>> let's go back to this question of russia and hacking. can you tell us what you know about the relationship and what the campaign knows and what donald trump believed? >> we have no relationship. this is an absurd attempt by the clinton campaign to get the focus off the real issue, the real issue isn't even the democratic server being hacked, the real issue is her server. >> to be clear, mr. trump has no financial relationships with any russian oligarches. >> that's what he said and what our position is. >> those are just three of the many times then trump campaign chairman, paul manafort, denied ties between his campaign and russia. >> manafort had an in person

meeting and now another senior aide an manafort is heading back to court and robert mueller's office is asking questions about what they might have exchanged. good morning. welcome to "morning joe." it's wednesday, february 13th. you guys know what tomorrow is. along with joe, willie and me, we have -- >> by the time, mike, i can't -- you know, every year, tomorrow is a special day for me. no. this year -- this year, tomorrow is going to be, i think, more special than ever, what happens tomorrow on february the 14th. no, it will be. >> no. >> no, it's so special because, mike, my god -- >> catching. >> in fort myers, red sox are showing up. how exciting. i may even take my loved one, little jack over there, to watch

chris sail throw. fast catch. it could be very exciting tomorrow. >> joe, i'm going out and buying a new catcher's mitt tomorrow in anticipation. it's what tomorrow is all about. >> exactly. >> mike barnicle is here. professor at princeton university is here and i'm sure you know what tomorrow is. and former state department ellis jordan, and reporter for the "washington post" is with us. we'll get to that report in just a moment. first, me want wall. president trump tweeted his approval of the deal, but while it's short of the $5.7 billion he's asked for he tried to frame it as a win. he tweeted, just given the

concepts of the border deal by hard working richard shelby and all aspects this hooked to other sources. we will be getting almost $23 billion for border security. regardless of wall money, it's being built as we speak. plus, i want to thank all republicans for the work you have done with dealing with the radical left on border security. not an easy task, but the wall is being built and will be a great achievement and contributor toward life and safety within our country. a white house official told nbc news earlier tuesday, even if trump signs off on the agreement to keep the government open, other options were on the table to build a more substantial barrier. yesterday, senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell and judiciary committee leader lindsey graham, they will fund the gap for building the wall trump long said mexico would pay

for and would do that by using his presidential powers. >> i hope he signs the bill, and, second, i think he ought to feel free to use whatever tools he can legally use to enhance his effort to secure the border. >> as to the money for the barrier, if he can use steel barriers like he's been talking about, i would say that's overall a pretty good deal and make up the difference between 1.375 and 5.7 through executive action. >> as we know, willie geist, if you read your constitution, all funding begins with the legislative branch and executive branch when the executive branch can't get the legislative branch to agree. what lindsey graham just said, unconstitutional. what mitch mcconnell is suggesting, unconstitutional.

it doesn't make a lot of sense. if donald trump could have gotten $23 billion for his wall, why did he shut down the government as long as he shut down the government and watch his approval ratings sinks, 6, 7, 8, 9 points. he can't get the $23 billion but if he tries to, that will be overturned by the supreme court. we should be happy the government is going to stay open and they're looking for a fig leaf. i would be looking for the person who gave me the advice to not take the $20 billion from congress last year, when they were willing to give the president of the united states $20 billion when he was holding his strongest hand and they said, no, don't take that money. because of that person in the white house, whoever it is, he's gone from getting 21, 22, $23 billion for border security to

$1.3 billion for border security. the art of the steal from democrats. they have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. >> yeah. the art of the deal having ann coulter tell you not to take the deal and then take less money for the wall, forget the $5.7 billion. now, ann coulter is criticizing the president again. trump talks a good game on the border wall but it is increasingly clear he's afraid to fight for it. call this his "yellow new deal." we'll see if the president responds this time to conservative criticism the way he did in december. >> donald trump is so sensitive to any criticism from his brain trust of cable news advisors, it wouldn't be thinkable for donald

trump to say, i don't know, this isn't good enough and up-end at the last minute, just because he is solely driven by what people are saying about him in any given moment. >> he said two nights ago it was a garbage compromise, his moneyline. >> garbage compromise. and mike barnicle, chances are the president can get away with this. we saw the other night all those people in el paso, the people applauding and jumping to their feet, we're already building the wall. go check it out. we're living in an alternate reality anyway. we had the president lying to his supporters saying he is building the wall when no building has begun. he'll take this and keep lying, they will keep supporting him. what will it matter? >> the sad and dangerous thing i

truly believe donald trump thinks he's building a wall, when in fact he's not. the other sad aspect as you pointed out, you can't help thinking to yourself as president trump sits around thinking where he can get this extra money, can he get this extra money, surrounded by his advisors, you have flashbacks in your mind, think of other past presidents sitting around the table with their advisors, jfk, during the cuban missile crisis, harry truman, george bush, stuff like that. here we have steven miller and assorted other people, jared kushner, sitting around, advising the president of the united states, and they are wrong at every single turn. >> the least experienced group of white house hands in the history of the white house, no doubt about it.

you see it everyday with the bad decisions being made. elyse, i have a question for you. you come from my part of the country, my ideology, you're servant/libertarian. those people in the krowts -- you're conservative/libertarian. those people in the crowds, when they hear donald trump saying he's building a law, go to the rio grand and check it out. do they know he's lying to them. you know they're not that stupid. they have to know no wall is being built when he keeps telling them he's building the wall. by the time, if he's building the wall, why are they holding signs that say "build that wall"? do they know he's a liar but they don't care, it's just a great show.

he's not you know the lefty democrats or lefty members of the press. >> joe, i think you nail it when you say, it's a great show. that's what most trump supporters are showing up to watch the show. they're there taking it in and listening. certainly, there are some people there who believe what donald trump is saying. over the past two years, doing research with ashcroft in america project and focus groups and so many different segments of the electorate, it is surprising to me you hear from donald trump supporters, they know he's not going to build the wall and like he's trying and fighting. they have no expectation the wall will happen or that it's necessary but wanted to see a stronger stance. >> it's also the branding

exercise. remember the steaks butchered in palm beach or the water, or anything he says is the best products, it's a lie, just like the steaks weren't trump steaks and the worry is this is leading americans down a path. go ahead. >> again, 38, 39% of americans still support him when they know he is lying. >> they think the steaks are real. >> eddie, is it symbolic of something much bigger? is that wall and the fact he's fighting for a wall and saying he is building a wall and they know he is lying, is that him just saying in a veiled way what he said outright on twitter, which is we got to keep those people from latin america, we have to keep those brown people out of america. >> hatred. >> when i say build that wall, i'm not building a wall, but you know what i ral mean. >> right, joe, i think you're

absolutely right in this regard. it's a monument to hatred and fear and changing demographics of the country. it has little to do with the question of safety and little to do with the question of american jobs. it's predicated on a lie as you said over and over again. it's bizarre and spending money on something not true and democrats are negotiating about something that's not true. >> it's bizarre. >> it's bizarre at this moment. >> eddie, you say democrats are negotiating on this. they will spend the $1.3 billion fixing up parts of the fence are there that need repair. you got to say, donald trump starts at $20 billion, they're going to give him $20 billion last year and then wants 5.7. >> nancy pelosi says, i'll give you 1.6, and the deal, nancy is

giving him 1.3. need pretty good negotiating by the democrats. >> it is. it's the equivalent of a child throwing temper tantrum, they're in toys 'r us and they want the big toy and we give them the little car. we're still rewarding a temper tantrum. >> no. we have a child throwing a temper tantrum and the parent says, you can do that if you want to but i'm going to the car, you will have a long walk home if you don't follow me, sonny boy. that's what nancy pelosi did to trump. there is $1.3 billion in repairs they can make to the structure on the border. he got hammered by democratic negotiations. >> he's talking about reprogramming authority, reprogramming money from certain departments and moving it to others. he said, i will move things

around and faking budget money from quote far less important areas to make up the shortfall of the wall funding. what does that mean? what are those areas? what does it mean far less important. >> it all seems racist, sorry. president trump called on congresswoman omar to resign over anti-semitic tweets. under pressure from party leadership, she apologized about the money to support israel. she discussed her remarks after yesterday's cabinet meeting after first talking about immigration. he discussed her remarks. >> one thing i might want to say is anti-semitism has no place in the united states congress. congresswoman omar, it is terrible what she said, and i think she should either resign

from congress or she should certainly resign from the house foreign affairs committee. what she said is so deep-seated in her heart that her lame apology, that's what it was, it was lame, and she didn't mean a word of it, was just not appropriate. >> yeah. deep-seated. that old sort of racist belief jews are just about money. you hear people talking at times about jews and money, whether in politics or whether in business, people say jews are -- they're great negotiations. obviously, mika, that's something from what the president just said there, that's something donald trump would never fall victim to himself, right? >> never never never. i want to point out the tweet was horrible.

