policy makers below the senate, especially in the house which will be competing for this. a lot of democrats we spoke to said don't view this as a bellwether state, but a likely hold and an illustration that shows the limits of what trump could possibly do. >> we should mention we'll have senator stabenow as a guest a little later on. nicholas johnson, thank you very much for joining us. it will be a busy and important friday in washington. the race for house speakership continues. kevin mccarthy trying to gain the support needed as well as of course the second anniversary of the january 6th insurrection. thanks to all of you for getting up "way too early" with us today and all week long. "morning joe" starts right now. at the end of the day all we are asking republicans to do is to figure out a way for themselves to organize so the congress can get together and do the business of the american

people. tip o'neill got along with ronald reagan. ted kennedy got along with orrin hatch. joe biden got along with john mccain. nancy pelosi got along with john boehner. ruth bader ginsburg got along with antonin scalia. all we are asking is house republicans to get along with each other. first time in 100 years there is no congress because of ambition or power grabs, dysfunction, and this is not a partisan criticism. understand this. it's embarrassing, it's dysfunctional. it's dangerous, it's stupid. those are words that republicans have used. >> yep, we still do not have a u.s. house of representatives as the republican deadlock enters a fourth day. we have new reporting about another potential deal in the

works that could give kevin mccarthy the gavel, but no speaker, still. i mean, how many votes have there been. >> no speaker still. i think we're up to about ten now. willie, what great points. ruth bader ginsburg and justice scalia got along. tip o'neill and ronald reagan got along. people on the far left and far right have gotten along. they have figured out how to work for the best interests of america, and yet republicans can't figure out in the house of representatives how to get along with each other. if the situation is so tough that we have the democratic leader. they're talking about this not happening in 100 years. we are now up to 200 years since there have been this many -- we just -- republicans just broke their own record for failure by another century. >> yeah, when you're going back to the pre-civil war days to find a historical comparison,

something extraordinary is happening. it's been 11 ballots. there's some news overnight that we'll get into that there may be a deal of some kind in place between kevin mccarthy and this group of 19 or 20 congressmen and women, but the question is what did he give up? what else did he give up? at what cost is this speakership coming to kevin mccarthy, if he does end up winning by giving away more than he gave up. at what cost? he's speaker for how long, a week, until they decide to throw them out. and what power will he have as speaker if he's giving it all away in these negotiations? >> on top of that, this leadership fight, what happens when they have to pass a budget when they have to intel budget, when they have to actually keep the government running? what happens when they have to go ahead and approve a debt ceiling, extending the debt limit? they don't do that, the

financial markets are in ruins and what's happening right now is kevin mccarthy is so desperate to be speaker of the house that he's actually putting all of that at risk and by extension putting america at risk. this guy is giving some extraordinarily reckless people who saluted what happened on january 6th a couple of years ago, he's giving those handful of people the power to wreck financial markets when these big issues come up down the road. it's something that i certainly hope kevin mccarthy and people around him are thinking about because there's more at stake here than just kevin mccarthy being speaker of the house. >> and perhaps a reminder to them is that today is the second anniversary of the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol. we'll tell you how president biden plans to mark the day and reflect on where we are as a democracy. also this morning, doctors say

buffalo bills safety damar hamlin is alert and responding to commands, showing remarkable improvement after suffering cardiac arrest on the field during monday night football. we'll go live to the hospital. some incredible stories of almost miraculous responses. >> mika and i heard the news yesterday along with everybody else. mika teared up when she saw the words, did we win. that was some great news. it just shot around the country. just extraordinarily uplifting and let's just pray that his recovery continues. >> yeah, i mean, there was a deep, deep concern. we heard some of it from our guests but especially privately doctors saying, look, if you're out for nine to ten minutes, which is what was reported, how long they performed cpr on the field, even if you survive, there's a big risk to your neurological function. we heard directly from doctors saying his neurological function

is in tact. and when they gave him a piece of paper to write something, the first thing he wrote was did we win the game. that's what he wanted to know. didn't have any memory of what happened afterwards. clearly his competitive spirit is in tact, along with his neurological function. >> and i believe it was the doctor who said, yeah, you won the game of life. >> it reminds me so much of where he was two days later, three days later, it's just like the hall of fame hockey player we had on yesterday saying when he woke up, he was looking up at the banners and the lights didn't know the time had passed. for damar, one second he was making a tackle, the next second he was waking up, and, you know, the doctors had to be heartened by the fact that, boom, just like that, his mind went immediately to, wait, i'm not on the field, did we win. really great news.

>> we'll have much more coming up. >> and his father mario had a call, a zoom, with the buffalo bills team, the players who have mixed feelings about whether they should go play a game on sunday, and he said you have to go play. go play for damar hamli, and kind of gave them the permission. they're going to play that game on sunday, but the bills/bengals game, the nfl announced last night has been cancelled. they're not going to try to make that game up. they're going to continue with the season. >> it's going to be a lot easier for the bills. a lot more inspiring for the bills to get on the field now knowing that he's most likely going to be sitting there watching the game. >> yep. that is just amazing news. again, we will have much more in a live report coming up. along with joe, willie and me, former white house press secretary and now msnbc host, jen psaki, the host of "way too early," white house bureau chief at "politico," jonathan lemire, and presidential historian, jon meacham, the author of the

recent book entitled "and then there was light abraham lincoln and the american struggle" good day to have meacham on as house lawmakers are set to vote again today on who should be the next speaker for the third straight day yesterday, a republican stalemate over who should get the gavel ended in no nominee, receiving the 218 votes required to become speaker. like on tuesday and wednesday, house democrats unanimously voted for their new minority leader, hakeem jeffries. but a small faction of the republican party, which won back a slim house majority in november's midterm elections continue to stand in the way of former minority leader kevin mccarthy's bid for the speakership. in five more ballots yesterday, bringing the total to 11 this week. mccarthy failed to pick up a single new vote. for historical context, the last

time a speakership race went to a 12-ballot, that was more than 200 years ago back in 1821. after the fifth new ballot ended with the same result as the previous four, house republicans narrowly won a vote last night to adjourn until noon today. on his way out of the building last night, mccarthy was optimistic despite his historic losses. >> i feel very confident yesterday, i feel more positive today. i think we had really good discussions, we've come to a really good point. >> did you close it, though? >> we'll see. >> that was mccarthy last night, members for and against him spent much of yesterday huddled behind closed doors. sources close to the process tell nbc news they believe the members are close to a promising deal in their words and were working out the details. as for specific demands from

those far right members still holding out, looks like they will get much desired prime slots on key committees, appropriations, rules and deals, and able to vacate at a threshold of one member. any member of the house can call for a vote to remove the speaker at any time. that comes with the promise the tool won't be misused. despite all of that, it still will not necessarily assure mccarthy the speakership because nbc news sources are not even certain how many votes phase one of this deal would net for mccarthy. there are still all of those people who say i will never vote for the guy. sources say it will be several votes and show he has some momentum and would deal with the remaining no's on an individual basis. even at the end of all of this, and the reporting and all the meetings, joe, you still had people like matt gaetz and others ripping mccarthy saying i still will never vote for this guy. he can only give up four votes, even after giving away the

store. it's not clear he can get to that threshold. >> this is not a speakership being debated at this point. >> i don't understand: >> this is a joke. >> i don't understand. sorry to be tom hanks in "big," i don't get it. jen psaki, i can't tell you how many times i have given people the advice throughout my life, don't negotiate against yourself. sit back, wait. if they're not meeting you halfway, you sit there, and just to be blunt, it's the old republican in me, not the snowflakes triggered weak variety of republicans that appear to be roaming capitol hill today, i would sit there and rather die than continue negotiating against myself, die politically, and i've told people that a million times. i would rather die politically than cave into you here, and i'll just stare you down. kevin mccarthy, right now, he's

negotiating against himself. every night we hear of him giving away more power that's not only bad for him. it's bad for the republican congress. it's bad for the republican party. and it's bad for america when it's time to start passing budgets, when it's time to start increasing the debt ceiling, when it's time to start doing the really tough things, and as willie just said -- >> national security. >> he's not even negotiating with the four or five people who say they will never vote for him. he's giving away more of the store, negotiating against himself to only get halfway there. this is one of the weakness public displays i have ever seen. >> exactly. i mean, and, joe, the other rule of politics you know i'm sure from many years in politics and elected office is try to avoid going to a vote if you don't have the votes, right? >> right. >> we all have been sitting here thinking maybe he has a secret plan. is there a secret plan?

right? it reminds me of the west wing episode, the secret plan for inflation. we keep thinking that he has a way to get there. he has not had a way to get there eleven times. today is time 12, and to your point, joe, every time he goes through the round of negotiations or people who are his supporters, they give up something. and they give up things that are significant. and at a certain point, other members of the republican party might say you know what, i'm not for this. i'm not going down this road with you that's going to create more chaos. make it easier, the club for growth deal yesterday that was announced makes it easier for whackadoos to get elected. it will be easier for a vote of no confidence, so there's a certain point, joe, where the other members of the party are

going to say no more, and every time we have a round, concessions are given up. >> i have to say, and again, nobody will listen to me because they haven't listened to me for six years, and they keep losing in the republican party, do what you want to do, you want to keep losing, you keep losing. if i'm in the republican party's place right now, i get a group of leaders together, i have all 201 of them stand or all 200 of them stand in front of microphones and say, hey, guess what, all of those things we offered you, all of those concessions they're off the table. you lost. we gave it to you. you didn't take it. you lost. we're starting all over, and guess what, we still have 200 votes, and guess what, we still have 90% of the republican caucus on our side. go to hell. we're not moving. and you're just negotiating against yourself. now, if you want to get a deal that gets enough votes for kevin

mccarthy, that gets us to 218, we'll talk to you, but stop this shuttle diplomacy where i'm running around, and you're making me chase my tail, and you're telur votes, which still means i'm not speaker of the house, which still means we can't actually swear in our members elect, which actually means our staff members won't be paid pretty soon, which actually means we can't start the committees, so we can do the work of the people, like investigating whether hunter biden once stole second base illegally when he was seven years old, whatever republicans want to do, it's not being done right now because of these holdouts, and this weakness, this negotiating against yourself, this shuttle diplomacy, when you stay up all night, and then they come out and talk to the press and tell you to go to hell. just stop. kevin, this is for you.

you want this job too much. you've wanted this job too much for too long. it makes you weak. it's just like, let me offend my viewers, it's just what i said about the iranian nuclear deal. they wanted the deal too much. my good friend john kerry wanted the deal too much. president obama wanted the deal too much so they negotiated from a position of weakness. let's take it all the way back here. you want this speakership too much. too much to tell them go to hell. and let the world come to you. sit there with your 200 members, and let it come to you. you got to take -- you got to stop giving up all of these concessions. you got to tell them we're back actually at square one, and you

have none of that until you can deliver me 218 votes, and if you all can't deliver me 218 votes, don't waste my time. i will sit on this floor with my 200 friends and we will sit here and keep voting until hell freezes over, and if you want to wreck the republican party, if you want to wreck the country, all right, fantastic, you do it. it's on your shoulders, not ours. and that's the sermon for today. and actually how republicans used to think, and how republicans used to play hardball because they sure as hell aren't playing it now. this is so weak and pathetic. >> right now he's just conceding to the crazies. >> but here's the thing, lemire, if you're conceding to crazy, and crazy is giving you your vote, okay, that's fine. he's conceding to crazy now, and crazy is going outside, i will not vote for you. >> crusty the clown, apparently,

he's conceding to crusty the clown. >> that wasn't even close to crusty the clown. >> they seem like crusty, they make no sense. >> he's conceding and there's still the never kevin caucus. that's their right, but why is he negotiating with people who say they're going to blow him up politically? >> it feels like both crusty the clown and side show bob might be in the republican caucus, joe. >> could be. >> it's certainly right now, seems like a mccarthy gluten for punishment. eleven votes now, no victory, not even close to victory. his aides tell us they feel like they have momentum, they have progress in the deals last night. let's take a step back. it's possible the concessions will get more votes, he's going to still be several short. we had jake sherman on early, even if the deal is struck is going to need to flip another

six, eight, ten votes, that's a tall order. there's no sign this will end today. it likely will go through the weekend, and i think we're starting to see cracks from some of mccarthy's supporters, a few of his backers to this point have said that he might give up too much. that if he makes too much concessions and gives away the entire store, it might be more difficult to back him, and it might be time to look somewhere else. so some of that might be negotiating. some of that might be a bluff, but there is suddenly some real questions there as to how much longer mccarthy can keep this going. no one is going to jump ship today, it seems, sources we've talked to, but the clock is ticking. there's only so much longer he's going to be able to do this, even if he does merge with necessary votes, he's going to perhaps be the weakest speaker we have seen in generations, and even then, there's no certainty that he'll get there. days of days of humiliation, day after day of losing votes, and comes

away with nothing. donald trump did get one vote yesterday. that would be one more election that trump has lost recently. >> exactly. >> jon meacham. >> i saw you perk up when we mentioned the pre-civil war era. congressman nathaniel banks and team 55 on 133 ballots, the longest of all time. you have been sitting, listening, waiting patiently. >> i got my nathaniel banks coffee mug, so we're good. >> oh, that's hot. >> i didn't know they sold those, jon, but only you would have one of those. >> let's talk about this process we've seen and its roots in what we've seen for the last decade, really, in the republican party, the country, ties to the second anniversary of january 6th. what do you make of what you have seen this week? >> it's an interesting microcosm, on any number of levels. i wonder if it's a teachable microcosm to some extent.

