“The CIA officially puts … the Congress on notice and the President on notice in early August last year that Russia has cyber attacked the United States – an act of war. And it seems that there was a level of disinterest in Congress about this. That there was no outcry in Congress about this. All during August, during most of September, until the first week in October, when finally, the White House spoke out about it. So, I don’t know where we are on this,” comments Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during the panel discussion about the U.S. having shown a lack of urgency to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election during the months leading up to the election. Listen to more of the discussion here.
“Brian, my belief is that … this is a premeditated anti-journalism strategy that I fear has taken some hold in this country. Do you buy into that?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Sentinel Newspapers executive editor Brian Karem, who clashed with Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a televised press briefing earlier this week. Listen to Karem’s response here and his advice for journalists covering President Donald Trump.
While the Morning Joe panel continues to discuss the Senate Republicans’ health care bill, following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell postponing a planned vote on the bill amid a lack of support from some Republican Senators, senior contributor Mike Barnicle references his recent interviews with Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). “Math is the reality here — that’s why it’s a no vote….With these Medicare cuts, you’re going to have to choose between five days of school or four days of school. You’ve got a special needs child – you’re going to have to worry about what you’re going to do with that child because of Medicaid cuts. You’re going to have to worry about: ‘Hey, do I get the Castro pullout couch for grandpa cause he’s coming home from the nursing home with Medicaid cuts. And that’s state, after state, after state.” Listen in for more here.
“Senator, let’s talk about another element of the aptly named ‘Better Care Reconciliation Act.’ That’s what Republicans are calling this bill. And let’s talk about, let’s say, Bridgeport, Connecticut and someone comes up to you and says: ‘You know, I just heard or read bits and pieces about what’s going to be cut under this bill if it passes. Should I go out and buy a pull-out couch for dad who might be coming home from the nursing home?’” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) during a conversation about the Senate Republicans’ health care bill. Listen to Murphy’s response here about some of his constituents who are “freaked out” about potential cuts to Medicaid.
Following up on the widely watched clash between the Sentinel Newspapers’ Brian Karem and Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ during a press briefing, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle explains: “It certainly is short sighted, but it almost assuredly is a strategy. And the Trump Administration has difficulty getting enough votes to pass a health care bill. The Trump administration has difficulty in formulating a policy in the Middle East, but they have a fairly successful strategy of running the press down and it’s working to a certain extent. We in the media, when we make a mistake, we report it. You know we make a mistake. When they make a mistake, they say nothing.” Watch the clash between Sanders and the Karem here and join the discussion on the Trump Administration’s contentious relationship with the media.
While the Morning Joe panel talks about the approval ratings for President Donald Trump and his deal making ability on which he ran his campaign, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle says: “People around the country are slowly going to find out: This president, any president, you’re with him either because you fear him or you love him. Nobody fears him and very few people love him – other than his own family and the United States Senate.” Listen to the conversation here with Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
“These are not normal times. We know this. But … one of the elements here is the shadow of Merrick Garland: Shut out from a hearing and just drove the polarization effect up to heights no one has ever seen before. So, neither side is going to come together to really fix this,” comments Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during the conversation about the GOP Senate health care billl, referencing Senate Republicans’ refusal to consider President Barack Obama’s nomination for the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland, which remains a source of animosity between parties in the Senate. Hear the rest of the discussion with former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN) here.
While the Morning Joe panel talks more about the Senate Republicans’ health care bill, following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell postponing a planned vote on the bill amid a lack of support from some Republican Senators, senior contributor Mike Barnicle comments on the President’s role in the plan. “The President of the United States in this, the hallmark of his early administration, is a nonparticipant. And, they want him to be a nonparticipant. That is astounding when you think of it. This is what he has built his early administration on: He and the Republican Party repealing Obamacare. It’s not happening and it might not ever happen.” Listen to more of the discussion here with Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
“Grandpa and grandma are coming home to live on the couch downstairs. They’re going to be thrown out of the nursing home,” Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle says with sarcasm as the panel discusses the Senate Republicans’ health care bill, which includes “devastating” Medicare and Medicaid cuts that will hurt older, middle income Americans. Listen to more of the conversation here with Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough.
