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CBS Faces Backlash over Colbert; Noem Denies Hurdles in Delayed Texas Response; Hunter Biden Aims at Clooney; Calli Williams is Interviewed about Beef Prices. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired July 22, 2025 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:31:48]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Erica Hill, in today for Audie Cornish. Thanks so much for joining us here on CNN THIS MORNING.

It's 6:31 on the East Coast. Let's take a look at what's happening right now.

President Trump looking to make another tariff deal today. He'll welcome the president of the Philippines to the White House. Trump has proposed a 20 percent tariff on all exports from that country.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell set to address a conference on banking regulation today. This, of course, comes as the Trump administration is stepping up pressure on Powell. The Treasury secretary telling CNBC on Monday, he wants an institution wide review of the Fed to make sure it is achieving its mission.

Israeli troops moving into new parts of central Gaza for the first time. Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that has not seen a major ground operation. The IDF had been reluctant to move into that city in the past because hostages are believed to be held there. We've also just learned the AFP is evacuating its journalists from Gaza. They say the situation there has become untenable.

Well, Stephen Colbert may be on the way out, but perhaps not surprisingly, he's not going quietly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Over the weekend, it sunk in that they're killing off our show. But they made one mistake. They left me alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Well, he may not be wrong. CBS feeling the backlash after announcing, of course, that "The Late Show" will be canceled in May.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CROWD (chanting): Colbert stays. Trump must go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Protesters gathering there. That's outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where, of course, the show is broadcast from. There to rally against the decision by CBS. Other notable late-night hosts echoing the outcry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": If you believe, as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar, a, why will anyone watch you, and you are (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Well, President Trump also setting his sights on "The Wall Street Journal." The White House now removing "The Journal" from the press pool for the president's upcoming trip to Scotland. The administration says it was done in response to, quote, "fake and defamatory reporting" about Trump's birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein.

Joining me now, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter.

Brian, good to see you.

So, there was all this wait and this wonder in terms of what Stephen Colbert would, in fact, say last night, his first show since that announcement that "The Late Show" will be canceled in May of '26. Were you surprised at all by what you heard?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: I think the loudest statement he made was by bringing in so many of his friends and fellow comedians, and in some cases late night rivals. You know, having Jimmy Fallon there in the audience. Having Seth Meyers of NBC. Having John Oliver on HBO. They were all in the audience, all cheering and laughing along to a -- to a Coldplay song. Of course, one of the spoofs of that Coldplay viral video moment from the concert last week.

But having all of them in the room, by the way, Jimmy Kimmel would have been there too but he just happens to be on vacation. Having basically all the stars of late night TV showing up for Colbert was something of a united front and a really interesting sign of the times.

[06:35:06]

And also just to watch Jon Stewart let it rip on "Comedy Central," which is also owned by Paramount, the same parent company as CBS. A lot of Jon Stewart fans are worried that Jon Stewart might be next on the chopping block. While Stewart signaled last night he doesn't want to go anywhere, he wants to stay on the job, and he wants to call out Trump in absolutely vicious ways, but he also wants to call out his parent company for that recent settlement with Trump.

So, this was very much, you know, yes, these shows are comedy shows, Erica, but this was more an act of catharsis. Last night was a catharsis moment for liberal America. You know, for people who are worried about a chill in the air, about freedoms eroding, about a form of autocracy. These comedians are actually being very serious and trying to send some loud messages last night.

HILL: Former "Late Show" host David Letterman also not mincing words, noting on his YouTube channel, you can't spell CBS without BS. He, of course, spent a number of years at the helm of that show.

As you talk about this sort of cathartic moment for a number of the folks who showed up to support Stephen Colbert --

STELTER: Yes.

HILL: It also raises questions about what's next, right? So, I would say there was more than one piece that we saw, ever since the news was announced, that maybe this is tough for CBS, Stephen Colbert is going to be fine. Where do you see this transitioning, Brian? Because he's not going to go away. Jon Stewart's not going to go away, even if -- even if CBS does cancel him. That show of support is also a show of maybe what's next.