you have an extraordinary number of the current house republicans having the same kind of emotional and political experience that much of the rest of the country has had with them over the last five years. does that make sense? suddenly they are being held hostage by people who feel and are out of the mainstream of american democratic, lower case d, discourse. so people act on incentive as lincoln said. suddenly, the republicans who were -- enabled donald trump, who to some extent enabled the anniversary, the events we commemorate today, the insurrection against the united states of america. suddenly, they are seeing what extremism can do. and it shouldn't have taken this

long. i don't know if they'll learn from it. but in american politics, when principle doesn't fail, power has to work. so if they're not going to do the right thing on principle, then maybe they will finally figure out a way to move from this extremism because it's essentially to power. by the fruit, you should know them, right, so i don't care why they do it. but they need to do it. we don't have sort of like in the 1850s, we don't have a functional two-party system at this hour. the constitutional democracy as it has developed requires that. you can argue whether that's ideal or not. but we've said it before. and we see it manifested, minute by minute over the past week. the republican party, once the party of lincoln, eisenhower,

reagan, the bushes, that party doesn't exist. it's fundamentally broken. i believe, from a historical perspective, because they don't actually want to unite behind the pursuit of that more perfect union with the declaration of independence at the core and a willingness to lose graciously and keep fighting with politics as a mediation of differences. and they're just -- it's not a functional force right now. and i don't say that as i'm not a democrat, i'm not a republican obviously, but that's just it, right? as a common sense observation. >> right. >> what else would one conclude? this is not a functional body, and on to mccarthy, given to

joe's point about all of these concessions, it's as if you sold your soul and the check bounced, right? >> it's selling your soul to the devil and the devil says no thanks, i'm busy this weekend. >> i want to follow up on something jon said because before the midterm election f somebody like jon meacham, a presidential historian, a pulitzer prize winner had talked about losing gracefully and moving on and working with your opponents, there would be people mocking and ridiculing that kind of talk. oh, these left wing snowflakes, like making that a sign of weakness. we have already seen members of trump's family and top republicans basically castigate jesus and saying the words of

jesus, turning the other cheek is weakness and what jesus preaches is weakness, we're christians but a lot of stuff that jesus says is weakness. after the '22 midterms, how fascinating that what jon meacham says is actually, it's not just what's best for america, what's best for the soul of america, it's best for politicians. he said lose gracefully, move on. right? every election denier lost in 2022. every person that refused to lose graceful lost in 2022. everybody that echoed what donald trump said and said they were also going to be election deniers lost their elections so suddenly. what's best for the soul of america is also pretty good machiavellian advice, and i just wonder if we're seeing what's

playing out on the house floor, whether this is not just sort of the bad after taste of six years that have gone horribly wrong for america. >> the hangover. >> yes, the hangover. and, yes, gone horribly wrong for republicans at the voting booths in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. >> i mean, joe, i think if you have been a hard core supporter of the last six years of the republican agenda under trump and you've watched this, you're watching on the house floor, complete chaos, concessions by kevin mccarthy, a lot of losing, ballot after ballot. and on the other side, the democrats lost the house in the election. they lost, right? and what you see instead is joy, enthusiasm, excitement around hakeem jeffries, around this kind of historic group of leaders the democrats have chosen, while there's chaos on the other side. i think what will determine,

jon, i'm not a historian like jon meacham, but what will determine what the next year or couple of years looks like is what the outcome of this speaker's race is, because last night matt gaetz was on fox news and what he basically said is that they want kevin mccarthy to be in a straight jacket. it's not just about the outcome of the speaker's race, right? it's about how they want to govern, and so this hangover, joe, that you referenced could continue for some time unless they find a path forward here. >> all right. we are going to come back to this conversation, of course, but we want to now go to an update on damar hamlin's medical condition. doctors say the buffalo bills safety is making a fairly remarkable recovery after suffering cardiac arrest during monday night's game. let's bring in nbc news correspondent maggie vespa outside the university of cincinnati medical center with new details this morning. maggie. >> reporter: mika, good morning,

yeah, that fantastic news coming after, as you know, just a long, grueling week here. so many have been hoping for this update, and now we have learned, as you said, damar hamlin is awake. he's communicating with family members by writing on pen and paper, and even though he still remains in critical condition, he's still on a breathing machine, again this update giving hope to so many including his team who now say in light of this on sunday, they're ready to play against the patriots, in their words, play for three. renewed hope for damar hamlin, now awake and interacting with friends and family in the hospital. >> it's been a long and difficult road for the last three days. >> reporter: emergency and trauma physicians treating him at the university of cincinnati medical center say the 24-year-old who went into cardiac arrest at monday night's game remains in critical condition and on a breathing machine, but they know he's showing signs of good neurological recovery. >> it's not only that the lights are on, we know that he's home. and it appears that all the

cylinders are firing in his brain. >> reporter: even communicating with visitors using a pen and paper. >> he's able to emerge and follow commands and even asked who had won the game. when he asked, did we win, the answer is, yes, damar, you won, you won the game of life. >> he definitely won the game of life. >> reporter: cincinnati wide receiver tee higgins who hamlin tackled during that play monday night reacting to his progress. >> i got news this morning, and it was another big relief off of my chest. >> reporter: in buffalo, the bills resumed practice, their teammate on their minds. >> we want to love up on him. so the next chance we get, i don't know when it's going to be, if we get to see him anytime soon, but it's going to be awesome. >> reporter: back here outside the cincinnati hospital, fans have been brings flowers, leaving signs and breathing sighs of relief. >> i'm thankful that he's recovering, and i hope to see him back on the field. >> we're still going to be

praying for him and the team and his family and we're still going to show love and support. >> reporter: this weekend with that support behind them, the team says it's going to play for three in honor of hamlin. so the other update overnight, the nfl saying it in fact will not reschedule the bills/bengals game, monday's game, which hamlin suffered this injury. a lot of people wondering what's going to happen with the game, in the final week of the regular season. the nfl saying they made that decision because they said it wouldn't have any direct impact on which teams make the playoffs. no team would be disqualified or would qualify based on the outcome of one game. some execs acknowledging it might have competitive inequities in some playoff scenarios. we expect more on that today. that announcement dwarfed by the great news coming out of this hospital in cincinnati, finally.

mika, i'll send it back to you. >> absolutely. nbc's maggie vespa, thank you very much for your reporting this morning. still ahead on "morning joe," we are marking two years since the january 6th insurrection. former u.s. capitol police chief steven sund and u.s. capitol police officer harry dunn will both join us this morning. plus democratic senator debbie stabenow of michigan is our guest on the heels of her announcing her retirement yesterday. also this morning, russian president vladimir putin's call for a 36-hour cease fire is being met with skepticism in ukraine. we'll have the latest on where the war stands. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. ands you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are positive

for acetylcholine receptor antibodies, it may feel like the world is moving without you. but the picture is changing, with vyvgart. in a clinical trial, participants achieved improved daily abilities with vyvgart added to their current treatment. and vyvgart helped clinical trial participants achieve reduced muscle weakness. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. in a clinical study, the most common infections were urinary tract and respiratory tract infections. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or if you have symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. the most common side effects include respiratory tract infection, headache, and urinary tract infection. picture your life in motion with vyvgart. a treatment designed using a fragment of an antibody. ask your neurologist if vyvgart could be right for you.

at booking.com, finding perfect isn't rocket science. kitchen? sorted. hot tub, why not? and of course, puppy-friendly. we don't like to say perfect, but it's pretty perfect. booking.com, booking.yeah.

paradontax blood when you brush could lead to worse over time. help stop the clock on gum disease now. parodontax toothpaste... ...is 3x more effective at removing plaque bacteria, one of the main causes of bleeding gums. parodontax. the gum experts.

it's a live picture on a friday morning of the united states capitol, two years now after that building was attacked on january 6th, 2021. partner of a u.s. capitol police officer brian sicknick has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against donald trump and the two men convicted in connection with with assaulting officer sicknick on january 6th. sicknick died a day after the capitol attack. a medical examiner said he suffered two strokes and died of natural causes. now his partner, sandra garza, is claiming trump and the rioters' actions played a role in sicknick's death. nothing can return officer sicknick to his fiance or his family, but this lawsuit is an important part of the process of holding those who caused his death accountable. garza is seeking $10 million in damages from each of them. officer sicknick will

posthumously receive the citizens medal today, one of 12 people being honored on the second anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol. president biden will award the medal to a dozen election workers, officials and law enforcement officers for contributions to our democracy during that time. among the others set to receive the country's second highest civilian honor, ruby freeman and shay moss, the election workers from georgia who were targeted with racist death threats after they became the subjects of baseless conspiracy theories. former president trump still is attacking ruby freeman on his social media site this week. several of officer sicknick's colleagues from the capitol, washington, d.c. metro police departments also will receive that medal, including officers eugene goodman, harry dunn and michael fanone. former president trump is attacking a private citizen, ruby freeman, who lives in

georgia, was the subject of all of these baseless conspiracy theories, based on videos people thought they saw and of course didn't. her life became a living hell and in some ways still is two years after january 6th. >> because people believe those conspiracy theories, they still believe those conspiracy theories, they still repeat them, and you just ask, have you not seen that they're all lies, these are the same people who say, i don't watch the news, and yet, they live in the sewer when it comes to information. passed along from qanon conspiracy sites. no, they don't get the news from places that have editors, and places that can be held accountable if they tell lies, they go down in the sewer to get so-called news and conspiracy theories, and this is what happens. and jon meacham, that's just one of the maladies that this republican -- this republican party under donald trump has unfortunately placed on american

politics. but you look at officer sicknick, his family, other police officers and how horribly they were treated. trumpists in the media were just so offended by police officers that were brutalized by rioters, almost beaten to death by american flags, some of them on prime time actually accused them of being actors, and overly dramatic when they almost died. they take great offense when you suggest that any police officers died as a result of 9/11. when you ask the dead police officers' families and you ask their brothers and sisters in arms in blue whether they did or not, they'll say, yes, yes, they did. they died as a direct result of trump and the rioters. so where are we two years later on january 6th.

is justice finally being served for those people who brutalized police officers and ransacked america's -- the people's house? >> two things, joe, on this. i think, one, slightly paraphrasing president kennedy who said a nation reveals itself who it is, by who it honors, and so what president biden is doing today is revealing that at our best we're about these dozen people who stood up in democracy's hour of maximum danger at personal risk unto -- even unto death, to defend an idea that just enough of us have made a reality in this country for almost two and a half centuries. and so that's a vital thing to pause and think about, that these people were willing to die

for this idea, and i'd like to think i would be, but i'm glad i'm not being tested on it. and so it must be candid about the remarkable level of courage there. the second is, and i know you've talked to people like this, i have had conversations with people whose names almost everyone listening would recognize. on the right in american life who are so reflexively partisan, and i use that word advisedly, reflexively partisan, that's how they begin the day, how are the democrats going to take what i've got. how is joe biden trying to be a radical, which we could discuss endlessly about how hilarious that is. they look at those images that you're showing, and they don't see an attack on democracy. they see a world where you and i

are exaggerating what happened that, we are not -- that we have somehow politicized this and that basically, you know, the left wants it to be an insurrection. it was just a demonstration that got out of hand. well, the hell it was, and i think that's a shameful thing to -- and a deeply embarrassing and unsettling thing to believe. it's unsettling because it's not factual. >> right. what you're talking about, jon, you're talking about people, and we have had this discussion offline who in every other aspect of their life are thoughtful, reasonable, educated, bright, the type of people you would normally want to be around, that you would want to work with, side by side. mika and i have somebody that we

have the gatest respect for and have always had the greatest respect for that just began a conversation about january 6th and tried to say the same thing, and we said, but the president of the united states was trying to get mike pence killed. they were shouting "hang mike pence." the mob was trying to get it and kill and harm mike pence, and this person, who i promise you everybody would want on their side, on their team, said, no, they didn't. what evidence do you have of that. do they have any guns? i said, well, hey, first of all, the secret service people that were with them, it was like 9/11, they were picking up the phones, they were calling home, they were saying good-bye to their wives and their husbands

and their children because they didn't think they were going to survive the day. those were the people there. they still wouldn't hear of it. they didn't have guns. they didn't want to hurt mike pence. they convinced themselves of this. and again, this is a losing argument. these are the people that lose elections every year. what's so shocking to me, though, is that until this person opened their mouth and started telling that lie that they had convinced themselves was the truth, would have never dreamed in a million years they would go there, not in a million years. they are deliberately, deliberately taking on propaganda and lies and conspiracy theories and letting it shape and define their world view. >> absolutely. and so you asked about two years in.

