for grain-free nutrition you can trust, does your food go beyond? learn more at beyondpetfood.com hillary clinton went on "meet the press" yesterday and so chuck todd showed her a video of all the times she flip flopped on issues. at first hillary said she felt bad about it but now she said she's okay about it. [ cheers and applause ] >> welcome to "morning joe."

good morning on a tuesday. with us on set, communications director for president bush, nicole wallace. mike barnacle is here. managing editor of bloomberg politics mike blumenthal. and in wash, the washington anchor for bbc america, katty kay and associate editor of "the washington post" and ms nbc political analyst eugene robinson. richard, we need to start with you. u.n. president obama, president putin meeting behind closed doors. two different visions of what we ought to do in syria. >> if you read the speeches, one sentence from each. president obama is talking about a managed transition to an inclusive government which is u.n. talk for let's get rid of assad. then putin in his speech says

quote, we think it is an enormous mistake to retuesday to cooperate with the syrian government and its armed force. we're fighting terrorism face to face. the russians and syrians want to double down on bashar al assad. the russian's iranians are going to get a chance to do it there way. >> let me ask you, given the present situation of the moment, which of those views would you consider to be more realistic in terms of combatting and defeating isis? >> neither one is going to work. assad is the best recruiter for isis and only controls a quarter of a territory. they will try that with the iranians. the american view is great in principle but won't happen in practice. and putin makes a really good point. he basically said if you get rid of these guys how do you know you're not going to have a

collapse of authority like we had in libya and the last thing we want is for isis to waltz into damascus and establish a caliphate. start thinking local. with the kurds or this or that tribes. that's the only way to do it. >> we'll have secretary of state john kerry on this set in the next hour. let's get into some of those speeches and the meeting between president obama and vladimir putin. it was characterized as open at least by putin. the two offered each other this toast after putin sat down 20 minutes late. beforehand in their speeches to the general assembly they outlined "divergent" approaches as richard points out for

defeating isis. putin criticizing the u.s. forearming rebels and calling for a broad anti-terror coalition. one official told "new york times," knock yourselves out talking about putin's plan. the two split on whether bashar al assad could remain in power. >> we're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder. it's the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling. in accordance with this logic we should support tyrants like bashar al assad who drop barrel bombs on innocent children because the alternative is worse. >> translator: nobody cares about human rights including the right to life. i cannot help asking those who have caused this situation, do you realize now what you've

done? but i'm afraid no one is going to answer that. tens of thousands of militants are fighting under the banners of the so-called islamic state. its friends include former iraqi servicemen. many recruits also come from libya, a country whose statehood was destroyed as a result of a cross violation of the security council resolution 1973. and now the ranks of radicals have been joined by the moderate opposition. first they are armed and trained and then they defect to the so-called islamic state. >> president obama also taking the fight to vladimir putin in his own backyard calling putin out directly for annexing crimea. >> we recognize the deep and complex history between russia and ukraine. but we cannot stand by when the

sovereignty of a country is flagrantly violated. if it happens without consequence in ukraine it can happen to any nation gathered today. in russia state control media may describe these events as an example of a resurgent russia. a view shared by the way with a number of u.s. politicians and commentators who have always been deeply skeptical of russia and seem to be convince ad new cold war is, in fact, upon us. yet look at the results. >> richard, that's a hell of a prelude to lunch. the two guys going after each other and then they sit down. what's it like in that meeting for 90 minutes? >> as a rule of thumb when you show up 20 minutes late for lunch with the president is a dis. putin gave a speech yesterday that he's been waiting for a

decade to give. he stored up every chestnut from the iraq war in 2003 to libya to everything that the united states did and hasn't done and said everything going on in the middle east is your fault. >> have you ever seen a smack down like this between two superpowers at the u.n. before? >> khruschchev had a good smack down. >> is the difference database one leader is putting armies behind their words. on the world stage who has more credibility, obama or putin? whose actions match their words? >> obama's credibility took a major hit. putin doesn't have the capacity of obama but looks tougher. look what he's done in crimea and now in syria. what you have the basic breakdown of this relationship. putin will get his way in the short run in syria because he'll be willing to do things.

but you heard an anonymous staffer say knock yourself out. we'll let the russians and irans buttress assad. he'll be in charge of a little chunk of syria but he can't establish control. this is one of four failed states in the middle east along with libya, iraq, yemen. this part of the world is fast unraveling and to thing happened yesterday that will change that trajectory. >> isn't the u.s. in effect saying we can't solve syria, you solve it. that's what knock yourself out means to me. making the best of what's a bad situation. >> we're saying we can't solve syria, you can't solve syria, go try and fail and when you're done failing let's talk about a post-assad government. one way or another syria is going to be a mess not just for months or years but for decades to come and isis will able to operate out of syria. >> before we get to katty kay in

washington, can you explain briefly russia's end game in syria? the united states end game? >> russia's end game is to bolster this government and re-establish governance and disseminate isis. that's russia's idea to basically stay in governmental control. united states is to build a new successive government that enjoys support of the people and have that gain control. >> in the short term if russia gets what it wants that's a good outkhomeini paired to t-- out c russia. >> they give birth to isis. >> it's not stability. just means you keep a government in damascus. the country itself continues to turn over. >> katty kay, president obama

said as richard pointed out u.n. speak assad must go. the question is now what's the plan to get assad to go? >> the truth is the americans don't have a plan and what i think the russian moves over the last couple of weeks have shown is the extent to which the u.s. policy in syria is in tatters and has been for now for several years. there's been moments where the u.s. could have effectively intervened or imposed no-fly zones or imposed buffer zones or used coercion and force to stop president assad barrel bombing his own people. it didn't do any of those things and now the russians are taking that vacuum. i agree with mark at the moment. maybe the fact the russians have a plan here is better than the no plan that the americans have. and if it brings some amount of stability, there are flaws in it because assad is not fighting isis, he's fighting opponents to

his regime, that's his priority. but i think some amount of stability in the region is better and may be the u.s. can use some influence on negotiating power with putin to say listen can you stop the barrel bombing of civilians. that might be the only quid pro quo we get out of this. >> in washington, the usual voices are talking about what katty kay described. some of that is being drowned out by primary politics. those are voices, petraeus and mccain. are they breaking through? >> not really because what is the bipartisan policy for syria? there is still no appetite for the kind of robust u.s. military not just involvement but intervention that you would need

to really effect events on the ground in syria. and just isn't that willingness to do it. putin does have a plan. he's going to go ahead do and do what he wants to accomplish. to me it looks like a fairly short term plan to tell you the truth because i wonder what it will look like six months from now or a year from now when russia is starting to get bogged down in a situation that, you know, people are going to start likening to vietnam or afghanistan or other sort of misadventures. syria is a mess. it won't be solved easily even by putin. >> beneath the frostiness, coming out of that meeting is increased intelligence and military cooperation between the united states and russia on the ground in syria and that, again, better for the united states because we'll provide some assistance, but we're not having young american men and women on the ground. >> we'll start a conversation

with the russians with the political future of assad. at some point if this doesn't work you conceivably could have a u.s.-russian-iranian and i expect secretary kerry to talk about this to come up with a post-assad. first they will try backing assad. when that doesn't work i can imagine a pivot with the united states and russia talk about the next phase. >> do we have baggage going into that alliance because of the line we drew and didn't enforce? >> 100%. the most consequential thing the president do is follow up on his pledges in syria to attack the regime after they used chemicals. the consequence is not just in syria or middle east but throughout the world. this is the biggest problem what he hasn't done in this part of the world. >> as they try to build this trust it comes a day after russia announces a security

deal -- >> a new axis. >> we haven't touched on president rouhani's speech. >> new polling suggests joe biden would be the most popular candidate in the entire 2016 field if he decides to enter the race. 40% of americans have a favorable impression of biden while 28% have a negative one. the vice president's net rating is 20 points higher than hillary clinton's. ben carson does the best among republicans. jeb bush upside down by 15 points. look at donald trump, 33 points down. the same poll shows vice president biden outperforming hick in hypothetical general election matchups with top republican candidates as well. if the election were held today and i would be surprised they were, voters say they would back clinton by ten points but she's in ties with jeb bush, ben carson and carly fiorina.

the vice president does better. so it comes as cnn reveals its criteria for the first democratic debate two weeks from today on october 13th. biden would indeed beeligible and have until the day after the debate to file a statement of candidacy with the fec. mark halperin take everything together we just saw there. take with it a bit of a grain of salt. hillary clinton has been in the middle of the race for months now. what does that do to joe biden's decision when he sees those numbers >> of all those things that afflict america right now, biden mania. if you look at both the current polling as a snapshot where he is versus her, look at the calendar coming up, how much money it takes to run for president if you can be on the debate stage, he is arguably one of the three most likely presidents of the united states if he decides to run. everybody agrees once he gets in

it's a different game but i think he would be difficult for her to attack just as it's difficult for her to attack bernie sanders. he has to take heart from not just the horse race numbers, but the deep dissatisfaction and worry within the democratic party even people who support her for all her strengths would like a back up and they don't consider bernie sanders as a back up and an incumbent vice president he is. >> gene, those numbers and increasing angst within certain campaigns those numbers really would indicate more of a worry about hillary clinton's candidacy than the hope for joe biden's candidacy, no? >> i think it's really a search for a plan b. you know, there's a widespread assumption hillary clinton is the likely nominee and there's widespread worry or nervousness

about what that would eventually mean just given the whole e-mail thing and what will come out and is there any more and will it settle down. you know, i think she's settling into more avery them as a candidate. i thought her appearance on "meet the press" on sunday was good. i thought it was -- she did better than she's done on these questions before. but that alone is not going to sort of soothe these frayed nerves about the candidacy. ultimately joe biden has to make this decision and i don't think he's made it. i really don't think he's decided that he has the fire in the belly to go. he might yet decide that but i don't think he's there. >> let's go to the mike barnacle sports book and set some odds. joe biden, a man you know will get in the presidential race. where do you put it this

morning? >> this morning 3-1 against. >> against. why do you say that? >> just what gene said. i don't think he's decided himself. i think he's still wrestling with the biggest issue for him. does he have the energy to put himself through a grueling -- presidential campaigns as nicole knows are enormously grueling and draining not just for him but for his family. >> is he so psyched that so many people want him to run. he's run three times and i don't remember a national outcry like this. >> he met with the pope last week. >> i won't make a prediction. i'll say everyone who knows him well think their gut is he won't run. everyone i know who knows him well he won't run. i don't know he won't but that's the consensus of people i know. >> he had to be watching "meet the press" and going i'm so much

better than that. democrats think she's terrible. i hope he doesn't run because he's better than her. he's still top of the polls. >> she's a strong candidate. >> who thinks that that you know? >> i know a lot of people. her problem is she's carried around this e-mail baggage. >> she's a terrible candidate and they are desperate for biden to run. >> if he didn't have personal issues to deal with in holding the family together i wouldn't have any doubt he would run. if i were i would be afraid of him on the big stage. >> she should be afraid of bernie sanders. >> does he make a decision by the cnn debate? >> there's some people advising biden camp to skip the first debate and show democrats here's what you got without me. and to create sort of a greater -- to buy himself more

time. i don't get a sense he's about to get in. >> what's the final drop dead date for him? >> depends on how you look at it. >> thanksgiving? >> conventional standards and filing deadlines around thanksgiving. some democrats are arguing about this, wait until iowa and new hampshire because even though you miss some filing deadlines you have room to deal with. if sanders beats her in iowa or new hampshire and there's no other major candidate in the race there will be panic. >> coming up on "morning joe" the u.s. secretary of state john kerry will be right here on set with us. also white house press secretary josh earnest. plus the man running to replace john boehner as speaker of the house we'll ask kevin mccarthy why he wants the toughest job in washington. a look ahead jeb bush and chris christie join the table. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.

♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪

when you're not confident your company's data is secure, the possibility of a breach can quickly become the only thing you think about. that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most.

♪ let's take a look at some of

the morning papers from the "new york times" and all over the world. in afghanistan the taliban reportedly has captured the city of kundu. if the militant group succeeds in maintaining control it's the first time in 14 years the taliban has seized and held a city. they set fire to buildings and freed hundreds of inmates from the city prison as government force there's retreated. after yesterday as attacks fighters declared victory on social media. last night the united states launched an air strike. afghan officials have promised to retake the city. richard, big deal. >> big deal. the strength of the taliban is in the south. twlats they have their ethnic base. this shows the taliban once again re-established some positions throughout the country. this is bad news for the new government of afghanistan. >> how much engagement do we expect from the united states. we've seen air strikes this morning. >> this will strengthen the

debate the united states shouldn't pull out its forces. administration has a big decision to make. right now all forces are due out by tend of 2016. >> it gets to the inherent weakness of the afghan government. taliban ringed that city for months. >> this is a process of nation building again isn't working. >> what's the relative strength of the two military? >> between the government and taliban >> yes. >> it's uneven. taliban, because of pakistani strength and popular support and ideological support taliban is doing too well. >> they think they can retake the city. >> it's in the north. the bigger problem is the south and east and the government itself around cabut. it's not nearly as secure after more than ten years, it's not nearly as secure. >> let's let the russians fix this one true. >> they tried it in afghanistan. >> this is the first time since

the invasion right after 9/11, 14 years ago taliban has taken a city. >> you know what's amazing. the taliban had something like 500 forces around kundu. the afghan army had something like 7,000. this is a question of the weakness of the afghan military. not that they didn't have troops. they had plenty of troops. they just had no leadership for those troops. that's what americans have been working on for the last ten years trying to shore up the afghan's leadership and look where it got them. this is an extremely worrying sign for what happens over the next few years. >> training for the afghan army includes 1,000 yard dash see how quickly they get away from things. >> also from the "times" prison worker who helped two convicted killers escape has been sentenced. joyce mitchell has been ordered to spend up to seven years in prison but could be released after three. in july mitchell pleaded guilty

to happening david sweat and richard matte eskip and with plolt a plot to kill her husband. >> your honor, i would regret this for the rest of my life if i get to go home to my family. my husband and my children are my life, my world. i w >> joyce mitchell was supposed to drive the getaway car for sweat and matte. >> i'm not sure why, i feel -- can't she just wear an ankle bracelet? >> no.

>> you're america's leading empa empathetic person. >> an early start to the season. the closer was suspended following dug out fight with bryce harper. >> they don't like each other. bryce superstar player for the nats. >> papelbon got mad at him for his lack of hustle. >> lack of hustle from a guy who plays 155 games a year, who plays hard every single day he's out in the field.

papelbon is mentally ill. papelbon is crazy. bryce harper is a legitimate mvp of the league. >> this is from "sports illustrated." pnc park as the pirates were hosting the cardinals, you can find this video upsetting. bottom of the seventh inning st. louis left fielder collides with his fellow outfielder while trying to make a play on the ball in left center. immediately waving for medical personnel to come out. he knows right away he's motionless on the field. he suffered bruised head. cardinals reported all tests came back negative. he gave a thumbs up on the way to the ambulance. he remained in the hospital overnight for observation.

>> my kid can't play football or baseball. tennis or golf. >> play baseball. >> looked like a car crash. gosh. >> still ahead this morning -- >> you've become bored watching actors giving us phoney emotions, tired of pyrotechniques and special effects. the world in some respects is counterfeit there's nothing fake about truman himself. no scripts. no cue cards. it isn't always shakespeare but it's genuine. >> ed harris. so is the trump campaign something like out of truman show? we have a new profile of the presidential contender for this sunday's "new york times" magazine. he'll explain what he's calling a one man chaos theory. "morning joe" coming right back.

yes, ge makes powerful machines. but i'll be writing the code that will allow those machines to share information with each other. i'll be changing the way the world works. (interrupting) you can't pick it up, can you? go ahead. he can't lift the hammer. it's okay though! you're going to change the world. when age-related macular have degeneration, amd we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression. and everywhere i look... i'm reminded to stick to my plan. including preservision areds 2. my doctor said preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula that the national eye institute recommends to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd... after 15 years of clinical studies. preservision areds 2. because my eyes are everything.

is youyou may be muddling through allergies.lode? try zyrtec®-d to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. so, you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec®-d. at the pharmacy counter. awe believe active management can protect capital long term. active management can tap global insights. active management can take calculated risks.

active management can seek to outperform. because active investment management isn't reactive. it's active. that's the power of active management.

so yesterday donald trump promised to overhaul the tax code under his presidential administration. his plan reduces the number of tax brackets from four to seven with millions paying no federal tax at all although required to send in a form to the irs that says quote i win. the highest tax bracket would be lowered to 25%.

corporate taxes would be capped at 15%. trump says the plan will be paid for by eliminating various penalties and deductions and offering a one time discount of bringing back corporate money from overseas while capping special loopholes for special interests. it could cost trillions depending on what tax breaks he wipes out. he won skborsmeendorsement from norquist. trump said he'll spend money more wisely. >> we're reducing taxes. believe me there will be people in the upper echelon that won't be thrilled with this. we're taking away deductions and that's one of the reasons we can lower it. it reduces or eliminates most of the deductions and loopholes available to special interests and to the very rich. in other words it's going to cost me a fortune.

i'm the only one that's honest about this thing. i watch rommney, i watch all politicians and they say i pay -- i fight as hell to pay as little. i can say that. i'm not a politician. i fight like hell always because it's an expense. you know, i fight. i have the best lawyers. and the best accountants. i fight. and i pay. but it's an expense. and frankly i would feel differently if this country was spending the money wisely. >> nicole, you wrote that message. >> i think this is the message that resonates the most with his supporters and has the most potential to grow his base of supporters. people think the tax code is one of the most corrupt laws on our books. i thought he a great day yesterday. >> i totally agree. everybody in the country is from us twratd tax code and people talked about reforming it.

one thing people think about trump who like him he'll get stuff done. he knows how to get stuff done. he understands business. and the plan, you know, pretty well received by supply siders, by mainstream republican plan. lots of questions whether it would increase the deficit but that was one of the best days he's had in a while both appealing to his base. >> it felt totally different. he came up to the podium. he was reading a speech. he was talking about policy. then after he went on his rip he was donald trump. he stepped up and talked policy. >> op-ed piece in the "wall street journal" what normal republican candidates do. >> he's breaking the ban on fox news tonight. his ban is over. >> it ebbs and flows.

>> mark writes this week's cover story that declares donald trump is not going anywhere. guys, good to see you both. mark, let me start with you. i love we have an excerpt. one line. trump might be the single most self-involved yet least introspective person i ever met in life in or out of politics. please explain. >> fact checking it's true. this is a guy who lives completely in the political moment, in the media moment, in sort of the moment of being donald trump. there is this truman show aspect to him in which he's directed events, experienced events, narrating events and telling you what just happened and what he saw on tv about himself. we were on his plane going out to the debate in simi valley a couple of weeks ago. it was 24 hours before the debate. i wanted to leave him alone.

don't you want to prep for the debate. why am i supposed to lock myself in a room with 20 experts for ten days so i can't speak? no. he spent the entire flight watching, flipping between all three cable networks that were covering the speech he just given in dallas and commenting on all the pundits were saying about him. it's definitely different and look it was a fun ride. >> you say donald trump is not going anywhere. that seems to be central question. i had this conversation last night at dinner. someone said how and when does this end for donald trump. people have been asking that for months. it hasn't ended. in fact he's gone up in the polls. >> you talk about him at dinner? >> we talk about him at dinner all the time. >> with george? >> george is apolitical. but he's not going anywhere for the time being, is he mark? >> no. the headline has the clever double meaning which you can read it as dismissive or read it

as, you know, a big cliffhanger which i would vote for the latter. people are writing him off including me and a lot of other people in the media three months ago. here he is still leading the polls, dominating the conversation. i'm glad i discovered him and decided to write about him. a couple of my sources convinced me i should check this guy out. guy into his office and there's this "new york times" magazine cover story from 1984 on his wall by bill geist and here i was thinking i was first to the story. >> that's amazing. >> better late than never. >> bill geist, willie's dad. mark, you wrote a classic piece a few months ago about larry king. classic piece. so, who was more fun, more entertaining, are there any similarities between donald trump and larry king?

>> that's actually a great question. i would say that one similarity you're with the two of them and so used to experiencing them as icons, as people in a screen that you periodically have to pinch yourself saying holy you know what. am i actually with larry king or donald trump or am i actually, you know, am i with someone who is wearing a mask that's larry king or donald trump. they are so iconic, they are so central to the scenery that it's actually a little bit unnerving to see them and be with them in the flesh. >> mark i'll pull off the mask. >> having said that everyone -- >> you know, donald trump is endlessly fascinating when you have this reality television star who rules reality television, who has brought his act to the political sphere, completely discombobulating the

way we think about politics. i'll say what he's doing to politic, presidential politics, to the republican party in the long term is unbelievably damaging. i think that southeast things that have come out since he started -- >> you mean his positions not his style. >> actually some of his style i think a lot of presidential candidate should emulate the fact he's using instagram to do 15 second hits -- they are fantastic. but in terms of the rhetoric he's said things and done things that would have killed any other candidacy but not his. and i think that, especially when it comes to immigration, just as someone who want as strong two party system in this country, the things he's saying, donald trump is saying on immigration is going to hurt the republican party. and if the republican party, if it's fine with winning state elections, and house elections, that's great. if it wants to win the white

house it has got to find a way to be open and appealing to a demographic pumping out eight things like 20 or 50,000 eligible voters every month for the next 20, 25 years. >> jonathan, i would 180 degrees disagree with you respectfully. it might be damaging, his positions might be damaging to his candidacy, might be damaging to the republican party but i think it's absolutely not damaging because i think it brings a level of honesty, brings a level of id and exposes so much the falseness of politic, so much the falseness of the false gentlemanliness, the false humility that turned off so many information politics. frankly his nonreliance on the donor class, the consultant class is a wonderful thing. and, look, what he says is going to get him in trouble, perhaps or it won't. i think there's a level of transparency here that's so far

overdo and at the route of the exhilaratation. >> we both are encouraged by your deep concern for the republican party. >> i'm not kidding. i'm actually speaking my heart on this. >> there's a great line in mark's speech that summarizes how much donald trump is enjoying this. mark says where does it end. donald says i have no idea but i'm here now and it's beautiful. >> full disclosure there was a profanity before beautiful. >> right. another great piece. always great to see you. we'll be looking for your cover story in this sunday's "new york times" magazine. jonathan stay with us. coming up next it looks like congress might avert a government shutdown. form labor secretary weighs in. plus house majority leader possibly the next speaker of the house, kevin mccarthy will be here as well. "morning joe" will be back in a

moment. it's one of the most amazing things we build and it doesn't even fly. we build it in classrooms and exhibit halls, mentoring tomorrow's innovators. we build it raising roofs, preserving habitats and serving america's veterans. every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us. take the zantac it challenge! pill works fast? zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. when heartburn strikes, take zantac for faster relief than nexium or your money back. take the zantac it challenge. the health care law gives us we're cracking down on medicare fraud. powerful tools to fight it. to investigate it. prosecute it.

