♪ president trump says the united states is far from a recession. but inside the white house, anxiety is not over on how to hide a trade war with china. the prime minister declines to sell them greenland. and president trump accuses jewish democrats of great disloyalty and a total lack of knowledge and fierce backlash from jewish groups and democratic lawmakers. good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, august 21st, i'm

ayman mohyeldin alongside yasmin vossoughian. we start with the president, where he says he's considering cutting pay roll taxes for individuals. speaking in the oval office yesterday, trump confirmed that the idea is in fact on the take. >> payroll taxes, i've been thinking about payroll taxes for a long time. whether or not we do it now or not -- it's not being done because of recession. because we are legitimately, if we had a cut in interest rates by the fed, if they would do their job properly, and if they would do a meaningful cut, because they raised too fast, you would see growth like you've not seen ever in this country. payroll tax is something that we think about. and a lot of people would like to see that. and that very much affects the workers of our country. >> now, the president's confirmation that the idea is being considered comes just one day after administration officials denied reports that a

temporary payroll tax cut plan was being contemplated. when the white house was pressed by nbc news about why the president is considering the move after that official denial, an official pointed to another of trump's remarks yesterday, in which he suggested that any action on tax cuts would not be imminent. >> so, as you just heard president trump is denying that any potential action on payroll taxes would be because the u.s. is facing a possible recession. he rejected concerns over potential economic troublings during his oval office comments while once again blaming the federal reserve for any problems that the u.s. might be facing. >> i think the word recession is just a word that's inappropriate. because it's just a word that certain people, i'm going to be kind, certain people and the media would love to build up because they would like to see a recession. we're very far from a recession. if the fed could do its job, we

would have tremendous growth. it's psychologically important. if the fed would do its job which has been done poorly over the last year and a half, you would see a burst of growth like you've never seen before. and that would be lowering interest rates and maybe put something -- if you look at what china's doing, if you look at what germany's doing, if you look at what so many countries are doing, putting some money in. despite president trump's insistence that everything is fine with the economy, his administration is becoming increasingly worried ahead of next year's election. according to political, during a fundraising luncheon this week in jackson, wyoming, head lined by jared kushner and ivanka trump. politico says that mull vane told the donors if the u.s. were

to face a recession it would be, quote, moderate and short. president trump took his anger against rashida tlaib and ilhan omar further yesterday. placing blame on jewish americans for voting democrats into office. here was his response when asked about the congresswoman's suggestion to re-evaluate foreign aid given to israel. >> i would not cut off aid to israel. and i cannot believe we're even having this conversation. five years ago, the concept of even talking about this, even three years ago, of cutting off aid to israel because of two people that hate israel and hate jewish people, i can't believe we're even having this conversation. where's the democratic party gone? where have they gone where they're defending these two people over the state of israel. and i think any jewish people, that vote for a democrat, i think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great

disloyalty. >> "the new york times" notes that, quote, trump did not go into specifics about what he considered to be jews' disloyalty, but his language is reminiscent of the anti-semitic smear that jews have dual loyalty. meanwhile criticism of president trump's disparaging comments about jewish americans have been swift. j-street which is pro-israel released a statement. it is dangerous and shameful for president trump to attack the large majority of the american jewish community as unintel gent and disloyal. they're loyal to the jewish and liberal democratic values of tolerance, equality, social justice and the pursuit of peace not to the far-right agenda of this president, which continues

to put the lives of american jews and other vulnerable minority groups in danger. and jonathan greenblat, it's unclear who potus is claiming jews would be disloyal to, but changes of disloyalty have been long used to attack jews. bernie sanders who is jewish, had this response to the president's words while out campaigning in iowa. >> if you are jewish, i gather to be a loyal american, you got to vote for donald trump and republicans. well, let me say this to the president, i am a proud jewish person. and i have no concerns about voting democratic. and, in fact, i intend to vote for a jewish man to become the

