hampshire democrats, show up, write in biden, and we can beat donald trump. they remain in new hampshire, campaigning across the state. it's not picked up a lot of democrats. as worried as they are about biden's electability, it's not broken through. there is a reluctance among democrats to make the primary elongated and threaten biden and make him campaign further for this. there is an attitude when you talk to democrats of how soon can we wrap this up? >> then south carolina, where the president and vice president will be spending time to make a decisive victory and get this over with. dave wigle, thank you. of course, we'll be hearing from the president from valley forge, and we'll bring coverage of that. thank you for getting up "way too early" this friday and all week long. "morning joe" starts right now. saudi arabia, and i have great relationships with saudi

arabia, as i do with mexico, as i do with everybody. you know, they all buy apartments from me. they pay millions and millions of dollars. am i supposed to dislike them? i love them. china. i sell apartments for $50 million, $30 million, $25 million, the cheap ones like $10 million. i don't bother to sign those contracts because those are the cheap ones. but i get it from saudi arabia. i get it from japan. i get it from everybody. i love these people. >> willie, what do i always say? when he's talking, there's laugh tracks going in the audience, but you can believe him, right? you can always believe trump when he makes a claim like that. >> yeah, that was almost a decade ago, too. >> wow. >> there's some new information we're getting this morning. we'll get into specifics about how much he enjoys those relationships he was bragging about. >> yeah, there is a new report that finds those payments continued during his years in the white house.

we'll talk about that. good morning. welcome to "morning joe." it is friday, january 5th. along with willie and me, we have the host of "way too early," white house bureau chief at "politico," jonathan lemire. we're absolutely thrilled to have pulitzer prize winning columnist at "the washington post," eugene robinson, back with us. gene, we read the beautiful piece about your wife, avis. we're so glad you're back, and at the same time, i know it's really hard. >> well, it is, mika, as you know, but i am happy to be back. you know, feeling better, a little better every day. i had a great conversation with joe yesterday, as a matter of fact. we discussed a certain little college football game that was played the other day. >> oh, good. >> between a certain two schools, in which a certain school, the right school, university of michigan, won. >> oh. >> gene is really back. he's really back.

>> he's back! >> i am back. i am back. >> we love you, gene. >> we are so blessed, absolutely. let's begin this morning with a new report from house democrats that alleges the first two years of donald trump's presidency, his family business, received $7.8 million from foreign governments. democrats on the republican-led house oversight committee yesterday released the findings of an investigation that began back in 2016 into violations of the constitution's foreign amaluments clause. trump's businesses received at least $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments. most of that money, according to the report, came from china, whose government allegededly paid more than $5.5 million to rent out trump-owned properties during that time. the government of saudi arabia,

where trump visited on his first foreign trip as president, paid his businesses more than $600,000. the information stems from documents obtained from trump's former accounting firm in 2019. the report only covers the first two years of the trump presidency. once republicans regained the house majority in 2022, they ended democrats' investigation. we know also, willie, that jared kushner, after leaving the white house, got a lot more money from saudi arabia. >> yeah. >> but this also makes the republicans' investigation into the biden family over similar types of behbehavior, it is unbelievable. trump can do anything, and republicans don't care. they just don't care. >> and republicans already, after this report came out yesterday, trying to draw an equivalency with joe biden. >> right. >> suggesting that what he did, or is alleged to have done

according to them, though they've provided no evidence of it, is somehow worse than this. let's talk more with one of the democrats who authored the report, member of the house oversight committee, congressman garcia of california. good morning. take us through this a little more. there was an assumption over the course of trump's first term, that he stepped away from his businesses but getting more money for his real estate company was thought to be helpful by foreign governments to get influence over the united states. what'd you learn in your report? >> this is an enormous grift. this is a violation of the constitution. this is about foreign payments and bribes to the president of the u.s. from multiple foreign governments and countries. i also just want to note because it's important, what we have in front of us is really the tip of the iceberg. the nearly $8 million that we're discussing is essentially not

only a two-year window, it is only from four properties owned by donald trump. donald trump has hundreds, hundreds of properties and businesses around the world. we were very limited to what we could actually look at. we know the full scope of the hundreds of businesses and the bribes, it's much larger, but james comer, of course, who chairs our oversight committee, stopped the investigation immediately. this is very, very concerning. we demand this investigation to continue and to reveal the full scope of this incredible grift. the amount of money is not just coming from these 20 governments. we know there are other countries, and we don't have receipts and records for it, like russia who have made payments to the trump organization. we need to find out the truth.

this has both national security implications but certainly violations of the constitution. >> congressman, you can anticipate, and i know you haven't heard yet from donald trump, from the campaign, and we can expect a truth social post at any minute, i'd expect, but that he stepped away from his businesses. his sons were running the businesses at the time and, therefore, somehow, this was okay. we never fully steps away from his businesses, but what do you say to that argument, that it was, in fact, his adult children who were running the businesses while he was president? >> i mean, look, first, if we remember, donald trump actually said years ago that he'd be the first person to make money off the presidency. i mean, he said that publicly. we should believe donald trump whenever he speaks. >> there you go. >> in addition to that, i think it is really important to note here, when donald trump talks about the president or the president's family, attacking the president, look at jared kushner in saudi arabia. jared kushner got a $2 billion investment fund from the saudi government after leaving the white house. he was the middle east envoy during the time in the white house. rex tillerson, the secretary of state, trump's first secretary of state, opposed that and

opposed jared kushner. kushner puts together a $110 billion arms deal with saudi arabia. saudi arabia, at the same time, is spending monies of thousands of dollars that we have records for, because i'm sure it's a lot more than that, on trump properties here in d.c. and other places. this is clearly a major grift. most importantly, it is a violation of the constitution. republicans need to do the right thing here. we need to get all the records and information and hold donald trump and his family accountable. >> so -- and the jared kushner and all the stuff that happened after the presidency, let's put aside the grossness of that for a second, representative garcia, and talk about why this is a violation of the constitution, why this is bad for our country, how behavior like this impacts our national security by impacting the president's ability to make a decision, how it exposes america and america's

safety through the presidency to other governments, even our enemies. >> that's absolutely correct. i think, first, let's be very clear. a president cannot take gifts, certainly cannot take bribes from any foreign government while they serve as president. whether they have business interests or not. that is clearly in the constitution. while we've uncovered about $8 million, and likely, of course, millions and millions more that we don't have records from, even taking one gift is a violation of the constitution. donald trump, this has never happened before in american history, where you have a president taking as much as possible. >> right. >> it's directly impacting our national security. was president trump, was his family, was jared kushner, the middle east envoy, making decisions knowing they were getting paybacks, getting investments into the trump organization? it's not, of course, just saudi arabia or china. it's kuwait, it's the uae, it's qatar.

it is governments that had major national security relationships with the united states. it is governments that had inters interests with the united states. the oversight committee and i are committed to that, but james comer and the republicans want nothing to do with this information. >> of course not. my question to you is, as you continue the investigation, and if you do uncover what is alleged here or much more of what you've already found, what are the consequences? >> first, we'll put together, led by jamie raskin, a package of forms that will deal with this part of the constitution, to strengthen laws around this important clause within the constitution. but the american public have a right to know. one is we want transparency and the full recording of actually what happened. this year, the public are going to make choices. choices within the election. choices about donald trump.

choices about president biden. they have to know the full scope of the corruption, of the con, of the grift, of the illegal activity that donald trump performed while he was president of the united states, and how his children benefitted and continued to benefit from those investments. the trump organization and donald trump essentially has created himself as this leader of this organization, while in the white house, to basically funnel money from foreign governments to himself and his family. that is wrong. the american public deserve to know the full truth. we're committed to getting that truth. >> congressman, you have evidence here that the trump family profited while he was in office. that's the exact claim that your republican colleagues are trying to make about the biden family. the biden family, hunter biden, profited from his father while he was vice president. yet, of course, they have no clear evidence of that, unlike what you have done. talk about how i don't will bring this to your republican

colleagues. does this change anything? can you make that argument? frankly, what do you see as the future of the hunter biden probes, which, again, members of your committee are trying to make a central part of president biden's re-election campaign? >> let's be clear, there is zero evidence, of course, as we know, that links president biden with any wrongdoing. republicans cannot come up with any information or any sort of wrongdoing. they're clearly projecting. i mean, this report shows where the real grift and corruption and illegal activity is. we have receipts. we have bank records. we have accounting. it's all there laid out in the report, and there is much more that has yet to be uncovered. republicans, it is incredible to see the hypocrisy that the house republicans, that james comer, that the new speaker are trying to put together with this impeachment scam that they have put together, essentially to try to attack the biden family. president biden has no business interests as he serves as president.

donald trump had a complex web of ways of pulling in money from foreign governments to enrich himself and his family. we're going to make that contrast clear. republicans want to throw whatever they can at the wall. they've been doing that in the oversight committee. but this report is incredibly important. we'll get this report out to all the republicans, as well. >> democratic member of the house oversight committee, congressman robert garcia, thank you so much for coming on the show this morning. thank you for your work. we will talk to you again soon. gene robinson, happy to say that name again, this should matter. >> yeah. >> yet, we know, we know what the response is going to be from many congressional republicans and republican leaders in washington, and republican presidential candidates. we know that they will quiver and quake and not talk about the difference between right and wrong, and, yet, this matters. so what do you make of that

conundrum? >> you were absolutely right. i think the reaction from james comer, for example, already has been to just poo-poo the whole thing and say, "oh, nothing to see here." of course, he's fixated on the fact that, you know, hunter biden may have paid his father back for a loan to buy a truck for like $1,000 or something like that, and that's a huge deal. but this $7.8 million that the house democrats have found that foreign governments unconstitutionally gave, or that trump accepted at his properties from foreign governments unconstitutionally. to say nothing of the $2 billion, nearly $3 billion that jared kushner after the presidency somehow miraculously

raised from the saudis, from the uae, from the persian gulf, basically, in exchange for what? well, we can guess. we've become numb to this, to these numbers and to these violations of the way this country is supposed to work and the way the presidency is supposed to work. the constitution says presidents are supposed to behave a way, yet here we are. the entire republican party is going to ignore this and say it's no big deal and let's move on. what about hunter biden and his laptop? >> yeah, to the peril of the entire country. coming up in just one minute, president biden will mark tomorrow's third anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol in a campaign speech in pennsylvania

today. we'll have a preview of his remarks. plus, we'll be joined by three of the law enforcement officers who helped defend the capitol that day. "morning joe" is back in 60 seconds. your sleep number settings. it's so smart, it actively cools and warms up to 13 degrees on either side for your ideal sleep temperature, and effortlessly responds to both of you. for your best sleep, night after night. the queen sleep number® c2 smart bed is now only $990. plus, special financing. shop for a limited time and sleep next level. only at sleep number.

welcome back. president biden will mark tomorrow's three-year anniversary of the january 6th capitol attack with a campaign speech today near valley forge, pennsylvania. he's expected to focus on the importance of american democracy in the 2024 election, emphasizing the danger another trump presidency would mean to the american institution. the biden campaign tells nbc news that, in its view, the january 6th attack has been underestimated, and that the president is, quote, going to be very straightforward about what happened, the truth of what happened, and the role that trump played.

a biden campaign advisors adds that while trump and his allies tried to rewrite what happened on january 6th, the images of that day are still very much seared into people's minds. and so, as we look, gosh, now three years after that day, it's definitely seared into our minds, jonathan lemire, but it has been papered over by a lot of republicans who will also refuse to sort of face what happened. now, you have states across the country that are opting to take trump off the ballot for engaging in insurrection. are we at the stage where we're going to debate whether or not that was an insurrection? >> trump and his allies have done an effective done convincing other republicans what happened on january 6th wasn't a big deal. trying to downplay it and normalize it. president biden simply isn't going to let that happen. aides tell me, from my reporting on this, he'll return to familiar themes about defending

democracy, about saying that it is, indeed, on the ballot this november. his aides believe when there are searing national moments like january 6th, the next election becomes a referendum on what happened. they think the american people are just so sick and disgusted of what happened on that january day three years ago, that they won't choose to go down that path and pick trump again. today's speech in valley forge, the unofficial kick-off of the biden campaign, twinned with a speech in south carolina on monday, the site of that racist mass shooting at a church in charleston some years ago. today, we'll hear from the president where he'll evoke his setting at valley forge. he'll talk about george washington, not just as a defender of american ideals, but as someone who walked away. someone who twice gave up power, resigning his commission leading the continental army, then again walking away from the presidency after two terms, setting the precedent that his successors followed for centuries, and comparing that to donald trump, who, of course, fought to

overturn the 2020 election, fought to cling to power and, president biden will argue, remains a real threat to our nation's democracy. >> on the eve of the third anniversary of january 6th, we wanted to talk to some of the heros of that day who helped save our democracy. they are former members of the capitol hill police and d.c. metro police, part of the law enforcement teams that defended the capitol that day, and the lawmakers inside from the rioters who violently stormed the building following a trump building. joining us, harry dunn, the author of the book, "standing my ground." former d.c. metropolitan police officer, michael finone. his book is, "hold the line." and former capitol police officer, aquilino gonell, author of "american shield," available in english and spanish. gentlemen, thank you for being with us again. three gentlemen and three heros we've gotten to know well over the last three years.

officer dunn, i'll start with you and just get your reflections on where we are three years on now. this day three years ago, you thought you had -- not routine, you had a big rally and a group of people there, but you never could have anticipated what was going to happen. your life is so different since then. what are you feeling as we approach this anniversary? >> good morning, willie. good morning, guys. good to see y'all and good to be here with everybody. man, i never anticipated that my clear would take the turn that it has now and that i am in the space that i am now. i never thought i'd be on a morning show with the title, "former capitol police officer" attached to it. but, you know, it's a little heartbreaking, a little bit. one, for selfish, personal reasons, but also for the direction that our country is headed in. i mean, who would have ever thought that, you know, like you said, we thought it was a normal protest that we'd dealt with

hundreds of times, thousands of times at the capitol. people expressing their first amendment right. we never thought -- earlier, you said, we'll debate, is this an insurrection? it's a violent uprising against a government, and that's what happened that day. it's important for all of us. i'm glad my fellow officers, former officers, are here with me and standing up and pushing back against that narrative that a lot of people on the right are trying to rewrite, erase, or completely whitewash it. >> officer finone, it's been shocking to a lot of americans who agree, the vast majority agree that january 6th was a terrible day. we believe what we saw with our eyes, either in person for many people or on television, but also this narrative that's taken hold in certain quarters among trump supporters, in particular, that it actually wasn't what we saw that day. that's the one side of it. the other side of it is, you've

had more than 1,200 people arrested. the head of the proud boys and oath keepers going to jail for a very long time. more convictions to come. prosecutors say they're halfway done with the people they want to find. how do you feel three years on after january 6th, 2021? >> i mean, when you mention all those investigations, the department of justice undertaking and, you know, prosecuting more than 1,200 americans for their actions on january 6th, states now starting to debate and make an effort to remove donald trump from the ballot, you know, all of those things, i think, are a good start and necessary. i don't want to put too much stock into any one institution. i think it is an all hands on deck effort to make sure that donald trump doesn't assume the presidency in 2024. we all know what that is going

to look like. he's told us as much. i also have to point out the disappointments i've had over the past three years, and that's, where is the outrage on behalf of the current administration? i give credit, joe biden has given some fiery speeches with regards to maga and its effort to overturn a free and fair election, but that's something this country needs to hear every single day, specifically younger people, young voters. when i go out and talk to them, they seem disillusioned with the political process. i think a lot of the problems that president biden is dealing with now, the image problems, stem from being too soft. you know, i feel like biden can be outraged.