and stop criminals. our senior medicare patrol volunteers are teaching seniors across the country to stop, spot and report fraud. you can help. guard your medicare card. don't give out your card number over the phone. call to report any suspected fraud. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. let's make medicare stronger for all of us. but i've managed.e crohn's disease is tough, except that managing my symptoms was all i was doing. and when i finally told my doctor, he said humira is for adults like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. and that in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,

serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible.

joining us now former labor secretary under president bill clinton and now chancell profesr at vertical berkeley. robert great to have you with us. you wrote this book about bernie sanders and donald trump. >> i wrote this book about a year before anybody heard either of them. i knew they were on the horizon. this is about why the future, big battles in america politically will not be between republican and democrats or left and right but between the establishment versus the anti-establishment and i make the argument here that the anti-establishment is growing because people are so angry that

the system is so completely screwed up. they don't feel anybody is listening to them. they feel powerless. they feel they are working harder get nothing where. the game is rigged in favor of people at the top. and so that what we have here, we kind of have set up over the last many years, a situation in which either a kind of a bernie sanders, a reform type -- >> elizabeth warren. >> or elizabeth warren, you know, saying basically we got to rebuild the entire system from the ground up. or someone, a strong man, i'm going to fix everything, just believe me and just don't listen to exactly the details because the details are not important, donald trump is going to come along. and, indeed, there we are. >> i know you're very excited about donald's tax plan. we'll talk about that in just a second. >> i couldn't sleep last night. >> et cetera go to yeugene

robertson in washington. >> i want to focus on this system is rigged. where does this lead us to a reform. >> well, it's an important question and i try to get to it in the book. i think if polls are to be believed there's been an erosion over the last 15 years in public confidence in both government and business and the economy overall. people say and i think that we pick it up all over. it's not just in polls and focus groups, it's really on the street that the system is not working for me any longer. i don't believe in it. it's helping people at the top. we had 30 years of stagnant wages for most people in this country. all the economic gains in this recovery, all the economic gains have gone to the very top. first time you've had a recovery where the median household is

actually worse off now, deep into recovery than they were at the start of the recovery. so, in economic terms as well as political terms, the system looks like it is just simply not there for most people. so what does that mean politically? it means politically not only do you want somebody skriptd, the typical scripted politician looks like he's clueless but you have a revolt against the ruling class. the people that have been in charge for so many years. >> is that hillary clinton? >> hillary clinton, you know, i think that she is perceived to be part of the ruling class. you know, she's the establishment. just like george bush. a year ago most of us around this table i think would have said george bush and hillary clinton -- >> jeb bush. >> jeb bush. and, obviously, you know, something has happened.

and i think we reached a tipping point in terms of the public's willingness to kind of accept the status quo. >> katty kay? >> to what extent do you think this is a global phenomenon. we're seeing it here in the united states but also seeing the same thing play out in europe. we have it with the labor party in europe. is it that people are in a state in which things are being portrayed as so complex whether on national security or on the economic side that anyone who offers simple solutions seems appealing. we've been told since 2008 that there are no obvious solutions to a post-manufacturing world in terms of jobs. we've been told since the arab spring there's no obvious solution to the rise of isis and the decay of order in the middle east. and then come along people who say i'll fix it. i'll fix it. that seems very appealing. >> i'm not sure. obviously people are impatient

with complexity. but the underlying reality in europe and elsewhere around the world as well as the united states people got to the end of their ropes. they feel like somebody else is controlling the entire system, they are not. this kind of sense of powerlessness, which again can move in one of two directions. it can move towards authoritarianism, racism, escape goating of immigrants. you see this in europe and united states. or it can move towards jeremy corbin or bernie sanders let's uproot the system and start again and make sure it's working for everybody. >> we got about 20 seconds. >> i need a lot more time than that. >> can you define the aspirations of the middle class today as opposed to 30 years >> i think the aspirations of the middle class is what it was 30 years ago. let's have a better life. if i'm working hard i want my

children to have a better life. ooh years ago, mike, when we were old men already, people expected and then they were receiving from this economy and this politics much, much more than they are now. upward mobility was assumed. >> you have captured this moment in american culture and american politics very well. it's "saving capitalism for the many not the few." the book is out today. still ahead secretary of state john kerry will sit with us at the table exclusively. "morning joe" will be right back.

when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. a

that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most. when laquinta.com sends craig wilson a ready for you alert the second his room is ready, ya know what he becomes? great proposal! let's talk more over golf.

great. how about over tennis? even better. a game changer! the ready for you alert, only at lq.com. it's gotten squarer. over the years. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv.

. coming up in our next hour, duelling speeches from president obama and vladimir putin at the u.n. and a frosty toast captured in this photograph over lunch. secretary of state john kerry will take us inside that meeting between the two leaders in just a few moments. plus the man who may be the next speaker of the house, kevin mccarthy joins us live. much more "morning joe" when we come back. whatever you're doing, plan well and enjoy life... ♪ or, as we say at unitedhealthcare insurance company, go long. of course, how you plan is up to you. take healthcare. make sure you're covered for more than what just medicare pays... consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company... the only medicare supplement plans that carry the aarp name,

and the ones that millions of people trust year after year. it's about having the coverage you need... plan well. enjoy life. go long. htake care of what makes you,e. you. right down to your skin. aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion with 5 vital nutrients for healthier looking skin in just one day. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results® the way i see it, you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way. you could choose a card that limits where you earn bonus cash back. or, you could make things easier on yourself. that's right, the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. so, let's try this again. what's in your wallet? so wi got a job!ews? i'll be programming at ge. oh i got a job too, at zazzies. (friends gasp)

the app where you put fruit hats on animals? i love that! guys, i'll be writing code that helps machines communicate. (interrupting) i just zazzied you. (phone vibrates) look at it! (friends giggle) i can do dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs... you name it. i'm going to transform the way the world works. (proudly) i programmed that hat. and i can do casaba melons. i'll be helping turbines power cities. i put a turbine on a cat. (friends ooh and ahh) i can make hospitals run more efficiently... this isn't a competition! awe believe active management can protect capital long term. active management can tap global insights.

active management can seek to outperform. that's the power of active management.

the truth is now i'm in the chair and i can only assume it's strange four as it is for me. jon stewart was more than a late night host. in many ways our political dad. it's weird. dad has left. [ laughter ] and now, now it feels like the family has a new step dad. [ laughter ] and he's black. [ laughter ] >> that's trevor noah taking over for jon stewart. jon stewart not in the chair for the first time in 16 years. welcome back to "morning joe." nicole wallace, richard haas, mike barnacle, katty kay and joining us chris jansing. >> this is awesome photo. grizzly letterman, dave

letterman. >> he's not let himself go. it's just a beard. >> jon start your has a beard. when you don't have to show up every day for work. >> is that the man thing? >> apparently so. >> manly men. >> the world was watching yesterday as president obama and russian president vladimir putin huddled at the u.n., the two toasted over lunch after putin sat 2k0u7b minutes late. first meeting went long oet minutes. no major break throughs. beforehand in their speeches to the general assembly they sparred over how to handle syria. putin called for a broad anti-terror coalition. two leaders split on whether bashar al assad could remain in power. president putin calling him the only way to secure syria an option president obama refused. >> we're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder. that it's the only way to stamp out terrorism. or prevent foreign meddling.

in accordance with this logic we should support tyrants like bashar al assad who drops barrel bombs on innocent children because the alternative is surely worse. >> translator: we think it is a mistake to refuse to cooperate with the syrian government and its armed forces. while fighting terrorism face to face. we should finally acknowledge that no one but president assad's forces and kurd's militia are truly fighting the islamic state and other terrorist organizations in syria. dear colleagues, i must note that such an honest and frank approach of russia has been recently used as a pretext to accuse it of its growing ambitions as if those who have saved have no am bigs at all. however it's not about russia's

ambitions but recognition of the fact that we can no longer tolerate the current state of affairs in the world. >> now let's have lunch. today president is expected to meet with castro. chris you were there. what was the energy like between these two men? >> this is high drama. we don't see this a lot at the u.n. which a lot of people feel has become irrelevant. it brings these world leaders together and gives them a chance to talk. we get a chance to look at them and parse what happened. i'm 20 minutes for lunch. no disrespect intend. he swaggered in here and at the you have to say it was a good day at the office. people were paying attention to putin. a good day at the office for putin. he came in and had already before monday he had people talking about him because he

said he was going to -- he put together his own coalition to fight isis forget the united states and what they have done. and he people listening for the first time in ten years. he didn't bother to show up. he comes. people are listening. on the other side, i also think you cannot ignore the fact that the united states made a decision that, what they said before, you cannot just talk to your friend, you have to talk to your enemies. they went into that room. they had a conversation. they feel they got at least some answers, as much as they are willing to trust what he has to say but got some answers to what they are doing militarily in syria. >> you couldn't have two different approaches of what to do in syria. assad should go or on the other hand we need to partner to fight isis. where's the middle ground. >> there is none. first we'll try it putin's way. if that works i doubt it if it works you have a better reality. if it doesn't work russians will try obama's way and give assad a

dascha outside of russia. he has to support the government and attack isis. united states for years has been talk become assad must go but a tremendous gap between rhetorical ambition and scale of action which has been modest. >> does anybody less believe we mean what we say and the disparity between what putin says and obama says. >> his credibility is high up at crimea and ukraine. his ability to deliver. this is a shrinking economy. the united states is much greater capacity overall. but foreign policy is not about overall capacity it's about specific willing nose apply the power and the administration's

ability to get beyond. russia is punches over its weight. >> putin is a person who sees that opening. he sees these openings in places like syria and where he can come in and essentially cause trouble and have influence. this is all about influence. this is all about him gaining respect. and, you know, i think in the end the president comes to the u.n. and the administration thinks that they've had some successes from last year to this year. they wanted an iran jan nuclear agreement. they wanted this opening with cuba. even if you want to talk on a different sort of framework they came and the ebola crisis was at its peak a year ago and that has been addressed. but what is out there is what's happening in syria and the president as he is really trying hard to shore up his foreign policy legacy as they hear that clock ticking this is the one thing standing out there that's problematic. >> what do you think they think with the clock tick being they can get do in foreign policy between now and a year from now?