next president of the united states. >> so, new, trump's daughter ivanka who converted to judaism nor jared kushner have commented about the president's remarks. and trump postpones his trip to denmark. trump tweeted denmark is very special country with incredible people but based on prime minister's mette fredderi kcen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of greenland, i will be postponing our meeting. senior administration officials have discussed the possibility of offering denmark a deal in which the u.s. would take over its annual $600 million subsidy in greenland, while giving denmark a one-time patient. both danish and greenland officials have said in recent

days that the island is not for sale. now, it has gone from being somewhat of a joke to being a dou diplomatic incident. >> joining us here, scott wong. >> good to be here. >> what do you see here as the political calculus, the political fallout, shall i say, from all of this, as we heard j-street and others making comments distancing themselves not only from the president's comments and the president himself? >> well, as we know, jewish voters have typically aligned by democrats in the past, right, historically. and so president trump is trying to seize on a moment here. he's trying to seize on some of the anti-semitic rhetoric that he's seen from ilhan omar in the past. he's trying to create a wedge between democrats and these

jewish voters, particularly in places like florida, where he thinks this message may resonate for him in the 2020 election. however, in this case, i mean, it clearly looks like his message was, you know, a specific tight message. it looks like he may have overstepped. it's clearly offending a lot of people. but it goes back to this theme for the president about loyalty. this has been a constant theme for the president in his campaign, in his presidency. he talks about, you know, why certain groups should be loyal to him. you know, african-american groups, now jewish groups. and but i think this does go back to the president believing that he can somehow, ahead of 2020, drive a wedge between democrats and the jewish voters. >> i think just as jason greenblatt said invoking issues of reality of jews is

anti-semitic, whether it's loyal to donald trump or loyalty to the u.s. it's just an inappropriate comment to try to suggest if you're not in line with what he wants you to do, that you're not being loyal. >> right. >> let me ask you about another point that has emerged from his remarks that is the rift between him and the administration on the issue of tax, specifically, the payroll taxes. once again, the president is at odds with his own administration here when these type of reports come out. what is the significance of the president or administration who is not on page with the president? >> well, we've seen this time and time again where you have, you know, reporters hearing a news tip from people in president trump's inner circle. reporters then going to the white house. the white house batting those rumors down and saying, no, they're entirely not true. and the president in an impromptu news conference confirming exactly that. but a payroll tax is on the table. i think stepping back the significance is, republicans,

including the president and capitol hill and down at the white house, they are concerned about the economy. there's rumblings now that a recession could be around the corner. that would be disastrous for republicans heading into 2020 because they're whole message of the trump presidency has been -- >> tolerate everything else. because of the economy. >> who do you believe? do you believe the president who said they're interested in payroll taxes? or do you believe people inside of their administration? when you're campaigning to be president is one thing. but when you're sitting in the white house and running for an election is another thing. this could prove to be a liability, "a," for the president and his re-election. but, "b," who do you believe? >> the president usually tells the truth when you ask him a specific question on these types of things and these matters. so, i do believe that a payroll tax cut is being discussed in the white house. and the thinking behind that

would be that somehow it would juice the economy at a critical moment for trump's re-election campaign. >> like you said, i think they're scrambling a little bit. we'll wait and see. >> thanks, scott. earlier this month, the sound of a motorcycle back firing sparked panic in new york city with hundreds of people running for what they you thought was a gunman. similar things are happening online with the thought of gun violence is sparking concern widespread. >> under arrest currently for making a threat. called a mass shooting. >> but he's just a little kid. >> reporter: these volusia county sheriff's deputies have come to arrest a 15-year-old for threatening to shoot up his school. investigators said on a gaming site, he vowed to bring his father's gun to a school and kill seven people at a minimum. the mother said it was a joke. >> he's just a little boy.

he's not one of the crazies. he would never do anything like that, anyway. >> we don't know. >> no but i know. >> we can't take risks and say we trust this guy is not going to do it and it happens. >> reporter: the boy faces charges in juvenile court. another sign of zero tolerance came just last week in fresno, where police arrested a 15-year-old girl accusing her of posting this image at snap chat. a photo of guns at walmart and a message, don't come to school tomorrow. police say she admitted posting it but had no reason for why. >> we take these issues seriously. we cannot play around. it's one thing we have to keep sacrosanct in our community. >> reporter: the fbi arrested a 35-year-old man from maryland threatening by sending messages to a miami woman.

