>> morgan wallen last night is at number two. and here is number three. ♪ now to a rock star looking to go in a new direction. ♪ come on sugar let me know ♪ >> my mother would turn the radio off when she heard that. rod stewart said after the tour ends this summer he wants to focus on jazz music. he says after "hot legs" and "maggie mae" it's time for a change. he sold 27 million copies. he did a swing album with holland and expects to sing the old songs, the old hits maybe on occasion. what a career.

thanks for joining me. i'm christine romans. "cnn this morning" starts right now. it's friday, everyone. good morning. we are so glad you're here with us on "cnn this morning." i'm so happy to be joined by my friend erica hill. good morning. >> nice to be back with you. >> nice to have you. we start with sad news as we get to "five things to know." a deadly tornado ripping across the texas panhandle surrounding cities. the governor rushing in aid to the devastated town of perryton. attorneys working on former president trump's classified documents case need to reach out to the justice department by today to get security clearance, the first order from the judge overseeing this case and underscores the sensitive nature of the documents the former president is accused of withholding. multiple agencies hit in a cyber attack run allegedly by criminals.

the agency warning the government isn't the only target. hundreds of american companies could be at risk. secretary of state antony blinken set to take off for china in a trip aimed for warming up the frosty relationship between the two countries and marks the most senior visit by an american official in five years. new years whether that big merger between the pga tour and liv golf will actually survive. "the wall street journal" reporting the justice department is looking into that partnership over antitrust concerns. "cnn this morning" starts right now. ♪ the sun is about to come up in perryton, and we're going to see the devastation from these deadly tornadoes. >> extensive devastation. >> and deaths. that is where we begin with the devastating tornado ripping through perryton, texas, overnight.

people there had little time to prepare before the tornado touched down and barreled through the small town of just over 8,000 people. look at that. here is what we know this hour. three people are dead, possibly 100 more injured. those injuries ranging from minor to severe. the storm destroying about 200 homes, nearly leveling some buildings. this is just one of several tornado reports that happened across the country. look at this dash cam video from toledo, ohio. you can see strong winds sending debris everywhere as drivers waited for the storm to pass. right now nearly 400,000 customers in texas and florida, oklahoma and alabama are without power this morning and hail, lots of it, some as large as 2 inches in diameter, also raining down from this severe weather. live from perryton, texas, standing by at the cnn weather center. lucy, it is still dark there but you can see already behind you the devastation.

>> reporter: yeah, and this is, unfortunately, just a small slice of the devastation. the utterly devastating destruction that was caused by this tornado. people did not have time to get away. there's actually a local shelter in the library about a block and a half down the road. folks did not even have time to get there. so many homes destroyed, hundreds of people homeless. at least three dead as people here try to piece their lives back together. a deadly tornado touching down in the texas panhandle leaving a brutal path of destruction in perryton. >> the tornado is just 100 yards or so right there. >> reporter: large hail pelted down as the tornado moved through the area. and soon after a possible second smaller tornado was seen as well. one storm chaser says there was very little warning ahead of this tornado as the funnel cloud

formed very quickly. >> whenever i was flying around, it looked like people were self-rescuing themselves, climbing out of rubble. there was a fire nearby. >> reporter: as many as 200 homes were destroyed according to the town's fire chief, and some of those homes were completely leveled as seen in this aerial video shot in the tornado's aftermath. >> this whole area is just gone. >> reporter: the damages were documented. >> there are tanks, oil tanks. that is a trailer. >> reporter: texas governor greg abbott deploying the state's emergency response resources. the surrounding cities and counties also rushed to the area to provide aid. in neighboring counties, the judge says they are preparing to assist for a possible mass casualty or recovery event. the red cross is mobilizing

teams to offer support on the ground. the interim hospital county ceo says it's operating off generators which can only last a little over 72 hours. she says the hospital has treated somewhere between 75 and 100 people with injuries. >> anything from minor lacerations to head traumas, collapsed lungs. broken legs, major lacerations. a little bit of everything. >> reporter: and you can see the aftermath of this destruction. people here are going to be picking up the pieces of their life. i actually spoke to one local resident who rode out the storm in her truck. she said it was hailing, rain, no time to get away. it formed in the sky and dropped down on us. no sirens, no time to escape. a tragic morning here in perryton. >> absolutely, with no warning

