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CNN This Morning
Democrats Conduct All-Night Protest Speech; Gay Valimont is Interviewed about the Florida Special Election; Joe Gruters is Interviewed about the Florida Special Election; Trump Administration Deports Maryland Father. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired April 01, 2025 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:30:22]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think it's going to have a lot of influence on people. Well, you - you vote for who you vote for, right, what you believe in. And I just really don't think it's going to make a huge difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Voters head to the polls today in elections that could prove to be a referendum on President Trump's agenda.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for joining us here on CNN.
It's half past the hour on the East Coast. And here's what's happening right now.
In just 30 minutes, polls will open in Florida for two special elections in ruby red districts. Democrats hoping to make a slight dent in the Republican's House majority. And in Wisconsin, it's the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history. Voters head to the polls there about an hour later.
Also today, in a last-minute bid to avoid tariffs on his country, Mexico's economic secretary is heading to D.C. President Trump has been teasing an announcement on those tariffs against global trade partners.
Karen Read, who's accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend, will go before a jury again, this time for her retrial. The high-profile case ended in a hung jury last year. Her defense is arguing that she was framed.
And Democrats are now in the 11th hour of a marathon Senate floor speech led by Cory Booker of New Jersey. He's been talking since late last night, pausing only briefly for questions from Democratic colleagues. He says he's protesting the actions of the Trump administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble. I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Group chat is back to talk about this.
Democrats, specifically at town halls, you have been hearing supporters say, do something. You need to do something. And now someone is doing something.
Ashley, you're nodding. Does it -
ASHLEY DAVIS, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIAL AND FOUNDING PARTNER, WEST FRONT STRATEGIES: Yes, I mean, listen, it's - it's bringing attention to - when you're in the minority in the House and Senate. I mean this is one way to do it. And it's bringing attention to the issues that he has with this administration.
I also - and I was joking with Chuck earlier, I'm like, are we running against Chuck Schumer for majority leader or what's he doing? Because, obviously, he's taking a leadership position, would take -
CORNISH: Oh, meaning Booker.
DAVIS: Meaning Booker, yes.
CORNISH: Yes. Yes.
DAVIS: So, I think this is probably a bigger move in his overall strategy, but I - listen, it's what - what they're able to do.
CORNISH: Oh, let's talk strategy, Chuck.
DAVIS: Yes.
CORNISH: People have been talking about AOC because she has been out campaigning with Bernie Sanders, Gavin Newsom and his podcast. Anyone who sticks their neck out a little is a little bit, like, are they the new leader? What do you see in what Booker is doing?
CHUCK ROCHA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think you see Democrats trying to find their lane of how to protest. Like, they all have their own way working for lots of different politicians across - including AOC, including Bernie Sanders, also including some very conservative members. Everybody has their own way, what they're comfortable with protesting. It comes natural for AOC. It's natural for Bernie. It don't come natural for everybody. So, some people are very professorial. Like Bill Clinton was very professorial. He loved to explain things to people, but he wasn't dynamic. But when he talked, he kind of connected. So, a good consultant, a good consultant can figure out what -
CORNISH: Oh, my goodness.
ROCHA: What their strengths are.
CORNISH: Put the chyron under Chuck that just says consultant, available.
ROCHA: What their strengths are. and then you highlight their strengths. It's just like saying (INAUDIBLE) TV, where you best?
CORNISH: Fair.
I would also argue that with the House shut down for oversight by Republicans, there is not a venue to have that conversation there.
ROCHA: That's right.
DAVIS: Yes.
CORNISH: Kerry, can you talk about where - what you're seeing in this moment and whether it will punch through?
CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't know if it will punch through. And I think that everyone is just trying to see what will work. The Bernie and the AOC thing, I think they're looking for a different group of people. I would be -
CORNISH: Yes. Those rallies are drawing thousands of people when they touch down in those states.
CHAMPION: When they touch down. And I don't think it's the - I think it's more people that feel like they're tired of the same old, same old from the Democrats, and they want to see a little more edge, and they want to see a little more fight. The same things that I think I'm seeing when I'm looking at these town halls - these town hall meetings where people are just so frustrated.
I - I don't know what Cory's long term play is here. I would - I'm sure there is some strategy there.
CORNISH: Yes. I mean the short term play is, we're talking about it.
CHAMPION: Yes. Yes, exactly.
CORNISH: So, mission accomplished.
CHAMPION: But he looks -
CORNISH: But, yes.