>> that's really the question, right? the one thing that's out there is the middle east. it's something that the president has had the most difficulty in. frankly, something that when we heard vladimir putin yesterday, he essentially blamed everything that has gone wrong and is going wrong in the middle east on barack obama. >> potentially the limitation of the iran agreement. big thing is trade. this week we'll see what happens in atlanta. you could have the transpacific trade agreement. that could ultimately be the most reaching foreign policy accomplishment of this administration. he'll have a major debate within his own party and the republican party. over the next year that other thing climate change. november, december in paris the administration is going to be pushing for that. >> gene robinson, the president talked about a managed transition syria that would gradually ease assad out of power. what does that look like?

how does that work? >> i have no idea. frankly i doubt the president has any idea either. isn't the central difference that putin wants to fight just in one direction. he wants to fight against islamic state and support assad. ifts a fairly simple easily understood task whereas the united states wants to fight both ways. we want to get rid of assad, get rid of islamic state and don't want to put in any troops. i think, you know, putin in the short term has a workable plan. i don't think we do. and so that's why putin had a better day than the president did on this issue. i do agree with richard that climate change could be a long range sort of legacy item for president obama. i think this would be a huge push on that up to december in paris. >> katty kay, all this focus on injury a flare up and a big one in afghanistan. >> this looks serious. in task taliban has reportedly

captured the city of kun dump. if the militant group succeeds in maintaining control first time in 14 years they seized and held the city. they set fire to buildings and freed hundreds of inmates from the city prison, all as government forces retreated. after yesterday's attacks fighters declared vick attorney social media posting selfies. last night the u.s. launched an air strike and afghan officials have promised to retake this city. richard, if you look at the number of troops, the afghans had something like 7,000. taliban had 500. terrible indictment of the afghan force ability to lead and take control and keep control of their territory. >> absolutely. it will strengthen on one the hand argument the united states staying. we don't have a whole lot to show for it. remember the story that came out in the "new york times" about the sex slaves that could make it much more difficult for the united states to agree to stay. i think you'll see a debate or

negotiation between the united states and the afghan government. we'll stay only if certain conditions are met. you've got to to change the way you behave or the united states is not going stay. complicated situation could get more complicated. >> is this a preview of coming attractions? >> this is not a one off given national strength of the taliban. this is so far north suggests just the opposite. i hope it's not the beginning of a trend. the south and east next to pakistan where they have a sanctuary. >> let's move to domestic politics now. hillary clinton's poll numbers are dropping. the threat of joe biden's bid is looming overhead. former president bill clinton is gearing up to take a more active role in secretary clinton's campaign. president clinton is about to embark on a series of political appearances raising money in atlanta and kansas city before headlining a democratic event in west virginia this week.

long time clinton confidant tells the ap he's at the point that he's ready to get out there talking about president clinton. in an interview yesterday the former president may have offered a preview of arguments to come painting the attacks against his wife and her use of a private e-mail server while secretary of state as mainly partisan. >> really it's similar to the strategy that the republicans employed against me with whitewater. but i'm glad it happened in 2013 instead of 2016 and i believe it will burn itself out. what the american people have to think of is this. few months ago she was still the most admired person in public life in america. why? because she was covered because of the work she did. she had been around a long time, people knew that she's on the level, she gets up every day and tries to do a dood job. then all of a sudden the only thing that matters search males. what exactly does it matter? i trust the american people. they will get this. they will work through it.

they will under that they are being sent a heavy signal, we don't want to run against this woman. >> mark halperin -- >> we desperately want to run against this woman who is the most frequently -- people say they don't trust her. liar. how do you call the fbi and u.s. state department obama part of the vast right-wing conspiracy. i'm a bill clinton fan but this is cuckoo. >> if he was running he would win. that argument would work for him. when he was enmeshed in scandal he would say they meaning republicans want this about your yesterday i want to be about your tomorrows. he's right that coverage of the e-mail thing should not crowd out every other issue and her positive agenda but incumbent upon the campaign to answer more e-mail questions because they haven't answered them all. she has to find a way to present

her agenda that captivates the american people. she's done that with some democrats but needs to do it more broadly. >> you just saw it on display a dynamic we've never seen. a former president, a dynamic character, who is going to be a part of the scene whether we like it or not out there with hillary clinton for the next year, year and a half. >> a lot of things that were huge psycho dramas in 2008 -- he'll be out on the campaign trail. it won't be as much of a psycho drama. he was good in that interview better than the cnn interview. he's rustive. he's been out of politic as long time. i'm not sure knows what snap chat is. it will be fascinating when he makes the case for her with voters. i still think he may be, have to be the one to be bad cop to go after sanders. >> let's look on the republican

side. presidential candidate ben carson's campaign said he raised more than half a million in the last eight days over his controversial statement he wouldn't support a muslim candidate for president. carson who is merely even in the latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll nationally with donald trump reacted when asked if his surge is a coincidence or a sign that the public agrees with his statement. >> no question the people of america recognize that america is a unique place. i don't think that anybody wants to give that away. we want to be fair to everybody. but we certainly don't want to change it to something else. >> big ben carson story coming mostly campaigns will tell you he a great fundraising quarter and most of the other campaignnot. that's a big story for him. that will get him a lot of favorable press. he has a lot of small donors.

>> gene robinson , with all the focus on donald trump, double digit leaps for ben carson. >> amazing. to this point the big uncovered story of this campaign. it's going to be covered soon. people are going to try to understand what's going on here. who are the ben carson supporters. where is this money coming from. there's going to be more scrutiny. also just an attempt to understand it because i frankly don't. you know, i have seen his appeal in the soft spoken way he goes about it. he's got a wonderful life story. but a lot of what he says, you know, just actually makes no sense. so i wonder how far that goes? how far that takes him. >> we saw in that video walking with the kirnng, richard petty. >> up next he says he wants to be speaker of the house.

we'll ask kevin mccarthy are you sure about that. the house majority leader joins us next. tablets. keep it all digital. we're looking to double our deliveries. our fleet apps will find the fastest route. oh, and your boysenberry apple scones smell about done. ahh, you're good. i like to bake. add new business services with at&t and get up to $500 in total savings. i've had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most of my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara® it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ...stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections.

some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara® your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. in a medical study, most stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® helps keep my skin clearer. ask your doctor about stelara®.

are they unrealistic about what can to be done in government? >> absolutely they are unrealistic. but, you know, the bible says beware of false prophets and there are people out there spreading, you know, noise about how much can get done. i mean this whole idea that we're going shut down the government to get rid of obamacare in 2013, this plan never had a chance. we got groups here in town, members house and senate here in town who whip people in a frenzy believing they can accomplish things that they know, they know are never going to happen. >> that was speaker john boehner on sunday calling some republicans in congress falls prophets. joining us from capitol hill, house majority leiter, kevin mccarthy. yesterday he announced

officially his candidacy for speaker of the house. congressman, good to have you with us this morning. as the news came across late last week about john boehner so, many republicans said, look, speaker boehner had an almost impossible job wrangling that republican caucus. why do you want this job? >> beginning to sound like my mother. >> good question. >> you look at where the country is at. yeah, this is a big challenge. but i see what's in washington. lot of people care about power, care about institution more so than they care about changing lives of every day americans. but i see a conference, if it has a new culture and that's what a speaker does, sets the culture. brings people together. let every voice be heard and bring it from the bottom up. we can make some great accomplishments and make some real change. >> we were talking before you came on behind your back, only i was talking behind your back about how you have very few detractors.

are you afraid that changes overnight should you ascend to the speakership? >> i think it changed from before i ran to when it announced. there was a shift. i'm a big fan of teddy roosevelt and my favorite quote is in the arena. i rather dare greatly. >> congressman, piece of "wall street journal" today expressing some concern about what happens next to the conference and to the country and here's what it says you about. the worry about mr. mccarthy he's too much the political animal, he is no pile innovator. prove the "journal" wrong. >> fundamentally i'll change as speaker get the highway bill done. we'll make sure we france form these agencies because these agencies that we have today, we've never crafted them in the same manner. look at the flow chart, look at the duplication. let's go through and revamp the entire process so they work and fundamentally what i'll do overall for government we're is going to get closer to the

people we represent. and you know what? we're going to make america again believe that this is their government, that they are in charge and we're here to serve them. it won't be overnight but that's my mission. >> congressman, just to follow. those aren't policy innovations, that's rhetoric about change but what are the policy -- >> i disagree with you. if we pass a highway bill with tax reform at the same time that's policy. that changes the inversion process means more money comes back to america. that puts a six year highway bill on to the floor and starts moving and building roads that we need in america infrastructure. when i sit down and talk to small businesses which i started at the age of 19 and you know what you learn when you're a small business owner you're the first one to work, last one to leave and last one to be paid. you want somebody in washington looking after you. i find the agencies are there to almost work against you. so why don't we transform these agencies to actually help you. i think those are big policies and i think they will make a fundamental change to

washington. >> congressman, on that highway trust fund bill, it's been passed in increments now for nearly a year, comes up september 29th. is it going to be a six year extension of the highway bill or a six month extension of the highway bill and within the highway bill federal gas tax? will we see an increase in federal gas tax to fund more bridge rebuilding and road rebuilding. >> you won't see an increase in gasoline tax but see a change in the tax structure to territorial tax. it will be a six year bill. you're going to see that they are going to have the process if a state already has involvement there you don't have to duplicate when it comes to environmental controls. we'll find a bill done next month that's a six year highway bill. >> gene robinson has a question

for you. >> how does the speaker of the house re-organize the executive branch of the federal government? don't you have to consult with president obama? have you spoken with him about this, about your new flow chart for agencies? >> the one thing that can you do, you can pass inside house to. one of the best examples that we can do, i haven't spoken to the president but i've spoken to cabinet members. in '91 we had a peace deal because the soviet union collapsed. we had a look at our military because it was used to bat tell soviet union. we couldn't do it piecemeal. we put a commission together. one vote up or down. let's bring a commission together with the simple principles of eliminating duplication. make them effective, efficient and accountable. put the commission and have one vote in congress. that's how you fundamentally change it. >> how majority leader and odds on favorite to be next speaker of the how, kevin mccarthy we

appreciate your time. good luck. >> thanks for having me. >> john kerry joins us next. we'll ask him about his meeting with his russian counterpart and whether the united states can make any headway with moscow. it's a "morning joe" exclusive next. sometimes romantic. there were tears in my eyes. and tears in my eyes. and so many little things that we learned were really the biggest things. through it all, we saved and had a retirement plan. and someone who listened and helped us along the way. because we always knew that someday the future would be the present. every someday needs a plan. talk with us about your retirement today. ♪

♪ the beautiful sound of customers making the most of their united flight. power, wi-fi, and streaming entertainment. that's... seize the journey friendly. ♪ we heard you got a job as a developer!!!!! its official, i work for ge!! what? wow... yeah!

okay... guys, i'll be writing a new language for machines so planes, trains, even hospitals can work better. oh! sorry, i was trying to put it away... got it on the cake. so you're going to work on a train? not on a train...on "trains"! you're not gonna develop stuff anymore? no i am... do you know what ge is? because at&t and directv are now one! which means you can access your dvr at the dmv. change channels while he changes pants. you don't have to be a couch potato, you can be a train potato! and let them watch all the shows they love, inside the ride that you really kind of hate. introducing the all in one plan. only from directv and at&t.