it sounds like, lucy. thank you. a local high school has opened its doors to a few hundred people impacted by that storm offering many who lost everything a place to shower and sleep as the community bands together. >> joining us now is cole underwood, the head football coach of perryton. good morning to you. i'm so, so sorry. what can you tell us about the status of your team and fellow instructors? >> good morning. everybody i've talked to and been able to make contact with and they're working to make contact with other people as well are safe. one of our cell towers got destroyed so we haven't gotten hold of everybody. we're working diligently to try to make that happen. >> this is your hometown as well. you graduated from high school there. now you're one of the coaches. we heard from lucy kafanov who said there was no warning. we know how crucial the seconds

are with a tornado. did you have any warning? >> you know, it's crazy. i live on the southwest side of town and this hit on the northeast side of town. the two miles that separated my house from where this tornado touched down, my mom called me and she was like, sirens are going off. no, they're not. i can't hear anything. i was at my house and i was watching hail but had no idea two miles down the road the destruction that was taking place until i got out after it had passed. it was crazy how fast it formed. one of our coaches is a big weather guy. he texted us and said, here we go. by the time that text had come through it had already blown over and he was already telling us on our side of town we were safe. so it really was as sudden as anything could be and to a lot of people's credit they found a

way to get to safety. very thankful for that. >> the lives are the most important thing but still just looking at this footage we just showed aerial drone footage of people walking over what were their houses, some homes in flames, smoke billowing out. can you talk how much has been lost in terms of people's property and their homes and everything? >> i think the loss is unthinkable. i don't think you can put it really into words. a lot of that area hit were trailers and houses that were older. i think the one place that it landed in town which is just about as unfortunate of an area as could have been hit. it's never a good thing when a tornado drops down and hits anywhere. as far as perryton's location, some were older homes and some trailer houses and there was just nothing they could do. the loss is devastating.

we were up here at the high skchool and have cleared sheltes and we wanted to know that. >> and how are people, just give us a sense how are people holding up, folks there at the high school who came there for shelter, how are they doing this morning? >> i think there's a sense of fear of the unknown. i don't think anybody has any idea what will happen next, the shock is still setting in, the sadness, the anger, every emotion that people can be going through, they're going through. we moved quickly to make this a safe haven for people to get to in town and hopefully it can continue to be that until we get it all figured out. >> if there's one thing we do see in the moments of tragedy, it is the way communities pull together and take care of one another.

colt underwood, i really appreciate you joining us. thank you. >> thank you. >> such a tight-knit community. let's get to derek van dam, our meteorologist in the weather center. scary to hear there was no warning and no sirens for some people, it just hits like that. what are the threats today? the storms are still ongoing, poppy and erica, on this highly unusual weather pattern that has set up. millions of americans under the threat of damaging winds, isolated tornadoes and lightning from the gulf coast through portions of the southern plains. can't forget about the east coast as well. but when we talk about what's happening now, the more immediate threat, the line of thunderstorms that are still associated with the severe weather that moved through the perryton, texas, region late last night. you can see the storms, that yellow box is, of course, the severe weather watch boxes that are in place.

actually a tornado storm in the next 15 minutes or so. we'll monitor that closely. the vortex should stay south of the town of jackson. this storm system still producing winds over 60 miles per hour. the extensive rainfall taking place in the florida panhandle, pensacola and surrounding areas have received, get this, over a foot of rain in a very short period of time. flash flood emergencies are ongoing, high water rescues taking place. another big story as we watch the storms march west to east. >> derek van dam, thank you very much. pope francis back at the vatican after nine days in the hospital following abdominal surgery. you see him there smiling. he waved at a crowd of well-wishers as he left the hospital. the 86-year-old is said to be

