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CNN This Morning

National League Wins In Historic Home Run Swing-Off; New CNN Poll: 6 Out of 10 People Oppose The "Big, Beautiful Bill"; CNN Poll: Approval For Trump's Budget Handling Drops Since March; Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 16, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:00]

MJ LEE, CNN ANCHOR: First ever home run swing off. The National League was down three to one when Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber swept to the plate -- stepped to the plate, hitting three home runs on three swings. Schwarber was named game MVP. And thank you so much for joining us here on Early Start. I'm MJ Lee in Washington, D.C. CNN This Morning, starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Okay. The numbers are in and Americans are not fond of President Trump's newly passed big beautiful bill. Could a new vote on federal funding cuts deepen that divide? CNN This Morning starts right now.

America first is no longer an agenda. It is now the law of the land. The big beautiful dip Republicans are facing. And one day you're in America, the next day you're sent to a South African nation. The new reality awaiting some migrants as third country deportations ramp up.

The man accused of fatally poisoning his wife's sheikh, now on trial why he's being called a broken man.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's pretty boring stuff. It's sorted, but it's boring.

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CORNISH: President Trump says he doesn't get why people are still hung up on the Epstein case. New CNN polling shows Americans want more answers. There's an air traffic controller shortage. Could the Trump administration look abroad to close the gap?

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black coffee. Okay.

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CORNISH: And more on the workplace controversy the Gen Z Stare is stirring up. It's 6:00 a.m. here on the East Coast. It's expected to be a big day on Capitol Hill today as the Senate will start talking about that $9 billion in DOGE cuts.

Good morning, everybody. Thank you for waking up with me. I'm Audie Cornish and this is CNN This Morning. And we are going to start with that debate whether Congress is going to cancel money they approved, but that the Trump administration doesn't want to spend. There are some signs that Americans are growing tired of the cutting spree.

New CNN polling just in this morning found that reaction to the "Big, Beautiful Bill", which the president had promised would spur growth, is shifting.

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TRUMP: We're setting all sorts of economic records right now. And that's before this kicks in. After these kicks in, our country is going to be a rocket ship economically.

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CORNISH: Now, roughly 6 in 10 Americans say they oppose the GOP domestic policy and budget bill. And they oppose it for a couple of reasons. More than half believe the new law will hurt the economy. There are people showing oppositions to things like cuts to clean energy initiatives, also those cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. And then there's this growing backlash to projections that the bill will increase the federal budget deficit.

The president's approval rating on handling the federal budget also slumping down 11 points in just a few months. Joining me now, Nia- Malika Henderson, CNN senior political analyst and political and policy columnist for Bloomberg. I'm glad you're here because you can talk to politics and the money.

First, the Big, Beautiful Bill is separate from this rescission package, right? But it shows a little bit of fatigue to the idea of cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting. Is that what you're seeing, too? And is that what we're hearing, the business community?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, POLITICAL AND POLICY COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: Yes, I mean, listen, business has been wary about the instability coming from the Trump admin around the economy. Some of that had to do obviously with tariffs. Are they on, are they not? Are they going to be paused? And now with the Big, Beautiful Bill, the explosion in spending not offset by cuts and this sort of years down the road you have this exploding deficits in debt.

CORNISH: Yes. So it wasn't helped by the fight. Right. Like the more people talked about it and the more Republicans themselves came out to say, I don't like the spending, Elon Musk sounds like it took a toll.

HENDERSON: It took its toll. And listen, you have seen some of this obviously from the business community, but from average voters. This bill has never been popular with voters. It's hard to imagine that it will get more popular when all of this stuff is actually implemented. Some of this stuff is not going to be implemented until down the line. But a lot of it, Americans are going to see and feel this fairly immediately. And what they're not seeing and feeling is actual price rollbacks, right? They are seeing the same prices in many ways increased prices. If you go to the Piggly Wiggly or the Winn Dixie, wherever you shop, prices are still pretty high.

[06:05:05]

CORNISH: Yes. We're actually going to talk about that today because there is some indication that inflation is rising. That's a reflection of the tariff policy in particular. You mentioned people talking about how the cuts affect them and we are hearing more of that. Obviously, reporters are going out and seeking that.

So take Medicaid, for example. I want to play for you somebody saying, look, it's not just me that's going to deal with this. Here's what they have to say.