he can express anger without coming across as unhinged like donald trump. i would like to see him fight for our democracy with the same tenacity that donald trump fights to destroy it. >> you may hear some of that from the president today in valley forge, pennsylvania, as he kind of launches that side of the campaign, which is this idea of defending our democracy. sergeant gonell, we've talked to you many times, always grateful for your time, talking about the injuries you suffered that day and how it changed the course of your career. effectively forced you out of your job because of what happened to you that day. what are your reflections three years after january 6th? >> three years. thank you for having me on your show. three years ago, i was doing my normal job. unfortunately, that tragic day ended my career due to the injuries that i sustained, both physical and mental, as well.

right now, i'm focused on myself and my family. i have been able to overcome a lot of the adversities that, you know, came about with the physical therapy and whatnot. you know, having that separation in time away from the capitol, not dealing with protecting the same people who are now saying that nothing happened on january 6th, allowed me to heal. one issue that i do have is with the new speaker of the house. you know, he claims to be on the side of law enforcement officers. he claims to be the party of the law and order. a couple weeks ago, he said, in the same sentence, "we want transparency in blurring out the faces of the rioters," the same people who were hunting them

down room by room and injured many of my colleagues, including all three of us who are here. so they are not the party of rule and law. whatever they said, it was just for political points. they don't believe it. they don't add on it in the way they say they do. that reflects in the records. >> aquilina gonell and michael fanone, i have a question for both of you. sergeant gonell, you've driven to the federal courthouse in d.c. to testify at trials, victim impact statements, to show support for other officers who were victims. there are, like, 1,200 cases now. you've been at 20 sentencings at least, including four cases where defendants were convicted of violently assaulting you. there are many who are serving time for crimes committed during

this insurrection, violent crimes. yet, former president donald trump labeled them as hostages in a speech recently. i'd like to hear from both of you just what your reaction is to that. aquilina gonell, how about you go first? >> as i was mentioning, these are the people who say they are pro law enforcement and in support of police. i was assaulted by more than 40 people on january 6th. you know, it's recorded. it's on video. it is on pictures. those are the ones that i mainly go to the courts to give my statement and also to testify. just right before christmas, one guy who -- one writer who assaulted me, injured my hand, he tried to -- he tried to tell is judge he didn't assault me when it was clearly on video.

these are violent people. whether they were violent before january 6th, i don't care. whether they were good people or not, they did it on january 6th. they were showing me who they were. that's the reason why i go to the court, to hold them accountable. whenever they get in front of the judge and claim -- ask for leniency because they have a family, because they have a kid, because they're too old, because they're too frail, because they have ptsd, because they are former member of the military, a veteran like myself, well, they should have thought about those things before they committed those crimes, before they assaulted me and my colleagues. i took the same oath that they did, and, yet, that did not make me remove myself from doing my duty and my job on january 6th. that's the reason why i continue to go to court and hold those people accountable.

i have a couple of trial cases that i'll be -- in the coming months, i'll be in court, as well, doing those things. >> michael fanone, your take on former president trump calling these criminals, convicted criminals hostages? >> it makes perfect sense to me. you know, the individuals that stormed the capitol on january 6th, attacked law enforcement in an effort to top the certification of the election, you know, those people, that's donald trump's core group of supporters. i don't know whether or not he actually believes that they're hostages or even that, you know, he cares for them outside of the fact that he knows they'll vote for him if he says things like that. it just comes back to the fact that, you know, their support for donald trump is based on lies, and so donald trump has to continue to perpetuate those lies in order to maintain that level of support.

>> another thing -- >> former -- go ahead, aquilino. >> another thing is, like, if he uses those connotations and calls them patriots, hostages, you know, tourists, peaceful protesters, if there are those things, according to him, what does that make us, the police officers? are we the sequesters? are we the hostage takers? we were the ones defending the capitol on january 6th, not the other way around. he's only accusing other people and making those assumptions because he never had done any sacrifice for anyone else but himself. >> former d.c. metropolitan police officer michael fanone. former capitol police sergeant aquilino gonell, thank you, both, very much for coming on the show this morning. thank you for your service. >> thanks for having me. >> thank you. >> thanks, guys.

>> harry dunn, i know you started off by saying you're surprised to be calling yourself a former capitol police officer. you're also author of "standing my ground," a book. we're keeping you on for a few more minutes because you have an announcement to make right here on "morning joe." what is it? >> yeah. you know, so it's so interesting. like, this whole process where january 6th has taken this country and has taken me personally. one of the things that i've always said and tried to live by is a saying that says, "until there is nothing that can be done, there's always something that can be done." i feel like i have run my race with the capitol police in the last 15 plus years of public service in that capacity. so here, right now, i'm here to announce my candidacy for congress in maryland's third district. you know, i just want to continue. what better way than to continue

fighting for the people of maryland, for the people of the united states, and to continue to defend democracy? because i think on january 6th, it exposed, one, how weak and fragile that it is, and i don't think it is an exaggeration to say -- it may sound scary -- but we are one election away from the extinction of democracy as we know it. i mean, democracy said it himself, that he is ready to be a dictator. you know, a lot of his supporters will sit there and say, "oh, he's just joking." but how many times has he said the things we thought were jokes that he actually did and took them seriously? right now, i'm here to announce my candidacy to fight back and be able to push back against the people in congress right now that i spent the last 15 years of my life protecting. i want to serve as their equal, as their colleague. i want a voice at the table. i'm ready for that challenge. so you can find out more information about that at harrydunnforcongress.com.

>> former capitol police officer, now officially a candidate for congress in maryland, harry dunn, thank you very much. and we will be talking to you again soon as a candidate. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> wow. gene robinson, that's not only incredibly moving, i'd love to hear your take on all of this. >> it is amazing to hear these three men who did their job on january 6th, who protected those members of congress, and the sort of hurt and sense of betrayal they still feel, understandably, inevitably, from the members of congress, the republican members of congress who now essentially say, "oh, it was nothing. they were tourists. they were peaceful protesters. they were whatever." the way that that hurts and

rankles these three men should hurt and rankle all of us, i think. they cannot, because of what they experiencexperienced, they leave behind that sense of hurt and outrage at what happened. i think it's just a reminder to all of us that we can't either. we can't forget what happened on january 6th. it was unprecedented. it was horrific. it was a rupture in the constitutional order, the kind of which we had never, ever seen in this country before, and we must never see again. we have to -- i do agree with officer fanone, we have to keep that front and center because it's so important. that was a historic day in the worst possible way. >> jonathan lemire, it is so true listening to those accounts from the three officers, so much

has been clouded and whitewashed and rewritten about what happened that day. we saw it. you wrote an entire, excellent book about it called "the big lie," what led up to the day and what happened after it. listening to officer fanone, it is important when you listen to the story that donald trump tries to tell every day, he was dragged down the steps, stunned with a stun gun, and suffered a mild heart attack. that was one officer on that day. hundreds of those people have pled guilty now. as sergeant aquilino was saying, they're asking for mercy from the court, "donald trump sent me to do it." we know what happened. we covered it. we were there. there is a portion of this population right now that has bought into the story that donald trump and others have tried to sell them, that what happened that day wasn't so bad or it didn't really happen at all, or the fbi was behind it, all these nonsense conspiracy theories. you have to listen to the officers. they can tell you exactly what

happened that day. be cognisant, as they pointed out, that donald trump, you better believe, will be ready to do it again if he loses. >> yeah, that violence was inspired by donald trump's words and donald trump's lies, period. that can't be overstated here. it can't be said enough. yes, as i mentioned earlier, the republicans have done a good job, like, trying to downplay it, suggesting it was a conspiracy or a political protest that got out of hand. it wasn't that bad. it is being overblown by those who want to make sure trump can't take the white house again. we have trump himself referring to the -- to those convicted of riots on january 6th, calling them hostages. appearing with a choir of january 6th convicts singing the national anthem. he's embraced it and normalized it. he is heading in that direction. no doubt, the political violence is very, very possible as we start this election year, violence which would look like

what happened on january 6th. we'll hear it again from president biden today, saying that extremism, that political violence has no place in this country. it belongs on other shores, not ours. he'll say that donald trump and his movement represent a threat to our democracy. were donald trump to win again, this nation wouldn't be the same. we wouldn't come out of it after four years with the same ideals we have now. >> that is correct. still ahead on "morning joe," president biden is facing backlash, this time from within his own campaign. an anonymous letter from staff members is demanding the president call for a cease-fire between israel and hamas. but our next guest says the terrorist group doesn't want one. "the atlantic's" graeme wood will explain why. "morning joe" is coming right back.

i have a surprise for you i have a surprise for you! what! ok let's say it at the same time. ok 3...2..1... - i booked a surprise hotel in south beach! - i booked a rustic cabin in vermont! free cancellation on most stays - oh that's nice - that's good too... booking.com, booking dot... yeah.

shopify's point of sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. need a fast and secure way to take payments? we've got you covered. how about card readers that you can rely on? yep, that too. want one place to manage every sale from every channel? that's kind of our thing. whatever you sell, businesses that grow grow with shopify.

singlecare is amazing. even though i have insurance, it can't beat the pricing i get on my medication through singlecare. before i submit any prescriptions, i always check singlecare first! just go to singlecare.com, search for your prescription and show the coupon to your pharmacist. millions of people on medicare, just like me, use singlecare every month, and you can too! visit singlecare.com and start saving today. hey you, with the small business... ...whoa... you've got all kinds of bright ideas, that your customers need to know about. constant contact makes it easy. with everything from managing your social posts, and events, to email and sms marketing. constant contact delivers all the tools you need to help your business grow. get started today at constantcontact.com constant contact. helping the small stand tall.

secretary of state antony blinken is headed to the middle east today as tensions continue to rise across the region. just yesterday, the united states carried out a drone strike in iraq and more ships in the red sea were attacked. nbc news chief international correspondent keir simmons reports. >> reporter: the u.s. sending a message to iran. an american air strike killing the leader of an iranian-backed militia in baghdad. a senior u.s. defense official calling it a precision strike on his vehicle. saying he was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against american personnel. u.s. bases in the middle east have been hit over 100 times by various iran-backed militias, according to the pentagon. iraq furious, saying the assassination breaks agreements

it had with washington. then there's theranianiranian-b militia. hours after there was a final warning to the group to stop attacks on ships in the red sea, the houthis launching an unmanned drone boat loaded with explosives and detonating just a couple of miles from u.s. navy and commercial ships, the pentagon says. president biden under pressure to order a stronger military response. among the options reviewed by members of his national security team wednesday, strikes against houthi targets inside yemen, involving the u.s. and other allied militaries, according to two current administration officials. >> i'm certainly not going to telegraph any punches one way or another. we take it seriously. >> reporter: the red sea, a critical economic route used by 12% of global cargo shipping. as fears mount of massive disruption to trade fueling more inflation. meanwhile, iran is under pressure, too, after that deadly terror attack inside iran

wednesday. isis claiming responsibility. there were fears of an escalating regional conflict here in lebanon, too. hamas holding the funeral of a leader assassinated this week in a drone strike at a hamas office in beirut. israel not publicly saying it was behind it, but it has promised to hunt down hamas leaders after the october 7th terror attacks. >> keir simmons reporting for us there. meanwhile, israel's defense minister is outlining his vision for the next phase of the war against hamas. under the plan, the idf would shift to what appears to be a scaled down approach to combat, focusing on, quote, erosion of terror hot spots inside gaza. in the north, troops will conduct raids and special operations, while in the south, the main focus will be on eliminating hamas leadership. the proposal also talks about post-war gaza, explainin hamas no longer will be in charge, while israel will keep security ntrol of the strip and only take military action when necessary. there will be no israeli

civilian presence once the war is over. palestinian entities likely made up of local civil servants or communal leaders would run the territory with israel providing some guidance, it says. the defense minister says the next phase of the war has not yet begun. his plan still needs to be approved by israel's war and security cabinets. joining us now, former supreme allied commander of nato, retired four star navy admiral james stavridis. he is chief international analyst for nbc news. also with us, staff writer at "the atlantic," graeme wood. his article is, "hamas doesn't want a cease-fire." good morning to you both. admiral, let me start with your analysis of the proposed, new plan from israel about what this war will look like. you've been telling us for some time, at some point soon, it would come down to more targeted raids and going after hamas leadership and not the wide-scale bombing we've seen. what do you make of this new proposal? >> i think it makes sense.

i like the idea of a division of mission between north and south. in the north, the center of gravity is the infrastructure. it's the tunnel complex. it is the ability that hamas created to launch this kind of dramatic strike against israel, to shield their nefarious activities from overhead senator -- sensors. it's all of that. that'll be in the north. in the south, the center of gravity remains the leadership of hamas. that's where they're still holed up. the ones that haven't fled to qatar or the persian gulf or other points north. there are two distinct missions there, willie. the good news for israel is that neither one of them requires massive bombing campaigns, huge collateral damage. there will be less of that going forward, and the israelis will use more of their special forces, foot soldiers,

precision-guided work, commandos, if you will, alongside engineers who are going to be thinking very long and hard and how to permanency decommission that tunnel complex in the north. i think this is a good military, tactical strategy. what i am less clear about is the vague sort of way the local control will be given to clans or families or entities. that strikes me as a prescription for a lot of confusion and a lot of danger. i would want to see a cleaner plan, but there aren't willing participants on the other side, at least yet, to take the hangover. israel is reaching for some kind of plan going forward. i think it is going to be very difficult, as usual in war. it is easy to get conduct the

fight. the hard part is the exit strategy. i don't see that yet. >> as you look at the top line on the proposed war plan, it just says as a matter of fact, "hamas will not control gaza." easier said than done, admiral. graeme, you're writing about this this week in "the atlantic," that hamas won't accept a cease-fire. that's what we have known as people have been calling for cease-fire here in the united states and around the world in this war. hamas will not cease-firing, despite what the world is asking for. how do you see this playing out from here? >> yeah, admiral stavridis is correct. much of the plan that has been outlined is realistic. the long-term plan, still a lot of hand waving that is involved in suggesting there will be some palestinian presence that will administer the gaza strip. what we're seeing, though, is that hamas needs something other than a cease-fire, the opposite

of a cease-fire, for it to achieve its objectives. at some point, it was hoping that israel would kind of let up on its bombing, on its attempt to invade the gaza strip. when that didn't happen, now the only hope that hamas has is to widen the war, to make it regional. when we say, you know, we'd like a cease-fire, it's a matter of saying in hebrew, also in arabic and persian, too, because the war has been, at hamas' desire and at the guidance increasingly of tehran, widened to include, as your report said, the houthis, hezbollah, and other entities in iraq that are guided by iran. asking iran to cease-fire is asking it to abandon a mission it has had for the better part of 30 years. >> admiral, from the early hours of this war, the biden administration has been intent that it not widen into a