better than before. vatican officials say the pope is recovering well and no longer feels pain and discomfort. >> that is great to hear. better than before. the best you can ask for. the federal government investigating a global cyber attack that impacted several federal agencies. this is blamed on hackers known for extorting ransom. good morning. how extensive is this damage? >> poppy, this is the kind of thing you get into a software vulnerability and because it's so widely used by companies and government agencies around the world, the hackers have access to -- they're overwhelmed, frankly, with the amount of organizations they've reached. as you said this is a russian ra ransomware gang shaking down companies for millions of dollars, quite audacious for

what they ask for. in this case we reported first yesterday that multiple federal agencies in the u.s. were breached in this attack and u.s. officials are saying that they haven't seen any signs of ransom demanded of u.s. agencies. it's more of an opportunistic hacking campaign, but we do know they're going after organizations in the u.s. financial sector. as you said the department of energy was the first agency to come forward having been breached. it's really an evolving situation. if you remember solar winds -- >> yes. >> -- the campaign a couple years ago, that was different. that was russian espionage. that was the foreign intelligence agency in russia. this is also based in russia but really financially driven and not something that they're collecting intel from u.s. agencies. it's more of an embarrassing situation for federal agencies they're trying to clean up,

poppy. >> but expecting to get paid by government agencies, private companies hit? we have seen private companies pay. >> right, yes. some companies do pay because they don't want the publicity. they don't want the hassle of cleaning up the mess. the fbi discourages them to do so because it feels more hacking campaigns. in the case of the government agencies in the u.s., the hackers kind of cheekily put on their website, don't worry, we deleted the government data. we're not going to sell that or anything. so it's kind of a cheeky nod to the fact they're saying they're in the systems but don't come after us, poppy. >> sean, thanks for the great reporting. >> with us here cnn national security analyst, a former assistant secretary. julie, when we look at where we are, cheekily we deleted

government data, as sean mentioned, what are your concerns and what are your questions for these agencies? >> the government is trying to downplay it. it's a bit embarrassing. a couple weeks ago there was an announcement or a notice to the private sector by the government, by the cyber security experts in government to be careful of this app called move it transfer. you are transferring video from one site to another, downloading it. a way people play around and edit video. so this is what we call supply chain attacks. you come in through an app and the licenses get impacted. it's embarrassing because we knew it was a problem and it's on our network. the extent to which it's a national security concern, no one seems that worried yet but stay tuned. one of the things you never know the extent of the infiltration until there's a thorough review. no one seems to be as worried as they were with solar winds, which was 18,000 clients were

impacted, and that was for espionage and national security reasons. >> right. that's a big distinction not for espionage but for money. the fact the vulnerability still exists, isn't that the main concern? >> it is. and that we knew that it existed and it existed on our own platforms is the concern this is one of the challenges about cyber security is, of course, the more you need to be accessible, the more the supply chain is open and that's why the supply chain attacks end up being the most successful because you're just coming through an entity and everyone is downloading exactly like solar winds. solar winds was clearly more sophisticated and that's a vulnerability that has to be timed up. that's why in government you're not allowed to download certain things like tiktok. >> people say tiktok will expose me to this vulnerability. that's not what's happening at home. >> prohibitions on certain websites or apps that could be

vulnerable. >> it's not just the government, u.s. universities impacted. we know the vulnerabilities are there. is the issue here, i don't want to say it's simple but in some ways it is, we or the government simply can't keep up and how does that change? >> i think anything that's accessible or open is going to be vulnerable. you have to accept that. then the question is can we stop it? can we have layered defenses? can we be notified or know when there's been a breach so can you close it up relatively quickly? and then what happens on the other side once the breach occurs, what's happening to the data. can you find out, can you protect people's privacy? i was looking on a website of potential victims or at least -- georgia, the university of georgia had it. they're basically doing a thorough review to make sure things like the students' health information and other things like that are not exposed. >> switching gears here because jack teixeira who has been accused of putting all of these private classified documents