you want to look at her history of comments, if there are others, that are similar and try to understand where this came from, it wasn't good. the hypocrisy is easy to point out. the president was criticized in 2016 during the campaign for jewish stereotypes about money. here is between 15. >> i'm in a different position than the other candidates, i'm the one candidate i don't want your money. i want your support but i don't want your money. i don't want your money and you will probably not support me. you want to give money. trump doesn't want money. i'm a negotiator, like you folks, we don't build gas stations in for $43 million. how many can do it for less. is there anybody that doesn't renegotiate deals in this room? this room renegotiates deals. perhaps more than any room i've

ever spoken to. maybe more. >> one jewish money joke after another jewish money joke after another jewish money joke. he actually lapped the congresswoman about five times there. >> yeah. >> just wondering, is kevin mccarthy going to call for his resignation? i heard kevin mccarthy criticize that. do we have the star of david picture? when that went up, they were pedaling clear ugly anti-semitism, i didn't hear kevin mccarthy or mitch mcconnell call for donald trump to step down. mika, the hypocrisy is so extraordinarily thick here. >> that doesn't deny what

happened and democrats should talk about it and deal with it. trump's infamous remarks about good people being among the white supremacists at that deadly rally in charlottesville in 2017, remember that? not to mention his ban on muslims, his comments about s-hole countries is incredible. and allowing for breeding an infestation of crime. eugene scott, you have a new piece out in the "washington post" entitled ilhan omar and steve king reacted to criticism differently, how that matters. >> we know when democratic leadership including house speaker, nancy pelosi called on representative omar to apologize, the representative did and did so relatively immediately. when minority leader mccarthy caught on, steve king, who has a

history of making comments sympathetic to white nationalists apologize, not only did he not apologize, he doubled down and recently led a fight to get back on his committees. he's taking that cue, one could argue from the president himself who has no history of apologizing, instead critiquing how other people apologizing. what he is aware of the most is what his political opponents say are problematic, not he and his own. he is doing that because the base will not hold him accountable in ways the democratic party will hold people like representative omar and nancy pelosi accountable. >> they did, willie. the democrats did hold the congresswoman accountable. obviously, if she makes another anti-semitic statement, i would be shocked if she weren't kicked off the foreign affairs committee. i will say you listen to all the

racist things donald trump has said and stereotypes donald trump was pedaling, jewish stereotypes, and then mika talked about donald trump saying that our immigration policies lead to breeding and infestation. there are those that say you should never compare anything any american politician does to what fascists would do or what nazis did. the propaganda, when you start talking about breeding, races breeding, you start talking about the infestation of people of non-white people, if you don't want me to say that's something that the third reich pedalled in, i won't say it, just go read a book because that's exactly what they said about jews. >> the president was talking in

april, last april about the sanctuary laws in california. eddie, obviously, president trump is not the right vessel to come down against religious discrimination. let's go to the muslim ban, he wanted the entire ban for this country based on the god they worshiped. did nancy pelosi not have to reckon what was imexplicit with congresswoman omar's tweet? explicit, i mean. >> i want to take serious the reaction of the jewish community to representative omar's claims -- her tweet. and stereotypes about jews animate our society and can be belched up at any moment among any of us. in order to take seriously that community's reaction we have to take seriously her apology so there is space to grow.

she said she learned from her jewish colleagues and friends and constituencies, she's going to grow and we have to take her apology serious if we're going to grow. the second thing that is separate, every israeli policy, netanyahu doesn't mean it will open up space. the third thing, this goes to donald trump, we're forgetting what happened in pittsburgh in that synagogue and we're invoking george soros and the jewi jewish cabal funding the caravan. we're forgetting trump trades in the language of global lists out of a white nationalist that controls the country. from globalists to soros, to

what we just saw, this man's lifeblood comes out -- flows from hatred and fear. this is his political lifeblood. so the idea he is going to stand in moral judgment of anyone smacks of not only hypocrisy but absolutely ludicrous. >> when donald trump cannot condemn david duke or acts like he doesn't know who he is. >> remember the tiki marches in charlottesville, jews will not replace us. that's what they said. >> the idea he can make this claim and kevin mccarthy can stand with, it just makes my blood boil. it shows how hypocritical this is. let me say this, the fact they don't take the claims seriously is political fodder. >> joe. >> republicans have been attacking george soros for some time, conspiracy theorists, there's always an anti-semitic

smear to it. we just showed you a kevin mccarthy tweet attacking george soros about the time of the pittsburgh slaughter in the synagogue. it's an absolute game plan with the american flag right next to it, attacking george soros. i will say, i'm glad to hear eddie talking about opening the space of dialogue around the issue. i agree with him. i saw an article last night from talent that says the congresswoman has used anti-semitic tropes and that deserves condemnation. but she also voiced an exceedingly rare willingness to question her presumptions and put herself in jew's shoes. she deserves dialogue and not denunciation, again, from a tablet, jewish news service.

i agree with that, mika. i hope we can extend that beyond just a discussion about jewish issues, israel. i applaud eddie. i think we need to open the space talking about race, talking about gender, talking about all of these issues that seem to ensnarl people and really stop the sort of debates we need to have in an age of identity politics. i think at times, identity politics run amuck that actually stop us from having these kind of conversations we so desperately need. in our silence and in the excesses of identity politics, that is where donald trump thrives. >> yes. and we'll have the conversations here, to our own peril, but we'll have them. still ahead on "morning joe," many of the democratic presidential contenders are

backing the green new deal, and mitch mcconnell wants hem to prove it. we'll talk about his plan to put the progressive resolution up for a vote and what it says about the primaries. an interesting take on that, watching "morning joe." watching "morning joe. i'm 53, but in my mind i'm still 35. that's why i take osteo bi-flex to keep me moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long-term. osteo bi-flex because i'm made to move. because they let me to customize my insurance, and as a fitness junkie, i customize everything. like my bike and my calves.

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check in from afar with remote access, ♪ and have professional monitoring backing you up with xfinity home. demo in an xfinity store. call, or go online today. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says he plans to have senate members vote on the green new deal to get them on the record over the proposal. >> i've noted with great interest the green new deal, and we're going to be voting on that in the senate. we'll give everybody an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the green new deal.

>> the 14 page plan aims to move the u.s. to zero carbon emissions by 2030 by making buildings more energy efficient, upgrading the electrical grid and investing in electric vehicles and mass transportation. the senate public works committee chairman, john barroso and liz cheney, the third ranking republican in the house, seized on the early part of the plan that named provisions not in the final legislation. >> it's crucially important we outlaw plane travel and gasoline and cars and potentially the entire u.s. military because of the green new deal we can explain to our constituents across this country what that really means. >> another victim of the green new deal is ice cream. livestock will be banned. say good-bye to dairy, beef, family farm, ranches, things

like cheeseburgers and milkshakes will become a thing of the past. >> i don't think that's exactly. congresswoman ocasio-cortez responded, trust me, i like ice cream too much to do that. too much to ban airplanes. maybe if the gop did their job for once and read a piece of legislation they would see communities and jobs come first, not last, in the green new deal. joe. >> so, i will just say -- >> help. >> -- as someone that was part of a very large freshman class. >> red hot. >> red hot. >> yep. >> ideological. >> yep. >> we had plans to eliminate and

aballish ju abasicallilish just about -- abolish just about every cabinet agency, if we thought about cows and airplanes, we probably would have done that, too. eugene scott, i think here's the deal. we will hear from frank bruni in a second. when freshmen, congresswoman and congressman get into town and they're excited and they get over their skis, that's what freshmen members of congress do in these wave elections. good for them for trying to push their party to the right or to the left. the problem is when you have people running for president so desperate to suck up to absolutely everybody in their path that they immediately sign onto bills that they don't read and then they get skewered trying to defend it for the next six months. >> indeed. absolutely. what we're seeing with the green new deal, both sides of the

aisle are getting on board with it or criticizing it based on what they know their bases prefer. there's anxiety on the right about climate change and anything that is going to be done to respond to it, and therefore, when they hear green new deal they automatically push back on it and say that it will take our cheeseburgers and ice cream and people on the left automatically on board with it because they do want to see lawmakers respond more harshly than they are seeing the current president respond to very well environmental changes but don't necessarily know what it entails. i think what we will see alexandria ocasio-cortez take control to let people know what she really is about and what democrats are about as a whole and not let the conservative right wing media paint her as far more radical on an issue many americans really believe

needs an answer. >> willie, if you read through the document, it does seem to be an overreach in a lot of areas, if you support a green economy, talk about getting back involved with paris accords, talk about carbon tax. again, i'm not giving advice to democratic candidates running for the president of the united states, i'm just saying it's not an all or nothing proposition. you don't have to jump in headfirst just because something is -- kamala harris had this problem when she talked about medicare for all. she was for medicare for all until she does a town hall meeting and the next night, asked, will you not let americans use the doctors they use? oh, no, i will not completely get rid of -- take your time one step at a time. you don't have to dive in headfirst and make sure, as frank says, everybody loves you on the left. >> that's the thing. it's not surprising

congresswoman ocasio-cortez put forth these views, what is a surprise is many democrats, some running for president, jumped on board so quickly. the sloppy rollout of the green new deal, congresswoman ocasio-cortez's website giving economic freedom to people unwilling to work and then claimed it was a doctored document pulled down and then wasn't doctored and sloppy is generous. and the piece in the "new york times" calling out many of those 2020 contenders being hyper focused trying to apiece the base, whether posting social videos and apologizing for positions not deemed enough. >> frank says the democrats desperately try to please people all the time. he writes this, most of the democratic candidates have rallied behind the green new

deal, a progressive resolution so sweeping and idealistic as to be politically fantastical, in climate change, reaching so high that coming up short would be a meaningful improvement but many of these candidates' quickness to embrace it without qualification has as much to do with indulgence as with leadership. >> one thing we do know is this. we're in crisis, the planet is in trouble. greed has placed the planet in trouble. we have not been good stewards of the planet. the question, whether you critique the green new deal or not, agree with the policies or not, do you agree that the planet is in trouble? >> all democrats think that. >> are you responding to its overreach or given the scale of

the problem? what is your response to the scale of the problem? >> need the criticism, they don't have their own plan, just hopping on this one that goes very very far toward policies frankly that will be very very difficult to pay for. politically fantastic is interesting. when i used to watch "star trek" as a little kid i wanted to communicator. when i got older, i had a flip phone. it seems to me how we imagine the world, we need to put that imagination, we need to imagine it boldly. >> it's a marker. >> mike barnicle, you've been evincing this a long time, that's what freshmen congresswoman and freshmen congressman are for. that's what back benchers are for. that's how it worked in 1994. we talked about abolishing cabinet agencies and these things in retrospect were extreme and were never going to

pass. it redefined the debate so we were able to balance the budget for the first time in a generation and four years in a row for the first time in 100 years, we set the markers down. that's what these freshmen democrats and some senators are doing right now. ed markey, from massachusetts, a part of it as well. if you're running for president of the united states, let them set down the markers. as frank says, don't grovel. talk about the importance of the national green grid, the importance of getting back into the paris accords and the importance of the carbon tax. give your own plan, stop grovelling. >> and the importance of this discussion on the green new deal, we were talking earlier about the need to create space and having debates and dialogues