regional-wide conflict. what we have seen in this last week or so, we have seen the explosions in iran. we have seen the killing in iraq. we have seen violencen lebanon, the strike in beirut. we, of course, have seen the growing chaos it in the red sea. walk us through this. is this gaza spilling over its borders? how concerned are you that this could just be the beginning of something that gets even bigger? >> i am very concerned about it. graeme is exactly right. graeme, by the way, came up when i was dean of the fletcher school at tufts university, did a marvelous presentation about one of his earlier books. graeme, good to see you. he is correct, this is a decision that is not going to be made in washington, not going to be made in jerusalem, not going to be made in the gaza strip, not going to be made in beirut. it is going to be made in tehran. you know, we think the iranians are this annoying, mid-level power. that's not how they see themselves. they see themselves as

inheritors of the persian empire, which stretched from the indus river in south asia to the mediterranean sea. their objectivities are breathtaking, and they're going to continue to pursue them. the one i'm particularly focused on and that worries me in terms of a widening conflict, in addition to all of the hot spots you mentioned, jonathan, and you know the admiral is going to say this, is out at sea. the reason is because 15% of the world's shipping, maybe a bit more, is really in irons, we would say in the navy, because they can't get through the red sea. you know, it is a big place. it is the size of the state of california. it's that body of water kind of dead in the center of the graphic you're showing. you can't patrol the state of california with half a dozen police cars called cruisers and destroyers. sooner or later, we have not to deter iran into pulling back on these houthi pirates. frankly, we have to stop calling

them houthi pirates. they're iranian pirates. they're trained, equipped, and organized by tehran. that is a dagger pointed at the heart of the global shipping chains. if that is allowed to continue, the economic impact will be disastrous. i know the white house is looking carefully. doesn't want to escalate. doesn't want to drag us into a regional war, but we have got to create more deterrents in the minds of tehran. >> i have a question for graeme which is about the day after. the biden administration has a very clear position that it ought to be the palestinian authority, which has authority in the west bank, that ultimately comes in and somehow runs gaza after the war. the israelis have just given a flat no to that. how do you think that gets

resolved between these two key actors, the united states and israel, as to what happens and who leads gaza? >> yeah, i mean, the american argument for why it should be the palestinian authority is a two-word argument, "who else?" it is the only palestinian entity that has established itself with any competence at all. i use that word advisedly because its competence can certainly be questioned. the israeli position that the palestinian authority cannot be ruling gaza is a byproduct of a broader view, that this war can't be for nothing. there is a large constituency in israel that says, as long as there is an armed entity in gaza that doesn't support the right of israel to exist or has a hostile view toward israel, it'll eventually use those arms. there will be another 7th of october. i think these are simply

incommensurable views. there is no way that the israelis, as they're currently constituted, as their government is currently constituted, will be okay with a palestinian authority moving in, and the united states has, along with many others who are observing the situation, has no better offering. i'm very curious to see how this will be resolved. there has to be something other than an israeli occupation there, and i'm curious what it'll be. >> "the atlantic's" graeme wood and four star retired navy admiral james stavridis, thank you, both, very much for your insights this morning. still ahead on "morning joe," nikki haley angers some iowa republicans after suggesting at a rally in new hampshire that gop voters there are better at picking presidents. we'll show you how that is playing out on the campaign trail. "morning joe" is coming right back.

she found it. the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis... for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding that outfit psoriasis

tried to hide from you. or finding your swimsuit is ready for primetime. dad! once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu.

okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪♪) do you like that bone? i got a great price on it. did you see my tail when that chewy box showed up? oh, i saw it. my tail goes bonkers for treats at great prices. sorry about the vase. shop and get a $30 egift card through january 14th, at chewy.

i think he's having a midlife crisis shop and get a $30 egift card through january 14th, i'm not. you got us t-mobile home internet lite. after a week of streaming they knocked us down... ...to dial up speeds. like from the 90s. great times. all i can do say is that my life is pre-- i like watching the puddles gather rain. -hey, your mom and i procreated to that song. oh, ew! i think you've said enough. why don't we just switch to xfinity like everyone else? then you would know what year it was. i know what year it is.

after a few year, the oversight committee of the house of representatives has discovered corruption of foreign influence peddling by a president of the united states. >> startling. it should scare any american. quite frankly, it shows the illegal grift that donald trump and his family have put on this country. >> you'll see that we used very conservative accounting methods here, and the republicans have not been able to find one thing wrong with this report. they've basically accepted the facts. >> that's the problem there. house democrats say donald trump received millions of dollars from foreign governments during his presidency. we'll dig into the new report that details dozens of countries from which trump's businesses

accepted payments while he was president. plus, we'll dive into a piece entitled, "it's maddening that the supreme court could decide 2024." we'll bring in a former federal prosecutor to discuss that. welcome back to "morning joe." it is friday, january 5th. jonathan lemire is still with us. joining the conversation, we have msnbc contributor mike barnicle and editor at the non-partisan group protect democracy, amanda carpenter is with us this morning. president biden will mark tomorrow's three-year anniversary of the january 6th capitol attack with a campaign speech today near valley forge, pennsylvania. now, he is expected to focus on the importance of american democracy in the 2024 election, emphasizing the danger another trump presidency would mean to the american institution. the biden campaign tells nbc news that in its view, the

january 6th attack has been underestimated and that the president is, quote, going to be very straightforward about what happened, the truth of what happened, and the role that trump played. willie, i think the big question here for president biden, for the biden campaign as they embark on the campaign with a speech like this, and you can take it to our guests, but, i mean, it's what we talk about every day. you know, we know the difference between right and wrong. there is a u.s. constitution that this former president plans to flout, already has. this new reporting about getting millions of dollars from foreign countries. we only have information from a certain amount of time during his presidency. there's probably a lot more, and you can believe him when he says he's going to act unconstitutionally or commit a crime. yet, there are, as you know, so many people in positions of

power and american voters who won't care. the question will be, how does president biden and the biden campaign reclaim the truth and the values around them? >> yeah, the truth may be lost to a certain segment of the population that will follow donald trump off a cliff and believe anything he has to say. even that polling that was disheartening in some ways earlier this week about how many people now have come around to donald trump's view that january 6th wasn't so bad, that joe biden was not legitimately elected, show a majority of americans do know that january 6th was a terrible day in american history. they do know that joe biden was elected as president of the united states. they do know that donald trump tried to overturn the election. amanda carpenter, yes, there is a group in this country that is so dyed in the wool for donald trump, that they are hardened in their position and will not be persuaded away from joe biden's argument today about democracy and about the stakes of this

election. but there are a lot of people who understand that this could turn the country in a completely new direction if donald trump is elected again. >> yeah. i think the real trick for joe biden, not only in this space, but for his entire campaign is to, yes, put these issues front and center, but also make the argument about why it matters to individual americans. there are a lot of republicans who are uncomfortable with what happened but just want to forget about it, put it behind them, and pretend like it shouldn't be a voting issue. i'm sort of thinking about a george will, for example, who had a column earlier this week, basically arguing that donald trump and joe biden were both sort of authoritarians because joe biden used an improper process to try to install a national highway safety administrator. i mean, that is a ridiculous argument, but that's going -- you're going to see a lot of that as the field consolidates around donald trump. what joe biden has to do is talk

to those types of people and say, "you know what? this matters to your personal safety, liberty, and freedom if we elect someone like donald trump." when he promises to pardon people like january 6th rioters, what he is doing is he is providing a presidential license for violence, political violence, in the future. if we elect someone who doesn't believe in the peaceful transfer of power, we might not have elections anymore. i really hope that he can, you know, talk about january 6th, bring it home to the voters in that type of way, so they know it matters to them in their individual lives. >> mike barnicle, we have heard from the president before on this theme, and democrats think it was an effective argument ahead of the 2022 midterms. there had been naysayers in the pundit class saying, "don't talk about democracy. americans don't care." polling showed americans do care, and it was the difference

in the battleground states. senior aides previewed to me the speech, and they say biden will extend the concept of freedom of democracy to other issues in the speech today, including access to voting, economic freedom, and abortion rights, all very, very important, everyday matters for the american voter going into the next -- going into this election year. mike, what kind of arguments should president biden make when he stands near valley forge this afternoon? >> it is not only valley forge but every hour of every day. amanda is absolutely right. unless you concentrate on telling people and talking about democracy, we're soon going to end up losing a democracy. i mean, this is a very depressing state that we're in as a country when you think about it. when you think about the percentage of people who don't believe that joseph r. biden is the legitimately elected president of the united states. when you have a certain percentage of people believing that january 6th was maybe instigated by the fbi or it was just a very peaceful

demonstration. it has been overblown. all of that is thriving in the bloodstream of the republic. it is dangerous. it is depressing. the year ahead is going to be really, really demanding of us as citizens, to take a look at what's going to happen. the president of the united states every day has the job of doing many, many things. presiding over trying to calm down the middle east. trying to make sure the south china sea is available for shipping. all sorts of dangerous elements in the presidency he has to deal with. but one of the biggest things he has to deal with, maybe the most important thing, is keeping this country believing in and of itself. believing that we are america. we are different. that we are still the greatest nation in the world. he has to do it every day. one element he has going for him, i would suggest, that maybe will play out more publicly over the long period of time between now and november, is his decency. he is a truly decent human

being. he has to ask america really, not in these words, but he has to ask america, what do you want to risk going forward? listen to donald trump. listen to joe biden. what are you willing to risk with your vote? meanwhile, voters in illinois and massachusetts have filed petitions to remove donald trump from their state's primary ballots. the filings cite the same 14th amendment statute that was used successfully in maine and colorado. both those decisions have been appealed. the illinois challenge was filed yesterday by a group of five voters asking the illinois board of elections to bar trump from both the march primary and november general election ballots. in massachusetts, challengers include former boston mayor kim gainey, as well as a mix of republicans, independents, and

democrats. the u.s. supreme court is expected to accept an appeal to the colorado ruling that found trump engaged in an insurrection on january 6th and is, therefore, ineligible to appear on the ballot. that ruling could affect rulings and lawsuits and other states using the same reasoning. joining us now, former federal prosecutor and contributing writer for "new york" magazine, ankush kaddouri. it is maddening the supreme court could decide 2024, i want to understand that. i am in the middle of reading it right now, but why would that be maddening, in the case, in this case that it is eligibility that's the question. i think it is a simple question and not a political one. >> yeah. i mean, however one sort of approaches the question of the eligibility and the merits of the question, the point i wanted

to help readers work through is where we are at this very odd moment in america. this is a supreme court, right, that in the last couple years, has totally upended the law on abortion, on voting rights, on gun rights. you know, the second amendment and all that. there was a period of time, you may remember, i'm sure you folks were talking about it quite a bit, after the 2020 election, where there were people clamoring for supreme court reform, right? expanding the court, closing term limits. the biden administration sort of took a pass on that. they had this sort of commission that produced a report that was, like, sort of promptly forgotten. last year, that supreme court tanked his signature domestic policy initiative, the student loan relief initiative. those same people now are going to be addressing the disqualification issue. you have that being a very peculiar element of this. second, the supreme court has to consider this issue of whether or not donald trump is immune from criminal prosecution. that is introducing a delay in

the calendar and a question about when this criminal trial might occur. but as we've talked about before, the justice department's original sin here was not investigating and moving this prosecution along more quickly. there is another world in which, you know, jack smith or someone else had been given the same mandate in early 2021, you know, trump could have been charged in mid 2022. we could have seen a trial, potentially a conviction last year, with the political knock-on effects underway. that didn't happen. now, we're at the start of what i think will be a rancorous and challenging year for everyone, as mike barnicle said. it is important to understand why we're here. >> i do see what you're saying. i'm also wondering, what is the alternative? in terms of this 14th amendment issue which is legitimate, eligibility is legitimate, where else could it go? if it doesn't go to the supreme

court, you'll have states all doing -- it could be chaos. >> you're absolutely right. the supreme court has to take this issue up. if we were to roll back the tape, though, there were a couple times congress could have gotten involved, right? obviously, the second impeachment, they could have disqualified trump at that point from running for re-election. even after the fact, and there were scholars making this argument publicly at "politico" in early 20222, saying congress could create a mechanism to resolve this question of whether or not trump was involved in an insurrection. it'd be a calm and systematic way in resolving this, rather than leaving it to potentially 50 states to do this. there were other sort of very subtle, potential approaches here, but you're absolutely right. where we are now, the supreme court has to take this issue up and resolve it, i think, as quickly as possible. >> ankush, you mentioned in passing something a lot of people have raised and wondered about. the lack of swiftness with which

the justice department looked at donald trump's crimes when the january '21, they took over. merrick garland became attorney general, and nothing happened for months and months and months. do you have any sense of why it took so long for the department of justice to move? >> there have been two broad theories, and i'll tell you what i think really happened. one is there was sort of this issue to do a bottom-up criminal investigation. start with the rioters, and maybe someday we'll end up with donald trump. that theory never made much sense for reasons i wrote about at the time. that's not how real, large, complex criminal investigations work in reality. you want to get to the top as quickly as possible. i don't think that's what was going on. another hypothesis born out in a reporting i did in a profile for merrick garland is there was a real hesitance coming into office by biden and garland.

they didn't want to appear to be going after trump with a special prosecutor, thinking it'd be disruptive and politically unsettling. that, for sure, was biden's position, and i think garland ended up sort of following it, too, maybe held it independently. i think there was reluctance on his part, and i know "the washington post" issued a major report last year i know you folks talked about, about the year and a half long delay. frankly, there is no good explanation, unfortunately. >> former federal prosecutor, "new york" magazine's ankush kaddouri, we appreciate it. special counsel jack smith and former prosecutors should be held in contempt, the trump team says, because they failed to provide discovery documents. trump's legal team argued the special counsel continuing to work on the case violates the stay of trial proceedings.

last month, judge chutkan paused the federal election interference trial while an appeals court considers trump's claim of presidential immunity. however, there's nothing in the order that bars federal prosecutors from continuing to proactively provide discovery or file motions, even though the deadlines were lifted. a statement from the trump campaign praised the defense team's motion, calling the prosecution's work on the case, quote, harassing litigation. the special counsel declined to respond to that. obviously, these are delay tactics, throwing up smoke screens and everything else. this trial will move on eventually once the immunity question is resolved. but going back to what is before the supreme court here, you have the immunity question and qualification question. should donald trump be on those ballots in colorado? should he be on the ballot in maine? new states moving, as mika read to us, that they want to take him off the ballot, as well, at least in this primary. what is your sense of how the

supreme court may move here and also how it may weigh the implications in the society, knowing that it is their job, obviously, to interpret the constitution, but they also are human beings who understand what it means to take donald trump off a presidential ballot. >> yeah. when i think about the 2024 presidential campaign, i think it may not resemble so much of a campaign but a long courtroom drama series. we are going to be talking about all of these issues. eligibility, immunity, insurrection, emoluments, which is now coming back. what i fear is that the court will be reluctant to make rulings because they've ducked to many in the past. the house democrats have this new report you discussed previously in the show documenting how trump profited from so many foreign governments and countries while he was in office. the plain letter of the

constitution forbids that kind of activity. the plain letter of the constitution forbids insurrections from taking office. yet, somehow, that is an open question that we are going to have to discuss over the next seven months perhaps. my biggest fear is what happens if the supreme court does not rule on this? the court did have an opportunity to rule on the emoluments clause previously, but they said it was moot because when the cases came to the court, trump was no longer in office. yet, behold, he is going to be most likely a candidate for the highest office in the land once again. these issues are hard, and we're in this position, especially regarding january 6th, because people have ducked them. congress ducked it. they had the opportunity to conflict donald trump and bar him from office. they didn't. now, we're talking about it three years later.