STELTER: Yes, that's absolutely right. The dynamic right now in Trump 2.0 era is fight or fold. Do you fight or fold? We see Harvard, and law firms, and lots of other institutions having these debates internally. When some companies, like Paramount, are perceived to have folded, you see others rally around and pop up and fight. And maybe they do it in new places, in new ways. You know, some of these comedians, you -- maybe you get canceled, then you launch somewhere else. You know, so Jon Stewart, I think, had the most important thing to say about this overnight. He said, "the answer in this fear and pre-compliances gripping America's institutions, the answer is not to give in. I'm not giving in. I'm not going anywhere."

And so, I think the subtext there is, if Jon Stewart's time on "The Daily Show" ends when his contract is up at the end of this year, he's going to walk across the street and he's going to go to Netflix, or he's going to launch his own streaming service and do it wherever he wants. The point is that in this splintered, fragmented media age, the response from comedians, if they feel they're being censored, if they feel there's a chill in the air and they cannot speak out against politicians, if they cannot perform their satire, they're going to go find somewhere else to do it. And that actually might be a comforting sense or a comforting idea and -- in this moment of real uncertainty and anxiety.

HILL: Brian, I also want to talk to you about this move by the White House pulling "The Wall Street Journal" from the press pool for the president's upcoming trip to Scotland. The White House Correspondents Association saying in response, "this attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling and it defies the First Amendment." We can't talk about this story without thinking about what happened to

the Associated Press, who continue to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Mexico, upsetting the president and the administration. Where does this go from here for "The Journal"?

STELTER: Yes, this is a form of retaliation by the Trump White House over that "Wall Street Journal" story about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein last week. We know Trump has filed a libel suit against "The Wall Street Journal," an unprecedented act by an American president. And we don't know what's going to come of that lawsuit. We really can't judge how serious or how -- how legitimate that lawsuit is because we haven't seen the birthday letter that's in question.

But as for this action by the White House, it is exactly what journalists feared earlier this year when the Trump White House took control over the so-called press pool. For decades, a pool of journalists have been following around the American president wherever he goes in order to be in touch and be able to ask him questions on Air Force One and in private settings. Well, that has been changed this year because instead of having an independent group decide who's in the pool every day, the Trump White House is deciding who's in the pool every day.

For the most part, big news outlets, the CNN and the Reuters and "The New York Times" are still being invited into the pool on a regular basis. But in this case, "The Wall Street Journal" was going to go with Trump on a trip to Scotland this weekend. And then all of a sudden "The Wall Street Journal's" seat was taken away. It's a clear act of retaliation due to that story about Trump and Epstein. And it shows how the Trump White House is using its power in new ways, using its leverage, in this case over reporters, in order to punish "The Journal" for a story that it objects to.

We -- you know there's not a lot "The Journal" can necessarily do other than book its own trip, go to Scotland on its own, not be a part of the press pool, not have access to Trump, and make sure its readers know about what -- what the Trump White House is doing. But in this case, a clear act of retaliation and something we should all keep an eye on because if this keeps happening, if the Trump White House keeps restricting access in this way in a form of retaliation, it will -- it will end up affecting and hurting news coverage overall.

[06:40:04]

Frankly, whether you voted for Trump or not, everybody should want a free and independent press tracking the president, asking him questions. We all suffer if the press pool becomes a bunch of propagandists who are just there to ask the president questions that he already wants to be asked and to make him feel good. We've seen a little bit of that happen in recent months. There are a few of those kind of folks in the -- in the press pool throwing softballs at the president just to make him happy, but ultimately that makes everybody unhappy at the end of the day.

HILL: Yes, information is what's important here, that's for sure.

Brian, appreciate it. Thank you.

STELTER: Thanks.

