper’s shows were an attempt by CNN at “being something we aren’t.”

“Podcasts are a place people go not because of the look, but because of the product,” they said. “Joe Rogan, as the obvious example, is all opinion. He’s smart and all those great things, but ultimately he’s not trying to be a journalist.”

“There’s room for that on primetime, on cable, including CNN,” they continued. “But Jake, what he is, is not what podcasts are. Anderson? He has a very successful podcast. But Anderson — the news anchor — that’s a different thing. There is room for many things. TV isn’t podcast, even though podcast has video.”

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Not everyone soured on Cooper and Tapper’s on-air experiment. A third CNN staffer told Fox News Digital they “liked” what the anchors have done. Former CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza applauded his ex-employer for trying out different formats.

“Would you rather them keep doing the same old, same old that isn’t working?” Cillizza asked on X.

However, defenders were outnumbered by critics who mocked Cooper and Tapper. Liberal journalist Taylor Lorenz reacted, “This is so funny what the hell are they doing,” while The Bulwark’s Tim Miller joked, “Looking forward to @JohnBerman from the bathroom stall.” 

CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

CNN’s podcast-tinged tweaks come with network on the brink of new ownership, as Paramount’s $111 billion offer to take over Warner Bros. Discovery moves forward. And as a result, Paramount owner David Ellison would oversee two struggling news organizations: CNN and CBS News.

There has been speculation whether Ellison would appoint Bari Weiss, his hand-picked editor in chief of CBS News, to also take over CNN. While broadcast news was something Weiss had no prior experience in, she certainly knows a thing or two about podcasts. 

Weiss entered the podcast world in 2021 as host of “Honestly,” and her digital publication The Free Press, which Ellison acquired for $150 million, produces several other podcasts. But CNN staffers are dreading the prospect of Weiss becoming their new boss.

Likely adding to the anxiety of CNN’s newsroom is the support Ellison has received from the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth scolded the network for what he called an “unserious” report suggesting the administration underestimated the effect its war with Iran would have on the Strait of Hormuz, saying, “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

Ellison vowed CNN will maintain editorial independence if the Paramount takeover happens.

A California airport that has operated for more than 100 years is set to close — and not without controversy.

The 227-acre Santa Monica Airport site is expected to be converted into open green space, sports areas and cultural facilities, according to the city of Santa Monica.

The city recently secured nearly $500,000 in funding to begin planning the transformation of about 20 acres of the airport site into park space, including trails, fitness areas and other public amenities, according to Los Angeles County documents.

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The airport is scheduled to close Dec. 31, 2028.

The closure follows decades of legal disputes and pushback from local residents, the city noted.

The airport has already operated under strict limitations in recent years, including restrictions on late-night activity.

“Although arrivals are permitted 24 hours a day, pilots are requested to avoid all operations between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday through Friday or until 8 a.m. on weekends,” the city said.

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In 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the city reached a settlement that allows Santa Monica to close the airport at the end of 2028 after continuing operations through that date, the FAA said.

The agreement also allowed the city to shorten the runway as part of efforts to limit airport activity.

Once closed, the site will be redeveloped into a large-scale public space. 

Officials say the goal is to create a destination that serves both residents and visitors — while preserving open space in a densely populated area.

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Community input has played a major role in shaping the proposal, with the city hosting dozens of public meetings and collecting thousands of survey responses.

The proposal has sparked debate online. 

Residents took to the r/SantaMonica subreddit to sound off on the decision.

Some residents voiced support for a large park, pointing to the lack of similar green spaces in Los Angeles.

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“Compared to other major cities, L.A. is lacking this type of curated urban park,” one user wrote in a discussion about the project.

Others argued the land should be used in a different way.

“We desperately need more housing,” another commenter wrote, suggesting the site could accommodate both a park and residential development.

A third commenter said, “Would love a better way to connect to Ocean Park by foot or bike without 23rd St. Having it be a mix of high-density housing and a park would be great.”

Yet another resident suggested it could be used for “a half-dozen super-tall residential towers, with mixed commercial and retail uses on the first few floors, and the rest a ton of public park space with trails and bike lanes and recreation fields.”