not only the court, but maybe as americans, we can use this as an opportunity to have a national civics lesson about what the constitution means. what it means to be an american, and what our obligation is as voters when we go to the ballot box to uphold the constitution ourselves, and not just look for people in black robes to do it for us. >> absolutely. editor at the non-partisan group protect democracy, amanda carpenter, thank you so much for coming on the show this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. still ahead on "morning joe," we'll have the latest out of the house oversight committee on the heels of a new report from democrats alleging donald trump received millions of dollars in foreign payments during his presidency. that as republicans leading the potential press on with their impeachment inquiry into president biden and make new plans to start a series of impeachment hearings against his homeland security secretary over the situation at the u.s.

southern border. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. the queen sleep number® c2 smart bed is now only $990. plus, special financing. shop for a limited time, only at sleep number.

i used to leak urine when i coughed, laughed or exercised.

i couldn't even enjoy playing with my kids. i leaked too. i just assumed it was normal. then we learned about bulkamid - an fda-approved, non-drug solution for our condition. it really works, and it lasts for years. it's been the best thing we've done for our families. visit findrealrelief.com to find an expert physician near you. ask if bulkamid is right for you and discuss potential risks. results and experiences may vary. move beyond the leaks. rsv is out there. for those 60 years and older protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. i chose arexvy. rsv? make it arexvy.

this morning, police in iowa are investigating a motive in a deadly school shooting that took place yesterday in the town of perry on the first day oflass after winter break. authorities say a 17-year-old student at perry high school acted alone when he opened fire right before classes were scheduled to begin, killing one sixth grade student and injuring four other students and a school administrator. one of those hurt is in critical condition this morning. the young gunman, armed with a pump action shotgun and caliber handgun died of a self-inflicted wound at the scene. officers found an explosive device at the school described as rudimentary. president biden and merrick garland were briefed yesterday.

iowa governor reynolds posted, quote, our hearts are broken by this senseless tragedy. our prayers are with the students, teachers, and families of the perry community. mika, another tragic school shooting taking place in iowa, where several of the, obviously for reasons of the caucuses just around the bend, several of the candidates were there commenting, as well. a dark day in perry, iowa. hearts go out to everybody in the community. >> absolutely. now to this. the mayor of new york city is suing 17 texas charter bus companies for more than $700 million to cover the costs of caring for migrants transported to his city on their buses. the move is the latest escalation in mayor eric adams' fight against texas governor greg abbott and his policy of busing thousands of migrants from his state's southern border

to new york. adams accused the republican governor of using the migrants as political pawns. abbott responded in a statement calling the lawsuit baseless. the move comes just a week after adams announced an executive order restricting how charter buses can drop off migrants in the city, which prompted the bus companies to begin dropping migrants off at transit hubs in new jersey instead. my god. joining us now, congressional reporter for "the hill," mychael schnell. we have a lot to talk to you about. let's start right there because the border is still a huge issue for both sides. there are still negotiations going on on capitol hill for a deal, but you have republicans going to the border, dog and pony show, trying to show they care and, yet, some of them admit they actually don't want a deal because it'd help joe biden. they're moving to impeach homeland security secretary mayorkas. what is actually really going

on? >> well, the one thing for sure which is pretty clear across the board, mika, is the border, border security, and immigration are going to be a key focus on capitol hill when lawmakers return to washington next week. republicans are going to be putting a full-court press on this matter, as you mentioned. proceedings for impeaching secretary mayorkas will begin next week. there's going to be that first impeachment hearing, the first of four, which will be in the lead-up to an impeachment resolution that the house will eventually vote on. in addition to that, this week, we saw speaker johnson lead a delegation of around 60 house republicans to the border in eagle pass where they met there with officials. held a press conference criticizing mayorkas and bringing attention to the flow of migrants over the border. it shows this is going to be a key issue. the interesting part when you bring it in is, remember, border security is preventing lawmakers from approving new ukraine aid. republicans insisted in order to send additional aid to ukraine,

they need to strike a deal on border security, as you mentioned perfectly. this has been held up for weeks. senators, bipartisan group of senators have been unable to launch a deal on this, to land a deal on this, to unlock that ukraine aid. the next wrinkle in this fight is government funding. some republicans saying they will not fund the government unless there is some sort of border security deal. we know the first government funding deadline is inching upon us january 19th. border security in a lot of different ways is going to be extremely significant on capitol hill. >> you did a good job laying out the timeline here, and the time is short to get this deal done. we know, we hear from the ukrainians how desperate they are for this aid. the u.s. falling short even as north korea and iran are supplying russia with what they need. how serious are republicans of getting a deal at all? there's been chatter that they like the idea of the border being out there as a political issue with which they can use as

a cajole against biden in a re-election year. what is the chances they let this go and hope the images of the border flood american television screens and damage the president's re-election chances? >> it depends who you're talking about. mitch mcconnell, right, who has been one of the foremost, if not the foremost republican proponent for ukraine aid, someone like him wants a deal struck on border security to unlock that foreign aid, to be able to send it overseas, especially as we're approaching the two-year mark of russia's war with ukraine. then sometimes you talk about some of the other conservatives who like to be rabble-rousers and cause problems for the president. everything has a political spin to it since we're officially in the election year. we're two weeks out from the iowa caucuses, so that is definitely a possibility. i don't think you can say blanketly that all republicans are looking to sort of let the border situation carry on, to cause problems for the

president. it is a real issue that ukraine aid is not being able to go overseas. it is a real issue that the government should shut down. historically, nobody wins in a shutdown. >> i want to ask you about this new finding from the democrats on the house oversight committee. we had congressman garcia on a short time ago. congressman raskin coming up to talk more about it. donald trump, according to their findings, received nearly $8 million in payments from foreign governments to his businesses during his time as president. we tick through some of the details of that story, but it also serves as a counterbalance to what is happening on the other side of that committee. they're seeking to impeach joe biden based on allegations, and they are only allegations at this point, that he somehow profited, that he used the family name through hunter biden to enrich the biden family. what is your read on how this sorts out? >> this is a long-time report from democrats on the house oversight committee. the investigation has been going on i believe since 2016. it began under elijah cummings,

who was then the top democrat on the panel. essentially outlining, as you said there, that former president trump's businesses took in $7.8 million, at least $7.8 million from entities related to 20 foreign countries. they're saying that this, you know -- a lot of this money is a violation of the emoluments clause, which says the president cannot accept any gifts or profits from foreign entities unless it is approved by congress. the report notes that trump did not go to congress asking to be able to accept these profits. on one hand, the facts of the matter are, you know, they're significant. it does bring up the conversation of foreign influence on the president, something that has been a topic of conversation in washington for years. of course, then you bring in the political aspect of it. you mention that democrats on the oversight committee are releasing this report as republicans on the committee and other committees are ramping up their impeachment investigation into president biden. just before we left for holiday

recess, the house voted to formally open the impeachment inquiry. it's the expectation that more depositions, potentially more hearings, more interviews are expected in this new year. of course, those investigations are looking for any evidence that hunter biden or the biden family business dealings improperly influenced president biden. that has not been proven. there has not been any direct evidence. now, democrats are coming out and saying, "hey, look, there were foreign entities who were contributing money to the president's businesses while the president was in office." it's a really fascinating split screen, and i don't think the timing was too much of a coincidence. >> you just mentioned that the latest and newest republican speaker of the house took a group of members of congress to eagle pass, texas. he's aware of what happened to kevin mccarthy. is he walking on eggshells? >> oh, yeah. i mean, any republican who is leading this republican conference is walking on eggshells for a few reasons. the two most foremost being, a,

the wide diversity of the republican conference. you have people all the way from moderate, vulnerable republicans in new york to the conservatives who voted to oust kevin mccarthy. a number of them members of the house freedom caucus. handling this conference for anybody would be difficult, but what makes it particularly difficult this current congress is the slim majority that republicans have, which just decreased smaller with -- decreased more with the expulsion of george santos, the resignation of kevin mccarthy. johnson, a republican, announcing he is leaving congress to become a president of a university. republicans this month will have a two-vote margin, two-vote majority in the house, assuming all members are present and all democrats are opposing the party-line bills. it is extremely difficult to get anything done with the razor thin majority, especially when you're talking about the diversity of the republican conference in terms of politics. i mean, absolutely, he is walking on eggshells. i don't think we'll see another

motion to vacate because of the havoc after the first one. now, the conservatives will have to say that they won, so they'll have to show they're happy with mike johnson. absolutely, especially when we start talking about government funding, again, january 19th, february 2nd, those deadlines. it'll be tough to get things done in this razor thin majority. >> congressional reporter for "the hill," mychael schnell, thank you, as always. it is great to see you. great to have you on. coming up, how a pair of teenagers both made history in different ways. their inspiring stories are straight ahead. but before we go to break, willie, what do you have planned for "sunday today?" >> kicking off the new year with a great one. the great emily blunt is my guest. coming up this sunday. >> fabulous. >> on nbc. we got together and she played oppenheimer's wife in that movie. a lot of awards talk around her

performance. also, a delightful person to sit and chat with about her career, her husband, john krasinski. a great conversation with emily blunt coming up this sunday over on nbc, "sunday today." we'll be right back here on "morning joe." power e*trade's award-winning trading app makes trading easier. with its customizable options chain, easy-to-use tools and paper trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. e*trade from morgan stanley power e*trade's easy-to-use tools make complex trading less complicated. custom scans help you find new trading opportunities,

while an earnings tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. e*trade from morgan stanley i found a cheaper price on my meds with singlecare. did you say singlecare? i use singlecare. are we talking singlecare? i saved 40 bucks with singlecare.

-that's cool. - yeah. i have all my customers check the singlecare price first. good job. whenever my customers ask me if there's a cheaper price on their meds. i always tell them about singlecare. you just search your prescription, find the best price and show your coupon, in the app, to the pharmacist. i found a cheaper price with singlecare! i know. download the singlecare app free today. at bombas, we're obsessed with socks. tees. and underwear. because your basic things should be your best things. one purchased equals one donated. visit bombas.com and get 20% off your first order.

♪♪ look at the beautiful shot of new york city. 37 past the hour. take a moment. it is friday. even as annoying as that music is, there is a point now to the music. we have an update now on a story that grabbed a lot of headlines this week. a teenage boy who became the first person to defeat what many thought was an unbeatable game. correspondent steve patterson has more. >> to the sounds of bleeps and bloops to a near

nervous breakdown. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: you're witnessing one of the proudest moments in the history of video games. tetris toppled by human hands. >> i'm going to pass out. >> reporter: the guy freaking out is oklahoma's teenage tetris wiz, willis gibson. >> i can't feel my fingers. >> reporter: the 13-year-old scoring so high, the game couldn't function, reaching the kill screen in 38 minutes at level 157. >> oh, my god! >> i just started being shocked and was happy i did it. >> tetris. >> reporter: tetris and its beautiful blocks have been falling into our hearts for nearly 40 years. the rules are simple. fit the falling shapes into falling rows. as the levels rise, tetris goes faster and faster. the teen believed to be the first person to beat the game, so historic, the ceo of tetris calling it a feat that deies

all preconceived limits of this legendary game. willis says it took a lot of practice. the win dedicated to his dad, who tragically died in december. >> dedicating it to my dad. he was always very supportive. i think he'd be proud. >> reporter: tearing down an icon brick by brick. >> yes! >> reporter: a game-breaking victory just falling into place. >> oh, my god! >> it is a great game. flashbacks to the gameboy. remember that? nbc's steve patterson reporting for us there. and another young phenom to tell you about in london. 16-year-old sensation luke littler became the youngest finalist ever at the world darts championship. 16 years old, made it all the way to the finals. knocking out two former champions. ultimately, he was defeated in wednesday's title match by the world number one, luke humphries, ending littler's

fairy tale won. humphries got a $630,000 grand prize. as runnerup, littler took home $250,000 in prize money. he is 16 years old. keep an eye on that one. still ahead, pennsylvania governor josh shapiro will join us ahead of president biden's trip to his state for a speech marking the third anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol. governor shapiro joins us next on thorj. or shapiro joins us net on thorj "morning joe"

. president biden will be in pennsylvania today to deliver his first campaign speech of the year on the eve of the third anniversary of the january 6th insurrection. biden is expected to make the sharpest attacks of the campaign against former president trump.

he will be speaking at the historic revolutionary em campment at valley forge, which the campaign hopes will highlight that democracy and freedom are at stake in the upcoming election. joining us now, democratic governor of pennsylvania, josh shapiro, who will be attending the president's speech today. governor, thank you for joining us. what will you be looking for tonight, and what will be the challenge for the president, making the case to an electorate that, well, on the republican side, the clear, clear, by far frontrunner is former president donald trump? >> i'm pleased he is talking about democracy and freedom. it is a central question as to who the next president should be, and it is on the ballot.

i'm pleased he is coming to pennsylvania, as it began with seeds planted by william penn. they were ensured and grown in the field in valley forge, where washington and his band of patriots made sure that that dream of freedom and democracy could continue, continued on with franklin and cecil b. moore and others who stepped up throughout time when we have been tested here as pennsylvanians and americans to make sure democracy and freedom could be protected. in more modern times, we have seen in 2020, pennsylvanians rise up at the ballot box, reject chaos and elect joe biden. we've seen the offspring of donald trump will defeated in resounding fashion, as i did to his candidate in 2022, when democracy and freedom were on the ballot. in short, pennsylvanians always step up for democracy and

freedom, and i'm glad the president is coming here today to highlight the importance of those issues and the importance that we have as americans to constantly and consistently do that work to protect our freedom, to protect our democracy, and to perfect our union. >> there is no question that all of these points are really important, and we want to hear them. at the same time, there are a lot of democrats who are really scared as to the state of the election as it is right now, with donald trump polling against biden and among the republicans so strongly. this is while story after story, after indictment after indictment, after today's latest news, millions from foreign governments, they just pass by with no accountability. it appears donald trump seems to be in a different category when it comes to breaking democratic

norms, corruption, possibly even crime, than every other american in the united states. so my question is, some are wondering when joe biden will take donald trump on personally. do you think he should? >> i think he needs to highlight the importance of democracy and freedom, exactly what he is doing today, and take the fight right to the former president, to expose the very issues. to folks who were scared, stop being scared and get to work. we all have to do our work to defend our democracy. we have to make sure that joe biden is re-elected. it falls to each and every one of us, as we learned through our nearly 250 years of history. it is going to be ordinary americans rising up, learning more, seeking justice, trying to protect our freedom, expanding our democracy. that is the work that falls to us. yes, every four years, part of

that work involves going to the ballot box and electing those who are pro-freedom and pro-democracy. people like joe biden. people like our senior senator bob casey. that is the work that now falls to us as americans. >> governor. good morning. great to have you back on the show. you have a lot to teach joe biden in this election. by that, i mean you won in a swing state in pennsylvania by 15 points over a guy who denied the election, over a guy who was a conspiracy theorist. you also understand what's happening on the ground in your state, how people are feeling about this economy. it's frustrated the white house, the numbers, the data is so strong, the economy by most measures incredibly strong, but a lot of people aren't feeling that. so when you speak to president biden later not just democrats, but the way your state is feeling about the state of things right now, and how he ought to take on someone who denies the election? >> look.

