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CNN This Morning

Trump's Mega-Bill Clears Senate Procedural Hurdle 51-49; Thousands In Tel Aviv Demand End To War, Hostage Return; Midwest Faces Dangerous Storms With Hail, Tornadoes; Protests In Venice Over Bezos Wedding For Third Straight Day; UVA President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration; Justice Dept. Official: UVA Sent Letters To Confirm Affirmative Action Ban Compliance; Fed Judge To Hold Hearing Monday Over Birthright Citizenship Case. Fed Judge to Hold Hearing Over Birthright Citizenship; Sean Combs Trial Deliberations Starts Monday. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired June 29, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Welcome to CNN This Morning, Sunday, June 29th. I'm Victor Blackwell. Here's what's happening right now.

[07:00:03]

And we got a live look for you at the Senate floor. The clerks are still reading. 940 pages of the Big, Beautiful Bill Act. They've been going at that since 11:00 p.m. We'll tell you what's happening today and when the final vote is expected to happen on that legislation.

Tens of thousands of Israelis packed Hostage Square to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages held there. What they're saying to the Israeli government and to President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of us are searching for some kind of meaning, some kind of lesson that we can learn to help ease our loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Minnesota lawmaker and her husband killed in their home. They were laid to rest in a private ceremony on Saturday. How they're being remembered by friends and lawmakers.

Plus, the president of the University of Virginia has announced that he's stepping down from his job after pressure from the Trump administration over the school's DEI programs. Some college administrators say it's a concerning trend. We'll talk about it.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we have severe thunderstorm warnings already ongoing across portions of the Midwest this morning. We'll take a look at where else they could spread coming up in just a few minutes.

BLACKWELL: Up first, the breaking news out of Washington. Senate Republicans managed to advance President Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill Act in a late Saturday night vote after extensive negotiations with several holdouts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R), MAJORITY LEADER: We have before us today a once- in-a-generation opportunity to deliver legislation to create a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America. With one bill, we can deliver on a number of priorities.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), MINORITY LEADER: If Republicans succeed, proceed, and follow Trump -- Donald Trump over the cliff with this bill tied to their ankles like an anvil, they will not only doom their own communities, they will doom their political fortunes, their own political fortunes, and have no one to blame but themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Trump celebrated the vote in a social media post, called it a great victory, and praised four Republican senators who shifted their votes. The bill cleared the key procedural vote 51-49 with two Republican senators joining Democrats in voting against it. But this is just the beginning of the process to get this bill through the Senate.

Right now, as I said, clerks are reading the entire 940-page bill out loud. Senate Democrats forced the major delay tactic, which would take up to 15 hours, and it comes just before 20 hours of debate on the bill, followed by a vote-a-rama, open-ended, hours-long series of votes on amendments

CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is joining us this Sunday morning. So, the reading of the bill going on. What else is expected to happen today?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this has been such a whirlwind 24 hours, and after an intense series of negotiations, arm-twisting, and pressure from the White House, ultimately, Donald Trump getting -- clearing the first procedural hurdle in the United States Senate, but major procedural hurdles ahead and also major votes ahead in order to get this bill onto his desk.

And last night came in the aftermath of a number of Republicans signaling that they were not willing to go ahead with this big, massive measure because of various concerns. This is a bill that deals with a multitrillion-dollar overhaul of the United States tax code. It includes hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for new defense and border security projects.

But it is the spending cuts that were part of this plan that caused deep divisions, particularly on the issue of Medicaid, but they were able to win over some of the holdouts one by one. Senator Josh Hawley, for one, had raised major concerns over the cuts to Medicaid, but a new rural hospital relief fund was able to win him over.

Senator Lisa Murkowski had raised concerns about the impacts on Alaska, but specific provisions designed to win her over got her vote. And then Senator Susan Collins of Maine, someone who's always someone who is closely watched and is a swing vote on so many key issues, ultimately sided with the president to at least allow that first procedural hurdle to move ahead.