here's the -- if you look at the last 24 months to the day, here's what's -- that's what's disturbing, unsettling, somewhat horrifying about it, what we just talked about. here's what's good. just enough of us in the midterm election did the right thing, and i'd argue that american history is shaped by the moment when just enough of us do the right thing just long enough to keep this experiment going. and so we are in a stronger position today than we were on january 6th, 2021. but it's fragile, it's fallible, and to use a motto from willie and mika's favorite era, the 18th and 19th centuries, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance and so as we honor these folks today, as we watch this, and let's remember that they were vigilant for us. we have to keep being vigilant

in the way we were in the midterms. >> and you were so right. there are few routes in american history, there are few clean victories. it's just enough people doing the right thing at just the right time that makes a difference, and as people will learn when they read your book on abraham lincoln "and there was light," abraham lincoln at the beginning of 1864 was projected not only to lose reelection, but many people believed he wouldn't even win the republican nomination, and it wasn't until grant moved on atlanta, and then moved across georgia that that victory was assured. just kept fighting just long enough, at just the right time, jon, to make all the difference. >> on that point, lincoln was

willing to lose because he was not going to negotiate emancipation. he would not have fit in, would not have -- probably would have recognized it just because we recognize it. this -- his republican party, lincoln's principled leadership was that he was willing to lose the presidency, explicitly because he believed that he could not ask black men to fight for the union and then negotiate away their freedom, and if you divorce power from conscience, you get january 6th. >> well put. jon meacham, thank you very much. again, the book is entitled "and there was light," abraham lincoln and the american struggle. and joining us now is former capitol police chief steven zund. -- sund.

he resigned one day after the january 6th attack. he's out with a book "courage under fire," and two years to the day, love to hear your thoughts and also touch upon this conversation we just had with jon meacham about the lack of agreement on the facts of what happened that day potentially leaving us open to more violence again. >> good morning. thank you for having me here. >> so what are your thoughts? >> are you hearing? >> i'm sorry, can you repeat the question i'm sorry. just give us your thoughts on today, two years later. what are your thoughts? >> it's a very difficult day. i hear from capitol police officers all the time, i received a letter from an employee on capitol police talking about just how difficult a day this is, just how difficult it is to watch the videos of what happened that day because they're not seeing police officers. they're seeing coworkers, they're seeing friends being beaten, kicked, sprayed with

chemicals and hit with metal poles. it's a very difficult day. i have had a number of officers tell me, i just wish the 7th would come, we could get through this day. it's a tough day. my hats off to them. they're working hard. they're going down there, doing their job. i think they're just tired of everything being politicized around this. >> so today, a number of those officers, including harry dunn who we'll be speaking to later in the show, will be honored at the white house by president biden for what they did that day, as you watch that moment this afternoon, what will you think about then? >> i'm happy that the men and women that were out there fighting, the men and women that defended the capitol that day deserve the recognition, they support the support of their elected officials. and i'm proud of them. i'm happy they're being recognized. i'm happy they got the congressional gold medal. but metropolitan, the 17 law enforcement agencies that came down and helped the capitol police, they all need to be

recognized this day, and appreciated for everything they did. >> chief sund appreciate you coming back on this morning. i know this is a tough day for you and everybody that served there. you have raised concerns about preparations around the capitol for a future event, future protests, god forbid a future attack on the capitol, the current chief of the capitol police said they're going to soon be back to pre-january 6th numbers in terms of how many officers they have up on capitol hill, and feeling pretty good about where they are. what would you think about that right now? where is the capitol police force in terms of their ability to defend against an attack like this again? >> they're working hard to get there. the chief, he's got a lot of experience. he's doing his best. i think the big concern there is, you know, when officers, the moral is still really down from january 6th. they need all the backing they can get. i'm still really concerned about the political oversight, the structure that overseas security on capitol hill, and i'm worried

about how that could affect preparations like it affected for me, coming into another major event, whether it's the security preparations, the intelligence apparatus out there, or even the lack of support we got from the department of defense. i'm not sure any of that has been fixed. the ig from dod, said they're acceptable with the department of defense to assisting my officers on that day. i think that's unacceptable, and i don't think that's been fixed. >> you laid out your concerns about the logistics of whether the capitol could be defended in another attack like this, and we're expecting to hear from president biden with a stark warning saying the lies, the disinformation that led to the political rhetoric that led to january 6th, 2021, still very much with us, even though they were defeated in the november's midterms. how concerned are you that the

underlying cause, the incendiary rhetoric, could lead to another moment like this. >> a look at how we are as a country. we're divided and fractured as a country, we're worried, anything like that, leading to any type of political violence in the future. we wouldn't be here today if, you know, an angry mob wasn't sent up to the capitol on january 6th. you know, there's no reason that we should be here when there's lack of evidence for anything that indicated about the election, and, you know, have the rhetoric, the violent rhetoric of officers on the hill. >> a new book is entitled can the courage under fire under siege and out numbered 58-1 on january 6th. former capitol police chief, steven sund, thank you very much for coming back with us this morning. >> and thank you so much for your service. we greatly appreciate it. >> absolutely. i certainly appreciate it, thank you. so jen psaki, we know much more now than we did the hours

following january the 6th. we know that some time before january 6th, donald trump is desperately running around to his attorneys, his most loyal attorneys that he had on the white house staff who defended him through two impeachments, and he was asking them for strategies, how do we do this, how do we do this, when he was finally told you can't do this legally, you have lost mr. president, we know he left in a huff, and later on that night or early morning, he sent out the tweet to all of his followers saying, come on january 6th, it's going to be wild. we saw all the actions leading up to that. we saw donald trump sitting there doing absolutely nothing while don jr., while ivanka, his children, every staff member, pat cipollone, every staff member in the white house wanted the mob gone, donald trump wouldn't let the mob gone. we've seen one person after another, one rioter after

another sent to jail, facing justice. >> years. >> two years later, i guess the big question is the person responsible for that, who the chief was just talking about, donald trump, do you think he's ultimately going to face justice for sending all of these people to the capitol to riot against leaders who run the united states of america? >> well, the only person who knows that is working in the justice department or was appointed by merrick garland to make that determination. i will say, joe, reading a lot of the january 6th report, seeing the coverage, looking at those transcripts, it is just hard to imagine that he is not held accountable to some degree, and i think many americans share my feeling and your feeling in that regard and i think the question is what's next, what is hard for everybody right now who feels that way is that the justice department's system and

process takes time, and it's not transparent by design. we don't know what they have, we don't know where they are in the process. we don't know what they're doing with the transcripts if they already knew all of this. right now, for the people who watch this closely, who want to see accountability, the only thing you can do is wait, and see what jack smith does. >> jen psaki, thank you very much for coming on this morning. and coming up, donald trump continues to weigh in on the speaker fight of the house. but is anyone listening? that conversation is that he had. >> not at all. not at all. >> not a lot of impact. plus, new york democrats lost three house seats to republicans in the midterm elections, dominated by concern over crime. yesterday, the reverend al sharpton brought together people from across the state to forge a consensus on tackling the issue.

reverend al joins us next to talk about that on "morning joe." l joins us next to talk about that on "morning joe. there's always a fresh deal on the subway app. like this one! 50% off?! that deal's so good we don't even need an eight-time all-star to tell you about it. wait what? get it before it's gone on the subway app!

hello, world. or is it goodbye? you know, it seems like hope and trust are in short supply. [clap] now, as businesses we can blame and shame. or... [whistles] we can make a change. [clap] we can make work, work for our communities. create more equal opportunities. [clap] it's time for business to show its true worth. because it's not goodbye, world. it's hello, team earth. [clap] realtor.com (in a whisper) can we even afford this house? maybe jacob can finally get a job. the house whisperer! this house says use realtor.com to see homes in your budget. you're staying in school, jacob! realtor.com. to each their home.

we're still stuck at the starting block. the american people have told us by putting a republican majority here that they want republicans to lead, and they want a government that works and doesn't embarrass them, and we are failing on both missions. that must change today. it will change -- [ applause ]. benjamin franklin said we must hang together or most assuredly hang separate. we're stuck in a malaise, at an

impasse, and we will stay here. we will not be able to fight the real conservative fights until we find a way to come together and fight that mission together. i'm a lion's fan, and -- [ laughter ] i'm well acquainted with snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, y'all, we need to learn how to win. >> wow, that was -- >> let me just say first about willie geist, you drop a lions reference this year, i'm all in, baby. i'm all in. the lions have been, and i've said this before, jack and i have been watching the lions all year, they were one in five, and we just kept looking at each other going, is this like me or the most exciting one in five team in football, like just really great to watch, and of course they went on this huge winning streak. we'll see what happens at lambeau field. they could make the playoffs,

but regardless, what a dynamic team the lions are. >> jared goff, the quarterback playing great, the running back, deandre swift is great too. they're on the doorstep of the playoffs. they're hot. they score a lot of points. fun to watch. be great if they could sneak into the playoffs for those fans in detroit. >> as an atlanta falcons fan, if i feel sorry for your franchise, your franchise has a really horrible history. >> that's saying something. >> we made it to the super bowl twice, we choked. i don't want to talk about t but still, the lions, what a great story this year. >> it's also hard not to agree with the other points. republican congressman elect john james of michigan made yesterday. he nominated kevin mccarthy for house speaker again, and called out members of his own party standing in the way of the house being able to do its business. it is friday, january 6th. jonathan lemire is still with us

and joining the conversation, we have msnbc contributor, mike barnicle, the host of "politics nation" and president of the national action network, reverend al sharpton, the host of "on brand with donny deutsch," the podcast, donny deutsch, and senior political reporter for "the washington post," ashley parker. and we have no speaker. i know you're not aware of the fact that there's another team in boston, other than the red sox, because i remember going to your house one super bowl sunday when the patriots were playing, and you said, can we go in the other room and just talk baseball. spring training is coming up in a month and a half, and the patriots won a super bowl, you weren't even watching. we were talking red sox baseball, but the patriots actually have a chance to sneak into the playoffs as well. >> they do, but it's not going to happen because they play buffalo this sunday in buffalo, and i think the bills are going

to be ready to play. they're going to be playing for number 3, and the stands, those crowds in buffalo that have waited so long for a great season, and it was interrupted, obviously, by this nearly tragic event on the field in cincinnati monday night. and the fans in that stadium, jonathan, i don't know about you, but it doesn't look too good for new england up in buffalo this weekend. >> and certainly this is a moment where the game feels secondary. there's good news. damar hamlin seems like he's on the way to a miraculous recovery. there were a lot of questions, whether the bills would feel emotionally ready for the game. listen to them yesterday, they seemed like they were on a mission to do this for him. if they come out rolling and need the game for playoff seeding, one would suspect, they would probably demolish, a pretty mediocre patriots team. >> as tim russert's best friend,

you know very well, and you saw up close how tight bills nation is, or bills mafia. they are a family. >> they are a family, and, joe, i have to tell you, yesterday i was watching a press conference with the coach and the quarterback. they were unbelievable. it was unbelievable watching them. i mean, raw emotion, honest, candor, and you finished listening to that press conference, and you realized, yeah, what has happened here, the tragedy, the near tragedy of monday night, and the end result when we found out yesterday that he is responsive and that his first initial instinct was to write down on a pad because he's intubated, he can't speak, did we win. this story has thankfully for all of us in america, given what we're going through in washington, put a smile on the face of this country.