CHAMPION: But he looks - it's like, OK, thank you, something. Something. Give me something. Because I feel almost as if there is - well, it's not even feel, it's true, there's no fight. It's so - it's so lackluster. It's -
CORNISH: Oh, you're saying there is no fight.
CHAMPION: They -
CORNISH: Chuck, is there no fight?
ROCHA: There's fight that you wouldn't know was fighting unless you've been in a fight.
CORNISH: Is that good enough?
CHAMPION: No, it's not good enough. It's not good enough. They want to - they want to see -
ROCHA: It's just - it's politics. If you want to fight, fight, it's different.
DAVIS: I also think that this is part of the Trump strategy. He's putting so much out to fight about.
CHAMPION: Yes.
CORNISH: Yes.
DAVIS: Even this third term conversation over the weekend.
[06:35:02]
What we're not talking about right now is the Signal issue.
CORNISH: Right.
DAVIS: Because he's diverted it.
CORNISH: Yes.
DAVIS: I mean, that's all I've been talking about the last few days is the third term.
CHAMPION: I think that was the - yes, that's a good strategy.
DAVIS: And I think it's - listen, he did it for four years and he's doing it. He's brilliant at that.
CHAMPION: Yes. Yes.
CORNISH: Yes. But, you know, I'm really glad you brought that up because one of the people I noted who was talking about Signal-gate was Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports.
CHAMPION: Yes.
CORNISH: Going on to X.
CHAMPION: Yes.
CORNISH: Giving this direct to camera speech about how Mike Waltz should be fired. That is a - that's not a pundit. That's not - you know, that's a - like, injecting it into -
CHAMPION: Right. And he has a huge, huge Republican following.
CORNISH: Yes, tell me more. Yes.
CHAMPION: He's known as - he's known for going after people - I talked to them in the break about, you know, stick to sports and how politics and sports are always intersecting.
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: And he's always usually on the conservative side. He's always - he was the one who was really upset with -
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: About the way the women were being treated, or Caitlin Clark more specifically. And he created that divisive conversation. But for him to come on and say that, that was huge. And he was very clear about this. He was like, this is not what we signed up for.
CORNISH: Yes. But I'm bringing it up because it's all about punching through.
CHAMPION: Yes, he did.
CORNISH: How does something go beyond this table to everyone else's kitchen tables, to their phones? And, Ashley, I got to - like that felt like a problem for - for Trump and - and the MAGA to have that be talked about.
DAVIS: Yes, absolutely. But I also think that there is a swelling of very conservatives on the right that are really angry at Mike - at Waltz about this.
CORNISH: Yes.
DAVIS: And I think that's the target. They're not going - the right is not going after Hegseth because they feel he's just being targeted. Right or wrong. I mean that's -
CORNISH: Yes.
DAVIS: And the - Waltz is the - the - the conservative's target.
ROCHA: The reason that that punched through is, nobody knows what USAID did, including me.
CORNISH: Correct.
ROCHA: Including me. And I'm a consultant.
CORNISH: Correct.
ROCHA: And you know what they know?
CORNISH: Correct.
ROCHA: They know that they put somebody wrong on their Signal chat. Like, oh, my God, I included mama and I tried to get my boys on this thing.
CORNISH: Right. Even teenagers can understand that. Yes. Yes.
ROCHA: And they were like, wait, you're in charge of national security and you're putting people on your Signal chat? Folks are like, I can relate with that.
CORNISH: OK, don't let Chuck fool you playing dumb here on the USAID. He does know, OK. But stay with us because we are going to talk more on CNN THIS MORNING about election day in April. Special election. Two House elections in Florida that could lead to even slimmer margins for Republicans in Congress.
And then also, why is Joe Rogan saying that one recent move from the Trump administration has gone too far? We're going to bring back the group chat after this.
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[06:41:31]
CORNISH: In just moments, polls open in Florida for two special elections, posing the first major test for Republicans since the 2024 election. There were two House seats up for grabs in districts that overwhelmingly voted for President Trump. That doesn't mean Democrats aren't still looking to make up ground and narrow the House GOP majority.
Joining me now to talk about one of those races is Gay Valimont, the Democratic nominee in Florida's first congressional district.
I want to thank you so much for joining us today.
You're running at a - as a Democrat, obviously, at a time when the Democratic Party is actually really struggling in their polling numbers. I think a CNN poll found that just 29 percent of voters have a favorable view. Thats the lowest since the '90s. Are you worried that the national brand could hurt you in this state special election race?
