after a hard-fought campaign, you got me for six more years. [ cheers and applause ] after a hard-fought campaign, or

should i say campaigns, it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy. the people have spoken. >> after one competitive primary, two general elections and two runoffs, senator raphael warnock knows how to win in georgia. we'll explain what the 51-seat majority means for senate democrats. plus, legal problems continue to pile up in a huge way for donald trump. his company convicted of criminal tax fraud. the justice department makes new moves in the special counsel investigation in the 2020 election. and the january 6th committee now expected to make criminal

referrals to the doj. welcome to the fourth hour of "morning joe." it's 6:00 a.m. on the west coast, 9:00 a.m. here on the east coast. john heilemann always laughs when i introduce the fourth hour. >> she never does the second hour or third hour, it's always the fourth hour. >> i'm just point out here we're for four hours of the on the west coast they're waking up. good morning, everybody! we're starting with incredible news for the democrats and another big loss for donald trump. >> we're not going start with that. you know what we're going to start with? some breaking news. this was the $360 million question for the new york yankees. will they re-sign aaron judge? the answer is yes. he's staying home on a deal that's nine years, $360 million. >> $360 million. >> and he's worth every penny of it to that franchise. >> that's $40 million, more than you get paid. >> so he bypasses the georgia election for this.

go on, willie, keep going. >> obviously there was a lot of talk that he might go to the san francisco giants. we went through that, john, a couple of hours ago. he had a deal offered to him in april of this year, seven years, $213 million. passed on it. said i think i can do better. went out, had one of the greatest single seasons in the history of baseball, including setting the record for home runs in the american league. now, after that betting on himself, lands a nine-year, $360 million deal. yankees gave him everything he wanted. there's some reports that he might have gotten offers for more money elsewhere but he wanted to stay in new york. i know you're thrilled about this as a red sox fan. >> this is very exciting news. he bet on himself and it paid off. i will note the nine-year, $360 million deal for a guy who's already 30, there could be some tough years at the end of that contract. but as we discussed, it's what he means to the franchise, what he means to the franchise and the fan base. the yankees had to do this. they had to make this happen.

there's a little bad blood between player and organization. i suspect $360 million will smooth that over and make that go away. it was the right thing for the yankees to do. even i cknowledged that, even though i'm not happy about it. also good news, we should cheer him on. this is nine more opportunities for him to be booed at home by his fans when they lose in the playoffs. >> it's a new day. it's a new day. great news for yankee fans. >> i think great examples of guts ball, putting yourself on the line and betting on yourself. that was a very gutsy move. there was the time you went double or nothing a carton of cigarettes over the tic tac toe game. a lot of guts. >> sigh of relief for yankee fans this morning. now let's turn to our top story. raphael warnock has won a full six-year term in the united states senate. he beat republican challenger herschel walker in the georgia senate runoff last night. his victory giving democrats an

outright majority now, 51 seats, after two years of an evenly split senate. here is senator warnock speaking after his victory last night. >> here is what i've learned as a pastor. you can't lead the people unless you love the people. you can't love the people unless you know the people. and you can't know the people unless you walk among the people. you cannot serve me if you cannot see me. i just want you to know that i see you. you endured the rain, you endured the long lines, and you voted, and you did it because you believe, as i do, that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea. this notion that each of us has within us a spark of the divine,

that we were created in the image of god. and if you're not given to that kind of religious language, that's fine, our tent is big. simply put it this way, each of us has value. and if we have value, we ought to have a voice. and the way to have a voice is to have a vote to determine the direction of your country and your destiny within it. >> wow. let's bring in nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard live in atlanta with more on this story. something i didn't think i'd be saying, vaughn, is herschel walker in his concession speech, which he made a concession speech, stood up for democracy. >> reporter: right. he actually conceded, and he thanked his team. he thanked god. he thanked donors. and he essentially suggested

that he is moving on. take a listen to part of his concession speech last night. >> i want to say that i want to thank all of you as well because we've had a tough journey, have we not. but one of the things i said when they called the race, i said -- one of the things i want to tell all of you, you never stop dreaming. i don't want any of you to stop dream. i don't want any of you to stop believing in america. i want you to believe in america and ten to believe in the constitution and believe in our elected officials most of all. i want to thank all of you as well because there's no excuses in life. i'm not going to make any excuses now because we put up one heck of a fight. that's what we've got to do, because this is much bigger -- this is much beggar than herschel walker. >> the issue for herschel walker, guys, is everything that led up to that concession speech. you were talking about aaron judge deciding to stick with his home ball club.