with children now coming back to school, police say they have to take every threat seriously, because they have no idea what the person making the threat is capable of doing. and they say they're also worried about copycats, yasmin. >> our thanks to nbc's pete williams for that report. back to school is not what it used to be. >> for sure. still ahead, just days before he leaves for the g7 summit, president calls for russia being allowed in the group. and the talking points and stories and, of course, a check on your weather when we come back. [farmers bell]

(burke) at farmers insurance, we've seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. even a "three-ring fender bender." (clown 1) sorry about that... (clown 2) apologies. (clown 1) ...didn't mean it. (clown 3) whoops. (stilts) sorry! (clowns) we're sorry! (scary) hey, we're sorry! [man screams] [scary screams] (burke) quite the circus. but we covered it.

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meant who was 17 years old. epstein is also accused of coercing a young woman who will he met when she was 17, to marry an alleged recruiter, another woman, to claim residency. and also blackmailing by paying for an expensive medical procedure. it says pressured, manipulated and lose her virginity to him resulting in him retaining greater control over her. a third accuser said that jeffrey epstein often brags hel alleged violations. >> the trump administration has accused russia of interfering in syria and eliminating activity in crimea, of violating a cold

war arms treaty and helping to violate treaties in addition to interference in america's political system. nonetheless, president trump continues to believe russia should be readmitted into the g7. moscow was expelled from the group in 2014 after its illegal annexation of crimea. yesterday, trump renewed calls to readmit the country and claimed president obama was the true reason for russia's exclusion. >> so, it was the g8 for a long time. and now it's the g7. and a lot of the time, we talk about, we talk about russia. we talk about russia, because i've gone to numerous g7 meetings. and i guess president obama, because putin outsmarted him, president obama shthought it wasn't a good thing to have russia in, so he wanted russia out. so, i can certainly see it being

the g8 again. if somebody would make that motion, i'den disposed to think about it very favorably. but as you know, most of the time it was the g8 that excluded russia and then president obama will be want russia in because he got outsmarted. >> trump is scheduled to attend the g7 in france. >> bill karins has serious conditions out there. >> yeah, we're going to see severe storms. one of those travel alert days in the northeast. airport delays this afternoon and evening. we actually have thunderstorms rolling through detroit. one thunderstorm headed into areas of massachusetts. and it's been a soaking rain from buffalo, southward, towards erie, pennsylvania and a few scattered showers. there's a lot of humidity in the air. we're going to get hot and thunderstorms will brew up this afternoon. that's why we have everyone from philadelphia, harrisburg, skrantsen, the new york city area, all the way to new england

in slight chance of storms. not everyone is going to see severe weather, but at least a chance for it. and maybe even a tornado or two in hudson and new york. in western new york, we get a break in the middle of the day. by noon, and hit and miss showers and storms in northern new england portions. and 3:00 p.m. with showers and thunderstorms in northern new england. then we watch some of those storms trying to approach areas from philadelphia and heading towards new york, as we go throughout this evening. again, it's hit and miss. it's not going to hit everyone. i know, delta for one, is offering travel vouchers for people as they do expect cancellations and delays. still ahead what joe biden had to say after his wife told voters in new hampshire to candidates. we're back in a moment. and getting her car towed.

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it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. where to next? welcome back. in new hampshire on monday, former second lady jill biden urged voters to support her husband for president, not necessarily because they agree with his policies. but because he's the one who can beat donald trump in 2020. watch this. >> you know, your candidate might be better on, i don't know, health care than joe is. but you've got to look at who's going to win this election. and maybe you have to swallow a little bit and say, okay. i personally like so-and-so better. but your bottom line has to be that we have to beat trump. >> however, when asked about his

wife's comments at a community event in iowa yesterday, presidential hopeful joe biden clarified the point she was trying to make. >> your wife said yesterday that democrats, even if they don't like you, personally, she to still vote for you. >> she said if they don't asa agree with me. look, your point is if you have someone who you agree 100% of the issues and you have someone who you agree with on 85% of the issues. the question is, as she was making the case, you should pick the person who you think will win. because none of that matters if donald trump wins. >> and seeing double, warren came face-to-face with her look-ali look-alike, while taking selfies after her town hall monday night.