folks are worried here in pennsylvania about rising costs. they're worried about crime. they're worried about their kids' education, and by the way, willie, that's why we've cut taxes for seniors. we've raised the child care tax credit. we've invested an historic amount in our schools and invested a lot more in policing, to hire more police to keep our community safe. that's the work we've done in pennsylvania, and i would point out i'm the only governor in the nation with a divided legislature. one house led by republicans, one led by democrats and yet we have been able to find ways to come together and get that tangible stuff done. at the same time, i think it is possible and critically important to carry on two conversations at once because while pennsylvanians are worried about that, but shouldn't also have to be woried about their democracy and freedom, so i think it is important for the president to present both of those cases. how he's going to do the work we've done in pennsylvania and he has done a lot of that to reduce costs and to focus on helping ordinary americans get by as well as the important

conversation that needs to happen on democracy and freedom because if we don't have that strong foundation of democracy and freedom, it's hard to do all that other work that's necessary to be able to help americans move forward. i think it's critically important that the president highlights both his record of achievement on these issues as well as prosecuting the case on democracy and freedom as i know he is very capable of doing. >> governor shapiro, the last thing i want to do this morning is get you upset this early in the morning, but we had governor westmore -- >> just hearing from a celtics fan this early upsets me, but out of respect for this great program, i'll allow you to go forward and ask your question. >> thank you. thank you very much, governor, but i want to point out that governor westmore, our friend and your friend was on yesterday, and he was bragging about the ravens. the eagles have had some difficulty lately. what would you -- what would your response be to governor

westmore before i ask you a substantive question? >> barnicle, you're sticking it to me this morning. i will tell you i was with my good friend, wes, who's doing a hell of a job in maryland by the way. i was with him last year and talked a whole lot of, you know, bleep in his direction when the birds were soaring and the ravens weren't doing as well and i expected him to give it back to me. the ravens look really, really good. hopefully the birds can get on a run here and get hot at the end of the season. i'm sticking with the birds, and hopefully wes and i will be able to have a good super bowl bet together this year. >> okay. on substance now, you use a phrase that governors get stuff done, and you're well known and deservedly well known for when i-95 collapsed outside philadelphia, about 16 seconds after it collapsed, you and the federal government were out there in your superman capes and got the job done well ahead of time. do you think you can convince

the biden political people to prevent all of these democrats from walking into walls because they're so concerned about joe biden, and just having him focus on substance of getting things done? >> yeah, look. that's what governors do, especially democratic governors. wes moore and others -- joe biden was my partner in that. i could not have gotten that road reopened within 12 days without the great partnership of joe biden, secretary buttigieg and the federal government. they all stepped up and did a great job, and i think the president understands the critical importance of infrastructure and the critical importance of being there in a time of need and helping us understand we're all in this together. you know, mike, just to kind of stitch back to the opening questions from mika and the fact that the president's going to be at valley forge together, you know, president washington famously understood the importance of not just being in

washington or in virginia, but getting out across then this infant country, and helping people understand that they're not just pennsylvanians or virginians. they are americans, right? we are all in this together, and i think president biden understands that as well, and he proved that when it came to i-95 that, yes, this was a road in philadelphia, of course, but it was a road that stitched us all together as americans from maine to florida, and he understood the importance of partnering with us to get that done. i think that is the kind of attitude i bring to the governor's office every day. it's the kind of work that the president does every day to try and stitch us together, bring us together, and i think you're right in referencing i-95 because it is a great example of that, of helping us feel like we're all in this together, and when folks are questioning if we can do big things, we showed here in philly, here in pennsylvania, we can do big things, and the president was a

great partner in that. >> governor, good morning. those charged with re-electing president biden actually feel pretty good privately about where they stand with swing voters -- independents and swing voters. the democratic base right now, there are some core constituencies, voters of color, and young voters. there are things like the israel/hamas war, those who are upset with his policies that haven't been able to get through congress. those who are disenchanted and might be looking for a third-party candidate. what's your message to those core voters, young voters, progressives, voters of color? what does he need to do to get them back? >> he needs to talk about his record of achievement that has helped young people across this country, and i'll certainly do everything in my power to lift up that message and support it. i think it is right for young

voters to, you know, question these issues. i think it's right for them to question the president. i think it's right for them to challenge him and challenge all the candidates, but at the end of the day, if they value freedom, if they value democracy, if they value personal choice, if they value reproductive freedom, if they value lgbtq rights, if they value a more affordable college, and our criminal justice system, the answer is clear can that's re-electing joe biden. >> all right. pennsylvania's democratic governor, josh shapiro, thank you very much for being on the show this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you, mika. >> take care. still ahead, we're watching the new numbers from the labor department. the december jobs report is due out next hour and we'll go live to cnbc for what it says about the current job market. plus, concerns are groping over a new spike in coronavirus infections across the country. what health officials are saying about the rise in cases. also ahead, israel's defense

minister has outlined a new phase in the country's war against hamas. we'll have details on the targeted approach that's now on the table as the country seeks to free hostages. and we'll talk to the ranking democrat on the house oversight committee, congressman jamie raskin about the report alleging donald trump received millions in foreign payments during his presidency. "morning joe" will be right back. ♪♪ the first time you connected your godaddy website and your store was also the first time you realized... well, we can do anything. cheesecake cookies? the chookie! manage all your sales from one place with a partner

that always puts you first. (we did it) start today at godaddy.com

saudi arabia, and i have great relationships with saudi arabia, as i do with mexico. as i do with everybody. you know, they all buy apartments from me. they pay millions and millions of dollars from me. am i supposed to dislike them? china, i sell apartments for $50 million, $25 million, $18 million. some of the cheap ones, like, $10 million. those are the cheap ones. i don't even bother to sign those contracts, but i get it from saudi arabia. i get it from japan.

i get it from everybody. i love these people. >> you see, willie? what do i always say? when he's talking, there's laugh tracks going in the audience, but you can believe him, right? you can always believe donald trump when he makes a claim like that. >> yeah. that was almost a decade ago too, and there's some new information we're getting this morning. we're going to get more specifics about just how much he enjoys those relationships that he was just bragging about. >> yeah. there's a new report that finds those payments continued during his years in the white house. so we'll talk about that. good morning and welcome to "morning joe." it is friday, january 5th. along with me, we have the host of "way too early," jonathan lemire, and we're absolutely thrilled to have pulitzer prize-winning columnist at "the washington post," eugene robinson back with us. we read the beautiful piece about your wife. we're so glad you're back and at

the same time, i know it's really hard. >> well, it is, mika, as you know, but i'm happy to be back, and, you know, feeling better. a little better every day, and i had a great conversation with joe yesterday as a matter of fact. we discussed a certain little college football game that was played the other day. >> oh, good. >> between a certain two schools in which a certain school, the right school, university of michigan, won. >> oh. >> gene's really baaing. he's really back. >> i am back. >> he's back. and we are -- >> love you, gene. >> -- so blessed, absolutely. so let's begin this morning with the new report from house democrat that alleges the first two years of donald trump's presidency, his family business received $7.8 million from foreign governments. democrats on the republican-led house oversight committee

yesterday released the findings of an investigation that began back in 2016 into violations of the constitution's foreign emoluments clause. the report finds from 2017 to 2019 alone, trump's businesses received at least $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments. most of that money, according to the report, came from china whose government allegedly paid more than $5.5 million to rent out trump-owned properties during that time. the government of saudi arabia, where trump visited on his first foreign trip as president, paid his businesses more than $600,000. the information stems from documents obtained from trump's former accounting firm. in 2019, the report only covers the first two years of the trump presidency. once republicans regain the house majority in 2022, they

ended democrats' -- their investigation. we know also, willie, that jared kushner after leaving the white house, got a lot more money from saudi arabia. >> yeah. >> but this also makes the republicans' investigation into the biden family over similar types of behavior -- it's unbelievable. just trump can do anything and republicans don't care. they just don't care. >> and republicans already after this report came out yesterday, trying to draw an equivalency with joe biden and suggesting what he did or is alleged to have done according to them, although they've provided no evidence of it is somehow worse than this. let's talk with one of the democrats who authored this report. congressman robert garcia is with us. congressman, good morning. take us through this a little bit more. there was an assumption and, in fact, there was reporting over the course of trump's first term that this was going on, that he had stepped away from his

businesses, but countries knew well that staying at his hotels and giving money through him to his real estate company would be helpful to them in exerting influence over the united states. so what more did you find in this report? >> good morning, and look. it's important to realize first this is an enormous grift. this is a violation of the constitution. this is about foreign payments and bribes to the president of the u.s. from multiple foreign governments and countries and i want to note because it's important, what we have in front of us is really just the tip of the iceberg. the nearly $8 million that we're discussing -- >> right. >> -- is essentially not just a two-year window, but from four properties owned by donald trump. donald trump has hundreds -- hundreds of properties and businesses around the world, and so we were very limited to what we could actually look at. we know that the full scope of the hundreds of businesses and the bribes, it's much larger, but james comer of course, who

chairs our oversight committee stopped the investigation immediately. this is very concerning. we demand this investigation to continue to reveal the full scope of this incredible grift, and the amount of money is not just coming from these 20 governments. we know that there are other countries that we don't have receipts and records for like russia who have made payments to the trump organization, and we need to find out the truth. this has both national security implications, but certainly violations of the constitution. >> so congressman, you can anticipate, and i know you haven't heard yet from donald trump himself or from the campaign. we can expect a truth social post at any moment, i expect, that he would say he stepped away from his businesses, that his sons were running the businesses at the time, and therefore somehow this was okay that he -- we know he didn't fully divest. he never fully steps away from his businesses, but what do you say to that argument that it was, in fact, his children, his adult children who were running the businesses while he was president? >> i mean, look. i think first -- donald trump

actually said years ago that he would be the first person to make money off the presidency. i mean, he said that publicly. we should believe donald trump whenever he speaks. >> there you go. >> in addition to that, i think it's really important to note here when donald trump talks about the president or the president's family or they're attacking the president, look at jared kushner and saudi arabia. jared kushner who was mentioned at the top of the show, got a $2 billion investment fund from the saudi government after leaving the white house. he was the middle east envoy during the time in the white house. rex tillerson, the secretary of state -- trump's first secretary of state opposed that and to opposed jared kushner. he puts together a $110 billion arms deal with saudi arabia, and at the same time, they're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars that we have records for because i'm sure it's a lot more than that, on trump properties here in d.c. and other places. so this is clearly a major grift, but most importantly, it's a violation of the constitution, and so republicans need to do the right thing here.

we need to get all their recorded information and hold donald trump and his family accountable. >> so i -- and i -- the jared kushner and all the stuff that happened after the presidency, let's put aside the grossness of that for a second, representative garcia, and talk about why this is a violation of the constitution, why this is bad for our country, how behavior like this impacts our national security by impacting the president's ability to make a decision, how it exposes america and america's safety through the presidency to other governments, even our enemies. >> that's absolutely correct. i think first, let's be very clear that a president cannot take gifts, certainly cannot take bribes from any foreign government while they serve as president. whether they have business interests or not, that is clearly in the constitution.

while we've uncovered about $8 million and likely millions and millions more that we don't have records from, even taking one gift is a violation of the constitution, and so donald trump -- this has never happened before in american history where you have a president -- >> right. >> -- taking as much as possible, and it directly impacts our national security. was president trump, was his family, was jared kushner, the middle east envoy, making decisions knowing they were getting paybacks, getting investments into the trump organization? and it's not of course, just saudi arabia or china. it's kuwait. it's the uae. it's qatar. it's governments that had major national security relationships with the united states. it's governments that had interest with the united states and other foreign powers, and we've got to investigate this fully. i'm committed to that. the oversight committee is committed to, that but james comer and the republicans want nothing to do with this information. >> of course, not. my question to you though, is as you continue the investigation and if you do uncover what is alleged here or much more of

what you've already found, what are the consequences? >> well, look. i think first we're going to put together, led by jamie raskin who's a member of our committee, we're going to put together a package of reforms and present to the congress to deal with this part of the constitution, to strengthen laws around this important clause within the constitution, but the american public have a right to know. one is we want transparency and the full recording of actually happened. this year, the public are going to make choices. there are choices within the election, choices about donald trump, choices about president biden, and they have to know the full scope of the corruption, of the con, of the grift, of the illegal activity that donald trump performed while he was president of the united states, and how his children benefitted and continue to benefit from those investments. the trump organization and donald trump essentially has created himself as this leader of this organization while in the white house to basically funnel money from foreign

governments to himself and his family. that is wrong. the american public deserve to know the full truth, and we're committed to getting that truth. >> congressman, you have evidence here that the trump family profited while he was in office. that's the exact claim that your republican colleagues are trying to make about the biden family, that hunter biden profited from his father while he was vice president. so -- and yet they have provided no clear evidence of that unlike what you have done. so talk to us about how you will bring this to your republican colleagues. what do you think -- does this change anything? do you make that argument? and frankly what do you see as the future of the hunter biden probes which, again, members of your committee are trying to make a central part of president biden's re-election campaign? >> i mean, let's be just clear. there is zero evidence, of course, as we know that links president biden with any wrongdoing. republicans cannot come up with any information or any sort of

wrongdoing, and they're clearly projecting -- i mean, this report shows where the real grift and corruption and illegal activity is. we have receipts. we have bank records. we have accounting. it's all there laid out in the report and there is much more that has yet to be uncovered. for the republicans, it's incredible to see the hypocrisy, that the house republicans, that james comer, that the new speaker, are trying to put together with this impeachment scam that they have put together essentially to try to attack the biden family, but president biden has no business interests as he serves as president. donald trump had a complex web of ways and pulling in money from foreign governments to enrich himself and his family. we're going to make that contrast. republicans want to throw whatever they can at the wall. they have been doing that. we'll make sure people know about it and we'll get this report out to the republicans as well. >> all right. democratic member of the house oversight committee, congressman

robert garcia. thank you so much for coming on the show this morning. thank you for your work. and we will talk to you again soon. gene robinson, so happy to say that name again. this should matter, and yes -- >> yeah. >> we know -- we know what the response will be from many congressional republicans and republican leaders in washington, and republican presidential candidates. we know that they will quiver and quake and not talk about the difference between right and wrong, and yet this matters. so what do you make of that con -- conundrum? >> i think you're right. for james comer already, it's been just to pooh-pooh the whole thing and say, oh, nothing to see here. of course, he's fixated on the fact that, you know, hunter biden may have paid his father back for a loan to buy a truck