GAY VALIMONT (D), FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I mean, I guess a little bit. But I've spent 19 months talking to the people of this district. They should know who I am by now. And I believe that is going to work in - to my benefit.
CORNISH: You also have a very high number of federal workers in your district. And I'm wondering, for you, how you have been feeling the effects of the cuts and sort of reimagining of federal agencies. What are they saying to you that you're actually able to talk about in your campaigning?
VALIMONT: Oh, yes. We are having - so we have 20,000 federal workers that work in our district. That's of the 90,000 in Florida. Because we're made up of active duty military bases, retired military vets, and retired civilians. So, we are having lots of - lots of kickbacks from what's going on, particularly with our - our federal workers walking in the door from the IRS, from the Social Security office, wondering if they're going to have a job the next day, and our vets are really struggling.
CORNISH: You've got more than half - I think 55 percent of registered voters in your district are Republican. So, you're looking for crossover votes, even if you're just narrowing down the margins in - in a district that traditionally was very Republican.
VALIMONT: Right.
CORNISH: How have you changed your message? What do you talk about to these Republicans to get them to maybe cast their vote for you?
VALIMONT: Well, what I'm telling them is that I live here. My opponent doesn't even live in the district, which is not illegal, but is a little unethical. People know that from the beginning, even when I was running against Matt Gaetz, that I am the only one that's ever really wanted to represent them.
This district is very special to me. I will always live here, no matter what, win or lose. And I will always take care of the people here. It means a lot to me. And I think that Republicans understand the - the mission, that we need somebody here that's going to actually be a surrogate to the federal government for us when we have not had that representation in many, many years.
CORNISH: You're replacing, obviously you mentioned Matt Gaetz. I mean is part of your argument what the House Republicans are or are not doing in this last couple of months? How are you talking about this? Or are you leaving national issues alone?
VALIMONT: Well, national issues kind of don't work into our politics. I mean what we're concerned about right now are the DOGE cuts.
[06:45:00]
And I believe that the majority of people voted for Donald Trump because they wanted some sort of change. But the people that were told that they were going to cut the deep state thought that was going to happen in - in D.C. They didn't believe that it was going to happen right here at home.
And we're seeing the effects. These people that are losing their jobs on our military bases have very specific jobs. They're not going to be able to find a job across town. They're going to have to pick up their family and move and take their money out of our local economy. That's going to affect us locally. And that's what I'm concerned about, preserving jobs for this district and making sure that we take care of our vets.
CORNISH: Gay Valimont in Florida, and your special election today, thank you so much for talking with us. VALIMONT: Thank you.
CORNISH: And to be clear, we invited Valimont's Republican opponent, Jimmy Patronis, on air as well. He said he was unable to join us. Fortunately, we are joined by Florida State Senator Joe Gruters. He's also the treasurer of the Republican National Committee.
Senator, thank you for being with us here. First, I want to get your reaction from what we just heard from Gay Valimont, who's looking to flip the seat that was once held by Matt Gaetz. What does the fact that she's actually raised more than $6 million for her race, what does that say to you, someone who's, you know, watching the money?
JOE GRUTERS, RNC TREASURER AND FLORIDA STATE SENATE: Well, listen, if you look at all these special elections, what's happening is every day the president is winning, the intensity on the left and their base increases. That's why these races are close. But at the end of the day, you have Jimmy Patronis, who's probably one of the nicest, one of the most well-respected elected officials in all of Florida running for this congressional district. Not only that, he's one of the president's good friends. He has a great relationship with him. He's going to be able to go up there, you know, with a running start. And it doesn't matter how much money she raises, Jimmy Patronis is absolutely going to destroy her because I think that the - Florida is Trump country.
CORNISH: Right.
GRUTERS: CD 1 specifically with veterans. The voters of District 1 are going to want a champion at the end of the day.
CORNISH: Now -
GRUTERS: And there's no better champion to have than jimmy Patronis.
CORNISH: The thing is, it's Florida and these districts, they vote - they have been Trump country for a long time. In a way we're reporting on them because there's this chance that those margins could be smaller. And you mentioned the money. Josh Weil fund raised nearly ten times more than your candidate state senator Randy Fine. So, your - your argument is that Trump is winning and that activates people. But we are talking about large sums of people kind of putting their - their money where their mouth is.