“The people who need health care the most – the elderly, the poor, the truly ill – are going to be without health care, without heath care policies. That’s the way it looks. This bill is basically immoral in its foundation,” says Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle as the panel discusses the Senate Republicans’ heath care bill, which the Congressional Budget Office predicts will leave 22 million more Americans uninsured. Listen to more of the discussion on the GOP health care bill here from hosts Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist.
“This has the potential to be a defining moment in the Senate because the vote on this bill – if there is a vote on this bill – is going to be a test of conscience and character for these Senators,” says Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during a panel conversation about the Senate Republicans’ health care bill, which the Congressional Budget Office just predicted will leave 22 million more Americans uninsured. Listen to the discussion that ensues after the panel watches clip after clip of President Donald Trump’s previous promises of a health care plan with heart, that is less expensive with premiums and deductibles coming down, as well as no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
“Congressman, it’s our understanding that your caucus rejected the opportunity to go to the White House and meet with President Trump. What’s the reasoning behind that?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) during a conversation about the Congressional Black Caucus declining to meet with President Donald Trump after not receiving any response to letters and policy suggestions sent to POTUS. Hear Richmond’s rationale here.
“’The Call of History’ taking a look at President Obama, taking your knowledge of him, having covered him for years. What do you think is going through his mind with regard to past presidents not interfering with current presidencies? How eager is, if he is, to jump in on what’s going on?” asks Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of The New York Times White House correspondent and author of the book “ Obama: The Call of History” Peter Baker during a conversation about former President Barack Obama reaction to the actions of his successor, President Donald Trump. Listen to Baker’s response here.
“We have some sad news to report. Legendary, and that’s really what we mean here, legendary New York reporter Gabe Pressman has died. A New York icon and pioneering reporter; Pressman’s local broadcast career spanned six decades. He’s credited with being the first television reporter in New York,” says Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle as he pays tribute to the illustrious journalism career of New York icon Gabe Pressman, who has passed away at 93 years old. Tune in to the story here.
“So, back home, there are a lot of people who call you doctor, because you’re a doctor. What you’ve read and what you’ve heard about it so far, what does this do positively or negatively for access to care and quality of care?” asks Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) during a panel conversation about the Senate Republicans’ health care bill. Listen to Cassidy’s response here.
During a Morning Joe discussion with former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson about how the Obama administration dealt with Russian meddling in the presidential election, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle asks: “On October 7th, you and Jim Clapper issued the statement, the warning, about what Russia was up to. But they come across the bridge from Langley in early August with devastating information about a foreign power literally declaring some form of warfare, cyber warfare, against the United States. What took so long?” Listen to Johnson’s explain why and when the information was released to the public. “It’s not like waking up one morning and issuing a tweet.”
“Germany’s role seems to be more important, more critical, to Europe and to the world today than perhaps ever before. What role will Germany play in the world vis-a-vis the United States?” asks Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of German Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Wittig during a conversation about Germany’s expanding role on the world stage and the concern about Russian meddling in their upcoming elections. Listen in on the discussion here.
“The CIA is very, very obviously trying to keep you from finding out sources and methods. But sources and methods within the Kremlin — can you address that? Did they have sources within the Kremlin?” asks Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of The Washington Post’s national security correspondent Greg Miller in reference to an article that posted just moments earlier about the Obama Administration’s handling of Russia’s meddling in the U.S. elections. Watch the breaking news account here.
“He’s the President of the United States. He says: ‘There may be tapes out there, government tapes, who knows.’ He is the President of the United States. He should find out,” says Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle as the panel reacts to a “rambling” interview with President Donald Trump during which he confesses he does not knowingly have tape recordings of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, but hints they could exist. Watch the interview with POTUS and listen to the reactions from Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and guest Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard.
“Senator, I want to read a letter to you that is in The New York Times, written by a Martin Platt from New York City. It reads: ‘I would propose passing the Republican health care bill without amendment on the condition that all members of the House and the Senate be required to have health insurance as laid out by this plan, and only by this plan, for themselves, their wives or husbands, and their children. This would also apply to the President, the Vice President and their families, as well as all members of the cabinet and all federal employees.’ My question to you sir is: Would you and your family sign up for the bill as proposed right now?” asks Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). Listen to Paul’s answer here.