great time for a shiny floor wax, no? not if you just put the finishing touches on your latest masterpiece. timing's important. comcast business knows that. that's why you can schedule an installation at a time that works for you. even late at night, or on the weekend, if that's what you need. because you have enough to worry about. i did not see that coming. don't deal with disruptions. get better internet installed on your schedule. comcast business. built for business.

joining us now on set, exclusively on set secretary of state john kerry. we saw two very different views of the world yesterday from president obama and president putin specifically as it pertains to siro, two different strategies. the president saying assad has to go. putin says we need to partner with assad. is there any middle ground between those two points of view? >> well that's what mr. lavrov and i have been instructed by both lead towers find out. yesterday's meeting was, was genuinely constructive. very civil. there was a very candid discussion. and i think both leaders are looking for a way forward because everybody understands that syria is at stake. and the world is looking rapidly for some kind of resolution. now there was agreement on some fundamental principles. there's an agreement that syria

should be a unified country. united. it needs to be secular. isil needs to be taken on. that there needs to be a managed transition but there's a difference, obviously, in what that means and what that outcome may or may not be. my sense is that, you know, in a meeting this morning with our coalition friends, many of them, not all of them but some of them this morning and then we'll be, i'll be meeting with lavrov again tomorrow and we are looking for a way to try to get to a point where we can manage a transition and have agreement on the outcome and you can resolve it. now let me just say you can end this violence within a very short period of time. have a complete cease-fire which iran could control, which russia could control, which syria could control and which we and our coalition friends could control if one man would merely make it

known to the world that he doesn't have to be part of the long term future, he'll help manage syria out of this mess and then go off in the sunset as most people do after a period of public life. if he were to do that, then you could stop the violence and quickly move to a management. this really all hinges on one person's choice and on supporters of that person who insists that he's the essential ingredient to the future. he's not. and you cannot bring peace in syria as long as assad is in fact there. >> given what you know about president assad and the way he's behaved even over the last three to five years what makes you think he'll be managed out of power. >> we don't know that. assad himself has said on several occasions recently that if the people of syria don't believe i should be there in the future then i would step -- i would leave. he has said it. he has on occasion hinted that, you know, he want as political settlement of one kind or

another. i think it's up to his supporters, his strongest support towers make it clear to him that if you're going save syria, assad has made a set of choices, barrel bombing children, gassing his people, tortures his people, engaging in starvation as a tactic of war. all these things he's done there's no way even if president obama wanted to just play along that you could actually achieve peace because there are 65 million sunni in between baghdad and the border of turkey, syria and iraq who will never ever again accept assad as a legitimate leader. they just won't accept it. doesn't matter what we're thinking. russians need to understand that you cannot have peace unless you resolve the question of sunni buy in. they are the majority of the country. 60 to 65%. they have been ruled by assad

who represent as minority element which is about 12%, 13%. and because of the choices assad made, it's very difficult to see how you resolve this without buy in from sunni world. >> is your job made any more difficult by the fact that some question our credibility and our word because we drew a red line in syria regarding the use of chemical weapons by assad on his own people and we didn't follow up sp >> nicole i'm glad you asked that question. i really am glad. seriously. there's so much misunderstanding about that and i understand the misunderstanding. >> not just from your critics. >> i accept -- look i accept the president's nonstrike impacted perceptions about us. i believe they are dead wrong and i think the critics are dead wrong and here's why. the president made his decision to strike. he announced his decision to

strike publicly. and the purpose of the strike was to get the chemical weapons out of syria. that's the purpose. well while we were in the process post-announcement -- >> when we speak we mean what we say. >> yes, except congress started to weigh in and i was on a conference call with over 100 congressmen. >> democrats and republicans? >> democrats and republicans pup got to come to us. you got to ask permission. lo and behold unbeknownst to everybody on the thursday before the weekend we were going to strike, david cameron went to the parliament and lost the vote. how in the wake of britain's parliament deciding no in a democratic fashion with congressmen screaming you've got to come to us can the president decide to stiff democracy in america and say no. we anticipated winning that vote and winning it quickly. but something else happened on the way to the forum. we achieved a deal with the

russians that didn't wind up 2019 days of strikes that would have sent quota message but would not have removed the weapons. we struck a deal to get all of the declared weapons out of syria. never before in a conflict has that ever happened. that during the conflict weapons of mass destruction are taken out of the zone of conflict and thank god we did that because if we hadn't done that today isil would have those chemical weapons in large parts of the country. >> i want to get back to the question of where we go with russia. they are clearly along with iron doubling down on support from bashar al assad. what chance do you think you have with your counterpart sergei lavrov to say we'll try it your way for six months, double down and we think when that doesn't work then we got basically find a post-assad leader who is -- >> it's not a question of us

quote us finding. we have to create a process that has legitimacy for the people of syria. we need a process where the russians and iranians and neighbors, all of them, saudi, turks are a complicated brew. you can bring them together and find an agreement. you will have bilateral consent by process of transition. yesterday i had a chance to talk with president putin at the end of the meeting and he clearly -- he said to me very directly. i will think about that. i will think about this challenge. look, this is not easy for putin. remember says putin made a big move. putin is there now. and if he wants to fight isil alone that's a challenge, folks. and if he does fight isil alone how does it work out for russia to have sided with assad, sided with iran, sided with hezbollah

when they are trying to reach out to the rest of the sunni world in the region. that's not a good equation for russia. moreover even if it were it won't work to end the violence because the sunni world will never accept assad again. look, this revolution began with young people in syria demonstrating because they want ad future. they wanted opportunity. education. so forth. they went out and did it. thugs came out and beat them up. parents got angry thugs beat the kids up and they went out and demonstrated and met with bullets. they were killed. this is how this began. assad has made a series of choices ever since then that is literally destroying his country. three quarters of his country is displaced. it's in jordan, it's in lebanon, it's in turkey, and in the desert. the threat is that those people in the desert and others could

become the next isil if we don't find a way to join together to go after isil. if russia is there alone fighting them guess what? russia becomes the target. and russia starts seeing who knows man pads will find their way in there, airplanes falling out of the sky. they will become the new magnet together with assad for the jihadis. if the threat is jihadism and it is, and the threat is the destruction of syria so that all of these refugees are swamping into europe and changing the whole character and politics of europe, this is a time to you night and find a way out. as i said in the beginning, if assad himself could save this whole process by saying i will engaging a managed transition, where we all work together to stabilize the government, save the institutions of government and turn on isil and preserve syria, that could happen. it all depends on one man and russia and iran should not be so

stubborn here that they tie this whole thing up simply because of one person. >> yesterday we saw two leaders, president putin, president obama and very contentious and different speeches before the united nations. during the course of the meeting with president putin yesterday president obama you were in the meeting what were the point of agreement >> well the point of agreement are that we want to resolve ukraine. ukraine was the first topic, by the way. we spent a fair amount of time on ukraine. and i think there's a path that we discussed that we will follow up on in order to try to resolve some of the outstanding issues in order to implement minsk. there's an important meeting in paris. hopefully we can work over these next three months, there's a potential to try to make progress in ukraine if people want to cooperate. then we move to syria.

the agreement is fundamentally that we want to try to resolve this. the agreement is isil is a threat to everybody. we need to come together and find a way to fight isil. the agreement is we want to save syria, keep it unified, keep it secular. surely in those very fundamental principles we could agree we should be able to find -- >> can you eninvitation the united states and russia in some form of alliance down the road against isil. >> this is on the table. if you can resolve this transition of assad, that is absolutely possible. but you have to have the clarity for everybody about the way forward. so what was agreed on further is that lavrov and myself and our other colleagues, french, ge germans, saudis -- iranians too? >> in the appropriate manner iranians have to be a component

it but not at the table in a direct way. at least not yet. if we can proceed find competent way here to find the formula by which we can know where we're going in the political track, then it's very, very possible. not even possible it's likely people will say we're all interested in the strike. isil is a threat to everybody. there isn't one country in the region that doesn't despise what isil stands for and is doing and that doesn't want to eliminate them. so we have staring us in the face here an enormous opportunity to find a way forward to have peace and stability in syria, to reconstitute it. it will take years to do that. this will not be an easy fight even with concerted coordination with respect to isil. but it's far more doable with that kind of approach than otherwise. now i heard katty kay's name and i know katty kay said we didn't have a plan. there is a plan.

the president is moving forward with any number of options and ways to augment our efforts on isil. it's not as easy as some people thought some parts of it might be. there's a lot happening. >> secretary kerry can i ask you what the plan is on barrel bombs. everybody agrees it's a priority. now that the russians are involved in the way they are is there anything that the united states can do to put pressure on putin to put pressure on assad as part of this new plan -- >> absolutely. >> -- to stop the barrel bombing >> you're right on target. i talked with lavrov about it and the iranians about it. they are in possession in exchange for what we might do they might decide to keep assad from dropping barrel bombs. i heard richard earlier talking about efforts of a cease-fire.

that's part of the u.n. effort. we would love to see that happen. frankly, those localized efforts take a long time and don't deal with the larger issue of isil and the question of what you'll do to really have a solution here. we have to save syria. the world has to save syria. this has dramatic implications for the entire region globally. as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the u.n. it's a good moment to rekindle our efforts to make multilateralism work again and i'm proud to say in the iran agreement we did show it can work. a lot of those -- in fact all of those same players are in one way or another invested in and at the table in this effort including china who would like to help. >> you don't think it's too late to save syria? >> no, i really don't, richard. i met with a number of refugees in berlin the other day. i was struck by how educated,

intelligent and patriotic they are. they want to go back. they love their country. and there's so many of them still in jordan in refugee camps, in lebanon and in turkey that if you could create the climate within which they could begin to come back i believe there is such a history of secularism within syria, even tolerance within syria that if we can deal with isil, yes. that's the key. and with isil there, not a chance. and the eastern part -- i mean people talk about assad running syria. he doesn't control his own country. he's down to about 20%, 25% of the country. what is this fiction that he's somehow the only person who can save syria. with assad there, there is no syria. that's what the iranians and

russians have to focus on. >> yet putin says we need a partnership. we you know have a meeting to run to. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> back in a moment. ♪ ♪ the final countdown! if you're the band europe, you love a final countdown. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do.

if an electric toothbrush was going to clean better than a manual. he said sure... but don't get just any one. get one inspired by dentists. with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head cups your teeth to break up plaque, and rotates to sweep it away. and oral-b delivers a clinically proven superior clean vs. sonicare diamond clean. my mouth feels super clean. oral-b. know you're getting a superior clean. i'm never going back to a manual brush. rheumatoid arthritis like me... and you're talking to a rheumatologist about a biologic, this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira helping me reach for more. doctors have been prescribing humira for more than 10 years.

humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contrubutes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com this is humira at work.

how henry kissinger got to washington, just under a thousand pages. we'll be right back. and accessi. my drivers don't have time to fill out forms. tablets. keep it all digital. we're looking to double our deliveries. our fleet apps will find the fastest route. oh, and your boysenberry apple scones smell about done. ahh, you're good. i like to bake. add new business services with at&t and get up to $500 in total savings.