this is quite remarkable. can you tell which one is the senator? >> i think so, in the light blue cardigan. >> the real elizabeth warren is on the right. i hope you got it right, if you didn't get it right, her doppelganger stephanie owen is on the left. when the two met, warren pointed to her outfit and said the two needed to talk. still another phone call from the head of the nra shows what type of influence they have over the white house. and isis, pompeo appears to downplay the rich terrorist group responsible for killing people in afghanistan. those stories and more coming up, next.

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♪ welcome back, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. it is the bottom of the hour. let's start with the morning's top stories. president trump speaking with the head of the national rifle association yesterday. and details of that latest conversation revealing what kind of influence the organization has on the white house. according to the "the new york times," president trump spoke with wayne lapierre, the chief executive of the nra, for at least 30 minutes yesterday. the "times" reports that the call ended the way that lapierre had hoped it would, with trump espousing nra talking points in the oval office and warning of

the radical steps he said that democrats want us to take in violation of the second amendment. >> we have very, very strong background checks right now. but we have sort of missing areas, and areas that don't complete the whole circle. and we're looking at different things. and i have to tell you that it is a mental problem. and i've said it a hundred times. it's not the gun that pulls the trigger. it's the person that pulls the trigger. these are sick people. >> so in less than two weeks president trump went from calling for, quote, intelligent background checks, to arguing that the u.s. already has strong background checks. and yesterday, he contradicted a point he made earlier this month. >> a lot of people that put me where i am are strong believers in the second amendment. and i am, also. we have to be very careful about that. you know, that they call it a slippery slope. all of a sudden, everything gets taken away, we're not going to let that happen.

look, the nra, has over the years, taken a very tough stance on everything. i understand it. it's a slippery slope. they think approve one thing and that leaded to a lot of bad things. i think we can do meaningful -- very meaningful background checks. >> according to the atlantic, the president told lapierre that they universal background checks were off the table. but a source telling the atlantic is wrong saying the president has not mentioned supporting background checks. but meaningful background checks remain on the table. this about-face is interesting, some democrats i've been speaking to this is exactly what they predicted was going to happen. not only that the president was going to make an about-face after speaking with somebody like wayne lapierre.

and also that the news cycle would come back to it. so indicators used by the white house to showcase the success of a trump-run economy are now flashing warning signs suggesting the president's trade wars are dragging down the system. "the new york times" reports companies that trump has pointed to assigns of strength, such as u.s. steel are now showing weaknesses, idling workers and slowing down production. according to the "times," blue collar job growth has fallen to its lowest level since mr. trump took office. and key surveys of manufacturing activity are near recession levels. while economic growth which mr. trump promised would soar as high as 5% or 6% annually is now running at 2% annualized pace. and reports of impeachment continues to grow. lauren underwood with her latest statement writes in part, the mueller report gave us a lot of information but it left open a

lot of key questions that house committees are investigating. i have long stated that i support the impeachment-related investigation by chairman nadler. the american people deserve all of the facts and full transparency. the congresswoman who represents an illinois swing district becomes the 126th democrat to call for trump's impeachment according to nbc news' tally. trump now claims he had nothing do do with it -- watch this. >> that's a decision of israel. a lot of people are saying that's my decision. that's a decision of israel. they can let them in if they want, but i don't think they want to. when you read the things they've said about israel, how bad. and if you look at their itinerary before they found out, you take a look at their itinerary, it was all a propaganda tool against israel.

