life. you got the donald trump debate. how will he perform? what will he say? well, when i'm nifrt debate, which is the happy hour debate at 5:00 start drinking, by 9:00, donald might start making sense to you. >> on set we have managing editor of bloom politics mark halperin. >> tough, right? >> tough on trump? no, that was fun. >> we also have the president of the council on foreign

relations -- oh, wait he is in the country, richard haas. incredible real estate in the wall street journal this weekend. this is richard's front page piece on the last classic war. we're going to be talking about this anniversary coming up. a lot of politics to get to. >> yeah. >> we're just three days away from the first debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. we're going. it's going to be good. >> we are going. before we start talking about republicans, what about this joe biden news? maureen dowd's column. people started talking about it. we're going to talk about that in the news for a second you've been saying you thought joe was going to run. >> i'm not surprised by it at all. i think it's for a lot of reasons and some of them you know extremely sad, i think the timing is right for him. but for a lot of reasons in terms of dynamics on both sides of the aisle, i think this could be an effective time for him to think about jumping in. i think he really s.

>> we'll have michael isikof on. he did some stories. hillary bundlers are switching sides already. >> the draft biden movement is under the radar and is now staffing in real ways and hiring people who are serious about this. i think it points to the same thing donald trump is tapping into which is authenticity. somebody who's real. somebody who says what they think, somebody who lets you know what they believe. >> one of us. >> somebody asked about the keystone pipeline he doesn't say i'll let you know when i'm president. >> the biggest trouble he got into during his entire time is when he told people what he thought about marriage equality. the president, everybody at the white house got angry. he speaks his mind and that's fascinating. the other side of it you have hillary's disapproval numbers which we said on friday were higher than after monica. well it's higher -- her disapproval is higher than bill's after monica and mark

rich and everything. after all the scandals were done and he was out of office. i mean her you know disapprovals are really starting to bother a lot of democrats. >> she's going -- most everyone thinks she'll lose primaries and caucuses. the questions is when she loses things what happens? does the party turn to bernie sanders or would they like a backup if there is a problem with hillary clinton. >> i don't think bide sen a backup at this point. new poll has donald trump in the lead with 19% of the republican vote. wisconsin governor scott walker not far behind with 15%. former florida governor jeb bush in a strong one point behind. rounding out the top ten, a three way tie for ninth place between chris christie rick perry, and ohio governor john kasich. barring a major development, one of those three will not be on

the debate stage on thursday. >> we have a lot to digest. let's go back to the top of the charts, as kacie counts them down. if you can show us i guess, one through whatever number that was. a couple people we didn't mention were actually ben carson and ted cruz who were doing pretty darn well with donald trump sucking up all the oxygen. and ben carson also a name we just keep hearing. you heard it a lot in the focus groups. here he is at 10%. you take his 10% and donald trump's 19%, you got about a third of the republican lekt electorate openly rebelling. >> he's a united states senator and running hard against washington establishment. that is 40% of the vote for people saying tear washington down, change things fundamentally, put somebody in the white house that is not an establish. career politician. >> and it's an indictment against the republican party

itself. you take those three candidates that equal around 40%, they're just -- they're not just anti-washington, they speak up about what the republican party has been for the last 30 years. >> what strikes me is how much we become like europe. that centrist parties and centrist politicians are on the defensive. and this to me you can talk about the democrats or republicans, it just shows how disaffected a large chunk of the society, is the population is. you can argue social reasons. you can argue economic reasons. you can article political reasons are oror all of the above. >> and so many of these protests aren't purely ideological. it's one of the reasons that donald trump supporting hillary in the past. being for single payer health care in the past. it's getting all the support. it's not about ideology. as much as it is just people sick and tired of the way washington is running.

>> absolutely. an average of the latest polling has chris christie and kasich making the debate. but perry in the 5:00 undercard with the bottom seven candidates. the contenders on the main stage are strategizing about how to deal with donald trump. trump says he'll not be on the attack. >> i think that frankly, i'd like to discuss the issues. i'm not looking to take anybody out or be nasty to anybody. as you know, chuck, when i made harsh statements about various people, that is always in response to their criticism of me. you know rick perry, i thought he was a nice guy. he started hitting me hard so i hit him harder. i'm not looking -- i don't know what they're going to be doing. i'm reading so many -- >> so they don't attack you, you're not going to attack them. >> i think it's highly unlikely. >> but if they attack you -- >> i always counter punched. you have to counter punch. >> he's just a good guy trying to walk through a mall you know, go to spencer's gifts.

>> i love spencer's. >> lava lamp. >> they come up and punch him. what's donald to do? >> this debate is going to be so much fun to watch. >> it's going to be awesome. >> you have to take a step back and appreciate what we have thursday night. you have all the serious candidates and then donald trump who will little rally be in the middle of the stage. he will be center stage. it will be interesting to see if these other candidates are able to make the debate not about donald trump. you know a lot of the questions will be about trump. he is qualified to be president? will they be able to get their own messages out there or will it be like the last month has been where the entire campaign is about one man? >> how many people in the history of presidential politics entered a debate first in the polls and first debate they've ever done in their lives? >> yeah. >> no one. and, yet, not one of us thinks he's going to be nervous. but he's never been -- >> he's been in the public spotlight since i saw an old "new york times" article from

1973. he was just as assertive then as he was when he told larry king that he had bad breath as he is now. >> mark sent me that clip. have you seen it? >> i saw it yeah. >> larry, i have to stand back. has anybody told you, you have bad breath. >> i want to see that. >> that proves the point. he's been on tv so much it's second nature to him. >> he's never done a debate. he's preparing. he has to learn the rules, when do you talk? when do you listen? >> i don't think he's worried about that. >> i do not. >> but he's never done it. >> i think you're worried about it. >> the biggest danger is that everybody's polite to him, for the trump brand. he's polite to everybody. and serve scaredeverybody is scared of everybody. people tune in and look at trump and say what's the big deal? >> he can hit the chinese. >> well that's what he's got to

do. he's got to hit the deals with china. he's got to hit the deals with iran. he's got to -- i mean there are so many foreign policy deals. >> and -- >> that he can hit. he can go in there and talk about how stupid leaders are in washington and all the bad deals going all the way back to nafta, all these trade deals. that actually is a great way -- >> and this will be a contest to see who can hit president obama and secretary clinton the hardest. he'll do just fine in that competition. >> there is new speculation over whether vice president joe biden will get into the race for president. if so, is he too late to the game? no. this morning a senior adviser to biden's late son beau is joining the draft biden super pac and michael reports on one republican bundler who got cold feet for clinton. john cooper was set to be a so-called hill starter but told isikof i was trying to come up with a rational for her

candidacy and i couldn't do it saying she was too calculating, too cautious too controlled. cooper is the ngsal finance chair for draft biden. a drupe that raised about $110,000 since march. and maureen dowd stoked speculation in a article that likened him to tom brady. they have good hair and fans married to superstars who can make a gazillion an hour for flashing their paces a pair much team captains craving a championship doing something surreptitious that they never needed to do to win. tom brady and hillary clinton have more in common than you think. brady and hillary wanting to win at all costs and believing the rules don't apply to them are willing to take the hit of people not believing them calculating that there is no absolute proof." dowd also wrote about beau biden's mess edge to his father while dying of cancer he tried to make his father froms run,

arguing that the white house should not revert to the clintons and that the country would be better off would w. biden values. joe biden knows what beau wants. now he has to decide if it's who he is. a decision could come in september. >> what do you think? >> i think he's going to run. joining us from washington -- >> before that i love that -- what beau said to joe. >> yeah. >> biden values. anybody that's been around joe biden more than three minutes knows exactly what that means. and his family knows exactly what that means. whether they agree with him or disagree with him, joe biden is just a great man. i mean richard haas we all spent time with him. and we know what biden values means. that really rings. >> his life has been in some ways defined or mired in tragedy from when he first got elected in 29 his wife and child were killed. he stood by his family. but he also managed to do public

service. you know willie used a key word authenticity. i think it's powerful. it comes through. in some ways joe is historic vice president historically been authentic to a fault. and the question is now whether this is the moment where you can't be authentic to a fault. and somehow it fits where we are. >> i think joe, you pointed out something that came out of the focus groups last week that people were talking about donald trump being one of us, being aspirational, all those things but one of us were the three words you thought were the most important words that came out of there. and actually joe biden, given all of his years in washington decades serving in the senate serving as vice president, his experience and expertise in foreign policy he still has been able to maintain that one of us quality. a lot of it has been because of the tragedy in his life that forced him to never actually

forget things that really connect him with humanity. >> but he also he's just an honorable guy. >> a good guy. >> i was on the back porch of his place and we were sitting there talking back i guess 2009 or 2010 and there's some secret service guys like, peering around. he pointed at them and he goes -- really? really? who has an ambition? who wakes up and says i'm going to kill the vice president? that has to be a real loser that wants to kill somebody like -- and it just you know laughing at himself when he's the second most powerful guy in the country, perhaps the world. but just being a real guy. >> he's a family guy. you see hillary clinton's new ad talking about her being grandma. and it just -- yeah. you're all smirking. okay. >> we're smirking because they love america. >> no because it doesn't ring -- >> i was grimmacing.

>> okay. the point is can i say that it doesn't feel -- >> we better not. >> okay. >> we said on this show for months and months and months if you're joe biden watching this democratic process and a coronation of hillary clinton, you're going wait a second excuse me. i'm the vice president of the united states for a guy whose been pretty popular among democrats. i put in my time. i i'm a respected diplomat and understand the issues. why not me? i understand how much is coming from him or being pushed by other people around him that he ought to do this. >> mark? >> don't underestimate. i know we're paid to talk about politics. don't forget that beau's death is the dominant thing. because of political calendar stle to think about it now. but that's what the family is still focused on. that's not lip service. that is a monumental loss for any family. but the role beau played in the family was massive. that's the focus.

>> that was one of beau's last wishes. that also has a massive impact. >> joe biden will decide this thing. >> there is something for joe biden that is delicate. there's a difference between being the political person whoenters the race to save the democratic party and to save their chances of keeping the white house on the basis that hillary clinton cannot. and the person who politically sleighs hillary clinton. i think he has to get that right if he's going to go in. he has to be the welcomed savior, not the person that gets in the way of the woman who has the chance to be the first woman president. getting the timing right. getting the tone right. it has to be reluctant. he's coming in not out of ego or personal things but reluctance for the moment and situation. and getting the tone and timing right will be critical. >> all right. joining us from washington msnbc political correspondent kacie hunt jumping into the conversation. you've been reporting on this biden story as well. >> right. as you were talking about, this is something that's been out there. there's a lot of talk in the

wake of beau's death for the vice president. but if he's going get into this he's way behind on the infrastructure front which is why what is going on with the draft biden items you mentioned is interesting. a top aide to beau biden who travelled extensively with beau and raised about $1.2 million in just six months before vice president's son was diagnosed with brain cancer is going to go and lead the fund-raising operations for. this the goal will is to try and set up a potential infrastructure if biden wants to do this. hillary clinton is pulling this together for essentially years now. and so i think the question is whether there is a lot of demand financially to support him at this stage. i think we might actually get a chance to see that now. >> all right. >> i think the question is and mark maybe you know. kacie reported on -- is reporting on friends that are setting this up. mike isikof reporting on super

pac bundlers. we remember david geffin to speak out about hillary clinton. do you sense there are other democrats waiting in the wings to do what we're hearing this weekend? >> there are. but joe biden has never been a great fund-raiser. he never believed in super pacs. that's why they're anxious for him to run. they don't want a big money candidate in the white house. they don't want a big money candidate representing. so there will be individual people who support him and will help him raise money. but he's not going to outraise hillary clinton or get even close. every defection that will get a lot of attention because of the way the clintons did cover. >> by the way, we were having this conversation. she still leads by 40 points in her party. yes, her favorable ratings are down. she's still a strong candidate in terms of those numbers and fund-raising and everything else. she has a long head start on joe bide fen he decides to get in.

