Skip to main content

tv   Morning Joe  MSNBC  March 19, 2024 3:00am-7:00am PDT

3:00 am
hammering at the biden administration for the situation at the southern border. we've also seen democrats try to use this topic to their advantage, particularly in new york last month when tom suozzi notched a win with the district, from red to blue, largely because he went on the offensive about immigration reform. saying the senate bill should have been passed. saying democrats should attack this issue head on. as we see voters become increasingly concerned about immigration and the border, expect both parties to try to, you know, make gains on that and really capitalize it on the campaign trail. >> yeah, the biden re-election team believes the same. i think we'll hear from the president when he heads to arizona this week. congressional reporter for "the hill," mychael schnell, thank you, as always. appreciate it. thanks to all of you for getting up "way too early" on this tuesday morning. "morning joe" starts right now. former president trump's lawyers said that trump is unable to pay the $464 million
3:01 am
bond in his new york civil fraud case. in his defense, how is a billionaire ever supposed to come up with half a billion dollars, you know? come on. do the math. [ applause ] today, trump handed over everything he had, and the trump is like, i'll need the other $463 million. yeah, trump is pretty desperate for the money right now. if you go on airbnb, you can rent trump tower, mar-a-lago, and eric. >> oh, boy. >> and eric. >> there are a lot of questions this morning about donald trump's finances and assets. >> mika, it's 6:00 in the thorning. >> oh, god, why did you do that? >> it is an alarm. >> too loud. >> wake up in the morning. sort of muted. >> anyhow, i'll start over again. there are a lot of questions this morning about donald trump's finances and assets after he failed to pay the bond in his civil fraud judgment.
3:02 am
how much cash does the self-proclaimed billionaire actually have? what happens if he opportunity come up with the roughly half a billion dollars bond by monday? and how quickly could the new york attorney general seize his assets and properties? we're going to dig into all of that just ahead. meanwhile, the trump-appointed judge in the classified documents case issues a controversial order that seems to benefit the former president. who is surprised there, anybody? >> no. >> you're not. plus, the judge overseeing the hush money case rules on whether stormy daniels and michael cohen can testify. we'll have legal analysis on all of these. good morning. it is tuesday, march 19th. >> do i ring that again? >> no, it is very loud. i almost regret getting that for you. >> you're the one that got it. >> doesn't it hurt your ears? >> no. >> we should use it at opportune
3:03 am
moments. >> like? >> alex, what should it be? like, when joe -- >> how about when t.j. gets, like, the camera shots right. >> that'll be a lot of bells. >> when he gets it right? >> he said that'd be a lot of bells. >> okay. with us, we have -- all right. i think we got it. all right. that's good, t.j. nice shot. richard haass' feet. >> so lonely there. >> we have the host of "way too early," white house bureau chief at "politico," jonathan lemire. president emeritus on the council of foreign relations, richard haass. the author of "home and away," available on substack. and pulitzer prize winning columnist and associate editor of "the washington post," the great eugene robinson is with us this morning. >> let's start with a shock here. vladimir putin, richard haass, won re-election.
3:04 am
>> we have a lot to get to. >> who saw it coming? >> cliffhanger. >> it was a cliffhanger. >> no opponents. >> deficit cliffhanger. he got a pretty good turnout, high 80s. a lot of the experts were wrong. if you remember, joe, after the prigozhin challenge, a lot of people were saying putin is fatally weakened. guess not. he's hung in there. he now, in some ways, i think, controls what is today's russia more than ever before. the only positive thing i thought was a lot of courageous people in russia. there's still some civil society, navalny supporters, and i think that suggests, down the road, the day will come when vladimir putin no longer rules russia. most likely because he's dead. he'll be taken out horizontally. there suggests to me there's some possibilities there, that putinism is not necessarily the permanent future of russia.
3:05 am
he's in so many ways weakened the country. anyhow, that's my one positive takeaway, and it's the bad news now, that the next six years, it is going to be pressing the war in ukraine, crackdown at home, and you name it. >> well, you know, and his -- he's had such bad news, gene robinson. such bad news over the past two years. you can name it. look at the economy. people say the economy is still going. it's kind of like they said the economy was still going in the old soviet union, and you found out they were moving things around, created a village. but you look at the number of troops that have been taken off the battlefield by ukraine. you look at the number of military vehicles that have been destroyed. you look at the fact that not a single u.s. serviceman or woman has gone over and fought that battle. it has been one of the best military investments the pentagon has ever made, and, yet, you still have donald trump
3:06 am
and a house speaker saying, "no, no, no. let's give vladimir putin a fighting chance to still take kyiv." >> yeah, this is a really cheap deal for the u.s. taxpayer in terms of what it's done to russia. you know, yes, the economy is still going in russia, but what is the economy in russia? it's more or less the size of the economy of texas. it's a distorted economy, you know, based on russia's resources. now, he's had to rev up the arms industry. he has to replace all the armament that he's using in ukraine, so that's another sector but kind of a dead-end sector in terms of modern economic development in the rest of the wealthy world.
3:07 am
>> right. >> it's just, you know, not good for russia. if putin is the head of russia, then not good for russia is good for us. but, again, we're still at the stalemate over aid to ukraine, which is just -- >> unbelievable. >> -- unspeakable at this point. it really is. it really is. it is unbelievable. >> well, we're going to move to israel for our top story this morning. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is sending a team to washington to discuss israel's plans to launch a major military operation in rafah. president biden's request for netanyahu to send officials to the white house came during a phone call yesterday, their first time speaking in 32 days. biden voiced his concerns about deploying ground forces in the southern gaza city. national security adviser jake sullivan told reporters the president warned netanyahu the rafah operation could be
3:08 am
disastrous and lead to more civilian deaths. >> they have nowhere else to go. gaza's other major cities have largely been destroyed. israel has not presented us or the world with a plan for how or where they would safely move those civilians, let alone feed, house, and ensure access to basic things like sanitation. the president has rejected, and did again today, the strawman that raising questions about rafah is the same about raising questions ofhamas. that's nonsense. hamas should not be allowed a safe haven in rafah or anywhere else, but a major ground operation there would be a mistake. it'd lead to more civilian innocent deaths, worsen the humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in gaza, and further deepen the view of israel internationally. >> increasingly frustrated with netanyahu. and this argument, also, you can see it in the "wall street
3:09 am
journal" editorial page. you can see it on the right with a lot of trump supporters, which, by the way, we'll get to the story in a second. said if you're a jew and don't vote for donald trump, you're a bad jew. who would ever imagine that religion thousands of years old would be reduced to those simple terms by donald trump? well, i would because it's happened to the evangelical church, as well. but there seems to be this argument, follow benjamin netanyahu and exactly what benjamin netanyahu wants you to do or you are against israel. that's obviously not the case, but those are the headwinds politically at home that joe biden seems to be pushing against. >> yeah, jake sullivan, the national security adviser, explicit there in the sound we played. i reported on this call last night. it was professional. you know, it was tense at times. we are told by those who heard
3:10 am
it. president biden voiced publicly to netanyahu in the call what officials have been trying to communicate for some time. the operation in rafah should wait. if it happens at all, it needs to be done carefully with real attention paid to limiting civilian deaths. as i reported last week, the white house considering if israel goes ahead into rafah on a full-scale operation, they'd consider conditioning or withholding military aid there. we should be clear, there's no signs that operation is imminent. richard haass, let's get you in on this moment in the conflict. there are still cease-fire talks being held, but there doesn't seem to be much momentum there. the fighting continues. we know there was an israeli raid at a gaza hospital yesterday. as noted, the rafah operation seems not imminent. this is prime minister netanyahu under international pressure, including from washington. jake sullivan said that
3:11 am
netanyahu made sure to bring up how unhappy he was about senate majority leader schumer's call for elections. is israel going to listen to the president this time around? >> i think what you'll see, you know, this team will come to washington. my guess is, jonathan, they'll still have an operation in rafah but it won't be the whole thing. it'll be smaller. >> to not cross that red line? >> yeah, but the red line is vague. >> right. >> i think there will be military action, open-ended military action including rafah, but it'll be of a scale that will be less. this way, the israelis can say they took on board the american point of view. it'll reduce the number of civilian casualties. i don't think it'll change the fundamentals, but it'll calm things down a little between the united states and israel. but it doesn't change the fundamentals. it doesn't change the question of getting in enough humanitarian aid. it doesn't change the question of the occupation. what bibi netanyahu is saying is he wants to destroy hamas. you cannot destroy hamas
3:12 am
militarily alone. there has to be a political dimension. you have to marginalize hamas politically and defeat them militarily. bibi netanyahu's government refuses to introduce a political dimension of policy. that's why this cannot succeed as currently constructed. >> of course, everybody is waiting for word on the hostages and any developments there. it doesn't seem to be moving and, of course, families are waiting. back here at home, donald trump says that any jewish-american who votes for democrats hates their religion and hates israel. okay. the 2024 republican nominee made those comments yesterday during a podcast interview. take a listen. >> why do the democrats hate bibi netanyahu? >> i actually think they hate israel. >> yes. >> i don't think they hate him. i think they hate israel. when you see those palestinian
3:13 am
marches, even i am amazed at how many people are in the marches. guys like schumer see that, and to him, it's votes. i think it is votes more than anything else. he was always pro-israel. he is anti-israel now. any jewish person that votes for democrats hates their religion, hate everything about israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves. >> gosh, speak of being ashamed of themselves. my god. here's a guy that runs around and trashes the united states of america every day because he's not president. he trashes the united states of america before he is president. despite the fact that before and after, the united states, as i say all the time, strongest economy in the world, easily strongest military in the world, easily the most soft power in the world, easily the greatest institutions of higher learning, easily the greatest medical
3:14 am
doctors and health care professionals in the world. you can go down the list. gene robinson, everything is personalized to donald trump. that's what happens in a cult. if he's not president of the united states, then he says america is horrible. america is awful. america is a joke. he says it. if you are a jew and don't support him, then you hate your religion and you're a bad jew. again, this is something ed luce was talking about yesterday when we were talking about his column, this is something that if any other politician had said before or if they say after, they'd be drummed out of politics. but not donald trump. >> yeah. >> his people, his cult just grows stronger. >> yeah, they just -- but the thing is, they sort of take it on board, too. it becomes part of the maga creed, which is just a tragic thing, really, for what used to be the republican party.
3:15 am
just for american decency, my goodness, to say that chuck schumer, who has been one of the most pro-israel officials, politicians in the country for eons, and who is the highest ranking jewish official in the country, and to say he hates israel and that he is -- that anything he says about israel is angling for anti-israel votes is just obscene. it really is. of course, you know, we're used to obscene from donald trump, so we'll talk about this now and then probably by the end of the show, there will be three or four more obscene things that he says that would get -- would have gotten anybody drummed out of politics ten years ago, 15
3:16 am
years ago. we'll talk about that until the next thing. you know, he goes 90 miles an hour down this road, and it is hard for us and for voters and for the country to keep up and to really process these horrible things he's saying. >> right. well, everybody is numb to it. again, this is -- >> that's the challenge. >> -- something that, you know, he's said before. if anybody else had said it, again, they'd be drummed out of politics. we said at the beginning of this year, we're not going to grow numb to it. we're going to keep bringing this up. people think, what are you talking about this for? because this is anti-semitic garbage. that's why we're bringing it up. to tell somebody they hate their entire religion unless you support their politics or their political party? >> it's not a joke. >> it's the same thing that freaks have been saying in the evangelical church over the past
3:17 am
six, seven, eight years. a lot of real freaks and people who don't understand the bible at all. obviously don't -- obviously, politics means more to them than their faith. the argument is, if you're not for trump, you're not a christian. you're not, you know -- and i've talked about it before in very personal terms. my mom's funeral. tim alberta told a similar story. these people are not well. >> no. >> they are in a political cult. >> very vulnerable. >> that's why donald trump can say this, get away with it, and why we bring it up, because you can be numb to it if you want. we're not. america should not. they should understand. even if he does this every day, this is just foul. >> well, you said even if he does it every day. it's not the first time trump has expressed similar beliefs. in september, he posted on
3:18 am
social media on rosh hashana that liberal jews were voting to, quote, destroy america and israel. as president, he also said that american jews were showing, quote, great disloyalty to israel by voting for democrats. in a statement yesterday, trump's 2024 campaign manager called the democratic party, quote, a full-blown anti-israel, anti-semitic, pro-terrorist cabal. >> richard haass, again, the disinformation spews so easily from their lips and their pens and their word processors. it's almost like, well, almost like orwell said. fascists are much better with propaganda. >> it's easier, lying. >> they throw things against the wall. the trump camp said in the past, steve bannon has said, they'll throw so much stuff at the wall,
3:19 am
they'll numb america. that's what they do every day. >> joe, it's hard for me to listen to this conversation. it's just so offensive for someone to tell me what it means to be a good jew. >> i know. >> it is just so beyond the pale. let me say that. let's put that aside for a second, if possible. i think there is an interesting kernel in this. what does it mean to be pro-israel? this association of pro-israel with bibi netanyahu or current israeli government policy, that's not what it means to be pro-israel. governments have been known for time in memorial to do things often against their own country's self-interest. we have done things in the united states. people opposed the iraq war, vietnam, you name it. doesn't mean you're anti-american. it means you have questions about the wisdom of the policy, whether it is in our own self-interest. what chuck schumer did the other day, what i tried to do in the "wall street journal," to be critical of israel means to be
3:20 am
critical of israeli policy. i actually think that's pro-israel. i actually think in the long run, that is something that's good for israel. you need to have people pusing back, questioning. the government of israel is not perfect. bibi netanyahu, god knows, is not perfect. the idea of if you're critical of israel policy, you're anti-zionist or anti-israeli, that's nonsense. we have to be straight up about it and not give the trumps or anybody else ownership of that argument. i think what bibi netanyahu is doing, what the israeli government is doing, and we talked about it on this show, is bad for israel and the u.s. and israel relationship. people who care for israel, we have the obligation to call them out on it. >> it's what we've talked about before, jonathan lemire. i often quote "the wall street journal" editorial page positively. you look at this headline, democrats turn against israel.
3:21 am
you read the body of it, and, again, it's a very dumbed down, simplified approach. there are those of us who have supported israel for our entire lives. i would say adult lives. but this goes back to me being a young kid and being in church. we have always supported israel. the suggestion that you have to support bibi netanyahu, you have to support policies that deliberately undermine the possibility of there ever being peace between israel and the palestinians, the idea that you have to support total war in a dense space where we understand, i guess maybe "the wall street journal" editorial page doesn't understand it in this case and i guess other people don't understand it, but there is a cost. it has nothing to do with
3:22 am
michigan or i think they brought up nevada. it has nothing to do with what happens in 2024. it has a lot to do with what happens in 2029, 2034, 2044. israel's future. and this lie, and i said this yesterday but have to put it out there again, this lie that somehow israel doesn't do a carpet bombing of rafah, that hamas will spring back to power? i spent this weekend talking to people across the middle east, to foreign policy experts, and i had one question. the question was the same. is hamas ever going to be in charge of gaza again? everybody said, no, no, that's over. their best hope, their only hope is escaping the tunnels and getting the hell out of dodge. they will never, ever regain power in gaza.
3:23 am
this argument somehow that they are is ridiculous. you have a lot of arab counties that want to come in and help the united states and help them rebuild. until bibi netanyahu, they have always seen hamas has bad actors. they have always, you know -- unlike bibi netanyahu, they would not have turned a blind eye in 2018 to hamas' funding or sent his mossad chief to doha as he did a couple of weeks before, with the instructions for qatar to continue funding the hamas terrorist group. that's what he did. that's what he's done. they're defending bibi netanyahu and saying that chuck schumer is somehow not strong enough in his pro-israeli positions? i mean, we could go down the
3:24 am
list of what bibi netanyahu has done to make israel weaker, to make them open to that attack. again, the focus now is on a senate majority leader instead of the prime minister who allowed all this to happen. >> right. hamas may not rule gaza again, but if there is that carpet bombing campaign, it's going to radicalize more people who live in gaza, making life that much more dangerous for israel and the west. certainly, no government is infallible. it is a sign of patriotism at times when you criticize your own government even asyou love the country. people who live in israel have the right to say, look, i love this nation, love israel, but i disagree with this particular government, this particular prime minister. you know who is doing that? president joe biden. he's a significant zionist, who has been pro-israel for his entire political career, who comes of an age where u.s. support for israel was completely reflexive.