>> just as a reminder, just hours before the democrats would not be allowed to enter the country president trump tweeted this out saying, it would show great weakness ifs legal allowed representative omar and representative tlaib to visit. mike pompeo was in tehran, just days after gibraltar rejected an attempt by the u.s. to seize an iranian tanker compounded by the navy for allegedly violating sanctions for syria. speaking alongside the foreign minister at the u.n., pompeo addressed reports that other tanker may be heading to syria and threatens to sanction anyone who aids tehran. he also discussed the strategy for the region. >> what's the situation in the strait of hormuz right now? people are concerned, mr. secretary that we're about to stumble into a war. >> so, the good news is we're

acting with wisdom, wisdom to withdraw from the jcpoa. we can see that is working, the iranian leadership is having to make difficult choices about how to spend its now limited money. the previous administration wrote them a big check, sent across a pile of cash and then opened up the iranian economy so they could continue to grow their terror campaign as the world. we'll never let that happen. >> earlier this month, a report from the inspector general described iraq and laid out the policies. mike pompeo acknowledged while the terror group is indeed gaining strength, overall, the administration is confident in its approach, watch. >> president trump has been very focused on this. we've executed a plan with 80 other countries to defeat isis. we were very successful. >> earlier, you said isis is

done and done. >> well, we've always said that the sala fate caliphate is gone. >> is it gaining strength? >> it's complicated. the sacaliphate is gone. we've taken down significant risks. not all of it but a significant amount. >> joining us again, scott wong, when you answer a question will it's complicated, and then you go on, it seems like you're dodging the question to say the least. this administration very much said isis is dead, it's gone. it's no longer. and yet, it's very much alive and well. what do you make of pompeo's response there? >> well, the president has said more than a dozen times that isis has been defeated, right? >> yeah. >> and so, when you look at the secretary of state's response to that, this is a very complicated topic. it is. i mean --

>> that's not the question. >> i think the trump administration is learning what previous administrations have learned when it comes to, you know, terrorists, when it comes to isis or al try to withdraw troops, it often creates an opportunity for those terror organizations to sort of rear its head. and we've seen that, as president trump has spoken about, you know, pulling troops out of syria. pulling troops out of afghanistan more recently. you know, these terror groups have struck back. including at this horrific attack at a wedding that killed more than 60 people. and i think the trump administration is learning very quickly, you know, how difficult fighting a group like isis really is. >> i think the point that also historically has been made, it's one thing to defeat an organization, kind of reclaim the territory that it may have been holding for a couple months or years. it's another thing to defeat the

ideology that exists behind these things. i think that's the realization that the administration is coming to. let me switch gears and talk to you about your reporting of the nra. we played a report where the president is say about it. the group appears to be in financial trouble. there's chaotic stuff going on in its board. but at the same time, it seems they could exert pressure on this president with a simple phone call? >> that's exactly right. the nra is an extremely influential group in the republican party, with this republican white house. they proved that this week, because you saw the president basically do a 180-degree turn when it came to background checks. he came out very strongly saying congress needs to pass background checks, two weeks later, he's singing an entirely different tune. >> yeah. >> and saying we're not going to do that anymore. and completely pivots to the

issue of mental health which we've seen him do in the past. it's basically an nra and republican party talking point. there was a lot of consternation in the republican party when he started saying we were going to push background checks through congress. you know, it's been not surprising but shocking to a degree. >> i can't help think back to around august 9th when the president had his last conversation that was being reported with wayne lapierre. and lapierre told the president your base will not support extensive background checks. and the president came out and said, oh, we're looking at background checks. >> i'm still left with whether or not the president knows that everything he says is recorded. and can be played back. >> oh, he knows, he knows. still ahead, the concerns over the well-being of migrants

being held in u.s. custody. plus, massive wildfires are ripping through the amazon rain forest, devastating one of the planet's most important ecosystem. the role in that disaster. those stories and the weather for today. your "first look" at "morning joe" is back in a moment. about 50% of people with severe asthma have too many cells called eosinophils in their lungs. eosinophils are a key cause of severe asthma. fasenra is designed to target and remove these cells. fasenra is an add-on injection for people 12 and up with asthma driven by eosinophils. fasenra is not a rescue medicine or for other eosinophilic conditions. fasenra is proven to help prevent severe asthma attacks, improve breathing, and can lower oral steroid use. fasenra may cause allergic reactions. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth, and tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop your asthma treatments