>> all right. kacie hunt thank you very much. still ahead this morning, could the battle over planned parenthood funding lead to another government shutdown? we're going to talk to republican senator james langford about this hot button issue. and also white house press secretary josh earnest will join us. plus, we're going to mark 25 years since the start of the first gulf war. a special look back at that pivotal moment in american history. and later, actor kevin bacon joins us with his new film. and just a note "morning joe" will be live in cleveland this friday. >> we're going to cleveland. >> on the heels of the first republican presidential debate. you do not want to miss that. that's going to be -- okay. i can't believe you guys remember. >> they speak french right? >> we'll be right back with more "morning joe." two streetlights. the only difference: that little blue thingy. you see it?

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it's time to take a look at the morning papers at 22 past the hour. let's look at the "new york times." wildlife authorities in zimbabwe say there is a second case of an american hunter illegally killing a lie job. a physician from spence was reportedly participating in a hunt back in april conducted by a local base guide now accused of hunting without a quota and permit. meanwhile, the ocean preservation society paid tribute to cecil over the weekend as part of the racing extinction project. i think the whole practice is taking a look at it. >> so barbaric. >> a lot of extremely wealthy people find it to be fun. >> yeah. >> i'm serious. >> let's go to reuters. the obama administration decided to provide air cover to u.s. trained rebel forces in syria. the first usair strikes came friday when the free syrian army

came under attack by el nusra. they will defend against the assad regime if needed. this follows a report that the u.s. trained 54 moderate rebel fighters. far fewer than the 5400 they hoped to train by the end of the year. there is a tricky situation for the united states since it opposes the assad regime but they do find a common enemy in isis. >> richard? >> sure we have a common enemy in isis. the assad regime is the biggest fueler of isis. it's the dynamic that in some ways encourages it as does iran and shia militias. the problem is the force we're trying to build up is so small and will take so long telephoner become politically and militarily significant. in the meantime you have to defend them. >> should assad go? >> absolutely. what we need to do is figure out a way to bring that about. >> who replaces assad? >> you probably get a coalition

government. >> it wouldn't be isis? >> that's the danger. if he gets pushed out, you want him pushed out, it has to be in a coordinated way. the last thing you want is the calafit to establish a capital. >> can the united nations do the first meaningful thing they've done in 30 or 40 years with turkish troops an a lot of other troops in there, u.s. troops russian troops split syria into quarters? >> i would have lo to see a multinational force. the problem is we can't get any meaningful sunni/arab contribution. it's the best idea, just can't happen. >> if assad is gone couldn't we get sunni cooperation? >> yeah but they have to be willing to put in ground forces. the turks haven't been willing to do it. >> i'm wonld ferg assad-- wondering if assad is gone -- >> one of the problems with the iran agreement with all the resource goings iran it gives them an opportunity to bolster

assad assad. it may become more difficult. >> whether you say gone, killed or sent some place else? >> i meant like if there is a villa somewhere, somewhere on the black sea. maybe putin can take care of him. >> absolutely. >> you have to kill him to get rid of him. >> oh, that's brutal. why do you talk like that? >> the question is whether they see their future as divorced from his future. it's been harder for him to recruit people to fight militarily and all. that the place is grinding down. >> all right. usa today, a manhunt is underway in tennessee this morning for 29-year-old tremain willborn. he is suspected of shooting and killing a memphis police officer. was killed during a traffic stop on saturday night. nbc's kerry sanders has the latest. >> reporter: in but an instant saturday night, a routine

traffic stop turned deadly for memphis police officer shawn bolton. >> i heard it. bang bang bang. >> reporter: the 33-year-old officer was shot repeatedly and despite a bullet-proof vest later pronounced dead at the hospital. the first call for help came on patrolman bolton own police radio from a bystander. >> please please hurry up. >> they picked up the police radio and spoke into it. and they got the police to come out. all of the neighbors on that side were trying to call 911 but they couldn't get through. >> reporter: the first cop on scene frantically called for help. >> there was a traffic stop and he was armed. >> you're advicing an officer is down or the suspect? >> the officer! >> the ambulance is already in route. >> reporter: there may have been

more than one person in the car, the gunman may have been in the front passenger seat. >> the only description we have on suspect, two male blacks. last seen running westbound on summer view. >> reporter: memphis police broke down the door to an apartment complex and took one man into custody. the trigger man remains at large. this is the second police officer in tennessee killed in the line of duty just this year. nationwide, 70 officers have been killed this year doing their jobs. >> there's a theme that do black lives matter? and tend and at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, do all lives matter? >> this again is evidence that there are so many guns on our streets in the wrong hands. >> reporter: officer bolton had no dash camera or body camera when shot. that equipment is budgeted for next year. an iraq war vet, a police officer in memphis for almost five years, gunned down in the very city where he grew up.

>> you know we always talk about body cameras for -- if police acts out. here's a great example of how body cameras would give us a complete idea of who this suspect is and -- >> this is the other side for sure. we've been obviously covering these cases across the country of police abuse. but this is you know the risk they take every single day. >> every single day, every single night. >> right. coming up on "morning joe." mike barnicle asks what joe biden, what president joe biden would be like. also is donald trump's run helping open a lane for jeb bush in the long run snt? the must read opinion pages are next.

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do you mind if i sit back a little bit because your breath is really bad. it really is. has anybody ever told that you before? >> no. >> then i won't bother. >> actually -- >> that's how you get the edge. >> that's how you get the edge. >> who says that? >> larry says that. >> no it wasn't larry. it was donald. >> that's how he gets the edge. >> oh, my god. >> brilliant. that's a brilliant piece of tv. >> i want to see that again. >> that will play on a loop at the inaugural. >> had a happened? >> let's play it again right

now. >> in real life. >> this happened in 1989. >> do you mind if i sit back a little bit because your breath is very bad. it really s has this ever been told to you before? >> no. >> okay. then i won't bother. >> actually -- >> that's how you get the edge. >> i like when he says has this ever been told to you before? >> and then does he this. it really s like stay away. >> do you think that larry king's breath was bad or he simply was doing to get the message and mess with larry's mind? >> i think it was. he says whatever is right there. that's donald. that's the frightening thing about him. >> was larry smoking back then? >> we don't remember. >> he was smoking cigarettes. >> yeah he probably was. zbh . >> that's how he gets the edge willie. >> what is great about that exchange is trump is being trump. but king, even those he's insulted, he's thinking that's how you get the edge. >> we should play that again.

all right. >> it should bump in every segment until the debate. >> yeah. >> all right. >> should we do this from "the new york times"? >> what's that? i want to get to richard's piece as well in the "wall street journal." they write in the "new york times" that donald's gifts for jeb bush donald trump's sudden prominence sense up the stylistic contrast that he needed. they're the most famous names in the race. they're occupying roles that makes jeb look like the safe environment harbor for anyone freaked out by trump's success. the longer trump polls well in the less attention and perhaps fund-raising dollars that will be for more plausible challengers, jeb is always going to need more luck than thinks brother did in 2000 or romney did in 2012 and having trump on the stage this thursday is the first major sign he might get it. that fortune always partial to dynasties favors the bushes yet again. >> i disagree. >> i disagree, too. >> i think donald trump for some

reason exaggerates flaws of other candidates while he is also traditionally a deeply flaw flawed candidate. i think he makes jeb look too safe and certainly too safe after hillary attacked him, makes him look even safer. he makes walker who some would say is dull as a candidate look even more dull. marco rubio who's attacked for being inexperienced as a candidate, trump makes him look even more inexperienced. i mean you got a guy that is you know has his name on scores of buildings in some of the biggest markets in the world running against the guy that had trouble paying off eye ranch house in tallahassee, florida. i think that's a misread of -- >> i totally disagree with you. i think that is exactly right. this is the best thing that could happen for jeb bush and john kasich because it means that someone who the

establishment will never support is taking up space for weeks and months. and jeb bush has over $100 million in the bank. he'll have much more in the next reporting. and if the establishment, if they don't go for trump, they'll go for an establishment figure and that is jeb bush or john kasich. >> i think he provides cover for not just jeb bush but all the candidates. they escaped scrutiny for a month now. in a way that we're talking about jeb bush and flaws and campaign. you think trump is good for jeb bush. i'll be interested to see how jeb bush handles donald trump on thursday. do you laugh him off? do you swat him away? do you have a smirk -- >> do you engage interllectually. >> he'll be in the shot with donald trump if he's next to him. i'll be interested to see if he takes him seriously as a candidate or swats him away. >> it will be great television. mike barnicle writes who would

president joe biden be? according to several people around the vice president, maureen dowd's piece in sunday's "new york times" with those accurate and descriptive of where he is today as the political world watches hillary clinton seemingly inevitable yet stumbling march towards the democrats nomination. however, there is this one thing. this one nagging question that hovers above hillary clinton like a crop-duster with a full tank of gas. it's been there for nearly three decades. it's always there. won't go away. seems as if it's never really fully answered. and it is this -- who is she? really? who is she? nobody wonders who joe biden is. he's still the guy who is so excited to be picked for the team that he slept in his uniform the night before his first little league game. >> a crop-dust we are a full tank of gas. >> wow. >> go mike. >> that is good writing. it does. i mean these questions continue to hover over hillary clinton. who is she?

and it is -- remains one of the great ironies and for friends and supporters one of the great tragedies of hillary clinton. people that know hillary absolutely love her. her friends are unbelievably loyal. she keeps long friends. people that work for her have great things to say about her. but it just never seems to translate what she puts on. i talked about this before. i just saw a picture on the front of new york magazine where her head was back and one of those fake phoney campaign laugh that's she does where she throws her head back and you know it's fake. i said god, she puts the political helmet on and the hillary that everybody that knows her loves and i've been very honest about it i like her a lot personally. seems to just go away. >> voters will eventually decide who the democratic nominee is. in the short term the echo chamber matters a lot. there is no one that looks at the two new ads and says wow, that's awesome. that's awe inspiring. people who know her like her.

everyone here has met her likes her. but joe biden right now has more people in the echo chamber thinking he's a good guy than they do about her. it is just a reality. >> her new ad tries to sort of cut through this problem that we're sort of putting up here and we'll take a look at it later. my worry is that it sort of adds to it. and then i have to say this i have to wonder if the fact that she's a woman plays into this problem that we're talking about which we can get into later. >> i don't know. >> i'm not ruling it out. >> you look at elizabeth warren. >> she's not running. >> but we're talking about politics. when she ran for senator, she remained elizabeth warren. >> i know. >> claire mccaskill, when she ran as a woman sh she was always claire mccaskill. hillary clinton puts on a different set of armor the second she steps into the political ring than when she -- i know all of her friends at

home that are watching this know that it's the truth what i'm saying. the hillary that everybody knows and loves is very rarely the hillary that you see on the campaign trail. >> the hillary on the campaign trail is in an awkward situation. claire and elizabeth was not. >> hillary is always in an awkward situation. >> she always has an awkward situation. >> if everything is polled and part of the focus group, you're not part of yourself. >> i'm talking about a question hanging over the campaign. >> the sports analogy is the prevent defense which officer prevents from you winning the game. it feels like she knows she's up by 40 points. don't say anything to mess with that. don't answer a question directly because you don't have to. you can sort of obfuscate about things and be vague. i think that catches up to her eventually. i mean it's not a perfect parallel. but sometimes when you play prevent defense, now the other team starts scoring a few

points. you have to keep playing offense. it feels like sometimes she's holding the ball. >> and when her back was against the wall going out of new hampshire in 2008 she went on the offense and we all said it around here every day. she was one of the best natural political candidates we ever saw. patrick j. buchanan hum self said one himself said one of the best plur athletes he ever saw during the runs. and pat knows a thing or two about presidential candidates. >> yeah. >> she was great in the spring of 2008. >> that's the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. and that was a situation where she had to play to win. now she's in a different situation. >> all right. up next he's joining forces with presidential candidate rand paul on an always heated topic on capitol hill. senator james langford explains next on "morning joe."