HILL: The head of FEMA's urban search and rescue branch is out. Ken Pagurek resigning from his role overseeing that unit, which operates a network of teams stationed across the country ready to respond swiftly to natural disasters. His departure comes less than three weeks after a delayed FEMA response to catastrophic, deadly flooding in central Texas. Pagurek telling colleagues that was the tipping point, noting the delays were caused by bureaucratic hurdles that have been put in place by the Department of Homeland Security, a charge DHS Secretary Kristi Noem denies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: We're still there in presence, and FEMA's been deployed, and we're cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA, streamlining it, much like your vision of how FEMA should operate. And it's been a much better response to help these families get through this terrible situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The group chat is back with us.

So, the holdup in this Texas response stemmed from a new rule. So, this was a rule that was imposed by Kristi Noem, which requires any expense of $100,000 or over $100,000, contract or grant, has to have her approval. Some FEMA officials telling CNN that's basically pennies when it comes to a disaster response. Is there a concern that you're hearing among lawmakers that this push for a very public showing of cost cutting, which, again, most Americans would agree with, is potentially putting lives at risk?

JERUSALEM DEMSAS, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": Yes, I think this is the problem. People like cost cutting. They like the words efficiency. And those are important. I think everyone would agree that you have to figure out ways to make sure government spending is actually going where it should go.

But when you approach it in a haphazard manner, and I think it's clear the way that DOGE, the way that Elon Musk and his team approached this situation is not with a scalpel, it's not carefully, it is to institute norms that would just say, we need to get something on the board. We need something to make a front page news. We need something to indicate that we've done -- met our goals. I mean they set out to cut, what was it like $1 trillion, $1 billion from the federal government budget eventually, and they're not even able to do that because, actually, a lot of what the waste, fraud and abuse is really tied up in a lot of necessary government projects. And we're finding that out right now.

HILL: Do you sense more fallout could be coming from this?

CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think so. I think, as you see, and we get into summer, guess what, girls and boys at home, hurricane season is coming. I do a lot of fishing down in The Keys and do work in The Everglades, and every year -- my mama lives on the Florida coast, my sister lives there -- every year there's this tension.

And there's certain parts of our government, and I get the waste, fraud and abuse part of this thing, but there's parts that have to move quickly. I'll even say that Joe Biden, the Democrats, could have done a better job in North Carolina. But it got worse in my home state of Texas when you saw, because of what you talked about with the $100,000.

These are real people. These are people dying. This part you got to get right.

MIKE DUBKE, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I mean, let's talk about North Carolina, because that is another instance where FEMA, fully funded at the point, really did not -- was not able to come in and provide the aid that was necessary.

FEMA is an organization that was set up in the 1990s. And I think we create these sacred cows in Washington, D.C. And any time we talk about cutting them or reforming them or changing what their mission is, we get into this kind of back and forth where we, you know, we have this disaster, we can't do it.

I don't know that $100,000 is pennies. Frankly, I think they were trying to put some cost certainty into -- into FEMA. They were there three days later. Texas --

DEMSAS: You don't think Kristi Noem should sign off on $100,000?

DUBKE: I do. I -- why not? Why shouldn't a cabinet secretary --

DEMSAS: (INAUDIBLE) time (ph)? Clearly not, right?

DUBKE: Well, she -- I mean, she was -- she was fully engaged in this. And on the ground, the Texas response was robust. So, at what point do -- does the federal government come in? I think these are real questions that we're not asking because we're focused about $100,000 signoff.

HILL: But it's to your point about the questions that aren't getting asked, right? Texas is set up, right? Texas is massive, as we know, and Texas has an incredible emergency response. Not all states have that. Not all states are used to dealing with. I mean FEMA's job is to help coordinate with state and local, right? Not necessarily tell -- to tell you what to do, but also to come in with some of these swift teams, right, to be there right away if you don't have the capabilities you need. Do you think there's enough happening in terms of, to your point, looking at what is and isn't working and where things need to be fixed?

DUBKE: Of course we need to ask those questions. And is that happening? It's -- it's very hard for that to happen when we've got these klieg lights on this particular episode or that.

I think it's interesting that the individual we're talking about, in his resignation letter, mentioned none of this.