3:25 am
he still feels that way, but he also now believes that netanyahu is self-interested, is trying to prolong the war to remain in power, and is conducting it the wrong way. that's why we've seen this break. it doesn't mean the president doesn't support israel. he does. but it's about netanyahu. still ahead on "morning joe," we're going to have expert legal analysis on donald trump's reported inability to pay the multi-million dollar bond in his new york fraud case. plus, we'll dig into the new order from judge aileen cannon in the classified documents case out of florida. you're watching "morning joe." we're back in a moment.
3:26 am
voices of people with cidp: cidp disrupts. cidp derails. let's be honest... all: cidp sucks! voices of people with cidp: but living with cidp doesn't have to. when you sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com, you'll find inspiration in real patient stories, helpful tips, reliable information, and more. cidp can be tough. but finding hope just got a little easier. sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com. all: be heard. be hopeful. be you.
3:27 am
[coughing] copd isn't pretty. i'm out of breath, and often out of the picture. but this is my story. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪
3:28 am
[laughing] ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd because breathing should be beautiful, all day and night. awkward question... is there going to be anything left... —left over? —yeah. oh, absolutely. (inner monologue) my kids don't know what they want. you know who knows what she wants? me! i want a massage, in amalfi, from someone named giancarlo. and i didn't live in that shoebox for years. not just— with empower, we get all of our financial questions answered. so you don't have to worry. i guess i'll get the caviar... just kidding. join 18 million americans and take control of your financial future with a real time dashboard and real live conversations. empower. what's next. [meowing] (♪♪) hi, what's your name? this is our new friend. we'll talk about it later, ok? (♪♪) what does a cat need? -chewy's here. (♪♪) [smash] (♪♪) no, no, no, no. that good? hey, wait, come back. (♪♪)
3:29 am
is this normal? ask the chewy vet team. how much is too much catnip? for everything you need and everything you need to know. find it at chewy. we're here today to set the record straight about dupuytren's contracture. surgery is not your only treatment option. people may think their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started.
3:30 am
judge erdogan wants this $350 million within 30 days. now, i know you're planning on appealing this, but you've still got to put up the full amount pending that appeal. does donald trump have that kind of money sitting around? >> i mean, he does. of course he has money. you know, he is a billionaire. we know that. >> i don't know. that might not be true. his lawyer, alina habba, i don't think she's got that right. >> i mean -- >> unless, you know, he comes up with the money, he has it sitting around. >> there are a lot of billionaires that wouldn't have that kind of money sitting on their side tables. >> they have things. anyhow, donald trump's attorneys now say he cannot secure the roughly half a billion dollar bond for the civil fraud judgment. they asked a judge yesterday for
3:31 am
an emergency stay, claiming a bond for the full amount is, quote, a practical impossibility after reaching out to 30 companies. trump and his company need to post the full amount by monday to prevent new york attorney general letitia james from being able to collect while he appeals, which could include seizing his assets. while trump claims to be a billionaire, he does not have the liquidity to pay the bond himself, as "the new york times" points out. most of his net worth is from the value of his things, his real estate, which bond companies rarely accept as collateral. let's dig into this. joining us now, susan craig. she won a pulitzer for an exhaustive 18-month investigation into former president trump's finances that debunked his claims of self-made wealth. also with us, former deputy chief for the criminal division of the southern district of new
3:32 am
york, christi greenberg, now an msnbc analyst. susan craig, curious, are there any other avenues trump could use to pay this? what do you -- with all the research into his finances, what do you think could happen here? >> right. the filing does sound dire because he can't come up with the cash. what was made really clear yesterday was that they need cash. they're not willing to accept buildings. he, in the next week, has to find it. could be the sale of a building where he comes up with the cash. somebody could offer it in a transaction, something that would be a taxable event and would be headline grabbing. there's still options available to him. i wouldn't say this is a closed story until we're right at the deadline and, you know, he makes a filing saying, "i can't pay." >> right. like a family member, could a
3:33 am
family member, like jared with the money he released from abroad, could he pay? >> i don't know if he could through that specific fund, but that's certainly one option. if something like that happens, i think, you know, this is all new territory so you don't want to say anything for certain, but i think we'll have some transparency into where the money came. let's say a family member came forward, that would be considered a gift or a loan, and there would be tax consequences to it that would cost him. >> got it. >> so far, we haven't seen that. i don't want to say for sure if that was going to happen that we'd know about it already, but, so far, that hasn't materialized. he's in a situation where a number of companies have just said, we're not willing to go near, a, an appeal bond of this size, and we want cold, hard cash. >> right. >> wow. >> so, susanne, first of all, there would be quite a few billionaires that wouldn't have this cash laying around.
3:34 am
>> right. >> wouldn't be liquid. that's one. two, let me know if you agree with that, and then number two, donald trump's problem right now, if he did have to sell some of his properties, commercial real estate post covid has been pummelled and continues to go down. he would be selling distressed assets, wouldn't he, or assets that certainly are not at their highest level? >> i think, a, not at their highest level, and, b, not an ideal circumstance. this is really tough, to close a transaction on a major commercial building in a small amount of time. i keep thinking about one particular building that could be a possibility. he has a 50/50 veture in las vegas with phil ruffin, a big supporter of his. phil could buy him out of the to
3:35 am
you. i don't know if that'd get him to the magic number. those are the things i'm thinking that may be options that they're looking at, just to get the cash together quickly. that may not be an option, sort of one of the things i've been thinking about as i've been looking at his portfolio and what could be sold in a short time to meet this. a lot of people don't have that money sitting around. keep in mind, he already had to come up with cash for the e. jean carroll bond. that's already put a squeeze on what resources he has available. >> christi, he has a week's time to do this. from your perspective, how do you see this playing out? >> well, one thing donald trump is asking for is to just pay $100 million and not the full amount. all the case briefs he cites, none are new york cases. nothing in the new york state code says you can pay 25 cents on the dollar for this or that you can -- because there is a monitor's oversight, that
3:36 am
somehow that should change the analysis. by the way, he doesn't being completely forthcoming with the monitor as it is. i don't see him legally being able to get out of this. he can appeal all he wants, but if he wants the judgment to be stayed, he has to put up the full amount. >> on another legal matter also here in new york, the judge overseeing donald trump's hush money case denied the former president's request to keep two key witnesses from taking the stand. in a court filing last month, trump's legal team sought to block michael cohen and stormy daniels from testifying, but the judge denied the request in a ruling yesterday. we also learned the judge will allow testimony about trump's infamous "access hollywood" tape, but prosecutors will not be permitted to play the video itself. kristy, what is your reaction to the ruling? michael cohen has been convicted for lying under oath, so give us your reaction to this. how do you see it playing out? >> there were various attempts
3:37 am
to limit the testimony and limit the evidence that people are going to be able to present, and the judge really played this clearly. he said, look, you want to argue that michael cohen and stormy daniels are lying? you argue that to a jury, and a jury will decide whether or not they're credible. that's not evidence i'm going to keep out in advance. that was the right decision here. really, most of the evidence that the manhattan district attorney wants to come in is coming in. then there are some close calls, like the "access hollywood" tape, where the judge said, some of this may be inflammatory but you can hear about it. i think he is really trying to be very, you know, very clear in his decisions and make sure there's nothing here that's admitted that could be so inflammatory as to raise an appeal issue. i think it's a good decision. it is a strong decision. i also think it's very clear from this decision he is moving toward trial. i think we are going to see a trial in april, at the latest may. >> i was going to ask that. gene robinson, that was my concern, whether or not this is
3:38 am
still going to happen in the coming months ahead of the election. the answer seems to be yes. >> yeah, it looks like it is going to happen. you know, the schedule for all of these trials, of course, keep getting moves around, which is what happens with trial dates, right? they send to get pushed back a little, pushed back a little, just in the normal course of business. but this one does seem to be on track to happen before the election. perhaps as soon as next month. we will see. i did have a question for susanne in general because you're one of the great experts on donald trump's finances and you've been looking into them recently anew with an eye toward what he's spending now. do you have a sense that he's really in the middle of any sort of cash crunch right now, given that, you know, he has this demand, he's just had to pay the money in the e. jean carroll case? he's got bills
3:39 am
that are a drain, even on a billionaire's finances. what is your sense of where things stand in terms of the trump bank accounts? >> well, i think on the legal fees, his donors are picking up a lot of that tab. setting that aside, you know, you never know for sure what somebody's cash situation is because it can change day-to-day. but i think you can't imagine a situation where he's not in a squeeze. he's had to meet the carroll bond, and then he can't come up with the money for this bond, according to the affidavits fired yesterday. i think just stepping back, you've seen the last several years a number of significant asset sales at the trump organization. he sold the hotel that he owned in florida. he's also sold other assets. you're seeing, you know, that normal course of business for a real estate company, but you're not seeing any expansion or any
3:40 am
acquisitions in the meantime. remember, going back to 2015, when he announced his run for presidency, when he came down the escalator and he attacked mexicans and made that now very famous speech, he saw licensing deals go out the door. he saw those really important licensing deals he has, one-cash hits that he was relying on, they went away. his businesses lose money year in and year out, and so he's had to sell assets in order to keep the business going and keep, you know, plugging the holes he has to plug for his business. i can't imagine a situation where he's not in a bit of a cash crunch right now, or more than a bit of one. >> in trump's classified documents case out of florida, judge aileen cannon issued an order last night that some legal experts say could swing the case in favor of the former president. the judge issued an order to
3:41 am
special counsel jack smith's team and trump's defense attorneys, requesting they submit jury instructions in anticipation of a trial. in her two-page order, the judge said prosecutors and the defense team must engage with the following competing scenarios. option one, let a jury examine every record a former president retains at the end of his or her presidency and determine whether or not it is personal. or jurors must be told that, quote, a president has sole authority under the presidential records act to categorize records as personal or presidential during his or her presidency. >> wait, wait, that makes absolutely no sense at all. >> wow. >> since it's not the law. as "the washington post" notes, the second hypothetical would appear to be one in which trump seemingly could not be convicted under almost any set of facts of improperly possessing classified
3:42 am
documents. >> wow. >> kristy, help us understand how -- >> that is very helpful. >> well, it also just ignores what presidential records act has been defined as through the years. how can that be a jury instruction? i'm a bit confused. >> it's not in terms of those two options. the answer should be none of the above. he's not charged with anything relating to the presidential records act. he is charged with committing violations of the espionage act. the jury instructions should track the language of that statute, which says you cannot, you know, possess, if you didn't have authorization to possess, national defense information. nothing in the presidential records act would have authorized him to possess national defense information after he was president. it's very simple, and she continues to try to muddy the waters. >> that is fascinating. >> investigative reporter at
3:43 am
"the new york times," susanne craig. and legal analyst kristy greenberg, thank you, both, for your analysis this morning. coming up, we'll have a live report from capitol hill on the funding negotiations ahead of another shutdown deadline. plus, we'll get some insight on the mounting pressure speaker mike johnson is facing over aid for ukraine. that's all straight ahead on "morning joe." my copd, things changed for me. breztri gave me better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced flare—ups. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ask your doctor about breztri. the future is not just going to happen. you have to make it. and if you want a successful business,
3:44 am
all it takes is an idea, and now becomes the future. a future where you grew a dream into a reality. it's waiting for you. mere minutes away. the future is nothing but power and it's all yours. the all new godaddy airo. get your business online in minutes with the power of ai. smile! you found it. the feeling of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you. so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting 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,
3:45 am
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. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu.
3:46 am
3:47 am
beautiful shot of new york city with the sun rising. thanks, chopper 4. t.j. is actually a pilot for chopper 4. >> chopper 4 in new york is iconic and getting this beautiful shot for us this morning at 47 past the hour. >> yeah. we can move on. >> see my chopper work? >> i'm scared.
3:48 am
>> look at his chopper work. >> there you go. >> let me pan it over and zoom in. there we go. >> all right. >> thank you, t.j. >> you're welcome. >> taking a look at traffic there. >> getting dizzy. >> let's go to the news now. >> okay. former adviser to former president donald trump is slated to report to a federal prison today. yesterday, the supreme court rejected peter navarro's attempt to stay out of jail while he appeals his contempt of congress conviction. earlier this year, navarro was sentenced to four months in prison for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas. the house select committee investigating the january 6th attack on the capitol said the former adviser had information about trump's attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. so he heads to prison today. republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina visited kyiv yesterday, meeting with
3:49 am
ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy in the hours after russia's presidential election. comments to the press later in the day, senator graham accused russia's vladimir putin of being not a legitimate president and said he is, quote, in charge of a terrorist state. posting on social media, zelenskyy said he and the senator discussed the latest on the battlefield and ukraine's key military needs. senator graham said 2024 will be decisive for the future of europe and the world at large. but as the future of the u.s. aid to ukraine is unclear, senator graham again pushed donald trump's idea of helping ukraine only in the form of a loan. >> i've learned there's $380 billion of russian sovereign wealth assets frozen. $200 billion are in belgium. we need to get that money to help ukraine and help ourselves. i told the president, i'm all in
3:50 am
for helping ukraine, but we have to do it in a form of a loan, no interest, waivable if necessary. for all allies, this will be a new way of doing business. i think it'll get support back home. >> i can't even -- >> it is so painful, richard haass. >> that hurt. >> i've known lindsey for years. john mccain would so mock him for, you know -- he has completely changed his position on helping countries under attack. >> for our own security. >> for our own security, for nay nato's security, the west's security, because donald trump told him to. i'm sure zelenskyy would have preferred him to actually vote yes on aid against the russian
3:51 am
invasion than flying all the way over to ukraine to -- >> to make that stupid remark. >> -- promote donald trump's lame brain attempt to weasel out of supporting a country that's under attack from vladimir putin's forces. >> also, what ukraine needs right now is not loans. it needs ammunition and arms. let's be blunt about it. the only, only possible sliver of good news here, and maybe this is my morning for being optimistic, is that it shows to me that people like lindsey graham and the republicans know they've put themselves in an untenable position here. the fact that they're at least beginning to say, okay, we have the $60 billion package that we're not willing to approve, you know, $40 billion to $50 billion would be spent here in terms of stimulating, you know, basically the american arms industry, give ukraine a loan for some amount that would, down the road, be forgiven. if there's ways of slicing and dicing this so ukraine can get
3:52 am
military help, at the same time, republicans can claim some victory, i don't care. what is essential is ukraine needs military help. essentially, they're getting worn down and moved back on the battlefield. as we have talked about, it's terrible for ukraine. it's terrible for european security. these so-called people who are tough on china, this is terrible for asia. it sends the message to taiwan and others that the united states can't be trusted and can't be counted on. again, my instipgstincts are to how this plays out. it's not the loan. we have to get them military help. >> the idea of a loan not immediately rejected by some democrats who this was run past last night. also not immediately rejected by senate minority leader mcconnell who has been strong on ukraine. eugene robinson, there's one voice that seems to matter here for the republicans, and that's donald trump. he hasn't weighed in on this
3:53 am
particular proposal yet. i spoke to some republicans last night who said they hoped trump would sign off on it or, at the least, go quiet, so people could vote for it. we don't know he'll do that, as he has reflectively sided with moscow time and time again during his political career. tell us what you think happens, and also just this continued fall from grace for senator lindsey graham. >> well, what's happened to lindsey graham is pathetic. it really is. it's typical of what we've seen from lindsey graham during the trump era, and i just can't imagine what john mccain's reaction would be. in terms of what happens now, look, there are two things that matter. what donald trump ultimately says and what speaker mike johnson ultimately does.