>> it really has, it has shown such an outpouring of love and support. and josh allen who -- one of the great quarterbacks in football, also just a good guy, this was josh yesterday in a press conference talking about his teammate. >> i want to thank our -- the coach mentioned it earlier, but our training staff for going out there, not knowing what's going on, but going through a checklist working as a single sales, like saving his life, you know, and being on that field, you lose sleep, you hurt for your brother. a lot of shared grief, but to the question before, getting updates, positive updates, eases so much of that pain and that tension that you feel, but coach

handled it as perfect as anybody could. >> i mean, talk about being on that field, joe, how difficult and how that memory will be with them forever, and how grateful they are now that their brother, as you put it, damar hamlin is doing better. he also did something, josh allen, at the end of that press conference, hang on, one more thing, because there's been some online stuff about tee higgins, who did nothing but make a catch, turn his shoulder, some speaks on the internet are going after him. josh allen looked in the camera, stop doing that. i'm going to reach out to tee higgins. it's hard not to love josh allen as a football player and we're seeing what kind of guy thes off the field.

who for a third straight day yesterday, a republican stalemate over who should get the gavel ended in no nominee, receiving the 218 votes required to become speaker. like on tuesday, like on wednesday, house democrats unanimously voted for their new minority leader, hakeem jech -- jeffries, but a small faction of house majority continued to stand in the way of former minority leader kevin mccarthy's bid for the speakership. in five more ballots yesterday, bringing the total to eleven this week. mccarthy failed to pick up a single new vote. for historical context, the last time a speakership went to a 12th ballot was more than 200 years ago, back in 1821. >> by the way, that's meacham's sweet spot. >> definitely. after the fifth new ballot ended with the same result as the

previous four, house republicans narrowly won a vote last night to adjourn until noon today. on his way out of the building last night, mccarthy seemed optimistic, sort of, despite his historic losses. >> i felt very positive yesterday. i felt more positive today. i think we had really good discussions. i think we've come to a really good point. >> did you close it, though? >> we'll see. >> you didn't have good discussions. you've given everything up. >> you know, ashley parker, he appears to be negotiating against himself, but what can you tell us about these negotiations. he had them two nights ago, and then you had the never kevins come out saying, well, even though he gave us what we wanted, we're never going to vote for him. he had negotiations last night. we seem to be hearing even if those negotiations go kevin mccarthy's way, he's not going to have the votes needed to end this.

what are you hearing about negotiations and how far away he is from getting the 218 votes he so desperately needs? >> what i'm hearing is he's a ways away from that. the best case scenario for him today is not that he gets the speaker's gavel, is that he maybe, after making concession after concession after concession, to this very small hard right group of defectors that he maybe gets some of them back on board, right? not that he wins, just that he gets a little closer to not losing as badly as he has lost these previous votes. that's really one of the things is that today is do or die for him in the sense that there's been a lot of attention on this very small group of members but you have a lot of moderate republicans who are incredibly frustrated who feel like he's given up the shop, who feel like all of these concessions have made it harder to actually do what they ran and came here to

do, which believe it or not, is govern, and so they want to see some momentum too, or you might see even more pressure publicly especially for him to step aside for someone who can unite those house republicans. >> ashley, looking at your piece out this morning about the impact or lack of impact that donald trump is having on this negotiation, you would think he would be able to pull the string as he has for so many years now in these 19 or 20 members of congress, do what i say, vote for kevin mccarthy, they're basically saying you're wrong about this. lauren boebert said as much. matt gaetz was on fox saying i love donald trump. he's wrong about this. we're going to ignore him. steve bannon said something along the same lines, the base loves donald trump but he's dead wrong about this, really having no influence on these members. >> that's one of the things that has been most striking to watch. normally when there's a

humiliating republican implosion, donald trump is sort soft squarely in the center, burning incandescent, and he's been relegated to the sidelines here, which is notable, because these hard line members are trump loyalists, all but two are like him, election deniers, 15 out of the 20 trump endorsed in their primaries. many of these members have explicitly or implicitly endorsed him in his 2024 campaign, and at the end of the day, he came out not super strongly, but the former president came out for kevin mccarthy and this group just shrugged. i will say, if you look at recent history, it's a long data point in what has been a continuum of losing for donald trump. he lost the 2020 election. a couple of months later, he helped his party lose two very winnable senate seats in georgia. he backed candidates in the most recent midterms, who were not great candidates, who lost. they lost in the senate and created the situation for

mccarthy where he doesn't have a particularly large majority. donald trump then tried to back a challenger to mitch mcconnell for senate republican leader. that person lost, and now the horse he has picked to become the speaker may not lose but is certainly struggling and his endorsement is not one of the things that is compelling for these members to pick mccarthy. >> donny. donald trump, the biggest political story right now is taking place in washington, d.c. he tries to inject himself into the story, supporting kevin mccarthy. brand up or brand down, donald trump. >> below the surface, i don't think he registered on the scale. his two biggest fears are irrelevant and being a loser. he's stunning bulls eye on both of them. what's struck me this week, the image of the week, the moment f the week, the contrast was a few

days ago when you were watching the clown show happening in congress, contrasting with biden in front of a bipartisan group in front of a bridge getting things done. usa today had a poll recently, they said to americans, what do you want in a leadership, they described our perfect leader and the perfect leader was someone between 51 and 65, a governor, a businessman who can work with the other side to get things done. that was the most critical point in what they want in a leader, somebody who can work with the other side to get things done. what we have been through the last four or five years has hardened america so much that they just want two people, two sides to work together. the contrast, what we saw in the buffalo bills story, about the buffalo bills and the cincinnati bengals, the nfl, we're all on one side, obviously that's a life and death situation here, but the republicans are going completely in contrast to what the american people are starving for right now. working together. >> so we're going to get another

split screen later today, the chaos in the house is almost surely going to continue, while president biden addresses the nation on the january 6th anniversary. it seems to me that some of the same forces are at play here, a number of republicans who have hi jacked the process, supported the insurrectionists on january 6th who tried to decertify joe biden's win. whether it's mccarthy or not that ends up the speaker, it's these sort of forces, dangerous forces that have so much sway in the republican party. they're going to be an issue for two years and beyond. >> i think it's very revealing that on the second anniversary of this insurrection we're having this go down inside the congress. and two years ago, these people tried to overthrow an election, and two years later, the same people that supported them and in some cases, incited them, are trying and clearly have held

hostage the speakership and the congress. we have no congress. and the irony is that kevin mccarthy on that day two years ago that was screaming in a phone to donald trump, and then later went and kissed his ring, you reap what you sow. you bow to these people that are now knocking you in the head and stealing your dream from you. these are the people that you did everything against what you stood for on january 6th. and the reward you get is they made you a laughing stock to the world. i mean, children in school will be saying i don't want to be kevin mccarthy. >> yeah, if they remember him. willie, what an extraordinary lesson this provides, and on this day, especially, on january the 6th, kevin mccarthy, picks up the phone when his life's in danger, when other member's

lives are in danger, when you have republican members who are actually working with the capitol police to barricade the doors to the entrance to the house chamber, with guns drawn and those same members weeks later will say it's just another day at the capitol. it's tourists. kevin mccarthy screaming and swearing at donald trump saying it's your people who are here, call them off. kevin mccarthy going to the house floor for condemning donald trump, doing what we know they did, calling this mob up to the capitol, and then refusing to tell them to go home. and then kevin mccarthy selling his political soul after that, once again to donald trump. all so he could become speaker of the house. how -- this just -- how perfect that this circle two years later

comes back to this point, to this house chamber where he is sitting, where he delivered those scathing words against donald trump before backing down, and he learns what everybody else in donald trump's political life has learned. that selling your soul to donald trump leaves your soul in ashes. loyalty is never returned and you always end up losing because of it. >> and everything kevin mccarthy has done in the two years since january 6th, beginning with that trip to marching, but to appease all of these people now who are saying they will never vote for them. looking the other way when they do reprehensible things or say racist or misogynistic or islam phobic things and never having public comment on it, looking the other way, letting it fester, letting them feel their power, letting them know they

can get away with whatever they want all in the name of receiving their vote this week, and now we're through eleven ballots, and he doesn't have any of their votes. and he's got 19 or 20 people and maybe some of them will come to his side today and through these negotiations where he's giving up more of his power as speaker. some of them have still said after all of that, after selling his soul, like you laid out perfectly, he's not going to get anything for it. they're not going to vote for it. he gave all of that up for nothing. on the second anniversary of january 6th, we want to bring into the conversation one of the men, one of the officers who bravely defended the capitol that day. u.s. capitol police officer harry dunn. officer dunn will be among the 12 people president biden will today award the presidential citizens medal for exemplary contributions to our democracy surrounding january 6th. officer dunn, it's good to see you today. i'm curious what your thoughts are this morning, two years on from that terrible day? >> good morning, willie.

thanks for having me on. you know, the first thing i thought about, you know, ironically with what's going on in the house right now, whatever anybody wants to call it, the irony of it is two years ago that's what my coworkers and i defended those members to have the right to do. no matter what anybody's thoughts about, you know, which way it's going. the fact that they have the right to be able to do that in a safe environment. is kind of what we provided them two years ago. it's ironic what's going on now. >> it's certainly ironic what's going on right now, and many of those people, by the way, who are standing in the well, and won't support kevin mccarthy, and giving long lectures and speeches about restoring truth and getting rid of lies are the same people that pushed the lies that drove those people to the united states capitol. officer dunn, who are you

thinking about today? i know this is a really hard day for you. you have some terrible memories from that day. i know where you guys were out numbered at those barricades, who will you be thinking about today? >>. >> my coworkers, the men and women of the metropolitan police department. we fought so hard and gave it everything we have that day. some of my coworkers have not returned to work. some are not able to work. some of the names that you know from that horrible day, myself, sergeant gri nel, carolyn edwards, danny hodges, there were hundreds of officers there. they fought so hard, and everybody has a story from that day, and it deserves to be heard, and deserves recognition, and i think my heart is with

those guys, and those men and women. they just mean the world to me. >> officer, in another incredible split screen, we'll be watching the fight for the speakership happening today on capitol hill, and you will be, among others, honored by the president, what does this award mean to you? >> it's not usual that i'm at a loss for words, but this was just completely humbling, and overwhelming gratitude. i looked it up, and you know, had to look at the meaning behind the award, and what we did on january 6th, that's what we signed up, that's the oath we take, and we take it seriously. however, in the days after january 6th, speaking out and being an advocate and pursuing

accountability and justice, i have done in my personal capacity, as just a concerned american citizen, so just having those efforts recognized means the world to me. also, just, it shows that, all of us americans have a job to do in protecting this country, this democracy. everybody has a role in it, and we all need to take it seriously. >> officer dunn, al sharpton, let me ask you, when i met with you and talked with you at the capitol, you seemed like a very reflective person, and as you get this award today, 10, 20, 50 years from now, what do you want young americans to have learned from what happened on january 6th to you and those at the capitol? what is the lessons in history that you hope we walk away from as time goes on in american

history? >> mr. sharpton, good to talk to you again. also the number one thing that immediately popped in my head is i want history to show that the individuals responsible for it were held accountable, which 730 days later, we're still waiting to happen. not just the foot soldiers, but the people responsible for inciting it and frankly, not doing anything to end it. also, that night, as ugly as january 6th was for americans watching, for us that were fighting in it, later on that night, the democracy went on, and congress returned and certified the election. so as ugly as it was, it still held that that's the main take away that i want people to remember that day. >> democracy held.

>> u.s. capitol police officer harry dunn, thank you. words cannot express how much we appreciate everything you're doing. >> god bless you, thank you so much. >> thank you. have a good day. >> you too. so ashley, you've done so much reporting on january the 6th. i won't ask you your feelings or your thoughts as a reporter, as a journalist. i will ask you, though, for some perspective. can you give us some perspective because you've done so many stories regarding january 6th and what followed and the committee. can you try to put this day into perspective two years later? >> well, one thing that's been striking. normally when there is a devastating national tragedy, something like september 11th, for instance, or in a different way, january 6th, the nation

comes together. there's a clear, united bipartisan effort to investigate it, to figure out what happened, to ensure something like this will never happen again, and sort of having done reporting to the lead up of january 6th, and after math and right up to now, the anniversary, what's been striking is that that has not happened. officer dunn is right that at the end of the day, the institutions which we now understand are more fragile than any of us ever thought, they did hold but there's not that bipartisan effort, right? these committees are divided. these investigations have been politicized. there are still members of congress who are denying the results and a former president, the de facto leader of the republican party denying the results of the 2020 election, which is in many ways one of the key catalysts that brought us here in the first place. and so, you sort of have this

mixed yin and yang, the institutions held, democracy held, and you also have a house of representatives that currently has no members. so it feels like on this anniversary, a very mixed bag. >> "the washington post," ashley parker, thank you very much for your reporting this morning. we appreciate it. and still ahead on "morning joe," pulitzer prize winning presidential historian doris kearns goodwin joins us with her reflection on the january 6th attack. also this morning, we still don't have a house speaker. long time democratic strategist -- >> or a house of represenatives that's functioning. >> james carville is back with us this morning as we head into a fourth day of deadlock because of gop infighting. plus, one of our next guests says the mccarthy mess is peak trumpism. vanity fair's molly john fass joins us with more on that.

you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. n that you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪ ♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪

second date, wish me luck buddy. mouth to mission control. we have a denture problem. over. roger that. with polident cleanser and polident adhesive refresh and secure for any close encounter. if your mouth could talk it would ask for polident and poligrip. people remember ads with a catchy song.

so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's a little number you'll never forget. ♪customize and save♪ only pay for what you need. ♪liberty liberty liberty♪ ♪liberty♪ ♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪ ♪l♪ acoustic soul music ♪ throughout ♪ ♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪ ♪ acoustic soul music throughout ♪

- fellow elites. now that we've made travel so ridiculously expensive, we can enjoy this hotel without all the filthy normals littering this place with their mindless frivolity. [laughter] [water splashes] - how'd you get here? - kayak! - huh? they compared hundreds of travel sites to find a great deal on my flight, car and hotel. - i guess we'll just have to eat him. - yuck. you do it. - kayak. search one and done.

of new york city. >> you think that's beautiful? >> at 7:30. >> only because your condo high atop the comcast tower. >> that's not my condo. it's getting old, joe. >> with the satellite dish. >> getting old like us. >> i've been there a long time. >> as republicans in washington fight for days on end -- >> so weird. >> who's weird? >> you are. >> i said i've been old a long time. what's so weird about that. do you want me to start calling you honey on the show? >> no, i don't. >> sweetie, come on. >> that bothers you. >> stop it. >> i'm starting over again. >> can you fix this in post? >> yeah, we'll edit it out. >> good, read it again.