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there comes a time in the history of nations when we will all be judged on whether or not we took a stand for life. >> that's right! >> now is that time. the senate will vote on defunding planned parenthood before we go home in august. >> we spend more time in this building talking about horse slaughter and the humane treatment of animals at sea world than we do about children that are in the womb and that has got to stop. >> 45 past the hour. that was republican senators rand paul and james lankford speaking outside the capitol building. later today, the senate the vote on a bill introduced by paul to defunneled the women's group. paul lankford joins us now from oklahoma city.

>> senator, what is the likelihood that planned parenthood would environment are be defunded? >> we'll find out today. we're trying to open up an on going conversation with the constitutes say is this really where we want to spend taxpayer dollars? it needs to be taken care of. >> so are you doing this to have a debate an open debate when you know that at the end of the day planned parenthood is still going to be funded? >> today starts that debate. you know extremely well the different senate rules. we have 325,000 abortions done by planned parenthood every year. today we open up debates called a cloture vote. we'll see if we can get 60 people to get on to the bill and have that on going debate. >> and what if you don't? >> well what if we don't? we'll keep moving. this is an on going issue for a while. a lot of americans are upset about so much of their tax dollars going to this organization. this is not a new issue as you

know well and as i know well. >> mika and i said on friday whether you're pro-choice or pro-life, we both of us don't really understand why planned parenthood gets taxpayer funding with all abortions they perform when 50% of americans are dead set against it or maybe 45%, whatever the number is. but at the same time i don't want the government to be shut down over this fight. is there a chance the government could be shut down over funding of planned parenthood? and is that worth it? >> this is not trying to find a government shutdown much it's fascinating to me. i came over from the house where democrats accused of us over and over again because we're in the minority in that -- in the senate to say you're trying to shut the government down. it's fascinating to me as soon as i got to the senate we were in the majority and immediately democrats started saying you're trying to get another government shutdown again. >> so you're not? >> this is not about shutdown. this is about children. we have children with fingers and toes and hearts and livers and lungs that have literally

being torn apart and sold piece by piece. it seems that they changed the timing method and procedure to be able to harvest organs, that is illegal to do that on a federal offense. it's not just the sale but the timing method and procedure. if you change that to actually harvest organs that's not legal. there are major concerns there. a lot of people are extremely concerned about this basic issue. is that a life? it is a life and it sure be protected. >> mike halperin? >> you've been able to talk about your view of the funding. i want to ask you on the other side of the equation for the supporters of planned parenthood, can you describe to your knowledge what planned parenthood does beyond perform abortions and how you would make sure that those services that don't involve abortion would still be available and women particularly less well off women around the country? >> planned parenthood talks about abortion. it is one of the things. they are the single largest provider in the country with

325,000 abortion a year. they provide cancer screenings they also provide contraceptives to those in poverty. there are all kinds of other service thez services that they provide. we'll take that funding that was provided and transition to community health centers. there are 650 or so planned parenthood clinics around the country. there are 9,000 community health centers around the country. they actually provide full service health care to lots of folks in poverty around the country including contraceptives and including not just the screenings but the initial treatment as well. so we're trying to take that funding and make sure it continues to get to poverty and to those that absolutely need it the most. so that is the transition of funds to say we're not going to fund the single provider of abortion. we're going to provide a place where they do on going women's health care. >> all right, senator james lankford, thank you very much. >> good to be able to visit with you. >> coming up the mystery of fleiss 370. they start investigating part of

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malaysia is asking for help in what could be the biggest break in months for the investigation into malaysia airlines flight 370. government officials are asking territories near reunion island

to inform them if any possible debris turns up that could be from the plane. aviation experts in france are studying a piece of the plane wing found on the island last week. the six foot long part is from a boeing 777, the same type of plane as flight 370. a suitcase found near the debris is being dna tested. it comes as officials say that additional debris believed to possibly be a plane door is actually a ladder and not part of the jet. we'll be following that story. coming up at the top of the hour, what is donald trump's plan for thursday republican debate? and which former governor is now in danger of not making the cut? plus bernie sanders may be the least of hillary clinton's problems now. new details on why vice president joe biden may be getting ready to run. >> we showed a little remote of the cleveland debate stage. >> lights aren't on yet. >> chuck todd also joins us. >> they're ready to fire. >> see you now.

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[brakes screech] we need resuscitation. mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. hurry up! [laughing] you'll see what i'm going to do. i have no major problem with them but i may tie them to a lease of hillary's e-mails. >> what is your guess on percentage of income paid in taxes? >> you know what? i said this many times. it's not exactly breaking news i pay as little as possible. i fight like hell to pay as

little as possible. >> oh, my lord. welcome back to "morning joe." mark halper sin us within is with us. >> one of us. >> we have a lot to talk about. donald trump, of course the republican field debate coming up. joe biden, a lot of news about joe biden possibly running for president of the united states on beau's -- one of beau's final wishes was for him to run. and he thought the country needed biden values. >> i think it could upend the race. don't you think? >> i think so. >> the nbc news wall street poll has donald trump in the lead with 19% of republican votes. wisconsin governor scott walker not far behind with 15%. and former florida governor jeb bush in a strong surge, one point behind. it's a throwee way tie for ninth place between chris christie

rick perry and john kasich. one of those three will not be on that main debate stage this thursday. and average of the latest polling has christie and kasich making the debate and perry in the 5:00 undercard of the bottom seven candidates including senator lindsey graham who had this to say about the two tiered debate. >> you got the donald trump debate. how will he perform? what will he say. when i'm in the first debate the happy hour debate at 5:00 start drinking by 9:00 donald may make sense to you if you drink enough. >> oh, boy. >> that's the way you handle that. they're putting nut early debate. you have to have a sense of humor. >> i think it's terrible. i don't know what the solution is but it doesn't seem right. i don't know what the solution is. >> i don't see chris christie and john kasich not making that top debate. >> it's so weird. >> fox opened the door to an

11th person on the stage if there is a tie. >> which will be rick perry. >> depends on how you average the polls? do you round off? >> so when did fox open that up? >> it's been around for a while since they made a big deal of it. >> i know perry is pushing. >> i think based on where we're headed now with the polls pending sh it's going to be perry out or 11th perry is the 11th man on the stage. >> a lot of people strategizing on how to deal with trump, how do you strategize? >> i think they're going to ignore him. we'll see how the fox questioners, how much they try to pick a fight between trump and the others. i don't think -- >> you think fox viewers are going to like people picking a fight with trum snp. >> the questioners? >> yeah. >> no. i don't think they can let the whole debate be about that. if trump doesn't engage and the others don't engage under the rules you get a minute to answer and 30 seconds to respond but not everybody gets to respond unless you're attacked then you

gut -- >> but trump is popular with fox viewers, isn'the? >> he is. >> i don't see somebody that works at fox making the debate about donald trump and -- >> you don't have to make about it trum notary public a negp in a negative way. can you ask him his policies on certain topics. i think people think this is all about attacking trump or pile on trump, i don't think that's what it's going to be. they're going to avoid that and use the time in the spotlight to make their affirmative case. >> or asked about trump sh how they pivot off him? >> he is qualified? that's up to the voters. >> you don't think you're qualified to be president? >> being blah blah blah. whatever they do. >> it will be interesting to see if they can extract policy specifics from donald trump. he energized a lot of people with rhetoric and message. if they start drilling down -- >> how much can anybody drill down in one minute which is the maximum you can speak? >> you want to repeal obama

care. what specifically you would put in its place? >> something tremendous. >> terrific. >> your minute up is. >> donald trump says he'll not be on attack. here's his strategy. >> i think that frankly, i'd like to discuss the issues. i'm not looking to take anybody out or be nasty to anybody. and as you know, chuck when i made harsh statements about various people that was always in response to their criticism of me. rick perry, i always thought he was a nice guy. he started hitting me hard so i hit him harder. i'm not looking -- i don't know what they're going to be doing. i'm reading so many -- >> so they don't attack you, you're not going to attack them. >> i think it's highly unlikely. >> but if they attack you -- >> i always counter punched. you have to. >> you have to counter punch. >> i you know look i think he's setting himself up perfectly to get comfortable on the stage. if he has an opportunity, he's going to take it.

but he doesn't know what it's like yet. >> the thing is if donald trump, you know everybody mocked donald trump a month ago. he wasn't going to have any impact. now he's having impact. mccain, they said he was going to be out of the race. you know trump makes it through the first debate standing in the middle of this stage. nobody coming after him. he leaves that first debate as a established candidate. he is no longer just some crazy summer fling. he is a guy that made it through the first debate middle of the stage, top of the polls, a billionaire that suddenly starts looking a lot more plausible. >> bingo. i don't think anyone else can undue him. xwet whether he does himself n the test has to make himself credible. to appear presidential. to be someone even statesman like.