GRUTERS: Well, listen, it goes back to, it's because the president is winning on a daily basis. These - these donations are not from inside the district. They are from outside the district. It's probably going to end up being a 15 to 1 margin in - in CD 6 with Randy Fine. And let me tell you that Randy Fine is the Hebrew hammer. He's probably going to be the smartest guy in Congress. A double Harvard grad. Absolutely crushed it here in Tallahassee. And he's another guy who's going to go up there and have an immediate impact. Because what both these guys are going to do is, they're going to be team players with the president, and they both agree with the president's agenda. They were handpicked by the president. And it doesn't matter how much the Democrats raise, both these guys are going to win big. CORNISH: Given what you just said, I want to bring up something that
we heard from a local GOP chairman who told the "Associated Press," if we don't win decisively, then we have failed. Is anything less than a blowout a warning sign to national Republicans?
GRUTERS: No, because what - because what you've seen in Iowa, what you saw in Pennsylvania last week, it goes back to the fact that the left is motivated. And this happens every election cycle. When somebody wins, when Barack Obama won, what happened, the Tea Party emerged and we started winning all these special elections. The Democrats are in the same position now. They're upset and frustrated because the president is doing such a great job.
It'd be one thing if President Trump went into office and didn't do anything. But every single day he's winning. He's winning for the American people. And as a result, these two candidates directly represent the president of the United States. They represent his policies. It's going to be a win. It doesn't matter if they win by one point or 30 points. A win is a win. It's going to increase our majority in Congress. They're going to be able to help the president pass his agenda up in D.C.
CORNISH: At this point, are these referendums on Trump or Elon Musk?
GRUTERS: Listen, at the end of the day, this is about the agenda and the policies of the president. Elon Musk is pushing the president's agenda.
Listen, we're $36 trillion in debt. The president has always been for the American people and trying to make sure the working man and trying to make sure that we have the fairest possible trade deals, that we put Americans first over and over and over again. Some people don't want to have America be number one in everything.
I know President Trump very well. He wants America to be number one across the board. He loves America. He loves Americans.
[06:50:00]
And he's doing everything he can. And these candidates directly reflect the president. They will both win tonight. And they're both going to deliver on behalf of Florida up in Congress. And they're going to make sure the president's agenda is first and foremost on the minds of everybody in D.C. after they win.
CORNISH: All right, Joe is treasurer of the National Republican Committee. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.
GRUTERS: Thank you so much.
CORNISH: And to track the latest updates on these special elections, be sure to follow CNN for complete coverage. "CNN Election Night" begins tonight at 6:00 Eastern.
It's 50 minutes past the hour. Want to give you your morning roundup. A few more stories to get your day going. Dozens of IRS employees placed on leave. Sources say the group
included some of the agency's top cybersecurity experts. It comes as the Trump administration looks to finalize controversial plans to share taxpayer information with immigration authorities.
And a gas pipeline burst this morning, causing a massive fire in Malaysia. Here you can see the flames. They could be seen for miles. At one point, rescuers had to save people who were trapped when their homes caught fire nearby. Others had to be evacuated.
And the astronauts who unexpectedly spent nine months in space said they were amazed by all the attention their journey received. They actually did a Q&A about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Given the opportunity, would you guys go up on Starliner again?
BARRY "BUTCH" WILMORE: STARLINER ASTRONAUT: Yes. Because we're going to rectify all the issues that we - that we encountered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Butch Wilmore says, as the commander of the Starliner, he regrets not asking more questions before lifting off last year. He says those answers could have made a difference.
And the Trump administration now admitting that a Maryland father from El Salvador was mistakenly deported to a super prison. Government lawyers just confirmed that the man who was granted protected status in 2019 was deported due to, quote, an administrative error.
But here's the thing, the administration argues he can't be brought back because now he's in El Salvador's custody.
Cases like this are starting to break into the national conversation about deportations. Here's podcaster Joe Rogan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ROGAN, PODCASTER: You got to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting, like, lassoed up and deported and sent to, like, El Salvador prisons.
This is kind of crazy that that could be possible. That's horrific. And that's - again, that's bad for the cause. Like, the cause is, let's get the gang members out. Everybody agrees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: So, can President Trump's aggressive immigration policies backfire if these kinds of supporters are starting to question him?
I want to bring it back to the group. Chuck, yes?
ROCHA: This is a very personal thing for me and my firm. Look, one of my business partners, who is an immigrant from El Salvador, has been in this country legally for 22 years. She was brought here when she was four years old. We're having a wedding this weekend in Puerto Rico, and I literally told her she should not come because we are worried, what if she got stopped? She has TPS. She's protected. But if she got scooped into this, you know how much guilt I would have, how much hell we would put her family through. Like, it's real. And I think that's where you're starting to see Joe Rogan and other people talk about this.