>> as republicans in washington fight for days on end, elected officials in new york are coming together to address one of the state's biggest issues. crime. reverend al gathered some of the state's highest ranking black officials for a historic summit. it's the same issue that cost democrats important midterm races. look at this voter issues poll from right before the election. it topped the list. >> reverend al, we want to commend you for bringing this group together. you're the only person that could have done this effectively. you and i have talked for now, my god, two, two and a half years about how progressives, from park slope and the upper east side who have been calling to defund the police, and have been calling to take police

officers out of the most impacted areas, often where a large number of people of color live and are victims of crime. there's almost a soft bigotry involved there, because as you say, they like call themselves woke but they're not awake to the violence that people of color have been enduring every single day. talk about that, your strong conviction about that, and how yesterday moves new york and the rest of the country in the right direction. >> well, being woke also depends on where you wake up, and i think that when you wake up in areas that have disproportionate amount of gun violence, and those that are in law enforcement that may do the wrong thing, you wake up a little different than those that wake up and say where's my latée this morning.

and i think that that's where there's a big difference. there's woke in what way. so what we decided, you have an unprecedented amount of blacks in political power now in the state of new york. black lieutenant governor, black state attorney general, black majority leader of the new york state senate and speaker of the assembly, and the mayor. and district attorneys in three counties. i said, let us all sit in a room. we've never sat in a room since they have been in power. this is something shirley chism never dreamed we would be holding these positions and where we could get a consensus. tish james and the mayor, and the speaker of the assembly, carl hastings, and andrea stewart cousins sat down, and said wait a minute, we're not trying to open the key to the jail and let everybody out. we're trying to be fair based on those with economic needs, and those that have not been

litigated properly when they bring up now that it's almost a bad word, bail reform, and the mayor saying i've got to deal with crime. crime is nowhere near as bad as it was in the '80s and '90s. it's not going to explain to somebody walking down the street when a kid gets shot in a stray bullet in situations we're seeing. and it was to begin to see where we could come together and deal with this, and i thought it was a very effective meeting. i thought it was very important because they now have to govern and if reverend bernard and the naacp could help bring them together in a room to start a joint dialogue, that's what last night was about. the irony is the media that tries to miscast both adrian stewart cousins and carl hastings, does not want to cover. all of the newspapers this

morning that demonized them, didn't cover the media, because they are less diverse than the legislature in new york. even your paper "the post" didn't cover this. they cover crime every day, but wouldn't cover a meeting because they don't want good news out but we're going to make good news anyway. we're going to keep working on this. >> rev, what's the early report from the police community on the mayor, there's rumblings that he's not getting good scores early on. >> i understand there's almost whispers going on, but i think that you must remember, first, the mayor was a policeman, and the mayor understands policing, and if he disagrees with some things, it's not that east anti-police. he was that over two decades. i think that there are those that wanted him to be one way, and i think he's showing balance, and i think he's being underestimated if they think a whisper campaign is going to

make him move either way. at the same time, donny, the far left that's got a whisper campaign against him there. he's not going to be intimidated. he's not a punk. >> talk a bit about the reality of crime. i mean, if you read the paper, the "new york post," you would think the city is just under siege each and every day. they have listings of shootings, stabbings and you read them, this happened at 2:30 in the morning or 4:30 in the morning on the subway, but what it does is it infects people with fear, and yet the people who live daily with crime and you know the neighborhoods, you know the areas where they live daily with crime are subjected to it in a much more fierce way than people who are afraid of it from reading the newspaper. >> that's why i got on the newspaper, because they don't front page those that are trying to deal with it and solve it. i think the public advocate said it best in the meeting last night, there's a difference between those that feel crime is

better, and those that feel crime is not. whether the statistics says it or not. people feel afraid because things are happening. when you cannot go in your drugstore and not see the cages where your tooth paste is, clearly you got a reason to fear. now, it may be better than it was 20 years ago but that doesn't make me feel safe today. we've got to deal with the reality of how people feel because things are happening and we have to come together to deal with it. >> well, i mean, and that's the thing rev, i get so tired of people saying, oh it's just an exaggeration, there's not a crime issue. you walk into a cvs, walgreens, you walk into convenience stores across new york city, they've got tic tacs caged in, they've got tooth paste caged in. and we've seen, a lot of times, you know, smash and grabs in the past, they just take it, and

nobody does anything about it. there is a reality there. but i want to talk also about people who whine about the fact that newspapers do cover crime. it seems to me that when we have these horrible tragedies, horrible tragedies of school shootings and let's say 20 kids die in a school shooting and teachers die in the school shooting, we as a nation rightly mourn. and yet, the preceding weekend and the weekend following that horrific event, as many people will be killed by guns in chicago, philadelphia, l.a., all around the country, so i'm just -- i'm not so sure it's not a positive thing that we highlight crime because it's too easy for, as you say, people that wake up in new york and the first thing they're worried about is where they're going to

get their latté. it's not bad that they have to confront the violence that the truly disadvantaged have to deal with and worry about with their children every damn day. >> no, i agree. i think that certainly they are not to be comfortable, and media ought to say this is what's going on, but when there are efforts to deal with it, the media should also show that. it should be a balance. i'm saying if you go on the front page to crime, also at least put page 5 there are people coming together, historic gathering to say let's deal with crime, not only our meeting but efforts by people in the private sector and others, let's also show that people are not just sitting around doing nothing about it, and i think that when you exploit crime to get newspaper sales, that's one thing, when you expose it so

people on the other side of town understand people are living under siege, that's a good thing. i commend newspapers for that. just be more balanced and fair. >> rev we commend you as always, and are so grateful for everything you do. >> thank you, rev. >> thank you so much, reverend al sharpton, and donny deutsch, you're not coming back for brand up, brand down today, are you. >> i'm coming monday. we're going to tease it over the weekend. a lot of people, their lives feel empty and incomplete. coming off this week of disarray in the congress, but knowing that monday at about 9:37, brand up, brand down, the data scientists throughout the weekend working, that's going to give people hope over the weekend. >> in their lab jackets, plugging it. let me ask quickly, lightning round, brand up, brand down, republican party, brand up or brand down. >> brand new coke. >> all right.

donny, kevin mccarthy, brand up or brand down. >> brand down. you got to give me one where i got to pause and think, these are stung brand downs. >> donald trump, brand up or brand down. >> brand irrelevant. >> joe biden, brand up or brand down. >> brand up in the baseball cap in front of the bridge in kentucky. >> bipartisanship, brand up or brand down? >> it's brand up what the american people want, on display, it's brand down. >> there you go. >> i love the way you tease it. now everybody can get on to their weekends. >> exactly. it's very exciting. >> thank you, donny. up next, the editor of the new yorker, david remnick, and pulitzer prize winning doris kearns goodwin join us with their reflections on the january 6th attack, and the historic mutiny of house republicans playing out right now, and the

2024 senate map appears to be highly favorable to republicans especially now that both democrats from michigan will not seek reelection. that includes senator debbie stabenow who will join us on the heels of her surprise decision to retire. "morning joe" will be right back. "morning joe" will be right back

if you're on multiple medications like i am, you should know that there are millions of people

across the country using singlecare to drive down the cost of their prescriptions. so whether you have medicare or you don't. or whether your drug is covered or it's not. just check the singlecare price first. singlecare often beats co-pays and a lot of other options out there, so it pays to check! visit singlecare.com and start saving today.

so the new speaker of the house, whoever the hell that ended up being, and other gop house leaders, here's my message to you, you have this job because you promised to represent the people. we, the people, are calling on you to condemn political violence. as you take on your new roles, i will be watching and waiting for public statements from each and

every one of you to do just that. enough is enough. >> that is former washington, d.c. metro police officer michael fanone speaking directly to house republicans yesterday. it's a message fanone wrote in a letter delivered to those republicans earlier this week calling on them to condemn political violence. it was signed by more than 1,000 military veterans, active duty members, law enforcement officers, and military families. joining us now, editor of the new yorker, pulitzer prize winning author, david remnick, he's written the introduction o. new yorker's published report of the january 6th house select committee, and pulitzer prize winning author, doris kearns goodwin. doris, i'll start with you on this second anniversary of the terrible day of the attacks on the capitol, january 6th, 2021, and the way they tie in to what we're seeing on the house floor right now. now eleven ballots in, going up

to a 12 now without a speaker, without a seated house of representatives. what do you see as the tie, and what are your thoughts on the second anniversary? >> i think back to the early days after that anniversary actually happened, and i thought that a line had been drawn in the sand and that something was going to change in the republican party. just remember what it was that speaker mccarthy, hopeful speaker mccarthy was saying at the time, it was a criminal attempt to obstruct responsibility, that the president bore responsibility for it, and that he probably should have a fact finding commission, and maybe deserved censure. what if he had stuck to that, what if mcconnell who said the president was practically and morally responsible for this ha republican party in a different direction? former president trump had this mega phone and he started to turn back to him and then the january 6 commission came

forward with powerful arguments with the hearings. public sentiment has changed. with it anything was possible lincoln said. without it nothing is possible. that's slowly but changed and took much longer than it should have. we have the election deniers who are not the majority in the country and the will not be -- i'm optimistic that the tide turned. it is turned. that's the optimism i feel and the republican party will be shaken up. >> so, david, i had somebody call me yesterday asking me what the hell is going on. i said you may be watching a hangover from the trump years. may be the last dying gasp of trumpism. could be like the sixth sense

movie. they're dead. they don't know it politically. we have seen time and again. 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, '22. voters reject trumpism. are we see the last gasp of trumpism on the house floor right now or is it something else? >> well, that may be the triumph of hope over experience. we are seeing the latest chapter in an epic going on for years. the radicalization of a political party. the leaders call itself the party of lincoln. it is the opposite. it is striking to me.

in 1860, that winter, lincoln was awaiting being -- having an inauguration in march in those days. what was he hearing in washington? reports of a secession army and had plans to come to the capital. does this sound familiar? head off the inauguration and block him. it was only thanks to john breckenridge who went ahead and certified the election and did the right thing. it has resonance with mike pence. this is the second anniversary in which the vice president of the united states, the speaker of the house, the senate majority leader and more in danger of being kidnapped or being murdered.

sitting president of the united states as we now learned did not care a wit for the people and the people demonstrating on his behalf. now two years later and the republican party having a battle that's soulless and shows the emptiness of their party. there are fewer election deniers than two years ago and people hustling and looking at the place. look at mccarthy himself. is he standing up for democracy and principle and for issues that mean something to him? no. he is fighting for his place. at the same time he's doing battle with representative gaetz. this is a moral avatar. it is disgusting spectacle and the democrats are just standing

back and letting it all happen. what happens at the end of today the congress is going to be a poorer place for it and the american people are i too fear in the near term. >> i applause fur optimism but looking at the pictures of two years ago at the capitol and still staggered and in disbelief that it happened here. kevin mccarthy seeking to become speaker of the house. being rejected. my question to you is posed this way. given the fact that he is supported by -- opposed by 20 hardline right wing elements of

the republican party, some of them still election deniers, he's giving away the store piece by piece in order to attain enough votes to become speaker, it reminded me 0 of a phrase from nearly 50 years ago that took place in a village in vietnam when the major in charge of destroying the village said on television said it became necessary to destroy the village in order to save it. i'm wondering as you reflect on what's going on today and what led to today, what are your thoughts about destroying the village to save it? >> wow. that's a pretty powerful thing, mike. there's public sentiment out there.