if he can cross that barrier, then he's -- for him, it's a tremendous success. it gives him enormous staying power. >> they can't overcoach him. they must let trump be trump. they know that. everyone i talk to says the same thing. >> hold on. name one time in a larry king interview or on a golf course when trump has not been trump. you never have to worry about somebody coming up and wringing their hands saying we lost the first debate because we didn't let trump be trump. let me tell you something. mika and i have picked up the phone through the years saying donald, please tone it down. you know what donald says. i can't joe this is who you am. he has to give one minute answers. when is the last time you heard him give a one minute answer? >> oh, my god. that will be the last time joe gave a one minute answer. >> he has to stay in the format. that's what they're working on. basic rules. they call on you, you have one minute. >> i think he's going to be fine. >> let trump be trump. >> when asked yesterday about

miz preparation, he laughed and said i don't prepare. he said these guys that prepare all the time said last time around mitt romney locked him snefl a cabin for a week and totally ruined him. he said he's going to show up where that debate is thursday own do his thing. >> start firing fast. let's bring in chuck todd. >> all right. >> chuck, you talked to the donald yesterday. you talked to a lot of people. a lot of skepticism across the republican party over the past several months. and now here we are going into the first debate. trump on top. center stage. and people wondering what happens. i guess my point is at some point doesn't somebody have to knock him off his perch? every day he is center stage at the top of the polls. he becomes a bit more established? >> well, joe, i'm with you. if you comes through thursday night and, you know don't forget the expectations for him is that it's going to be -- he's going to be wild and crazy and

on the attack. what if he doesn't meet that low bar, right? what if he -- he's got almost an easy threshold to hit to be able to say, wow, the viewer might say, boy, that's not as crazy as everybody painted him to be. and you do get a sense that that's sort of where his mindset is at. you saw it yesterday. he was more of a clark kenltt version of donald trump. and the other thing i noticed, you have seen jeb bush with lester holt on friday when asked about the debate? it's a different tone from jeb bush. >> it definitely is. >> you know what? there's a part of the electorate that he's appealing to. but it was not nearly what jeb bush sounded like two weeks ago. there really seems to be almost an acceptance that he's here to stay. >> this is a good example and i'm not comparing anybody to ronald reagan. but anybody that's old enough to remember jimmy carter and all of jimmy carter's aides painted ronald reagan as the facist gun

in the west. he was this wild crazy war monger. he was a fool. he was a b list actor. he was a bumbler. he was a clown. it's hard for people to remember now exactly how badly the national media and all of reagan's critics including most of the republican party looked at ronald reagan. gerald ford said governor reagan can't start world war ii i but president reagan can. then reagan shows up on stage. and he's not crazy. in fact he seems pretty reasonable. and then the expectations so low that that debate made ronald reagan president of the united states because they oversold. i wonder if like chuck says is right. people tune in. they think -- they think he's going to go around shouting you're fired to everybody. and he actually looks reserved and, hey, what he's saying about

the law makes sense. what he's saying about the trade deals makes sense. if it doesn't, at the end, put him in this race to stay. >> look at his standing now. if you look at where he is in the national polls and state polls, bees 20%. a fifth of the republican electorate. he is more likely to come down to ten or go up to 30? i say if he performs well in the debate if, more republicans see him as not just appealing in terms of his rhetoric but able to win a general lection, he would go to 30. that's if he performs well in the debate and if he seems to expand the number of people he can appeal to that's when he becomes a real force in this race if he can do it. >> all right. there is new speculation over whether or not vice president joe biden will get in the race for president. and if so is he too late to get in the game? this morning a senior adviser to biden's late son beau is joining the draft biden super pac. and michael isikof reports on a bundler who got cold feet for

clinton. john cooper was set to be a hill starter. but told him i was trying to come up with a rational for her candidacy and i couldn't do it saying she was too calculating too, cautious, too controlled. cooper has become national finance chair for joe biden, a group that raised $110,000 since march. joining us now from washington chief investigative correspond for yahoo news michael isokof. good to have you back on the show. >> good to be back. >> you hear reports like. this the candidate always jumps in. what are the indications that joe biden won't? >> the bottom line is we don't know much it's clearly a very tough decision made even tougher by the tragic death of his son beau. but there are, you know increasing signs there. i talked to one top democratic fund-raiser who had talked to bide ben this a few months ago before beau's death.

and said biden at that point was talking about how hillary clinton was much more vulnerable than people realize. so he's clearly had this in his mind. he's clearly been thinking about how he might run a race. he's getting urged by a lot of people, including family members. a lot of attention on beau and what he said to his father before he died. but hunter biden and his wife kathleen have been quietly promoting the idea of a biden candidacy for a while. look, the timetable -- and another thing, take a look at biden's schedule over the last few weeks. 'tended three democratic fundraisers. doing a lot of public events at la good wara airport with andrew cuomo in los angeles, doing a minimum wage event. i think you're seeing signs that he's getting closer.

now whether he ultimately bites the bullet i don't think any of us know. >> what do we know about the relationship, the real relationship, not the phoney bologna, political relationship between joe biden and hillary clinton. are they friends? are they real friends? will thb a difficult decision for joe biden because of that? >> the first two years of the administration joe biden was the person that hillary clinton went to when she felt like she didn't understand what was going on in the west wing. if, you know that he was almost sort of the counsellor whenever she might be frustrated with the national security council staff and as she was trying to become a team player and work with the obama -- just remember obviously, that's where there was some discomfort between team clinton and team obama. and biden was the go between. they had a weekly lunch. they have a very good relationship, arguably a better personal relationship at least early on than president obama did with hillary clinton.

but what michael reported that's what you hear for the last six months is that joe biden looked here and sits there and says she doesn't know why she wants to be president. she just thinks you know she's just doing it because it's her time. and the idea that she doesn't believe she is as strong as everybody thinks she is. everything i was told is he has a big family vacation coming up. and remember biden world is -- is filled with bidens. this isn't a bunch of other political consultants. it really is a family decision. remember, his sister runs the campaign. his niece was his political director. at some point, that's when this decision and discussion is going to take place. >> what do you think happens to president obama if joe biden and hillary clinton are both in the race? does he say i'm studiously neutral both public and privately or tilt towards his vice president? >> well, you know there is a very interesting comment that i think eric shultz was asked at

the white house podium last week about biden and just gave this praise about how much that president admires and respects the job he's done as vice president. i think that's an indicator of where we know where obama's heart is on this. he is closer to biden than he is to hillary clinton. i don't think he's going to formally endorse or -- publicly tilt in one direction or another. >> all right. >> you know i -- i have a gut feeling. when the president came out to announce the iran deal bide sen next to him. i am like this is coming. it's definitely coming in september. a deeply personal decision. but it just seems -- >> you think it's going to happen? >> maybe it's wishful thinking. michael isikoff, thawing very much. still to come josh earnest is

here. also what does middle america think of the republican field for 2016? eric ericsson will answer that question. and reminder "way too early" and "morning joe" will be live on friday morning in cleveland after the first republican debate. that is going to be fun. >> it's going to be amazing. >> yeah. i didn't know we were doing "way too early." >> i forgot to tell you. here is a check on the forecast. >> are you outside for that? >> i have no idea. >> you don't know? it's going to be cool friday morning. >> they tell us we're in a pub. >> we're going to be in a pub. we're good. >> okay. you're good. >> but waking up at 3:00 -- >> we'll still be awake talking at the bar zblch stay there from the night before. >> we have big changes coming. for everyone on the east coast that is suffering through the heat for the last week especially this last four days big changes this week. we're going to be in the 70s by the end of this week. let's talk about the worst weather in the country right now. tampa, heavy rain over i-4. the tampa bay drive towards orlando is going to get worse as

the day goes on. be careful driving. there further to the north, heavy rain this morning earlier has died off just a light rain. cincinnati dayton to columbus. watch out this afternoon. we got severe weather for possibility of 24 million people at risk. a slight risk of severe weather. wind damage will be the primary threat. maybe an isolated tornado or two. this does not include the big cities on i-95. pittsburgh cincinnati columbus, cleveland, buffalo to syracuse. you're included. so strong thunderstorms ohio to maine today. still very hot. dallas, 101. atlanta, 93. heat index feels like 100. today or tomorrow, two of the really hot days we'll see for a long time in new york city and in washington d.c. 90 in new york tomorrow. 92 in d.c. i mentioned the cooler air coming your way, new york city. we start this week right around 90 the next two days. look what happens towards friday. high only 77 with a chance of rain. that will have everyone talking about an early fall. we'll leave you a shot of new york. it looks like two more hot days

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well full well expect to be on the stage. but as a lot of people recognize this is not a one shot pony here. we got a full campaign in front of us. lots of things going on. >> it's important for me and everyone on the stage. once you get on the stage, it won't matter whether you're number one five or ten. you'll have the opportunity to make your pitch to the republican primary vote areas cross america. that's what i intend to do. i'm confident i'll be there on thursday night. >> as it relateses to the polls, i'm governor of ohio. i wasn't traveling around the country trying to make name for myself. i'm trying to take care of ohio. and not many national reporters want to come out here and cover something that was going well. if we've been blowing things up they'd been here. >> 20 past the hour. two sitting governors in the longest serving governor in the history of texas, all three are on the bubble for this

thursday's republican debate for president. and one will likely miss the cut. joining us now, the editor in chief of red state.com, eric erickson. what is your take on the -- i don't feel like we're all -- is anyone comfortable with how this is working? >> the debate. >> yeah. >> good. explain. >> i don't think can you have 2,000 candidate on stage. so the top ten based on poll averages, gives you an objective standard. the problem is with the polling. it's 200 republicans plus or minus 6.2%. that could be the difference between the longest serving governor in texas history getting on stage. >> that doesn't seem right. >> it doesn't. >> or the governor from ohio as well. i'm hoping that they do what he was doing before and if you have three tied at -- you know the last spots, they bounce it to 11. we need to talk you to. you have red state gathering coming up. i was looking forward to doing

that. it's a great gathering every year. what are the red staters going to be saying about donald trump taking over the party? >> you know, the republicans if you delve into the polls, conservatives hate the republican party more than the democrats do. >> and trump is feeding off that energy. he's done a very good job running against washington. and against washington in a booip way an conservatives resonate with. that but if you delve deep in the polls, you'll find the naem love donald trum. >> reporter: not sure they do. they're saying it for the polling. they're not sure they seem him as president. >> let's talk about the republican party for saying we talked about this for a decade. how the washington republican party has gotten so much wrong. you have trump snubs. ben carson's numbers sh ted cruz also running against washington republicans. you have 40% of the vote there. part of the republican party is massive problem is the republican party still, right? >> yeah.