over the future of israel or the green new deal yet we see the predictable result, as eddie said, the bottom line here, the planet is in big trouble. very few people will debate that. when the issue becomes politicized as it does everyday in the house of representatives and the senate, you get the other side, the republicans, you look at -- she is her father's daughter, liz cheney, in the clip that we just showed, completely misrepresenting what the green deal is all about. you get the impression the republicans have decided to take every issue and talk to people as if they are all talking to graduates of trump university, because they simplify things, they distort things, yet, at the end of the day, again, as eddie pointed out, there's enough to talk about in the green new deal and take elements that apply today to what we're enduring and

what we have to do in the future, not the stuff willie mentioned, everybody has to have an income whether you're unwimg or unable to work. that stuff is crazy stuff. the rest, a lot of it is legitimate. >> of course mika, that's the part mike liked about the green new deal, unwilling to work. that's me. >> i'll go to fenway, camp out there. that works for me. listen, all politics will take mistakes by the other side, unforced errors by the other side and exploit it. democrats do it, republicans do it, everybody does it. my suggestion to all democrats is frank bruni's suggestion to all democrats. look at nancy pelosi. she was asked about the green new deal. she is speaker, a lot of people didn't think she would get elected by the caucus of the house, what did she do? everybody's for it. i'm not even sure what they're

for. i usually always say to democrats running for president, have an arm band hit is wwbd, what would bub ba do. if bill clinton would campaign in a certain way. it's now a wwnd, what would nancy do? she's called it right and she has not given republicans the cheap shots some of these other people running for president, who have been amateurs, have. they need to be careful. they need to be cautious. they need to limit the unforced errors. they need to be cohesive and in sync, the stakes are so much higher. still ahead, the senate intel committee could be wrapping up its probe into russian meddling soon. democrats in the house are just getting started with their own investigations. we'll talk about that coming up on "morning joe." "morning joe.

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willie, since boston mike barnicle besmerched the name of the cheneys, i was thinking about a movie mika and i saw on sonny bunch's recommendation, that conservatives went to it and actually liked the movie. i was struck listening to kristen bell yesterday, it's a fascinating movie because they actually in some points paint him as a cartoon character, as chris matthews would say, dick cheney the man, and the family, they actually paint in a really positive light. >> i agree with you the movie at times was cartoonish and conspiratorial, but christian

bail, you get lost in the fact he's christian bail physically, his performance and the way he talks. by the time, amy adams was great as lynne cheney as well. i thought the performances were incredible. >> christians -- bell, mike barnicle is unbelievable. he actually respects the man, not as big a fan of dick cheney the leader. >> there were elements in the movie that portrayed dick cheney in a favorable human light. it's sort of cartoonish in a certain sense. when i saw the film, 10 minutes into it, i thought christian bale was cheney. i was stunned at his portrayal

of dick cheney. >> he has beenible since "empire of the sun," hasn't he? >> what a great movie that is. next hour, legendary director, spike lee has oscar wins. he has been working more than 30 years and never nominated for best director or best picture. plus, the "washington post" lays out why a secret meeting between paul manafort and the russians could be panment to the mueller probe. panment to the mueller probe. it's time for the ultimate sleep number event on the

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cancer, epilepsy, mental health, hiv. patients with serious diseases are being targeted for cuts to their medicare drug coverage. new government restrictions would allow insurance companies to come between doctor and patient. and deny access to individualized therapies millions depend on. call the white house today. help stop cuts to part d drug coverage that put medicare patients at risk.

the mexican drug lord known as "el chapo," faces life in prison after being found guilty on all charges yesterday. the three month new york trial of guzman explored the antics of the drug cartel and plagued mexico with crime for decades.

guzman reportedly looks stunned as the judge announces the jury's convict him of all 10 counts including drug trafficking and money laundering. some experts believe he will be placed in a super max prison the rest of his life given his high profile criminal status and past escapes from incarceration. his sentencing is scheduled for june 25th. press secretary sarah sanders weighed in on "el chapo"'s verdict for president trump's agenda. the threat from mexican drug cartels is real. we must defend our border. >> this displays officials lack of details what "el chapo" was involved in and how little it will commit, specifically to what we're seeing in america related to drugs. we do know most drugs are not coming across our border through

undocumented immigrants, as this tweet suggests. it's frustrating to those who work on policy issues, data suggests time and time again drug problems in the u.s. are not coming from drug problems related to drug cartels. >> thank you, eugene scott, for clarifying. coming up, rush limbaugh appears to give the president the okay to sign the border comprise. others like ann coulter not so much. will the president let the right talk him out of a new deal. >> the president likes and all of a sudden we're no longer fake news. why he may want to hear until the full story from bob mueller, "morning joe" is coming back. g k it was always our singular focus, to do whatever it takes, use every possible resource, to fight cancer. and never lose sight of the patients we're fighting for. our cancer treatment specialists

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♪ ♪ i have... ♪ congressional negotiators say they're willing to give the president $1.3 billion for the border barrier, a quarter of what he asked for, less than asked in december. given the rhetoric, more than you might have expected? >> this is amazing, they were referring to building walls as immoral. now, they're funding these immoral behaviors. >> a lame-0 border bill, while trump is not getting what he wants and definitely not what most of us wants, democrats are also breaking pelosi's pledge.

>> is there a situation you would accept even a dollar of wall funding for this president in order to reopen the government? >> a dollar? a dollar. one dollar. one dollar. >> wow. try $1.375 billion. she might not want to call it a wall but that's what it is and that's not all bad. >> hold on. >> keep it together. >> hold on. they are taking a situation where mr. art of the deal had over $20 billion offered to him by democrats last year, then, he had $1.6 billion offered to him a couple months ago, and by the time, by that point, nancy pelosi had already offered 1.6. she was saying she would give one additional dollar.

now, he's getting $1.375 billion. i think we have just figured out why donald trump went $9 billion in debt as a lousy businessman, why he filed for bankruptcy so many times because not only was he horrific of making deals, he had syncopates around him saying, great job, boss, great job, boss. he could have taken $20 billion last year, you get $1.375 billion now, and we're going to call that a victory for you, mr. president. great job. >> great job, boss. >> whatever gets you through the night. >> those were fox news hosts rationalizing the president essentially caving on the border wall completely funding. welcome back.

it's wednesday, february 13th. we have princeton professor and from the state department, elyse jordan and chief national correspondent, mark, and reporter for axios, jonathan swan, and reporter for "washington post" and moderator of the week on pbs and msnbc political analyst, robert costa. good to have you all on board this hour. joe, it's painful to watch on many levels. the wall also is so symbolic of this racist rant the president is on. >> it is. i go back to the fact donald trump had $20 billion in hand for the wall and border security. he said no to that deal. he then shut down the government over $1.6 billion, saying he needed his $5.7 billion, instead of $5.7 billion, they give him even less than the $1.6 billion

they offered him a month ago. this reminds me of homer simpson and lionel hudson negotiating with burns saying, i have another offer for you and hands him a slip of paper that says zero, and they go, we'll take it, and mr. burns says, release the hounds. the hounds have wean -- been released on donald trump. the rationalization is laughable. let's break this down. at the independent of the day, the last government shutdown was disastrous for donald trump and disastrous politically for the republicans. they had no way out, did they? they had to basically take what they were offered because mitch mcconnell and republicans of the senate weren't going to take another government shutdown. >> they had no way out, and they also took control at the capitol yesterday, talking to richard shelby, the appropriations chair and other republican senators,

you really got the sense they wanted control of this process. they wanted to take it out of the white house's hands. they were sick of the shutdown and didn't want to go through another shutdown. they might not get to $5.7 billion but were going to send something to the president's desk and you saw immediately republicans embrace this deal and say, need the best you're going to get, mr. president. >> if he says, i can get 21, 22, $23 billion last hour. if he could do that he wouldn't have shut down the government as long as he did and loose 5, 6, 7, 8% in his approval ratings. and lose. they had to take it. it's nancy pelosi and cheuck schumer, 1, the president, 0.

>> and walking through 55 miles through some kind of fencing he says he will make up the difference by being hooked up with lots of money from other sources. do we have any idea specifically what he's talking about. lindsey graham said he supported finding the money elsewhere. and the president said he will get them from far less important parts of the government. what does that mean exactly? >> i asked that exact question of several senior white house officials yesterday and they didn't have an answer. what mick mulvaney has been telling people, there's about a billion dollars worth of easy money, that's one billion. >> they haven't defined what 1 billion is. >> and blunt said there's about $800 million that can be redirected from drug

interdiction. you go beyond $1 billion, people will start hurting. the military will kick up a stink if they redirect. the fact there is easy money is not an idea anyone in the white house shares. >> but the political playbook says, it seems like the deal was announced too early and now negotiators are tussling over critical issues not yet solved. the last minute snag includes disagreements over border wall language and inclusion of violence against women act and back pay for federal contractors. bob costa, have you heard anything to this effect? >> this is true. the negotiations have been rushing to announce an agreement in principle. what jonathan was announcing correctly, you have a section of u.s. code called 284 that looks

at pentagon money and what the white house and others at omb are trying to sell that we're on top of this deal. they have not debuted this legislative language. until this legislative language that comes out and goes to the house floor this is a deal that's still tbd. >> i feel a need to make this announcement every morning, remind our viewers every morning, those on capitol hill that watch this show every morning. mark, of all the pressing issues and problems we have as a country entitlement system that will buckle under the strain of its own debt, we just passed the $22 trillion debt threshold. a crisis in the middle east, americans struggling at home, a health care system that needs to