online has been formally indicted. you ran the massachusetts air national guard, i remember reading a piece, that you can't fathom how this happened. the fact he's been formally indicted. >> it's worse than i thought and i always thought it was worse than we thought. it never made sense a guy who are some weird, honestly, looking at right-wing websites, nazi paraphernalia, happens to be downloading and stealing classified information that he's just trying to impress people. stay tuned on that. the government admits in the affidavit that it's worse than any publicly disclosed information including as they suggest in it troop movements of ukrainians and russians. >> which was in real time, by the way. >> real time. it's not old stuff. it was exactly in real time. and also it tells us that allies have been very upset about this suggesting that it's not just our enemies who now know what we're doing, it's our allies saying we're sharing information

with you and this jerk over in massachusetts is just putting it on websites. this goes to two questions. one is there was no -- the military is trying to justify why he had access to that information. it still makes no sense to me. there's no reason that someone had to have had access to that much information. but the second is just he was reprimanded two if not three times. by the time someone is not listening to you about access to classified information, you need to shut it down, and they just kept giving him access over six, seven, eight months. >> important questions that need to be answered. juliette, always appreciate it. the judge overseeing donald trump's case with a tight deadline here. what lawyers in the case need to do now and what it means for the time line. the mayor of miami making his first presidential campaign speech. how he pitched himself to voters. that's ahead. ♪ open talenti and raise the jar to gelato made from scratch.

raise the jar to flavors from the world's finest ingredients. and now, f from jars to bars. new talelenti gelato and sorbetto minini bars. ♪ i think this is it guys? when the martins booked their vrbo vacation home, they really weren't looking for much: a pool for first-timers, don't worry, i've got you. and time with each other. and when they needed support, someone was right there. i got you. because what's unique about a vrbo is you can reach a real person in about a minute. ♪ - [narrator] there are a lot of us now, and it means so much when we can all be together,

especially when we can do something good, like our yearly service project. we're also running a t-shirt fundraiser through custom ink to help raise more money and awareness for the cause. our t-shirt fundraiser with custom ink makes it easy to share our campaign and help our community, and their design services team helped us get a design we love. i'm proud that we can make a difference together as a community. come together for a cause. get started today at customink.com. from prom dresses to workouts

and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination.

there's new reporting in the federal case against donald trump. former president's attorneys contacted the justice department about obtaining the necessary security clearances for his classified documents trial according to a source familiar with the outreach. the judge overseeing the case issued her first order setting a deadline of today for that reachout from attorneys saying they all need to reach out to the doj about those clearances.

jessica schneider joins us this morning. that process, getting the ball rolling here, how long could it take for that clearance? >> the judge here, judge aileen cannon, they want this process to move very quickly here. so judge cannon's order, the first order of business, instructing all attorneys to get in touch with doj to begin the security clerps process because our kaitlan collins reported they have already been in touch with doj because this case is comprised of highly sensitive, classified materials that these attorneys will need to get a security clearance to work with these materials. this order is significant because it really does show that judge cannon, who has been criticized for siding with trump in a previous related case and whose ability to effectively manage this case has actually been questions, it does show how she is getting into motion to manage her docket. she is relatively new to the

bench, nominated by trump in 2019 but will be running this massive and complicated case. she is taking charge getting the security clearances in motion. >> which is important. we also know former president looking to hire another lawyer. is there a sense that will happen in time to meet today's deadline of reaching out to the doj? >> two of trump's attorneys have met the deadline. they now need to alert judge cannon by tuesday that they've done that. it is clear her order puts this additional pressure to get his legal team fully aligned here. trump does have a former solicitor general in florida on his team. also todd blanche. they were both in court when the arraignment happened earlier this week. he's still looking for another attorney. his team has been in touch with florida law firms.

attorneys have been hesitant to work with the former president. he has the history of not necessarily listening to legal advice, not always paying the bill. we have reported that he's actively looking for likely a third member to add to his legal team. >> we know you will keep us posted. miami mayor suarez making his first pitch to voters as a candidate. the republican spoke to a crowd at the ronald reagan presidential library in california last night. just a few hours after announcing his bid to the white house. he didn't address his top two opponents, former president trump and governor ron desantis but did pitch himself as a different kind of candidate who can unite the republican party. >> it is time for a next generation leader who has the vision to lead and the character to connect with everyone by looking at them in the eyes and listening to them not shouting at them and lecturing them.