And then the members on the right flank of the Senate GOP got particular attention from the president and from Vice President JD Vance. Those conservative members, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Senator Cynthia Lummis, all were holed up in the Senate Majority Leader's office late into the night, with Vice President JD Vance also meeting with them, Donald Trump talking to them.

Ultimately, they won enough assurances from him to move ahead, even though this bill could raise federal budget deficits by several trillion dollars over the next decade or so. And that's what has caused so many issues for Donald Trump and for Republican leaders on the right flank.

[07:05:03]

But despite all those -- all the concerns that those members raised, they ultimately fell in line and gave Donald Trump that first victory in getting this bill on the floor. But that doesn't mean, Victor, that this is over yet, because after this exercise where the clerks were reading aloud the bill, which will take up until later this afternoon, then there will be debate on the Senate floor, and then just a gauntlet of amendments will dominate the United States Senate.

Probably will take this up until Monday morning at the very least, maybe even later than that. And then the question will be, will those votes be there on final passage? Some of those senators said they would vote yes. Just to keep the process going, like Collins indicated that she could potentially vote against this plan if it does not change to her liking on final passage.

What does that mean for the Senate? And then the big question is, Victor, what about the United States House, too? Because there are a lot of concerns among House Republicans, too, about some of the changes that were made here. So huge questions ahead for the president, for the leadership in the House and the Senate about whether they can actually get this done by Trump's self-imposed July 4 deadline.

BLACKWELL: All right. Manu Raju, thank you.

And be sure to watch Inside Politics Sunday coming up at the top of the hour right here on CNN.

Tens of thousands packed a Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. They're demanding Israel end the Gaza war and bring the hostages home. Some urge President Trump to step in and pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

CNN's Nic Robertson is live in Jerusalem. So you've been speaking with families and with protesters. What are they telling you about why they believe that this moment could make a difference?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Good morning, Victor. In essence, they feel that there's a momentum that President Trump has that he's inclined to want to get a peace deal with Hamas. There's momentum because they feel Israel's apparent victory in Iran means that Hamas is therefore weakened and therefore may be willing to accept harsher conditions in terms of a ceasefire.

What they were calling for was a complete agreement, an agreement that brings all 50 hostages home in one go. Of those 50, about 20 are believed to be alive and at the same time pull all the troops out of Gaza. So that would be a permanent ceasefire, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been resistant to until now.

And the crowds, and I have to say they were bigger than we've seen in a long time, three weeks where they couldn't have their regular Saturday protests because of the missiles that were coming from Iran for safety reasons. The protests couldn't be held.

And people overflowing Hostage Square, big screens set up nearby as well. There were protests in other parts of Tel Aviv, protests here of a similar nature in Jerusalem, protests in other parts of the country. But in essence it is President Trump's ability to bring pressure to bear on Prime Minister Netanyahu and settle for a permanent ceasefire with Hamas that seems to be one of the principal reasons that people are optimistic here at the moment.

And I was speaking with a brother of two hostages still held in captivity in Gaza just in the past couple of hours and he was hopeful that this could be the moment that works out for them. And it's been very interesting. President Trump has said just in the past few days that he believes a ceasefire in Gaza can be worked out in the next week.

And overnight he was on social media saying that the accusations, the pending court appearances for the Prime Minister on accusations of corruption, he calls them a witch hunt, and he says that they're getting in the way of getting a deal with Hamas and getting the hostages home.

And of course the perception in Israel is very similar, that Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn't want to go for a final deal because that puts him in a perilous political situation and therefore a piecemeal agreement step by step with Hamas that doesn't bring all the hostages home is more suited to the Prime Minister's domestic political needs.

So President Trump sort of weighing into that debate as well. So it really is creating a sense here of possible momentum. But of course Israelis have been at this point before and have been disappointed before. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson for us in Jerusalem. Thank you, Nic.

This morning severe weather is heading into the Midwest and brings risks of strong winds and hail, possibly tornadoes. CNN's Allison Chinchar is here with the latest. We've done this for three, four consecutive weekends now?