[06:45:02]

All of this reporting is about comments that he's made to friends and family, not in his official resignation letter. Generally, if you're so perturbed that you're leaving an organization, you put that in your resignation letter because that's your final stake in the ground. And it wasn't there.

So, we should have these conversations. We're just not.

ROCHA: Bureaucracy normally don't kill people quickly. FEMA can kill people quickly if they're not there quickly. This is one of the few places where we have to be nimble and move. And I don't care who's in charge, but you got to get there soon after because there's no water, and there's no electricity, and we should be able to figure this out.

HILL: I may put you all in charge of doing a little -- a little postmortem there.

DEMSAS: A new DOGE.

HILL: There you go.

Stay with us. A lot more to discuss here on CNN THIS MORNING.

Still ahead, is beef becoming the new eggs? We take a look at what's driving beef prices to new record highs.

Plus, the Trump administration releases the files, but perhaps not the ones that you've been hearing so much about.

More from the group chat after this.

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[06:50:20]

HILL: Almost ten till the hour here. Here's your morning roundup.

The Trump administration releasing FBI records on the assassination of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Those files include more than 240,000 pages of documents related to the 1968 killing of the civil rights leader. It's something his family has long advocated against. In response, the King family releasing a statement urging the public to approach the records with, quote, "empathy, restraint and respect."

A federal judge in Boston seemed to lean in the favor of Harvard University during arguments on that lawsuit over funding cuts brought by the Trump administration. The judge calling it mind boggling that the federal government can terminate contracts because the president doesn't agree with the viewpoint of the college.

Hunter Biden lashing out at Democrats for turning on his father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HUNTER BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S SON: George Clooney is not a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) actor. He is a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) -- like, I don't know what he is. He -- he -- he's a brand.

James Carville, who hasn't run a race in 40 (EXPLETIVE DELETED) years. And David Axelrod, who had one success in his political life, and that was Barack Obama. And that was because of Barack Obama, not because of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) David Axelrod.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Yes, the f-bomb sensor working overtime there. The curse-filled rant from former President Biden's son directed at Democrats, as you just heard there, who went after his father after his disastrous CNN debate performance against Donald Trump.

I know you have strong feelings about this. Perhaps Chuck has the strongest.

ROCHA: Pick me.

HILL: So, I leave you the floor, my friend.

ROCHA: Pick me.

Three quick things. One, every time I'm having to talk about Hunter Biden, I'm not talking about Donald Trump or the Republicans in Congress cutting 13 million people off of health care. Every time somebody named Biden, Clinton or Obama have anything to do with the Democratic Party, we're not going to do very good. It's time for them to go away. We need new leadership.

And the third thing is, is I am -- this is for you, Hunter Biden, is that all those people that you're talking about, they're still running the party. So, you got a long way to go and a lot more f-bombs to give to a lot of people because they ain't going nowhere.

How about that this morning? Early. I was wound up when I saw that. It made me so mad.

HILL: You were. You wanted to talk about that right out of the gate.

DUBKE: So you're telling --

ROCHA: You have the same method (ph).

DUBKE: So you're not a Hunter 2028 advocate.

ROCHA: Oh, my God, quit trying to make my eye twitch. Please go to Jerusalem. Please.

DEMSAS: I -- every time I see Hunter Biden talk about anything -- and I mean, honestly, like he -- he calls out George Clooney in there. George Clooney showed more integrity than basically anyone in the Biden inner circle when it came to being clear with the American public about what was going on with Biden. So, the idea that you cannot meet the standard of a Hollywood actor who has no sworn responsibility to the American people, I mean it's like -- and you're on TV yelling at who now? And it's just -- to me, the level of hubris that you have to have to make it about yourself, to make it about your father's legacy and not about the issues in the country. Like, you all were saying that Trump was an existential threat to democracy. And the way that you behave is to care more about your own legacy than anything the American people cared about.

And so, to me, I just find it embarrassing that he's even talking in public.

ROCHA: Oh.

DUBKE: I counted six f-bombs and seven on the program this morning.

ROCHA: It was early. People's grandparents is watching. Very early.

DUBKE: It's very early in the morning for all of them.