for, like, $1,000 or something like that, and that's a huge deal, but this $7.8 million that the house democrats have found, that foreign governments unconstitutionally gave or that trump accepted from his properties from foreign governments unconstitutionally, to say nothing of the nearly $2 billion, nearly $3 billion that jared kushner after the presidency somehow miraculously raised from the saudis, from the uae, from the persian gulf basically, in exchange for what? well, we can -- we can guess, but this is -- we become numb to this. we've become numb to these numbers. >> yep. >> and to this -- these violations of the way this country is supposed to work, and

the way the president is supposed to work, the way the constitution says presidents are supposed to behave, yet here we are, and the entire republican party is going to ignore this and say, it's no big deal, and let's move on, and what about hunter biden and his laptop? coming up, just 25 counties in america backed the presidential winner in past four elections. what are voters there saying about this year's race for the white house? we'll find out from "the wall street journal" straight ahead on "morning joe." ♪♪

welcome back. president biden will mark tomorrow's three-year anniversary of the january 6th capitol attack with a campaign speech today near valley forge, pennsylvania. he's expected to focus on the importance of american democracy

in the 2024 election, emphasizing the danger another trump presidency would mean to the american institution. the biden campaign tells nbc news that in its view, the january 6th attack has been underestimated, and that the president is, quote, going to be very straight forward about what happened, the truth of what happened, and the role that trump played. a biden campaign adviser adds that while trump and his allies have tried to rewrite what happened on january 6th, the images of that day are still very much seared into people's minds. and so as we look at -- gosh, now three years after that day, it's definitely seared in our minds, jonathan lemire, but it has been papered over by a lot of republicans who also refuse to sort of face what happened, and now you have states across the country that are opting to take trump off the ballot for

engaging in insurrection. are we at the stage where we're going to debate whether or not that was an insurrection? >> yeah. so trump and his allies have done an effective job convincing other republicans that what happened on january 6th was not that big of a deal, and try to downplay it and normalize it. president biden isn't going to let that happen and he said he's going to return to some familiar themes about defending toix, about saying it is indeed on the ballot this november, but his aides believe that when there are searing national moments like january 6th, the next national election becomes a referendum on what happened, and they think that the american people are just so sick and disgusted of what happened on that january day three years ago that they won't choose to go down that path and pick trump again. so today a speech in valley forge during an unofficial kickoff of the biden campaign, and a speech in charleston on

sunday. and today we'll hear from the president. he'll evoke his setting of valley forge and talk about george washington, not just as a defender of american ideals, but also as someone who walked away, someone who twice gave up power, resigning his position in the continental army and walking away from the presidency after two terms, setting th precedent his successors followed. and president biden will argue trump remains a real threat to our nation's democracy. >> on the eve of the third anniversary of january 6th, we want to talk to the heroes who saved our democracy. they're part of the law enforcement teams that defended the capitol that day, and the lawmakers inside from the rioters who violently stormed the building january 6, 2021, following a trump rally. joining us now, former capitol police officer, harry dunn.

he's the author of the book "standing my ground," former police officer michael fanone. his book is called "hold the line," and former capitol police officer, aquillino gonell. his book is in english and spanish. thank you gentlemen for being with us again. three gentlemen and three heroes we've gotten to know well over the last three years, and officer dunn, i'll start with you and just get your reflections on where we are three years -- three years on now. this day three years ago, you thought -- not routine. you had a big rally and a group of people, but you never anticipated what was going to happen, and your life is so different since then. what are you feeling as we approach this anniversary? >> good morning, guys. good to see y'all, and glad to be here with everybody. i never anticipated my career would take the turn that it has

now, and that i am in the space that i am now, and i never thought that i would be on a morning show with the title former capitol police officer attached to it, but, you know, it's a little heartbreaking a little bit, one, for selfish personal reasons, but also for the direction our country is headed in. who would have ever thought that, you know, like you said, we thought it was a normal protest that we'd dealt with hundreds of times -- thousands of times at the capitol, people expressing their first amendment right. we never thought -- earlier you said, do we debate this is insurrection. the definition of insurrection is violent uprising against the u.s. government, or against government and that's what happened that day, and i'm glad my fellow officers, former officers are here with me and standing up and pushing back against that narrative that a lot of people on the right are trying to rewrite, erase, or completely just whitewash it.

>> so officer fanone, you know, it's obviously been shocking to a lot of us, to a lot of americans who agree. the vast majority, we should point out january 6th was a terrible day. we believe what we saw with our eyes that day, either in-person for many people or on television, but also this narrative that's taken hold in certain quarters among trump supporters in particular that it actually wasn't what we saw that day. that's the one side of it. the other side of it is you have had more than 1,200 people arrested ahead of the proud boys and the oathkeepers going to jail for a very long time. more convictions to come. prosecutors say they're only about halfway done with the people they want to find. so how do you feel three years on after january 6, 2021? >> i mean, when you mentioned all those investigations, you know, the department of justice undertaking and, you know, prosecuting more than 1,200 americans for their actions on january 6th, states now starting

to debate and make an effort to remove donald trump from the ballot, you know, all of those things, i think, are a good start, and necessary. i don't want to put too much stock into any one institution. i think it's an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure that donald trump doesn't assume the presidency in 2024. we all know what that's going to look like. he's told us as much, but i also, you know, i've got to point out some of the disappoints that i have had over the past three years, and that's -- where is the outrage on behalf of the current administration? you know, i give credit. joe biden has given some fiery speeches with regards to maga and its effort to overturn a free and fair election, but that's something that this

country needs to hear every single day, specifically younger people, young voters. when i go out and talk to them, they seem completely disillusioned with the political process, and i think a lot of the problems that president biden is dealing with now, the image problems stem from being too soft. you know, i feel like biden can be outraged. he can express anger without coming across as unhinged like donald trump, and i would like to see him fight for our democracy with the same tenacity that donald trump fights to destroy it. >> and you may hear some of that from the president today in valley forge, pennsylvania as we kind of launches that side of the campaign which is this idea of defending our democracy, and sergeant gonell, we've talked to you many times and always grateful for your time, and

talking about the injuries you've suffered that day, and how it forced you out of your job because of what happened to you that day. what are your reflections? >> three years, and thank you for having me on your show. three years ago, i was doing my normal jobs, and unfortunately that tragic day ended my career due to the injuries that i sustained both physical and mental as well. right now i'm focused on myself and my family. i have been able to overcome a lot of the adversities, you know, that came about with the physical therapy and whatnot, you know, it's -- having that separation and time away from the capitol and not dealing with protecting the same people who are now saying that nothing happened on january 6th, allowed me to heal, and it -- one issue

that i do have for the new speaker of the house, you know, he claims to be on the side of law enforcement officers. he claims to be the party of the law and order, and then a couple of weeks ago he said in the same sentence, we want transparency and blurring out the faces of the rioters. the same people who were hunting them down room by room and injured many other of my colleagues including the men who are here. they are not the party of real law and whatever they said, thest just for political points, but they don't believe it. they honor the way they say they do, and that reflects on their records. >> aquillino gonell, and michael fanone, i have a question for both of you. sergeant gonell, you have driven to the federal courthouse in

d.c. to testify at trials, victim impact statements, to show support for other officers who were victims. there are, like, 1,200 cases now. you have been at 20 sentencings at least, including four cases where defendants were convicted of violently assaulting you. there were many who are serving time for crimes committed during this insurrection, violent crimes, and yet former president donald trump labeled them as hostages in a speech recently. i would like to hear from both of you just what your reaction is to that, and aquillino gonell, how about you go first? >> as i was mentioning, you know, these are the people that say that they are pro-law enforcement and support the police. i was assaulted by more than 40 people on january 6th, you know,

it's recorded. it's on video. it's on pictures. so those are the ones that i mainly go to the courts to give my statement and also to testify. just right before christmas, one guy -- one writer who assaulted me who injured my hand. he tried to say to the judge he didn't assault me when he was clearly on video. you know, these are violent people. whether they were violent before january 6th, i don't care. whether they were good people or not, they did it on january 6th. they were showing me who they were, and those are -- that's the reason why i go to the court, to hold them accountable because whenever they get in front of the judge and claim leniency because they have a kid, because they're too old or frail or because they have

pstsptsd, they should have thought about those before they committed those crimes and before they assaulted me and my colleagues. i took the same oath they did, and yet that did not -- made me remove myself from doing my duty and my job on january 6th, and that's the reason why i continue to go to court and hold those people accountability, and i have a couple of trial cases that i'll be -- in the coming months, i'll be in court as well doing those things. >> michael fanone, your take on former president trump calling these criminals -- convicted criminals hostages? >> it makes perfect sense to me, you know, the individuals that stormed the capitol on january 6th attacked law enforcement in an effort to stop the certification of the election, you know, those people, that's

donald trump's core group of supporters. i don't know whether or not he actually believes that he's hostages or even that he, you know, cares for them outside of the fact that he knows they'll vote for him if he says things like that. it just comes back to the fact that, you know, their support for donald trump is based on lies and so donald trump has to continue to perpetuate those lies in order to main tine that level of support. >> another thing -- >> former -- >> go ahead, auk lee know. >> -- aquillino. >> he uses those -- he calls them patriots. if there are those things according to him, then what does that make us, the police officers? are we the sequesters? are they the hostage takers? we were the ones defending the capitol on january 6th. not the other way around and

he's only accusing the people in making those assumptions because he has never done any sacrifice for anyone else but himself. >> former d.c. metropolitan police officer michael fanone and former capitol sergeant aquillino gonell, thank you both very much for coming on the show this morning, and thank you for your service. >> thanks for having me. >> thank you. >> harry dunn, i know you started off by saying you're surprised you're calling yourself a former capitol police officer. you're also an author of "standing my ground," a book, and we're keeping you on for a few more minutes because you have an announcement to make right here on "morning joe." what is it? >> yeah. you know, so it's so interesting, like, this whole process that -- where january 6th has taken this country and has taken me personally, and one of the things that i've always said and tried to live by is a

saying that says, until there's nothing that can be done, there's always something that can be done, and i feel like i have run my race with the capitol police in the last 15-plus years of public service in that capacity. so here right now i'm here to announce my candidacy for congress in maryland's third district, and, you know, i just want to continue. what better way to continue fighting for the people of maryland, for the people of the united states, and to continue to defend democracy? because i think on january 6th, it exposed one, how weak and fragile that it is, and i don't think it's an exaggeration to say -- it may sound scary, but we are one election away from the extinction of democracy as we know it. i mean, donald trump said it himself that he is ready to be a dictator, and, you know, a lot of his supporters will sit there and say, oh, he's just joking, but how many times has he said

the things that we thought were jokes that he actually did and we didn't take them seriously? i'm here to announce my candidacy and be able to push back against the people in congress right now that i spent the last 15 years of my life protecting and i want to serve as their equal, as their colleague. i want a voice at the table and i'm ready for that challenge. so you can find out more information about that at harrydunnforcongress.com. >> former capitol police officer now officially a candidate for congress in maryland, harry dunn. thank you very much, and we will be talking to you again soon as a candidate. >> thank you. >> thank you. coming up, the top democrat standing in the way of a republican push to impeach president biden. the ranking member of the house oversight committee, congressman jamie raskin is our guest straight ahead on "morning joe." ♪♪

power e*trade's award-winning trading app makes trading easier. with its customizable options chain, easy-to-use tools and paper trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. e*trade from morgan stanley power e*trade's easy-to-use tools make complex trading less complicated. custom scans help you find new trading opportunities, while an earnings tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. e*trade from morgan stanley

when you walk up to the counter at the pharmacy and you have a new prescription, you don't know what it's going to cost. that's why i always recommend you check the singlecare app before you go to the counter. i found the cheaper price with singlecare! yes, you did. see. give it a try. go to singecare.com or download the free app today.

in order for small businesses to thrive, see. they need to be smart, efficient, savvy. making the most of every opportunity. that's why comcast business is introducing the small business bonus. for a limited time you can get up to $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. yup, $1000. so switch to business internet from the company with the largest fastest reliable network. give your business a head start in 2024 with this great offer. plus, ask how to get up to $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet.

still ahead, the december jobs report is just crossing this hour. we'll go live to cnbc for a full breakdown. and before we go to break, a very special announcement. next week, i'll be hosting a "know your value" event at the white house with america's first lady. dr. jill biden will be in the east room discussing the first lady's life, career, and the pivotal year ahead. it will be an impactful event and we would love for you to be a part of it. dr. biden who made history as the first first lady to hold a paid job outside the white house. very modern woman. she helped us launch our

inaugural 50 over 50 list. the list shines a bright light on women who are rewriting the rules for success and shattering the prevailing misconceptions about age and gender in the work force. what do you want to ask the first lady? visit knowyourvalue on instagram, facebook, or x formerly known as twitter, to submit your question today and stay tuned to "morning joe" and know your value to watch my exclusive interview with dr. biden and to see if the first lady answered your question. ♪♪

♪ (upbeat music) ♪ ( ♪♪ ) constant contact's advanced automation lets you send the right message at the right time, every time. ( ♪♪ ) constant contact. helping the small stand tall. when you walk up to the counter at the pharmacy and you have a new prescription, you don't know what it's going to cost. that's why i always recommend you check the singlecare app before you go to the counter. i found the cheaper price with singlecare! yes, you did. see. give it a try. go to singecare.com or download the free app today. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? ( ♪♪ ) ( ♪♪ ) emergen-c crystals.

why choose a sleep number smart bed? because no two people sleep the same. only sleep number smart beds let you each choose your individual firmness and comfort. your sleep number settings. it's so smart, it actively cools and warms up to 13 degrees on either side for your ideal sleep temperature, and effortlessly responds to both of you. for your best sleep, night after night. the queen sleep number® c2 smart bed is now only $990. plus, special financing. shop for a limited time and sleep next level. only at sleep number.

shopify's point of sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. with fast and secure payment. card readers you can rely on. and one place to manage it all. whatever the stage, businesses that grow grow

secretary of state antony blinken is headed to the middle east today as tensions continue to rise across the region. just yesterday the united states carried out a drone strike in iraq and more ships in the red sea were attacked. nbc news chief international correspondent keir simmons

reports. >> reporter: the u.s. sending a message to iran. an american air strike killing the leader of an iranian-backed militia in baghdad. a senior u.s. defense official calling it a precision strike on his vehicle saying, he was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against american personnel. u.s. bases in the middle east have been hit over a hundred times by various iran. backed militias according to the pentagon, but iraq furious saying the assassination breaks agreements it had with washington, and there's the growing threat from the houthi-backed militia. they issued warnings to the groups to stop the attacks in the red sea. the houthis launching an unmanned drone boat loaded with explosives and detonaing just a couple of miles from u.s. navy and commercial ships the pentagon says. president biden under pressure to order a stronger military response. among the options reviewed by

members of his national security team wednesday, strikes against houthi targets inside yemen, involving the u.s. and other allied ministries according to two current officials. >> we take these responsibilities seriously. >> reporter: the red sea a critical economic route used by 12% of global cargo shipping. as fears mount of massive disruption to trade, fueling more inflation. meanwhile, iran is under pressure too after that deadly terror attack inside iran wednesday. isis claiming responsibility, and there were fears of an escalaing regional conflict here in lebanon too. hamas holding the funeral of a leader assassinated this week in a drone strike at a hamas office in beirut. israel not publicly saying it was behind it, but has promised to hunt down hamas leaders after the october 7th terror attacks. >> keir simmons reporting for us there. meanwhile, israel's defense minister is outlining his next

plan. the idf would shift to what appears to be a scaled down approach to combat focusing on, quote, erosion of terror hot spots inside gaza. in the north, troops will conduct raids and special operations while in the south, the main focus will be on the on eliminating hamas leadership. they also talk about post-war gaza saying hamas will no longer be in charge. while israel will keep security control of the strip and only take military action when necessary. there will be no presence once the war is over. palestinian entities like likely made of local civil servants or communal leaders would run the yet begun. his plans still need to be approved by israel's security cabinet. coming up, julia hart saw the situation in gaza firsthand while also meeting with israeli leaders and the families of

those kidnapped on october 7th. h ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? even a term policy! find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com.