3:54 am
i think they can get ukraine aid through the senate, but speaker johnson won't bring it up in the house. now, there are indications, well, maybe he will at some point. maybe it'll be a standalone thing. yes, it'd pass the house if he would bring it forward, but he doesn't yet seem to have consensus in his caucus for it. he's too timid to bring it up. even though he must know how desperately this is needed. the clock is ticking. they need these weapons. europe has supplied what it can supply for the time being. they need these american arms, and they need them now. johnson just won't pull the trigger on this. >> well, and the message is, again, and you all are so right, the message is not just to moscow. the message is to beijing, on
3:55 am
taiwan. taiwan becomes far more vulnerable if the united states won't stand up and support ukraine against this invasion. >> hard to watch lindsey graham go all the way over there to say that, by the way. richard haass, thank you very much. still ahead, quote, who will win the biden/trump double haters? that's the question from "the daily beast"'s matt lewis, with his piece on what he calls the most important voting block this election cycle. plus, several states will hold primary elections today. while biden and trump already locked up their party's presidential nominations, there are a number of key senate and congressional races to watch. >> we need to go to the rage when we come back. >> steve kornacki will join us in the big board in our fourth hour. "morning joe" will be right back.
3:56 am
3:57 am
if you're looking for a medicare supplement insurance plan that's smart now... i'm 65. and really smart later i'm 70-ish. consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan from unitedhealthcare. with this type of plan, you'll know upfront about how much your care costs. which makes planning your financial future easier. so call unitedhealthcare today to learn more about the only plans of their kind with the aarp name. and set yourself and your future self up with an aarp medicare supplement plan from unitedhealthcare.
3:58 am
only purple's gel flex grid passes the raw egg test. no other mattress cradles your body and simultaneously supports your spine. memory foam doesn't come close. get your best sleep guaranteed right now! save up to $400. visit purple.com or a store near you.
3:59 am
4:00 am
we're negotiators. that should have been negotiated right at the beginning three years ago. better than any audience. the people in this room understand what i'm saying. you want to renegotiate deals? some of us do. about 99.9%. does anybody not renegotiate deals in this room? this room negotiates. i want to -- this room. perhaps more than any room i've ever spoken to. you had many people in the group other than neo nazis and white nationalists, okay? the press has treated them absolutely unfairly. you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. >> i can't. two of the many instances where donald trump either echoed out
4:01 am
anti-semitic tropes or flat out excused some of the worst examples of hate in america. he did it again just yesterday. we're going to play for you that in a moment. welcome back to "morning joe." it is tuesday, march 19th. jonathan lemire and eugene robinson still with us. joining the conversation, we have former white house director of communications to president obama, jennifer palmieri. she is co-host of the msnbc podcast, "how to win 2024" with claire. and the host of the podcast, "on brand with donny deutsch," donny deutsch. senior columnist for "the daily beast," matt lewis is joining us this morning. good to have you all on board this hour. donald trump says that any jewish-american who votes for democrats hates their religion and hates israel. the 2024 republican nominee made those comments yesterday during a podcast interview. >> why do the democrats hate
4:02 am
bibi netanyahu? >> i actually think they hate israel. >> yes. >> i don't think they hate him. i think they hate israel. when you see those palestinian marches, even i, i'm amazed at how many people are in those marches. guys like schumer see that, and to him it's votes. i think it's votes more than anything else. because he was always pro-israel. he is very anti-israel now. any jewish person that votes for democrats hates their religion. they hate everything about israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves. >> i mean, chuck schumer has spent, donny deutsch, his entire life, the victim of anti-semitic tropes because he has been such a fierce defender of israel. now, suddenly, donald trump decides that he, again, will determine, donald trump will determine who is a bad jew and who is an enemy of israel.
4:03 am
your thoughts? >> of anything donald trump ever said to defend my core, this is it. how dare you, donald trump, tell me what it takes to be a good jew and not a good jew, what it takes to love israel and not love israel. first of all, you stand for nothing, but judaism is about, being a decent human being and being kind to others. you are the farthest thing from what people should say what a good jew is and isn't. people who automatically vote for trump because he is good for israel, he'll turn on jews in a second. he has a fondness for hitler according to john kelly. he said there were good people on both sides of charlottesville. he'd turn on jews if it was in his best interest. it'll be controversial. he doesn't care about israel. he cares about donald trump. how dare you tell me what it takes to be a good jew or not. >> yeah, jen palmieri, there's no doubt how deeply offensive
4:04 am
these comments were. as mika just read, this is not new. this is something he has done for a long time. he has revealed himself to have these biases, prejudices, and defend those who have done unspeakable things, like in the wake of charlottesville, as we played the clip a moment ago. yet, nothing he says seems to shake his core supporters. more than that, nothing he says seems to draw criticism from higher-ranking republicans clinging to power on capitol hill and elsewhere. >> they just -- you know, there is -- i remember earlier in the hour, y'all were talking about when he came down the escalator in 2015. at the end of that campaign, i spoke with a consultant from one of the losing republican primary campaigns. he said, in retrospect, we all lost, every other republican lost the race when he came down that escalaor and said that
4:05 am
immigrants coming over from mexico, some are rapists and criminals, and some i suspect are very good people. he said, again, that that's always the qualifier. because he was speaking what people in the base saw as the truth. even though it was an ugly truth, they thought he had the courage to do that, and then if he is willing to defend them on their world view, they're willing to defend him on anything that he says. i thought it was a great way to encapsulate what the appeal is and the connection that trump has to his base, and it persists eight years later. donald trump is standing by his rhetoric from over the weekend, as well. he warned there would be a, quote, bloodbath for the country if he loses in november. in a social media post and in a podcast interview yesterday, he said his words were being taken out of context, and then he took a swipe at auto workers.
4:06 am
here, first, is a reminder of exactly what he said at the rally on saturday in ohio, followed by his comments yesterday. >> we're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line. you're not going to be able to sell those cars. if i get elected. now, if i don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. it is going to be a bloodbath for the country. that'll be the least of it. >> the thing they do best is cheating at elections and misinformation like the word bloodbath, which they've used a hundred times over the last year about describing things. and i use it about trade, essentially, auto-trade, because we're getting ripped off with biden's really dumb auto policy. i tell you what, if any united autoworker or other, if any autoworker voted against trump, they are -- they are not the smartest people. >> biden campaign, for its part,
4:07 am
continues to -- by the way, not the smartest people? >> no. >> you talk about stripping words out of their proper context. >> yeah. >> the word is used in a lot of different ways, but when you say there will be a bloodbath, and that was, as we said yesterday, related to the auto industry, but then he goes, "and that'll be the least of it." then he goes, "for all of america, and that'll be the least of it." for a guy who trades in violent rhetoric, for a guy who took something he claims was for the auto industry and generalized it for the rest of america, again, i guess if that works for people and they want to pretend that everybody is so stupid, they can't figure it out. >> there are other contexts. >> that's fine. i mean, of course, we're looking at drudge headlines. >> here's another way you can use the word. >> i think drudge is going to use the word every day for the next month or two. >> interesting. >> again, though, we're talking
4:08 am
about whether you use it that way or whether you use it in the context where you attach violence to it. again, when he goes, "and that'll be the least of it for all of america," well, the biden campaign certainly picked up on that. they called him out for his rhetoric, posting a video montage of the other times he's excused or encouraged violence. >> now, if i don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath. it'll be a bloodbath for the country. >> jews will not replace us! >> you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. >> are you willing to condemn white supremacists and -- >> proud boys, stand by and stand back. >> rise for the horribly and unfairly treated january 6th hostages. >> there will be a lot of pardons and commutations of january 6th defendants? >> yes, absolutely. >> what do you tell your supporters now, can you say no
4:09 am
matter what, no violence? >> it'll be a bloodbath. >> gene robinson, again, you can put it in context. you can call an election or a football game a bloodbath. but if you put it in the context of a political speech and you've traded in violence, you know, violent rhetoric for five, six, seven, eight years, encouraged riots at the capitol, and you finish the sentence by expanding it out from autoworkers to all of america, saying that's going to be the least of it, please. i don't know who he is trying to fool, but this is the game. we said this a couple days ago. these are the kinds of games he plays with rhetoric, and his followers -- and, unfortunately, sadly, a lot of right-wing media websites and newspapers do along for the ride. >> s with rhetoric.
4:10 am
he uses violent rhetoric since coming down the escalator and continues to use it. he doesn't want to stop because it's been effective for him. yes, he throws out words like "bloodbath," and this is the way he uses the sort of, you know, believe what i say, don't believe your lying eyes and ears. right? so he says something very clearly, verbatim, and you can write it down. you can play it back over and over and over. he says, "no, i never said that. i never said that. clearly, i meant something else." and gives his supporters who are willing to ignore the reality, gives them at least a -- some sort of rational or what you could call a rational to keep supporting him and agree and say, "no, no, no, that's not
4:11 am
what he meant." it's clearly what he meant, and it is what he said. you heard it with your own ears. >> right. >> yet, he -- this is the trump method. i'll note one other thing, what he said about autoworkers. the united autoworkers have endorsed joe biden as president. >> yeah. jonathan lemire, while we're talking about the language he used and what he was trying to provoke by saying there would be a bloodbath for all of america if i don't win, kind of overlooking the disastrous policy that was sort of snuck in there. 100% tariffs on autos. "wall street journal" has been talking about this. donald trump keeps talking about a tariff here, a tariff there. of course, just like he lies about nato's 2% contribution, he lies about tariffs. he says, oh, it's going to punish the other country.
4:12 am
no, it doesn't punish the other country. it is taxes on american working class people, middle class people. it's the consumers that get hurt by the tariffs, and it is a regressive tax increase on them and other people who can't afford higher taxes. "the wall street journal" editorial page actually said that yesterday in the op-ed. >> yeah. donald trump is idealogically consistent about few things. he's been into tariffs and always wrong about their impact. study after study suggests what he is imposing would crush american consumers and hurt the economy. of course, trump also suggesting he'd extend the trump tax cuts, about to expire, for the rich here in the united states. it is also, of course, coming as part of the violent rhetoric. the biden campaign ad effectively showed that. in 2015/2016, during the first
4:13 am
campaign rallies, he would encourage his supporters to beat up protesters in the stands. he'd suggest he'd pay their bail to get them out. we also know, most vividly, that people committed acts of violence in his name before. there have been certainly those arrested for threatening media personaliies or democrats. we know about the man who broke into the pelosi home in san francisco and assaulted paul pelosi, cracked his skull with a hammer. cracked his skull with a hammer. of course, we know, donny, what happened on january 6th. a mob, a mob, a riot stormed the citadel of american democracy and carried out violence in his name. he is lighting that fuse for it to happen again. >> yeah. i'm still stuck on donald trump telling me what a good jew is and isn't. i just want to remind everybody, going back to january 6th and everything, what autocrats do, what they're capable of doing. if jews more than anybody can't understand what somebody with
4:14 am
absolute power is capable of doing, that, to me, when i get upset when some of my jewish friends say, "well, how can you vote against donald trump? he is for israel." donald trump is a would-be autocrat. if you don't understand what that means, the dark side of that, i don't know what to say to you. >> perfect segue to matt here. in your latest article for "the daily beast" entitled, "who you will win the biden-trump double-haters," you write, "so-called double-haters might be the most important voting bloc this year. in case you missed the memo, double-haters are voters who don't like either donald trump or joe biden. despite polls that clearly show voters are frustrated with biden, it is also hard for me to imagine he can invoke the
4:15 am
intense hatred inspired by hillary clinton or donald trump. not only are his words and actions egregregious, they're harder to avoid. no matter what wins or loses with the double-haters and the election, the rise of this cohort is significant because of what it says about the sad state of modern american politics. i would add to that, a very loud echoing of misinformation, coming not just from donald trump but the different branches of our society that he has working for him. >> right. you do have, matt, for that reason and many more, you have these so-called double-haters. i'm with you, it's always -- i've always been fascinated by people who used to target nancy pelosi for 30 years and hillary clinton for 30 years and now aoc and all these other people. i kept wondering, how are they
4:16 am
going to do this to joe biden? this guy is, you know, this guy from delaware. >> hard to hate him. >> he was criticized for being too easy on banks and credit card companies and corporations over his senate career. how are they going to turn him into a left-wing monster. >> crime family. >> they've somehow managed to do that. so you do have these double-haters, which really goes to, as you said, the rise of negative partisanship, which now really defines so much of our political system. but in this case, you are so right. explain how the winner of this election will be the person who gets the so-called double-hate double-haters, more of that vote to vote for them. >> i think that's exactly right, joe. part of it is just the sheer size of double-haters, right? every four years, we obsess over undecided voters.
4:17 am
you know, how are the undecided voters going to break? traditionally, undecided voters are 10% or 11% of the electorate. these double-haters are double that, right? it's about 19%, about a fifth of the electorate are people who are dissatisfied with either donald trump or joe biden. i think very clearly, as go the double-haters, so goes the election. my personal bet is, as we were eluding to there, that, you know, if it is a binary choice, if voters are forced to choose between trump or joe biden, i think that leans to biden's benefit. i think it is easier to hate donald trump. at the end of the day, forced to choose a binary choice between biden and trump, a lot of folks will just hold their nose and vote for biden, kind of as the lesser of two evils. but, joe, where this gets messy,
4:18 am
and if you're democrats, where this gets scary is the proposition that it won't be a binary choice. there will be a third-party candidate who runs, like in a battleground state. we know it is about the electoral college, right? it could be jill stein. could be rfk jr., cornell west. somebody who gives these double-haters an out. they don't have to vote for biden or trump. they can go with a third option. that's what democrats have to take very seriously. >> matt, what do we know about these voters? i've seen -- i have seen some -- sarah longwell's focus groups, the double-haters go the way you're suggesting and end up with -- people who voted for trump twice but end up leaning toward the bidn side, but are these people who voted for biden in 2020 and, therefore, he needs to win back? are they people who are all trump supporters? do we have a sense of who they are? >> first of all, one question
4:19 am
would be, are they, like, independent? i think most of the folks are people who did vote in the past for biden or donald trump. in the case of donald trump, i think that it was probably january 6th that was the event that pushed many of them away from the republican party. they were willing to stick with trump through a lot of things, but january 6th, i think, was a bridge too far for many of the double-haters. in the case of joe biden, i think it is probably a lot of young voters who, frankly, feel, you know -- there is the age issue. obviously, there are things like inflation, other issues, the border. whatever the case may be, these are not -- i would say the majority of these folks are not people that are the undecided, independent voters. these are folks who previously voted for one of these two. they just need to come home and be given a permission to come home. that's why i think the
4:20 am
third-party possibility is dangerous. again, i think it is probably the third party who is more likely to hurt joe biden disproportionately. >> "the daily beast"'s matt lewis, thank you very much. donny deutsch, thank you, as well. we appreciate your insights this morning. ahead on "morning joe," amid escalating tensions, president biden and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu speak on the phone for the first time in a month. we'll go live to tel-aviv for more on what the two discussed. plus, the latest from capitol hill as lawmakers reach a tentative deal to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the week. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.
4:21 am
[coughing] copd hasn't been pretty. it's tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups. and with one dose a day, trelegy improves lung function so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd
4:22 am
because breathing should be beautiful. there's nothing better than a subway series footlong. except when you add an all new footlong sidekick. like the philly with a new $2 footlong churro. sometimes the sidekick is the main event. you would say that. every epic footlong deserves the perfect sidekick. 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. (♪♪)
4:23 am
why choose a sleep number smart bed? can i make my side softer? with 30 grams of protein. i like my side firmer. sleep number does that. now, save up to $1,000 when you purchase select sleep number smart beds and an adjustable base. ends monday. shop now at sleepnumber.com voices of people with cidp: cidp disrupts. cidp derails. let's be honest... all: cidp sucks! voices of people with cidp: but living with cidp doesn't have to. when you sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com, you'll find inspiration in real patient stories, helpful tips, reliable information, and more. cidp can be tough. but finding hope just got a little easier. sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com. all: be heard. be hopeful. be you.