when a moment spontaneously turns romantic, why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use, is the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. insurance coverage has expanded nationally and you may now be covered. contact your health plan for the latest information. the internet of things. what we're recommending as your consultants... the new consultants are here. it's not just big data, its bigger data. we're beta testing the new wearable interface... ♪ xerox believes finding the right solution shouldn't be so much work. by engineering a better way for people, process and technology to work together. work can work better. with xerox.

joining us, professor of history at harvard, kneel ferguson, author of "kissinger, 1923-1968, the idealist." good to have you with us. >> good to be back. >> why did you decide to write about this period of his live? >> it was his idea that i write a biography if. i said, all right, gloves off. this is part one of two volumes. i wanted to tell the story of where he came from. it's an extraordinary story, gets you right up the to moment that he becomes richard nixon's national security adviser and may have how it was that a kid born into south germany, who grew up under the nazis, was a

je refugee, topical to this country. all previous books about kissinger have said very little about his early years and in some ways, they're the most fascinating times. >> what about his early years make him different? what significant elements are different? >> i think the war experience. he was conscripted and sent back to europe six years after fleeing germany, he was back there in a u.s. uniform. of course others had that experience. but he met a remarkable man, fritz cramer in the u.s. army. it was cramer who spotted that kissinger had fire power and encouraged him to be be an historian and apply to harvard.

he was a mentor to kissinger during all those years. >> during the phase you write about, did he know he wanted to work in the highest levels of government or did that come later? >> at harvard he met williama d yaundel elliott, who was very bombastic. and kissinger seemed interested that he had some role in making policy. >> you wrote he never really got anywhere at harvard. >> the thing i liked about henry kissinger's harvard years was

smokey the dog. this was an unexpected part of the story that kissinger had brought a dog back that he picked up in paris during the war. it was entirely against regulations to have a dog in the dorm but somehow he managed to get around this and smokey the dog became an important part of his early life. >> you're right, we did not know this. >> the other point is to understand this man's philosophy and theory of strategy, we just had a conversation about secretary kerry about the strategy of the united states today. i think anyone had reads this book and understands kissinger's strategic thought will be very skeptical about what kerry said, with all due respect to him. part of the book is is to explain strategic theory and show where kissinger's first principles came from. >> one of the most important figures of world history of the 20th century and this gives the

back ground. niall ferguson, great to have you with us. >> coming up, president obama's and vladimir putin's face-to-face meeting at the u.n. josh earnest will be our guest. "morning joe" is back in a moment. proud of you, son. ge! a manufacturer. well that's why i dug this out for you. it's your grandpappy's hammer and he would have wanted you to have it. it meant a lot to him... yes, ge makes powerful machines.

but i'll be writing the code that will allow those machines to share information with each other. i'll be changing the way the world works. (interrupting) you can't pick it up, can you? go ahead. he can't lift the hammer. it's okay though! you're going to change the world. made with hydrogenated oil... ...but real joyful moments are shared over the real cream in reddi-wip. ♪ reddi-wip. (flourish spray noise) share the joy. share the joy. where our next arrival is... red carpet whoa! toenail fungus!? fight it! with jublia. jublia is a prescription medicine used to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. are you getting this?! most common side effects include ingrown toenail, application site redness, itching, swelling, burning or stinging, blisters, and pain. oh, epic moves, big j! fight it! getting ready for your close-up? ask your doctor if jublia is right for you.

visit our website for savings on larger size. turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. after one year, skin looks ageless. ♪

♪ the beautiful sound of customers making the most of their united flight. power, wi-fi, and streaming entertainment. that's... seize the journey friendly. ♪ good morning on a tuesday. with us on the set here, former communications director for president george w. bush, nicole

wallace. >> the wonderful mike barnicle is here. >> wonderful, stupendous. mark halperin, richard haas from washington, the washington anchor for bbc america, katty kay and msnbc political analyst eugene robbins. richard, we have to start with you, the u.n. wow, president obama, president putin meeting behind closed doors, two very different visions of what we ought to do in syria. >> if you read the speeches, president obama is a talking about a managed transition to an inclusive government, u.n. talk for let's get rid of assad and putin says "we think it is an enormous mistake to cooperate with the syrian government and armed forces who are valiantly fighting terrorism face to

face." the russians and iranians want to double down on bashar al assad. the russians and iranians are going to get a chance to do it their way. >> let me ask you, given the present situation of the moment, which of those views would you consider to be more realistic in terms of combatting and defeating isis? >> well, neither one is going to work because quite honestly, the russian view -- the problem with keeping assad in place is he's the best recruiter for isis and he only controls about a quarter of the territory but they'll try that. the american view is great in principle but it's not going to have in practice and putin, i hate to say it, makes a really good point. he basically says if you get rid of these guys, how do you know we're not going to have a collapse of authority like we had in libya and the last thing we want is for isis to waltz

into libya and establish his caliphate. >> let get into some of those speeches yesterday, the much anticipated meetings between president barack obama and vladimir putin was characterized as very constructive. the two offered each other this terse toast at lunch after putin sat down 20 minutes later. in their speeches to the general assembly, they outlined divergent approaches for defeating isis and how to handle syria, putin criticizing arming rebels and calling for a broader anti-terror coalition. one obama official telling

putin, quote, knock yourselves out. >> we're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, it the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling. in accordancelogic, we should sport tyrants like bashar al assad, who drops barrel bombs on innocent children because the alternative is worse. >> i cannot help asking those who have caused the situation do you realize now what you've done? i'm afraid no one is going to answer that. tens of thousands of militants are fighting under the banners of the so called islamic state. its friends include former iraqi

servicemen who were thrown out into the street after the invasion of iraq in 2003. many also come from libya, a country whose statehood was destroyed as a result of the resolution in 1973 and the ranks of radicals have been joined by the rebels of the so-called moderate supported by western countries. first, they are armed and trained and then they defect to the so-called islamic state. >> president obama also taking the fight to vladimir putin in his own back yard, calling putin out directly for annexing crimea. >> we recognize the deep history between russia and ukraine but we cannot stand by with the sovereign and territorial integrity of a country is

invaded. a view shared by a number of u.s. commentators who have always been deeply skeptical of russia and seem to be convinced a new cold war is in fact upon us. look at the results. >> richard, that's a hell of a prelude to lunch, the two guys going after each other like that and they sit down. what's it like in that meeting for 90 minutes? >> as a rule of thumb when you show up 90 minutes later to lunch from the president of the united states, it a diss. putin pulled up every chestnut in the iraq war to everything the united states has done and hasn't done and basically said everything that's going on in the middle east is your fault,

who are you to preach to me? >> have you ever seen a smackdown like this between two super powers at the u.n. before? >> krushchev had a pretty good smackdown when he banged his shoe on the table. >> one of these men is putting armies behind his words. whose actions match their word? >> obama has a tremendous problem where his credibility took a major hit because of syria. putin doesn't have the capacity of obama but he's seen as somebody who is tougher, look what he did in crimea, what he's doing in syria. putin is going to get his way in the short run in syria bus heec he's going to -- we're going to take a back seat, let the russians, iranians try to buttress assad. he'll be in control of his little chunk syria but can't

control most of the territory. it one of four failed states along with libya, iraq and yemen. nothing happened yesterday that will change that trajectory. >> isn't the united states saying we can't solve syria, you solve it. that's what knock yourselves out means. >> it saying we can't solve syria, you can't solve syria and when you've tried and failed, let get broader support. one way or another are syria is going to be a mess, not just for months or years but i think for decades to come and isis is going to be able to operate out of syria. >> before we get to katty kay in washington, can you explain russia's end game and the united states end game in syria? >> to have this government reestablish the authority offer the territory of syria and decimate isis.

russia doesn't want isis to come home to russia. there's 2,000 chechen fighters there, to expand governmental control. the united states is to build a successor government that enjoys more support of the people and have that gradually gain control. >> but in the short term if russia gets what it wants, that's a good outcome compared to the status quo for the united states. we may not want him to stay but stability right now -- >> it not stability. it's the government stays in control in maybe a fourth of the tear trrritor territory, it's a major recruiting magnate for isis. you don't keep a government in damascus but the country itself continues to turn over. >> katty kay, the president said assad must go. what's the plan? >> the truth is the americans don't really have a plan. what i think the russian moves over the last couple of weeks

have shown is the extent to which the u.s. policy in syria is in tatters and has been so for several years now. there have been moments in the course of the last four years where the u.s. could have effectively intervened and imposed no-fly zones, could have imposed buffer zones and stopped bashar al assad barrel bombing its own people. it doesn't do any of those things and now the russians are taking that vacuum. i kind of agree with the moment. the fact that the russians have a plan here is better than the no plan that the americans have. if it brings some amount of stability -- there are flaws in it because assad is not fighting isis, he's fighting the opponents to his regime. i think some amount of stability in the region is probably better and maybe the u.s. can use some influence or negotiating power with putin to say can you do something to stop the barrel bombing of civilians.

that might be the only quid pro quo we get out of this. >> gene, in washington, john mccain and david petraeus, the usual voices that have a lot of credibility on these issues are talking about what katty has described. they used to be able to garner bipartisan support. are they breaking through at all anymore? >> well, not really because what is the bipartisan policy for syria? i mean, you know, there is still no appetite for the kind of robust u.s. military not just involvement but intervention that you would need to really effect events on ground in syria. it just isn't that willingness to do it. so putin does have a plan. he's going to go ahead and do what he wants to accomplish. to me it looks like a fairly short-term plan to tell you the truth because i wonder what it

going to look like six months from now or a year from now when russia is starting to get bogged down in a situation that, you know, people are going to start likening i think to vietnam or afghanistan or other misadventures. syria is a mess. it's not going to be solved easily even by putin. >> i think no doubt coming out of that meeting there will be increased intelligence and military cooperation between the the united states and syria. better for the united states. we'll provide some assistance but we're not having young american men and women on the ground there. >> we'll start a conversation with the russians about the political future of syria. the russians are going to say we'll work with this government for now but if this doesn't work you could have down the road come up with a post assad. first they'll try backing assad.