hi, i'm chris and i lost 57 pounds on golo. golo isn't complicated. i don't have to follow a restrictive diet, and i don't have to spend a lot of time making meals. using golo was truly transformative. it was easy, and inexpensive.

i took the toughest ever action to stand up to china. if biden wins, china will own america. he's going to own it. first of all, first of all, they pay him a fortune. you know, why wouldn't he work for china basically? he works for china. >> wow. okay. then-president donald trump on the campaign trail in 2020 accusing his opponent without evidence of receiving payments from china. but a new report from house democrats alleges it was trump's businesses receiving chinese money while trump was in office. so interesting. according to the report, of the nearly $8 million paid to trump businesses from foreign countries between 2017 and 19

$5.5 million came from china. joining us now, one of the authors of that report, ranking member of the house oversight committee, democratic congressman jamie raskin of maryland. thank you for joining us. let's start with some basic civics and understanding of why we have certain rules and regulations in the constitution, what is the risk of a president receiving money from foreign nations? >> the founders of our constitution were terrified that presidents or other federal officials or members of congress would sell out the american national interest simply by receiving money from foreign governments and doing their bidding. donald trump has fulfilled the worst fears and nightmares of the founders. the $7.8 million that we were able to document in receipts from foreign nations, china and saudi arabiaei the two

leading countries, just scratch the surface of what is certainly much broader money coming in, because it was only for a two-year period out of his four-year presidency. it related to four of trump's more than 500 businesses. we were able to get the receipts for the trump tower on fifth avenue, the u.n. plaza in d.c., the trump international hotel and in las vegas the trump international hotel. most of them we still don't have. we were also only able to look at 20 countries out of 195 on earth, so this is likely to be just a fraction of what he took. still, the founders of our country would be absolutely scandalized as would be every other president in american history. the report talks about in one part, i write about abraham lincoln, who received two

elephant tusks he really likes from siam. he did what is necessary, which is to go to congress, if you're going to keep any kind of payment at all from a foreign government. congress said, no, you've got to turn those over to the department of the interior, which he promptly did. donald trump did the reverse. it was a money-making option from the beginning. we're just starting to find the millions and millions he collected from governments. the trump family is out there saying, well, he didn't take his salary of $400,000 a year. that's all you're allowed to take. the framers set up a system in the constitution that the only thing the president can take is his salary from america so you're not being bankrolled by saudi monarchs and chinese communist bureaucrats. >> former art i, section 9.

[ cheers and applause ] clause 8 forbids the president from taking any kind of money whatsoever from foreign governments. what's the consequence? >> here's the problem. they've sandbagged us for seven years. this is the culmination of seven years of work by my late colleague elijah cummings. we had to go all the way to the supreme court to finally get information in september of 2022, but the moment that chairman comer became chairman of the oversight committee, he told trump's lawyers to say don't worry about it, you don't have to turn over any more information to the committee, which is why we just have this

snapshot. clearly what needs to happen if we're going to be dealing with presidents like donald trump ever again -- and let's hope not -- is we need a mandatory reporting requirement where if you get any money from a foreign government, you must immediately report it to the united states. then we need an internal mechanism where it's heard within ten days or two weeks and it goes to the floor of the house and senate and congress votes. we also need penalties for presidents who think they're just going to be able to pocket the millions of dollars from the princes and kings and dictators of the world and not tell anybody about it and just fight about it later in court. we need officia who are going to be faithful to the constitutional design. >> what you have in this report is evidence that donald trump and his family profited from his time in political office. that, of course, is the argument

your republican colleagues have tried to make about the biden family, suggesting joe biden's family profited when he was in office, perhaps more when he was vice president, but they have yet to provide any concrete evidence that was the case. give us, if you will, your reaction now that republicans are barreling forward with their investigations and talks of impeachment of president biden. >> i want to believe the best of my colleagues. i thought, although they have a partisan lens on, they were really interested in the question of public corruption and people selling out the american public interest to foreign governments, all to line their own pockets. here we have documented receipts of that taking place during the trump administration, and they simply turn a blind eye to it. you know, they're saying absolutely ridiculous stuff, like, well, if he didn't take his salary in office, or, well,

when this was first raised, they gave some of the, quote, profits back to the u.s. treasury. the constitution doesn't say you can't keep the profits from foreign governments. it says you can't take any payments at all of any kind from foreign governments. if you think you want to keep 90 or 95% of it and give a couple hundred thousand dollars back, go to congress and ask congress if that plan is okay, like president lincoln did or like president kennedy did when he was given irish citizenship. that wasn't even money, but even then he said he would have to decline it out of deference not to the spirit of the foreign emoluments clause. barack obama gave $1.4 million from a nobel peace prize back to

a swedish entity. here we have trump just pocketing millions of dollars directly from some of the most corrupt regimes on earth that were looking for particular things, and he continues just to go on his merry way. he should give that $7.8 million back immediately to the u.s. government, to the u.s. treasury. then the republicans should support us from passing very strict laws that will prevent any president from ever doing anything like this again. because what we're talking about is national security. if your read our report, you will look at places where the money coming in from these foreign governments definitely influenced what donald trump was doing with respect to china and some of the corruption taking place there, with respect to saudi arabia. remember, he helped cover up the assassination of jamal khashoggi, the "washington post" journalist who was assassinated. all of these things taking place

with people who were putting money into donald trump's pocket. >> you mentioned he should return the money. of course, he should do a lot of things. but is there anyway to actually make that happen? >> well, we're hoping that we will turn up the heat in terms of the public conversation. remember, because no president has ever come remotely close to doing anything like what we now know donald trump did, we do not have the laws in place, the legal mechanisms to force him to give us that money. certainly we're hoping that public pressure will accomplish that. the real thing is we need a bipartisan determination to pass real laws that will keep public officials from completely ripping off the taxpayers and defeating the constitutional design. our founders did not want presidents loyal to and jumping at the beck and call of foreign dictators. they wanted presidents who were going to be loyal in a fiduciary

sense to the american people. >> so many precedents and norms broken. congressman jamie raskin, thank you very much for all of your work and thanks for coming in this morning. in a moment, we're going to go live to cnbc following this morning's stronger than expected jobs report. first, we're less than two weeks away from the iowa caucuses, where the latest polls suggest former president trump has a commanding lead over his republican primary opponents, with ron desantis and nikki haley locked in a tight battle for second. >> reporter: with just ten days until it will iowa caucuses, republican presidential contenders are hustling in the hawkeye state. >> we are on weeks away from making history and winning iowa's first in the nation caucus. >> reporter: the frontrunner former president trump predicting an overwhelming

victory in iowa as his rivals fight each other. once mr. trump's strongest challenger in the polls, desantis now locked in a battle for second place with nikki haley. >> trump has always been leading in the race. >> you're not even one of the top challengers now. >> we are the top. i'm the only one who has a chance to win the general election. >> reporter: desantis seizing on nikki haley's comments. >> you know that you correct it. >> it's a slap in the face to iowans to say they somehow need to be corrected. she's blaming the voters. >> reporter: haley responding on cnn overnight. >> if i didn't love iowa, i wouldn't keep coming to iowa. but if we're going to have fun, i'm probably going to say something in iowa about new hampshire or south carolina. it's a way to make everything

not so serious. >> reporter: mr. trump's criminal charges over january 6th. what lessons did the country learn from january 6th and what did you personally take away from that day? >> i think it's been politicized by the left. that was not supposed to happen. i think people went to protest and i think it got out of hand. >> reporter: but january 6th will be central to president biden's reelection message, highlighted in a new campaign ad. >> there's an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy. >> reporter: aides say it will be a key focus of his speech today in historic valley forge, pennsylvania, where he'll cast the 2024 election as a referendum on the future of american democracy. >> tomorrow marks three years since the worst attack on the united states capitol in more than 200 years. depending on where you get your

information, republicans will tell you that it was just another day and that it's just not worth talking about, that it was, quote, normal tourist visit or a peaceful protest. they'll argue it wasn't an insurrection at all. in reality, we need to remember that donald trump called on his supporters to march to the capitol. the mob broke into the capitol screaming racist threats, quite literally looking to kill members of congress. there it is. we saw it before our own eyes. they served the halls of the capitol for then-speaker nancy pelosi, shouting "where are you, nancy." they put up an actual noose while gleefully chanting "hang mike pence." you might want to take a minute to remember the lives lost that day. capitol police officer brian sicknick, who suffered two strokes shortly after being attacked by the mob.

another capitol police officer howard leavinggood died just days after the riot by suicide. and jeffrey smith also took his own life after being brutalized by trump's supporters. there was also the death of air force veteran ashley babbitt. other officers, some of whom we had on our show earlier today, were seriously injured and forced to take an early retirement because of the permanent injuries inflicted on that day. michael fanone suffered a heart attack and a concussion when a rioter drove a stun gun into his neck during the attack. daniel hodges, seen here being crushed with a stolen police riot shield and fighting for his life on january 6th.

>> three years later, more than 1200 people have been arrested in connection with the insurrection, with many convicted and serving realtime, like a texas man sentenced to more than seven years in prison for obstructing an official proceeding after being turned into police by one of his own sons. also, kentucky's peter schwartz convicted of felony assault after he beat officers with a wooden club and a folding chair on january 6th. he's in prison until 2037. tomorrow we simply must remember how close america came to losing its founding principle of democracy. take a moment.

i hope all americans can take a moment to remember that truth and act, not just depend on others, but act, whether at the voting booth or volunteering or serving. let's bring in nbc news national affairs analyst john heilemann, reverend al sharpton and adrian elrod. let's start at the top of this hour, which was a conversation with jamie raskin about a new piece of information about donald trump that will just fly right over the head of trump supporters, members of congress, republican leaders, maybe even presidential candidates. they just will let it go by. yet, if any other president took millions of dollars from foreign leaders, including adversaadver

it would be a different story. >> yeah. that's right, mika. there's part of this that connects it back to the story about the 1/6 anniversary, which is, as you set aside trump for a second, a kind of national tendency towards amnesia about these things. the efforts to kind of memory hole what happened on january 6th, it's only been three years. it's important that your message there was important and salutary. one of the great things about america is we move relentlessly forward. but it has dire consequences when you're talking about somebody like donald trump, who we can't get rid of and is running for president again.

when donald trump first game into office it seemed like a distant echo of this bygone age. a lot of voters sort of think, well, you know, long time ago, why are we looking back when we should be looking forward and, you know, all these presidents do it. bill clinton must have gotten rich somehow off the presidency. so the combination of amnesia and cynicism and then you throw into that toxic brew the donald trump devotees, it all makes this election cycle unnerving and disturbing. what jamie raskin and the democrats on the committee are doing is really important.

but if you ask me do i think it will keep donald trump from being the republican nominee, i don't. i think it will not matter to most republican voters. in the fall, if he is the nominee, the threat that what will come in the future will relegate this to what seems like a very small thing compared to what he did on january 6th, compared to other acts of constitutional vandalism that he's guilty of. >> i think that is the problem, that we have allowed donald trump to redefine what is appropriate or proper. >> and what is accountability. >> i think that if you have the wrong premise, you will come to the wrong conclusion. one of the challenges this year is for us to redefine what is accountability, redefine what is acceptable. for him to get away with these

gifts, while president, from foreign countries, even those adversarial to us, goes in line with him trying to redefine what insurrection is and homophobia and sexism is. it's time for people to stand up and say, wait a minute, you don't get to change the definition. if you don't want to rise to that, then fine, but that's the defined principle, and if you violate it, you've got to be held accountable. >> we have to remind people he's trying to do the redefining. we are just trying to get back to what's always been the definition of these things and what's the right and proper way of thinking about it. >> let's talk about donald trump's speech on deposition. talking to a lot of democrats and people who are involved in

some way or want to get involved, there are a lot of democrats who seem really scared that this administration is kind of missing what's really happening here. there's a lot of talk about bidenomics and the effectiveness of the inflation reduction act, the chips act, managing two wars, lowering the prices of diabetes meds. that's what they talk about. that's part of the problem. nobody actually calls donald trump out and delivers consequences to this man or delivers the truth to this man the way it should be. some think it should be joe biden who takes him head on and really talks about donald trump as a human being, as a traitor, as a criminal, as a corrupt man who doesn't care about anybody, and the list goes on, along with

the fact that he is drowning in legal action against him. just take it on as a campaign, not just joe biden, but every member of the campaign. what do you think is behind the reticence to just get right in there and tell the truth about this man? >> well, i think all that's about to change and i think it changes today with the speech that president biden is giving where he is making it clear this campaign is about a lot of things, but when it comes down to it, it's about democracy versus autocracy. do you want to live under an autocracy under donald trump, or do you want to live under a democracy, which president biden obviously supports and promotes? i think the campaign is ready to draw more of a contrast. the administration has been focused on foreign policy, obviously the situation in the middle east. but you're going to start to see, i think, a pivot of drawing that contrast. more americans are tuning in. it's 2024.

today really started the day of the full-fledged campaign. certainly donald trump is not yet the gop nominee, but it feels like we are moving in that direction. the biden campaign is treating him as though he is the nominee. again, you're going to see more and more of this over the coming months. they are making this campaign about a choice, about a contrast, what america do you want to live in. it is a challenging situation to be in when you, as president biden has done, have achieved more economic legislation than any other president since at least lbj. not every american is feeling it. as you see inflation and interest rates going down, bidenomics is going to be a more popular thing to talk about overall on the campaign trail, because we are starting to see those numbers go down. again, i look at today as really being the day where the general

election campaign in terms of biden taking on trump under his own terms, setting his own agenda for taking on trump, you're really going to start to see that happening today. >> there's no question these are familiar themes from president biden, the need to defend democracy. his aides are fond of pointing out that there were some naysayers saying you shouldn't waste your time talking about democracy, americans don't care. but the results that fall and some polling that followed up shows that americans do care about defending democracy. this is a speech he has given variations of in the past, but this one i'm told will be the sharpest yet in playing out that contrast and the consequences of the nation for trump to be reelected. he's going to evoke valley forge. he's going to evoke george washington and the ability and willingness to walk away from power, something that trump, of course, was not willing to do after the 2020 election.