may be that the congress and the republican side will not do anything for the will of the people. maybe they start doing the investigations that they are claiming they will do but the country is not going to stand for it. the first time the country had a chance to speak on what happened in january 6 is midterm elections. they were powerful against what they were seeing and trump and the idea that the election was not fairly won. they will have another chance to speak out in 2024. i think that public sentiment is moving and may not have accomplished much on the republican side. the country's moving forward. lincoln said it takes a long time for -- maybe that's where

the metaphor of the destruction before the construction. lincoln said the democracy was at issue. if you could have a people in the south who refused to refuse the election in the north then democracy is an absurdity. hopefully we don't have to go to that extreme but we have to fight for the idea that the peaceful transition of power at the fundamental breaking point when you don't accept a loss. more people know that he lost the election. it was not stolen. it was a big lie and trust the public and hope that a younger generation coming up to fight for being election people know there's something more important than staying in power but a purpose and meaning to politics. i grew up in the 1960s. terribly hard decade in many

ways. great things happened because people believed in public life. you got to remember that in these worst of times that was the best of times in many ways and so glad -- you, too, mike. that's your generation. you believe in public power and fight for something and need to have young people feel that's what politics again and not just kevin mccarthy trying to save the power. that's the hope i still feel in this country. >> david, russia. it is reported that vladimir putin partially motivated to move in on ukraine seeing the u.s. withdraw from afghanistan and january 6. questioned the resolve of the american democracy.

we'll hear from president biden today marking the events of two years ago and suggesting the big lie is alive and well. do you think that american democracy, the democracy that putin looked at isn't healthier today than two years ago? >> i think it's marginally healthier thanks to the elections and i have not seen some very major republicaning if yours come forward and speak frankly about the state of democracy. desantis is apparently leading donald trump in many polls. where is he on democracy and the essential issues. instead he's positioned himself to the right of donald trump. he's been quite cynical about this. in a better world the way to solve this crisis in congress would be for the so-called

moderate republicans -- i don't know that they're moderate but not part of the taliban 20, that they would find democrats and to help them through the crisis and voted through and find a compromise candidate, a republican, but somebody to live with and end this. nobody has the courage to do this in the republican party. in the process they are involved in what one republican called a self gelding. it is a pathetic process to watch. you mentioned russia and ukraine. some of the leading voices against funding ukraine's illegal invasion by russia is some of the leaders of this movement on the republican party. they have shown themselves willing to speak against the ukrainian effort to save

themselves. which tells you a little bit more about their moral and political standing. >> david, thank you. doris, thank you. happy belated birthday to you. thank you for being on this morning. it is 1:30 past the top of the fourth hour of "morning joe"? third. third hour of "morning joe." >> four more left to go. >> we'll get you up to speed on where things stand with the house speaker stalemate. kevin mccarthy lost a 11 straight votes yesterday. for the historical context, the last time a speakership race went into a 12th battle is since 1821. >> i don't know if you -- have you been sitting around and

thanksgiving dinner with jon going on and on about the fight. >> in 1821. garrett haake has the latest. where were the u.s. house deadlocked and ledderless for a fourth day an a speaker is not elected. >> reporter: republican leader kevin mccarthy struggling to lock down nearly 20 gop votes. >> i feel very positive yesterday and more positive today. i think we have really good discussion. >> reporter: allies zramibling to reach a deal. allowing any single republican to force a vote on removing the speaker any time. mccarthy seen lobbying on the house floor. the possible deal not moving a sing the vote his way on

thursday. >> i wouldn't vote on my vote. >> reporter: congress can't do anything else until picking a speaker. >> all we are asking is house republicans to get along with each other. so we can get about the business of the american people. >> reporter: lawmakers are preparing for a long struggle with one solution. >> we have to get more votes. >> let's bring in columnist at "the new york times" eugene robinson. strategist james car vim. special correspondent at "vanity fair" molly john fast joins us.

>> james -- >> whoa. >> never seen anybody negotiate against themselves the way that kevin mccarthy continues to negotiate against himself. he does it every night. gives away more stuff. nothing in return. may get a couple votes. but not enough to be speaker. what is your take on the madness. just the weakness that kevin mccarthy is showing. >> mika asked what kind of a speaker would he be. this job you can have the position of speaker of the house but not do anything remotely like the job. the reason is the people want is attention. usually -- you were in congress. >> right. >> crest view or business tax

write-offs. these guys want to get attention. they don't want anything else because they raise money online. and to the extent it is possible to feel sorry for kevin mccarthy, i guess it is. i almost feel sorry for the guy. to watch somebody be publicly humiliated like this, it was fun when it started but not anymore. >> yeah. >> it is so crazy watching this go day after day. i listen to the commentary as people sit there and try to figure out what the rebels want. >> yeah. >> it is simple what they want. james just said it. they want attention and the cameras fixed on them. they want to be able to write the fund raising letter saying

i'm standing up to the man. they want to be able to raise money. there are some people here. chip roy is one. this is what we want. we had guests on yesterday that laid out procedural changes they want but most people going to block kevin mccarthy they just want to get the faces on tv, raising money off of jit the last thing they want is for this crisis to resolve itself even if they can't help constituents and do committee work, cripple a branch of government. >> they don't care about that. they don't. they care about the own personal brands and careers. those brands and careers don't depend on the goodwill or the

acquiesce of the speaker anymore. they have the direct line through fox news and the fund raising, emails and online. they have the line to the constituents. they raise the money. they raise their profile. among the supporters. and it doesn't matter to them that the -- look. used to be a time when the last thing a member of congress would think about doing is getting on the wrong side of the speaker to derail the career and send them home. that is not true anymore. you have a chip roy and the ones who have a more or less principled to kevin mccarthy or demands that have been met and met and met again.

but you have a hardcore of never kevins who all they want is kevin mccarthy's head. then you won't get kevin mccarthy as speaker. so we can go through this again and again but i don't know how he gets passed the eight never kevins. i don't know. matt gaetzes of the world. >> so many different ways that this shows the house republicans sort of openly humiliating themselves again and again. kevin mccarthy with the house republicaning flailing and failing the american people, molly. appears to watch them suffer the consequences of trump in realtime. >> this is a natural conclusion of trumpism. trump made the people want to be

celebrities and think they can and main goal to grow the brand. you have the mini trumps. matt gaetz and lauren boebert that think this is a bigger deal than working together so they have no incentive to vote for kevin ever and tacked so maga so early on, shown himself to be maga so he is not -- democrats would never make a deal with him at this point and not maga enough for maga. >> yeah. willie, the thing that the

holdouts have the view to stop kevin mccarthy from being speaker and a speakership from getting voted in here just like donald trump have proven over the past several days don't care about the republican party. not only did donald trump not care about the republican party he liked blowing up candidates politically in georgia and mitch mcconnell and the republicans in the minority in the senate. he didn't care. that is happening here. these people are absolutely again especially the eight holdouts that again just say i can raise a lot of money here. i can get on tv a lot. they don't care about the republican party at all and something that the rest of the party now seem to realize. >> what do they do with it?

what point does kevin mccarthy learn i give them everything and don't get the votes? these members seem to want what real housewives want. to build their brand. congressional kardashians. james carville, the question now is, if kevin mccarthy continues don this path just giving up everything including a concession that a single member can raise his or her hand and call for a vote to get rid of him what's the point of being speaker under those terms? >> because you want it -- okay? again, there's a difference

between a job and a position. he wants to go to something he's always wanted. he feels like the reputation is on the line. he gets to be the title, the position of speaker and then being special. he's negotiated every element to do the job away. of course the people are publicity terrorists if you will. they'll stop the whole thing again. molly points out very correctly. all they want is attention. that's the whole goal. there's no policy thing. that's not what they are all about and enough people in the united states that stupidly keep sending them money to keep this going on. somebody can tell me how this ends but i see ongoing show. >> you write about how this sort

of was inevitable. mccarthy empowered some of the factions now against him. famous tweet you quote. i never thought leopards would eat my face. and that's what happened here. they turned on him. >> my god. >> are we seeing the -- sorry. it is one of the great tweets. so they descend to chaos. trump's power seems diminished. looking at the republican party, where do the gop go? will this spiral down the drain? >> my guess is that members of gop members of congress who are more mainstream get sick of this

and there's a mother's funeral to go to. i think what will happen is eventually these more normal congress people make a deal and they find -- i think you see steve scalise is waiting in the wings. though he may be as conservative as mccarthy he is positioned well. i think that every vote that mccarthy loses he looks weaker and weaker. >> yeah. you know, mike barnacle, there is and i guess this is inside baseball but being washington as we have been for sometime, there is a big difference between steve scalise and people debating. i have seen him at public

events, at a state dinner. you have, too. i have seen steve scalise around democrats in social situations and maybe -- i guess we should talk to james about this. the republicans saying can i be nice to a democrat in a public setting? scalise jokes, hugs, talking to them. he may not be speaker but i sit there and i see him talking to democrats like he is not afraid of them. even if he becomes speaker, who knows? maybe there's more civility. >> let me ask you a question, joe.

you served in the house. do you think his behavior is such that it is that he knows something? kevin mccarthy that saw the midterm elections in november and fully unprepared to count votes and didn't have the votes and steve scalise might know what will happen today or tomorrow. he might be speaker of the house. >> if you're in that position, you know how to play the game, you sit back like scalise is sitting back. you understand that the guy next to you doesn't know how to count votes or being to -- mike, i have served with a lot of people on the hill. >> 11. >> and i don't know a single one of them that i served with that would have allowed this to

happen, that would have gone to the floor knowing they were going to lose 11 times or lose once let alone 11 times. this is a shocking thing. he had two months. >> wasting the country ice time. >> to nail down the votes. if he wasn't going to nail them down it is better to say no. this is bush league. scalise knows it's bush league. other leaders know this is bush league stuff. nancy pelosi never took a vote to the floor she didn't know where it was going to end. >> we have seen tom cole's picture on the c-span page sitting there unsmiling. you know that he knows that this is a circus going on in front of him. anybody with any experience in the house of representatives

knowing that kevin mccarthy is not only making a fool of himself but almost guaranteeing that the house will go democratic in two years. >> yeah. >> you know the thing is he wants it as i have said before this morning, kevin mccarthy wants it too much. >> yeah. >> he's let everybody know he wanted it too much. tom cole and other people have quietly let others know they don't want it. and you know? gene, politics is a weird thing. it is your best play. be the reluctant warrior when you know that kevin is never going to get the votes and you just wait for the world to come to you. it seems to me that steve scalise or tom cole are two of the top people who should

benefit from this. >> i would agree. simply because every day kevin mccarthy demonstrates how unfit he is to hold the job that he wants so desperately. he has no bottom line. there's no bottom line except i want to be speaker. so as you pointed out earlier he gives concessions and nothing in return and nobody has moved toward him in three days, three long days. 11 ballots. my god! this is just beyond humiliating at this point. you see this contrast. you see this -- you know, on the democratic side you see this perfect order. you see the same total every

time. 212. 212. 212. for hakeem jeffries. you look at the republican side and you just see total dysfunction. so in terms of what you present to the country you show the republican party in no way, shape or form fit to govern and hold power. they can't even get the pants on. >> no, they can't. >> it is -- i think it is an unmitigated disaster for the gop. >> it is. james carville, is this democracy being messy as many republicans are saying? it seems to me this is beyond that and the stench of trump laid bare for the american people for a full week. the republicans literally realizing what trump has done to them and not knowing what to do

with it. >> they're addicted to power. steve scalise owes the future to a congressman from new orleans. a political director in the white house for a length of time. joe, you made the point. steve gets along with everybody. he is ideologically rigid but that's an important thing to remember going forward. i don't know where this will end up. i doubt if scalise wants the job but i don't know that. but there's a lot of history here to come public here if this happens. >> interesting. thank you very much all of you for being on this morning a. let's bring in democratic senator debbie stabenow of michigan, not seeking

re-election in 2024. disappointed democrats with the announce. . senator, tell us why now. >> good morning. always great to be with you. i always felt it is important to know when to pass the torch for me and michigan to the next generation. out of the last election there is no question. we have a new generation of leaders, young leaders. it is a good time. it will stay in democratic hands and same time fits for me personally. my mom is 96 and time with her i want to rather than a campaign. i started in the last new generation in michigan 24. leading an effort to save a nursing home and then beat the guy running to -- who was trying to close the nursing home.