i mean let's be frank here. herschel walker has been in texas for decades, a texan for decades now and he chose to switch teams just last year, moving to the state of georgia and changing his registration record. he was roundly criticized for not representing the state of georgia, unlike raphael warnock. when you look at the tweet put out my herschel walker's own tweet, trump called my dad for months demanding to run. everyone with a brain begged him not to do this. you have an insane past. please don't do this. we got the middle finger. he ran. this is a candidate who had a flawed past, numerous allegations from women that he paid for abortions, another allegation that just came out over the course of this last weekend from a former romantic partner that he physically abused her during the course of their relationship. you had also three children that were previously not known about that were disclosed to the public over the course of this summer. as you just heard from christian

walker, herschel walker's son, it was donald trump who drafted the former running back into this race. he said this was the final staple and the reality for republicans that simply turning out gop loyalists, trump loyalists, it does not work. it didn't work in 2020, it didn't work in 2022. republicans have to change their strategy. they have to turn to persuasion here because what the greater metropolitan voters of atlanta, those republicans as well as conservative independents, yet again they showed a willingness to vote for a democrat. you saw them do it. they voted for two democrats for the u.s. senate in the 2021 runoff and voted yet again for the democrat for the u.s. senate here and it's just like what we saw in the state of arizona where for a third election cycle in a road they voted for kyrsten sinema in 2018, they voted for mark kelly in 2020 and again in 2020. republicans and conservative

independents are willing to change parties depending on the character and integrity that the republicans put forward as their candidate. we saw that again last night shall guys. >> vaughn, as we look at the map of georgia, can you zoom in on cobb, dekalb, gwinnett county and what happened there. steve kornacki walked us through the map a little while ago where herschel walker got wiped out by huge margins there and perhaps a sign of donald trump's impact on suburban voters not just in atlanta but across the country. >> right, and the republican party didn't listen from the lessons that voters sent them in 2020. you can see the wild shifts. i mean if you even talk about dekalb county, the extent to which democrats grew on their margins there. when you're looking at cobb county, a place that mitt romney used to lay the reins of. brian kemp results are most telling. no one is going to question the conservative credentials of

brian kemp. after he met the ire of donald trump, he roundly defeated the trump-backed challenger, beating david perdue by 50 percentage points. he then won the general election against stacey abrams by 8 percentage points of the and yet where was herschel walker in these closing days? it wasn't metropolitan atlanta, it was out in the rural counties, forsyth county, hall county, where he was stumping with the likes of lindsey graham and john kennedy, the senator of louisiana, because their whole focus was turning out that trump loyal gop base. there was no change in messaging. he was still talking about the idea of men and women's sports. this was a message that herschel walker did not attempt to jump off of what campaign commercial were they running with in the final month of this campaign? it was a female swimmer who was making the case with transgender athletes and women sports. this was not a pivot campaign

for herschel walker. they went with a message that they came in on. >> nbc's vaughn hillyard. democrats now hold an outright 51-49 majority in the senate. with senator warnock's extra seat. democrats will now have a majority. vice president harris will no longer need to break ties between the parties. with the 50-50 senate the vice president broke 26 ties, the most since the 1800s. warnock's win also dilutes the power of moderate democrats like west virginia senator joe manchin, arizona senator kyrsten sinema. the pair frequently go against the party. in the previously split senate, the need for every single vote gave them enormous influence. so, elise, this meant more

especially after nevada, it was great. you know, it wasn't defining. but this was needed more than one would think, given the house. >> well, and given that it wasn't going to decide who had power in the senate. those hold your nose republicans, those never trump republicans, republicans who just weren't on board with herschel walker, they didn't turn out to vote and it was the deciding factor in why warnock won. >> these midterms, john heilemann, were resounding. and i just remember the weeks leading up to it. the polling, the unbelievable -- even a sense of chaos and hysteria in the democratic party as to how fateful the outcome could be for our democracy. >> and look, for everybody who was worried about the fate of american democracy, rightly so after the insurrection of january 2021, people were nervous and once again --