4:24 am
4:25 am
israeli prime minister netanyahu is sending a team to the white house to discuss the looming rafah ground invasion. it comes as president biden is voicing concerns about the operation, warning it could be disastrous for israel. joining us now from tel-aviv, nbc news foreign correspondent raf sanchez. raf, what's the latest? >> reporter: mika, the hunger crisis in gaza is growing by the hour. so is the sense of alarm at the white house about this potential israeli ground assault on rafah. now, we are seeing the president intervening personally to try to convince israel to change course. this morning, president biden trying to head off a major new israeli operation in gaza. in their first call in more than a month, the president urging israel's benjamin netanyahu to
4:26 am
abandon plans to assault the city of rafah, where more than a million palestinian civilians are sheltering. >> they have nowhere else to go. gaza's other major cities have largely been destroyed. >> reporter: the white house says israel should pursue hamas leaders in rafah with targeted raids, but that a major ground attack would be a mistake. >> it would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in gaza, and further isolate israel internationally. >> reporter: the white house saying american and israeli teams will meet in washington to discuss other approaches. the president's warning came hours after israeli forces stormed into al shifa hospital, saying hamas fighters were operating inside. palestinian officials say attacking a hospital is a potential war crime. thousands of civilians are sheltering at al shifa, hoping for safety and for food. a new u.n.-backed report says
4:27 am
half of gaza's population ing c in northern gaza, famine is imminent. more aid arriving by air and now by sea, but it is a fraction of what is needed. the european union accusing israel of deliberately provoking famine. >> tar vation is used as a weapon of war. >> reporter: israel denies that, saying it places no limits on food entering gaza. not far from al shifa, families fleeing the latest air strike. salvaging what little they can from their homes. this little boy carrying a car seat, "i swear to god, i'm afraid." he says. while israel's ground assaults on rafah hasn't yet started, we're seeing intensified israeli bombing across the south of the strip. netanyahu says if israel does not destroy those remaining hamas units hiding in the south, then it will lose this war. but he also says he is prepared at least to delay an attack on
4:28 am
rafah if there is a breathrough at the ongoing hostage negotiations happening now in qatar. mika. >> raf sanchez, thank you for that report. we appreciate it. congressional leaders have reached a tentative deal to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. two sources familiar with the talks say negotiators have an agreement in principle for homeland security portion of the package. the rest of the legislation had been agreed to at the end of last week. dhs funding has been a sticking point for both sides as the clock ticked toward friday's deadline. joining us now, nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles. ryan, how will this play out for the rest of the week? >> well, mika, this was the day congressional leaders needed to get the ball moving. of course, they have the deadline of midnight on friday. the house has a rule that members get 72 hours to look at
4:29 am
any piece of legislation. of course, the senate is the senate, and even one member of the senate can slow the process on this if they don't like what they see. we expect the legislative text to be released at some point today. that's when we'll get our real assessment as to whether or not this is going to be something the rank and file members of congress are okay with. we know the white house and congressional leaders hammered out the differences they had over the homeland security portion of this funding bill fie they feel comfortable where this is going. it does seem, mika, they're essentially, basically, just going to push any major decisions as to how to handle the situation at the southern border and the broader funding of homeland security off to another day. while whether or not this will be fully defined as a continuing resolution, we won't know until the actual piece of legislation comes out. it doesn't seem as though there's going to be any kind of dramatic changes to the overall funding of homeland security, and that seems to be a
4:30 am
necessity, just so they can get this package over the finish line and avoid the deadline on friday. the other important thing to point out, mika and joe, is we're still waiting on whether or not they're going to be able to put some package on the floor that will allow for funding for ukraine. that is also an important deadline because once lawmakers leave on friday, the 22 2 leave on friday, the2nd, the house of representatives is scheduled to be out of town for two weeks. if they don't deal with ukraine funding this week, it'll be well into april before there's any real movement on that, which i think is a real possibility at this point. >> ryan, we're also learning this morning that a key witness in the republican-led impeachment inquiry into president biden is denying to appear before a congressional hearing tomorrow. what's the latest with that? >> yeah, you know, this is pretty interesting, mika and joe. this was the house republican attempts at basically forcing hunter biden to testify publicly after he agreed to that lengthy
4:31 am
closed-door deposition. you remember the back and forth with hunter biden and the committee, where he said he'd only appear in a public hearing. they attempted to hold him in contempt of congress and he relented. they threw out this idea of a hearing scheduled to take place wednesday and invited hunter to the hearing and also invited several other people a part of the investigation. among them, tony bobulinski, accusing president biden of being involved in hunter biden's business dealings without providing any direct evidence to support that claim. then this other character, devon archer, a long-time business associate of hunter biden. this isn't a subpoena. they weren't telling anybody they had to be here, it was an invitation. hunter biden and his attorney, abbe lowell, said they'd only show up if jared kushner, donald trump's son-in-law came, so it could be a broader conversation about influence peddling with
4:32 am
family members connected to the white house. devin archer's attorney said there isn't enough time for him to prepare for a hearing of this magnitude. the other thing, mika and joe, is one of the other witnesses, jason dalinas, also a former business associate of hunter biden who was convicted of fraud and is serving a 14-year federal prison sentence, he'll appear via video conference from federal prison on wednesday to offer up his testimony as it relates to this hearing. a hearing that at one time was kind of presented by house republicans as a big bombshell hearing is really losing a lot of steam as we head into wednesday. >> nbc's ryan nobles, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> gene robinson, why are we not surprised? >> well. >> this archer guy is one more example of a witness that republicans originally put up
4:33 am
that would offer bombshell testimony, that would hurt the bidens. he came in and did just the opposite. that's happened time and time and time again. it's really pretty remarkable, how badly they've misplayed their hand here. by the way, there are a lot of republicans and conservative commentators saying the same thing. they just keep making fools of themselves. >> yes, they do. i think that message is getting through. that's one message that is getting through to voters, including to republican voters. there are a couple of republicans i correspond with recently who, you know, disagree with what i write in my column and what i say on television, but who do so in a thoughtful way. so we've continud correspondence. i've noticed a drop-off in terms
4:34 am
of eraser in the times they mention biden crime family. that whole thing has fizzled and has gone away. they should stop embarrassing themselves in the house at this point because this dog will not hunt. >> the white house counsel's office on friday put out a stern letter to house republicans saying, "hey, you have nothing. time to let this go." jen palmieri, as you know, those in biden world also point to polls that don't think that any of the hunter biden stuff and the biden crime family nonsense hurts him. they feel there is no there-there, and voters can see that. this has been a destruction, one they hope is fading. but talk a little about the personal toll perhaps this still weighs on the president, particularly when his son is involved. even as the house investigation seems to be falling apart, hunter biden, for now, slated to stand for trial this summer in
4:35 am
california on these tax and gun charges. just talk to us about how that'll weigh on a president who loves his son as he heads into an all-out campaign. >> yeah, you know, you hate -- this is part of why the republicans do it, because they're trying to assert emotional pain on the family, as well. but, you know, there's no family like the biden family in terms of a family that has been through a lot of hardship. it sticks together. i think they all understood when he made the decision to run for re-election what that would mean, what they were being exposed to. they'll get through it. this may motivate the republican base. it's not moving anyone else. you know, you even have republicans in congress talking about how republicans in congress aren't getting anything done, in addition to all of those investigations coming up and having nothing. but, you know, sure, it is not a pleasant, fun thing for the president to have to go through.
4:36 am
>> all right. coming up, there's at least one republican admitting that senator katie britt's state of the union response, quote, didn't go over too well. we'll tell you where that unlikely criticism is coming from, next on "morning joe." we're talking about cashbackin. not a game. not a game! we're talking about cashbackin. we're talking about cashbackin. we're not talking about practice? no. we're talking about cashbackin. we're talking about cashbackin. we're talking about cashbackin. not a game! we've been talking about practice for too long. -word. -no practice. we're talking about cashbackin. we're talking about cashbackin. i mean, we're not talking about a game! cashback like a pro with chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. kayak. no way. why would i use kayak to compare hundreds of travel sites at once?
4:37 am
kayak. i like to do things myself. i do my own searching. it isn't efficient. use kayak. i can't trust anything else to do the job right. aaaaaaaahhhh! kayak. search one and done. smile! you found it. the feeling of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you. so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting 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.
4:38 am
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. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu.
4:39 am
4:40 am
beautiful shot of the capitol at 39 past the hour. welcome back to "morning joe." republican senator tommy tuberville of alabama was asked directly about the misleading anecdote shared by senator katie britt in her state of the union response. in her speech, britt linked a graphic account of a young woman victimized by sex trafficking to president biden's immigration
4:41 am
policies. she's used this anecdote several times before. as we've discussed, the abuse actually occurred during president george w. bush's administration nearly 20 years ago. in mexico, not the united states. here's what senator tuberville had to say about katie britt's remarks. >> yeah, well, that obviously didn't go over too well. i would think that our leadership would have vetted that a little more. i would imagine they helped her with that. again, that's a mistake made, but it was a good point of emphasis of what really goes on from the border. i think that's what she was trying to get over more than anything. >> wow. jonathan lemire, with friends like that, right? >> there's always been a great rivalry of senators from the same state sort of sniping at each other. >> yes. >> there is active dislike
4:42 am
amongst mcconnell and rand paul, perhaps, topping the list. >> right. >> this one, tuberville certainly didn't have her back. managed to throw leadership under the bus while he was at it. certainly, senator britt, as we talked about, you know, is imprsive in other ways, other interviews. you say, gosh, if she had delivered her rebuttal like this, we wouldn't be talking about it right now. instead, this is, at least for now, going to be the first part of her political resume. >> well, i was going to say, she obviously has been seen by a lot of people in the republican party as very impressive, an up-and-comer. jen, i know you can confirm, and it was fascinating to see this as i got into politics, that, often, it is senators in the same party who can't stand each other. there's always this fierce rivalry on who is the top dog in the state. whereas, i often saw democratic
4:43 am
senators and republican senators from the same state or a democratic governor and republican senator, they get along very well. yeah, you really saw this with tommy tuberville, who i'm sure was irked that katie britt's star was rising as quickly as it was. >> yeah, he's either second fiddle to alabama versus auburn or katie britt versus tommy tuberville. >> yeah. >> that's what they all say, they have the other party as the opposition. the real enemy is within your own party. >> mm-hmm. >> i've heard that even though she got panned and, you know, by republicans as well as just sort of, you know, the media, that trump still really liked her performance. i think, you know, what i heard is that his team had a role in creating her -- in drafting her remarks. i watched all of trump's remarks in dayton on saturday, and he brought her up and said, "you know, she kind of got panned.
4:44 am
i thought she did really well. what did you all think?" there was, like, "yay," very light, not a very big reaction from the crowd for her. trump also had kristi noem with him. a real-life "apprentice," trying out his running mate. i have to say, you know, i have some things to say about her that would detract from her. but she spoke briefly, did a really good performance, got a great reaction from the crowds. >> her smile looked great. >> looked great, yeah. >> what is that from? >> her smile looked so good. thank god. >> who said that? >> well, kristi noem, she did a commercial. >> had some dental work. >> i didn't know. >> she had dental work done. you could get close-ups of, like, inside her mouth when you watch the commercial. >> sweetie, are you watching
4:45 am
daytime cable on other networks again? >> actually, we brought this on our show. >> did we? >> sure. she did a commercial for -- >> a texas face. >> mouth doctor in texas. it was very weird. i don't get it. >> oh. >> but she looked fantastic. >> if she looked good, that's good, right? that's what you want. >> i need that. >> good smile. i need that. anyway, turning now to the economy quickly, please. back in -- >> i didn't do the commercial. >> president biden was asked about america's financial status on the global stage. here's what he said. >> i'm not concerned about it. i'm concerned about the rest of the world. the problem is the lack of economic growth and the sound policy in other countries, not so much ours. >> okay. please, please, just hand the cone to somebody. staff, take the cone. get a napkin, by the way. don't touch his ice cream cone, okay?
4:46 am
he likes his ice cream cone. >> yeah. >> grab it from him so he can speak about the economy. that is what you are there for, to help. >> okay. >> yeah. take the cone. >> who are we going to bring in now? >> joining us now, senior washington correspondent for bloomberg news, the author of the new book entitled "paper soldiers," saleha mohsin. how the weaponization of the dollar changed the world order. congratulations on the book. thank you for coming on the show. tell us about the book. i take it it has a lot to do with the u.s. remaining at the center of the global financial system, or not. >> the book is about the u.s. superpower status around the world, how we rose to this status and how the dollar has underpinned and expanded that status. and how there are foreign threats we talk about and know
4:47 am
about and how there are also internal threats that are damaging u.s. democracy, therefore, our dollar, therefore, our economic prowess abroad. >> so let's talk about that. we've heard through the years, you know, back in the '80s, we heard japan was going to overtake us, their currency would overtake ours. we heard the same about china starting 2004/2005. it hasn't happened. why has the dollar remained resilient, and why has it remained the foundation of the world's global economic system? >> you're absolutely right, joe. every generation, every decade, there is someone out there thinking that another currency could come and supplant the dollar. like you said, in the '90s, it was japan's yen. the early 2000s, there was the euro, newly created and came on stage. more recently, people talk about the yuan or bitcoin. the u.s. dollar is a national treasure for the country. it needs to be protected. first, you have to protect our
4:48 am
democracy. the u.s.' global standing, our economic power and heft is all driven by the strength of our democracy. we have rule of law. we have free and independent agencies. we have free and fair elections. all of those things come together and have a lot of foreign governments trusting in our market. >> congratulations on the book. you detailed some of the potential threats to the dollar's supremacy. what would be some others, beyond the challenges to democracy which you laid out? what are other things that could endanger where it stands now? >> john, one of the more obvious ones are the constant fights over our federal deficit and our debt ceiling. the deep partisanship is not good for the u.s. dollar. if you have this much partisan
4:49 am
and the country looks as if it is coming apart at the seams, then how are you going to have the kind of bipartisanship you need in congress to actually address the deficit? the last time that happened, lawmakers in the executive branch had to come together to agree on something. the sky is blue. grass is green. those agreements don't exist right now. >> right. >> we're so far from that. real talk about bringing down the deficit doesn't even exist. >> how is that seen in global markets across the world? i've been warning about the debt for 30 years. pretty much, at some point, you start feeling like you're chicken little saying the sky is falling. when i started, we had a $5 trillion debt. now, we have a $33 trillion, $34 trillion debt. at what point does the rest of the world say, this is too much of a risk, the u.s. is carrying too much debt? >> well, that's just what it is going to take. it'll take other people to point
4:50 am
this out in a very real way. one of the fun things i got to do in the book was i interviewed every living treasury secretary, except for one who is quite elderly. and bob ruben, when i sat down with him, we talked about how in the '90s, when he helped the clinton administration, bill clinton, put together an economic agenda, bond traders punished the administration for a plan that allowed for too much fiscal spending, more than the economy could sustain. i have a great chapter called "vigilantes and bullies" and it talks about bond traders, markets, bullied washington to bring not only rein in fiscal spending plans, but actually start managing the debt and bringing that down. that's the last time any politician, any administration and legislative branch, the
4:51 am
legislative branch actually addressed the deficit. fast forward to decades later, ruben says it will take markets to bully washington to do this again. >> of course, that decade famously four balanced budgets in a row. there was that moment, bob woodward first noted it in one of his box about the clinton administration, where ruben brought bill clinton the bad news and clinton's response was, do you mean my gd white house is going to be basically hostage to bond traders? ruben's answer was, yes. yes, it is. >> boy. >> i can't wait to read this book. >> fantastic. >> it's "paper soldiers: how the weaponization of the dollar changed the world order." senior washington correspondent for "bloomberg news," thank you so much. congratulations on the book. we appreciate your coming on this morning. and still ahead, a look at some of the stories making front page headlines across the country.
4:52 am
plus, president biden making a fresh appeal to latino voters for their support in his bid for re-election. we will have an legislative look at the new set of ads being launched today by the dnc and we will talk about the effort with senator alex padilla, a member of the biden/harris campaign national advisory board. "morning joe" is coming right back. the itch and rash of moderate to severe eczema disrupts my skin, night and day. despite treatment, it's still not under control. but now i have rinvoq. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that reduces the itch and helps clear the rash of eczema—fast. some rinvoq patients felt significant itch relief as early as 2 days. some achieved dramatic skin clearance as early as 2 weeks. and many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb.