be fixed, despite all of this, because donald trump lives in this reality distortion field, we have been talking about a wall for the past three, four months. it has consumed so much time and energy in washington, d.c. despite the fact, let's say it again, that border crossings are at a 50 year low, that 90% of the drugs that come in this country come through legal points of entry. that native-born americans are far more likely to commit crimes and be incarcerated than immigrants. yet, this debate continues. it's insanity. >> what we've learned over and over again these last couple of years is that this reality distortion field becomes our

reality distortion field. it becomes what everyone talks about. becomes what 35, 40% of the country will support no matter what. for the next few days, few weeks, as we sort of spin what this means or donald trump tries to own or try to figure out whether this is something that makes him look good or not, we are going to learn the stretching meanings of the word like elsewhere and things like that. >> speaking of the problems that we're having right now, eddie, we heard yesterday from richard haass that most foreign policy experts across the world have come to the conclusion, because of the weakness donald trump has shown, over the past year in north korea, that donald trump's legacy will be a north korea that has nuclear weapons that they are able to deliver to the heartland of america. yet, we're not talking about

north korea, we're not talking about middle east peace, we're not talking about a national debt that will cripple working class americans, we're not talking about their pensions, we're talking about a wall when border crossings are at a 50 year low. we're sending troops there. >> joe, you've been hitting this point on the head for a while now. not only are we not talking about the serious problems that we confront internationally, we're not talking about a crumbling infrastructure, we're not talking about an opioid crisis, we're not talking about the conditions of ordinary everyday workers, not talking about healthcare, range of things we face as a country, we stand at the crossroads, emphasize at every turn, we are embroiled in a fantasy, taken with, talking with what is at bottom a lie. not only is it a lie, its profoundly racist. not only is it a lie and

profoundly racist, an indication the man who sold us the bill of goods he was a deal-maker, the preeminent deal-maker is in fact one of the worst negotiators we have ever seen in the white house. in some ways we are living with reality distortion and we have to live with its consequences. >> and we have to live it long after trump is out of the white house. >> i want to go to border crossings and reality distortions. on monday night on the ride to el paso, he is riding with senior officials, the agricultural commissioner, sid miller, spoke with my colleague, that trump was very upset that the republican mayor of el paso publicly contradicted him about the effectiveness of the border wall in el paso. >> my lord. >> if the republican mayor said

el paso always had low crime rates and this hasn't been a substantial thing. the agricultural commissioner says to trump, it's fake news. trump says, it's fake news, can i say that? he says, yeah. one other person in the car says, actually, you probably shouldn't say that. we have done reporting and didn't find evidence it is fake news. he didn't say that but shows you how he is -- >> i have a question. why did the white house choose to go to el paso and elevate beto o'rourke in the process by going to his hometown stomping grounds. this are many other places he could have chosen to go on the border. >> trump was fixated on el paso as a symbol of all the problems with the border and effectiveness with the wall and why he was so irritated by these comments by the city's republican mayor because it undercut his narrative. trump had it in his mind this was the best way to dramatize the effectiveness of the walls.

>> he's lying. >> we had the congresswoman of the appropriations committee, i said, how will you get president trump to sign off on it. my hope is republicans like senator richard shelby of alabama will walk into his office and explain why this is a good deal. it appears that is almost exactly what happened. what is the case republicans have made to the president to get him to sign onto this. the president knows he's not getting remotely what he asked for or could have had in december. how are they telling him, sign this bill, it will be a good thing for you? >> they are playing little bit of strategy, not saying, sign this bill, standing next to leader mcconnell at his news conference yesterday and republican leaders, you got a sense they want to move this bill as quickly as possible through the senate and gave their public approval for executive action. they said, mr. president, if you want to do anything else up to the line of national emergency,

don't declare national emergency but anything else, take funds and reallocate them, do it, we won't fight you on it, let's avoid another government shutdown. they don't want to seem like they're pressuring him, hasn't worked before but giving him a lot of leeway of executive authority. axios is looking at the house democrats and the vast probes they're planning to launch into president trump. what are they planning to focus on? >> the big thing they're investigating is money laundering. this is far beyond russia. there were a series of deals. the story didn't get as much attention as it observed. the "washington post" reported not president trump, then donald trump spent $400,000 on cash on real estate purchases in the decade running up to president. in cash, not debt, cash. so the question then becomes where did the cash come from?

this is something the house intelligence committee will team up with house financial services on. the other interesting thing, they will try and subpoena the translator for the meeting trump had with putin because we don't know what was said at that meeting. they want to try to subpoena notes or the translator. that is something they're looking at and haven't made any decisions yet. >> i'd love to hear from the translator. joe. >> mark, when you're looking at all the trump investigations, you really need a scorecard, whether you're looking at what's happening on the senate side, the house side, what's happening in the southern district of new york, also, of course, what's happening in robert mueller's probe, the probe i think we will all be watching the most closely. yesterday, donald trump was pleased to hear the chairman of the intel committee on the senate side, richard burr, who's been a straight shooter through this entire campaign said he had

not yet seen any evidence of collusion. what should we make of that? >> obviously, that is a piece of news donald trump will seize on and has seized on it already and the white house has seized on and we will be hearing a lot more of it. the question is how do you define evidence and collusion? obviously, democrats on the committee are immediately pushing back on that. this is going to lead to a tie and ultimately to mueller weighing in and other developments coming out as this thing goes forward. this is in the short term, a victory for donald trump. >> bob costa, obviously, donald trump did seize on it quickly. he even did something i never thought i would see him do. he thanked msnbc for the report saying chairman burr had not found any evidence of collusion. >> direct. >> so far. no direct collusion. this is, again, makes robert

mueller's report all the more important because if it were obvious, if it were obvious on the face of it, then i'm sure chairman burr wouldn't have said that, therefore, of course, we don't know what robert mueller knows and that raises the stakes even more. >> we also don't know the full list of witnesses for the mueller investigation compared to the congressional investigation. there may be, in the words of senator burr, chairman burr, no direct evidence of collusion between president trump and the russians during the course of the campaign with some kind of criminal intent to collude. what we've already seen through the course of the congressional investigation and mueller investigation about collusion and russian interference with gates and paul manafort and top officials on the campaign. what mueller will try to answer, what was the president's knowledge and what was his

intent in terms of any interactions. >> jonathan swan, have you heard any reporting from the hill and your investigations about possible perjury charges against don junior and others involving the meeting. you talk about setting up a perjury trap, if i want to set up a perjury trap, i would have republicans being in charge of the investigating committees and put somebody, a complete dupe, like devin nunes in charge of the intel community, so if i were don junior i would feel i could say whatever i was going do say and not be held accountable. >> everything he said before nunes and the intel committee and congress, has been sent to robert mueller and i'm sure they're looking to see if he committed perjury and could be

charged for that. what are you hearing on the hill in particular as it relates to john junior. >> i have no information inside the mueller investigation committee regards to this but talking to others representing clients and people on the hill following this the consensus, even among democrats, the standard of evidence to indict don junior has to be very very high, of a different order than anything we've seen and have to show real intent, not sloppiness or a mistake. that's something shared amongst both parties following this closely. i don't know what they have or don't have on don junior. >> jonathan. view very much, jonathan swan and mark, thank you. spike lee is standing by, but first we go live to capitol hill. congresswoman escobar weighs in

on the green new deal and president trump's vilification of her el paso hometown. we ail be right back. be right k feeling unsure? what if you had some help? introducing the new 2019 ford edge with the confidence of ford co-pilot360™ technology. the most available driver assist techonology in its class. the new 2019 ford edge little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla.

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check in from afar with remote access, help stop cuts to part d drug coverage ♪ and have professional monitoring backing you up with xfinity home. demo in an xfinity store. call, or go online today. i spoke to people that have been here a long time. they said when that wall went up, it's a whole different ballgame. is that a correct statement? whole different ballgame. i don't care whether a mayor is a republican or democrat, they're full of crap when they say it hasn't made a big difference. they said crime stayed the same. didn't stay the same. went way down. look at what they did to their past crimes and look how they recorded their past crimes, went way way down, thanks to a powerful border wall in el paso, texas, it's one of america's safety cities now.

>> ing >> joining us now -- >> mika, wait. we can't let him lie that way without just pointing out one statistic after another statistic shows that violent crime was on the straight line before and after the wall. >> it's strange. period, full stop. he even had somebody warning him, another republican warning him not to repeat those claims on the way because they were lies. and he repeated them anyway. >> someone who would know about this is from the house judiciary committee, veronica escobar, represents el paso, her hometown. hard to hear the president doing this in a rally in front of thousands of people, many probably from el paso, buying

this. >> good morning. >> cheerful. >> right. it was difficult. you know what we did instead? we gathered our energies and the community came together in an extraordinary rally, a beautiful showing in el paso, organized 100% for el pasons to channel that into something great and turn it into who we are as a border community and one big family. it was one of the most beautiful rallies i ever participated in, in el paso. it was a beautiful thing. >> i want to ask you about the agreement in principle we're hearing from your chamber about the government shutdown to start on friday. without saying the specifics of it he liked the idea of it but

worried about 55 additional miles of barrier wall. that could be a poison starter for him. are you okay with new fencing along the border? >> i need to know what kind of fencing honestly. what we've seen in homeland security bills on the border, we've seen fencing being replaced, we've seen fencing going up. i am not anti-the normandy fencing out in the rural areas, things that don't stop wildlife, don't harm wildlife but a border patrol to stop vehicles. i need to know what kind of fencing exactly it is but also need to know, does it have investment in the ports? does it have investments in judges? does it have investments in the kind of humanitarian needs we're seeing on the u.s.-mexico border right now.

one of the most important points for me and hispanic congressional caucus, does it invest in the triangle for families leaving very insecure and violent places to get to the root of the issue, something the president has never even bothered to talk about. there is still a lot for me to review before i say whether or not i support it. >> congresswoman, interesting, we had will hurt on several times, interesting, members, republicans and democrats alike, that have districts that run along the border, u.s.-mexico border, do not think the wall is a solution, yet you all are the ones having to deal with the humanitarian crisis because the president claims there is a border crisis despite the fact we say repeatedly, border crossings are at a 50 year low.