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KIANA BROWN, DAUGHTERS OF MEDICAID: My family's not going to lose coverage. They're not. My daughter's adoption subsidy is going to be the adoption subsidy. They're not going to lose their coverage. What they're going to lose is their services. And coverage means nothing if they don't have access to services.

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CORNISH: I do wonder if like abortion laws, right. That are more restrictive as stories come out of people who have to live with the consequences, if that can sustain backlash or sustain opposition.

HENDERSON: Well, listen, I mean, if you think about the folks who are going to lose coverage, a lot of this is going to hit people who voted for Trump. You know, folks in rural areas, for instance, where they're very dependent on government funding for some of these rural hospitals. Some have already announced that they're closing even with subsidies that folks get from Obamacare and the sort of payments that they pay for their Obamacare coverage. Those will likely go up and that's not going to be months and months away. It's going to be fairly soon. So there is going to be a sticker shock that average Americans feel because of this bill.

You see Donald Trump trying to rebrand it when it, when it was passed. He said this is the most popular legislation ever passed in the history of the country. That's not true. It's likely the most unpopular and Americans are really going to start to feel it. And it's a real reversal, I think, in terms of his numbers around the economy and certainly what he promised about lowering prices on day one, Americans just aren't going to see that.

HENDERSON: Okay. In the meantime, I'm going to leave us with this. The approval ratings with independents specifically, take a look at this. In that category, those numbers for the president in the low 30s, a drop of more than 10 points since just earlier this year. We know those independents were important in that last election.

Nia-Malika, stay with me. We're going to bring in others from the group chat.

But coming up on CNN this morning, is the president backing down or has a "lawlessness subsided"? The Trump administration sending home half of the national Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles.

With the clock ticking, can Republicans get on the same page to codify those DOGE cuts? There's a lot of bickering between parties in D.C. but nothing like this. Plans for annual White House UFC fight coming together.

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0:02:57 UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to make this one of the greatest events of all time. I don't care if five people show up to this thing. I want to be on the lawn at the White House.

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[06:12:33]

CORNISH: It's now 12 minutes past the hour and here is your morning roundup. The man accused of killing a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband has been indicted on federal charges. Vance Boelter also seriously injured another lawmaker and his wife during the shooting last month. Boelter faces charges of stalking, murder and firearm offenses. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

The need for the National Guard in Los Angeles seems to be diminishing, at least according to President Trump. 2,000 guardsmen are now released from duty after being deployed for immigration protests. The Pentagon says it's because of a decrease in lawlessness. L.A.'s mayor says it was a long time coming.

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MAYOR KAREN BASS, (D-LA): The administration has finally understood that they need to withdraw the troops.

CORNISH: So it appears at least 2,000 guardsmen are still deployed. And would you pay $4 million for a rock? Because I don't know. Someone will.

Later today, the largest meteorite from Mars is expected to be sold at auction from anywhere. 2 million to $4 million. Scientists say it fell to our planet after an asteroid strike and was later found in the Sahara Desert in November of 2023.

And straight ahead on CNN this morning, President Trump hardening his stance against Russia. He's stopping short of one thing. Why he doesn't plan to send long range missiles to Ukraine. And they're not mad at you. They're just Gen Z. We're learning about the Gen Z stare.

Good morning, New York City. Beautiful sunrise.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Gen Z stare is like the thing when boomers hear the credit thing beeping and they're like, do, do, do. And they're just, like, not reacting right. Gen Z does that for mandatory small talk. Like, it's like, hi, welcome to this establishment. How can I help you?

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CORNISH: Okay, we're going to go off script because I want to dip into this week's clash of generations, into what you just heard, the so- called Gen Z Scare -- Stare. Is it blank? Is it vague? Is it possibly hostile? It's fine if it's like your kid at the dinner table, but at the office and a customer service desk, not so much.

Millennials, of course, are having a field day with this. Gen Ziers are pushing back, saying it's not about disrespect or workplace etiquette, but they need to process.

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UNKNOWN FEMALE SPEAKER: I'm just, like, trying to gather my thoughts and, like, process what you just said because I can't fathom what you just said usually is what it is.

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CORNISH: And I didn't believe it was real. And then I asked Karina here on set, live shot of the Gen Z stare. Hey, Karina.

If that feels uncomfortably long, that's the point. That's why people are talking about this. And joining me now is Nicole Stock, a style reporter at the New York Times. Good morning, Nicole.

NICOLE STOCK, STYLE REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: Good morning.