4:53 am
serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. help heal your painful skin— disrupt the itch & rash of eczema. talk to your doctor about rinvoq. learn how abbvie can help you save. look - i'm not a young guy. that's no secret. but here's the deal — i understand how to get things done for the american people. i led the country through the covid crisis. today we have the strongest economy in the world. i passed a law that lowers prescription drug prices. caps insulin at $35 a month for seniors. for four years donald trump tried to pass an infrastructure law and he failed. i got it done. now we're rebuilding america. i passed the biggest law in history to combat climate change because our future depends on it.
4:54 am
donald trump took away the freedom of women to choose. i'm determined to make roe v. wade the law of the land again. donald trump believes the job of the president is to take care of donald trump. i believe the job of the president is to fight for you, the american people. and that's what i'm doing. i'm joe biden and i approve this message. look, i'm very young, energetic, and handsome. what the hell am i doing this for? [laughs]
4:55 am
my name is oluseyi and some of my favorite moments throughout my life are watching sports with my dad. now, i work at comcast as part of the team that created our ai highlights technology, which uses ai to detect the major plays in a sports game. giving millions of fans, like my dad and me, new ways of catching up on their favorite sport.
4:56 am
illegally crossing into the u.s.
4:57 am
the law was signed by texas governor greg abbott in december and was set to take effect on march 5th before the justice department questioned its constitutionality. the "pittsburgh post-gazette" is covering a recent ruling by a pennsylvania judge concerning ballot dropoff sites. in february, an allegheny county councilmember announced satellite dropoff sites for the state's upcoming primary elections without consulting the election board. the judge ruled yesterday any future decisions regarding ballot return sites can only be made upon a majority vote from the board. "the atlanta-journal constitution" looking at the epa's ban of asbestos. the agency has restricted the only form still in use, which has been linked to lung cancer and other illnesses that cause about 40,000 deaths in the u.s. each year. the move comes 33 years after a
4:58 am
federal judge blocked the agency's initial attempt to rid the nation of the substance. and finally, "the orlando sentinel" is spotlighting the nation's number one sports destination. the sports business journal ranked orlando as the top city in the country for the ability to attract and host sporting events and celebrations. there are more than 35 sports venues across the orlando yrm. also disney word. >> really, is disney in orlando? i never knew that could be a resort destination. still ahead, donald trump has less and a week to come up with $460 million or the new york attorney general could start seizing his assets. we'll go through that. and the other major legal developments involving the former president next on "morning joe." we're back in two minutes.
4:59 am
15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more - can be overwhelming. so, ask your doctor about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start. it's the #1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. so far, more than 5 million botox® treatments have been given to over eight hundred and fifty thousand chronic migraine patients. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you. learn how abbvie could help you save on botox®.
5:00 am
5:01 am
former president trump's lawyers said that trump is unable to pay the $464 million bond in his new york civil fraud case. in his defense, how is a billionaire supposed to come up with half a billion dollars? come on. do the math. yet, today trump handed over everything he had. the judge is like, i still need the other 463 million. trump is desperate for the money right now. if you go on airbnb, you could rent trump tower, mar-a-lago and eric. >> there are a lot of questions this morning about donald trump's finances and assets after he failed to pay the bond in his civil fraud judgment. so, how much cash does the self-proclaimed billionaire actually have? what comes up if he doesn't come
5:02 am
up with the roughly half a billion dollars bond by monday, and how quickly could the new york attorney general seize his assets and properties? we are going to dig into all of that just ahead. meanwhile, the trump-appointed judge in the classified documents case issues a controversial order that seems to benefit the former president. who is surprised there? anybody? >> no. >> you're not. plus, the judge overseeing trump's hush-money case rules on whether stormy daniels and michael cohen can testify. we will have expert legal analysis for you on all of these developments. good morning and welcome to "morning joe." it is tuesday, march 19th, with -- >> do i read that phen? >> no, please don't. i almost regret getting that for you. doesn't it hurt your ears? >> no. >> i think we should use it only at opportune moments like when you -- what should -- alex, what should it be? like when joe -- >> how about when t.j. gets,
5:03 am
like, one of the camera shots right? >> that would be a lot of bells. >> when he gets it right? >> he said that would be a lot of bells. >> okay. with us, we have -- [ laughter ] >> all right. i think we got it. all right. that's good, t.j.. nice shot. >> woo! >> with us we have the host of way too early, jonathan lemire. president of the council on foreign relations richard hoss, author of home and away, available on substack. and pulitzer prize-winning columnist and associate editor of the "washington post" the great eugene robinson is with us this morning. >> a shock there. vladimir putin, richard, won re-election. who saw that coming? >> cliffhanger. >> no opponents.
5:04 am
>> definite cliffhanger. he got a pretty good turnout, high 80s. look, a lot of the experts were wrong. if you remember, joe, after the prigozhin challenge a lot of people said putin is weakened. not. he hung in there. he now in some ways, i think, controls what is today's russia more than ever before. the only positive thing i thought was a lot of courageous people in ushe and there is still some civil society, the navalny supporters. that suggests down the road the day will come when vladimir putin no longer rules russia, most likely because he is dead. he will be taken out horizontally. it suggests there are possibilities there that putinism is not necessarily the future of russia. he has weakened the country. so, yeah, that's my one positive takeaway. it's the bad news. for the next six years, this is
5:05 am
going to be pressing the war in ukraine, crackdown at home and you name it. >> well, you know, his -- he had such bad news, gene robinson. such bad news the past two years. you name it, whether you look at the economy. people say the economy is still going, the economy was still going in the old soviet union and they found out that they were just moving things around, created a village. you look at the number of troops taken off the battlefield by ukraine. the number of military vehicles destroyed. you look at the fact not a single u.s. serviceman or woman has fought that battle. it has been one of the best military investments the pentagon has ever made, and yet you still have donald trump and a house speaker saying, no, no, no, let's give vladimir putin a fighting chance to still take
5:06 am
kyiv. >> this is a really cheap deal for the u.s. taxpayer in terms of what it's done to russia. and, you know, yes, the economy is still going in russia. but what is the economy russia? it's more or less the size of the economy of texas. and it's a distorted economy. you know, based on russia's resources and now he has had to rev up the arms industry. he has to replace all of the armament that he is using in ukraine. so that's another sector. but kind of a dead-end sector in terms of modern economic development in the rest of the wealthy world. you know, this is not good for russia, and putin is head of
5:07 am
russia, then not good for russia is good for us. but, again, we're still at the stalemate over aid to ukraine, which is just -- >> unbelievable. >> unspeakable at this point. it really is. it really is. it's unbelievable. >> well, we are going to move to israel for our top story this morning. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is sending a team to washington to discuss israel's plans to launch a major military operation in rafah. president biden's request for netanyahu to send officials to the white house came during a phone call yesterday. their first time speaking in 32 days. biden voiced his concerns about deploying ground forces in the southern gaza city. national security advisor jake sullivan told reporters the president warned netanyahu the rafah operation could be disastrous and lead to more civilian deaths. >> nowhere else to go.
5:08 am
gaza's other major cities have largely been destroyed. israel has not presented us or the world with a plan for how or where they would safely move those civilians let alone feed and house them and ensure access to basic things like sanitation. the president has rejected the straw man that raising questions about rafah is the same as raising questions about defeating hamas. that's just nonsense. our position is that hamas should not be allowed a safe haven in rafah or anywhere else, but a major ground operation would be a mistake. it would lead to more innocent civilian deaths worse than the dire humanitarian crisis and further isolate israel internationally. >> and jonathan lemire, the white house increasingly frustrated with netanyahu, and this argument also, you can see it, "the wall street journal" editorial page, you can see it. you can see it on the right with
5:09 am
a lot of trump supporters who, by the way, we will get to the story in a second, said if you're a jew and you don't vote for donald trump, then you're a bad jew. who would imagine that religion thousands of years old would be reduced to those simple terms by donald trump. well, i would because it's happened to the evangelical church as well. but there seems to be an argument, follow benjamin netanyahu and exactly what benjamin netanyahu wants you to do or you are against israel. that's, obviously, mott case, but those are the headwinds politically at home that joe biden seemed to be pushing against. >> yeah, jake sullivan explicit in that sound we played. i reported on this call last night. it was professional. it was tense at times. we are told by those who heard it that the president, biden, was voiced publicly to netanyahu in that call what administration
5:10 am
officials have been trying to convey to israel's government for quite some time, the idea that this operation in rafah should wait and if it happens at all needs to do be done carefully with attention paid to limiting civilian deaths. as i reported last week, the white house considering if israel goes ahead into rafah on a full-scale operation they would consider conditioning war withholding military aid there. there is no signs that operation is imminent. richard, there are still ceasefire talks being held but there doesn't seem to be much momentum there. the fighting continues. we know there was a israeli rai. rafah operation seems not imminent. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is under extraordinary pressure, including from washington and jake sullivan said that he, netanyahu, made sure to bring up how unhappy he was about senate majority leader
5:11 am
chuck schumer's call for elections. is he going to listen to the president? >> my guess is they will an operation in rafah, but won't be the whole thing, something smaller. this way -- >> not cross the red line? >> yeah, the red line is vague. so i think there will be military action, continuing -- open-ended military action, including rafah, but of a scale that will be less and this way the israelis can say they took onboard the american point of view. i think it will reduce the number of civilian casualties. i don't think it will change the fundamentals but calm things down a little bit between the united states and israel. it doesn't change the question of getting in humanitarian aid, the question of the occupation. above all, what netanyahu keeps saying, he wants to destroy hamas. you can't destroy hamas militarily alone. there has to be a political dimension. you have to marginalize hamas politically as well as defeat
5:12 am
them military. netanyahu's government refuses to introduce a political dimension of policy. that's why this cannot succeed as it's currently constructed. >> and of course everybody's waiting for word on the hostages and any developments there. which doesn't seem to be moving, and of course families are waiting. back here at home, donald trump says that any jewish american who votes for democrats hates their religion and hates israel. okay. the 2024 republican nomination made those comments yesterday during a podcast interview. take a listen. >> why do the democrats hate bibi netanyahu? >> i think that they hate israel. >> yes. >> i don't think they -- i think they hate israel. when you see those palestinian marches, even i am amazed how many people are in those marches. guys like schumer see that and
5:13 am
to him it's votes. i think it's vets more than anything else because he was always pro-israel. he very anti-israel now. any jewish person that votes for democrats hates their religion, they hate everything about israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves. >> gosh. speaking of being ashamed of themselves, my god. here is a guy that runs around and trashes the united states of america every day because he is not president. he trashes the united states of america before he is president. despite the fact that before and after the united states, as i say all the time, strongest economy in the world, easily strongest military in the world, easily the most power in the world, easily the greatest institutions of higher learning, easily the greatest medical doctors and health care professionals in the world. you could go down the list. and yet, gene robinson,
5:14 am
everything is personalized to donald trump. that's what happens in a cult. if he is not president of the united states, then he says america is horrible, america is awful, america is a joke. he says it. if you are a jew and you don't support him, then you hate your religion and you're a bad jew. again, this is something -- talking about it yesterday, when we were talking about his column, this is something if any other politician said before or if they say a after, they would be drummed out of politics but not donald trump. his people, his cult just grows stronger. >> yeah, they just -- and the thing is they sort of take it onboard, too. it becomes part of the maga creed, which is to just -- it's a tragic thing, really, for what used to be the republican party. and just for american decency, my goodness.
5:15 am
to say that chuck schumer, who has been one of the most pro-israel officials, politicians in the country, for eons, and who is the highest ranking jewish official in the country, and to say that he hates israel and that he is -- that anything he says about israel is angling for anti-israel votes is just obscene. it really is. but, of course, you know, we're used to obscene from donald trump. so we'll talk about this now and then probably by end of the show there will be three or four more obscene things that he says that would get -- would have gotten anybody drummed out of politics ten years ago, 15 years ago, and that will -- we'll talk about until the next thing. you know, he goes 90 miles an
5:16 am
hour down this road, and it is hard for us and for voters and for the country to keep up and to really process these horrible things he is saying. >> right. well, and everybody's numb to it. i mean, again, this is something -- >> that's the challenge. >> this is something this, yeah, that he said before. if anybody else said it, again, they would be drummed out of politics. and we said at the beginning of this year, we are not going to grow numb to it. we are going to keep bringing it up. why are you talking about it? because this is antisemitic garbage. that's why we're bringing it up, to tell somebody they hate their entire religion unless you support their politics or their political party -- >> it's not a joke. >> it's the same thing that freaks have been saying to the evangelical church the past six, seven, eight years. a lot of freaks of people who really don't understand the bible at all.
5:17 am
obviously, don't -- i mean, obviously, politics means more to them than their faith, where the argument is, if you are not for donald trump, you're not a christian. you're not, you know, and it is -- i talked about it before in very personal terms. my mom's funeral and, you know, tim alberta told a similar story. these people are not well. they are in a political cult. >> very vulnerable. >> that's why donald trump can say this, get away it, and why we bring it up. you can be numb to it if you want. we are not. america should not. they should understand, even if he does this every day, this is foul. >> you said it even if he does it every day. it's not the first time trump has expressed similar beliefs. in september, he posted on social media on rosh hashanah that libbial juice were voting
5:18 am
to destroy america and israel. as president he said that american jews were showing great disloyalty to israel by voting for democrats n a statement yesterday, trump's 2024 campaign manager called the democratic party, quote, a full-blown anti-israel, antisemitic pro-terrorist cabal. >> richard, again, the disinformation spews so easily from their lips and their pens and their word processors. it's almost like, well, almost like orwell said, fascists are much better with propaganda. >> it's easier. >> they throw things against the wall. the trump camp said, steve bannon said they will throw so much stuff at the wall that they will numb america. that's what they do every day. >> it's hard tolis on this
5:19 am
conversation, to -- it's just so offensive for someone to tell me what it means to be a good jew. it is just -- it's so beyond the pale. let me say that. let's put that aside for a second, if possible. i think there is an interesting kernel in this. what does it mean to be pro-israel? this association of pro-israel with bibi netanyahu or current israeli government policy, that's not what it means to be pro-israel. governments have been known for time immemorial to do things against their own country's self-interest. we have done things in the united states, people oppose the iraq war, vietnam, you maim it, doesn't mean you are anti-american. you have questions about the wisdom of the policy. so what chuck schumer is the other day, what i tried to do in "the wall street journal" journal, to be critical of israel means to be critical of israel policy. i think that's pro-israel. i think in the long run, that is something that is good for israel.
5:20 am
you need to have people pushing back, questioning. the government of israel is not perfect. bibi netanyahu, god knows, is not perfect. this idea if you're critical of israel policy you are antisemitic or anti-zionist or anti-israeli, that's nonsense. we got to be straight up about it and not give the trumps or anybody else ownership of that argument. i think bibi netanyahu, this israel government, is bad for israel and it's bad for the u.s./israeli relationship. people who care about relationship, i think we have the obligation to call them out. coming up on "morning joe" -- >> i am not using donors. i don't care. i'm really rich. i'll show you that in a second. >> yeah, one of donald trump's favorite claims is falling apart. the ex-president doesn't have enough cash to pay his bond after losing a fraud case in a new york civil court. the full details next on
5:21 am
"morning joe." why choose a sleep number smart bed? can it keep me warm when i'm cold? wait, no, i'm always hot. sleep number does that. can i make my side softer? i like my side firmer. sleep number does that. can it help us sleep better and better? please? sleep number does that. 94 percent of smart sleepers report better sleep. now, save up to $1,000 when you purchase select sleep number smart beds and an adjustable base. ends monday. shop now at sleepnumber.com this is our future, ma. godaddy airo. creates a logo, website, even social posts... in minutes! -how? -a.i. (impressed) ay i like it! who wants to come see the future?! get your business online in minutes
5:22 am
with godaddy airo
5:23 am
if you think you have dupuytren's contracture, there's a simple test you can take—from anywhere. try to lay your hand flat against a surface. if you can't, you may have dupuytren's contracture. talk to a hand specialist about your options, including nonsurgical treatments.