called me the young broad and the young broad beat him. >> you were the first woman ever elected to the senate from michigan. the gears have been turning since the announcement yesterday. some people are concerned that they could lose the seat to republicans. you sound confident. do you have the names of some people in mind to fill the seat who would be good candidates? >> i have names and i'm not sharing them today. we have wonderful people. we have really a whole list of folks any of whom can stand in and continue fighting for michigan who care deeply about the state and the very, very competent. it's always harder with an open seat but this is the moment

where we have people stepping in. we have extreme maga people as we saw in michigan and i will be deeply involved as i have. i'm leading the efforts to strengthen the grass roots efforts in michigan. i will continue that and walk arm in arm to make sure this happens. >> certainly impressive people in statewide positions right now. do you think it's important that a woman continue your legacy in the quite senate? >> i'm very excited about our diversity and whether it's a man or a woman and obviously i'm supportive of continuing to open doors for women but i think we have a lot of great choices. when i started in the state house there were eight women in the state house and zero

statewide. it is sure different today. we have wonderful diversity. in my mind we let it play out but it's an exciting time. >> senator, before you go today, i'm curious your thoughts on what is happening on the house side. >> it's nuts! it is just absolutely embarrassing. a thing that i'm thinking of a lot is that when they talk about 20 people that don't agree with them and kevin mccarthy can't figure out how to deal with this, we have been living in a 50-50 senate for 2 years where any one person can and has stopped the majority from moving forward but the difference is a skilled leader in chuck schumer and a caucus that wants to get things down and puts the head down instead of voting ten times on something that you don't have

the votes for. we work until we can get to a consensus and that's not easy. i feel like while we lift up as we should speaker nancy pelosi and the skill we should be lifting up the majority leader and a great democratic caucus that never gives up so that's the difference. rather than kevin mccarthy that can't seem to organize the way out of a paper bag. >> yeah. democratic senator stabenow of michigan, thank you for coming on the show this morning. >> great to be with you. still ahead on "morning joe," damar hamlin's doctors say he is showing remarkable improvement. we'll have the latest on his health. president biden will honor 12 people with the presidential citizens medal today for

demonstrated courage and selflessness related to january 6. jocelyn benson will be a recipient and joins us ahead on "morning joe." willie, what do you have planned for "sunday today"? >> we'll be talking about this week in washington and hamlin with the bills on the field sunday and my guest is actress alexandra daddario. now starring in a series called "may fair witches" on nbc this sunday on "sunday today." we'll be right back on "morning joe." hey, man. nice pace! clearly, you're a safe driver. you could save hundreds for safe driving with liberty mutual.

they customize your car insurance... ...so you only pay for what you need! [squawks] whoo! we gotta go again. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty liberty liberty♪ ♪liberty♪

my name is tonya, i am 42. as mother of nine kids, i think i waited this long to get botox® cosmetic because i take like no time for myself. my kids are sports kids.

we're always running from one activity to another. i'm still tonya, and i got botox® cosmetic, and this is like the first thing i've done for me in a really, really long time. my life is still crazy, it's just as full as it was before. just with less lines. botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crow's feet, and forehead lines look better. the effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness may be a sign of a life-threatening condition. do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. tell your doctor about your medical history. muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins. as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com just look around. this digital agecrease the risk we're living in,ide effects. it's pretty unbelievable. problem is, not everyone's fully living in it. nobody should have to take a class

or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand. home internet shouldn't be a luxury. everyone should have it and now a lot more people can. so let's go. the digital age is waiting. just look around. this digital age we're living in, it's pretty unbelievable. problem is, not everyone's fully living in it. nobody should have to take a class or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand. home internet shouldn't be a luxury. everyone should have it and now a lot more people can. so let's go. the digital age is waiting. we want to go to an update on hamlin's medical condition.

the doctors say the buffalo bills safety is making a remarkable recovery. let's bring in correspondent maggie ves pa outside the university of cincinnati medical center with new details this morning. maggie? >> reporter: the fantastic news after a grueling week. we have learned that damar hamlin is awake and communicating with family members and remains in critical condition on a breathing machine this update giving hope to so many including the team saying in light of this on sunday they are ready to play against the patriots for 3 in their word. renewed hope for damar hamlin now awake in the hospital. >> it's been a long and difficult road for three days.

>> reporter: he is in critical condition and on a breathing machine but they note he is showing signs of good recovery. >> not only that the lights are home but he is home and appears that all cylinders are firing within his brain. >> reporter: communicating with visitors with a pen and paper. >> able to emerge and follow commands and even asked who had won the game. when he asked did we win, the answer is, yes, you won. you won the game of life. >> reporter: cincinnati wide receiver who hamlin tackled monday night reacting to the progress. >> i got news this morning, and man, another big relief. >> reporter: in buffalo the bills resumed the practice. >> we want to love up on him.

the next chance we get, i don't know when it will be, if we get to see him any time soon it will be awesome. >> reporter: fans have been laying flowers and bringing signs. >> i'm so thankful that he is recovering. and i hope to see him back on the field. >> we still will be pray frg him and the team and the family and showing love and support. >> reporter: with that spop the team says it will play for 3 in honor of hamlin. so the other update overnight, the nfl saying it will not reschedule the bills-bengals game. monday's game during which hamlin suffered the injury. we are in the final week of the regular season. the nfl said they made that decision because it would haven't a direct impact on which teams make the playoffs.

some execs acknowledging it might create come pet i inequities and working through the decision and expect more on that today. to many that announced dwarfed by the great news from cincinnati. >> absolutely. maggie vespa, thank you. coming up our conversation who was the capitol police chief at the time of the insurrection. "morning joe" is back in a moment. for expedia members, travel doesn't end at booking.

it's getting a discount on your trip, plus points for your future travels. so you can think about the next trip. and the next trip and the next next trip. so wherever you go, you'll know you're getting the most out of your travels and you can keep thinking, “where next?” humpty dumpty does it with a great fall. wonderful pistachios. getg the most ocrackin'ur travels

joining us now is former capitol police chief steven sund who resigned one day after the capitol hill attack and now has

a new book "courage under fire." >> just give us your thoughts on today two years later. >> it is a difficult day. i hear from capitol police officers. i got an email talking about how difficult a day a this is and to watch the videos of what happened that day not seeing police officers but co-workers, friends beaten, kicked, sprayed with chemicals and with metal poles. officers say i wish the 7th would come and get through the day. they are working hard. they are doing the j-o-b. i think they are tired of everything being politicized around this. >> a number of officers will be honored at the white house by president biden for what they

did that day. seeing this moment this afternoon what will you think about then? >> i'm happy that the men and women out there fighting that defended the capitol that day deserve the recognition and the support of the elected officials. i'm happy they got the gold medal. park police, prince georges county, the 17 law enforcement agencies that helped the capitol police they all need to be recognized this day and appreciated for everything they did. >> appreciate you coming on. i know this is a tough day for you. you raised concerns about preparations around the capitol for a future event and protest, god forbid a future attack on the capitol. the sitting chief of the capitol police said they will be back to pre-january 6 numbers in terms of how many officers up on capitol hill and feeling good about where they are.

what would you think about that right now? where is the capitol police force in terms of ability to defend against an attack again? >> i think they work hard to get there. the chief got a lot of experience, doing the best. i think the big concern is officer morale is really down from january 6. they need the backing they can get. i'm concerned about the political structure and worried about how they could affect preparations like for me coming into another major event. the intelligence apparatus out there or the lack of support from the department of defense. i'm not sure that's fixed. we had the ig do reviews. dod ig said they are perfectly acceptable. i think that's unacceptable. i don't think that's been fixed.

>> you laid out the concerns about the logistics of whether the capitol could be defended. there's also what fueled the violence in the first place and expect to hear from president biden today with a stark warning saying that the lies, the disinformation that led to the political rhetoric that led to january 6 still very much us. some election deniers were defeated. how concerned are you that the lies could lead to another similar event? >> anything like that to lead to a political violence in the future but we wouldn't be here today if an angry mob wasn't sent up to the capitol on january 6. there's no reason that we should be here when there's lack of

evidence for anything that indicated about the election and having the violent rhetoric up on the hill. >> the new book is "courage under fire." former capitol police chief, thank you very much for coming back with us this morning. >> and for your service. >> thank you. coming up, a new jobs report is just crossing. what the new numbers mean for the economy. straight ahead on "morning joe." hello, world. or is it goodbye? you know, it seems like hope and trust are in short supply. [clap] now, as businesses we can blame and shame. or... [whistles] we can make a change. [clap] we can make work, work for our communities. create more equal opportunities. [clap]

it's time for business to show its true worth. because it's not goodbye, world. it's hello, team earth. [clap]

business can happen anytime, anywhere. so help yours thrive and stay connected with the it's hello, team earth. comcast business complete connectivity solution. it's the largest, fastest, reliable network. advanced gig speed wifi. and cyberthreat protection. starting at just $49.99 a month. plus, you can save up to 60% a year when you add comcast business mobile. or, ask how to get up to a $750 prepaid card.

complete connectivity. one solution, for wherever business takes you. comcast business. powering possibilities. pst. girl. you can do better. at least with your big-name wireless carrier. with xfinity mobile you can get unlimited for $30 per month on the nation's most reliable 5g network. they can even save you hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, at&t, and verizon. wow. i can do better! -yes you can! i can do better, too! see how easy it is to save hundreds a year on your wireless bill over t-mobile, verizon, and at&t. talk to our switch squad at your local xfinity store today. i felt very positive yesterday. i feel more positive today. i think we got really good discussions coming a good point. i think -- >> did you close it, though? >> we'll see. >> joining the conversation we have senior national political

correspondent for "the washington post" ashley parker with us. >> ashley parker, he appears to be negotiating against himself but what can you tell us about the negotiations? he had them two nights ago and then you had the never kevins come out saying even though he gave us what we wanted we won't vote for him. negotiations last night but seem to be hearing if the negotiations go kevin mccarthy's way he won't have the votes needed to end this. what are you hearing about the negotiations and how far he still is from getting away from getting the 218 votes he so desperately needs? >> well, you know, what i'm hearing is that he is still a ways away from that. the best-case scenario for best today is not that he gets the speaker's gavel, it's that he maybe, after making concession after concession after concession to this very small hard-right group of defectors,

that he maybe gets some of them back on board, right, again, not that he wins, just that he gets a little closer to not losing as badly as he has lost these previous votes. and that's really one of the things is that today is sort of do or die for him in the sense that there's been a lot of attention on this very small group of members, but you have a lot of moderate republicans who are incredibly frustrated, who feel like he's given up the shot, who feel like all these concessions have simply made it harder to do what they ran and came here to do, which, believe it or not, is govern. and so they want to see some momentum, too, or you might see more pressure publicly, especially, for him to step aside for someone who can unite those republicans. >> looking at your piece this morning about the impact or lack of impact that donald trump is having on this negotiation, you would think he'd be able to pull the string as he has for so many years now on these 19 or 20

members of congress and say do what i say, vote for kevin mccarthy. and they're basically saying you ear wrong about this. lauren boebert went on the house floor two days ago and said as much. matt gates was on fox news saying i love donald trump but he's wrong about this, ignore him on this one. steve bannon said that on his podcast, the base loves donald trump but he's dead wrong about this, really having no influence on these members. >> that's one of the things that has been the most striking to watch is normally when there is a humiliating republican implosion, donald trump is sort of squarely in the center, burning incandescent. he's really been regulated to the sidelines here, which is notable because these 20 hard-line members are trump loyalists. all but two of them are election deniers. 15 out of the 20 trump endorsed in their primaries. many members have explicitly or

implicitly endorsed him in his 2024 camcampaign. at the end of the day, the former president came out for kevin mccarthy and this group kind of shrugged. if you look at recent history, it is a long data point in what has been a continuum of losing for donald trump. he lost the 2020 election. a couple years later he helped his party lose two electable candidates in georgia. he backed people in the midterms who were not great candidates. they lost in the senate and created this situation for mccarthy where he doesn't have a particularly large majority. donald trump then tried to back a challenger to mitch mcconnell for senate republican leader. that person lost. and now the horse he has picked to become the speaker may not lose but is certainly struggling and his endorsement is not one of this things that is compelling for these members to

pick mccarthy. >> so, ash three, you've done so much reporting on january 6th. i want to ask your feelings or thoughts as reporter and journalist, but i will ask you for some perspective. can you give us some perspective? you've done so many stories regarding january 6th and what followed and the committee. can you try to put this day into perspective two years later? >> well, one thing that's been striking, normally when there is, you know, a devastating national tragedy, something like september 11th, for instance, or in a different way january 6th, the nation comes together, right? there's a very clear united bipartisan effort to investigate it, to figure out what happened, to ensure that something like this will never happen again, and sort of having done reporting in the lead-up to january 6th and the aftermath and right up to now, the

anniversary, you know, what's been striking is that that has not happened. officer dunn is right that at the end of that day these institutions which we now understand are so much more fragile than i think any of us ever thought, they did hold. but there's not that bipartisan effort, right. these committees are divided. these investigations have been politicized. there are still members of congress who are denying the results and a former president, the de facto leader of the republican party, denying the results of the 2020 election, which is in many ways one of the key catalysts that brought us here in the first place. so you sort of have this mixed yin and yang where the institutions held, democracy held, and you also have a house of representatives that currently has no members. so it feels like on this anniversary a very mixed bag. >> "the washington post's" ashley parker, thank you very

much for your reporting this morning. we appreciate it. coming up, senator debby stabenow isn't the only michigan native making news today. secretary of state jocelyn benson will receive one of the nation's highest civilian honors for her role in defending the 2020 election against efforts to overturn the result. she joins us ahead of today's white house ceremony just ahead on "morning joe." i'd like to thank our sponsor liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. contestants ready?

