Former Vice President Joe Biden officially enters the 2020 presidential race. Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation about what’s next for the 20th Democratic candidate to join the field. “He’s going to be covered enormously well over the next two or three months, and we’re going to find out very quickly whether or not the 2018/’19 version of Joe Biden is up to the task,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle. Watch Biden’s candidacy video and hear what the Morning Joe panel has to say about it.
In the Morning Joe conversation about the White House’s continual downplaying of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner going so far as to dismiss it as a “couple of Facebook ads” during a TIME 100 Summit interview, veteran contributor Mike Barnicle explains: “The combination of arrogance and ignorance that he displayed in answering that question is nearly breathtaking—but it is predictable. And it is also very predictable as to why so many members of the intelligence community did not want to give (Kushner) a security clearance. Based on that answer, he ought not to have a security clearance.” Listen to more of the discussion here only on MSNBC.
Listen in as Morning Joe’s Willie Geist and Mike Barnicle discuss with Axios’ co-founder and CEO Jim Vandehei the highly anticipated announcement expected today from former Vice President Joe Biden that he will run for president in 2020.
In discussing columnist Dana Milbank’s opinion piece in The Washington Post, entitled “Mueller’s Findings: Too Stupid to Conspire. Too Incompetent to Obstruct,” Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle adds: “On the conspiracy point alone—the idea that Trump and the people around him were smart enough to get together and plan a conspiracy was preposterous. An investigation would have a difficult time trying to put something like that together because of the scattershot approach that they take to each hour of every day in governing the country. Never mind conspiracy stuff.” Listen to more from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski about special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Only on MSNBC.
Join the Morning Joe conversation in process about the headline coming from the latest poll of the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic Primary from University of New Hampshire, which shows a surge for South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. “He has a resonance with crowds. I mean, a true resonance that I haven’t seen in a while from other candidates.” Listen to more of the discussion here with Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, Kasie Hunt and Willie Geist.
Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Eugene Roberts and Mike Barnicle about some Democrats’ call for the impeachment process for President Donald Trump to begin. “There’s no notation, no amendment in the Constitution that says—and it ought to—‘stop wasting our time.’ And I think if (the Democrats) do go forward with impeachment proceedings, a majority of Americans are going to think they are wasting ‘our time’—the voter’s time,” says Barnicle. “Let’s get going to the election.”
Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation with Mika Brzezinski, Elise Jordan, Rick Tyler and Mike Barnicle about Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez holding tight to his position that the Democratic Party will not reconsider its decision to bar Fox News from hosting a Democratic presidential debate. Says Barnicle: “If you’re afraid of Tucker Carlson, how are you going to become President of the United States? Go on Fox News. Reach as many people as you can. Show them that just because you have a ‘D’ after your name that you’re not ridiculously, ludicrously far left, socialist or whatever—that you speak to the common-sense needs, and problems, and attitudes of most Americans.” Listen to more of the discussion here on MSNBC.
Hear the conversation between Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough and Mike Barnicle in praise of the decision by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a 2020 presidential candidate, to appear in a Fox News town hall. “The idea of Bernie Sanders going on Fox TV is a great idea for Sanders, the campaign, and the Democratic Party,” said Barnicle. “More Democrats ought to appear on Fox News because you’re talking to…many Democratic voters who have been screwed out of their paychecks, their pensions and everything by the activities of multiple Administrations, but specifically now this Administration in Washington D.C..” More of the conversation is here on MSNBC.
“Elections are choices. It comes down to a choice…‘what do you want?’ And I think an increasing number of Americans—they want calmness, they want a restoration of the spirit of what they think this country is all about. And the spirit of what this country is all about is not lying, it’s not malevolence, it’s not daily division implemented by the leader of this country—the President of the United States. It’s more to the side of what (Presidential candidate Pete) Buttigieg was talking about,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle as the Morning Joe panel talks about President Donald Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, a day after South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced his candidacy. Listen to more of the discussion here. Only on MSNBC.
Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Mike Barnicle about Sunday’s historic moments: Tiger Woods’ win of the 2019 Masters tournament at 43 years old and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, at 37 years old, declaring his candidacy for President of the United States. “It was a remarkable day and two remarkable events,” says Barnicle. “You had two stories that combined to truly represent part of what this country is all about. In Augusta, Georgia, you had a story of resilience…of someone who hurt himself…an epic kind of personal story. And in South Bend, Indiana…young mayor, Pete Buttigieg…talking about the future and basically declaring that the past is the past….The future is here. Hear more of the discussion here.