CHINCHAR: Right. Yes, we joked last hour it's kind of like a broken record. And the worst part is some of these same areas just keep getting hit over and over and over again. And it's going to be much of the same again today.

[07:10:05]

We're looking at the Midwest and really kind of the North and Central Plains being the target point for today. You can see that right here, this large red highlighted area. This is where we're going to see the best chance for some of those strong to severe thunderstorms.

Now other areas are still going to get showers and thunderstorms, but the best target point for those severe is really going to be focused here, and it's where we already have the severe thunderstorms ongoing this morning. You can see a couple of highlighted those orange boxes. Those indicate the severe thunderstorm warnings, and we've had them off and on throughout the last several hours, and it's likely going to continue as this system begins to spread off to the south and east.

A little bit farther south of that, we also have some strong thunderstorms here. No warnings at the moment, but lots of lightning here and even some gusty winds across portions of Missouri and even into Oklahoma. This is where the best chance for all of those severe storms is going to be today.

We're talking damaging winds of 60, 70 miles per hour, some large hail, and, yes, even the possibility for an isolated tornado. But we also have this section right through here, portions of the Mid- Atlantic that could also see some strong to severe thunderstorms.

Now the timeline, again, we have that ongoing cluster right now this morning, but you're really going to start to see a lot of those storms ramp back up this afternoon. Say 4:00, 5:00, 06:00 in the afternoon, you're going to see things fill in, but it's actually going to fill in even more later into the evening.

You may actually have more widespread showers and thunderstorms 8:00, 9:00, even 10:00 tonight as those showers continue through the overnight timeline.

BLACKWELL: Yes, more than just inconvenient. It's dangerous, as well. So make sure that everybody's paying attention to their local forecast as this weather moves through.

Allison, thank you.

Family and friends, they gathered at the Basilica of Saint Mary yesterday in Minneapolis to remember former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Governor Tim Walz attended the private funeral. The couple was shot and killed earlier this month in what officials say was a politically motivated attack.

This morning, the Pope celebrated a special mass at the Vatican. Eight American archbishops received a sacred vestment made of lamb's wool called the pallium. It's a powerful symbol of pastoral authority and unity with the pope. It's also the first time the American born pontiff is presiding over the tradition. And all 54 archbishops received the pallium today.

There are more protests in Venice over the lavish wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez-Bezos, as some demonstrators, including Amazon workers, say that they struggle to afford rent on their current wages. Many marched with Amazon boxes marked with slogans like "No Space For Bezos." But the backlash did not stop the show with the couple celebrating the nuptials with a lot of their famous and very, very rich friends.

Still to come, the president of the University of Virginia will step down after a protracted fight with the White House over the school's DEI policies. The ripple effects this could have for colleges across the country.

Also, the Trump administration will press forward with its efforts to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. after a win at the Supreme Court. The next steps in the process coming up in the morning roundup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:49]

BLACKWELL: The University of Virginia President James Ryan is stepping down from that position after pressure from the Trump administration. Ryan says he does not want to put the school's federal funding at risk. Now, the Justice Department had warned UVA to cut DEI programs or face the consequences.

Let's bring in Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, an organization that represents university presidents. Good to have you this morning.

So I spent my Saturday evening reading reports of your speech at the ACE conference and watching, you know, some of your C-SPAN videos, which tells you a lot about my Saturday night.

TED MITCHELL, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION: Sorry about that.

BLACKWELL: But your message has been about sticking together and about --

MITCHELL: Right.

BLACKWELL: -- university presidents being under attack and fighting over the next four years. So here's my question. And let's stipulate that it's Jim Ryan's decision, right? It's his to make. But do you agree with the decision to step down in response to the pressure that was coming from the administration?