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announcer: only fidelity offers four zero expense ratio index funds directly to investors. and we have zero account fees for brokerage accounts. at fidelity those zeros really add up. ♪ maybe i'll win ♪ saved by zero welcome back, everyone. migrants in custody of immigration authorities will not be vaccinated ahead of the upcoming flu season. in an email, a customs spokesman said, in general, due to the short terminate of cbp holding and the complexities of operating vaccination programs, neither cbp or others administer vaccinations to those in custody. wildfires raging in brazil's amazon rain forest have hit a record number this year. according to the national institute for space research,

over 7,000 fires have been detected so far, marking an 83% increase. >> wow. >> over the same period in 2018. and brazil's most northern state covered in dark smoke. while the neighboring amazon has declared a state of emergency over the fires. increase in wildfires has oc policies favoring development over conservation. ignored the national concern over deforestization. with that, let's switch gears and bring in nbc meteorologist bill karins for a quick check of the weather. hey, bill. >> hey, good morning, we haven't talked about california wildfires this year. we're getting to the peak of the season. ayman, i need you to pay close attention to this video out of south carolina. this tent got tossed up in the air. that's just a tent. now look closely. >> wow. >> did you see that? >> yeah. >> they were trying to hold the

tent down. >> and they got dragged up. >> he was about 20 feet in the air. >> wow. >> he actually came down, hit a side of a girder and he was okay. >> well, there's no person, too. >> lady on the front wearing purple and black. and the guy in the back with the green. >> geez. >> wild, right? >> scary. >> let's get to the forecast for today. we are going to see a chance for strong damping winds as we go through the afternoon. also the danger of lightning, maybe small hail and isolated tornado. we're worried for areas from upstate new york to new england. isolated storms. near the state, in philadelphia, hit or miss. further to the north we get, we'll see the strength of the storms. the more widespread storms. so there is a possibility of significant delays at the airports, new york, albany, boston, portland, syracuse included in that. i think from philly southward to d.c., only isolated delays. we'll keep track of that this

afternoon. hopefully, nothing like that video. still ahead, global markets are under pressure as investors turn their attention to a key meetsing by the federal reserve. plus, it is a battle fit for the big screen as disney and sony face a potential split over spider-man's involvement in the lucrative marvel movie. details driving your business day, coming up. (clown 1) sorry about that... (clown 2) apologies. (clown 1) ...didn't mean it. (clown 3) whoops. (stilts) sorry! (clowns) we're sorry! (scary) hey, we're sorry! [man screams] [scary screams] (burke) quite the circus. but we covered it. at farmers, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ (pirate girl) ahoy!!!!! (excited squeal, giggling/panting) gotcha! (man) ah! (girl) nooooooooooooo! (man) nooooo!

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welcome back. global markets are mixed this morning over renewed uncertainty over president trump's ongoing

trade war. joumanna bercetche joins us live from london. good morning. talk about concerns. >> yes, exactly. yesterday, we wall street. all three indices ended lower on the session. this time it wasn't just global trade war concerns. we also have concerns, namely the hong kong protests, as well as european political developments with the italian prime minister resigning and ongoing potential disruption from brexit. overnight, we have seen asian equities stabilize. up ahead, we're looking forward to the said minutes. this is a crucial fed interest rate meeting last july. some people were hoping the fed would opt for a 50 basis points cut. today we'll get rationale as to why they opted for 25 and could signal further interest rate

cuts which could make the president happy. >> let me ask you about the ongoing dispute between disney and sony, ending with the marvel studios, not involved with the storied franchise movies coming out. i feel like there's a spiderman reboot of some sort. what does this mean for the franchise now that he's no longer involved? >> yeah, potentially it could be very big. just to give you the back story. original, spiderman a marvel book character. 1999 sony bought the rights to make spiderman movie, they made five. in 2005, they struck a deal for spiderman to be featured in marvel cartoons. now it looks like disney and sony are disagreeing on future funding and the licensing agreement between the two respective entertainment

studios. it doesn't look as though spiderman will be featured in the marvel. recent promos have not been featuring spiderman. >> you think all of the villains he has fought and overcome, and ultimately spiderman loses to disney and sony dispute. sad ending to the spiderman character. thank you. axios has a look at this morning's one big thing. and on "morning joe," the president breaks with his administration on a potential payroll tax cut. more on president trump's public comments on the matter, one day after white house officials denied the idea was even on the table. more on the condemnation the president is facing over his derogatory comments for jewish americans after blaming them for voting democratic lawmakers into office. "morning joe" just moments away. o office "morning joe" just moments away.