the president is going to make a case that this matters in americans' everyday lives. he's going to talk about democracy, but also freedom. it's about the freedom to have economic opportunities, the freedom to believe your vote is going to be counted fairly and the freedom for rights like abortion rights and that kind of health care. that's going to be part of this speech too. the president is going to follow up with a speech monday in south carolina. we'll get to the breaking economic news now. the december jobs report was released just moments ago, and it shows the u.s. economy added 216,000 jobs last month, much higher than the 170,000 economists had expected. let's bring in dom chu. what do you think is behind these numbers and this surprise? >> wall street is definitely treating this more as a mixed

report. you talked about this idea that the expectations were easily topped. but at the same time, the prior two months worth of job gains were revised lower by a combined 71,000 jobs. if you drill down, average hourly earnings are a big focal point. they actually came in slightly better than expected, .04% higher than last month. that makes the gain in wages for americans 4.1%, which is hotter than the 3.9% economists were looking for. at the same time, there was a broader measure of unemployment that also looks at those working part-time jobs but want full-time jobs. that moves slightly higher, not a good sign. and the labor force

participation rate fell to 62.5% from 62.8% last month. the most robust job creation came in government, leisure and hospitality, health care and assistance. there was a little bit of good and little bit of not so good in that report, which is why wall street is a little bit more muted in its response so far. moving to the overseas front, there's continued attacks on the red sea in the middle east and what the implications could be for the global economy, given that an estimated 15% of all trade goes through the red sea. costs for shipping containers have skyrocketed because of higher insurance and fuel costs. there's the threat of not just

higher prices here, but severe delays in the arrival of consumer goods around the world as well. there does not appear to be any momentum lost for the american shopper. online spending during the holiday season rose by nearly 5% to a record $222.1 billion. according to analysis from adobe, it wasn't higher prices that pushed e commerce, but just more shoppers themselves. but in a slightly more negative sign, those shoppers used buy now/pay later financing options more than ever. that could signal a more financially stretched consumer. there's a little bit going on that's more nuanced, but consumer spending at the highest

levels ever for the holidays. >> we need to talk more about the buy now/pay later devices and banking apps. i think that's an interesting story. coming up, many voters in counties that played a crucial role in the past four presidential elections say they don't like what they see this time around. we'll dig into new reporting on how 2024 might play out in several swing states. plus, the five ways one of our next guests says women can solidify their political influence this year. you're watching "morning joe." il influence this year. you're watching "morning joe." he hits his mark —center stage—and is crushed by a baby grand piano. you're replacing me? customize and save with liberty bibberty.

he doesn't even have a mustache. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ trying vapes to quit smoking only pay for what you need. 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.

welcome back. 28 past the hour. ahead of what is expected to be a close general election race, the "wall street journal" is painting a picture of where the 2024 contest stands as of now. reporters for the paper spoke with voters in three counties that have backed the presential winner in each of the past four elections. in pennsylvania's northampton county, a 53-year-old man who votedoe biden in 2020 tells the journal he fls like the president hasn't done much to help him. he says he'd consider voting for a moderate republican in 2024, but if it's betwe biden and ump, he'd likely vote for biden again, because trump's, quote, authoritarian tendencies worry him. another pennsylvania voter, a 61-year-old republican, says that although he'd prefer an alternative to trump, he would vote for the former president cause, quote, if it

wasn't for the pandemic, he would have easilyn reelected. in michigan, a democrat says he's worried that a lot of people won't vote at all if024 is abiden/trump rematch. and in new hampshire, a 70-year-old trump 2020 voter says that would write in a candidate rather than vote for the former president again, because although she, quote, agrees with a lot of his policies, it's just too much. joining us now from the "wall street journal" ken thomas and lauren leader. ken, what more did you find from these four counties? how much of an indicator do you think they really are in terms of where the american national race voter really stands?

>> we really wanted to dive into the swingiest places in these battleground states. what's interesting about these counties is just their track record. sag gnaw county has reflected michigan's movement over the years. michigan in 2008 gave barack obama a 17-point victory. now it's a swing district, a swing county. when i spoke to voters there, they cite a lot of the same things we've heard in recent months, their interest in more options, their concern about the candidates' age. i think what struck me the most, though, is that they really want to see a forward-looking agenda. they're worried about their concerns and they want to see

the president and the former president spell out what they would do with the next four years and how it would make their lives better. i also think we spend so much time on polling, and a lot of these voters really feel like they're just starting their process. they're just starting to evaluate these candidates, and they really want to see how this plays out. i don't think the polling we're seeing is necessarily predictive. >> these candidates are very familiar. i mean, these are not candidates that are just being introduced. it's not barack obama in 2008. there's a little bit of a contradiction in that that they want to see how things play out. a lot of people i talk to, their views of donald trump and joe biden are pretty firmly baked in. we have had high turnout

elections in midterm elections in the last few cycles because the stakes have seemed very large. do these voters you're talking to in these swing county, are they aware of the stakes? has that sunk in for them? and how do they grapple with the notion that the stakes are high and also the fact that they are dyspeptic about their choices? >> given how well known biden and trump are, some of these voters said to me, you know, they'll be interested to see what these third party offering might provide. in that sense, maybe there's an opportunity for an rfk or someone else like cornell west. maybe they get this sort of discovery from some of these voters where they have the opportunity to just take the measurement of them, as opposed

to the two candidates they know very well. on the second point, i think there's this worry, especially among the democrats i spoke with, that the turnout is not going to be there, that there's not enough excitement that biden produces, and that while he won sag gnaw county in 2020, he only won by about 300 votes. it came at a time when there was real high voter turnout. the worry is that people might look at the two options and decide to sit it out. he views that as a vote for trump, because he thinks the lower turnout will be, the better chance trump has to regain that county and win michigan again. >> i want to ask you about a new piece you just wrote about five

ways women can remain powerful going into 2024. is the abortion issue still motivaing them? also, what are some other ways that women can really get motivated going into the 2024 elections? >> the answer is yes, yes, yes and yes. i think it's part of the response to the conversation we've just been having about these critical swing districts. like, what has driven turnout in the last few cycles? it's been women voters who have been angry about the rollback of abortion rights and who have been willing to step up to defend democracy. i think that's going to continue to be true. there are some critical abortion rights proposals that are going to make it onto a bunch of ballots. just yesterday we know florida has the signatures they need to put in an abortion codification rule. that demonstrates how amped up

women are. it's more than just voting. voting is critical, but we need women voters especially to focus on mobilizing others, especially young people, talking to their kids and young adult children about coming out. we need people to volunteer for campaigns. and especially in this cycle we need people focusing on the state-level elections. 44 states have state legislature elections. that is also the future of abortion rights in this country. even if you live in a state like new rk, which has codified abortion rights, you can do a lot to help codify pro-choice candidates who have an opportunity to secure abortion rights in those critical states. we really have to look at more than just a sort of horse race. we have to look at a wholistic picture of democracy and participation for this cycle. women are going to be absolutely

key. >> based on what you just said, is it not a good strategy for the biden people or trump, for that matter, to deal with the issues more than the personalities, because if people are not being excited by the candidates, is it not, as your column talks about the women issue, is it not something to excite the base of women, saying that abortion rights -- we're still dealing with states that have different laws on that or dealing with blacks with affirmative action and diversity. is it not the issues that may make the difference in this campaign or not? >> absolutely. i think that's true for congressional races around the country as much as it is for the presidential race. i've been talking to a lot of democrats running in purple

districts around the country. my message to them consistently is, just as we saw in the kentucky governor's race, this has to be less about party id and traditional ideas of blue and red and much more about the specific issues at stake. that is what americans are resonating with. by the way, we have huge numbers of americans, growing numbers of americans who don't identify with either party. they think of themselves as independent. we have to shift the way we campaign in this cycle to be less about justice, like vote blue no matter who, which has been a line of the democrats in the last couple cycles. not going to work. it's got to be about what's at stake and securing basic civil rights and in ensuring these state legislatures are actually democratic representing their constituents. >> ken thomas, your piece did a great job of looking at these swing districts. probably the most important state for joe biden to win for reelection is one where you guys visited and one where he'll be

again today, pennsylvania, where he's been by far the most outside of any state other than delaware. zero in for us, if you will, please, on that state itself, the challenges facing the biden campaign to win, again, a state that has been reliably democratic until trump won in 2016. biden's margin of victory there in 2020 was very small. >> it really is. they have spent an enormous amount of time in pennsylvania. it's going to be an all-hands-on-deck approach in that state, getting out the large chunk of democratic voters in pittsburgh and philadelphia, winning the suburbans of philadelphia is very important, i think, also limiting their losses or margins in the more central part of the state which is sometimes referred to as like alabama. i think in terms of the

democracy argument, it's a powerful one that he can make in a lot of these swing states. it was something that came up when i was in michigan. some of the voters brought it up with me. but they're not looking at these things through a silo. they're really taking a measurement in the totality of their lived experience. you know, i think we're going to see as a result this is not only going to be about democracy and freedom, but i think we're going to see the president make a pretty strong case soon on the economy, where he wants to take the country. the state of the union is coming up. i think that will be an important moment. but pennsylvania could be the make-or-break state in the election. >> white house reporter for the "wall street journal" condition thomas, thank you very much. and ceo and cofounder of all in together, lauren leader, thank

you as well. next wednesday, i'm going to be hosting a know your value event at the white house with first lady dr. jill biden. we're going to speak in the east room discussing the first lady's life, career and the very pivotal year ahead. we would like you to be a part of it. what do you want to ask the first lady? visit know your value on facebook, gram or x to submit your questions today. coming up, we're getting an update on the judge attacked in the courtroom by a defendant during sentencing. we'll bring you the latest on her condition and the new charges the offender now faces. "morning joe" will be right back. faces "morning joe" will be right back

that first time you take a step back. i made that. with your very own online store. i sold that. and you can manage it all in one place. i built this. and it was easy, with a partner that puts you first. godaddy.

here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today.

♪ ♪ every day can be extraordinary with rich, creamy, delicious fage total yogurt. welcome back. covid is on the rise again with infections resurging across the u.s. according to the cdc, the uptick this winter seems less deadly than in previous years.

despite fewer people wearing masks and getting the latest covid shots. the new jn-1 variant accounts for nearly half of all cases in the u.s., nearly six times higher than just a month ago. experts say while the new variant may be less contagious, it has a mutation that gives it greater ability to bypass immunity. great. and we have an update now on the judge in las vegas who was violently attacked by a defendant in court while she was in the middle of sentencing him to prison. >> reporter: after that brutal attack in a las vegas courtroom, officials providing a highly anticipated update on the judge. >> the judge was injured and received medical attention. she remains sore and stiff, but thankfully it was not measure severe. >> reporter: the judge releasing a statement, thanking well wishers, writing, i am extremely

grateful to those who took brave action. the judge was sentencing a 30-year-old man to prison for attempted battery. the defendant, who has a history of violent assaults, jumping over the bench, tackling her to the ground and sending a court marshall to the hospital. how common is it to have attacks or threats like this in a courtroom? >> attacks like this occur probably daily in courtrooms across the country. >> reporter: like this incident in mississippi, a suspect caught on video throwing things at the judge. but las vegas officials say they've never seen anything like this. >> there's plenty of instances where somebody becomes rowdy in the courtroom. this is the first one i've seen

where the defendant jumps over the bench. >> reporter: according to court records, the man refused to appear in court thursday to face new charges. clark county district attorney says the court is now reviewing security protocols. >> the reaction happened so quickly, i don't know if anything could have been done to prevent him from what he did. coming up, our next guest is just back from a trip to the middle east, where she spent time with israeli defense forces in gaza and met with prime minister netanyahu. we'll find out what they discussed straight ahead on "morning joe." ht ahead on "morning joe."

the first time you connected your godaddy website and your store was also the first time you realized... well, we can do anything. cheesecake cookies? the chookie! manage all your sales from one place with a partner that always puts you first. (we did it) start today at godaddy.com

♪♪ lowering bad cholesterol can be hard, even with a statin. diets and exercise add to the struggle. the effort can feel overwhelming. but today, it's possible to go from struggle to cholesterol success with leqvio. taken with a statin, leqvio is proven to lower bad cholesterol by 50%. so, if you feel like you're getting nowhere go with 2 doses a year of leqvio and keep bad cholesterol low. common side effects were injection site reaction, joint pain, and chest cold. when you're ready to go from struggle to cholesterol success

talk to your doctor about twice-yearly leqvio to help you lower your cholesterol. lower. longer. leqvio® i am here in gaza with

captain b. she is a captain and a lieutenant commander. >> we have jews and christians. i have muslim soldiers who are in here in gaza fighting for their country. >> and you want to know why they're pulling up the sidewalks and demolishing these houses? >> that house had a rocket launcher inside pointing into israel. they found grenades and bombs here. this house over here, they found a massive stash of weapons. i'm standing on the top of a house that had kids in it, a family. you know what else it had? oh, my god, guns, missiles, weapons. these are not houses. these are military operations masquerading as houses. israel doesn't want to destroy anything. they are fighting for their right to breathe and to live on this land. >> that was entrepreneur and activist julia hart best known as the star of the netflix reality series my unorthodox life, which documents her life

and family since leaving her ultra orthodox community. she was just in israel where she spent time with the idf troops in gaza, spoke with prime minister benjamin netanyahu, and met with the families of those kidnapped on october 7th. and julia joins us now with more reflections on her trip. thank you so much for coming on the show. >> thank you so much for having me. >> so many questions. i'm curious what your reflections are on your meeting with benjamin netanyahu? >> you know, what i saw is a man who is holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, and i think that the fight going on in israel is not land-based or religion-based. i think it is truly fighting for the soul of humanity, and you get that feeling every day when you're there. >> and tell us more about what you saw, especially when you were spending time with members of the idf and so close to a lot

of the action that they're involved with, and did you get a sense of sort of the mind-sets of israeli troops during this incredibly tumultuous time? >> you know what really shocked me? something i just didn't know, and that is that the idf is comprised of such a vast array of religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations. i've met christian idf soldiers, muslim idf soldiers. bed win idf soldiers. i met black people and white people, lgbtqia soldiers and straight. it was this extraordinary aggregate of so many ethnicities, religions, and cultures, and you walk in and you feel -- you don't feel hate. you don't feel anger. you feel camaraderie and bravery and this idea that these aren't people fighting for land. these aren't people fighting for wealth or power.

they're there because without them the state of israel wouldn't exist. they're there protecting christians and muslims and drews and every ethnicity that lives in peace and prosperity in israel. and when you see that -- and also, they're so young. they're children, they're in their 20s. they should be experiencing the world, going to college, and yet, what are they doing? they're standing there shoulder to shoulder protecting people. and you know, they have so much tremendous empathy for the palestinian citizens that what do they do? they're risking their own lives to try and target is and specify hamas areas so that they don't hurt anyone else. they are literally been put in an impossible situation because hamas surrounds themselves with children and with civilians, but i have never seen a group of people more dedicated, devoted to life and to protecting

others. that was the massive feeling that i got while i was there. >> activist and entrepreneur julia haart, thank you so much for sharing your reflections on your trip with us this morning. thanks for coming on the show today. and that does it for us for this friday morning. ana cabrera picks up the coverage after a quick, final break. nal break. the first time you made a sale online with godaddy was also the first time you heard of a town named dinosaur, colorado. we just got an order from dinosaur, colorado. start an easy to build, powerful website for free with a partner that always puts you first.

start for free at godaddy.com