look at the latest fights they've had. when you campaign telling people you're going to defund obama care or not renew the bank or not doing do an immigration play with the president and then you go to washington and do all these things you know your party says you can't keep your promises. >> so over the weekend, you have a number of the major candidates speak at the coke brother event and donald trump say they were puppets. where wr do you think grassroots conservatives are whether aligning with coke brothers, the richest people in the country and the support serz where the party should be? >> you have the same people attacking the coke brothers who attacked donald trump which to conservative signals they're not that bad. so i don't think it's -- i it this bigger story is that rand paul didn't go to the coke brothers and the donald trump didn't go. he's marching to the beat that no one hears. >> rand paul did not do well at the last coke brothers event. he flopped. in fact mika and i were out there and we were stunned by the

tepid response. >> right. >> by the way, you're right. you're going in there with charles and david and the entire apparatus set up to like rand pal. >> right. exactly. >> it didn't work. >> so he's doing this thing now. we're having the race. we have rand paul. he avoided every cattle call that is out. there. >> what do they say the reason is? >> they're not saying. they're just not returning phone calls to people. they like -- they went to michigan to campaign for president recently. last i checked, michigan comes well after florida and the southern states. but maybe he's got a plan no one else can see. >> you are hearing anything about foreign policy? it's the pressure that the u.s. should rand paul like avoid getting together in the world? marco rubio is drawing a very tough line on foreign policy and resonating with most of the republican base. there's a sense and a lot of people thought this was going to be a foreign policy lection. republicans tend to do very well

in foreign policy elections. now we see rush yashgs china, iran situation and the middle east situation, you don't have the people with the foreign policy experience of hillary clinton. she was secretary of state when the problems erupted. >> let me ask you red state gathering. we go to cpac obviously. think we're close on foreign policy. >> when you need to just make you actually need to. >> yeah at the last step go in win, kill bad guys. arrest their leaders. come home. isis changed so much of the dynamic inside the republican party. what do you think the red staters will say about isis? leave it alone? closer to rand paul or marco rubio? >> mark yaoco rubio. they see the slaughter of christians in the middle east that no one around the world is addressing. you know isis the more it

grows, the more it becomes a nation state of some kind. >> and more likely it requires us to do even more down the road. >> they said something about him there before they take him out here. >> talk about how big red states become. >> we started this series -- >> this is like beetle maenaa in '64. all we need is ed sullivan and eric flying into jfk. >> our first red state gatherings, there were unknown people. there nikki haley, marco rubio, solicitor general of texas. pat toomey former congressman. now we have all the presidential candidates coming. we start with chris christie. we end with donald trump in between. you have rick perry, jobby jindal, ted cruz, mike huckabee you name it. they'll there be. >> do you have a favorite? >> not right now. what i want to see from them i told all of them i never asked people to give a particular speech at the red state gathering. when you talk about it and

you're passionate people doan want to hear that. we heard the jokes about barack obama. what should the country look like after four years of them in office? they're going to be running for relection in 2020. so what is the 2020 vision for the country? >> i love that. >> very nice. >> all right. >> that's an awesome idea. >> eric ericsson great to you have on the show. come back. >> thank you, eric. coming up president obama draws a line in the sand as republicans look to cut federal funding for planned parenthood. white house press secretary josh earnest weighs in next on "morning joe." song: rachel platten "fight song" ♪ two million, four hundred thirty-four thousand three hundred eleven people in this city.

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from last month that u.s. has only trained about 54 moderate rebel fighters far fewer than 5400 they hoped to train by the end of the year. this is of course a tricky situation for the united states since it opposes the assad regime but finds a common enemy in isis. joining us now from the white house lawn press secretary josh earnest. josh, good to you have on this morning. >> happy monday. >> happy monday. great to you have here. not a happy monday for a lot of people in the energy sector. the president is unveiling some tough new epa standards. tell us about them. >> the president not so over the weekend. we're going to take the most important substantial step that our country has ever taken to reduce the causes of climate change. what we're going to do is scale back the carbon pollution that our power generators are currently allows to spew into the atmosphere. and this joe, i was thinking about this last night. in some ways this is the

culmination of what the president talked about in 2007 and 2008. for too long we've seen washington, d.c. putting off and delaying actions, serious actions to fight the causes of climate change. we've seen a special interest mobilize to try to fight any effort to do that. and i have no doubt that special interests in washington d.c. are going to squeal as are the politician who's are in their pocket. but the fact of the matter is these rules are going to do something to finally confront the causes of climate change. it's going to have significant benefits for public health. and it's going to accelerate the progress that we made already in transitioning to a clean energy account. >> what are the costs? analysts say the costs go up for consumers. what are the costs attached? >> if we actually make progress and investing in the clean energy, what we're actually going to do is lower costs for consumers. over the long term we're talking about rules that go into

infect by 2022 and it he would reduce carbon by 32% from the 2005 levels. over that period of time, we would be creating an opportunity for utilities to invest in clean energy. if they do that that actual sli going to lower costs for consumers. and that's the other benefit. >> you talk about special interests and big money interests. what is your message to people in this country in places like ohio and elsewhere who currently make their living either directly from the coal industry or related to the coal industry? >> a couple things about. that the first thing that we would say is the fact is that coal right now is more expensive than natural gas which is why we've seen so many challenges in the coal industry so far. and what this administration has done is actually gone to pretty great lengths to try to invest in the communities that have previously relied on the coal industry to help them transition into a newer, cleaner economy. and that there are opportunities for people all across the country but including in those communities that are focused on coal to take advantage of the opportunity that is created by

investments in solar and wind energy. there's no doubt that this is going to be a difficult transition. it's a transition that is in the best interest of our economy. it's clearly in the best interest of the health of children all across the country. it's in the best trf the planet. >> is this basic lyn stead of an international policy leading up to pair tois essentially the u.s. climate change policy and domestic regulation. and we pretty much given up on the idea of a top town global agreement to address this issue? >> well actually, what we found is by taking these substantial steps here in the united states we've leveraged our influence to convince other countries to take -- to make similar commitments. we saw the president travel to china where china made a substantial commitment to reduce the carbon pollution when the president hosted the president of brazil here at the white house just a month or so ago. we saw significant commitment from brazil to reduce their carbon

carbon. we're going to see other countries begin to take similar steps because they recognize that the united states of america is fully invested in this. the united states is the largest economy in the world. it has an important commitment to make here. we want to see other countries do the same thing. >> does president obama want joe bide tone jump in the race for president and will he support his vice president? >> of course he will. if you're vice president is running for president, mika you support the president, right? >> i'm asking josh. >> that seems like an obvious answer. >> it certainly could generate news in the last 24 hours. didn't it? what the president has long said is that choosing joe biden to be the running mate is the smartest decision he ever made in politics. and i think that even given the high expectations that the president had for vice president biden, vice president biden over the last 6 1/2 years exceeded them. he is somebody who is a champion of the middle class. he is somebody that has decades of experience in foreign policy and on a regular basis, this administration and this country

benefits from the kind of personal relationship that's joe biden has around the world. >> so what you're saying is the president is saying picking joe biden was a smarter and wiser political decision than picking hillary clinton for secretary of state. >> that's not what he said. >> that's clever. you have the best political decision you ever made in your life. >> only one could be best. >> so josh it was a yes? >> joe biden served the country and this president very well as vice president. to be honest i don't have a lot of insight into what vice president bide sen thinking about right now. he's indicated for quite some time that he would make a decision at the end of summer. here we are at the -- what is today, the third day in august? it sounds like we're nearing the deadline that he set for himself. look, he's going take all of the time he needs to make this decision the i think he earned the opportunity to take as much time as he needs. and if he chooses to run, veal a strong case to make. we have other democratic candidates in the race that also

have a strong case to make. >> all right. josh earnest, nice dancing with you. thank you very much. we'll see you next time. >> have a good day. >> you know -- >> that's a yes. >> how you could not? >> he said it's the best decision he ever made in his life. he made that decision the same time he made the decision. zbh right. biden is still there. >> biden is still there. >> don't underestimate the degree to which people in the obama camp have taken note of the hillary e-mail thing and say huh? >> they don't say huh? they say i can't believe that they did that. i can't -- there is outrage at the white house. >> serious? >> joe biden doesn't have a server or a family foundation. >> next 25 years of tension and turmoil. a look back at the beginning of the gulf war and how it came to define two decades of american foreign policy.

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42 past the hour. 25 years ago yesterday the first gulf war began. >> can you believe that? >> i can't. i can't. the conflict terrorized the tiny nation of kuwait and set iraq on the path to ruin and drew the united states into the region for what has been a quarter century of tension and turmoil. it was a conflict the united states neither wanted nor expected. in april 1990 iraqi president saddam hussein admitted for the first time he had chemical weapons, weapons he used before and threatened to use again. setting the region on edge. hue taken's rhetoric heated up that summer. weakened by a drawn ought conflict with iran he set his sights on iraq's tiny oil rich

neighbor. >> he has moved part of his one million man army to kuwait. he claims kuwait stabbed iraq in the back way overproducing the oil. >> then on august 2nd 1990 the iraqi strong man struck. capturing kuwait with overwhelming force. the united states drew a line in the sand massing soldiers in saudi arabia to halt iraq's march. at sea, an embargo choke off the flow of goods. hussein threatened. >> i shall say that whoever collides with iraq will find in front of him columns of dead bodies. >> it is truly iraq against a majority in the arab world, iraq against the rest of the world. >> months of careful diplomacy led to a 45-day deadline set by the u.n. security council,

authorizing military force for only the second time in its history. on capitol hill members clammered to have their say. >> the united nations cannot decide when america goes to war and under the constitution only congress and administration can make that decision for our country. >> legislators ultimately ok'd the decision and the u.n. deadline loomed over baghdad. when final diplomatic efforts failed, it was a test of wills between saddam and the international coalition. >> the latest military intelligence indicates saddam's troops haven't budged an inch. >> on january 16th 1991 allied forces joined the fight. >> as i report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in iraq. >> reporter: operation desert storm was in full force. a steady string of allied missiles and bombers pounded iraq in around the clock attacks. planes scoured the skies looking for iraqi targets and scud missile launchers. >> he fired missiles on the tel aviv regions of israel.

rockets turned out had not chemical warheads. >> reporter: after 42 days of bombing, his army was broken. >> it was our intoengs take iraq or to destroy the country, if it was our intention to overrun country, quo have done it unopposed. >> the ground war's end was as sudden as its beginning. lasting only 100 hours. of the 540,000 deployed 148 u.s. service members died in combat including 35 by friendly fire. only later would a mystery illness reveal itself. >> veterans of the gulf war have long complained of illness ranging from flu to cancer. some authorities dismissed the gulf war syndrome until now. in the end, the fight hg freed kuwait, left iraq in tatters and the men in the cross hairs remained in power. for the moment. >> wow. 25 years ago. mika you don't remember because you were 4 years old at the

time. but richard haas you were in your 30s. you were running middle east for the white house for the president. you wrote that speech that we just showed there. and david ignatius during first gulf war, he was "the washington post's" foreign editor. >> right. >> yeah. and david hasn't aged a day. >> not one bit. >> you, richard -- tono. >> let's read what richard wrote in the "wall street journal." desert storm the class classic war. the gulf war today looks like anomaly, short and sharp with clear start to finish. focused on resisting external aggression and battle fields with combined arms not in cities by special forces aand irregulars. it avoided what would have been a terrible outcome. letting him get away with acquisition and come to dominate much of the middle east. but it was short lived triumph and it could neither usher in a new world order as president obama hoped nor save the middle

east from itself. it was a classic war, richard. the one thing that i as a young lawyer in pensacola, florida, at the time could not figure out yes would march the troops into the desert and take on the world's greatest military. i think all of our enemies learn if his stupidity. >> i don't think he was taking on the world's military. my hunch he is thought he could get away with this. second of all, his evidence to believe at the time he thought we still suffer from the vietnam syndrome. he actually didn't think the united states had staying power and possibly with a couple of casualties we would turn and run. so actually i don't think what he did was irrational. he was hungry for money. my hunch he is thought he could get away with it. >> did the bush white house give him that impression? that's what history -- at least one take of history is. bush seemed to give him a wink and nod that it would be okay. >> there is some background that we tilted a little bit towards

iraq. the united states thought that iran was the bigger threat. but, you know i think it's a bum rap. there is no way the u.s. ambassador could have said by the way, if you invade we're going to send 550,000 americans and 200,000 others and we're going to do this. there isno way you could threaten it. all the arab governments at the time are saying don't overreact. this is arab theater. saddam is just trying to get the kuwaitis to produce less oil. just chill. there won't be a crisis. >> it was one miscalculation after another. it continued for 11 years. david ignatius you visited iraq in 1980. talk about america's long throw, tragic slide into iraq that began 25 years ago. >> well it seemed like we were doing everything right 25 years ago. i remember the night the iraq yea tanks rolled into kuwait city. our correspondent carol murphy who i sent to kuwait doubting all the u.s. claims that saddam is bluffing. he's not really going to do it.