MITCHELL: I can't second guess Jim on that. You know, he did what he thought was right. But I'm quite concerned at the federal overreach and this really unprecedented and unwarranted thuggery by the administration to pressure a great president out of his job with the supposition that that's going to help them resolve a problem that they've got. There's no clear evidence that any of that is true.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And what's more is that the Board of Visitors at UVA voted to dismantle their DEI programs. And that's according to Governor Youngkin, Virginia Governor Youngkin's office. And so the dismantling of the program, that wasn't enough for DOJ. What do you tell university presidents who, like you, believe in the values of diversity, equity, inclusion by any name? What do they do in this environment?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think you don't negotiate with hostage takers. And that's what we have going on here, is the executive branch taking institutions hostage. We've seen it with Columbia. We've seen it with Harvard. We now see it with UVA. And I'm afraid the list will go on.

[07:20:04]

Let's remember, Victor, and you've made this point before in your work. The executive order banning DEI work is not law. The law does not restrict programs that help students of color. It simply restricts the ability of institutions to prohibit those same programs to be of service to non-underrepresented minorities. So it's not clear to me that we're talking about the law. It seems to me we're talking about political ideology.

BLACKWELL: OK, so let's carry this metaphor forward. If you say that you don't negotiate with hostage takers, well, in the UVA example, that's just surrendering to the hostage taker, is it not? I mean, practically, what does not negotiating with a hostage taker in the DEI space mean? What does it mean for universities and the administration? What's it look like.

MITCHELL: Yes, I think it really means -- yes, it's a good -- it's a really good question. And, you know, I think that, you know, Jim was also being, you know, questioned and criticized by members of his board, by many members of the alumni body. And so I think that that had to factor into this a little bit.

I would think that the administration pressure, the Justice Department pressure may have been the last straw, not the first. So I think what's very important is for presidents and their boards to be together on this, to identify what it is that they're trying to do to make their institutions hospitable and welcoming to all students, and that they make sure that they're complying with the law.

And, you know, really just saying, well, Mr. Trump and his administration have their point of view, but that point of view has not been turned into law. So we're going to stick with what we got or we're going to change what we need to change to comply with the law. But we'll be satisfied with that.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Every university will have to make a decision on how it proceeds if this pressure comes to their door. But we've got two clear models here. We've got the UVA model and the decision that Jim Ryan made it again. It's his to make.

He thought he was doing the best thing for his university not to jeopardize federal funding. And then you've got the Harvard model where they say, no, we are not going to change who we are. That was in the context of anti-Semitism. They believe that they are doing special work there, but they're fighting there.

MITCHELL: That's right.

BLACKWELL: Do you need a $50 billion endowment to do that, though? I mean, can other universities, public universities fight in that same way? Or is Harvard in a class of its own that to use that example just is not applicable to other institutions?

MITCHELL: Harvard is definitely in a class by itself, but it is still entirely within the control of institutions, large and small, to defend the work that they do that is within the boundaries of the law. Victor, let me say the other thing that I think is going on with Harvard and was going on with Columbia is that they're working to change some of the things that may have been outside the pale of the law. Good for them.

We should all respond to criticism. We should all try to make sure we're doing the right thing. I think Harvard is doing that. I think other institutions are doing that. And, you know, institutions in some red states have already been working with their state legislatures to make sure that they are working in ways that are appropriate with state law.

I'm sort of disappointed that UVA didn't feel like it was doing what it needed to do to follow its state mandates. I think that they were doing a great job.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ted Mitchell, thank you so much for your time this morning.

Still ahead, the Department of Homeland Security seems to make light of controversy surrounding a Florida detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. We'll show you the social media post after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:28:43]

BLACKWELL: Tomorrow, a federal judge in Maryland is holding an emergency court hearing in the birthright citizenship case. So let's talk about it.

Joining me is Rahul Bali, news and politics reporter with WABE and NPR. Ernie Suggs, race and culture reporter with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. And Attorney Madeleine Simmons is with us. Welcome to you all.

And let's start here kind of broadly on this birthright citizenship decision or the lower court's ruling that impacts birthright citizenship. And starting with you, Rahul, the win for the president and the presidency. What's it mean?