5:24 am
hi, i'm chris and i lost 57 pounds on golo. tgolo isn't complicated.t about your options, 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. business. it's not a nine-to-five proposition. it's all day and into the night. it's all the things that keep this world turning. the go-tos that keep us going. the places we cheer. and check in.
5:25 am
they all choose the advanced network solutions and round the clock partnership from comcast business. see why comcast business powers more small businesses than anyone else. get started for $49.99 a month plus ask how to get up to an $800 prepaid card. don't wait- call today. so, the judge says he wants this $350 million within 30 days. now, i know that you are planning on appealing this, but you still got to put up the full amount pending that appeal. does donald trump -- >> and some. >> have that kind of money sitting around? >> yes. i mean, he does, of course he has money, you know, he is a billionaire. we know that. >> i don't know. that might not be true. a lawyer, i don't think she's got that right. >> no. >> i mean, unless, you know, he comes up with the money, he has it sitting around.
5:26 am
>> a lot of billionaires wouldn't have that kind of money sitting around on their side table. >> they have things. they have things. so anyhow, donald trump's attorneys now say he cannot secure the roughly half a billion dollars bond for the civil fraud judgment. they asked a judge yesterday for an emergency stay, claiming a bond for the full amount is, quote, a practical impossibility after reaching out to 30 companies. trump and his company need to post the full amount by monday to prevent new york attorney general letitia james from being able to collect while he appeals, which could include seizing his assets. while trump claims to be a billionaire, he does not have the liquidity to pay the bond himself as "the new york times" points out. most of his net worth is from the value of his things, his real estate, which bond companies really accept as
5:27 am
collateral. so let's dig into this. joining us investigative reporter for "the new york times" suzanne craig. she won a pulitzer for an exhaustive 18-month investigation into former president trump's finances that debunked his claims of self-made wealth. also with us, former deputy chief of the criminal division for the southern district of no, christie greenberg, now an msnbc analyst. good to have you both. >> suzanne craig, curious. are there any other avenues trump could use to pay this? what do you -- with all of the research that you have done into his finances, what do you think could happen here? >> right. the filing does sound dire because he can't come up with the cash, what was made really clear yesterday was that they need catch. they are not willing to accept buildings. in the next week has to find it. there could be a last-minute sale of a building where he comes up with the cash.
5:28 am
somebody could offer it to him in a transaction. i mean, that's something that would be a taxable event and i think be headline grabbing. there is still some options available to him. i wouldn't say this is a closed story until we are right at the deadline and, you know, he makes the filing saying i can't pay. >> right. like a family member? could a family member, like jared with the money that he received from abroad, could he pay? >> i don't know if he could through that specific fund, but that is certainly one option. if something like that happens, this is all new territory, so you don't want to say anything for something. i think we will have some transparency where the money came. if a family member came forward, that would be a considered a gift or loan and there would be tax consequence toss it that would cost him. so far, we haven't seen that. i don't want so say if that was going to happen, that we would know about it already. but so far, that hasn't
5:29 am
materialized. he is in a situation where a number of companies have said we are not willing to go near, a, an appeal bond of this size and we want cold, hard cash. >> wow. >> so, first of all, there would be quite a few billionaires that wouldn't have this cash laying around. >> right. >> wouldn't be liquid. that's one. and, two, let me know if you agree with that. number two, donald trump's problem right now, if he did have to sell some of his properties, commercial real estate post-covid has been pummeled and continues to go down. so he would be selling distressed assets, wouldn't he, or assets that certainly are not at their highest level? >> well, think i, a, not at the highest level, and, b, not an
5:30 am
ideal circumstance. this is tough to close a transaction on a major commercial building in a small amount of time. i think about one particular building that could be a possibilities, a 50/50 venture in las vegas with a fellow named phil ruffin, a big supporter of his. there would could be a sale like that, where he buys him out of that tower. i don't know if that would get him to the magic number. those are the sorts of things i am thinking may be options they are looking at to get that cash together quickly. that may not be an option. sort of one of the things i have been thinking as i look at his portfolio and what could be sold in a short amount of time to meet this. but it's a lot of money. most people don't have that sort of money sitting around. keep in mind, he already had to come up with cash for the e. jean carroll bond. >> so he has about a week's time to do this. from your perspective, how do you see this playing out? >> well, one thing donald trump is asking for is to just pay 100
5:31 am
million and not the full amount. but he cites in his brief a number of cases for that, to support that. they are all federal. none are new york state cases. there is nothing in the new york state code that says you can pay some, you know, 25 cents on the dollar for this or that you can, because there is a monitor's oversight that that should change the analysis. by the way, wasn't being completely forthcoming with the monitor as it is. i don't see him legally able to get out of this. he can appeal all he wants. if he wants the judgment to be stayed, he has to put up the full amount. coming up, president biden is campaigning in arizona today. nbc's vaughn hilliard is there and joins us live in the fourth hour of "morning joe."
5:32 am
hey! asthma's got you going through it? grab nucala for fewer asthma attacks. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask an asthma specialist if nucala is right for you. bombas makes absurdly comfortable underwear. made to move with you, not on you. because your basic things should be your best things. one purchased equals one donated. visit bombas.com and get 20% off your first order. ♪(voya)♪ there are some things that work better together. like your workplace benefits and retirement savings. voya provides tools that help you make the right investment and benefit choices. so you can reach today's financial goals and look forward to a more confident future.
5:33 am
voya, well planned, well invested, well protected. voices of people with cidp: cidp disrupts. cidp derails. let's be honest... all: cidp sucks! voices of people with cidp: but living with cidp doesn't have to. when you sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com, you'll find inspiration in real patient stories, helpful tips, reliable information, and more. cidp can be tough. but finding hope just got a little easier. sign up at shiningthroughcidp.com.
5:34 am
all: be heard. be hopeful. be you.
5:35 am
5:36 am
the judge overseeing donald trump's hush-money case has denied the former president's request to keep two witnesses from taking the stand. last month, the team sought to block michael cohen and stormy daniels from testifying. the judge denied that request in a ruling released yesterday. we learned that the judge will allow testimony about trump's infamous "access hollywood" tape. prosecutors will not be permitted to play the video. what's your reaction to this ruling and michael cohen, we should note, is potentially a problematic witness, has been convicted for doing, lying under oath. so give us your reaction to this. how do you see it playing out? >> there were various attempts to limit the testimony and evidence that the people are
5:37 am
going to be able to present and the judge really played this clearly. he said, look, you want to argue that michael cohen and stormy daniels were lying? you argue that to a jury and a jury will decide whether or not they are credible. but that's not evidence i am going to keep out in advance. that was the right decision here. most of the evidence that the manhattan district attorney wants to come in is coming in. and then there are some close calls like "access hollywood" tape where the judge said some of this may be inflammatory, you can hear about it. i think he is trying to be very, you know, very clear in his decisions and make sure there is nothing here that is admitted that could be so inflammatory is to raise an appeal include issue. i think it's a good decision, a strong decision. i think it's clear from the decision he is moving towards trial. i think we will see a trial in april at the latest in may. >> gene, that was my concern. she anticipated the question whether or not this is still going to happen in the coming months ahead of the election.
5:38 am
the answer seems to be yes. >> yeah, looks like it's going to happen. the schedule for all of these trials, of course, keep getting moved around, which is what happens with trial dates. they tend to get pushed back a little, pushed back a little, just in the normal course of business. but this one does seem to be on track to happen before the election. and perhaps as soon as next month. so we will see. i did have a question for susanne. you are kind of one of the great experts on donald trump's finances and you have been looking into them recently with an eye towards what he is spending now. do you have a sense he is really in the middle of any sort of cash crunch right now given that, you know, he has this demand, he just had to pay the money in the e. jean carroll case, he's got these huge legal bills that are a drain, even on
5:39 am
a billionaire's finances. what is your sense of where things stand in terms of the trump bank accounts? >> well, i think on the legal fees, his donors are picking up a lot of that. but setting that aside, you never know for sure what somebody's cash situation is because it can change day to day. i think you can'timagine he is not in a squeeze. he had to meet the carroll bond and then he can't come up with the money for this bond according to the affidavits that were filed yesterday. but i think just stepping back a little bit, you have seen over the last several years a number of significant asset sales at the trump organization. he told the hotel that he owned in florida and he has also sold other assets. you are seeing -- that could be normal course of business for a real estate company, but you are not seeing any expansion or acquisitions in the meantime.
5:40 am
and you remember, going back to 2015, when he announced his run for presidency when he came down the escalator and attacked mexicans, he saw licensing deals go out the door. it was really important, licensing deals he has, one cash hits he was relying on, they went away. his businesses lose money year in and year out. he has had to sell assets in order to keep the business going and keep, you know, plugging the holes that he has to plug for his business. so i can't imagine a situation where he is not in a bit of a cash crunch right now or more than a bit of one. >> so, in trump's classified documents case, out of florida, judge cannon issued an order last night that some legal experts say could swing the case in favor of the former president. the judge issued an order to special counsel jack smith's
5:41 am
team and trump's defense attorneys requesting they submit jury instructions in anticipation of a trial. in her order, the judge said prosecutors and the defense team must engage with the following competing scenarios. option one. let a jury examine every record a former president retains at the end of his or her presidency and determine whether or not it's personal, or jurors must be told that, quote, a president has sole authority under the presidential records act to categorize records as personal or presidential during his or her presidency. >> by the way, that makes absolutely no sense at all. >> wow. >> it's not the law. "the washington post" notes, that second hypothetical would appear to be one in which trump could not be convicted almost any set of facts of improperly possessing classified documents.
5:42 am
>> wow. >> help us understand how -- >> very helpful. >> well, it also just ignores what presidential records act is defined as through the years. how could that be a jury instruction? i'm a bit confused. >> it's not in terms of those two options. the answer should be none of the above. he is not charged with anything relating to the presidential records act. he is charged with committing violations of espionage act. the jury instructions should track the language of that statute. you can't possess national defense information. nothing in the presidential records act would have authorized him to possess national defense information after he was president. it's very simple. she continues to try to muddy the waters. coming up, millions of voters are heading to the polls today. steve kornacki is at the big
5:43 am
board to break down the primaries in california, ohio, and beyond. that's straight ahead on "morning joe." (♪♪) with wet amd, i worry i'm not only losing my sight,
5:44 am
but my time to enjoy it. but now, i can open up my world with vabysmo. (♪♪) vabysmo is the first fda-approved treatment for people with wet amd that improves vision and delivers a chance for up to 4 months between treatments, so i can do more of what i love. (♪♪) (♪♪) vabysmo works differently, it's the only treatment designed to block 2 causes of wet amd. vabysmo is an eye injection. don't take it if you have an infection, active eye swelling, or are allergic to it. treatments like vabysmo can cause an eye infection or retinal detachment. vabysmo may cause a temporary increase in eye pressure after receiving the injection. there is an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye can occur. most common eye side effects were cataract and broken blood vessels. open up your world with vabysmo. a chance for up to 4 months between treatments with vabysmo. ask your doctor.
5:45 am
smile! you found it. the feeling of finding psoriasis can't filter out the real you. so go ahead, live unfiltered with the one and only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting 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
5:46 am
as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu.
5:47 am
♪♪ republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina visited kyiv yesterday meeting with ukrainian president volodymr zelenskyy in the hours after russia's presidential election. in comments to the press later in the day, senator graham accused russia's vladimir putin of being not a legitimate president and said he is, quote, in charge of a terrorist state.
5:48 am
posting on social media, zelenskyy said he and the senator discussed the latest on the battlefield and ukraine's key military needs. senator graham said 2024 will be decisive for the future of europe and the world at large. but as the future of the u.s. aid to ukraine is unclear. they pushed donald trump's idea of helping ukraine only in the form of a loan. >> i have learned that there is $380 billion of russian sovereign wealth assets frozen, 200 in belgium and we need to get that money to help ukraine and help our serves. so i told president i am in for helping ukraine, but we have to do it in a form of a loan, no interest waivable if necessary. for all of our allies. this is going to be a new way of doing business.
5:49 am
i think it will get more public support back home. >> i can't even -- >> it's so -- >> that is -- >> it's so painful, richard. i know have known lindsay for years. john mccain would so mock him for, you know, he is completely changing his position on helping countries under attack. >> for our own security. >> for our own security, for nato's security, for the west's security, because donald trump told him to. and i'm sure zelenskyy would have preferred him to actually vote yes on aid against the russian invasion and flying all the way over to ukraine, too. >> make that stupid remark. >> to promote donald trump's lame-brain attempt to weasel out of supporting a country that's under attack from vladimir putin's forces.
5:50 am
>> yeah, also, what ukraine needs is not loans. they need ammunition and arms. let's be blunt about it. the only possible sliver of good news here, maybe this is my morning for being optimistic, is that it shows to me that people like linsey graham, the republicans know they put themselves in an untenable position here, and the fact that they are beginning to say, okay, the $60 billion package we are not willing to approve, 40 to 50 billion would be spent here in terms of with the american arms industry, give ukraine a loan for some amount that would down the road be forgiven. if there's ways of slicing and dicing this so ukraine can get help and at the same time republicans can claim some victory, i don't care. what's essential is that ukraine needs military help. essentially they're getting worn down and moved back on the
5:51 am
battlefield. it's terrible for ukraine. it's terrible for european security. the so-called people who are tough on china, this is terrible for asia. this sends the message to taiwan and others that the united states can't be counted on. again, my instincts are to see how this plays out. it's not the loan. we've got to get them military help. coming up, the senior u.s. senator from california is standing by. democrat alex padilla is advising the biden campaign and helping to roll out a brand new effort to get out the vote.
5:52 am
so this is pickleball? it's basically tennis for babies, but for adults. it should be called wiffle tennis. pickle! yeah, aw! whoo! ♪♪ these guys are intense. we got nothing to worry about. with e*trade from morgan stanley, we're ready for whatever gets served up. dude, you gotta work on your trash talk. i'd rather work on saving for retirement. or college, since you like to get schooled. that's a pretty good burn, right? got him. good game. thanks for coming to our clinic, first one's free.