can we touch where we are as far as the humanitarian crisis there? what's happening with the detainees and separation of families. are all the children accounted for as far as their parents go? where are we on the humanitarian crisis? >> joe, the fundamental -- what's at the core of this crisis is the trump administration. family separations continue. they're just now under a different nomenclature. what i.c.e. is doing -- or what dhs is doing is determine whether they're safe or not safe and using that sort of investigation as a means to separate those kids. we are seeing in el paso, there are detainees at our processing center who are being tied down and force-fed through a tube through their nose. they are protesting the process,

protesting the way they're being treated. the u.s. government is participating in what many of us believe is torture. the crisis is this administration and the way that we are treating, the way government is treating those coming to our front door seek egg legal asylum. in el paso we are still seeing hundreds of families arriving each day. el pasoans are incredible. we are wrapping our arms around those processed and backgrounds checked by dhs and released into the community. we're making sure they have a place to stay and meal to eat while they wait to get to their sponsors somewhere else in the country. for us, we are continuing to meet the challenge of receiving the most vulnerable with kindness and generosity and good will. as soon as the weather starts warming up we are going to probably see even more families

arriving at our doorstep, which is why it's important to deal with the root causes of migration and not just via cruelty, essentially the trump administration response. >> congresswoman, let's deal with the root causes right here. nearly all we talk about nearly 99% of the time is the wall the wall the wall. these people, these families on the road from guatemala, el salvador, making a long and dangerous trek, please explain to people watching right now and listening right now why they are on the road and what is being done virtually nothing in their home states to assist them. >> it's incredibly moving to hear these stories directly from the asylum seekers. house majority leader, steny hoyer and members of congress came to the border, came to el paso and southern new mexico on saturday and we got to sit down,

something i've done frequently because it's in my home district, they got to sit down and hear from a mother who fled her ohm country and whose children separated here recently, just this past fall. when you hear those stories, people feel they have no other alternative. their alternative is to stay in a place that means imminent danger. what role can we play? what role should we play? what obligation should we have, number one, to help our neighbors and number two, reckon with the role the united states has played with instability in those countries. more importantly, if we want to stem the flow of migration, what happened with mexican males. we saw mexican males, their migration or trying to enter the country decreased when their economy improved and unemployment improved, if we do the same with other countries,

people can stay in a safe and securi secure place. they are running from a place they can no longer live to a place they know they're not wanted. can you imagine the desperation? >> yes. thank you, congresswoman escobar for sharing the real story. still ahead, mitch mcconnell said he wouldn't let the senate become a theater for show boats. what is he thinking when it comes to the green new deal? "morning joe" will be right back. right back hear those words... stage 2 breast cancer. i have three little kids. i can't have cancer. so we decided to travel to cancer treatment centers of america. dr. fernandez was wonderful. he said it was up to me to do what's best. it's about giving her options, where

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now to some other stories we're following this morning. former attorney general eric holder hinted he is closer to deciding whether he will jump into the crowded democratic 2020 presidential field. >> i will try to continue the work that i've done, the problems that the country has to face and decide whether -- that's, i think, what defines whether there is space, whether you have the vision, the experience, the ability to inspire others, to deal with the issues of the day.

i'm going to sit down with my family very soon and decide whether or not this is something we're going to seek. >> npr reports holder will make a decision in the next two weeks. holder has met with former president obama to discuss his decision, however, he has also encouraged former vice president, joe biden, to enter the race. california governor, gavin newsome has put the brakes to build a high speed railway originally proposed by former governor arnold schwarzenegger and pushed by governor jerry brown. it was to connect san francisco and los angeles. it was approved a decade ago for $32 billion and now newsome says it now carries a price of $77 billion, that he blamed for lack

of transparency. newsom called for a backstretch limiting to the central valley to not already return the $3.5 billion the state has already received in federal funding. and an inspiring moment when a history making nfl player and young man discovered they had something in common. nbc, joe fryer, has the story behind the video that's now gone viral. >> reporter: when you're young and curious like joseph, no one is a stranger. look in the background and you'll witness the start of his newest friendship. >> there's someone behind you, joseph. >> reporter: that is griffin, with the seattle seahawks, whose left hand was amputated when he was young when it never

developed. >> i never thought i would make it here. >> reporter: he now aims to inspire others. >> want to take a photo? >> reporter: that includes little joseph who doesn't have his left hand and met at a fan event. >> we always wanted to meet shaqem. he's our role model, too. >> reporter: it didn't take little joseph to realize anything is possible, planting the seed. >> so cute. >> he was my kids' favorite nfl player because of what he's done. that gillette player you see. he was a college football star. nice he played at central florida, can't make it in the nfl, he got drafted in the nfl and plays in the seattle seahawks with his twin brother, two from the same bedroom, one

with one hand play on the same team, as you see on that video, he is not just a great football player, a great role model for kids like mine. >> such a great role model, hero. mika, a couple things on your other two stories you talked about, one with eric holder. still like in my michael bennet column yesterday, the more the merrier. i hope eric holder jumps in, still waiting to hear if steve bullick will jump in, another great candidate and great to have kamala and kirsten and elizabeth warren. the bigger the field the better it is for the eventual winner. i'm curious, why can the chinese and japanese put bullet trains all over our countries and we can't even build one? >> come on now.

>> seriously, seriously, why can't we do that? you're talking about a "new green deal". my god, think about -- just think about the pollution from all of the cars going up and down the highways, just in california alone, it's insanity that the chinese have bullet trains built all over the country as do the japanese and we can't even build one? something is terribly wrong there. up next, legendary movie director, spike lee, joins us, as he looks to make history at the oscars later this month. "morning joe" is coming right back. right back

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that's what duke is pedaling now, becoming mainstream. >> duke? >> david duke, current grand wizard of the klan. but he's always in a three-piece suit and never seen in a hood or robe in public and goes by national director. he has his eye on public office. politics? >> another way to sell hate. think about it, affirmative action, immigration, crime, tax reform. he says, no one wants to be called a bigot anymore. i guess archie bunker made that uncool and under these issues, everyday americans can support it until one day he gets somebody in the white house that embodies it. >> sarge, come on. america would never elect somebody like david duke president of the united states of america.

>> coming from a black man, that's pretty naive. >> wow. for so many reasons i feel sick right now. a look at the movie, "black klansman," based on the true story of ron stallworth, who broke barriers in the 1970s as the first african-american detective serving on the colorado springs police department. how? the card carrying cop became a member of the ku klux klan. >> spike lee, nominated for six academy awards including best picture and earned him nomination for best director and could become the first african-american to ever win the category in the history of the academy. congratulations on that alone. joe has the first question for you. joe. >> congratulations. >> hey, joe! >> it's always great to see you. i have to start with the most

important question in your life, the new york knicks. what's going on with the knicks and how can they be the most valuable franchise in the nba when they just keep losing? how do they turn it around? >> well, we're trying to reach mt. zion. what's messed up, they changed the rule. now, it's the three worse teams and we have a 40% chance of winning. our prayers will be delivered. i like the coach and it's going be orange and blue skies again in madison square garden, the world's most famous arena. >> the most important question, will we get k.d., durant in the off-season? >> at this moment, i'm not able to speak to that. >> all right. i want to ask you about the film. i watched "black klansman" the

weekend of the news coming out about governor northam being in black face. the movie is stunning. it gave me the chills just because, like that scene you just saw, it is happening gover black face. you made a movie about black face. >> i was bamboozled. >> what do you make today of race in america? >> i think we'll be seeing is evident to me, this stuff has never gone away. you might think things got away on the surface. it comes out. i mean, people have a past and then you put that in with gucci and prada and liam and, you know, this guy in the white house. so, it's -- also, i have to say

hat and -- the first slaves were brought to the country in jamestown, virginia, 1619 and 2019. i think a lot of people need to know this. this is part of american history, which is not all good. you know, i think that when i was in public school in booker, new york, i was not told george washington owned slaves. i was told he chopped down a cherry tree and wouldn't tell a lie. in 1492, this guy, this terrorist sailed the ocean blue. i mean, we have to start teaching, i feel, my opinion, let's be honest about our history and move forward. if you are not honest about our history, we are going to be talking about this stuff again and again. we have to move forward. >> this movie opens up a lot of that conversation. something happened in colorado

springs, colorado in the 1970s. >> right. >> what grabbed you about the story? you are careful in the movies you make, you don't crank out a ton of them. what grabbed you about this story? >> just the premise. out of nowhere, jordan peel called me up and said spike, i want to talk to you. i said, okay. i got a film. he gave me the six-word pitch. the greatest words in this system are six word pitches. black man infiltrates ku klux klan. i said david chappell did this. for real. ron starworth in the mid-70s infiltrated ku klux klan. he also ended up being david duke's body guard. so, it's one of those things that sounds so crazy, can't be true, but it is true.

with the absurdity of it, it comes from the crazy premise, absurd. >> there's a moment where you do this flash forward flash back. it's a classic move from watching your films. they are putting forward this extraordinary message. what are you trying to convey to the movie goer at that moment about the state of the country and our journey to this moment? >> i think win of the things -- i know one of the things why this film has hit globally, you know, we made as much money internationally as we did in the states is that we connected the past to present day. charlottesville happened before we began this shoot.

that's the august 10th or 11th. we began the week after labor day. as soon as i saw that, i knew it had to be the end of the film. we had to call on susan. i asked for permission. she blessed me and the project and said, okay. but this, i still think about charlottesville and that was, for me, unfiltered, home grown, american terrorism. that car going down the crowded streets and heather is no longer here because of that. >> mike barnicle has a question for you. mike? >> no red sox stuff. nothing about -- nothing boston scores. in the hallway. i'll meet you in the hallway. >> oh, there we go.