it's time for a leader who can connect with segments of our country that republicans have historically lost like young voters and urban voters and segments we can make gains with like hispanics and suburban women. >> mayor suarez is jum noopg a crowded gop field. he did distinguish himself from many of his opponents, though, on the key issue of abortion including distinguishing himself from ran desantis. suarez suggested he would support a 15-week abortion ban rather than six weeks. we'll ask him about that and more ahead when he joins us in the 8:00 hour on "cnn this morning." just ahead here -- >> we're going to the launch site. it's extremely dangerous and we have to watch out the russians don't see us. >> fred pleitgen and team with access to a drone strike team with that team as they carried out an attack on a russian

position. we are live in southern ukraine. . so betty can be the... barcode beat cononductor. ♪ go betty! ♪ let's be more than our allergies! zeize the day.y. with zyrtec. hi, , i'm norma, and i lost 53 pounds on golo. when i started golo, i expected to plateau like i had so many other times. i was surprised that sticking to the golo plan antaking release, the weight just kept coming off. (soft music) (vo) if you've had thyroid eye disease for years and the pain in your eyes burns like a red-hot chili pepper, it's not too late for another treatment option. to learn more visit treatted.com. that's treatt-e-d.com.

we definitely have ants in here. not for long. [irish music plays] nice. what's going on here? i said get a pro. i did get a pro. ...an orkin pro. i got you. got ants? don't call any pro, call the orkin pro. orkin. the best in pests.

subway just keeps getting better. break it down candace. they got world class bakers to develop their tastiest bread yet. this truly makes the subway series a dream team. you know about that chuck. yeah, i was the bread of that team too. try the subway series menu. their tastiest refresh yet. so, you've got the power of xfinity at home. now take it outside with xfinity mobile. like speed? it's the fastest mobile service around. with the best price for two lines of unlimited. only 30 bucks a line per month. that's hundreds in savings a year

when you wave bye to the other guys. no wonder xfinity mobile is one of the fastest growing mobile services. you really shouldn't walk out the front door without it. switch today at xfinitymobile.com.

there is so much focus on what is happening in ukraine. ukraine's military says they are experiencing partial success against russian forces including in the hard fought regions of bakhmut and zaporizhzhia. meantime, overnight explosions heard in the capital of kyiv. several heads of state from african nations arriving there. fred pleitgen is live in southern ukraine. fred, what are you seeing on the ground? >> reporter: hi there, erica. the battles here are extremely tough in southeastern ukraine and southern ukraine. the russians have dug in. they are trying to advance but the defenses are really strong. what the ukrainians say they have and believe one of their main advantages is elite drones that hit high value russian positions to try to take those out and help the ukrainians advance. we were able to go along on a mission of one of these crews and here is what we witnessed. a 3d printed stabilizer,

plumbing tubing, lots of glue and the bomb is ready. then it's night vision goggles on, lights off, and full speed ahead to the front line. we're with an elite drone unit of ukraine's security service, the sbu and the patrol police, looking to take out a key russian anti-tank position with a precision strike. we found this target only recently, a team leader says. it was discovered literally today, and today it will be destroyed. >> we're going to the drone launch site. it's extremely dangerous and we have to watch out the russians don't see us. >> reporter: speed and precision are essential. the drone able to carry a massive payload up to 45 pounds n. this case a mortar shell from retreating russian forces

elsewhere they're now use to go hit putin's army. >> we are preparing. the bomb is ready. we're ready to go. >> reporter: it's big, it's loud, and it's heading straight to the russian position. we need to hide. out here the hunters quickly become the hunted. so for the russians, the drone crews are a high value target. the russians want nothing more than to kill these guys. unfazed the pilot flies straight to the target and releases the bomb. >> this moment from ukraine is love. you just dropped the bomb? >> yep. >> reporter: this is what the blast looks like from the drone's camera, pitch black, fu. it's not until daylight

reconnaissance shows they hit the target. not clear how many were killed here. this will allow the defense forces of ukraine to move forward and continue the offensive, he says, with minimal losses we'll inflict maximum losses on the enemy for the victory of ukraine. but it's not over as the uav flies back intercepted text messages show the russians heard the drone and are targeting. enemy bird spotted, a russian text. understood, another answers. they launch flares to spot the drone. >> now you can see. >> back there. >> reporter: are they shooting those up to see the drone or why? >> they can see the drone. >> reporter: finally the drone makes it back. they need to get out of here fast. >> follow me. >> reporter: after what they say was a successful mission, the drone warriors leave exactly the way they came.