5:53 am
5:54 am
choosing a treatment for your chronic migraine - thanks for coming 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more - can be overwhelming. so, ask your doctor about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start. it's the #1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. so far, more than 5 million botox® treatments have been given to over eight hundred and fifty thousand chronic migraine patients. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including
5:55 am
botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you. learn how abbvie could help you save on botox®. insulin that costs $35. >> or hundreds. >> that is the different between
5:56 am
joe biden. >> and donald trump. >> for women, the freedom to control our own bodies or doctors going to jail for an abortion. >> this is the different. >> between joe biden. >> or donald trump. >> only one choice is right. >> and the difference between them is your vote. >> i'm joe biden, and i approve this message. >> that was a new ad for the biden campaign from the democratic national committee. it's part of an overall push by the president's reelection effort to reach out to the country's latino communities ahead of november's election. joining us now to talk about that effort, democratic senator alex padilla of california, a member of the biden/harris campaign national advisory board. thank you very much for coming on the show this morning. tell us more about this ad rollout and the strategy here. >> good morning, mika. greetings from the west coast,
5:57 am
where it's 230 days until the election, but never too early to start this community outreach nationwide to latino voters. we know how critical latino voters are going to be in determining the outcome this november. boy, do we have a story to tell. the ad showcases the contrast between the joe biden record of the last several years and the failure and tragedy of the trump administration. latino families are absolutely better off under president joe biden. we're going to be working through grassroots organizing, through digital strategies, of course, the typical ads that we hear and see every election season, and really amplifying the voices of local officials and community leaders and civic leaders in every region of the country to reach out to latino
5:58 am
voters. >> are there certain regions of the country where the challenge is greater, and why? >> we take no voter and no community for granted, which is why this is a national campaign. when you hear of an initiative like latinos con biden, which by the way latinos are with biden because joe biden has been with the latino community not just through his presidency, but throughout his career on all the issues we care about and all the issues that impact our community. but we know that predictably people will think, maybe it's just relegated to california, texas, new york, nevada, arizona, swing states, things like that. but the latino population is growing significantly nationwide, the second largest population in the united states and growing tremendously in places like georgia. there's more than a million residents in georgia, including a lot of voters that could sway the election. a growing population in north
5:59 am
carolina, a significant latino electorate in milwaukee, wisconsin, another battleground state. pennsylvania is also not one to be taken for granted. the initiative latinos con biden is going to include a lot of community leaders and endorsements over the next several days in every part of the country. >> there are some measure of latino voters that are decided. there are some measure of them that have said they are going to vote for donald trump. i assume the campaign wants to try to persuade those voters to move to the biden column. what is the best argument you are putting forward for why joe biden has earned the support of the hispanic community? >> first, there were the same concerns about 2016, and it did not happen, same concerns about latino support shifting from democrats, and that did not
6:00 am
happen. we're not taking it for granted. we're going to go out and earn the votes. we're 230 days from the election. this is not parachuting into any community two weeks before the election saying the stakes are way too high. the stakes are high. we're starting months and months before even the democratic convention this summer, to get the message out and get out the vote. again, the message couldn't be clearer. you want to reduce the cost of insulin. joe biden got it done. donald trump is trying to cut your access to health care. we talk about community safety. under president biden we passed the first bipartisan legislation to tackle gun safety in more than 30 years. donald trump wants to give away more guns, not be smart about gun safety. look at the numbers in terms of the economy. record low unemployment,
6:01 am
including in the latino community. latino community startups with record growth under president biden. yes, our communities are much better off. we have the story to tell. we're going to tell it, and i'm confident we're going to see that translate into results at the ballot box this november. >> democratic senator alex padilla of california, thank you for coming on the show this morning. believe it or not, we're exactly on time for the fourth hour of "morning joe." this morning, there seems to be more questions than answers about donald trump's finances and assets after his attorneys say the former president kpli cannot secure a bond for the $464 million penalty due now in a matter of days in his civil trial. nbc news capitol hill correspondent garrett haake reports.
6:02 am
>> reporter: a cash crunch for a self-proclaimed multibillionaire. donald trump saying he doesn't have enough money on hand to pay the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him and can't secure a bond. he has until next monday to post that bond, or the new york attorney general can seize his assets to satisfy the judgment, which he is appealing. in a statement overnight, trump calling a bond of this size, quote, unprecedented and practically impossible for any country. he is facing growing backlash for his comments in ohio warning of a blood bath. >> if i don't get elected, it's going to be a blood bath. >> reporter: trump says he was talking about an economic blood
6:03 am
bath. >> i used it about auto trade. >> reporter: the biden campaign out with a new ad linking mr. trump's words to his past remarks about political violence, including the deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in charlottesville, virginia. >> fine people on both sides. >> reporter: the president has recently ramped up talk of political violence, warning of what might happen if he loses the 2024 election. >> there will be bedlam in the country. it's a very bad thing. >> joining us now "new york times" opinion columnist david french and editor of the new republic michael that mass ski. >> david, we talked about it throughout the morning. i'm curious what your thought is
6:04 am
about donald trump's rhetoric and the generalizing of it. he started by talking about the car industry, but then he said that's going to be the least of it, and then he expands and talked about for all america that's going to be the least of it. >> yeah. when he has these kinds of comments that have one meaning that's really terrible, another meaning that's a little bit benign, then the media goes for the interpretation without mentioning the benign, he capitalizes on that, and it creates a distraction. he said many, many, many things that are unequivocally terrible, that have no benign interpretation to them. yet, here we are on another day of talking about this one comment that could have gone either way, who knows, complete
6:05 am
word salad. i would rather concentrate on the things he said that are unequivocal. one of them was in that package. >> how about this that we've also been talking about today, and some of our jewish friends that have been on take great offense to the facting that he said, you can't be a good jew unless you support donald trump and the republican party. i know that hits close to your family. of course, your faith in god has been questioned because you don't blindly fall behind donald trump. >> yeah. i mean, this idea that there are good jews or bad jews based on how they vote, that itself is an anti-semitic trope. it's absurd. so the bottom line is we have a guy running for president who has said all these things, but in 2020 he's done all these
6:06 am
things. by 2024, we even know more about what he's done. so that record is just overwhelming that continually he will say and do things that make him completely unfit for the presidency. >> let's take trump at his word for a moment and say he was talking about the automotive industry. isn't what he proposes, the tariffs and the like, wouldn't that be devastating too? >> of course it would. that's part of what i went into in the column i wrote about this week. okay. take him at his word. what's an economic blood bath? an economic blood bath comes from a 100% tariff on chinese imports. it's going to hurt american consumers and american workers. i cite in my piece a study for the u.s./china business council. they did a study in 2021 that
6:07 am
said trump's tariff policy toward china cost the united states 250,000 jobs. i also point out if you compare auto industry employment, auto and parts manufacturing in the trump administration versus the biden administration and even if you take the pandemic out of it and cut trump that huge break of removing the pandemic, the biden administration, about 125,000 jobs have been created. the trump administration about 28,000. even putting aside the malign interpretation, which i don't believe we ought to put aside, he's just really wrong. >> let's bring in nbc news correspondent vaughn hilliard live in phoenix. you've been taking a look at trump's record and things he's been saying with the auto industry. what does it show? >> reporter: when trump talks about his own record over the course of the four years he
6:08 am
makes the claim that he saved the auto industry and compared to the biden administration there is no comparison. when you actually look at the reality, the number of u.s. auto worker jobs in the united states remained pretty even from 2017 to 2020, about 45,000 jobs added according to the bureau of labor scientifics. when you look at the reality, plants did close in places like lawrencetown, ohio and michigan and maryland. there were other plants that opened up in places like alabama. you did see a shift of plants going to more non-union friendly states like alabama. when you hear donald trump talk about ev destruction, the biden administration has sought to compete with china by offering financial incentives to electric vehicle battery production. there's a new plant that is currently in the works for about $2.5 billion ev battery
6:09 am
production plants in michigan that is currently under construction outside of detroit. the biden administration including janet yellen just this last week acknowledged they've got to compete with china's artificially low ev production here. that is where you see the biden administration try to hone in and increase the movement towards this. we're also acknowledging that union workers in the united states deserve decent pay. that's where you saw joe biden on the picket line with the uaw workers. campaign that with donald trump who was at a non-union plant and essentially preferred to paint the auto industry as under dire circumstances under joe biden. of course that wasn't the reality. >> vaughn, since you're in phoenix, i have to ask you
6:10 am
senator sinema out of the race. how are things shaping up in that senate showdown? >> reporter: we're anticipating seeing republican kari lake right here at this polling location. it is the arizona primary day. we intend to see her in person and ask her some questions. we're looking at a one-on-one matchup from ruben gallego, the congressman here in this area, someone who is a notable progressive. in a matchup, he has about a 10 percentage point over kari lake right now. when you look at the unfavorability ratings, for gallego it's 26%. compare that to lake, it's 49%. she has all but baked in her reputation here in the state.
6:11 am
as much as her and the advisors for her team want to talk about extending the olive branch to folks like the mccains and doug ducey and her former rival in the governors race in 2022, the reality is she's having a hard time winning over any of those folks. in the next seven months she's got a lot of ground to make up. arizonans have shown a lot of preference for democrats. >> it's going to be interesting to see what happens to kari lake's outreach to the sort of voters that are going to be necessary for her to win that race. i want to circle back, david french, to you. i think we've shown a great deal of discipline over the first 11
6:12 am
minutes not talking about kentucky basketball. in fact, they're the number three seed, which these days, you know, any kentucky fan will take. i want to talk about mika reporting on the financial problems donald trump has obviously with all of the judgments coming in in new york state. i'm curious. you've written about his flip-flop on tiktok and now taking the side that i think a lot of americans don't understand, which is the side of the chinese communist party being able to vacuum up all of this information on americans. so talk about that flip-flop and your concerns that actually his financial duress may mean that he's for sale when it comes to
6:13 am
flip-flopping on issues. >> yeah. this is an issue i think people need to pay more attention to. if maga had a fixed foreign politician, it was china is bad, we need to take on china. they even justify moving away from ukraine because we need to focus on china. china was public enemy number one in maga land. and then along comes this flip-flop. trump had tried an executive order to ban tiktok now all of a sudden is against this legislation. it's remarkable. it's occurring right as he's facing hundreds of millions of dollars of civil fines. there are donors who want to save tiktok. it shows there's no fixed principal here. there's no fixed ideology here.
6:14 am
trump's positions may turn on his financial needs. we're seeing trump siding with authoritarian interests over american interests once again. this is more significant than people may realize. >> i'm a bit surprised that democrats haven't made more of an issue of the fact that donald trump has flip-flopped, gone against what republicans and democrats are thinking of. at the same time he has sided with vladimir putin on ukraine funding to push back putin's invasion, now he's taking the side of the communist chinese party on their ability to use algorithms to influence political debate in america and also vacuum up as much personal information about americans using their app as possible. i would think the democrats in the white house would be all over this as a flip-flop that
6:15 am
actually helps the communist chinese party. >> i think that over the course of the campaign that the argument about china and trump will be one that the campaign will make. the tiktok thing is a little tricky. half of america is on it and everybody you see on capitol hill and the white house come to terms to deal with it. the campaign is like we have to be on tiktok. you know how trump always projects his own vulnerabilities onto somebody else. i did notice at his campaign rally in dayton he had a long riff about biden and china and that it's going to come out how much china had on biden and how much biden was doing to help
6:16 am
china and this is all going to come out. it made me suspicious about his own vulnerabilities about china. as richard hawes said in the first hour, you're not willing to help ukraine, that is helping china because the u.s. isn't going to be there to help taiwan either. in the beginning, yes, trump was talking about cars and the auto industry when he talked about the bloodbath. but it takes a different turn from there. let's talk about that. >> let's parse the words precisely. it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- and then he stops himself. i think it's fair to say, in fairness to donald trump, which is not a phrase that comes out of my mouth very often, that he
6:17 am
was going to say the whole auto industry, but he stopped himself. that didn't sound dramatic enough. he stopped himself and said, that'll be the least of it. it'll be a bloodbath for the whole country. and then he repeated that'll be the least of it. he's playing that rhetorical game that he often plays like when he said that thing about hillary clinton and second amendment people back in 2016 and on january 6th when he said all the things he said and he said, of course, be peaceful. he wants it both ways. he wants to get the idea of bloodbath out there. he has the deniability in this case where he can say he meant the auto industry. but if you bother to say twice that'll be the least of it, i think it's reasonable to infer that he had another meaning. when it comes to donald trump's ambiguous statements, i'd rather
6:18 am
at this point in history overreact than underreact. >> let me ask you, david french, getting back to kentucky basketball, how far do the wildcats go? >> this whole season they've been the best of teams and they've been the worst of teams. they could win the thing, which is my bracket. i have them winning it. they could lose in the first round. this is a streaky team, so we'll see. >> we shall see. >> thank you both very much. michael does a pretty good trump. >> he really does. also, what a memory. kansas, arizona, florida, illinois and ohio are all holding presidential primaries today. there are also some congressional races to watch. in california, there's a special election to replace former
6:19 am
speaker of the house kevin mccarthy. his seat opened up in december when he stepped down following his party's decision to oust him as speaker. voters will see nine candidates on the ballot. whoever wins will serve the remainder of mccarthy's term until january of 2025. in ohio, republicans are competing to take on incumbent democratic senator sherrod brown. donald trump has endorsed bernie moreno. republican governor mike dewine is supporting state senator matt dolan. we'll be watching that. for a look ahead to the general, let's bring in steve kornacki over at the big board. what are you looking for? what's interesting you out of ohio, steve? >> i think this is clearly the marquee race. the republican primary for the u.s. senate in ohio, look, three candidates here, frank larose,
6:20 am
the secretary of state. the indications are it's probably bernie moreno and matt dolan. the dynamic there is one where moreno trump aligned, trump endorsed, trump in ohio in the last few days to campaign for moreno. dolan is endorsed by governor dewine. dolan ran two years ago in the 2022 republican primary for the senate. that was another race where jd vance won that primary. he was endorsed by trump. dolan has been in this situation before. dolan had a close third in this primary two years ago. he won two counties in ohio. one was cuyahoga county where cleveland is. that's his neck of the words. his family owns the cleveland guardians baseball team. and frankly county where columbus is, so two big
6:21 am
metropolitan areas in the state. this is where dolan did the best in 2022, but he wasn't able to do it in other areas. there are other areas of the state, blue collar, working class population centers, that's been trump's demographic wheel house. those are areas where dolan did poorly two years ago. he'd need to improve in those areas to pull this out tonight. democrats have made it clear that moreno is their preferred candidate. they have spent money on ads clearly meant to boost moreno in this primary. their belief is moreno would be the least difficult candidate pa for sherrod brown to defeat in november. sherrod brown's bigger challenge in november, no matter who wins the primary, here is the senate battleground this year. there are three democratic seats, west virginia, montana and ohio. these are three democratic held
6:22 am
seats that are up this year and where donald trump won in 2020. he won west virginia overwhelmingly. he won montana handily. he won ohio by eight points. the challenge for sherrod brown and for democrats -- they've pretty much given up on west virginia. but in montana and ohio, it's this, split-ticket voting. that is likely what democrats are counting onto keep control of the united states senate this year. to have a state that votes for donald trump in a presidential election, but voters vote for democrats in the senate election. that's probably what democrats are going to need in ohio and montana. look how split-ticket voting has been on the decline. in the '80s and '90s it would be 17 split-ticket states. it's come down to single digits. when donald trump emerged in 2016, split-ticket voting almost completely banished.
6:23 am
in 2016, there wasn't a single state where the winner of a senate race was different from the winner of the presidential race. in 2020, there was only one. that was susan collins in maine. if democrats want to control the senate, if they want to win ohio and montana, that's the bigger picture trend they have to buck. that's the thing that's against them more probably than any particular candidate in these states. >> give us a quick overview of some other tight races that are going to decide the balance of the senate. is there anything you see the democrats could potentially steal for republicans? >> this is the problem for democrats. 2024, senate seats are for six years. think about the class of senators who are up this year. senators who were in many cases elected or reelected in 2018.
6:24 am
2018 was a very good democratic year in that trump midterm. that was the blue wave year. 2012, a lot of these senators were elected or reelected. this was obama's reelection year. 2006 was a great democratic year, another blue wave year. democrats have accumulated over the last several cycles with this class of senators a number of seats, vulnerable political territory for them. now they're facing a different dynamic this year. how about pennsylvania? we know pennsylvania is going to be a battleground state. donald trump may need to win pennsylvania to win back the presidency. he did take it in 2016. democratic held, but that could be tenuous. wisconsin is going to be a battleground state. michigan has an open senate race
6:25 am
currently held by democrats. you have arizona where kyrsten sinema is not running for reelection. kari lake may emerge as the republican nomination there. it's not just a product of 2018. it's a product of multiple cycles. you could go back to the year 2000, which was a good year for democrats in the senate. they've accumulated a ton of seats over that time and now those seats are facing a political environment they've never faced before. >> let's just say 2024 goes like 2022 did with a lot of close races, a lot of election deniers where everyone just seemed to
6:26 am
break the democrats' way. you could say the same thing in 2020. you can even go back to 2018 where it looked like republicans were going to win and then those late-breaking races, whether in virginia or california, everything has been seeming to break the democrats' way in 2018, 2020, 2022. the states you circled should give democrats real pause and understand just how hard they're going to have to work this year. i am curious, though, if 2024 does go like 2022 and 2020 and 2018 and all of those states you'vecircled break the democrats' way, even if republicans take over west virginia, doesn't that still put the democratic party in a
6:27 am
position where they have to win one of those red states for them to maintain control of the senate if joe biden is reelected? >> exactly, almost certainly that would be the case. talking about this connection between the presidential race and the senate races, so let's say biden wins pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, arizona, nevada and the democratic senate candidates are carried with that tide. that still leaves the matter of west virginia where democrats pretty much know they're not keeping that seat. joe manchin, it doesn't look like could have even kept that seat. if they lose west virginia, they're immediately down to 50. if donald trump actually got elected and democrats were only at 50, the tie-breaker then would be trump's vice president. that alone would be enough for republicans to get the senate. if biden gets reelected and democrats lose west virginia, it still leaves montana and ohio.