>> all right. anyway, george washington, christopher columbus, our history or lack of history knowledge in this country, it's awards season in los angeles and hollywood. why do you think that your body of work, which creates dialogue around the biggest issue in this country are issues with race and over race? your body of work, more likely than not, all of it, addresses these issues. why is it you haven't been allowed to stand-up on that stage in los angeles and accept a lifetime achievement award for introducing, continuely introducing this discussion into the united states? >> i did that. i did do that. i have an oscar. this is different. but, it really comes -- in time, there's awards.

whose voting? it wasn't until "april rain" with #oscarwhite and the president then of the motion picture arts and sciences, they push the thing open so the vote is more diverse. 1989, do the right thing, "driving miss daisy." the voting member is more diverse and looks like america. that's why measuring people of color receive recognition. >> the film is "black kklansman." joe, you want to jump in one more time? >> i want to make one more point. you talk 1619 and talk americans confronting history. i spent my entire life reading history. i majored in it. since i was 5 years old, 6 years

old, reading history. i didn't know until two weeks ago, after northam, somebody brought up that ten of our first 12 presidents owned slaves. let me say that, again. >> say it louder, joe! >> 10 of the first 12 presidents owned slaves. this is what i want to know. how do we -- how do we reconcile that ugly fact with the truth that people like thomas jefferson, james madison, also created founding documents that extended freedom beyond their lives and even beyond the emancipation of -- how do we do that? >> the freedom is not for slaves. the constitution says we are a human being. three fifths. i know we have to go. we have to t talk about the genocide of native americans.

they get overlooked. this country was built on, in my opinion, genocide of native americans and slavery. that's the foundation of this country and i'm glad you mentioned the fact about people don't know the 10 or 12, the first american presidents owned slaves. it's complex. you know? >> yeah. >> this beautiful thing of democracy, but it doesn't apply to my an zesters. so, let's be honest about it. that's how we move forward, in my opinion. >> i agree. >> the knicks. >> great to have you on. please come back. the film is "black klansman." remember spike lee for best director. please come back. >> i want to. still ahead, president trump's next possible move after congress reaches a border

security plan that he says he is not happy with. ken joins us with reporting on the senate finding no direct evidence that the trump campaign conspired with russia. natasha says the same source told her the word direct is, quote, doing a lot of work here. "morning joe" is back in one minute. ot of work here. "morning joe" is back in one minute covered in dust. we have the power to make history with every song recorded. with every hashtag created. with every barrier broken. history is alive, and we make it everyday. -we're proud to support our partner lonnie bunch the iii who brings history to life during black history month and every other day of the year. what would you like the power to do?

no, there are not. it's absurd. you know, there's no basis to it. >> let's go back to this question of russia and hacking. can you tell us what you know about the relationship and what the campaign knows and what donald trump believes? >> we have no relationship. this is started by the clinton campaign to get the focus off what the real issue is. it's not a democratic national committee.

the real issue is her server. >> to be clear, mr. trump has no financial relationships with russian oligarchs? >> that's what i said. that's what my position is. >> okay. those are just three of the many times that then trump campaign chairman, paul manafort denied ties between trump, his campaign and russia. two days after the denials, an operative with ties reached out and manafort had an in-person meeting with him and another senior trump campaign aide. now manafort is heading back to court and robert mueller's office is asking questions about what they might have exchanged. hmm. good morning and welcome to "morning joe." it's wednesday, february 13th. you guys know what tomorrow is. along with joe, willie and me, we have -- >> by the way, mike, i can't, you know, every year tomorrow is

a special day for me. no. no. this year, tomorrow is going to be, i think more special than ever. what happens tomorrow on february 14th. >> no. >> because, no, it will be. >> no, stop talking. >> no, no. it's special because mike, my god, i mean -- >> contentious. >> in ft. myers, the red sox are already showing up. how exciting. i may even take my loved one, little jack over there to watch chris sail. i mean, it's going to be very exciting tomorrow. >> joe, i'm going and buying a new catcher's mitt today in anticipation of tomorrow. >> that's fantastic. >> you guys have fun. mike barnicle is here. professor at princeton university, eddie is here. i'm sure you know what tomorrow

is. former aide to the white house, elise. first, me want wall. president trump tweeted his approval of the compromise that would overt another government shutdown. while he seemed to acknowledge it's 1.37 billion is far short from the 5 billion he asked for, he's trying to frame it as a political win. his tweet was presented the border security deal by hard working senator richard shelby. looking over all aspects knowing this will be hooked up with a lot of money from other sources. we'll get almost 23 billion for border security, regardless of wall money, it's being built as we speak. plus, i want to thank all republicans for the work you have done with dealing with the radical left on border security. not an easy task.

but, the wall is being built and will be a great achievement and contributor toward life and safety within our country. a white house official told nbc news earlier tuesday that even if trump signs on the agreement to keep the government open, other options are on the table to build a more substantial barrier. yesterday, mitch mcconnell and judiciary leader lindsey graham said trump will close the gap. the president long said mexico would pay for it. he'd do that using his presidential powers. >> i hope he signs the bill. and, second, i think he ought to be free to use whatever tools he can legally use to enhance his effort to secure the border. >> as to the money for the barrier, if he can use steel barriers like he's talking ant, i would say that's overall a

good deal. make up the difference between 1.375 and the other with executive action. >> as we know, willie geist, if you read the constitution, all funding begins with, of course, the legislative branch and the executive branch when it can't get the legislative branch to agree to get the funding they need. actually, what lindsey graham said, unconstitutional. what mitch mcconnell is suggesting, unconstitutional. if donald trump could have gotten $23 billion for the wall, why did he shut down the government for as long as he shut down the government and watch his approval ratings sink, five, six, seven, eight, nine points. he can't get the 23 billion. if he tries to, that's going to be overturned by the supreme court. i guess we should be happy the government is going to stay open

and the president is looking for a fig leaf. if i were donald trump, the person i would be looking for is a person who actually gave me the advice to not take the $20 billion from congress last year when they were actually willing to give the president of the united states $20 billion when he was holding his strongest hand. they said, no, don't take that money. so, because of that person in the white house, whoever it is, he's gone from getting 21, 22, $23 billion for border security to $1.3 billion for border security. the art of the steal. democrats, i mean, they have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. >> yeah, the art of the deal is letting ann coulter teleyou what to do in december to walking away from a good deal, shut down and watch approval ratings go down the tank, get less money

for the wall. forget the $5.7 billion. ann coulter is criticizing the president, again. stay tuned. she writes in a tweet, trump talks a good game on the border wall, but it's clear he's afraid to fight for it. call this his yellow new deal. see if the president responds this time the way he did in december. >> donald trump is so sensitive to any criticism from his brain trust of cable news advisers that, you know, it wouldn't be unthinkable to see donald trump say i don't know, this just isn't good enough and up end everything at the last minute because he is solely driven by what people are saying about him in any given moment. >> remember, sean hannity said it's a garbage compromise. >> yeah, garbage compromise. the chances are good the president can get away with this. we saw the other night, all

those people in el paso, applauding and jumping to their feet when donald trump said we are already building the wall, go to the rio grande and check it out. they are in an alternative reality, anyway. so, we have had the president lying to his supporters for two years now saying he is building the wall when no building has begun. so, he'll take this. he'll keep lying. they will still be supporting him. what will it matter? >> you know, the sad and dangerous thing here, joe, is, i truly believe donald trump believes he is building a wall. i think he really believes that. when, in fact, he's not. the other sad aspect of this is, you just pointed out, you can't help but thinking to yourself, as president trump zits around trying to figure out where he's going to get this extra money, can he get this extra money, surrounded by advisers, you have flashbacks in your mind. you think about the past

presidents sitting around a table with their advisers. think about jfk during the cuban missile crisis or fdr during multiple times, harry truman, george bush, stephen miller and assorted other people, two or three other people, jared kushner advising the president of the united states. they are wrong at every single turn. >> the least experienced group of white house hands. >> yeah. >> in the history of the white house. there's no doubt about it. you see it every day with the bad decisions being made. elise, i have a question for you. >> okay. >> you come from my part of the country, my ideology, you're conservative/libertarian. those people in the crowds, when donald trump tells them that he's building a wall and that

they have been building the wall, go to the rio grande, check it out, do they know that he's a liar? like, do they know that he is lying to them? i mean, they are not that stupid. you know they are not that stupid. they have to know that no wall is being built when he keeps telling them he is building the wall. if he's building the wall, why are they holding signs saying, build the wall. do they know he is a liar and they don't care? it's just a great show and he is not, you know, the lefty democrats or the lefty members of the press? >> joe, i think you nail it when you say it's a great show. that's what most trump supporters are showing up to watch the show. they are there, they are taking it in. they are listening. certainly, there are some people there who believe what donald trump is saying, but over the past two years, doing research

with ashcroft and america project and going around and doing focus groups among different segments of the electorate, it is surprising to me how frequently you hear from donald trump's strongest supporters, they know he is not going to build the wall, but they like that he is trying and fighting. they have no reasonable expectation that, yeah, the wall is actually going to happen or even think it's totally necessary. they want to see a stronger stance on border security. >> it's a branding exercise. remember the trump stakes that were famous down the street or trump water or anything he says is the best product in the world. this is his wall. it's a lie. just like the steaks weren't trump steaks. the worry is, this is leading americans down a path, especially those who -- go ahead. >> 38%-39% of americans still

support him. >> a lot of people think the steaks are real. >> eddie, is it symbolic of something much bigger? is that wall and the fact he is fighting for a wall and building a wall and they know he is lying, is that just him saying in a veiled way what he said outright on twitter, which is, we got to keep those people from latin america. we have to keep those brown people out of america and when i say build that wall, it's, i'm not building a wall. you know what i really mean. >> joe, i think you are right in this regard. it's a monument to hatred. it's a monument to fear and changing demographics of the country. it has little to do with the question of safety or american jobs. it's predicated upon a lie, as you said over and over again. this makes it bizarre. we are compromising based on something that is not true. we are spending money based on

something that is not true. the democrats are negotiating on the basis of something that is negotiating about something that is not true. so, it's -- >> yeah, but eddie, i mean, you say democrats negotiating on this. so, they will spend 1.3 billion dlar fixing up parts of the fence that are there. they were going to give him 20 billion dlast year, then he wants 5.7. nancy pelosi says i'll give you 1.6. the deal is nancy giving him 1.3. that's good negotiating of the democrats. >> it's the equivalent of a child throwing a temper tantrum and they want the big car and we give them the little car. we are awarding it. >> no, no, no, somebody is throwing a temper tantrum in the

aisle and the parent says you can keep doing that if you want to but i'm going to the car. you are going to have a long walk home. that's what nancy pelosi did to donald trump. there is $1.3 billion in repairs that they can make for existing structures along the border. >> right. >> it's, you know, it's not like donald trump won anything here. in fact, i mean, he just got absolutely hammered by democratic negotiators. >> mika, he is talking regramming authority. that means reprogramming money from certain departments. he said i'm going to move things around and take budget money from, quote, far less important areas to make up the short fall in the wall funding. >> let me guess. >> what does that mean? what does it mean to be less important in our country? still ahead. has kevin mccarthy apologized for his tweet?