>> people spoke. >> people spoke, and people spoke in the favor of democracy. we have a final verdict now in the midterms, not just in terms of that large question, mika, but in terms of joe biden, who told people throughout his first two years, i've had a historic first two years, wait and see. we are not going to do as badly as people think. the red wave, all the red wave talk. we now know that democrats performed -- had suffered historic basis of almost no lofts. they lost control of the house but the swing was very minimal and they gained seats in the senate. so here's the political capital. joe biden now is in -- he's feeling his oats right now, looking back and saying i had those very consequential two years and we didn't pay much of a price at all, in fact we gains seats in the senate. last thing i'll say, raphael warnock, with the democratic party moving towards changing its nominating calendar and putting georgia in one of the top four slots, raphael warnock

whether joe biden runs in 2024 or 2028, raphael warnock is putting himself in a position that he can win in the swingiest state in america. he's a great speaker -- >> really great speaker. >> that he can win in what might be the most important battleground state in the country. puts himself in the talk for being a credible presidential candidate at some point down the line. whether that's this one if joe biden doesn't run or four years after that or four years after that. he's a young man. >> and so much talk about how herschel walker was as a candidate, but raphael warnock ran a statewide campaign, making up ground there. he's won five elections in the last two years. >> that's a lot of learning too. >> like a house candidate. >> and we should say again, this moment in time and this moment in history, that he's the first black man or woman to hold a full-term senate seat in the state of georgia, giving its

history of reconstruction, slavery, segregation. lester maddox and everything that's come with it and the man who holds the seat and stands at the pulpit where martin luther king did -- >> it's a hell of a story. >> it is remarkable. a rising star certainly in the democratic party now but also we should reflect on just what it means that this triumph here. and certainly to john's point, what it means for president biden as well who now has -- a few months ago was facing real questions from fellow democrats about the future of his presidency, couldn't get things done in the senate, wasn't able to get his agenda through, and then would there be questions as to whether he would be in a strong enough position to run again. this said, the agenda got done, they have held on to the senate, he's grown that and he's quieted the doubts in the party. he has the ability to spend a few months making the final decision as to whether or not he will run again. at this moment all signs at the

white house point to a re-election bid. >> and he can say i'm the guy that beat donald trump, don't you want me to do that again? let's turn to the house select committee investigating january 6th which could soon be moving forward with criminal referrals. speaking to reporters yesterday, chairman bennie thompson suggested the committee will call for criminal charges as the panel wraps up its work. >> we have not made a decision as to who, but we have made decisions that criminal referrals will happen. i wish i could tell you 1, 2, 3, 4. all that's still being discussed. >> let's bring in congressional investigations reporter for "the washington post" jackie alimeni. he's also an msnbc contributor. what is the significance of criminal referrals from the committee to justice? our legal experts this morning have been saying, yes, it's symbolic, but also it does provide some volume of evidence and volume of impetus for the

justice department to give them a road map of where to go with this. >> good morning, willie. yes, that's exactly right. i echo those sentiments. it is largely a symbolic move that carries no weight but at the end of the day there's a mountain of evidence and what law maerks have been calling a prosecutorial road map for the department of justice. as jack smith has taken over the investigation and is plodding forward. from what we also know, the january 6th congressional committee has been ahead of the department of justice when it comes to actually proceeding with the investigation conducting thousands of interviews, obtaining mountains of evidence, doling out dozens of subpoenas to trump allies that could ultimately be really helpful for jack smith, as we do know that investigators at the department of justice are a little further behind on the january 6th investigation, at least in comparison to the other parallel investigation that jack smith is now overseeing about

the mar-a-lago classified documents. there's also the fact that the people who are ultimately making the decisions on these criminal referrals, this subgroup within the january 6th committee, is a group of lawyers who all have experience or sense of experience with litigation. adam schiff, jamie raskin, liz cheney. i know i'm missing one of those lawyers. but they all have an expertise in this matter. they are extremely steeped in the subject matter and, again, all of the evidence they have collected over the past year and a half. and the department of justice is now waiting for these materials to actually be handed over. merrick garland told reporters just last week that he had asked the january 6th committee for those materials. >> hey, jackie, it's jonathan. so we know that these referrals could be connected to the events of january 6th or the run-up to them but they also could be connected to things the committee encountered during its probe.