that's the line we were hearing from u.s. officials. sent her anyway. here she was on the top of the highest hotel and i was sitting at the typewriter and we were just changing you know, every edition to record this amazing invasion. carol stayed in kuwait after the iraqis came, hid out in houses of kuwaiti citizens, filed by throwing messages over fences to embassies. won a pulitzer prize for her reporting. what happened after the brief war was an iraq that was really fragmented. the kurds loved us. it's still remembered. it's one reason they're such close allies. the shiites in the south began an uprising thinking we were supporting them and then we pulled back and i think they never forgiven us for that. and saddam and his cronies just got tougher and meaner and tighter as sanctions came in. and that's really the tragic

legacy is that war broke iraq and we didn't do anything to fix it. >> it. >> president bush secretary baker put together an incredible coalition to get it done. they didn't go into baghdad in the end. if you turn the clackock back, could they have made decisions that wouldn't have set up us for such a long period of engagement. >> we could have continues the war further weakened iraq. we didn't want to take ownership of that situation, and i think the lesson is with iraq is that without a strong man, the place was going to fall part. local identity shia sunni, kurdish, were stronger than an iraqi national identity. to some extent we weakened saddam hussein. if we tried to get ambitious, what happened in 2003 simply would have happened earlier. it shows the pathologies of the middle east, and some ways are greater than the ability of the

united states to fix them. that ought to be the lesson. local realities are much more powerful in some ways than inside the beltway obstructions. >> everyone had -- who had wild family dinners battling over the war in iraq in our family because we come from an idealogically different view in our family. what views about iraq over the years, they were laughed at at first. how do they look now? >> the idea that biden has held on to that iraq really should be thought of as a federal state, that the kurds, the shiites, the sunnis have different identities, different goals. give them more power, i think there's more agreement that that's sensible. but how to do that so that it's the iraqis' decision that they own it and it's not another imposed western mandate on that part of the world, and how to do it so it doesn't lead to much worse blood ppshed a worar of

position, has been the trick. as right as joe biden got that the process of negotiation with the iraqis in 2009-2010, he didn't get so right. that gets us to where we are. unfortunately, he was much too nice to maliki. everyone agrees was a disaster. >> one thing looking back we would be remisif we didn't talk about george h.w. bush's remarkable leadership. i think we can all agree with this. he promised to go in liberate kuwait bring the troops home. this was not about a war. not an invasion into iraq and he had a clear shot as schwartz cough said of going straight into baghdad, had show much pressure to do that but he kept his word. he remains a statesman. liberated the kuwaitys and then came home. >> little about history that's inevitable. the people in positions of power like 41 really made a difference. a different president could have gotten more ambitious or a

different president could have done a lot less. he made a tremendous difference. >> just like with germany and the reunification of germany, here's another example of how he got things right. >> richard haass, thank you very much. david ignacestiusignatius, thank you. more than 1200 people evacuated and 2400 homes destroyed. the latest on wildfires raging across california. we'll be right back. i called for help as soon as i saw her. i found her wandering miles from home. when the phone rang at 5am i knew it was about mom. i see how hard it's been on her at work and i want to help. for the 5 million americans living with alzheimer's and millions more who feel its effects. let's walk together to make an even bigger impact and end alzheimer's for good. find your walk near you at alz.org/walk. [music] do you like cougars? terry will you shut up!

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coming up at the top of the hour donald trump cruises into the first republican debate. yet another poll shows him leading the field for president. why his strategy for this thursday's debate may surprise you. plus, the latest on who would and would not qualify. and, is the third time charm? for vice president joe biden, why the draft biden movement is picking up steam quickly. much more "morning joe" when we come back. it took joel silverman years to become a master dog trainer. but only a few commands to master depositing checks at chase atms. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank.

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it's 8:00 on the east coast. 5:00 a.m. on the west coast. with us on set, we have mark halpern. and richard haass. a lot of politics to get to. >> yeah. >> at first, we're just three days away from the first debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. we're going. it's going to be good. >> we are going. i want to before we start talking about republicans, what about the joe biden news. maureen dowd's column people start talking about it early on. you have been saying for some time you thought joe was going to run. >> i'm not surprised by it at all. i think it's -- for a lot of reasons, since i'm extremely sad, i think the timing is right for him. but for a lot of reasons in terms of dynamics on both sides of the aisle, i think this could be an effective time for him to think about jumping in. i think he really is. >> yeah and the draft biden movement, which has existed for some time sort of under the radar, is now staffing in real ways and hiring people who are

serious about this. and i think it points to the same thing donald trump is tapping into which is authenticity. somebody who is real. somebody who says what he thinks. someone who lets you know what they believe. >> one of us. >> when he is asked about the keystone pipeline he doesn't say i'll let you know when i'm president. >> the biggest trouble he got into during his entire time as vice president is when he told people what he thought about marriage inequality. he speaks his mind. that's fascinating. other side of it you have hillary's disapproval numbers, which we said is higher at monica. her disapproval number is higher than bills after monica after all the scandals were done and he was out of office. her -- you know, her disapproval disapprovals are really starting to bother a lot of democrats. >> well she's -- most everyone thinks she's going to lose some

primaries and caucuses. when she loses some things what happens? does the party turn to bernie sanders or would the party like a backup. >> i don't think biden is a backup. new poll has donald trump in the lead with 19% of the republican vote. wisconsin governor scott walker not far behind with 15%, and former florida governor jeb bush in a strong third, just one point behind. rounding out the top 10 is a three-way tie for ninth place between chris christie former texas governor rick perry, and ohio governor john kasich. barring a major development, one of these three will not be on that main debate stage on thursday. wow. >> we have a lot of digest. let's go back to the top of the charts, as kasie counts them down, and if you guys can show us, i guess, one through whatever number that was. a couple people we didn't

mention were actually ben carson and ted cruz who were actually doing pretty darn well with donald trump sucking up all the oxygen. and ben carson also a name that we just keep hearing. you heard it a lot in the focus groups. here he is at 10%. you take his 10% and donald trump's 19%, you have about a third of the republican electorate openly rebelling against the party establishment. >> if you include ted cruz even though he's a united states senator, he's running hard against washington and the establishment, that's 40% of the vote for people saying tear washington down change things fundamentally, put somebody in the white house who is not an establishment career politician. >> an indictment against the republican party itself. you take those three candidates that equal around 40%, they're not just anti-washington, they speak out about what the republican party has been for the past 30 years. >> what strikes me is how much we have become like europe.

that centrist parties and centrist politicians are on the defensive. this, to me, you can talk about the democrats or republicans, it just shows how disaffected a large chunk of this society is this population is. you can argue social reasons. you can august economic reasons, you can argue political reasons or all of the above, but both parties are run nothing to a powerful anti-establishment. >> so many of these protest votes aren't purely idealogical. one of the reasons why donald trump supporting hillary in the past, being for single payer health care in the past is getting all this support. because it's not about ideology. as much as it is just people sick and tired of the way washington has been running. >> absolutely. an average of the latest polling has chris christie and kasich making the debate but perry in the 5:00 undercard with a bottom seven candidates. the contenders on the main stage are now strategizing about how to deal with donald trump. but trump says he will not be on

the attack. >> i think that frankly i would like to discuss the issues. i'm not looking to take anybody out or be nasty to anybody. and as you know chuck, when i made hars tamentstatements about various people, that was always in response to their criticism of me. rick perry, i thought he was a nigh guy, but he started hitting me hard so i hit him harder. i'm not looking -- i don't know what they're doing. >> they don't attack you, you're not going to attack them. >> i think it's highly unlikely. i have always counterpunched. you have to counterpunch. >> just a good guy, just trying to walk through a mall. you know go to spencer's gifts, get -- >> i love spencer's. >> these thugs come up and punch him. what is donald to do? >> this debate is going to be so much fun to watch. >> going to be awesome. >> we have to take a step back and appreciate what we're going to see on thursday night. you have all these serious

candidates with serious points of view and donald trump who will literally be in the middle of the stage, center stage. and it will be interesting to see if these other candidates are able to make the debate not about donald trump because you know a lot of questions will be about trump and is he qualified to be president? will they be able to get their own messages out there or will it be like the last month has been where the entire campaign is about one man? >> how many people in the history of presidential politics have entered the debate first in the polls and the first debate they have ever done in their lives. no one yet not one of us thinks he's going to be nervous. >> he's never been in a public spotlight since i saw an old "new york times" article from 1973. he was just as assertive then as he was when he told larry king he had bad breath as he is now. >> never in a debate. >> mark didn't see the clip? >> i saw it.

>> larry, i have to stand back. >> that's how you get the edge. >> i want to see that. >> mean he's been on tv so much. it's second nature to him. >> again, he's never done a debate. he's preparing. he has to learn the rules. >> i don't think he's worryied about that. >> i think you're worried about it. >> i think ironically the biggest danger is everybody is polite to him for the trump round. he's polite to everybody. and everybody is scared of everybody. and people tune in and they look at trump and go what's the big deal with him? he's as boring as everybody else. >> if he doesn't hit the other candidates, he can hit the chinese and washington. plenty to hit. >> he's got to hit the deals with china, hit the deals with iran. he's got to -- i mean there are so many foreign policy deals that he can hit where he talks -- if he can go in there and talk about how stupid leaders are in washington and all the bad deals going all the

way back to nafta, all these trade deals, that actually is a great way forward. >> and obama and clinton. part of this will be a contest to see who is hit those two the hardest. he'll do just fine in that competition. >> there's new speculation over whether vice president joe biden will get in the race for president. and if so is he too late to the game? no. this morning, a senior adviser to biden's late son beau is joining the draft biden super pac, and michael isikoff reports on one democratic bundler who got cold feet for clinton. john cooper was set to be a hill starter, but told isikoff, quote, i was trying to come up with a rationale for her candidacy and i couldn't do it saying she was too calculating, too cautious, too controlled. he's become the national finance chair for draft biden, a group that raised about $110,000 since march, and maureen dowd sparked

speculation in a post that likened hillary clinton to tom brady. two controlling superstars with mutable hair and militant fans married to superstars who can make a guzillion an hour for flashing their faces and who have been known to stir up trouble. a pair of team captains craving a championship doing something surreptitious they never needed to do to win. it turns out brady and clinton have more in common than you think. they believe in winning at all costs and don't believe rules apply to them. are willing to take a hit, calculating there is no absolute proof. dowd also wrote about beau biden biden's message to his father. he tried to make his father promise to run, arguing the white house should not revert to the clintons and the country would be better off with biden values. joe biden knows what beau wants. now he has to decide if it's who he is. a decision could come in september. >> what do you think? >> i think he's going to run.