if and when i would predict that doesn't work, i could imagine a pivot where the united states and russia talk about the next phase. >> do we have baggage going into that alliance? >> hundred percent. the united states credibility has taken a hit. probably the biggest thing the president didn't do in his presidency is follow up on the syrian regime after they used chemicals. >> last hour we spoke with secretary of state john kerry about a day of fireworks at the u.n. >> yesterday's meeting was genuinely constructive, very civil. there was very candid discussion and i think both leaders are looking for a way forward because everybody understands that syria is at stake. and the world is looking rapidly

for some kind of resolution. now, there was agreement on some fundamental principles. there's an agreement that syria should be a unified country, united, that it needs to be secular, that isil needs to be taken on and that there needs to be a managed transition but there is a difference obviously in what that means and what that outcome may or may not be. my sense is that we'll is a meeting this morning with our coalition friends, many of them, not all of them but some of them this morning. and then i'll be meeting again tomorrow. and we are looking for a way to try to get to a point where we can manage a transition and have agreement on the outcome and you could resolve it. now, let me just say you could end this violence within a very short period of time, have a complete cease-fire, which iran could control, which russia could control, which syria could

control and which we and our coalition friends could control if one man would mere lily make known to the world he doesn't have to be part of the long-term future, he'll help manage syria in this mess and then go off into the sunset. if he would to do that, you could stop the violence and begin the management. this hinges on one person's choice who insists he is the essential ingredient to the future. he's not. and you cannot bring piece in syria as long as assad is in fact there. >> given what you know about president assad and the way he's behaved even just over the last three to five years, what makes you think he will be managed out of power? >> well, we don't know that. assad has said on several occasions recently if the people of syria doesn't believe i should be there in the future,

then i would leave. he has said it. he has on occasion hinted that he wants a political settlement of one kind or another. i think it's up to his supporters, his strongest supporters, to make it clear to him that if you're going to save syria, assad has made a set of choices, barrel bombing children, gassing his people, torturing his people, engaging in starvation as a tactic of war, all of these things that he has done, there's no way even if president obama wanted to just play along that you could actually achieve peace because there are 65 million sunni in between baghdad and the border of turkey, syria and iraq who will never, ever again accept assad as a legitimate leader. they just won't accept it it. it doesn't matter what we're thinking. and the russians need to understand that you cannot have peace unless you resolve the question of sunni buy-in. they are the majority of the

country, 60 to 65%. they've been ruled by assad who represents a minority, 12% to 13%. because of the choices assad made, it hard to see how you resolve this without by in from the sunni world. >> coming up, white house secretary josh earnest is here at the studio. he joins the table. straight ahead. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. most amazing things we build and it doesn't even fly. we build it in classrooms and exhibit halls, mentoring tomorrow's innovators. we build it raising roofs, preserving habitats and serving america's veterans. every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us.

we've gotpeptocopter! ummy town. ♪ when cold cuts give your belly thunder, pink relief is the first responder, so you can be a business boy wonder! ♪ fix stomach trouble fast with pepto. when you're not confident your company's data is secure, the possibility of a breach can quickly become the only thing you think about. that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most. awe believe active management can protect capital long term. active management can tap global insights.

active management can take calculated risks. active management can seek to outperform. because active investment management isn't reactive. it's active. that's the power of active management.

and i am a certified arborist for pg&e.ughes i oversee the patrolling of trees near power lines and roots near pipes and underground infrastructure. at pg&e wherever we work, we work hard to protect the environment. getting the job done safely so we can keep the lights on for everybody. because i live here i have a deeper connection to the community. and i want to see the community grow and thrive. every year we work with cities and schools to plant trees in our communities. the environment is there for my kids and future generations. together, we're building a better california. joining us now white house press secretary josh earnest and

chief foreign correspondent. >> good morning. we rarely see you in the flesh. >> out from behind the podium. >> let's talk about what happened yesterday. we heard president obama talk about a managed transition for assad out of power. we just heard secretary kerry use that term again and again. what does that mean? why do you think president assad will say, okay, i'll be managed out of power? >> there a couple of things at stake here. it was an important acknowledgement from the russians that while we have a clear difference of opinion about assad's continuation in power, there was agreement and acknowledgement on part of the russians that a political agreement is necessary. it is acknowledgement for the russians that with all of the challenges with isil, the

political problem is the root problem. >> but putin said exactly the opposite of what the president say. >> an acknowledgement that there is this root political problem represents progress. the other thing that is indisputable is assad has lost -- >> you have the morning papers say that president obama lacks the power to change putin. >> i think is a tendency to make this a personal -- like what's the president going to do to check president putin. >> this is about a million refugees in german today. this is a human catastrophe. i don't think anyone is making it about personalities but what is the plan? >> but that is what impacts our decision making. this isn't about trying to keep vladimir putin's ego in check.

>> i think it's too late for that, don't you? >> there's no denying it's quite healthy, which is fine. the challenge really is what are we going to do to prevent syria from descending into total chaos, where you essentially have extremist -- >> so you think it's not there yet? >> i think it pretty close. what we've been able to do because we've been able to build in multi-national coalition, we have been able to apply significant pressure on to isil that has limited where they can operate and taken out some isil leaders and extremists. so that has been helpful but ultimately we'll need to find a political solution. there's no denying on what that political solution looks like. >> opposite? >> but the acknowledgement that's where the solution lies is important progress. we're going to have to go back to the rest of the international

community -- >> john kerry has been talking about a political solution for years now, keeps failing, geneva, doesn't come together. today as the president and vice president will be sitting at this counter, isis terror summit at the u.n., at that exact moment a bipartisan committee will issue a report slamming the lack of progress and taking apart. it a very bad report card and democrats as well as republicans are signing on to this. >> right. this is a very difficult challenge and what we're going to need to do is to continue to lead the international community to analyze where our interests lie and focus on a response. the president made an early decision, that we're not going to commit significant u.s. military boots on the ground inside of syria. that's not in our interests. it not in our short term or long-term interests. we're going to need to martial the international community to respond. i would be the first one to acknowledge as i have on many occasions, finding a political

slags has been difficult. it's not gotten a lot of traction. having the russians acknowledge a political transition of some kind is necessary is a start. >> just briefly you acknowledge that vladimir putin has a healthy ego. what about the barack and vlad meeting? what were the dynamics like personally? >> was he mad that he was 20 minutes late? >> anybody that's been around the u.n. knows it total chaos inside that building so people were running late frequently. >> but when you come in and ban ki-moon is already giving his speech -- >> the meeting ran long because it was a generally constructive conversation. the president is describing that he has a business-like relationship can vladimir putin. this is the first time that i sat in on one of their in-person meetings. that's exactly what it was like.

there was an opportunity for the two men to be quite candid and quite direct. it was not intense, not heated. there were some areas where they agree in terms of a need for political transition, the need to focus on isil, acknowledging the threat that isil poses not just to the region but the broader world but they were cann candid about where they disagree. and there was an agreement on a need to deconflict with whatever russia's military's plans may be. >> how do you think history will write about how president obama and the administration handled the challenges of syria? >> i think it highlights how -- frankly how difficult it is for the international community to respond to these difficult situations. that's what's interesting about being here, the 70th anniversary of the form as of the united

nations to highlight in the modern world, it difficult to mobilize -- >> specifically what will history say about how the president performed and met the challenges of syria? >> the president did make an important strategic decision on the front end that the united states was not going to commit a significant number of boots on the ground inside of syria. the other thing that historians will acknowledge is that iran has been successful in building up proxies in the region that have been very destabilizing. and there are sunni interests scattered across the middle east that hasn't been able to organize their efforts as effectively. you have sunni extremists that yield much more influence than the established sunni interests in the region. that sectarian conflict is playing out -- >> is it possible that vie will say the president should have

done more? >> again, it hard to say. that's certainly the possibility. but i also think that right now if we were having this discussion and there were 75,000 u.s. military personnel on the ground inside of syria, the stakes for the united states would be a heck of a lot higher. and the fact is we have been able to protect our interests using the military commit the president has been willing to make by martialing an international coalition and finding a political solution. our interests have been advanced but the problems have not been solved. >> the president's former secretary of state hillary clinton was on with chuck todd yesterday and was asked if she thought the military plan was a failure. >> there are four or five rebels we have trained with american military help and american mite that are still there fighting the fight.

that's a failure in policy, isn't it? >> well, it is. >> that strategy has not worked as well as we had hoped. there are many that suggested that a training praying like this was the key to our success inside of syria. they were wrong, too. this should be integrated into our other efforts inside of syria, which includes supporting the efforts of fighters on the ground, that have made progress of driving isil out of parts of syria. we've also may progress shutting down some of isil's efforts to finance their operations. we are actively countering their efforts to shut down the flow of foreign fighters. that will be a lot of the discussion at the u.n. today. so we've made some important progress when it comes to our overall strategy. again, we're not at a place where we found a solution. because the president has made a

stra teej ek decision to not commit american military personnel to syria, we need some fighters on the grountd that we can count on. the efforts that the pentagon hassin gauged in to train and equipment some fighters on our own has not beared much truth at all but we have partnered were some on sigts fighters in syria -- >> like six, ten, 50,000? >> we've got fighters on the ground there that have essentially reclaimed about 1,700 square kilometers inside of syria. co banny got a lot of attention earlier this year. that is a place where the president did make a decision to air drop supplies. that is an indication that we can advance our interests and that has limited isil's ability to carry out attacks in the the region and around the world. this is still a difficult,

thorny issue to confront. >> katty, does the president ever regret drawing that red line and not enforcing it? >> he does not. and we would be in a much worse situation had theins acted unilaterally. even if we had do that, syria would still have a declared chemical weapons stockpile. right now they don't. >> you're saying that we wouldn't have gained anything in terms of our credibility in the world by saying something and then doing what we said we would do? couldn't american power then influence their decisions about stock piles? >> as a practical matter we know that right now bashar al assad does not have a nuclear weapons pile. >> it historic -- >> right now has add -- we

worked effectively with the stockpile and we destroyed that chemical weapon stockpile, which means bashar al assad can't use those against his own people. and those won'tons would not fall into the hands of extremists so the terrorists cannot use them against people, including americans. >> josh, there are press reports of both the assad regime and isil still using some chemical weapons. so it not clear that they've been totally brought out of the the country. but david cameron has come out and said he believes they should be part of the process. is that helpful, unhelpful? is that basically where the americans are oorks too, but you just haven't said it?

>> the president acknowledged yesterday a managed transic you'll recall that this whole thing started because there was a peaceful uprising raising legitimate concerns about his leadership that he responded to violently and that ripped the country apart, created an opportunity for extremists to come in, gain a foothold there. it has meant that he has lost power over significant portions of the country and it has caused this, as you point out nicole, this gut wrenching humanitarian crisis there, that these are syrian familiar fleeing violence. they're scarered throughout the the human toll of this -- i guess, mark, to go back to your question earlier, history will write about the human toll. i do think it hats ultimately

does have real world kons kwnss and there are millions of lives affected as a result. >> we know you have to run. one final question, will the kansas city royals win the world series? >> i'm counting on it. they've had a little rough september but they've got another week to sort of put this together and get hot before the playoffs. last year was probably the. >> you've always got a good answer for everything. >> but should papelbon be fired and matt williams be fired? >> if they allow that guy in the clubhouse of washington d.c. ever again, i don't know. >> nice answer. >> come by any time. >> andrea mitchell, thank you as well. what do you have coming up at noon? >> we've got a lot about the u.n. and also planned parenthood, big showdown on the hill.

>> still ahead, the stories that will be moving today's markets. we'll be right back on "morning joe." so he can rapidly prepare his presentation. and when he perfects his pitch, do you know what chris can do? and that is my recommendation. let's see if he's ready. he can swim with the sharks! he's ready. la quinta inns & suites take care of you, so you can take care of business. book your next stay at lq.com! la quinta! with roc® multi correxion® 5 in 1. proven to hydrate dryness, illuminate dullness, lift sagging, diminish the look of dark spots, and smooth the appearance of wrinkles. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. and smooth the appearance of wrinkles. so wi got a job!ews? i'll be programming at ge. oh i got a job too, at zazzies. (friends gasp) the app where you put fruit hats on animals? i love that! guys, i'll be writing code that helps machines communicate. (interrupting) i just zazzied you.