6:28 am
if they lose montana, democrats are then at 49. even if sherrod brown were to win ohio, they're still below 50. what would they have to do in that case other than win montana? could they flip a texas? again, just given how closely these presidential results tend to track with senate results, democrats have been eyeing texas for a long time. frankly, a presidential election year seems like probably the most difficult time for democrats to flip a state like texas if they're going to. 2018 was a great democratic year. in that midterm, ted cruz had a close call but was still able to win. then we saw in 2020 with donald trump on the ballot in texas, certainly in the border area you had a lot of traditionally democratic counties that moved dramatically toward trump, which has only complicated the democrats' political position in texas. short of winning a montana,
6:29 am
democrats would have to flip a republican seat. that's a very tall task for them. getting a guy like tester may be their least difficult path. >> let me ask you one final question. i'm always curious about texas. democrats have been talking about how texas was breaking their way and was going to break their way. we were skeptical in 2020 that was going to happen. i am curious, though. i think in 2012 barack obama lost the state by maybe 12 points. hillary clinton lost it by about nine points in 2016. it was down to about five in 2020 that biden lost the state. yes, republicans keep winning
6:30 am
that state, but it is really breaking hard in democrats' direction. it doesn't mean they're going to win it this year or even '28. i am curious, what is your read on texas and when it does finally become in reach for democrats? >> you could see here this was the 2020 presidential result in texas. it's a little bit under six points here was trump's victory. democrats have long anticipated in texas this idea that ultimately it's going to turn into a competitive state and one democrats can win in. democrats have long anticipated and have been getting substantial improvement like in the metroplex, big, densely populated metropolitan area around dallas/ft. worth, north texas. they've even started to see growth in the houston area, the houston suburbs. travis county is a big
6:31 am
democratic bastian. democrats have been improving in some big communities around these areas. that's been cutting the republican margin statewide. what i don't think democrats anticipated or anybody anticipated is what we started to see especially in 2020 when donald trump did win texas by less than six. trump had slippage in these areas here. not less population, but trump along the border here -- you have counties here that hillary clinton won by 60 points in 2016 that donald trump ended up losing only by five points. these areas along the border have dramatically shifted. republicans even picked up a congressional seat down here a couple years ago. that's been a challenge for democrats. another challenge for democrats has been areas where rural, blue collar working class areas in east texas, heavy populations of non-college white voters. democrats have been losing there for a long time.
6:32 am
i think it got worse for them in areas like that that they thought it could get. that has created a bit of a buffer for republicans. i think the question for democrats becomes at a certainly point here, you know, if republicans continue to make gains with hispanic voters -- that's a huge if, but if republicans build on it further, even with these democratic gains with white college educated voters in the suburbs, they may not get enough to offset what they're losing in other areas. it's a more complicated question than ten years ago. >> nbc's steve kornacki, thank you very much. i think we'll be seeing you again very soon, like tomorrow. the federal reserve kicks off its two-day policy meeting later this afternoon as a recent slate of inflation data shows the u.s. economy remains resilient despite elevated interest rates.
6:33 am
let's bring in cnbc dom chu. is there a sense as to when the central bank will start cutting rates? >> or if they'll start cutting rates. >> this is very much the question. you mention it starts today. the meeting will conclude tomorrow. the plan and expectation is that there's going to be no action on interest rate this is time around in march. we're looking at financial instruments, futures tied to interest rate markets set by the fed. they're currently pricing in a near certainty that rates will be kept steady this month with the fed staying on this holding pattern given that shorter term string of inflation data showing it may be a little bit too early to declare mission accomplished. that still-resilient jobs market, the fed shows more economists are predicting the u.s. will avoid a recession and pull off that so-called soft landing for the economy. the respondents to that survey
6:34 am
now see three rate cuts for the balance of 2024. a lot of them still believe they will start perhaps in the summer months, maybe june or july. compare that with futures markets that had months ago priced in six interest rate cuts. so a ratcheting down of expectations. interest rates are still a variable for the housing market in america. there's an even bigger variable. it's how much you pay in commissions for buying and selling a home. this is a legal settlement reached between the national association of realtors and a group of sellers. the nar has agreed to pay $18 million in damages and change industry practices, which will now end the longstanding structure of just applying automatic commissions to home sellers. those commissions commonly end up being roughly around 6% of
6:35 am
the purchase price of a house. then when the seller pays that commission, both agents, buyers and sellers just split the fee. now, though, under this new construct, sellers and buyers will be responsible for negotiating their own fees and paying them independently. now, consumer advocacy groups are praising the decision as helping to bring choice, transparency to the housing market, but opponents say this is going to make it harder for deals to get done in an already tight housing market and just add to the cost of buying a home since those buyers are now on the hook for paying their own agent's commissions. all of those problems maybe go away if one were hypothetically independently wealthy. the mega millions is $875
6:36 am
million. the next draws is set for tonight. meanwhile, the powerball jackpot had no winners last night, meaning that wednesday's drawing is right now worth around $687 million. by the way, it hopefully goes without saying but we're going to say it anyway. the odds are very long, which is why nobody has won. so we always want to advise people to play and gamble responsible, lottery or otherwise. >> i agree. >> i appreciate that so much. >> it's an important caveat, which is why willie and i when we bet, we only go to the dogs, dog track, most regulated, safest. >> it's an addictive thing. dom chu, thank you. still ahead, donald trump's latest comments about being the one to get roe v wade
6:37 am
overturned, calling that supreme court decision, quote, extremely good. meanwhile, president biden yesterday took action in support of women's health research. we'll discuss that contrast next on "morning joe." we'll discuss that contrast next on "morning joe.
6:38 am
♪(sung) limu emu and doug.♪ hello, ghostbusters. it's doug... ...of doug and limu. we help people customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. anyway, we got a bit of a situation here. uh-huh. uh-huh. mm-hmm. sure, i can hold. only pay for what you need. ♪(sung) liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ ghostbusters: frozen empire. in theaters march 22. for people who feel limited by the unpredictability of generalized myasthenia gravis and who are anti-achr antibody positive, season to season, ultomiris is continuous symptom control, with improvement in activities of daily living. it is reduced muscle weakness. and ultomiris is the only long-acting gmg treatment with the freedom of just 6 to 7 infusions per year, for a predictable routine i can count on. ultomiris can lower your immune system's
6:39 am
ability to fight infections, increasing your chance of serious meningococcal infections, which may become life-threatening or fatal, and other types of infections. complete or update meningococcal vaccines at least 2 weeks before starting ultomiris. if ultomiris is urgent, you should also receive antibiotics with your vaccines. before starting ultomiris, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions and medications. ultomiris can cause reactions such as back pain, tiredness, dizziness, limb discomfort, or bad taste. ultomiris is moving forward with continuous symptom control. ask your neurologist about starting ultomiris. there's nothing better than a subway series footlong. except when you add a new footlong sidekick. like the ultimate bmt with the new footlong pretzel. nothing like a sidekick that steps up in crunch time. [laughing] not cool man.
6:40 am
every epic footlong deserves the perfect sidekick.
6:41 am
you were quoted as saying to one of your aides i like 16 weeks because it's a nice round number of four months. do you think that could be politically acceptable? >> we're going to find out. a lot of things were done with roe by killing it. >> the justices to the supreme court made that possible. >> they did. they did something that from a
6:42 am
lot of standpoints is extremely good. >> donald trump and his weekend interview with fox news, again, proudly touting his role in overturning roe v wade. as for president biden, yesterday he signed a new executive order aimed at expanding women's health care research, something biden spoke about during his state of the union address. >> i'm directing the most comprehensive set of executive actions ever taken to improve women's health. i'm going to ensure that women's health is integrated and prioritized across the entire federal government. it's not just the nih, the national science foundation, the defense department, the environmental protection agency, across the board. this is really serious. i'll spearhead new innovations for breakthroughs in a wide range of women's health needs that you experience throughout your lives, because it really matters. >> that's actually what dr. jill
6:43 am
biden announced at your know your value event at the white house. >> the one we held in the east room of the white house. she was so excited. let's bring in the cofounder of all in together lauren leader. she was at the white house for yesterday's announcement. whenever i hear abortion defined as a woman's right to choose what happens to her body, that's true, but it's leaving so much out, because it is women's health care overall that abortion really encompasses. >> absolutely. i want to talk about the president's announcement, but i also want to point out this stunning survey study that came out yesterday looking at the effects of the abortion ban in louisiana, which already before roe had among the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. they found out that the roe ban has had such a chilling effect on every part of maternity care,
6:44 am
that women are more likely to end up having very extreme c-sections when facing the viability of their fetus or their own health. the knock-on effects are so profound for women's lives. that's just in one state. what the president did yesterday is incredibly important. it's riveting to hear not just dr. biden but also maria shriver talk about what was behind it. that is the experience all of us have had. we've talked about this before. going to the doctor for critical health care issues and having no answers available to us. one of the reasons is because there's virtually no research that's specific to women's health. even though the nih has been required to have 50% or at least some ratio close to that of women in health studies, that's not the same thing as actually studying the effect of medications and specific health issues on women's bodies.
6:45 am
that has not been done, and that has to change. >> lauren, it is shocking for people, because you think, oh well, do we really need to have more research specifically aimed at women? when you understand the statistics under that and how medical research is just not done on women and the assumption was for a long time women's bodies react the same way men's bodies to certain diseases and treatments. tell us more. are there specific diseases that women are more likely to get that require more research, or the same thing for treatment and how women respond differently? >> i've been digging into this because i'm so fascinated by this. there are a couple examples that blow my mind. one is on alzheimer's. women are more likely to have alzheimer's, but we've never stuied why that is. heart disease appears differently in women. we know that the vast majority of patients taking the weight
6:46 am
loss drugs ozempic, like 80% are women, do you know there's been no research specific to women about how those drugs affect women's bodies. there's been generalized studies, but you can't even get data that's specific to gender. there's vast gaps. not even to mention how little research has been done on menopause and the real health challenges for women through menopause. there are no answers because there's been no research. that's just stunning. >> this matters because of the policy. let's talk about it through the political lens briefly. we are in a campaign year. what would be your recommendation or insight as the president or the vice president is going to talk about this going forward? >> i've said this to some folks in the administration yesterday. the vice president is an extraordinary ambassador for
6:47 am
these issues. i believe the president himself really needs to lean into them. i think yesterday was the beginning of this. he has a strong case to make about why he is the only candidate in the presidential race who is actually committed to women's health and women's lives. i want to see him lean into this more. i really hope that the campaign will put more women front and center in their ad campaigns, not just the president talking about it but the kinds of women who came to the state of the union who faced life-and-death consequences who have been suing the state of texas. there are hundreds of thousands of women facing these consequences. the president touched on it a little bit yesterday, but he's got to do that more. i really think it's got to be the center piece of this campaign. it is the most profound mobilizing issue for women voters who are going to make the difference in this election. >> lauren leader, thank you so much. great to see you.
6:48 am
thanks for coming on the show this morning. coming up amid the ongoing war between israel and hamas and an increase in anti-semitism on college campuses as well as islamophobic incidents. a new playoff broadway is taking the issue head on. on.
6:49 am
[shaking]
6:50 am
(♪♪) (♪♪) oh no. [scratching] with chewy, get flea meds delivered before the itching begins. (♪♪) or after, but before is definitely better. good job. save 20% on your first pharmacy order and get it delivered right on time. we're here today to set the record straight about dupuytren's contracture. surgery is not your only treatment option. people may think their contracture has to be severe to be treated, but it doesn't. visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started.
6:51 am
my name is oluseyi and some of my favorite moments throughout my life are watching sports with my dad. now, i work at comcast as part of the team that created our ai highlights technology, which uses ai to detect the major plays in a sports game. giving millions of fans, like my dad and me, new ways of catching up on their favorite sport.
6:52 am
the new report from the university of chicago shows that alarming number of college students feel that they are in danger, because of their religious beliefs. more than 50% of all jewish and muslim students feel personally unsafe on their campuses in the wake of the israel-hamas war. this rising tension is at the heart of the new off broadway
6:53 am
play entitled "the ally" in which a jewish college professor is asked to sign a new social position to see how far he is willing to go to protect israel while protect his own identity. joining us is the play's lead actor josh radnor, and josh, thank you for coming on the show this morning. it is really important timing for this storyline actually, and tell us about it. >> yeah. well, you did a pretty good summary. i would say, you know, every issue that is kind of roiling the college campuses and the op-eds is pretty well articulated by this play about identity and politics and how the political and the personal get intertwine and kind of inextricably linked, but, yeah,
6:54 am
it is a ferocious piece, and i'm proud to be a part of it. >> ferocious, and intense and timely and one that i would think would trigger strong emotions from those watching it. what has that been like? >> well, youner know going in each night, and some nights the audience are really with the play and you can hear them listening, and sometimes the audible reactions, and people kind of shouting things or saying things, and applause at various moments, and when one part of the audience is applauding, you can be sure that the other part of the audience is not intentionally not applauding. so i would say that it is that we are covering the divisive issues, but the audience has been mostly respectful, yeah. >> and it is intense for those watching it, but it has to be intense for you being up there, and walk us through what drew grow the role and what it is like being up there night after
6:55 am
night? >> well, nemar moses is a tremendous writer, and the director is someone i knew for a long time, and it was an incredible yes before i even read the play, and it was written in 2017, and written long before october 7th, and he made adjustments based on that, but it felt like everything that ever i wanted to do in the theater is something that felt urgent and vital and scary to do as an actor, but it was really speaking to the moment with urgency. >> hi, josh, it is jennifer in d.c., and you are tackling the really difficult topic and difficult emotions here, and what do you feel at the end of the play for the audience and also for the performance has been sort of released into the world that is a positive thing? >> yeah, it is a great question. i think that so much of the dialogue and discourse around these issues is that it is very
6:56 am
first-draft, very inflammatory and emotional. the audience is quite relieved to sit for 2 1/2 hours and have some very vetted fact-check. it is not like dry op-eds talking and talking heads, but it is really the people in the play are really fighting for their lives, and i think that there is something about the character that i play, assaf, who is very anguished and the people come up to me that i embody the anguish they feel or that there are many sides to these things, and that there is a play to hold all of the contradictions and the parallel narratives and there is a palpable relief of the audience when they see the play. >> "the ally "is playing at the manhattan theater running through april 7th.
6:57 am
thank you, josh radnor, for coming on the show. >> appreciate it. >> and that does it for all of us, and we will see you tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. sharp eastern. and you have to be on time. >> all right. i will be here. >> ana cabrera picks up the coverage after our quick final break. ck final break. ing feel effortless. and its customizable scans with social sentiment help you find and unlock opportunities in the market. e*trade from morgan stanley. with powerful, easy-to-use tools, power e*trade makes complex trading easier. react to fast-moving markets with dynamic charting and a futures ladder that lets you place, flatten, or reverse orders so you won't miss an opportunity. e*trade from morgan stanley. there's nothing better than a subway series footlong. except when you add on an all new footlong sidekick. we're talking a $2 footlong churro. $3 footlong pretzel and a five dollar footlong cookie. every epic footlong deserves the perfect sidekick. order one with your favorite subway series sub today.
6:58 am
the future is not just going to happen. you have to make it. and if you want a successful business, all it takes is an idea, and now becomes the future where you grew a dream into a reality. the all new godaddy airo. put your business online in minutes with the power of ai. hi, i'm michael, i've lost 62 pounds on golo and i have kept it off. put your business online in minutes most of the weight that i gained was strictly in my belly which is a sign of insulin resistance. but since golo, that weight has completely gone away, as you can tell. thanks to golo and release, i've got my life and my health back.
6:59 am
7:00 am
now on "ana cabrera reports," it is primary day in america,