joining us from washington -- >> before that i love that what beau said to joe. >> yeah. >> biden values. anybody that's been around joe biden enn more than three minutes knows exactly what that means, and his family knows exactly what that means. all they agree with him or disagree with him, joe biden is just a great man. i mean richard haass, we have all spent time with him. and we know what biden values means. that really rings. >> yeah, and his life has been in some ways defined or mired in tragedy from when he first got aleblthed at 29. his wife and child were killed and he stood by his family. he also managed to do public service. there's a -- willie used a key word. authenticity. i think it's powerful. it comes through who he is. and in some ways, joe is this historic vice president, historically been authentic to a

fault. the question is now whether this is the moment where you cant be authentic to a fault. it fits where we are. >> i think, joe, you appointmented out something that came out of the focus groups last week that you know people were talking about donald trump being -- >> one of us. >> one of us. being aspirational, all those things, but one of us were the three words you thought were the most important words that came out of there. and actually joe biden, given all of his years in washington decades serving in the senate serving as vice president, his experience and expertise in foreign policy. he still has been able to maintain that one of us quality. a lot of it has been because of the tragedy in his life that has forced him to never actually forget things that really connect him with humanity. >> he also he's just a humble guy. >> a good guy. >> i was sitting on the back porch of his place, and we were sitting there talking back i guess it was 2009 2010 and there were some secret service

guys like peering around and he pointed to them goes really? really? like who has an ambition? who wakes up and says i'm going to kill the vice president? that has to be a real loser. >> stop. >> that wants to kill somebody like -- and it just you know laughing at himself when he's the second most powerful guy in the country, perhaps the world. but just being -- >> and he's a family guy. you see hillary clinton's new ad talking about her being grandma, and it just -- it's yeah you're all smirking. okay. >> smirking because they love america. >> no, because it doesn't ring -- >> i was grimacing. that's a distinct difference. >> grimace, smirk. the point is can i say, it's -- it doesn't feel -- >> better not to say. >> okay. >> we said on this show for month and months if you're joe biden sitting and watching the democratic process and the coronation of hillary clinton, you're going, wait a second

excuse me. i'm the vice president of the united states. for a guy who has been pretty popular among democrats, i put in my time. i respected diplomat i understand all the issues. why not me? so i wonder how much now of that is coming from him or is he being pushed by other people around him that he ought to do this. >> this is a long time coming. >> don't underestimate. i know we're paid to talk about politics but don't underestimate the effect to which beau's death is the dominant thing in the family understandably, and because of the political calendar and deadlines, they have to think about it now, but that's what the family is still focused on. that's not just lip service. than a monumental loss for any family. the role beau played in the family was massive. >> that was one of beau's last wishes, that also has a massive impact. >> joe biden will decide this i think. >> also something for joe biden that's really delicate. there's a difference between being a political person who enters the race to save the democratic party and to save their chances of keeping the white house on the basis that

hillary clinton cannot. and the person who quote/unquote politically slays hillary clinton. he's got to get it right if he's going to go in. he's got to be welcomed at the savior, not as the person who get in the way of the woman who has a chance of being the first woman president. he almost has to be reluctant. coming in not out of ego, but of reluctance for the situation, and getting the tone and timing right will be critical. >> joining us from washington msnbc political correspondent kasie hunt jumping into the conversation. you have been reporting on this biden story as well. >> right. as you were talking about, this has been something that's been out there. a lot of love especially in the wake of beau's death, for the vice president. the reality is if he's going to get into this he's way behind on the infrastructure front which is why what's going on with some of the draft biden items is kind of interesting. josh alcorn who traveled with

beau and raised about $1.2 million in six months before the vice president's son was diagnosed with brain cancer is going to lead the fund-raiser operations for this. the dole is to try to set up a potential infrastructure if biden wants to do this. hillary clinton has been pulling this together for essentially years now. the question is whether there's a lot of demand financially to support him at this stage. i think we might actually get a chance to see that now. >> i think the question is and mark maybe you know. kasie reported on is reporting on friends that are setting this up. we remember david geffen being the first democrat to speak out against hillary in '07. it was a shot across the bow and a lot of people followed from behind. do you get a sense there are other democrats waiting in the wings to do what we're starting to hear is happening this weekend? >> there are but joe biden has never been a great fund-raiser. he's never believed in super pacs. part of why people around him

are so anxious for him to run is because they don't want a big-money candidate in the white house. they don't want a big-money candidate representing the party. there will be individual people who support him and will help him raise money, but he's not going to outraise hillary clinton or get close. every defection will get a lot of attention because of the way the clintons get covered. >> by the way, we were having this conversation. she still leads by 40 points in her party. yes, her favorable ratings are down, but she's still a strong candidate in terms of those numbers, in terms of fund-raising and everything else, and as kasie said she has a long head start on joe biden. >> kasie hunt thank you very much. still ahead on "morning joe," our conversation with actor kevin bacon. he's here on set. first, a convicted bank robber accused of killing a memphis police officer in a traffic stop. the latest on the manhunt that is under way right now. but first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill. >> mika yesterday in the central plains and the great lakes, severe weather struck. one of the most photoogenic

tornado yz have ever seen. it didn't damage anything. didn't hurt anybody either. that doesn't look that impressive, but that is the image. look at how bright white the whole condensation funnel is. then the debris towards the bottom. typically, they suck up dirt and everything else that is yucky and that discolored it. but that stays pure. looks beautiful. as far as today goes we're not going to see as much severe weather, but there will be some. here's the cold front that spawned ityard. we have to look out for weather in new england and the ohio valley. the worst weather award today, tampa. you had a rough week or two of heavy rain. you're getting drenched. also out in the outer banks, not a good beach day for the vacationers there. and up in the ohio valley we had a few storms that went through cincinnati. that has cleared out. now we wait for round two this afternoon. about 24 million people are at risk. burlington albany syracuse buffalo, cleveland, columbus

natty, pittsburgh all included in the slight risk today. i do not expect many tornadoes. maybe one or two. and we'll get a lot of wind damage. today's forecast blistering hot throughout the southern half of the country. 93 oklahoma city dallas at 101, 93 in atlanta. i know some people are starting to head back to school in the deep south. that's not enjoyable weather to go back to school in. tuesday, cooler weather arrives in the great lakes. for everyone in the mid-atlantic like our friends in washington, d.c. 94 today. 92 tomorrow. by the end of the week washington, d.c. will be cooler in the low 80s. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.

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it's time to take a look at the morning papers. let's look at the "new york times." wildlife authorities in zimbabwe say there is a second case of an american hunter illegally killing a lion. a physician from pennsylvania was reportedly participating in a hunt back in april, conducted by a local based guide now accused of hunting without a quota and permit. meanwhile, the ocean preservation society paid tribute to cecil over the weekend as a part of the racing extinction product that lit up the empire state building with images of endangered animals from around the world. i think the whole practice is going to be taken a look at even the legal part of it. >> absolutely. so barbaric. >> yeah a lot of extremely wealthy people find it to be fun. >> yeah. >> i'm serious. >> i don't get it. >> let's go to reuters. the obama administration has decided to provide air cover to u.s. trained air forces in syria. the first u.s. air strikes came

friday when the free syrian army came under attack. we're told the pentagon also will defend syrian rebels against the assad regime if needed. this followed a stunning report from last month that the u.s. has only trained about 54 moderate rebel fighters. far fewer than the 5400 they hoped to train by the end of the year. this is a tricky situation for the united states since it opposed the assad regime but they find a common enemy in isis. >> richard. >> should we have a common enemy in isis but the assad regime is the biggest fuel of isis. it's the dynamic in some way encourages it as is iran. the problem, two things the force we're trying to build up is so small and will take so long to become politically and militarily significant, and in the meanwhile, you have to defend them. >> should assad go? >> absolutely. we have to find a way to bring it about. >> who replaces assad? >> you get an aloite led

government. >> it wnt be isis? >> that's the danger. it has to be in a coordinated, carefully done way. the last thing you want to do is for the so-called caliphate to establish -- >> could we have them step in and do the first meaningful thing they have done in 30 40 years with turkish troops and a lot of other troops in there, u.s. troops russian troops split syria into quarters? >> i would love to see a multinational force. the problem is we can't get meaningful sunni-arab contributions. it's the best idea. >> if assad is gone can't we get sunni cooperation? >> they would have to be willing to put in ground forces. the turks haven't been willing to it. they're not willing to put meaningful ground troops on the ground. >> i wonder if assad is gone -- >> one of the problems with the iran agreement, with all these resources going to iran it gives them much more pucapacity to

bolster assad, and getting assad gets difficult. >> when you say gone do you mean killed or sent someplace else? >> if there was a villa somewhere, you know -- >> really? >> somewhere -- >> that means -- >> somewhere on the black sea. maybe putin could take care of him. >> absolutely. >> you have to kill him to get rid of him. >> that's brutal. why do you talk like that? >> the question at some point is whether aloites see their future as divorced from his future. it's been harder and harder for him to recruit people to fight militarily and all that. the place is grinding down. >> usa today, a manhunt is under way in tennessee this morning for 29-year-old tremain wilburn. he's a convicted bank robber who is suspected of killing and shooting a memphis police officer. the officer, shaun bolton, was killed during a traffic stop on saturday night. kerry sanders has the latest. >> in but an instant saturday

night, a routine traffic stop turned deadly for memphis police officer shaun bolton. >> heard it bang bang bang bang, bang bang. >> the 33-year-old officer was shot repeatedly and despite a bullet-proof vest, later pronounced dead at the hospital. the first call for help came on patrolman bolton's own police radio from a bystander. >> please please hurry up. >> they actually picked up the police radio and spoke into it. and got the police to come out because all of the neighbors on that side were trying to call 911, but they couldn't get through. >> the first couple on scene frantically called for help. >> there's a traffic stop and it was armed. the suggest bailed out. it was a traffic stop. >> you are advising that the officer is down or the suspect? >> ambulance is already en route. >> sketchy witness reports indicate there may have been more than one person in the car,

that the gunman may have been in the front passenger seat. >> the only description we have on suspect, two male blacks last seen running westbound on summerview. >> memphis police broke down the door to an apartment complex and took one man into custody, but detectives say the triggerman remains at large. this is the second police officer in tennessee killed in the line of duty just this year. nationwide, 70 officers have been killed this year doing their jobs. >> there's a theme that do black lives matter? and at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, do all lives matter? >> this again, evidences the fact that there are so many guns on our streets in the wrong hands. >> officer bolton had no dash camera or body camera when he was shot. that equipment is budgeted for next year. an iraq vet, a police officer, in memphis for almost five years, gunned down in the very

city where he grew up. >> you know we always talk about body cameras, for if a police acts out. here's a great example of how body cameras would actually give us a complete idea of who this suspect is-- >> this is the other side of the story. we have been obviously covering this cases across country of police abuse, but this is the risk they take every single day. >> every single day, every single night. >> all right. coming up on "morning joe," greek markets plunge after they reopen for the first time in five weeks. how it's going to impact the markets here at home. business before the bell is next. and still ahead, a corrupt cop with a hidden secret. and he's willing to do whatever it takes for it to stay that way. kevin bacon joins us to talk about his nigh movie "cop car." we'll be right back. (vo) what's your dog food's first ingredient? corn?

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just a few minutes ago, we spoke with white house press secretary josh earnest about what could be quite a conundrum for president obama. >> really uncomfortable. >> it was. almost as uncomfortable as you stand there, right there. >> i thought it was really uncomfortable. >> why is he right there? mark halpern.