and, erica, the units operate in a stealthy way and they are obviously most of the time successful. they're extremely vulnerable on the ground there if the russians discover them and shoot artillery at them. i asked them whether or not they had been discovered and they said, yeah, it happens quite frequently. they've had people wounded but have never had anybody killed. they want it to stay that way but they say they're not going to back down and try to make this offensive successful. >> insight into what is happening in ukraine, fred, really appreciate it. thank you. new data shows something that many of you may know firsthand, families really struggling to meet the skyrocketing cost of child care, of course, if you can find child care. we'll take a look at where parents are being forced to pay the most. plus, i cannot believe i'm saying this, someone official is saying beyonce is at fault for inflation in sweden.

come on. one economist says, yeah. why he's blaming her for sending prices soaring. only at vanguard you're more than just an investor you're an owner. that means your priorities are ours too. our tirement tools and advice can help you leave a legacy for the ones you le. that's the value of ownership. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators

of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. what's considered normal for your cat is interesting. but if your cat isn't their quirky self lately, they may have pain from a common condition called osteoarthritis. now, there's solensia. solensia is a once-monthly injection to control your cat's oa pain. veterinary professionals administering solensia who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breast feeding should take extreme care to avoid self-injection. self-injection could cause allergic reactions like anaphylaxis. ask your vet about solensia and help get your cat back to their normal.

trying vapes to quit smoking might feel like progress, but with 3x more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes - vapes increase cravings - trapping you in an endless craving loop. nicorette reduces cravings until they're gone for good. he snores like an angry rhino. you've never heard an angry rhino. baby i hear one every night... every night. okay. i'll work on that. the queen sleep number c2 smart bed is now only $899. save $200. plus, free home delivery when you add any base. shop now only at sleep number.

so this morning a new report underscoring something erica and i know very well, just how expensive child care is in america. listen to these numbers. the average cost per year for single toddler is $10,600. a report found people in washington, d.c., massachusetts, connecticut pay the most. in d.c. an average more than $24,000 for one child for one year. mississippi, arkansas, kentucky, the least expensive. all things are relative. mississippi's average costs just under $4,400. christine romans is here.

>> cute but expensiexpensive. >> super expensive. >> look, in 34 states and d.c. it costs more to send your kid to daycare for child care than it does to send them for in-state public college tuition. the cost of college is more affordable than child care. one of the problems here is inflation in this sector. 220% prices have risen since 1990. it is for many families the largest expense they have and participate of the problem is the workforce behind the workforce. it's a low pay workforce and we've lost a lot of these jobs. the report says child care system in america was broken before covid and covid made it worse. we are down 50% child care jobs since the pandemic. and look at the pay to work in this sector you have to have licensing in some cases, the requirements. the pay is about $13 an hour. you can make more in a restaurant on the floor of a big box store and basically it's half of what is typical pay of all other categories, so it's just a real problem in this

country right now and it's a big burden for a lot of families. >> we want to get your take on the next one, the talker of the morning. >> our favorite this morning. >> beyonce is being blamed by an official in sweden for jacking up inflation in that country. is he just ticked off because he couldn't get a ticket or what's going on here? >> he's not ticked off, he's more gobsmacked that she could move the economic needle. she had two sold-out shows and swedish inflation had been declining and it suddenly didn't and then they realized, this realized it's the beyonce effect. all these people came from all over the world, filled into these hotels, drove up all these prices. there was this blip. inflation wasn't falling for a hot minute because beyonce came to town. there is no one else in the world who could move the economic needle like beyonce. it's not like -- he's not really blaming her, it's more like, wow. he was asked by cnn, well, bruce springsteen is coming. will he hurt inflation?

