kevin blair, chairman and ceo of synovus. >>> the ceo of philip morris is coming up later this hour. eps was a beat, full-year outlook somewhat gloomy. that interview in about ten minutes. >>> we're watching taiwan semi, reporting its first profit drop in four years as the slump in electronics demand slipping. some concern there about the end markets. stock down more than 4.5%. alling each other rock stars? you're a rock star. you are a rock star. no more calling co-workers rock stars. look, it's great that you use workday to transform your business. but it still doesn't make you a rock star. so unless you work with an actual rock star. hi, i'm ozwald. hello ozwald. pam, you are a rock- i wasn't going to say it. ♪♪ >>> welcome back travelers kicking off earnings season for the insurers. the sector is struggling to start the year, but can things turn around? contessa brewer has been looking at that. what did we learn? >> the real catastrophe for insurers this quarter is catastrophe. travelers, allstate and hanover all have releases this morning blaming 18 or 19 u.s. storms for a huge

kevin: i want to recognize admiral blair who is here, as joe has. one of my heroes and somebody who has served this country so valiantly. [applause] as with joe lieberman and so many others, it is such an honor. i would say that first of all, we should not let recruiting and retention become a crisis within this country. as it was after the vietnam war. i'm old enough to remember the post-75 period, and the rebuilding that had to occur. a lot of people in this country are weary of 20 years of war in the middle east. failed deployments. execution of strategies that went nowhere. in some cases, it has been a turn on to people because we have not deployed wisely. and we have squandered resources and lives have been lost. we don't need to go more into that but what i hear from my own sons who are well into the system, from their colleagues -- and sadly, many of them are thinking about leaving early. not because they are the best in the business but because sometimes the military doesn't do a very good job of connecting talent with opportunity. you are s

blair back in the fold. is that sensible? kevinere is hugely unpopular out there with swathes of population, with swathes of the population, not because iraq war. >> well, you know, it's interesting. you know, he's the first labour to basically first labour leader to basically hug blair, close . if you hug tony blair, close. if you think ed miliband disowned him, obviously jeremy corbyn didn't have tony blair. have any time for tony blair. yeah. and so it's an interesting tactic, again, it's all part tactic, but again, it's all part of this sort of intention to try and reassure the public. we're not like the old tax and spend laboun not like the old tax and spend labour, nice, moderate labour. >> it's a terrifying tactic because for those of us who are con aukus of a kind of globalist push and keir starmer was asked that question, wasn't he, about where would you rather be davos or westminster for? and he said, i'd davos. stupid i'd rather be in davos. stupid answer worries people like answer that worries people like me are concern

to hunters, the blair- that continues to hunters, the blair project, and before to an extent, private finance initiative swell, and that, then kevinnior doctor recommends on i help the nhs. the period when i was a junior doctor recommends on my i help the nhs. the period when i was| a junior doctor recommends on my -- a junior doctor recommends on my —— on the _ a junior doctor recommends on my —— on the 50th _ a junior doctor recommends on my —— on the 50th birthday, there is more waiting _ on the 50th birthday, there is more waiting lists, people did not weighting any waiting rooms any more, _ weighting any waiting rooms any more. so — weighting any waiting rooms any more, so we know if you have money you spend _ more, so we know if you have money you spend it — more, so we know if you have money you spend it well, it's arguable during — you spend it well, it's arguable during the blair era the response to much _ during the blair era the response to much money to quickly and some could be spent _ much money to quickly and some could be spent openly but there is no doubt _ be spent openly but there is no doubt more money improved