>> you pressed him, but it was really uncomfortable. >> just like this is. this is weird. this is not the way we're set up. >> we have never done this before. >> that lighting is fantastic. >> you look like alfred hitchcock. >> here was the question for josh earnest. i said would he support his vice president for if he ran for president? here's what josh said. >> what did he say? >> what the president has long said is that choosing joe biden to be his running mate was the smartest decision he had ever made in haulpolitics. i think even given the high ex expectations that the president had for vice president biden, vice president biden over the last six and a half years has exceeded him. he's a champion of the middle class. he has decades of experience in foreign policy and on a regular basis, this administration and this country benefits from the kinds of personal relationships joe biden has built around the world. >> you know my favorite part of that interview, mika, bahecause i

know you're sitting there asking what's joe's favorite part. >> all america needs to know. >> my favorite part was when you thanked him and said thank you for coming and dancing. >> he was dancing a jig. didn't you notice that? >> dancing around. >> here's the answer. yes, he would. he would support biden. >> you think so? >> yes. absolutely. >> publicly. >> i would be really disappointed if he didn't actually stick to his guns on something as basic as that. >> ronald reagan endorsed his vice president very late in the process. >> yeah. >> and i believe mispronounced his name when he supported him. >> google that. >> i have to get to other news. >> can we get to other new snz. >> i'm going to. >> all right, right now, firefighters are struggling to get a grip on more than a dozen wildfires raging out west. the so-called rocky fire in

northern california nearly tripped in size over the weekend. and over night, emergency officials stepped up evacuation orders. joe fryer reports. >> the rocky fire is an unpredictable monster that is still growing this morning. even veteran firefighters say they have never seen anything like it. at one point, the flames tore through 20,000 acres in just five hours. >> the challenges the firefighters have been getting is that erratic winds and wind shifts have been moving the fire in other directions. >> this single fire has consumed 84 square miles, an area larger than the city of st. louis. two dozen homes are already gone and thousands more have been evacuated. >> this is alarming. a little surreal, and just kind of keeps you on your toes. >> crews are intentionally setting backfires, burning up dry brush before the fire can get to it. national guard helicopters and air tankers are now on the scene after the governor declared a

state of emergency. >> the purpose behind using this aircraft is to put retardant down so our firefighters on the ground can put the fire out. >> the air assault is key as a new brush fire moved through los padres national forest. more than 20 large fires are now burning. making things worst, mother nature keeps sending in storm clouds that produce lightning but little to no rain sparking hundreds of little fires. >> it's frightening, but we can get through it. >> the forecast offers some hope but no certainty. going into the rest of the week temperatures are going to be down, but it's the dry conditions that allow the fires to grow. >> still ahead, after being closed for five weeks, the stock market in greece is open for business, but it is far from good news. we'll explain why next on "morning joe." you owned your car for four years. you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're

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i probably wouldn't but i do get tired of seeing what's

happening with this country. if it got so bad, i would never want to rule it out totally because i really am tired of seeing what's happening with this country, how we're really making other people live like kings and we're not. >> you did say if you ran the president, you think you would win. >> i wouldn't go in to lose. i have never gone in to lose in my life. if i did decide to do it i would say i would have a hell of a chance of winning because i think people. i don't know how your audience feels, but i think people are tired of seeing the united states ripped off. i can't promise you everything but i can tell you one thing. this country would make a hell of a lot of money from those people for 25 years have taken advantage. it wouldn't be the way it's been. believe me. >> that's a remarkably consistent message with what donald trump is saying today, 25 years later. 26, 27 years later. >> most candidates have trouble having that discipline after 25 days. he has it 25 years. >> and he didn't even accuse

oprah of having bad breath like with larry king. >> or call it a loser. >> no did he call larry a loser? >> no called other people. >> let's cue up the larry king bad breath thing for those who didn't see it earlier this morning. time for business before the bell. we have dominic. what is moving the markets this morning and what in the world is going on in greece? >> talk about losing right? greek stock investors are having a terrible day. you have the benchmark stock market index down by about 17%. it was down by over 22% near the lows today. the stock market opened for the first time in five weeks and the greek banks are getting hit the hardest today. remember, those are the same banks that still have a huge focus for a lot of investors because they have capital controls in place. that means bank customers have still limited in what they can withdraw from tellers, from atms, on a daily basis. this is all because negotiations between greece and its lenders

continue. they're trying to get a longer-term bailout solution in place, but remember it's all these different countries with their own parliaments trying to vote on whether or not to really do this. greece is forntimportant here, but the stock moves are staggering there. arguably, more emphasis is being placed on what's happening in china. that's going to move a lot of markets again. stocks fell about 1% by the benchmark shanghai adding on to the worst monthly loss for july in about six years. >> what's driving that? >> all these concerns. china is the world's second biggest economy, and whether or not it can stay healthy that way and power the asian economy, that's going to be a huge key. now, this is the real big deal. when china has all these controls in place, there's a commonality between china and greece. the governments there are both regulating the stock mark. they're putting stimulus measures in place. china is doing all that to keep the market folks, more stable. that's why investors are so

scared about what's happening in china. regulators are trying to do whatever they can to keep the stock market afloat. the big deal is whether that spills over into the rest of asia. there is in china one small sliver of hope. you have a company, the airbnb of china, they raised $300 million in financing. that makes the country over $3 billion. it's a big deal. there are huge losses in china, but still, one part that's doing at least okay. >> thank you so much. we greatly appreciate it. now, coming up next how far would you go to keep a dark secret hidden? we have kevin bacon here reviewing his new movie "cop car." and also going into break what we had coming in from break. primo vintage donald trump, here with larry king. >> do you mind if i sit back a little bit because your breath is very bad. it really is. has this ever been told to you before? >> no. >> then i won't bother. actually --

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what if someone sees us? >> we'll tell them we're cops. >> good idea. >> this is our cop car! >> see how fast we can go.

>> sheriff, we just got a report of two kids driving a cruiser. >> boys i know you can hear me. you are in a whole lot of trouble. what we're looking at is a felony offense. did you open up the trunk? >> are you a bad guy, sheriff? >> oh, my gosh. that was a look at the new thriller "cop car." joining us the star of the movie, kevin bacon. good to have you on the show. >> looks like fun. tell us about the movie. >> well i play a cop, a sheriff in a small town. and you meet a couple of 10-year-old boys who have run away from home and they stumble upon this abandoned cop car. and figure out how to drive it. turns out it's my car. and to say that they took the wrong car would be the understatement. >> and so you're the one talking to them in -- on the radio? >> yeah, most of my

communication with them is over the radio. we do finally interface at a certain point, and it's a thriller. you know very steamlined kind of sparse thriller but a lot of fun. >> you're at the stage where you can choose your projects which is a great thing to be able to say. what was it about this one that because you came on the set and you're like, this is not so bad, because this part doing the interviews and all that is not the funnest part about making a movie, but you said you like this one. >> yeah you're right. when you like the movie, it makes it more fun to talk about it. i read a script in this case and i felt like i had seen the movie. you know sometimes you're trying to put the pieces together. you say the dialogue is over here, the story is about this. now i have to try to picture whether or not somebody can make this into what's on the page. this thing really was a page turner, and the writer, who is also the director had a very good concept for how it would be

work. i also like the fact that the guy, you don't know that much about him. so he never talks. he hardly talks. when he does open his mouth, he's just a liar. so everything that comes out of his mouth is bs. you have to as an audience lean in and take a look at details of the way he moves and what's in his car and what isn't in his car and what's in his trunk and in his house. it's kind of put together his backstoryies opposed to being told that. >> when did you have a mustache before this? >> please say never. >> what's funny about that is i can grow a mustache and this kind of scooby-doo kind of shaggy thing but i can't grow anything on the side of my face at all. so i find that a little frustrating because as an actor, you want to have that sort of flexibility. >> you want to play dan haggerty. >> you want to have range. >> right. >> you are one half of hollywood's most powerful and

stable couple. so how is your wife equally fascinating as yours and what roles do you play in each other's decisions to choose the projects you pick? >> we're very hands-on with each other's decisions. i mean i always if i'm, you know on the precipice of deciding to do something or not, i send it to her and she reads it and weighs in. and vice versa. i mean i haven't always -- i haven't always -- i have done things that she's been not enthusiastic about. >> has she been right? >> yes. yeah, but i don't tend to necessarily learn, but we get very volveinvolved. >> have you been surprised at the legs six degrees of separation has had? >> i have. i thought it would go the way of pet rocks and hula hoops and it has this incredible hang time. 1994 is when i first heard about it. a couple three guys in albright

college in pennsylvania hanging out, one of my movies is on the tv. and they kind of come up with this idea. it was like viral before there really was that word applied to those things. but it's good. i started six degrees.org in 2007, and that's been really a positive result of it for me. my idea is that if you take me out of it it really is a great notion because i do believe that we are all connected. and i think that as human beings we're constantly trying to find those connections. you look at facebook twitter, instagram, these are all about trying to get connected to each other in some way. i always think about two guys who were in an airport waiting for a flight and the one guy goes, where are you from? i'm from pittsburgh? really, from pittsburgh.

my wife's cousin's boss is a steelers fan. that's what they look for. you see that again and again and again. >> kevin, thank you so much. "cop car" is in select theaters this friday august 7th, and on demand everywhere, including itunes august 14th. thank you so much. looks like a lot of fun. we'll be back with much more "morning joe." just in case you were wondering what cheerios are made of whole. grain. oats. the signs are everywhere. the lincoln summer invitation is on. get exceptional offers on the mkz sedan...

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get it at the place with the experts to get you the right gear. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. it had actually been a while since we have seen him, although we found out later this week there was a pretty good explanation for that. >> afghan officials said he died of helppatitis in 2013 but his death was kept a secret by the taliban for more than two years. >> it turns out he's been dead for two years and the taliban simply hadn't mentioned it. maybe they were trying to break it to their members gently. he's fine, living on a farm upstate where he can run and play with all the other taliban leaders. >> welcome back to "morning joe." time to talk about what we learned. >> donald trump has had the same message for 25 years, as we saw in a clip of him with oprah.

>> mika you looked very short back there. >> so i think if we don't know what we're good at doing, we shouldn't show up tomorrow. we'll have many more outtakes from donald trump tent 20 30 years ago. that was brilliant. >> the larry king one. >> over and over. >> you have bad breath. my god, he said that. >> that's how you get the edge. >> we're going to re-enact it tomorrow. >> more trump. more classic trump. >> did you learn anything? >> i was struck by the fact that donald trump in front of oprah in 1988 gave the same exact message that donald trump has said over the telephone to me in private conversations over the past decade about what suckers u.s. leaders are with bad deals. and what he's saying on the cam campaign trail now. >> i suspect he'll say in cleveland on thursday night. >> as always thank you so much for watching us.

i can tell you, i speak for myself in saying i really appreciate your patience. it can't be easy. >> that's how you get the edge. >> if it's way too early, what time is it? >> it's time for "morning joe." now -- >> "the rundown" starts now. i think it will change their lives. >> likely. and good monday morning. i'm jose diaz-balart. first on "the rundown," biden's bid. we're following what would be a mamger shake-up in the race for the white house. this morning, renewed speculation that vice president joe biden will enter the 2016 race, and more moves from the biden camp precisely in that direction. it would be his third run for president, but one that would upend the democratic field. andrea mitchell is on top of the story for us in washington. what can you tell us? >> good morning, jose. vice president biden's aides say he's going to