RAHUL BALI, WABE/NPR NEWS POLITICS REPORTER: There's still a lot to be worked out when you look at this decision.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

BALI: There's still a lot of implementations going to be the biggest question around a lot of this. So that's what I'm watching for. Yes, the president is -- but from the experts we've heard from, there's still a lot to happen about how do you implement this? What happens in the lower courts?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

BALI: That's kind of the big things, and that's what I want to hear from all legal experts.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Madeleine, the question of what happens practically and legally with these babies that are born outside of the states that are against this executive order from the president or before a decision is made on the merits of birthright citizenship, the executive order from the president, in these states where these babies are born to undocumented people in this country, are they -- do they have a home country? What are they?

MADELEINE SIMMONS, ATTORNEY: Yes, so as you mentioned, you know, it was a procedural decision that we got from the Supreme Court that really didn't touch on the merits of the birthright issue. But what that decision did say is that, you know, it's limiting federal courts from doing universal injunctions. And if you look at the dissent from Justice Sotomayor, she says that this ruling could suggest that people do not have constitutional guarantees unless they are a party to a lawsuit.

So, what we've seen from the plaintiff's lawyers do to address these children in states where it's kind of unknown what might happen is amend the lawsuits to be a class action lawsuit to try to capture those plaintiffs that are not born yet or are not known yet, or are not named yet in the lawsuit. So, creative lawyering as we continue to see what the courts do with this.

BLACKWELL: And the attempt to create that class is what's going to happen during this hearing that's happening on Monday. Ernie, to you, I had on my Saturday show at 8:00 on first of all, Norman Wong, and he is the great grandson of Wong Kim Ark, who was a man born in the United States to Chinese parents. So, they were not citizens. And when he tried to come back in the 19th century into the U.S. from China, they wouldn't let him in because they didn't see that he was a U.S. citizen. So, it was that case in 1898 that extended birthright citizenship to people born in this country, but to people who were not citizens of this country.

And so, what Norman Wong told me is that what's happening as it relates to birthright citizenship is not about what Trump is doing, it is about what the American people feel. And so, from your perspective of race and culture, what is this national conversation around birth birthright citizenship about?

ERNIE SUGGS, RACE AND CULTURE REPORTER, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Well, you mentioned 1898, but you -- of course, we know that at 1868 this 14th Amendment was passed to protect African Americans, to protect the formerly enslaved. And what this means, and what this is an attack on the birthright. So, it was initially started in -- to protect African Americans and just expand it.

But what it means is that we are, as a country, on the brink of a constitutional crisis, I think, because we are literally challenging what the Constitution means in terms of who you are as -- and when you're born here. Because, basically, you're born here, you're an American citizen. This is what -- this is challenging that.

So, I think we have to have a really, really deep conversation about that. I think the courts, as you mentioned, the courts are going to have a deep conversation about it. And as you said, it's confusing because we don't know what states, and states are kind of up in the air about this whole thing. So, it's a very confusing thing right now.

RAHUL BALI, WABE/NPR NEWS POLITICS REPORTER: But how do you have that conversation? Here's my question. Well, how do you have that conversation in a world of 32nd ads, social media ads, social media memes? How do you even have that conversation and what does that conversation even going to look like? Is it just a few cents? Is it going to come down to a slogan?

SUGGS: Well, that's where we are now. I mean, everything is 30 seconds now. So, it's all -- you know, what's going on right now in Congress and it's the Senate, it's all 30-second conversation. So, we just got to figure out how to decipher all of that.

BLACKWELL: On the topic of immigration, there is a new facility that's opening up, I think they're aiming for Tuesday in the Everglades, in Florida, that's being dubbed by the state officials as Alligator Alcatraz. It's going to be a system of tents and temporary structures there to house those detained by ICE. And the reason it's called Alligator Alcatraz is because the facility is going to be surrounded by alligators and other wildlife and the state saying that the security necessary is going to be minimal because if somebody leaves, essentially, they're suggesting they'll just be attacked by alligators.