let's say perjury from a trump official or secret service agent and so on. we don't know who's getting them yet. my question to you is they're running out of time. when are we going to learn who those criminal referrals are and when do you think we'll see that final committee report? >> yeah, that's something we also asked chairman thompson about yesterday. not only do they have to wrap up all of these criminal referrals and take a formal vote to see where the consensus lies on whom exactly they're going to criminally refer, but they have to finish up this final report, which chairman thompson told us yesterday is about eight chapters long and many, many pages in each chapter. the committee is currently in the process of, as thompson said, deleting and adding certain sections to these eight chapters that are more focused on trump and less on the other parts of the committee's investigation from are, you know, the money trail to the intelligence and security failures that happened at the

capitol. but there's -- you know, there's not a dearth of information here that they have collected. you're exactly right, there were some potentially criminal activities that popped up just in the course of the investigation with liz cheney at each hearing providing pretty ominous warnings to trump's allies that calling witnesses, people that were cooperating with the committee's work, were potentially obstructing justice. so they're on a very tight timeline here. they're going to be working overtime. we've been told to prepare for a lot of christmas reading. >> wow. "the watering post" jackie alimeny, thank you so much for your reporting this morning. so a jury has found the trump organization guilty on all charges in a 15-year tax fraud scheme that prosecutors said was orchestrated by top executives at the company. jurors deliberated for about 11 hours over two days before finding the organization guilty on 17 counts, including scheme

to defraud, conspiracy, criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records. former cfo allen weisselberg was indicted last year and pleaded guilty to 15 felony charges in august. he served as the prosecutor's star witness. former president donald trump was not indicted in the case. he released a statement promising to appeal, while stating that any and all tax fraud was weisselberg's personal doing and had nothing to do with the trump organization. the company faces roughly $1.6 million in fines. sentencing is set for january 13th. i think weisselberg still works there. i'm so confused by this. let's bring in new york law school professor rebecca roifi, a former assistant district attorney in the manhattan d.a.'s office and msnbc chief legal correspondent and anchor of "the beat," ari melber. we've got this trump organization guilty of tax fraud.

the january 6 committee plans to issue criminal referrals. special counsel subpoenas local officials. special master moved out of the documents case. and oh, all but one of hi candidates lost. so where do begin, ari. the tax fraud guilty verdict, does this touch donald trump? >> legally it does not technically mean that the state of new york's jurors and this process found him personally guilty. does it touch him? his name is on the front of the building and the front of the company and the jurors found that this was for the benefit of the company, which he is the founder and leader of, mika. and the prosecutors in their closing argument had evidence they waved in court that showed him personally initialing. we know that he tries to avoid paperwork as much as he can but he initialed paperwork that was part of the evidence that was convicted of a tax crime. to be clear, that means in the

state of new york we could say this morning something we couldn't last week which is this is a criminal organization. this is a criminal conviction. this is a company that has been found guilty of defrauding the government and, therefore, the other honest tax-paying citizens of new york. so it is a big deal. while i fully understand if i take off my lawyer hat and put on my human hat, mika. as you know, sometimes lawyers sound a little different than other humans. as a human being i understand why people say to the great question you asked, okay, when does it hit him? and there are reasons why that's a higher bar and a complex thing. so as a human, it doesn't put donald trump any closer to a jail cell, although those other cases you mentioned are open and could. but as a lawyer, yes, it is a big victory for the d.a.'s office of new york against a company that has been suspected of wrongdoing for a long time. >> rebecca, you can choose which hat you want to slip on. >> we think you're human. >> yeah, i always try to at least pretend, pass as human.