ROCHA: Ooof.

HILL: OK.

DUBKE: Yes.

HILL: Noted.

DUBKE: Yes.

HILL: I also --

DUBKE: I'm not allowed to say anything about Hunter Biden. I'm just letting it slide.

ROCHA: I told him (INAUDIBLE) come on. This is mine. I got this.

DUBKE: Yes. I'm just -- I'm making other observations today.

HILL: All right, so let's observe the price of beef, shall we? Let's move on.

DUBKE: Yes.

ROCHA: Oh, I like that. Yes.

HILL: We saw eggs, of course, hitting record highs. Likely you felt it at the grocery store. Now, you may have noticed it with beef. The latest numbers from the Department of Agriculture show beef prices have now spiked by almost 9 percent since January, above $9 a pound, as you see there. So, why? Well, experts blame a few factors here, shrinking cattle herd sizes, rising costs, and demand from shoppers remains high. So, what happens, though, if demand drops due to the high prices? Well, one Wells Fargo executive telling CNN, quote, "that's the real concern that the industry has that nobody wants to be caught holding the bag with higher priced cattle when cattle prices start to decline, which they will inevitably." Joining me now, Calli Williams, a first generation rancher in South Dakota.

It's great to have you with us, especially up a little bit early on your end there.

So, what do you see? What is driving this current spike in beef prices?

CALLI WILLIAMS, FIRST GENERATION RANCHER: Good morning. Thank you so much for having me.

And, yes, it is a little early here. It is still very dark. The birds are waking up.

But what we are seeing right now is, like you mentioned, the cattle herd number across the U.S. is at a historic low, yet the demand from our consumers is at a historic high. Something that we are very thankful for, that the consumers continue to choose beef, but we are simply seeing that demand in our retail shelves, and so in that price reflected there.

HILL: So, what does that do for you? I mean, how concerned are you moving forward, especially given your business?

[06:55:00]

WILLIAMS: As a rancher, it is very reassuring that regardless of the rising price, the consumers are still choosing beef as the main protein source to feed their family. They're still choosing beef as what you know they want to celebrate this summer grilling season, as we come up on Labor Day weekend here, and that consumers are still selecting beef as their number one protein.

HILL: So, they are. And the -- let's not forget, there's a major push across the country for protein these days.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

HILL: I mean, do you think any of that is also playing a role, the fact that there is, you know, sort of in the culture, but there is this real push to up your protein intake. Is that adding to the issue?

WILLIAMS: I think -- I personally do think it is adding to it. And how lucky are we, as ranchers, to play such a big factor in, you know, moving the health of our country in the right step forward.

HILL: So, to -- so, what I'm hearing from you is, I mean, ultimately, I understand why this could be good. Are you concerned at all though, as we heard from that executive at Wells Fargo, who has some concerns that if prices get to a certain level, that Americans will choose perhaps other sources that are not as expensive for their proteins.

WILLIAMS: So, that is something that I really wanted to share with you, is that beef is such a versatile product that you can actually visit the Beef It's What's for Dinner website, and you can go in and select a recipe that is really, you know, it's what's calling your name for supper tonight. And let's say there's a different cut of steak that you would like to choose that fits your budget. And we can help you with that. And so, there are so many different price points within beef that we can be extremely budget friendly. And so, I -- I am not concerned. I think we can meet any budget out there. And I think consumers will continue to see just how versatile beef is.

HILL: Calli, it's good to have your perspective this morning. Thank you.

WILLIAMS: Thank you very much for having me.

HILL: OK, so, let's take a little look at what is in the group chat this morning because we have some great topics. Ladies first.

DEMSAS: Well, Chuck is going to get mad if I get too wonky, so I'll keep it -- I'll keep it at 30,000 feet.

ROCHA: You know, housing policy. You go.

HILL: He's sitting down. Don't worry. You're fine.

DEMSAS: So -- he's sitting down. Yes.