Aside from the need for shelter, right, because in Florida, ICE is apprehending thousands of people. What's the political payoff here? Is this benefiting Ron DeSantis? Why is this such a flagship for the State of Florida? Because he's doing live interviews on Fox promoting that this facility's coming.

BALI: I mean, I think there's a belief that, look, there's going to be an electoral fallout from this. And remember, I'll look at everything from through a political lens. I think there's going to be electoral fallout. There's going to be people who are horrified by this, and this is going to cause them to vote. There are going to be people who support this, and they're going to come out to vote. And there are going to be some people who are going to look at this and just walk away from the polls. That's how I look at it politically. And the calculation is that this is some -- that this is what people voted for last year.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And the calculation is obvious here. I want to put up what the Department of Homeland Security posted on their official social media page. A.I. generated apparently alligators wearing ICE hats.

[07:35:00]

SUGGS: I hope it's A.I. generated.

BLACKWELL: Yes. I mean, one would have to expect you wouldn't get them to line up and put the hats on. But for something that they say, the administration is so central to just the identity of a country, should we just pass this off as a joke? I mean, they're just trying to be funny, to try to be tongue in cheek, or try to own the libs, or is this serious that we should expect more from our Homeland Security Department than to put that photo on social media?

SUGGS: I think we should take it seriously because I think what we are at seeing right now is these jokes, these memes, we're being legislated and policies are being driven by memes and Truth Social and social media. But behind all of that is some serious business that we really, really need to take care of and we really need to pay attention to. So, it comes across as jokes, it comes across as funny, but, you know, the -- it has serious impact on how all of us live and how all of us see this country.

BLACKWELL: All right. We're starting with the Diddy trial going to instructions and to the jury for deliberations after a quick break. So, everybody, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00]

BLACKWELL: So, this Monday, the jury will finally take over the Sean Combs case. Let's bring now Rahul, Ernie and Madeline back. And, Madeline, I'm starting with you for obvious reasons here. So, I want to talk a little bit about the closing argument from the defense, because some of the ways in which he described the relationships, he described these freak offs in the videos, he said of the freak offs, the music's nice, the mood seems friendly and easygoing. Everyone's smiling, they're laughing. Forget the sex part.

I mean, if that is your delivery to the jury, do you alienate them by trying to put this lens over it that it's just so different than what has been described by the women who were participating?

SIMMONS: So, I actually think that it was a smart move on the behalf of the defense to take that approach, because I think what it will potentially do is conflict some of the jurors on the racketeering charge. If there are jurors that are thinking, goodness, these were just consenting adults at a party that wanted to be at a Diddy party that knew they were getting paid for what they were doing, whether that was, you know, escort services or other services like the defense tried to paint it, I think that it was a smart move for them. Because if you would've asked me at the beginning of this trial seven weeks ago when we started to hear the prosecution's case, you know, did I think that there was an option for a not guilty verdict, I would've said, goodness, I don't think that the evidence right now is going to support anything close to that, but I think there's a real possibility that we may not get a unanimous verdict.

BLACKWELL: And so, innocent until proven guilty. But if Diddy is -- Sean Combs is exonerated, what has it exonerated Sean Combs then do? Is he then welcomed back into public life and pop culture?

SUGGS: I think that this is the one case in which he's not. I think he's done, regardless of what the -- I don't think it's going to be a unanimous verdict either. So, I think that, you know, if he gets off on this, that he's done. I mean, I think that the charges and what we've seen over these seven weeks have been so heinous.

SIMMONS: Horrific.

SUGGS: So cruel, so horrific.

BLACKWELL: Especially the video --

SUGGS: Especially the video.

BLACKWELL: -- the abuse against Cassie.

SUGGS: Yes.

SIMMONS: Awful.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SUGGS: So, I can't see him having a white party. I can't see him going to the Met, you know. So, I just think he's done, you know. I think he's even worse than R. Kelly.