(phone vibrates) look at it! (friends giggle) i can do dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs... you name it. i'm going to transform the way the world works. (proudly) i programmed that hat. and i can do casaba melons. i'll be helping turbines power cities. i put a turbine on a cat. (friends ooh and ahh) i can make hospitals run more efficiently... this isn't a competition! i tried depend last weekend. it really made the difference between a morning around the house and getting a little exercise. only depend underwear has new confidence core technology for fast absorption and the smooth, comfortable fit of fit-flex™ protection. get a coupon at depend.com but it is not the device that is mobile, it is you. real madrid have about 450 million fans. we're trying to give them all the feeling of being at the stadium. the microsoft cloud gives us the scalability to communicate exactly the content that people want to see. it will help people connect to their passion of living real madrid.

i'm a gas service rep for pg&e in san jose.. as a gas service rep we are basically the ambassador of the company. we make the most contact with the customers on a daily basis. i work hand-in-hand with crews to make sure our gas pipes are safe. my wife and i are both from san jose. my kids and their friends live in this community. every time i go to a customer's house, their children could be friends with my children so it's important to me. one of the most rewarding parts of this job is after you help a customer, seeing a smile on their face. together, we're building a better california.

okay. time now for business before the bell. dominic, what's going on today? >> we're going to watch from whether this market can rebound from that terrible day yesterday. everyone's ira went down yesterday.

when you got hillary clinton talking about biotechnology, it's always going to be a focus opinion also keeping an eye of what's happening with carl icahn.bullish on the market. he's saying we have to close tax loopholes and make it so average americans can do pell well. he said he kind of likes donald trump, would endorse them. now the single-serve coffee guy, but for things like iced tea and soda, pricing out between $299 and $369 per unit. we'll see if they gain any traction with single-serve cold beverages. >> that's just what we need in our lives, a hot machine and code machine. >> i love keurig. >> last year bill gates was the

richest man in american. we'll see if he hold on to his place. and tune in to the live stream of the minds and machines conference in san francisco. log on to msnbc.com today at 4:00 p.m. eastern. we'll be right back. ♪ i think i should be going, yeah ♪ ♪ time doesn't wait for me, it keeps on rolling ♪ i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn because you can't beat zero heartburn!

ahhh the sweet taste of victory! prilosec otc. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. this woman... this cancer patient... christine... living her life... loving her family. moments made possible in part by the breakthrough science of advanced genomic testing. after christine exhausted the standard treatment options for her disease, doctors working with the center for advanced individual medicine at cancer treatment centers of america suggested advanced genomic testing. the test results revealed a finding that led to the use of a targeted therapy that was not considered for christine before. now, they're helping fight her cancer on another, deeper level... the genetic level. this is precision cancer treatment, an approach to care that may help patients like christine enjoy the things that matter most in their lives while undergoing treatment. the evolution of cancer care is here. that's definitely something worth celebrating.

learn more about precision cancer treatment at cancercenter.com. appointments are available now. like limiting where you earn bonus cash back.hings. why put up with that? but the quicksilver card from capital one likes to keep it simple. real simple. i'm talking easy like-a- walk-in-the-park, nothing-to-worry-about, man-that-feels-good simple. quicksilver earns you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. it's a simple question. what's in your wallet? >>mine hurt more.. >>mine stopped hurting faster! neosporin plus pain relief starts relieving pain faster and kills more types of infectious bacteria neosporin plus pain relief kills the germs. fights the pain. use with band-aid brand. (vo) wit runs on optimism.un on? it's what sparks ideas. moves the world forward.

invest with those who see the world as unstoppable. who have the curiosity to look beyond the expected and the conviction to be in it for the long term. oppenheimerfunds believes that's the right way to invest... ...in this big, bold, beautiful world. randall lane is here, the editor of forbes magazine. man, is he busy counting, he's got an abacus and everything. bill gates is listed in "forbes" as the wealthiest. and the wealthiest is down $5 billion --

>> the tippy tippy top are down including gates and buffett. we've got $2.34 trillion among the 400 richest people in america. >> how do you find out what they're worth? >> we have a whole team that spends all year digging and digging. we talked to most people on the list. >> do they lie? >> there's a lot of lies. half of them lie higher, half lie lower. half want to be off the list and half want to be number one. a few of them are shooting straight with us. our numbers, we've got the best team out there and they spend all year just doing this. how much are these folks worth? >> any surprises? the youth. mark zuckerberg is worth more than $40 billion now. evan spiegel from snapchat, worth over $3 billion. he's only 25 years old. self-made. we have elizabeth holmes,

richest self-made woman in the world worth $4 billion, $5 billion, she's only 31 years old. so it the young business web 3.0, the money is so big, if you hit it, it's still winner take all but if you hit it, it's amazing what you can make before you're 30. >> any idea why none of us here have hit? >> you just need the one idea. >> the cover is donald trump. we spent more time on his file than anybody in our history, spent months and months on it. i spent the last week. he's worth $4.5 billion. we think we finally settled the issue. he's out there telling everybody he's worth $10 billion. he's not. he has some arguments, we spent a long time arguing about it -- >> will he attack you on twitter today. >> we will find out. he knows what's coming. we told him what his number was. we spent many, many hours with him. that's somebody who shares a lot.

there's been a rule at forbes for the last 40 years, take what trump says and divide by three and you probably get the real number. we went asset by asset -- >> the number you came up with is pretty similar to what bloomberg came up with a while ago. what's the discrepancy of what trump claims and you claim? >> he puts the biggest number on his brand. he says my brand is just $3.5 billion, just the trump brand. we think the money he makes is based on his brand. we think that's factored into the deal that he cuts. we did not count. we talked to 20 brand experts. if you take the trump brand and break it out, we had a range from $125 million to 1.5 billion. every brand expert we talked to

say the summer of trump has made his brand more valuable. yes, it not as broad but it's deep. and those who like him really like him. >> randall, we would like to have spent more time with you this morning, but we got to go get to work. >> randall lane, thank you very much. up next, madmen comes to new york for advertising week. we'll look at the changing industry ahead but first, here are some good old fashioned commercials. >> i love these. whatever you're doing, plan well and enjoy life... ♪ or, as we say at unitedhealthcare insurance company, go long. of course, how you plan is up to you. take healthcare. make sure you're covered for more than what just medicare pays... consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare

insurance company... you might give this a try... the only medicare supplement plans that carry the aarp name, and the ones that millions of people trust year after year. plan well. enjoy life. go long. so you're a small business expert from at&t? yeah, give me a problem and i've got the solution. well, we have 30 years of customer records. our cloud can keep them safe and accessible anywhere. my drivers don't have time to fill out forms. tablets. keep it all digital. we're looking to double our deliveries. our fleet apps will find the fastest route. oh, and your boysenberry apple scones smell about done. ahh, you're good. i like to bake. add new business services with at&t and get up to $500 in total savings. i tried depend last weekend. it really made the difference between a morning around the house and getting a little exercise. only depend underwear has new confidence core technology for fast absorption and the smooth, comfortable fit of fit-flex™ protection. get a coupon at depend.com

things we build and it'sit doesn't even fly.zing we build it in classrooms and exhibit halls, mentoring tomorrow's innovators. we build it raising roofs, preserving habitats and serving america's veterans. every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us. to see if they could find the guy who uses just for men. it's me. no way. i had no clue. just for men gives you a natural gray-free look in just 5 minutes. it looks really good. great looking hair made easy. just for men. awe believe active management can protect capital long term. active management can tap global insights. active management can take calculated risks. active management can seek to outperform.

because active investment management isn't reactive. it's active. that's the power of active management.

don draper, genius. the advertising game has come a long way since the days of "mad

men." joining us, michael cassen and the chief marketing and communications officer for unilever. the old coca-cola ad, everyone remembers that. where are ads going? what about online ads? >> we're seeing that today. we see it in the device we carry in our pocket, at the laptop we sit at at our desk. we see it across all of the platforms. i think we're still seeing a fair amount of television ads, radio ads, outdoor bill boards. so the mix is changing but i think as we look at the move toward everything being mobile and as keith likes to say, always on, i think we're going to see it continuing to proliferate in that fashion. >> how does it impact revenue? >> advertising revenue? >> yeah. >> i think advertising follows eyeballs.

if people are spending more time on different devices, your advertising funds, the free internet. when you're on the einternet, you'll see some ads. the first chang is online. mobile is changing everything. >> the pressure is the campaign is to create that viral moment for your candidate. i imagine that's the same pressure in your industry. how does that affect the creative process >> i think the creative process is the thing that's probably changed the most. mobile first is the first thing. there's no point in creating some sort of ad if it not going to be viewable and easy accessed on the device people want. you have to think differently, how do you create an ad that's going to look good on this little screen? once you can do that, you translate to the other screen is easier. it not really the thought of -- it's now together. we're no longer talking about

digital marketing. we're talking about marketing in a digital world. >> content is content. >> content is important. and whether it this size or this size or this size, it's still a picture we really enjoy. >> i think it's fair to say unilever with one of its most famous brands, dove, created one of the most successful viral campaigns and for sure the campaign for real beauty. but if you go back to some of the award winning work that's been done on behalf of the dove brand around the world -- >> 130 million views. not bad. >> people today say i want that. >> right. >> so what happens when companies want to be on facebook instead of in the newspaper?

how is that going to work out? >> you got to tell stories. i think the difference is the old fashioned advertising and such was all about interruption and now what people are interested in is content that people want to engage in. whether you're a bank or car or ben & jerry's ice cream, one of ours, how do you spend time people want to spend time on. how do you do it in a way that engages people? >> mike, the truth is there's been a digital journey. unilever was at the forefront of that almost six years ago, taking that first dive into the silicon valley to actually understand the multiple platforms and how to utilize them. >> you guys have to come back. >> thank you very much. we appreciate it. we need a commercial. and that does it for us this morning because of commercials. the "the rundown" picks up live coverage after a quick break.

dotcom superstar. and us, we'll be right there with you, helping with the questions you need answered to get your brand new business started. we're legalzoom and we've already partnered with over a million new business owners to do just that. check us out today to see how you can become one of them. legalzoom. legal help is here. made with hydrogenated oil... ...but real joyful moments are shared over the real cream in reddi-wip. ♪ reddi-wip. (flourish spray noise) share the joy. share the joy. we heard you got a job as a developer!!!!! its official, i work for ge!! what? wow... yeah! okay... guys, i'll be writing a new language for machines so planes, trains, even hospitals can work better. oh! sorry, i was trying to put it away... got it on the cake. so you're going to work on a train?

not on a train...on "trains"! you're not gonna develop stuff anymore? no i am... do you know what ge is?

listerine® total care strengthens teeth, after brushing, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. listerine® total care. one bottle, six benefits. power to your mouth™. when broker chris hill stays at laquinta and fires up free wi-fi, with a network that's now up to 5 times faster than before you know what he can do? let's see if he's ready. he can swim with the sharks! book your next stay at lq.com!

good morning. i'm jose diaz-balart. president obama makes his bid to turn long-time adversaries into allies. gearing up for a sitdown with the leader of cuba later today. yesterday's 90-minute meeting with vladimir putin was described as surprisingly open but left without much agreement. one key problem, syrian leader bashar al assad. simply put,