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gig-fueled apps that exceed expectations. comcast business. beyond fast. president trump called on his congresswoman, congresswoman elan omar to resign over antismetic tweets. the minnesota democrat apologized for claiming that money is the reason u.s. politicians support israel. the president discussed the remarks ahead of yesterday's cabinet meeting after talking about immigration. he then made this transmission. >> one other thing i might want to say is anti-semitism has no place in the united states congress. congressman omar is terrible what she said. i think she should either resign from congress or she should

certainly resign from the house foreign affairs committee. what she said is so deep seated in her heart that her lame apology, if that's what it was, it was lame, and she didn't mean a word of it, was just not appropriate? >> deep seated. that old, sort of racist belief that jews are just about money. i mean, you hear people talking, at times, about jews and money. you know, whether it's politics or in business, people say, jews are just, oh, they are great negotiators. i mean, obviously, mika, that's something from what the president said there, that's something that donald trump would never fall victim to himself, right? >> never, ever, ever. the tweet was horrible and you want to look at her history of comments, if there are others

that are similar and you want to try and understand where this came from. it wasn't good. the hypocrisy is extremely easy to point out. remember, the president was criticized during the 2016 campaign for playing in jewish stereotypes. here he is in 2015. >> i'm in a different position than the other candidates because i'm the one candidate, i don't want your money. i want your support, but i don't want your money. i don't want your money, therefore you aren't going to support me. stupidly, you want to give money. i'm a negotiator, like you folks. i'm a negotiator. we don't build gas stations for 43 million. how many think they could have done it for less? some of us re-negotiate deals. is there anybody who doesn't re-negotiate deals in this room? perhaps more than any room i have spoken to.

maybe more. >> one jewish money joke after another jewish money joke after another jewish money joke. he actually laughed at the congresswoman five times there. >> he definitely did. >> is kevin mccarthy going to call for his resignation? i heard him criticize that. remember the star of david picture? do we have that star of david picture? when that went up, they were peddling and just clear anti-semitism, ugly, i didn't hear kevin mccarthy or any republican, mitch mcconnell call for donald trump to step down. i mean, this is, mika, the hypocrisy is so extraordinarily thick here. >> and, again, that doesn't -- that doesn't deny what happened and i think democrats should talk about it and deal with it.

of course, trump's infamous remarks about good people being among the white supremacists at the deadly rally in charlottesville in 2017. remember that? not to mention the ban on muslims. his comments about s-hole countries, which was just incredible. his suggestion that california's immigration policies allow for breeding and the infestation of crime. eugene scott, you have a new piece out in the "washington post." steve king reacted to criticism differently. why that matters. how did they react differently? >> when democratic leadership, including nancy pelosi called on representative omar to apologize, the representative did and did so immediately. when the minority leader mccarthy called on steve king who has a history of making comments sympathetic to those

who are white supremacists or white nationalists, not only did he not apologize, he doubled down. recently, he led a fight to get back on his committees. he's taking that cue, one could argue from the president himself with no history of apologizing. in part, what he is aware of most is what his political opponents say that are problematic, not he and his own tribe. he does that because his party members, the base, will not hold him accountable in ways the democratic party will hold people like representative omar and nancy pelosi accountable. coming up on "morning joe," elizabeth warren cracked a beer on social media. kirsten gillibrand caught guidance on how to eat chicken. >> mika, he showed off spanish skills to a swiss reporter.

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i have noted the green new deal. we are going to be voting on that in the senate. it will give everybody an opportu opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the green new deal. >> the 14-page plan aims to move the u.s. to zero carbon by making buildings more efficient and investing in electric vehicles and mass transportation. republicans including congresswoman liz cheney, the third ranking republican seized the summary saying there were not provisions in the final legislation. >> it's going to be important to recognize when we outlaw plane travel, outlaw cars, i think the entire u.s. military because of the green new deal that we are

able to explain to our constituents and people across this country what that really means. >> there's another victim of the green new deal, it's ice cream. livestock will be banned. say good-bye to beef, cheese, mill shakes will become a thing of the past. >> i don't think that's exactly -- a congresswoman responded to the criticism, trust me, i like ice cream way too much to do that and like visiting my family in puerto rico too much to ban airplanes. maybe if the gop read the legislation, they would see that communities and jobs come first, not last in the green new deal. >> well, willie, if you read through the document, it seems to be an overreach. even if you support, obviously, a green economy, talk about getting back involved with the paris accords. talk about carbon tax.

talk about a lot of other things. again, i'm not giving advice to democratic candidates running for president of the united states, i'm just saying, it's not an all or nothing proposition. you don't have to jump in head first. >> frank's piece in the new york times calling out the 2020 contenders on being hyperfocused on posting things. frank writes that exercise for the green deal as the candidates try to please people all the time. he writes this. most of the democratic candidates have rallied behind the deal, a progressive resolution with environmental and economic deals to be politically fan tast cal. it's an admirable way to get the dire climate change and reaching so high, coming up short is meaningful improvement.

many candidates quickness to embrace it has to do with endull jens as with leadership. are you surprised they hopped on board so quickly or shoring up progressive credentials? >> the motivation varies. the one thing we know is this, we are in crisis. the planet is in trouble. greed placed the planet in trouble. we have not been good stewarts of the planet. the question, whether you critique the green deal or not, whether you agree with the policies or not, do you agree with the claim the planet is in trouble? >> all democrats agree with that. >> exactly. in terms of response to the green deal, are you responding to the overreach? are you given the scale of the problem? what is your response to the scale of the problem? >> that's their criticism. they don't have a plan. they are hopping on this one that goes very, very far toward policy that is are going to be very, very difficult. >> politically fantastic is interesting.

when i watched "star trek," i wanted a communicator. then when i got older, i had a flip phone. seems how we imagine the world, we need to put that imagination, imagine it so we can -- >> coming up on "morning joe," we'll hone in on the keyword from nbc's major headline on the senate's russia investigation, that no direct evidence has been uncovered on a conspiracy between the trump campaign and russia. we have the reporting, next. russia we have the reporting, next. i think it will fit.

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how much longer do you think until we see the final report? >> it's hard to say. i don't know how long it's going to take two years worth of report and to go through a declassification process, which is what i want to do because i want the american people to see the facts.

i'm not sure how to put it any clearer than i said it before, we have no factual evidence of collusion between the trump campaign and russia. >> that drew a lot of attention yesterday. joining us to put it into perspective, we have national security reporter, ken. staff writer for the atlantic covering national security and the intelligence community natasha. former u.s. attorney, former aide to robert mueller, now an nbc news law enforcementage us, chuck rosenberg. joe -- >> yep. >> i think it was natasha that used the word here and it was stretched, having said that, we know what we know, until we know more. >> by the way, why not start with ken. ken did the impossible. he got a shoutout from the

president for nbc. thanks. what did you support that grew his gratitude? >> senator richard burr gave an interview which he claimed the senate intelligence committee found no evidence of collusion. that was fine for a republican to say that. i wanted to know what the democrats would say about that statement and what they feel they found. i talked to my source that is are reluck tanlt to talk about it. they wanted to put burr's comments in context. they did. there's more to the story. at the end of the day, they don't have evidence of the kind of conspiracy that was laid out in the christopher steel dossier. trump was working with them for years and manafort was involved. that doesn't exist. they don't have that. the democrats say there's plenty of evidence it's in plain sight. president trump urged the russians to find the e-mails.

you have the information with manafort and data with a mantied to russia. burr is saying it doesn't add up to a conspiracy in the legal sense, then, he and the democrats disagree about the implications about the rest of it. >> of course you have donald trump you talk about in plain sight. you have donald trump bragging to the foreign minister, the ambassador of the united states of america. in the white house, it can't be much more direct than that. but, natasha, you say, i think it's interesting, you say the word direct is getting a lot of use in chairman burr's words. >> yeah. that's what my sources on senate intel told me on the democratic side. they feel like this is being very misinterpreted and misunderstood by people who are reading, for example the cbs story, the nbc story.

of course there's evidence of collusion. but, what ken pointed out, which is there's not a legal conspiracy that could be used to perhaps charge members of the campaign, for example, with criminal wrong doing. that may be true, we just don't know exactly what classified information the senate intel committee has. the collusion that has happened, as ken pointed out happened in plain sight. the trump tower meeting, trump tower/moscow where he was trying to pursue a deal during the election. the misleading statement about the trump tower meeting in 2016. all of these things. now that we know paul manafort was given internal campaign data to a russian, all of these things point to something very obvious. there was a willingness to collude with the trump campaign with the russians. it's not the senate intelligence committee's job to look for criminal wrong doing. it's their job to look for

things that might constitute high crimes and things that may be impeachable. things that make us think if we have to question the president's actions and his loyalty to other countries before the united states and his desire to pursue a real estate deal after he is president. that's what the committee is charged with doing. i don't think the democrats think it's helpful for, you know, burr to come out and say we have seen no direct evidence of collusion when they haven't wrapped up the report. they don't know what mueller has. they haven't interviewed the sources mueller has like manafort, flynn, cohen. the democrats are wary of saying they are close to wrapping up at this point. >> joe, to be clear, i have to push back. that's not what my reporting tells me. richard burr said, plainly, they are reaching the end of their witness list.