BLACKWELL: Wow. So, let's talk now about what we've been discussing during the break, this is the list of the top 100 movies of the 21st century. So, this century so far, and we've put up on the screen the top 10 here for you. "Parasite" at number one. I'm not going to go through all of them. You can just look here.

Raul, I looked at this list and thought, I haven't seen most of these movies, and maybe that's just because of my version to movie theaters, but this is kind of like watching the Oscars where maybe it's a great movie, but it's not for mass consumption. What did you see here in this list?

BALI: I'm on the same boat as you. I just -- I recognize some of those movies. You know, it was interesting. You know, when we were talking about it during the break, I did mention "The Matrix," and you looked it up.

BLACKWELL: See, I wouldn't have said that on air that you said "The Matrix," but yes.

BALI: You know, I love those movies that -- you know, either speak to me or just kind of, you know, make your mind explode. And that's what the -- but "Matrix" was 1999.

BLACKWELL: In '99.

BALI: In terms of a movie that speaks to me, I would love that "Crazy Rich Asian" be in that -- you know, in that list. But yes, I think I'm kind of like you, it was interesting that how many of those movies I haven't seen. I knew the names, just hadn't seen them.

BLACKWELL: Yes, I haven't seen them.

SIMMONS: And I think it's similar, like we were talking about to the Oscars where a lot of times you're seeing these movies that are getting all of the awards, but they're not necessarily the popular movies that appealed to the masses. It looks like a lot of this list are those kind of maybe critically acclaimed movies, but not ones that all of us are talking about and wearing t-shirts about.

SUGGS: And I did the math last night and I did -- I've seen 27. I'm not sure how many you've seen.

BLACKWELL: I've seen four in the top 20.

SUGGS: OK.

BLACKWELL: So, I didn't go through -- all through.

SUGGS: But I was just -- I was a little bit disappointed that there were only -- you know, we talked about the representation in the movies. There's only four black movies there, and the movie that I would've picked as number one is '96, and that's "Black Panther."

[07:45:00]

So, I'm not, you know --

BALI: "Black Panther" was '96?

SUGGS: '96.

SIMMONS: And only 11 directed by women. So, wow.

SUGGS: No Spike Lee, no Denzel Washington, no Viola Davis.

BLACKWELL: And also, no comedies, like straight comedies in the top 20. I mean, I think we overvalue dramas sometimes and we like, oh, that was such a striking drama. But "Bridesmaids" to me should be higher than 32, right?

SUGGS: Yes.

SIMMONS: Yes. BLACKWELL: "Hangover" is not on the list.

SUGGS: Yes.

BALI: It is not.

BLACKWELL: It is not on the list.

BALI: See, I mean, look, think about why we go to movies. OK. My wife's a doctor. I'm a journalist. We go to the movies to escape. I mean that's -- I think that's -- for "Hangover" not to be on there --

BLACKWELL: And they've done it three times now, at least one of them make the list. All right. Raul, Ernie, Madeleine, thank you all for coming in.

Still to come, CNN hits the road exploring America's best towns. This morning, Coy Wire takes us to a community in New Mexico for its stunning -- look at this, stunning scenery and fiery cuisine.

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[07:50:00]

BLACKWELL: Dodger star Shohei Ohtani is proving that his surgically repaired elbow is doing just fine. He threw the fastest pitch of his career. Coy Wire is here with some sports this morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Man, it's phenomenal. He just continues. His name has become synonymous with breaking records and expectations. The Dodgers two-way hitting and pitching sensation. This is just his third game after missing nearly two years on the mound due to that elbow surgery, Victor, he clocks the fastest pitch of his MLB career, 101.7 miles per hour versus the Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino.

Now, it got Ohtani out of a jam, a ground ball, double play. There it is again, slow-mo. But then, Ohtani's two fastest pitches now have been against Pasquantino, but their past watch (ph) was getting revenge against Ben Casparius in the fifth, a three-run home run. He would drive in five of the Kansas City Royals' nine runs in a 9-5 win.