no. beyonce is a special category all her own. >> that's why she's the queen. >> you can expect swedish inflation to continue to climb once inflation leaves town. >> thanks, christine. secretary of state antony blinken on a mission to try to reset u.s. relations with china. what to expect from that. plus this -- >> translator: thursday? >> no. i need to go home. >> well, he needed to go home but then he decided he needed to stay. he said he wasn't going to the denver nuggets championship parade until he actually did. so why did he change his mind? you'll just have to stay with us to find out. >> this is my favorite picture of him. neutrogena® ultra sheer a lightweight blend that protectcts 6 layers deep with a smooth dry-touch finish. this round's on me. neutrogena® ultra sheer

(vo) sadie switched to verizon. now she has s myplan. the first unlimited plan where she chooses exactly what she wants, and only pays for what she needs. she picks her perks, and saves on every one. all with an incredible new . act now and get iphone 14 pro max on us when you switch. it's your verizon. sam who ma...? ...everyday products... ...designed smarter. like a smart coffee grinder - that orders fresh beans for you. oh, genius! for more breakthroughs like that... ...i need a breakthrough card... like ours! with 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more... plus unlimited 2% cash back on all other purchases! and with greater spending potential, sam can keep making smart ideas... ...a brilliant reality! the ink business premier card from chase for business. make more of what's yours. was also the first time your profits left you speechless. at the counter or on the go, save 20% with the lowest transaction fees and keep more of what you make. start saving today at godaddy.com [♪]

did you know, unless you treat dandruff regularly, it will keep coming back. try head & shoulders shampoo. dandruff is caused by irritation to a germ that lives on everyone's scalp. unlike regular shampoo, head & shoulders contains zinc pyrithione, which fights the dandruff-causing germ and helps prevent it from coming back. it's gentle on hair and provides up to 100% dandruff protection, clinically proven. try head & shoulders shampoo and conditioner. for best results, use with every wash. this has been medifacts for head & shoulders. sometimes, the lows of bipolar depression feel darkest before dawn. with caplyta, there's a chance to let the light shine through. and light tomorrow, with the hope from today. this is a chance to let in the lyte. caplyta is a once-daily pill

that is proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and bipolar ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. in the darkness of bipolar i and ii depression, caplyta can help you let in the lyte. ask your doctor about caplyta today. find savings and support at caplyta.com. arthritis pain? we say not today. tylenol 8 hour arthritis pain has two layers of relief. the first is fast, the second is long-lasting. we give you your day back, so you can give it everything. tylenol. number one doctor recommended for arthritis pain.

this morning secretary antony blinken is on a trip to

beijing. the state department says he'll meet with senior chinese officials to discuss a variety of officials all aimed at easing tensions between the u.s. and china. blinken planned to visit china in february. that trip was postponed after the suspected spy balloon flew over the u.s. >> the first secretary of state to visit china since 2018, the first biden cabinet official to travel to the country. joining us now is global affairs analyst who is the former director and spokesperson for the u.s. mission to the united nations under then ambassador nikki haley. great to have you. good morning. >> good morning. >> it's been clear from the administration they want to loerp the temperature, they need to open those lines of communication especially with lloyd austin in china, those haven't been open since the whole spy balloon fiasco. before we get to the criticism, what can blinken accomplish there? >> what blinken can accomplish is the united states is a very powerful country and we take

what's happening with china very seriously and we're not going to tolerate it. we're here to have dialogue and conversations but don't be under a false illusion i'm coming out here, blinken, to kiss someone's ring. i'm here to have dialogue and underscore the seriousness of what's going on and find a way forward to our countries because we have aspirations in conflict with one another and it's no good. >> if the words we hear from secretary blinken, that would be a success potentially of this visit in your mind but there is sharp criticism about this visit to begin with. and concerns whether he should be going at all. should this be a trip for secretary blinken or a lower level official at this point because of the tensions? >> we had a lower level visit just recently. we had the cia director over there talking and trying to figure out things, trying to cool the temperature a bit, but,