i do my best, i don't know. >> you're wearing the human hat well. you worked in the manhattan d.a.'s office. >> yeah. >> what is your reaction to this unanimous verdict, guilty on all 17 counts, and the reason of course there's interest about this is not because allen weisselberg is an interesting character but because it is donald trump's organization. >> why is he still working there? >> yeah, i think that the organization has not fully separated from him in any way, which is interesting. and it's partially, i think, because he hasn't turned on the former president. he only turned on the organization itself. and i think that was sort of an understanding of a way to kind of split the baby that was okay with the former president. but in any case, i don't know. i think this is kind of significant also as ari said in terms of the reputation of the former president. part of his political and business success rests on his ability to straddle a line between his base and a more mainstream part of the business world and the political world. and i think something like this

has a significant effect on that latter support. it chips away at the -- his ability to reach a certain segment of more mainstream business and society. >> but are there any tangible -- i'm thinking and it's easy to get into his head. it's very simple actually. so he doesn't -- he looks at consequences. there are no consequences really. so i would ask which of these legal proceedings that he's facing pose the greatest risk do you think? >> you know, i actually right now think the civil case that's being brought by letitia james is fairly significant for his business because of the -- although there is no criminal liability that attaches, that case could have significant consequences. we really don't know what's going on with new york's investigation and that's another thing. i think people pretty much assumed back when those two prosecutors left a couple of months ago that they had closed the investigation or were wrapping it up.

i think recently it's been clear that that investigation is ongoing and could also pose significant risk to the former president. >> hey, ari, it's jonathan. let's switch gears. special counsel jack smith has sent grand jury subpoenas to local officials in a number of swing states, including wisconsin, arizona, michigan, that were key to president trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. what does this tell you about smith? this is sort of the first move we know about now that he's been appointed special counsel. he's coming over from the hague. you can see him there in his outfit. does this show you he's hitting the ground running? what do you expect? what kind of timeline should we be looking at? >> great question. i would say with all precision it shows us he's not pumping any brakes but i don't think from the public information we can glean a ton yet about him because there very well may be that this was the kind of investigative lead that was prepared and in motion and he showed up and they said, here's the next thing we're doing and

he said okay. rather than in weeks or months new avenues are pursued because you have someone specifically overseeing these two cases. i will tell you, though, it's significant if you're in one of those states whether you're republican or maga or activist and you look up and go, oh, they're still investigating the coup. it was an attempted coup. it had several different outcomes they were pursuing, including a state-level effort to overturn the results illegally after the date by which under the constitution the electoral college had completed them. and now those people are in the soup, because you cannot help overturn the united states government through a state trick, ploy or crime and think that that's going to be legal. so i think it's very striking that they continue to do that work. >> ari melber, thank you. we'll be watching "the beat" weekdays at 6:00 p.m. eastern

here on msnbc. new york law school professor rebecca roithi, thank you as well. great to have you on the show. appreciate it. coming up on "morning joe" we'll have the latest from ukraine where russia is ramping up its attacks in retaliation for drone strikes on a base deep inside its own country. plus, "time's" person of the year. we showed you the short list on monday. now we'll show you who was picked for this year's cover. no, it's not aaron judge. this is next on "morning joe." x" . so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual!!! what does it do, bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need! and what did you get, mike? i got a bike. ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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33 past the hour. it's time to wake up on the west coast. live look at beautiful san francisco for you. as we get to the last half hour of the four hours of "morning joe." and the board of supervisors in san francisco voted to halt a controversial policy that would

have let police use robots for deadly force. the reversal comes just days after an initial approval to allow police to use armed robots. this was met with overwhelming public outcry. the issue was sent back to a committee for further discussion, which could lead to another vote in the future to allow police to use robots in a lethal manner in limited cases. >> i'm just going to put my vote out there now to not have killer robots on the streets. >> just as a general principle. >> i think there's a lot of potential ways they could open themselves up to some concern, let's put that very lightly. >> we all saw robo cop, we don't want that. meanwhile german special forces have arrested 25 people suspected of supporting a domestic terrorist organization that planned to overthrow the government and form its own state. according to german officials those detained are believed to be members of a group formed just in the last year who