In the news this week: Listen in on the Morning Joe discussion with medical contributor Dr. Dave Campbell about New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “bold move” of ordering mandatory measles vaccinations of residents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, after a major measles outbreak has led to a public health emergency. Asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle: Would an immunized child still be at risk because Williamsburg is such a highly compact area? Hear Dr. Campbell’s response and advice to parents about how to avoid this highly contagious disease.
Listen in as the Morning Joe team hears from NBC News’ Richard Engel about his report on former adviser to President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, and his crusade to reform the Vatican by taking aim at Pope Francis. “Steve Bannon: He clearly so opposes doing anything to help the poor, the disenfranchised, the lost, the other. That’s the basis of his attack on the Pope and the Catholic Church because this Pope particularly stands for those people,” comments veteran columnist Mike Barnicle. Listen to more of the conversation here with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough about Engle’s report, slated to air Sunday April 14th at 9pm only on MSNBC.
While the Morning Joe panel debates the Democratic presidential candidates’ inability to connect with ordinary people, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle references controversial comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. that killed nearly 3,000 people. “It’s the language that they employ that indicates to the average person they have never led a real life; they have never had a real reaction to things. Specifically, yesterday, there was an event that took place in Washington, and I’m going to raise it: Representative Ilhan Omar referred to September 11th as ‘some people doing some things,’ which is just simply a distortion of the reality that not only people in New York have lived through, but what happened to the United States afterward. Not one of the candidates spoke out about that, when asked. Several of them had no comment. I mean, come on – get real. Get real.” Listen to more of the discussion here with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
While the Morning Joe panel talks about the slow start to the baseball season for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle praises the Tampa Bay Ray’s early season success as the team sits atop of the American League East Division. “Nobody goes to see Tampa Bay. The fans stay away in droves, and they are a model for what Major League Baseball teams ought to do. They have a really good team. They have a really good manager. They operate on a very lean budget, and still they’re right there: They’re competitive. They play well. Great team.” Listen to more of the baseball discussion here.
ICYMI: Hear what Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) tells Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle about what could occur in her hard-hit opioid-addicted state and others like it if bipartisan-allocated federal health care funding stops.
Hear what Morning Joe’s Mika Brzezinski, Claire McCaskill, Elise Jordan and Mike Barnicle have to say about the mounting criticism surrounding former Vice President Joe Biden’s past affectionate behavior with some women and men, following Biden saying “I get it” and will tone down the touching. Says Barnicle: “Joe Biden…is a genuinely affectionate, caring human being. He is—in a no-contact eye nation, everybody’s staring at their phones—he is an eye-contact guy. He is literally, figuratively. a hands-on guy.”
ICYMI: Morning Joe brings us up to date on the developing story about the Chinese woman who was arrested for carrying four cell phones and a thumb drive infected with malware as she illegally entered Mar-a-Lago during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Florida resort. Hear the conversation between veteran columnist Mike Barnicle and Miami Herald reporter Sarah Blaskey.
Following the Morning Joe conversation about a New York Times report that indicates some of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators have told associates that Attorney General William Barr did not accurately convey how damaging their findings were for President Donald Trump, veteran journalist Mike Barnicle explains: “To put a little perspective on it—we’re all kind of flying blind. We’re talking about a report that’s well over 300 pages, which was boiled down to maybe two sentence fragments which are in the attorney general’s release.” Hear more of the discussion here.
Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation between veteran columnist Mike Barnicle and The New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt about a New York Times report that indicates some of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators told associates that Attorney General William Barr “underestimated” and did not correctly convey how damaging their findings were for President Donald Trump. Listen to Schmidt’s response here.
Listen in as the Morning Joe team expresses outrage over the Trump Administration’s proposal to cut funding for the Special Olympics. “I have a conflict here…because my wife is on the board of Special Olympics. Our daughter has participated in Special Olympics. When you go after…programs like this, the people involved in programs like this, there’s a level of cruelty and blindness to reality that is staggering. And the only thing I can think of – that I can conceive of – is that the President of the United States gives very little thought to these people, as long as he is in the center of the ring,” says veteran columnist and Morning Joe contributor Mike Barnicle. Hear more of the conversation here.