the democrats do not dispute that. they are closer to the end than the beginning. it's going to take six to seven months after they interview to write the report. the idea there's a lot of investigating left to do is not the case. there's not that many left to interview. they interviewed michael cohen at length, he was charged with lying to them, but not collusion or being in prague. that evidence doesn't exist as far as the senate goes. they don't have what mueller has but they have access to highly classified intelligence on foreigners. >> natasha? >> i think it's important to know mueller did not have to charge him for every lie he may have told the intelligence committee. whether or not that helps the prosecutors case down the road, they didn't charge him for one thing, but did another, that's another question entirely. my sources tell me, this would have been at mueller's

discretion if there was a meeting in prague and he said there was not, but he told the senate committee at the same time that there was, he was not pursuing a trump tower-moscow deal until end of 2016. then mueller could, feasibly, choose, you know, which lie he wanted to pursue. the fact that was absent from the charging document, i don't think that says everything here. >> natasha, thank you so much for being with us. i know you have to go, but greatly appreciate you being here to weigh in. >> thanks, joe. >> let's follow up with this conversation. chairman burr obviously, i think, he's been a straight shooter throughout the investigation. if he came out saying there was direct evidence of collusion between donald trump and washington -- and russia, all of washington would have come to a grinding halt and that's all we would have been talking about for three weeks. he didn't say that. i'm not understating the fact of

what he did or did not say yesterday, but, really, aren't we where we have always been, chuck, which is waiting for robert mueller to issue his report and tell us what they have uncovered? >> yeah. i think that's right, joe. let me tell you, the word direct, to me, as a former federal prosecutor means a lot. here is why. there's two types of evidence, direct evidence, meaning you saw something or circumstantial evidence, meaning you can infer something from facts in front of you. a judge will tell a jury when she is instructing them at the end of a trial, you can give equal wait to circumstantial and direct evidence. if you walk out the front door and there's snow on the front lawn, that is circumstantial evidence that it snowed. it's plauzable someone backed up to the house. more likely, it really did snow. if you see it there, it's

circumstantial. in almost every case i tried, to a federal jury, when you are talking about conspiracy, you don't have direct evidence. that would be extraordinarily rare. you have circumstantial evidence. that word matters a lot. everything that we have described on this show, for months and months and months really amounts to a circumstantial case. people should not infer from that that circumstantial can't be compelling. >> so, a front page story in "the washington post" details how robert mueller is closely examining a dinner meeting on august 2nd, 2016 at the grand havana room in new york city between then trump campaign chair paul manafort, deputy rick gates and a foreign political operative alleged to have ties with russian intelligence. according to the post, it was at that meeting that prosecutors believe manafort may have exchanged key information relevant to russia and trump's

presidential bid. what one member of mueller's team called the heart of what the special counsel's office is investigating during a sealed hearing last week and another sealed hearing for manafort will be held in federal court this afternoon. ken, what do you make of this? again, they are all circumstances being described here? >> it's tantalizeing, which comes from what we all read. it's heavily redacted so it's hard to know what to make of it. this is information the senate intelligence doesn't have. it's another example of how mueller knows more than anyone. the question, if they have manafort on passing information, why haven't they charged him with that? it's possible mueller is holding back for a reveal at the end. >> it's possible they are friends having tea and he didn't know he was a russian. it's like the snow. >> i think where we are going is, it's possible there was a lot of wrong doing and

negligence that doesn't rise to criminal conspiracy. that's what we hope they will lay out for the american public. >> right. mike barnicle. >> chuck, let's stick with the luncheon at the grand havana room in new york august 2nd, 2016. circumstantial evidence, we know a meeting took place. certain people know and have told certain people in the media that constantine is definitely a russian operative. at that meeting, the polling data that has been allegedly discussed, if it involved targeting data, where trump is strongest or weakest, where could the most help be received from russia in specific areas of this country, if they did engage in that conversation and told anyone else about the conversation that had taken place at that meeting. what would the potential charges be against those people? >> it's an interesting question. remember, the russians were running a social media operation

against american elections, against the american electorate. if the russians were getting from manafort details polling data, down to the precinct level, that could look like a conspiracy to interfere in the election, something that mueller already charged in another context. we also know, from the reporting, that rick gates was at that meeting. even if manafort's cooperation has been halting, gate's cooperation is not. they know quite a bit about what happened at the cigar bar in manhattan august 2nd. also, as circumstantial evidence, my understanding is the three men left that cigar bar through different xiexits tt day. that's unusual. if you were there just chatting about the boston celtics or new england patriots, no reason you

wouldn't have walked out together. that is more circumstantial evidence that something was going on that day. is it conclusive? no. is it circumstantial and interesting? absolutely. >> thank you very much. ken dil lanian, thank you both. it may not have rained in new york. everyone may have taken bucks of water and poured out their windows. up next, nato commanders look for a way to counter russia's violation of a cree nucluk clea arms treaty. e nucluk clear arms treaty. 25% of your mouth.

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are you afghanistan may finally ending? >> at least i think there is some more reason now to believe that it's possible to reach a peace agreement than it has been in the time previously in this very long conflict. >> if there is a peace agreement, could you foresee nato troops coming home this year? >> i think it's a bit too early now to speculate when that can happen, but, of course, the aim is not to stay in afghanistan forever. >> that was nato secretary-general yen stoenlt berg with nbc's hans nichols on the sidelines of the nato summit currently taking place in belgium. hans it joins us live from bus sells. set the stage for us, if you can. >> reporter: well, the teenage for patrick shanahan, acting defense secretary, is quite difficult. his challenge is to convince

everyone here at nato that he actually speaks for the president and that the president means it when he says he's committed to nato. now, shanahan has the benefit of coming from iraq, afghanistan. he's fresh off those trips and he'll be able to provide real intelligence to all the other defense ministers here on just how those two conflicts are going. it's clear at least in afghanistan that nato is preparing, guys, for the possibility of withdrawing some troops. remember, there's some 39 mate toe allies in partner countries involved in the fight in afghanistan. they have some 8,000 troops there. there's a great deal of urgency in europe to wind that conflict down. that's positive news. the other side is what to do about russia. nato is accusing russia of being in violation of the inf, the cold war treaty. what seems to be the play here is a bad cop, good cop, and that is try to bring russia back into the treaty but warn them of

consequences if they stay out. >> is there going to be any effort within the nato framework to bring in other countries, china, for example, to bring them into a revamped imf? >> our firt priority now is to save the in fp treaty. the only way to do that is that compliance. at the same time, we are planning for a world with more russian missiles in. >> reporter: that's going to dominate the conversation for the next 48 hours. they are talking about in the military domain what they can do to counter the threat from russia. that is some serious cold war rhetoric across nato. we'll have to see how this all plays out. guys? >> elise jordan. >> i'm curious about the mood among nato and u.s. officials on prospective peace deal with the taliban and how they feel about

the contours what's shaping up for an eventual exit. >> reporter: it's an agreement in principle. there's some optimism but it's qualified optimism here. the key party we haven't heard from is the afghan government. the afghan government the elected government of afghanistan that the u.s. nant toe is spending so much blood and treasure to bolster hasn't been involved in these talks, nor for that matter has nato. i pressed him what's the nato position and the nato role is simply a supporting one. these are conversations at this point between the united states and the taliban. and until you have an agreement, a firm agreement between the two of them, all the other parties are going to be sitting on the sidelines. >> nbc's hans nichols live in belgium, thank you very much. time now for final thoughts. joel, we'll begin with you. >> okay, well, just following up on what hans said, there's so many important issues that we

havefation us. we're in the middle of a 19-year war in afghanistan. we have a $22 trillion national debt. it's gone up about an additional trillion dollars over the past year because of republican recklessness. you look at our health care system which again is just not as -- we're not getting the best bang for our buck. you look at health care. you look at infrastructure. we're canceling projects. we can't keep up with china or japan when it comes to creating a 21st century infrastructure. and yet, we continue talking about an imaginary wall. we continue debating, eddie, about walls when i legal border crossings are at a 50-year low. >> absolutely, joe. in addition to that, i want to say let's stop playing games with the green new deal. let's stop playing games with the fact that the planet is in trouble and everyone get down to

the work of doing what we need to do in order to address climate change. >> mike? >> sometimes mika and joe, the weight of all these issues have to be set aside for just a moment to engage in something that is vital to american life, tomorrow is a very important day, february 14th, it's a huge day. pitchers and catchers have reported and we're beginning to think about real issues like atlantic bullpen strength in boston, stuff like that. >> barnicle, i thought you were going to talk about the importance of love. >> i love the red sox. >> i just would like to remind everyone to get your loved one some flowers and chocolate tomorrow. that kind of love. >> thank you for that reminder. >> one other thing about tomorrow. tomorrow is going to be the one-year anniversary also. we've been reminded, of parkland. >> so and we'll be talking about that tomorrow, as well. i want to end on this note. style section of the "washington post," the making of a

matriarch. this is nancy pelosi's journey and raising five children has apparently helped her to this day as speaker of the house dealing with her caucus and perhaps dealing with one other person, as well. who might be just a tad bit child-like. i don't know. that does it for us this morning. stephanie rhule picks up coverage right now. >> thanks so much, mika. mother of five, ending with love, i want to stay on that conversation, but i cannot. because i have got to begin this morning with breaking news. starting with the "art of the deal." nbc news has learned sources close to president trump anticipate that he will sign the bipartisan agreement to avoid a shutdown despite pouring cold water on it yesterday. >> i am extremely unhappy with what the democrats have given us. but we certainly don't want to see a shutdown. >> but while it points to him signing it, it seems more and more likely he will take outside action to get his wall even though he