So, there is a really unexpected alliance between progressives and right wing council members in New York City brewing. And it's brewing over changes to the New York City local regulations that would make it easier to build more housing. And it's really, really disappointing to see a bunch of these council members across the ideological spectrum basically say they would rather retain their own power to be able to block new housing than to allow these changes to go through. So, it's something I'm keeping an eye on because, as we know, New York City, the surrounding area, it's some of the highest housing costs in the country. And Americans, for the last couple of years, have been saying, this is the biggest concern I have. Cost of living, yes, but housing costs inside that.

HILL: Yes, they are -- living in the New York City area, I can tell you, they are astronomical.

Chuck, what do you got?

ROCHA: You know what's sexier than housing is redistricting in Texas.

HILL: Oh, hey. Hey. Yes.

ROCHA: Yes. So, in Texas they gaveled in a special session, not to try to fix their emergency response system for flooding, but to do mid- cycle redistricting. If you want to know if the Republicans are worried about midterm elections, they're trying to illegally add five new congressional districts in Texas. I've got 15 things more to say about that, but I'm going to defer and give my time to my friend to talk about Billy Joel.

DUBKE: And I'm watching Billy Joel. Just finished the first half of his biopic on HBO, and I'm fascinated by the fact that this guy basically -- all of the songs that we know, he's just writing them from his own experience, which sounds -- everyone says that. And his first wife, Elizabeth, is really his muse. She was the waitress practicing politics in the "Piano Man." We finally know who is wearing the Halston dress. It was her. We know that he came home drunk, driving a motorcycle, in -- in the -- in the Virginia song.

So, each one of these --

HILL: "Only the Good Die Young."

DUBKE: "Only the Good Die Young." I -- I remember the catholic girls part of it. But that is fascinating to me. And it's a really great show. And I can't wait till part two. Hopefully they'll tell me what a real estate novelist is.

HILL: Yes.

DUBKE: Because I still don't know what a real estate novelist is.

HILL: There's still time.

DUBKE: Yes.

HILL: Well, if not, we could -- maybe we could ask him directly.

We have some time in the group chat.

I have to say, he puts on -- did you ever see him at The Garden?

DUBKE: Yes.

HILL: When he was in residency.

DUBKE: I was lucky enough to do that, yes.

HILL: It is remarkable the way -- I went to several of those shows. I have to say, it is remarkable the way he brings so many different people together and would always have people sort of show up. Christie Brinkley was there one night when I was there, and he was singing to her. And everybody lost their mind.

DUBKE: He seems -- he seems to keep his relationship -- I think he's on four wives now, five, maybe. He seems to keep his relationship --

ROCHA: I don't hold that against him.

DUBKE: What?

ROCHA: I don't hold that against him. Go ahead.

DUBKE: He seems to keep his relationships there. But the other amazing part, and this has just got to be -- I've never, even in politics, you very rarely see this, where he can start a song, stop singing, and the entire audience is singing it back to him.

So, this is a cultural icon. It really -- there is a muse involved in this. I'm looking forward to part two. But that's what we're talking about.

ROCHA: People of a certain age kind of grew up with this.

HILL: Yes.

DUBKE: Yes.

ROCHA: Me and this guy are about the same age. And I wear this cowboy hat, and I grew up listening to country music, but I'm also a kid of the '80s and '90s and late '70s.

[07:00:01]

And I remember, you know, turning on and singing these songs in a cowboy hat and a pickup truck in east Texas. Like, he cuts across all these genres.

HILL: Yes. Which, you know, more and more of, in this moment, right, there are artists who still continue to do that. But it's -- it's sort of a nice reminder in this moment that there have been people in the past who were able to do that. There are people in the present who can, right? What a way to bring people together.

Look at that. Tying it up with a bow. There's like a heart at the table at CNN THIS MORNING.

ROCHA: Whoo-ahhs (ph). Yes, this is the best group chat.

HILL: Huh?

ROCHA: This is the best.

HILL: We'll try to top it tomorrow, though, don't worry.

ROCHA: Bring it.

HILL: Great to have all of you with us here in the studio and also all of you at home joining us this morning on CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned, CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.