believe germany is currently ruled by members of a so-called deep state. does that sound familiar? that needed to be overthrown. prosecutors describe the group was being influenced in part by the ideologies of qanon. many of those arrested had military training. the group's plan reportedly included an armed attack on the german parliament building. big news in china. possible changes to the nation's covid-19 approach now under way. the country's health commission has announced rollbacks of some of the strictest covid measures. now smartphone documentation showing a clean bill of health is no longer required to move around, with exceptions for senior care facilities and schools. those who test positive for covid will now be able to isolate at home rather than in overcrowded field hospitals or other venues with their families. they also announced a limit to future lockdowns rather than

entire districts and neighborhoods. they are responding to public pressure here a little bit. >> see how long it holds. this morning, meanwhile, russia is ramping up its attacks on ukraine's infrastructure, plunging much of the country into darkness just as winter takes hold. the strikes in response to a direct hit on a base inside russia. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engle has more. >> reporter: washington says it was not responsible for deadly drone strikes far inside russia that targeted three air bases, including one just 125 miles southwest of moscow, that for the first time brought the nearly year-old war right to president vladimir putin's doorstep. >> we have neither encouraged nor enabled the ukrainians to strike inside of russia. >> reporter: russian television airing the aftermath of the drone attacks that set a fuel depot ablaze and killed, russian officials say, three service members. the damage cheer in satellite

imagery, with russia blaming ukraine. but the ukrainian government has not claimed responsibility. the drone strikes are not the first time the war has come to russia. in october, a massive truck bomb exploded on a bridge linking the russian-occupied crimean peninsula to the russian mainland. ukraine celebrated the strike, but also stopped short of taking credit for it. this week, president putin visited the bridge to show it's back up and running. the bridge attack prompted president putin to intensify russian missile and drone attacks on ukraine's infrastructure, forcing rolling power cuts and blackouts nationwide. yet ukrainian troops continue to make slow and steady advances on the battlefield. ukraine's president zelenskyy yesterday visiting the troops on the front lines. and last night he accepted virtually an award from the robert f. kennedy human rights organization, where he thanked the united states.

>> i believe that thanks to your support in particular we'll be able to say one day that all ukraine is finally free and safe from russian terror. >> reporter: but not yet, as russia is using the cold as a weapon, to break ukraine's spirit amid an especially bitter winter. >> nbc's richard engle with that report. and that leads us to this year's "time" person of the year. it is ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. joining us now to discuss this year's selection, "time" editor in chief edward felsenthall. we had your colleague on the other day and gave him a lot of trouble because the short list was so, what's the word, it's hard to find -- >> long. >> it was long, first of all, and it's hard to find anybody who really stands to have impact that is truly global compared to

volodymyr zelenskyy. >> yes. some years it's a pretty agonizing decision. this year was fairly clear cut. the rules of the game, the rules of this almost 100-year-old tradition at "time" is the person or sometimes it's a group or an object who's had the most influence on events in the world over the last 12 months, for good or for ill. and that's volodymyr zelenskyy. we also recognized the spirit of ukraine, this incredible wave of support, volunteerism, of action and courage both inside the country and tell some of those stories as well. >> there's an amazing excerpt, there's so much good stuff in the interview with him. >> incredible. >> we were talking earlier in the show about comparisons between zelenskyy and church held. and zelenskyy said it's not churchill for me, it's charlie chaplin. >> what zelenskyy understands as

a former entertainer is maybe the most valuable currency in the world is attention. and he has used that to a really extraordinary effect. i think the link with chaplin is intentionally. through world war ii he was calling attention to atrocatroc, making fun of hitler and rallying people in a way sometimes politicians can't. we journalists and others in the world can't bring attention to in the same way and that's what zelenskyy has been doing all yore. who would have imagined nine months ago that we'd be sitting here and he'd even still be around. it's an extraordinary story. >> and in many ways, if we had -- you're right, around nine months you worry that ukraine would fall to russia in days. but if we rewound in a year, year and a half, it would be hard to imagine a less likely choice than volodymyr zelenskyy, someone who was an entertainer, a comedian who came into power and immediately got himself