A 17-year-old phenom just made history in the NHL. The six foot six, 222 pounds Simon Wong became the highest drafted player ever that was born in China. The San Jose Sharks selected him yesterday with a 33rd overall pick. He's just the third Chinese-born player ever drafted by the NHL. His family moved from Beijing to Toronto when he was 12 years old to further his hockey career. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON WANG, THIRD CHINESE-BORN PLAYER EVER DRAFTED BY NHL: It's an unreal moment for my family, from (INAUDIBLE) China and, you know, just really surreal moment, dream come true moment that trying to soak it in right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WIRE: Ohtani just continues to amaze. Everything he does, everywhere goes. But congrats to Simon Wong. Incredible piece history.

BLACKWELL: All right. Coy, stay with us, because CNN has been visiting some of America's best towns, putting the list together from help from our readers on cnn.com and contributors. Yesterday, we took you to Northampton, Massachusetts. This morning we are headed to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

WIRE: All right. Warning for our viewers, if you have not eaten breakfast yet, beware because you might get hungry. Las Cruces, New Mexico is a captivating city with sights, culture, and cuisine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUIZ GONZALEZ (PH): Southwest cuisine is the mix of Native American culture and Spanish culture, and whatever's growing around you at the time.

WIRE (voice-over): In Las Cruces, New Mexico, Southwestern cuisine has evolved over hundreds of years. Chef Ruiz Gonzalez (ph) grew up on the food here in the Macia Valley. Now, he honors the region's evolving culinary traditions in his own cooking.

GONZALEZ (PH): So, as people move through the city, they leave their spices behind, they leave their traditions behind. And the food builds on that. This is where a lot of that me (INAUDIBLE), that mixing of cultures happened in this area. So, that's why the food is so good.

WIRE (voice-over): It was time to spread my culinary wings. Our first stop, the James Beard nominated Chope's.

WIRE: This is my first-time trying chili rellenos. I am tasting history right now. Here we go.

GONZALEZ (PH): And that's it.

WIRE: This is so good.

GONZALEZ (PH): The hatch green chili really takes center stage in Southwest cuisine. It's the star of the show.

WIRE (voice-over): And these chilies didn't travel far. They grew up right up the road in the town of Hatch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hatch is known nationwide for our flavors of chili. And the climate that we have here, the warm days, the cool nights the soil, the water. I think it's a combination of everything that builds that flavor. We about put chili on just about everything that we eat.

WIRE (voice-over): And we're talking everything, including the famous green chili burger at Sparky's.

WIRE: Chili's from Hatch down the hatch. This is a good burger.

WIRE (voice-over): The food alone is enough to make the trip worth it, but --

WIRE: If you ever find yourself in Las Cruces, New Mexico, at the top of your list has to be White Sands National Park. 275 square miles of gypsum dune fields. It's the largest of its kind in the entire world. This stuff is magnificent.

WIRE (voice-over): You really feel a sense of peace sitting on the dunes, and maybe that's the draw for Las Crus, natural beauty and a quiet, calm pace of life. Oh, and really great chili rellenos

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:55:00]

WIRE (on camera): Incredible place, whether it's chef (INAUDIBLE) at Susan, whether it's fourth generation chili farmer, Duane Gillis at Gillis Farms, the people of Las Cruces, New Mexico proudly preserved their past, while pushing purposefully into the future is truly outstanding stuff. You can see the fullest of America's best towns at cnn.com.

BLACKWELL: And that was just beautiful.

WIRE: It was stunning.

BLACKWELL: Unbelievable.

WIRE: You felt like you were in a dream. The farther you walked, the further you want it to go, because it just kept drawing you in. Natural beauty.

BLACKWELL: I was talking about the burger. I was talking about the burger. That's nice too. But that hash chili burger just looked delicious.

WIRE: So, gooey and delicious.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WIRE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Inside Politics Sunday with Man Raju was up next.

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