As the Morning Joe panel dissects President Donald Trump’s unexpected firing of FBI Director James Comey and the blowback that’s followed, the show’s veteran columnist Mike Barnicle offers: “This is no longer about Donald Trump. It’s no longer about James Comey. It’s about the presidency, which is being diminished on a daily basis by his behavior. It’s about the Constitution. It’s about the United States of America and the people of this country. That’s what it’s about. After all the talk is done, after all the verbiage has been piled on this, Jim Comey is no longer the FBI Director because the President of the United States knew instinctively he could not control him.”
“One of the central problems – with this issue and other issues in the White House — is the total chaotic nature around the President. There’s no strong Chief of Staff. There’s no strong voices to give him some direction, advice, counsel that he adheres to and this is what happens,” comments Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle in conversation with The Washington Post’s columnist David Ignatius about President Donald Trump’s inner circle, following former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testifying to Senators that she warned the Trump Administration that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his Russian contacts and was vulnerable to blackmail attempts. Listen to the discussion here.
“What did you learn from the disaster that was the Tribune purchase?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of billionaire Sam Zell during a conversation about what lessons Zell picked up from his experience of buying the Tribune Company – a media conglomerate – in 2007 and then having the Tribune Company file for bankruptcy the following year. Listen to Zell’s response here and his advice from Confucius.
“Congressman… in terms of the investigation, what’s your outcome? What’s your goal? Where do you stand on achieving that goal?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) during an interview about the House’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible connections to Russia. Hear Schiff explain why the well-being of democracy hangs in the balance.
During more of the talk about the Saturday Night Live cold open that spoofed the recently announced relationship between Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, panelists Willie Geist and Mike Barnicle discuss their portrayals in the skit. “She hired a personal trainer for me,” said senior contributor Mike Barnicle of his wife after seeing him portrayed by SNL’s Bobby Moynihan. “‘If you look like that, you’re going to get in shape’,” Barnicle quoted her as saying. Hear more from Scarborough, Barnicle and Geist here. Only on MSNBC.
During another Morning Joe conversation about the latest eruption of violence involving air travel passengers and police — this time in Florida involving stranded Spirit Airlines travelers — veteran columnist Mike Barnicle offers: “Commercial air flight in America is a constant aggravation – 24 hours a days, 7 days a week. Find out more about the Spirit Airlines incident here and which airline gets a positive shout out from the Morning Joe panel.
“Senator…on the front pages of the paper, on every TV, there was the meeting of the 1952 Minneapolis Rotary Club — all these guys talking about their success on the health care bill in the House. What was your reaction to the gathering? And what is going to happen to that health bill now that it’s in the Senate?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) during a conversation about President Donald Trump’s gathering with Republican lawmakers at the White House Rose Garden to celebrate the House passing the revised healthcare proposal, which has been sent to the Senate for a vote. Listen to Klobuchar’s response here about the high fives for health care.
In the continuing conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle asks: “Could you give a grade to Pakistan as an ally? What would you give it?” Hear Rice’s assessment of the tough U.S. / Pakistan relationship here. Only on MSNBC.
“What’s been your reaction to the staffing cuts at the State Department, the lack of support for the Secretary of State?,” asks Morning Joe’s veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “I hope it’s done with a scalpel and not with a bludgeon,” says Rice. Listen in on more of the conversation here.
ICYMI: During a conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle asks: “Do you ever want to be president?” Hear Rice’s answer here, as well as her opinion on America’s place and responsibility as a global leader.
As the Morning Joe panel weighs in on Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates going to head-to-head about the legality of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle comments: “It’s also something that Ted Cruz has done more often than not. He has an intellectual contempt for nearly everyone because he thinks he’s just the smartest person in the room.” Listen in on the conversation here.
In conversation with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on the future of Obamacare, Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle asks: “Senator, there seems to be one fight that is more shadow boxing than real fighting, and it has to do with the financial institution that affects more lives than any Wall Street institution does. It affects your life, your home, your car and now your health. These large insurance conglomerates who seemly dictate what is going on with healthcare legislation in this country, and yet you hear very little verbiage, fighting verbiage, from people – your colleagues – in Washington D.C. about the role – the powerful role – that insurance companies play in our lives.” Hear Warren’s response and her message to insurance companies: “They have to be more responsive to the American people and we have got to get those costs down.” Listen in on the conversation here.
“Senator, under the topic of: ‘Is there anything further we can do to enforce penalties that hurt North Korea?’ Are there Chinese financial institutions that do business with North Korea that also do business globally? And is there any way that we can crack down on those institutions if they do exist?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) during a conversation about how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threat. “That’s exactly the right question to be asking,” says Gardner. Listen to his answer here.
As Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist and Mike Barnicle discuss the internal disagreement among House Republicans over the revised healthcare bill proposal and a Washington Post headline:
“GOP health bill on shaky ground,” Barnicle suggests: “You could have a subhead on that Washington Post headline: “Speaker Ryan has lost control of the House.” Listen to more of the conversation here.
“The President of the United States apparently has no discipline when it comes to restraining himself from tweeting and nobody around him has the clout to go in and tell the President: ‘You’ve got to stop tweeting’,” said Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during a discussion with The Washington Post’s associate editor Bob Woodward and Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski about President Donald Trump recent tweet that “our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September” after Democrats suggested that the spending package Congress will likely pass is a “defeat” for President Trump. Hear more of the conversation here.
“Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles was the subject of a racial slur hurled from some fan behind the dugout and it resurrected to many the dismal memories that have continued to stain the reputation of Boston as a racist city, and it’s horrendous the way that this continues,” said Morning Joe’s veteran columnist Mike Barnicle, a Boston native. “There’s no excuse for it – no explanation for it. We have a huge problem in this country still with racism.” Hear the rest of the conversation with Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough about what happened to center fielder Jones at a game this week against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
“Presidents need to know history. Presidents need to know that words matter – that the use of language moves people and nations, it affects more than just emotion, it affects public policy, and we are lacking that right now in the Oval Office with the current occupant,” says Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle as he closes the show with a summation of President Donald Trump’s last 48 hours. On a lighter note, the clips starts out with a Happy 50th Birthday to show host Mika Brzezinski.
“It’s very upsetting—kind of depressing—to read the transcripts of this particular President as he rambles on anecdotally, adlibs about things that are critical to the future of this country,” explains Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle during a conversation about a recent interview with President Donald J. Trump, during which he asks “Why was there a Civil War?” and suggests that President Andrew Jackson could have prevented it. Watch the excerpt and hear the panel discussion here.
The Morning Joe panel discusses the difficulties facing the House Republicans’ revised health care bill after watching clips from President Donald Trump’s sit down interview with CBS’ John Dickerson over the weekend, during which POTUS touted the merits of the health care plan. Comments senior contributor Mike Barnicle: “You know what’s interesting as well as intriguing? It’s kind of difficult semantically following the President in his interview there with John Dickerson, but, he instinctively knows that eliminating, dropping pre-existing conditions is more dangerous than dynamite to people in public office today. People are used to it. They like it. Whether you call it Obamacare or whatever — if they cut that out, if it goes back to the states, and any state governor or legislature cuts that out — (you’re) dead politically.” Watch the conversation here and the President’s promise that pre-existing conditions will be covered under the proposed bill.