inserted in a trump scandal but we didn't see anything there that would -- that anyone saw anything there that would lead us to believe that he could be so brave, so inspirational and a rallying point for democracy. >> we talked to all kinds of others, meacham and others, former people of the year and one of the people i spoke with is an opposition party member who said i didn't vote for zelenskyy for the reasons you mentioned. seemed not up to the job. but he turns out to be -- to have this set of skills that's enabled the war to go the direction that it has. >> you know, elise, it's funny you mentioned when we saw him in the trump scandal, remember the picture of him with trump and you just saw the look on the face like what the ever living. like what is going on with this guy. you could see that he was -- there was a spark there. such an example, elise, to be able to galvanize people to

fight, to die, to freeze, to endure, when we're looking at leadership in this country pushing back against evil, pushing back against wrong seems very hard for so many leaders in this country. >> do you remember in the initial invasion, the aftermath, there was reporting that zelenskyy had been offered safe harbor, to flee, to the out. he was certainly going to die soon. and he stayed. and he accepted the personal risks that that poses to him and his family. and this interview that your correspondent, simon schuster, who's been there for nine months on the ground in ukraine, it's incredibly moving what zelenskyy says the war and its impact on his own family. can you talk about his son and how he says his son is growing up in this environment. >> yes. his son, who's young, took interest -- has taken interest in military affairs. obviously incredibly complex situation for the zelenskyy

family. one of the things that really stood out for me, though, in that interview is that zelenskyy tells simon, you know, the story is not over. later we'll be judged is the exact words. and this is not somebody who's deeply experienced in foreign affairs. the story is still being written, this report we just saw. a big question, how can this be brought home, how can ukraine be liberated in a way that doesn't trigger much deeper disaster or catastrophe. >> so you've got the person of the year and you have heroes of the year. you chose the women of iran, which is an extraordinary story that is playing out even as we sit here right now. >> really, really another story of courage, the contagious nature sometimes of courage and these incredible women who this is the most sustained uprising in iran in more than 40 years. clearly there's a desire for meaningful change there and a need for it. one of the things we have angelina jolie is a

correspondent for us and interviews the daughter of the woman who was murdered in the protests. it's worth reading. it just will break your heart. >> i joked about aaron judge being person of the year. he is athlete of the year. so credit due, you chose him. >> and you guys gave us a hard time about elon last year. aaron judge, we're the reason he got the new deal with the yankees. >> will you tell aaron we're sorry. he'll come back, right? we may have been a little tough on him. heilemann was really bad. we blame heilemann. >> yeah. >> tell him it was heilemann. >> all right, will do. >> "time's" editor in chief, thank you very much. coming up on "morning joe" -- >> hey, it's mike birbiglia, i have a new show and my producers are so excited that they said you should get into the reflecting pool. i go i don't want to get in the reflecting pool.

they said do it, you clown. i did and it's freezing and i don't want to be in here again. come see my show at lincoln center. it's funny, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel all these things and then you'll feel better afterwards. >> i've always wanted to get in there because you can't. and he just did that. comedian mike birbiglia -- oh, no, heilemann is in there. >> why is heilemann still there? >> is mike going to show up? heilemann is going to ruin another segment. mike, i hope, joins us with a new look at his broadway show. that's next on "morning joe." nn . e this couple was headed to the farmers market... when they got a chip. they drove to safelite for a same-day repair. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service the way you need it. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪

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[coughing] hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry. we were, my wife and i were -- my wife was five months pregnant. we were in line at this event to take a photo with president barack obama. and we get -- and i said to my wife, should we tell the president that you're pregnant? and she was like absolutely. because also when you bring them home, they're going to sleep a lot. don't freak out. he's a very calm man. man. sometimes the nursing doesn't work right away. it's a little wonky. and he goes and babies crave structure. they are eat asking sleeping,

they crave structure. he stops and thinks about it. he goes, that's actually some pretty good advice. >> that's fantastic. how about that throwback? we're calling that a little parenting advice this he received. mike's new solo play, the old man in the pool is now playing extended limited engagement. it has to be said getting rave reviews. the actor and best selling author joins us now. >> you win in the pool. >> my producers were like it would be a great stunt if you were in the pool. i got in. >> were you rested? >> we kept clearing it with security. is they were like, i guess. i would have suggested the

others. >> everybody is talking about the old man in the pool. it's the must-see show. >> packed houses. >> you have seen it. i'll let you jump in in a second. set the scene for people who don't know the back story of the show. don't give it all away. what are they going to see? >> if it you haven't been to lincoln center lately, it's spectacular. it's lit up and everything. and it's a show about life and death and mortality and i have been working on it for four years. heilemann has seen two versions of it because i workshop these things for years. and the goal was how do i talk about death for an hour and a half in the funniest way ask really go there and have people come away and call their parents and tell them they love them. >> that's incredible. and you talk about death for how long? >> about 80 minutes. >> on depth. >> it's hard to believe somebody can talk about death for 80 minutes and be funny.