Sure, deport bad people. If you've done something in this country, do that. But it's people like my business partner Daisy's and others who've been here paying taxes and playing by the rules. Hell, she don't even drink. Like, these are the people we should want here.
CORNISH: Yes. And we were talking earlier about what punches through, what creates what - what people call unearned media, where people are just covering the story because of the person who's saying it, the messenger. What do you make of this messenger?
CHAMPION: I think this is interesting because I think there are people who would believe Joe Rogan would just say what he needed to say to support Trump.
CORNISH: And these are lengthy episodes. We're just playing a clip or two. This means he's spending time on this.
CHAMPION: Yes, of - he has hour plus time. He flushes it out. He talks to you. I listened to his podcast. That's the kind of conversation that brings people that are in the middle more to understanding why he is who he is.
And earlier we talked about Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports.
CORNISH: Barstool Sports, yes.
CHAMPION: That punches through because these people traditionally seem like they're part of that bro code. And so now I'm thinking, oh, well, this is not going to work for this administration.
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: I - people are really going to start turning.
ROCHA: More real stories are coming out.
CORNISH: I want to play that clip of Portnoy. As we mentioned, he's the founder of Barstool Sports. In this case, he was talking about the president. And I don't know where we're calling it, Signal-gate, Signal snafoo (ph), foobar-gate (ph). Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID PORTNOY, FOUNDER, BARSTOOL SPORTS: Jeffrey Goldberg is telling the truth. It's obvious these texts are real. It's obvious they're classified. It's obvious we gave away the strike information two hours before it happened. We are lucky it didn't cost the death of American military members. Somebody has to go down for this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORNISH: Ashley Davis, can I get your response. I feel like no amount of messaging, talking points, boardroom chats about what to say can counter something like that.
DAVIS: No. And I think this is how a lot of Americans are getting their - their news right now.
CHAMPION: That's right.
DAVIS: I mean, my son, who's 16, watched - has watched Joe Rogan for years, or listened to him for years, before I even knew who he was. And that's how he gets his information.
But I do have to say about the Signal conversation, listen, it was a big mistake.
[06:55:03]
And I think that - especially like my national security background, it was a huge mistake. However, there is an investigation going on right now, obviously, with the IG -
CORNISH: Yes, even as the White House is saying, case closed, you're saying, there's still a conversation.
DAVIS: There is no - and the Republicans in the Senate are doing it. So, I think that - but I think that the American people probably have moved on unless there's something else that comes out.
CORNISH: Yes.
DAVIS: But that's going to bring it back. We're talking about still because of what he said.
CORNISH: I want to bring it back to this father who was mistakenly deported. It feels like so much of this conversation from the White House has relied on maybe saying the person at the center of something is basically bad, and, therefore, why should you care about them as much, right? Whether it be someone who is a pro-Palestinian student protester, whether it is, in this case, a father, whether it's Venezuelan gang members. The idea is, public sentiment isn't going to rise for this person.
Here's Senator Cory Booker speaking about the case during his all- night senate speech because here's how he's framing it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): No one should be denied due process that the government can't walk up to a human being and grab them off the street and put them on a plane and send them to one of the most notorious prisons in the world and just say, as one of our authorities did, oopsie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHAMPION: Yes, oopsie. Like, that's powerful. I - and I don't know if this is -
CORNISH: Why is that powerful?
CHAMPION: Because it literally feels that way. We made an administrative error. But here's the - as you're reading it, you're saying, and he can't come back.
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: Like, that's - that is - that's terrifying. That is terrifying.
CORNISH: Ashley, you've done national security. Yes, help us translate.
DAVIS: Yes, I - this is a tough one because I - as you know, I'm pretty tough on the - the border in general and making sure that we are getting people out of the country that are - that are causing crimes and are dangerous. And so - but there are stories like this that are going to continue to happen that is not going to be a good reflection on the administration.
ROCHA: That's - that's why we have rules. That's why we have laws. When we say due process, all we want to do is make sure if they're gang members, sure, they're gang members.
CORNISH: Correct.
ROCHA: Not somebody's father. And that's all they're saying if due process is just saying, look, let's make sure that they are in a gang, let's make sure that they did commit a crime and then deport them if that's what you choose to do. Let's just make sure it's not somebody innocent.
DAVIS: But do we - do we tie up our court systems based on people that are in our country illegally?