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he hasn't changed. i started a tiny investment business, and over 27 years, grew it successfully to 36 billion dollars. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. i'm running for president because unlike other candidates, i can go head to head with donald trump on the economy, and expose him fo what he is: a fraud and a failure.

welcome back, joining us from washington with a look at

axios am, editor and chief of axios nick johnson. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> talk about axios's one big thing. >> trump the promise maker. one of the president's most underappreciated traits is a pension for doing what most politicians try to do and following through on, something the president fixates on, keeping on the aides to see what kind of progress is being made on those kinds of promises and making sure he can gain credit on them when they're done. we're running a list. conservative supreme court justice, tax cuts, cutting obama era regulations, cracks on immigration, currency manipul e manipulator, blowing up the iranian nuclear deal. promises he has gone through, and we talked to voters on the trail, he says what he's going to do and sticks with it.

>> okay. so what about the promises the president has not kept. >> i'm ready for that. >> i was just about to tell you, we don't have a lot of time. keep that in mind. give us the greatest hits. >> he promised before the election to cut the national debt in half, gone in the opposite direction of that. i have to look at the list, promised to build the wall, make mexico pay for it. promised to repeal the affordable care act, promised to reverse trade deficits, pull out of afghanistan. when we talk to voters, trump fixates on the ones he succeeded. be sure to watch for him blame politicians and democrats. >> he's going to be riding some of the promises he has made and followed through on when it comes to running in 2020. >> let's take a look at the rise of advertising in the trump era. what kind of action are we seeing here. >> record numbers of boycotts and threats and threatened boycotts and blacklists for

advertisers, something we have talked about a lot. about the increasing politicalization of america that moves into the business phase where ceo's and managers have to be prepared for political blow back. advertising on shows where people don't like what the host is saying. the blow back can be intense. we're seeing record numbers of that and a huge signal to corporate managers and advertisers ahead of the presidential election that is going to increase next year. >> and speaking of social media companies, you at axios are looking at social media companies and the big shift in terms of what and how they're changing some of their policies. >> right. like social media companies like facebook and twitter historically have taken a very very hands off approach to the content that appears on that platform, free speech. pleasing stuff that is obscene or possibly illegal. that is starting to change. this is a big deal. they weigh in and look at the things they should pull down, we saw this with the doctored videos of nancy pelosi or the

rise of deep fakes, the social media platforms realize they have to take about active roll in pulling these things down. and that could be a seat change for these companies. >> live in washington, d.c., going to be reading axios am in a bit. sign up at signup.axios.com. >> i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin, "morning joe" starts right now. >> is a payroll tax cut being considered? >> it's not being considered at this time. >> payroll taxes, i have been thinking about payroll taxes for a long time. >> oh, my gosh. good morning. and welcome to "morning joe." it is wednesday. >> never boring. >> august 21st. along with joe, willie, and me, we have msnbc contributor mike barnicle, contributor to "time" magazine, former aide to the george w. bush white house elise jordan. senior adviser at move on.org, and msnbc contributor, janine

pierre. >> we need to try something out. you on the button there, you ready. i want to get your take, mike barnicle. >> oh, hi. >> on that opening scene where you had a presidential spokesperson saying that, no, they weren't even considering any sort of tax cut, and then of course it changing very quickly. mike what do you think? >> it's great, we're watching the president of the united states literally talk himself into a recession. he changes his mind about things multiple times a day. yesterday was crazy. >> that's enough. >> yeah. that's great. thanks, mike. >> thank you, willie. good to see you. >> i think that graphic, i think that makes all the difference in the