it's affecting and moving and funny and great. the thick that freaks me out about the whole thing is you do this for four years. and the story mike told me is he would every day perform it and then the next morning he wake ups and listens to the tape and walks around the park and listens to it and makes a small adjustment every night. until you get to the final version. is this the best version now? this is it. >> it's the best version. and honestly, it's the most rewarding for me of any show i have ever done. people say i called my parents on the way home. i told -- people leave happier than they came in. and right now where we have had a hard few years, it's a rewarding experience as a performer. >> as a performer, the first

thing i asked when you walked in, how tired are you. this has to be a lot. you're doing this all yourself. apparently there's shotgun that happens during this that really changes people. so the physical exhaustion and then can we talk more about how we don't talk about death enough. >> the physical exhaustion i feel like i get a lot of energy. every show is different. and then this terms of death, it's like, yeah, my goal with the show is to talk about all the things that we don't talk about so it ends up being an ice breaker. i was in los angeles doing the show and someone e-mailed me and said i took my 12-year-old son and on the way home we talked about heaven. i came one thiegt and i i felt like i lost my dad a few years

ago and i felt like i was laughing with my dad tonight. because i feel like the many that we find comedy within things that are very sad and dark, the more that we can kind of see the other side. >> i like how you say you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll call your parents, you'll write your will. why this subject for you? obviously, this was years in the making. why did you sort of zero in on this? >> i think it's so funny watching that old clip on fallon. >> how old is your daughter? >> she's 7 1/2. >> so cute. >> she's the best. and so i think part of it is you have a child and i heard this said before and you start to go, okay, i guess i'm the cycle is i'm not around eventually. and i talk about when i was 19 my dad had a first heart attack. it's a traumatic experience. it does change you. >> to john's question to you a

minute ago about how you're workshoping, is that still the case now? even though you're performing, are you still tweaking? are you starting to write the next thing? >> i'm still tweaking it. i think about how can i sort of duoback and find the details within this. and so the goal is always to make it the most alive. every night i want it to be more alive than it was the night before. so it ends january 15th. that will be the best version of it. >> if i see you walking around the park around 67th with ear buds in, you're listening to yourself. you love the sound of your voice. >> i hate it. >> my quick question. you live at this space where you get reviewed as a standup comic. you're a monologuist. there's improv, theater, and all this stuff. for a lot of people it's hard to

pigeon hole who you are. do you think over time, are people starting to get it more? as people write about you, talk about you, do people get what this whole project is about better now? >> it was a real honor. they did the best comedy special of the year. and best 11:00 number. references the finale of the show. in the comedy section, it feels like it's reviewed as a play. it's also in the comedy section. it's a hybrid of being a play and doing standup comedy in a monologue. i'm really proud of it because it's not similar to things -- it's its own thing. i'm proud to do it. >> you made something wonderful. mike, the old man in the pool is playing in extended limited engagement. and by the way, right when his

ends, what comes in? >> camelot. >> still? >> camelot. >> quite a transition. get to it while you can. that does it for us this morning. jose diaz-balart picks up the coverage after a final quick break. coverage after a final quick break. [coughing] hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry. (brent) people love subaru just because it stands for much more than just a car.itussin. (vo) through the share the love event, subaru retailers have supported over seventeen hundred hometown charities. (phil) have i witnessed and seen the impact of what we do? you bet i have. (kathryn) we have worked with so many amazing causes and made a difference. (vo) by the end of this year, subaru and our retailers will have donated over two hundred and fifty million dollars to charity. (brent) it's about more than just selling cars. (phil) the subaru share the love event going on now.

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