yeah, you're right, erica, it's a strange time. one of the problems we have in the united states is a short-term memory. the balloon was just in february. do you brush that aside and pretend nothing happened? there was a balloon spying on us in a very egregious way. do you forget that? the criticism of the secretary going over there is warranted, and there's a lot of concern that if he goes over there and pretends as if there's no big issue here and doesn't speak to some of the core issues we're upset about, there's a problem. he needs to be very measured in how he handles himself over there. and we'll be watching to see what happens. if he does manage to meet xi, that's a big deal. because that's china trying match things up a bit.

>> a bunch of powerful american ceos, jamie dimon was just there meeting with him, bill gates, elon musk, ceo of starbucks, showing how important china is in terms of markets but they and blinken face not just the balloon issue, the threat against taiwan. the support of russia, the continuing human rights abuses. that is a tight rope to walk. >> follow the money. china's growth and ascendancy is based on manufacturing and the economic power they've been able to gain as a result of their relationship with these corporations and businesses. >> to put the other side out there it is more than just follow the money. what i've heard is why punish the people of china when these

aren't their policies, per se. do you see a distinction? >> the chinese people are people just like we're people. but when you have piracy going on, unfair trade practices going on, when you have currency manipulation going on, it's not the people but it's policies. you have to curb that somehow and, of course, you don't want to hurt the chinese people. >> a lot to look for in this. interesting to talk to you on the other side of this. interesting to see if he meets with president xi. coming up -- >> a tornado just went in town. tornado just went through town! >> following that news out of texas where as you heard there a

devastating tornado went through town, three people are dead. dozens more injured. we'll be live on the ground for you in perryton as the sun is coming up. rbug! ♪ [ giggles loudly ] ♪ jitterbug! ♪ [ giggles loudly ] ♪ jitterbug! ♪ [ giggles loudly ] ♪ jitterbug! ♪ [ giggles loudly ] [ tapping ] ♪ you put the boom-boom into my heart ♪ intuitive sit-to-start in the all-electric id.4. it's the little things, it's a vw. my a1c was up here; now, it's down with rybelsus®. his a1c?

it's down with rybelsus®. my doctor told me rybelsus® lowered a1c better than a leading branded pill and that people taking rybelsus® lost more weight. i got to my a1c goal and lost some weight too. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. need to get your a1c down? you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. for people who are a little intense about hydration. neutrogena® hydro boost

lightweight. clinically proven. 48-hour hydration. for that healthy skin glow. neutrogena®. for people with skin. i brought in ensure max protein with 30g of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. uh... here i'll take that. -everyone: woo hoo! ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein, one gram of sugar. enter the nourishing moments giveaway for a chance to win $10,000. ♪ ♪ let your love shine. book an appointment now with a bridal jewelry expert. at zales, the diamond store.

and this is ready to go online. any questions? -yeah, i got one. how about the best network imaginable? let's invent that. that's what we do here. quick survey. who wants the internet to work, pretty much everywhere. and it needs to smooth, like super, super, super, super smooth. hey, should you be drinking that? -it's decaf. because we're busy women. we don't have time for lag or buffering. who doesn't want internet that helps a.i. do your homework even faster. come again. -sorry, what was that? introducing the next generation 10g network only from xfinity. the future starts now. as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network, with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to 75% a year.

and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities™. thousands of fans lined the streets in denver to celebrate the nuggets' first nba championship. check out mvp nikola jokic after the big win.

>> translator: thursday. >> no. i need to go home. >> well, he needed to go home but he maybe delayed that. a change of heart and now he says he is glad he stuck around for the championship parade. >> i said i don't want to stay on parade but i [ bleep ] want to stay for parade. yeah this is amazing. this is -- our whole lives and you came out on the streets and this one is for you. this one is for you. >> yeah, don't want to miss that moment. the nuggets will get their championship rings in october. >> love that. "cnn this morning" continues right now. a devastating tornado ripping through northern texas.