ROCHA: Look, we're the greatest country in the world, the greatest talented (ph) one. It seems like we could figure out how to walk and chew gum. It's 250 people.
CHAMPION: Yes.
ROCHA: Like, it wasn't a ton of people.
CHAMPION: That's a - that's a beautiful thing that you were saying. CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: We can walk and chew gum. We can figure it out. I think that if we see more of this - and this is so dangerous. In my opinion, a plain - plain clothes people walking up to people with badges, if you will, and arresting people, they are going to find somebody who's not going to go willingly.
CORNISH: Yes, like -
CHAMPION: And it's not going to be pretty sitting on the side of the street of what could possibly happen.
CORNISH: And I think in the U.S. we - we, a, do care about due process. We feel like it sets us apart from other countries. And, b, what you describe, the idea of being taken off the street in this capacity is unnerving to hear the lack of due process. It's unnerving for regular people to hear. I think that this is somehow getting into the conversation in an unexpected way.
ROCHA: Yes.
DAVIS: This is why we need some sort of change in our laws in regards to having people that are here -
ROCHA: From your lips to God's ears. Like, it's been broken for a long time. No party, Democrats or Republicans, have had the - the intestinal fortitude to actually fix it because they need to play the politics of both sides of it.
DAVIS: We were - we were this close in 2007, which you probably remember with Kennedy and Bush.
ROCHA: We've been close a lot. Right.
CORNISH: Yes. I covered that as well. But it -
DAVIS: Yes. And then it blew up because of the banks fell (ph).
CORNISH: Well, also, every bipartisan, like, congressional kind of comprehensive immigration reform blows up at a certain point. They never quite get there.
DAVIS: Yes.
CORNISH: I want to talk about what you guys are keeping an eye on in the next couple of days.
Chuck, let me start with you.
ROCHA: Well, keeping an eye on lots of things. First, it's election day in America, so I'm looking at results tonight. How bad do we win or lose? But also, we're moving into basketball weekend, Final Four. So, I'm watching that. And for all of you on here, you should know I am from Texas. This hat is not a prop.
CHAMPION: Oh.
ROCHA: Phi slama jama (ph), I'm going to fly to Houston all the way to the end.
CHAMPION: OK.
CORNISH: I don't know what any of that means.
CHAMPION: Good for you.
CORNISH: Cari.
CHAMPION: Yes, I don't know what it means.
CORNISH: But I'm excited.
CHAMPION: Yes.
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: He's going for Houston. That's what you're saying?
ROCHA: Right.
CHAMPION: Actually, that's funny, because this is something - we were just talking to somebody about here, hey, he's going for Houston over there as well.
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: I am - I'm real - being realistic. All number ones aren't created equal. I don't want to be rude because they all are number ones.
CORNISH: Yes, that is rude. Continue.
CHAMPION: Yes. So, I'm going to go with Duke. And I was just saying, I - their offense just clicked so well. Houston has great defense. And I say defense wins championships. But Duke has looked so special. And they're so big. The shortest player on the team is 6'6". So, they're the biggest team in D1 basketball right now.
CORNISH: Yes. OK.
ROCHA: (INAUDIBLE).
CHAMPION: And this Cooper Flagg's a superstar. So, who we - who we - who do you have?
CORNISH: Cooper Flagg.
No, I'm not getting involved in that. I'm scared.
CHAMPION: You don't want to get in. OK. We won't have it.
CORNISH: Ashley. DAVIS: So, I - to be completely honest, I really don't care that much. However, I try to connect with my 16-year-old anyway I can.
CHAMPION: I love (INAUDIBLE).
[07:00:01]
DAVIS: Yes. And so he's got Florida and Duke. So, I, just, you know.
CORNISH: What is with you guys rooting for like the not -
ROCHA: The blue (INAUDIBLE).
CORNISH: Yes.
CHAMPION: I am like - OK, so, this is so -
CORNISH: It's supposed to be Cinderella story.
CHAMPION: It - no, all the Cinderella stories are gone because we're now in the Final Four.
ROCHA: Number ones all around.
CHAMPION: All the number ones are there. We went essentially chalk - not really, but chalk. So now we have Duke. And I'm like, let's turn - return to a time when things were normal.
CORNISH: OK.
CHAMPION: When we weren't taking people off the street.
CORNISH: And if you believe that, time is ahead.
I want to thank you for waking up with us. I'm Audie Cornish. We're going to give you more headlines because "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.