All right, so you write that even Gen Ziers don't totally agree on what the stare is. How do you define it?

[06:20:00]

STOCK: For sure. So, simply put, the stare, like you said, is just this long, vacant stare that typically comes in a time when you would expect someone to speak.

CORNISH: So specifically being asked a question.

STOCK: Yes. It comes to times where maybe other generations we would see people make small talk, engage in conversation. And I think that's kind of why it's gaining some traction on the internet, is because it's standing out as a little bit abnormal.

CORNISH: Now, I'm not the foremost advocate for small talk. I mean, but at the same time, is this something that we see in other generations who also, I don't know, look at their phones a lot? Like, what are the reasons people think this is happening and that it's specific to Gen Z?

STOCK: Yes, that's a great question. So, of course a lot of us are glued to our phone screens. It's not just Gen Z. I spoke to a professor and author, Jean Twenge, and she wrote a book called "Generations", that looks at how technology affects different generations. And she told me that it's not that we're not all on our phones, but Gen Z grew up on phones at a pivotal time in adolescence when we typically learn social skills. And they saw really reduced person to person interactions.

So even millennials who had, let's say, flip phones and AOL messenger during their adolescence, they still were having more of those person- to-person interactions.

CORNISH: Right. So instead of being by the elevator, you know, you're looking down at your phone, you don't make that small talk, whatever those moments are.

STOCK: Exactly.

CORNISH: Now, I want to know if this is just the latest kind of generational thing, like intelligence magazine, I saw this headline. One in five managers have considered quitting due to stress of overseeing gen employees. I mean, I don't know, that could just be like, maybe millennials are quitters. I don't know what to say about that. But it feels like Gen X, they were called the slackers. Millennials. Something, something avocados. There's always something we're like accusing a younger generation of doing. Do you think it's that or do you think there is actually a shifting of societal norms with this generation?

STOCK: Yes. I think that's a great question. And of course, you know, I don't want to make a broad statement about a whole generation. What I can say is that I spoke to around 7 or 8 Gen Z years and they did all tell me that while they don't all support the Gen Z stare, they do think it's a real thing.

STOCK: And Karina on our set told us that some of it is also like anxiety, trying to figure out if they can answer your question. Maybe they actually think you're a little dumb for asking it. Like there's a lot going on back there.

STOCK: Yes. I heard that, too. I heard people say it could be social anxiety. It could be a post-COVID situation where people entering the workforce were used to covering half their faces with masks and they're not aware of their facial expressions. I think there's a lot of factors at play, but I do think it's notable that this term started floating around on the Internet and so many people immediately resonated with what it meant.

CORNISH: Nicole Stock is a style reporter for the New York Times. Thank you so much.

STOCK: Thank you. CORNISH: After the break on CNN this morning, we're going to be

talking about those migrants deported to countries that are not their homelands, but what is waiting for them when they arrive in places like South Sudan. We're live from Africa.

Next, President Trump looking for any excuse to sack Jerome Powell. The new route he's taking.

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[06:28:18]

CORNISH: Good morning, everyone. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining me on CNN this morning. It's now 6:27 here on the east coast and here's what's happening right now.

Brand new CNN polling shows the Big, Beautiful Bill may not be so beautiful to Americans. Roughly 6 in 10 Americans oppose the spending and tax bill President Trump signed into law on Independence Day. Their biggest complaint, that it adds to the deficit. But it's not all bad. A majority like the changes it makes to tax laws.

The U.S. Will not be sending longer range missiles to Ukraine. President Trump telling reporters he's not looking to send weapons that could strike deep inside Russia. It comes after he gave Vladimir Putin A 50-day deadline to end the war. But overnight, Russia launched fresh wave of drone attacks.

And Ukraine's president says at least 340 drones were sent into the country. Over half were shot down. Today the House takes up a crypto bill after hardliners blocked a key procedural vote yesterday. President Trump was called in to sway those 11 holdouts. The president has been pushing what's called the Genius act, which tries to regulate the multibillion dollar digital coin industry. It passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

And think all the DOGE cuts are done. Think again. The Senate votes today to begin debate on a funding cuts package that would claw back more than $9 billion in already approved federal funds requested by the Trump administration.

Among the cuts, more than 8 billion in global health and humanitarian assistance. U.S. support for programs like PEPFAR, support for UN peacekeeping, the democracy Fund, all could still be gone.

And more than a billion in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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