go! only pay for what you need. jingle: liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ubrelvy helps u fight migraine attacks. u put it all on the line. u do it all. so u bring ubrelvy. it can quickly stop migraine in its tracks within 2 hours... without worrying if it's too late or where you are. unlike older medicines, ubrelvy is a pill that directly blocks a protein believed to be a cause of migraine. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. most common side effects were nausea and tiredness. migraine pain relief starts with u. learn how abbvie can help you save. ask about ubrelvy, the anytime, anywhere migraine medicine.

did you know you can get discounts on your meds even if you don't have a medicare prescription drug plan? it's true. all you have to do is go to singlecare.com type in your prescription, and then present the coupon to your pharmacist. it's that simple. not to mention, it's free. singlecare is accepted by major pharmacies across the country and it works for everyone, whether you have insurance or not.

next time you need a prescription filled, go to singlecare to make sure you get the best price. visit singlecare.com and start saving today. welcome back to "morning joe." it is 9:00 a.m. on the east coast and 6:00 a.m. out west as we dive into the fourth hour of "morning joe." we have a lot to get to this

morning, including the house speaker stalemate now ending its fourth day as the a.p. reports, after 11 failed votes and a political spectacle unseen in a century. it has left republicans in disarray and exposed anew the fragility of american democracy. we'll bring you the latest from capitol hill. also ahead, two years after the january 6th attack on the capitol, more than 900 rioters have been arrested and hundreds more could face charges. but the pace of arrests has dramatically slowed, and federal prosecutors are now facing a time limit. so what happens as the justice department's probe enters its third year? those details are ahead. and the breaking economic news this hour as the u.s. economy added 223,000 jobs last month as a strong job market tops expectations.

cnbc's andrew ross sorkin and nbc's stephanie ruhle will be here to break the numbers down and where we're headed. first, of course, the big political story of the day, my god, will it end on this friday, willie? >> who knows? who knows? in just hours we're going to do it all over again. the house will gather for a fourth consecutive day without a speaker amid growing chaos among republicans who are battling in real time over kevin mccarthy, who still has not been able to eke out a win after 11 ballots. that is because in a repeat performance a slim bloc of ultra conservatives denied the republican lead ter speaker's gavel yesterday. after completing five more rounds of voting, a total of 11, mccarthy still could not get to the 218 votes he needs, even after he apparently caved on a new set of concessions the right-wing republican gang was demanding. in fact, mccarthy was not able

to pick up a single new vote yesterday. we haven't seen anything like this now in more than 200 years where the speakership race went to a 12th ballot. that was in 1821, mika. >> and this just in, willie, republicans will huddle about an hour from now for a key conference call. we're told rank-and-file numbers will go over a deal currently being worked out after members both for and against mccarthy spent much of yesterday huddled behind closed doors. sources close to the process tell nbc news they believe the members were close to a, quote, promising deal and were, quote, working on details as for specific demands from the far-right members still holding out. it looks like they will get much-desired prime slots on several key committees including appropriations, banking, and rules. the deal will also reportedly include the motion to vacate at a threshold of one member,

meaning any money member of the house could call for a vote to remove the speaker at any time. that concession reportedly comes with the promise the tool won't be misused. really. okay. but despite all that, it still won't necessarily ensure mccarthy the speakership because nbc news sources aren't even sure how many votes the so-called phase one of this deal would actual lynette for mccarthy. -- actually net for mccarthy. this is not a speakership. we both know how many members there are in the house of representatives. just one could call the whole thing off? this is not a speakership. >> can call for a vote to run him out of a speakership next week if they wanted to. i love what you said, they promise not to use the power they're given. >> oh, really?

>> chief white house correspondent for "the new york times," peter baker, and jonathan lemire is still with us as well. peter, where does this stand as we enter this fourth day of voting? it's 11 ballots where kevin mccarthy has failed to get to 218. we're hearing about new negotiation overnight, shuttle diplomacy between offices, people running around the united states capitol, but at the end of the day, the margin is four, he can't lose more than that, and there are more than four who said last night on primetime cable news, i am never voting for kevin mccarthy. where does that leave us today? >> i think the problem for kevin mccarthy is he can give up this concession or that concession, but the one nonnegotiable demand seems to be made by the rebels is kevin mccarthy won't be speaker. that's the one you can't give up on obviously if he's going to be staying in this race. that's the thing is the nub of this. you can go for this committee position, change this rule, but really the fundamental thing is they just don't want kevin

mccarthy. it's that old movie, right? he's just not that into you. they're just not into him. nothing he can do about that part unless he steps down and he's indicating he's not willing to. >> peter, it's jonathan. it's not clear who they are into either. there doesn't seem to be any real viable alternative. i was struck by this moment late last night, a reporter asking mccarthy about whether he thinks he can eventually get to 218 and the reporter suggested steve scalise, and mccarthy kind of paused and said, oh, do you think he can do it? so perhaps showing a little bit of a concern. scalese has been someone whose name has been bandied about. he's saying he doesn't want it. but would he put his hand up if called to serve? there aren't many other options. >> steve scalese has played this carefully. he hasn't shown any leg in terms of being disloyal to kevin

mccarthy. at the same time, he hasn't exactly ruled it out either. he's waiting to see how this plays out. basically, if they're willing -- if kevin mccarthy ends up dropping out and they're willing to take him, steve scalese is certainly willing to be speaker. but would he give concessions that are on the table. is that on the floor for anybody who takes that job. there are some names out there, patrick mchenry and others coming up, but the problem for the anti-mccarthy wing, the never kevins, is there isn't an obvious candidate who's out there who could win support of this very narrow majority. if they were to put one of their own up, jim jordan, there are folks on the other side of the spectrum in the republican caucus who wouldn't go along with that. he probably couldn't get 218 either. they're in a bind waiting in the wings. >> speaking of not being that

into kevin anymore, can the same be said for donald trump? donald trump has made fools of every republican member of the house. laid bare before the eyes of the american people every day of this week when they can't even agree on a speaker. what are they going to be able to do for the american people who elected them into office if trump has made them look like fools? do you think they are beginning to get it? >> it doesn't make donald trump look good. since the midterm elections, he's seen multiple times how his influence is on the wane in the republican party. remember, it was his candidate who is didn't win in november that caused this problem in the first place. there was no red wave in part because of trump-endorsed candidates in that november election because he was so prominent in the lead-up to the vote when people were thinking about which way they wanted to

go. so he has that responsibility on him. he tried to dump mitch mcconnell. he's tried to foment a coup against mitch mcconnell on the senate side. that went nowhere. his own presidential campaign, the third one, seems to be pretty flat at this moment. he's trailing ron desantis in patrols. and this week he came out again for kevin mccarthy, got nowhere, didn't make any difference whatsoever, didn't budge a single one of his supposed allies on the floor who are saying we're still for donald trump but aren't listening to him. he does not look like the master of the republican party he's been for the past five or six years. >> stay with us. we have some breaking economic news. the december jobs report has crossed showing 223,000 jobs were added last month. as that strong job market topped expectations. the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5%. wall street reacting with dow futures getting more than 300 points before the bell just moments after that report was released.

let's get some perspective on all this from the co-anchor of cnbc's "squawk box" andrew ross sorkin, and nbc news senior business analyst, the host of "the 11th hour" on msnbc, stephanie ruhle. good morning to you both. andrew, a little better than expectations, 3.5% unemployment rate. wall street happy with this number? >> very happy. whether they should be or not remains an open question. the bigger number to to focus on is not necessarily how many jobs were created in the month. it's actually looking at both where the unemployment rate is, which has ticked down. in some ways, that would be bad news. the good news it looks from an inflation perspective on hourly hours worked and wage growth itself, it's still up but it's slowing, and that's what i think a lot of folks were looking at in terms of how the federal reserve in the future is going to to be reacting and whether they continue to raise interest

rates and whether all this is quote, unquote working, meaning is raising interest rates tamping down the economy. that's happening here is it looks like it might actually be working a little better than those had expected at least as of this morning. >> steph, i'll let you comb through some of these numbers for us. i will add in that 4.5 million jobs now we can say with this december jobs report were added in the year 2022. 4.5 million jobs added to the economy, making that one of the biggest numbers in the country east history. >> willie, really it's a trifecta of good news, right. andrew laid it out for you. it's still robust in terms of job creation. we're watching the unemployment number tick down. but that thing that andrew was talking about that's important is you're starting to see wage growth cool, wage inflation cool a bit, and when wage growth starts to slow, that's when the big number that we really care about, inflation, might start to cool. you might say hang on a minute,

workers are saying i don't want wage growth to slow, but if it does, then that big inflation number might fall and that's the big thing we've been most worried about. we've been saying for months and months, this is tricky. can the fed raise rates at the right pace, thread this needle and not tip us into recession, it's a very good picture. this morning it's hard to say that this is not a great jobs report. it just is. >> stephanie, i would add to this that over the next year, the federal reserve wants the unemployment rate to go up, not down. 3.5% is historically low, remarkably low. some people would call it alice in wonderland low. so over time, oddly enough, it's perverse. for economy, for all of this to work the way we want it to work, the unemployment rate needs to go up, not down. >> peter, talk about the politics of this and that is, as andrew explained, there is a conundrum here. the biden white house can point

to the strong job numbers, that really low unemployment. that's good news. but if it's going to keep more interest rates going up and inflation might still be high, that's not so great. so what do we think is going to be the approach from this house as they try to what extent plain what is kind of an fusing set of numbers to the american people. >> yeah. you can count on any white house to say those numbers are good, because that's what they do. it's in their gene pool. but there is a part of the white house that understands a little pain on the early side would probably be better if it sets up an economy that's stronger by the time the president is running for re-election in two years. that's the calendar they have in mind. if there's going to be a period of adjustment, if you, will a period when it does go up, wage growth goes down in order to create a more stable economy and get inflation down and get the fed happy, they understand that's in their long-term interest because they have a two-year horizon here.

>> so, curious, andrew, given the fact that the white house and the senate are showing bipartisanship and a certain amount of stability and strength at this moment, which is good, i'm curious about how wall street, how big businesses are responding to what's going on in the house. is there a response, is there a growing concern, how do we gauge reaction, especially if this prolongs into next week? >> i think thus far to be honest with you there's not much reaction. i think everybody is watching this with their popcorn the way many americans for better or worse are. i think there's concern if you do get into next week and this becomes a prolonged situation, whether there are going to be actual situations you would need congress to be acting on that they won't be in a position to do so. i don't think we've hit the mark yet, but i think there's an inflection point. i think you get to this weekend, if it's not sort of settled that the markets are going to

unsettle. >> so, stephanie, same question to you. you had lauren boebert on your show. i saw your interview. i saw your frustration. there's a small group of republicans right now kind of holding congress hostage, literally in its tracks. there's no house of representatives. >> andrew nailed it, at this moment, the markets, big business, isn't worry pd. this is short term. but let's look at that small group of republicans. they're willing to blow the whole system up, and blowing the whole system up is the opposite of what markets and corporate america want. what do they want? continuity. stability. when you have a group of people that are willing to say i'm just going to burn the whole house down, logic be damned, that is not something that corporate america likes to see. they're not panicked yet, but the longer this goes, they'll start to be. >> all right. cnbc's andrew ross sorkin, thank you. stephanie ruhle, thank you as well.

we'll of course be watching "the 11th hour" weeknights on msnbc. you're amazing. willie? this morning we're learning more about damar hamlin's recovery from the cardiac arrest he suffered on the field during "monday night football," and it is extraordinary. his doctors say he is awake, communicating, and holding hands with members of his family. nbc news correspondent maggie vespa has the latest. >> reporter: this morning buffalo bills safety damar hamlin is awake, responsive, and his first question whether his team pulled out a win. >> he asked did we win, the answer is yes, damar, you won, you won the game of life. >> reporter: more than 72 hours after the 24-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during monday's game against the bengals, hamlin remains in critical condition on a breathing machine, although he's unable to talk, he can communicate with pen and paper. to physicians at this cincinnati hospital, it's proof of major progress. >> it appears his neurological

condition and function is intact. >> reporter: the news desperately needed relief for damar's worried teammates. >> being on that field, it -- you lose sleep, you hurt for your brother. you just want to love up on him. if we get to see him anytime soon, it will be awesome. >> reporter: new radio traffic obtained by "the new york times" showing the emergency and concern among emergency personnel when he collapsed. >> i don't like how he went down. call, bring everybody. we need everybody. >> reporter: the bills back at practice thursday. sunday's game against the new england patriots will go on. the team vowing to play for 3, a tribute to hamlin, this as the nfl announced lit not reschedule monday's postponed bills/bengals matchup. meanwhile, america's love for hamlin, a western pennsylvania native devoted to giving back, grows, his dad writing, "the

support we've received is a reflection of the person damar is. to many that person now an inspiration." the president tweeting, "jill and i along with all of america are preparing for you and your family." not lost on damar's coach. >> it's amazing to know the impact that this has had on so many -- so many people. >> nbc's maggie vespa reporting there. mika, extraordinarily great news. we've been talking all week, we want to hear from the doctors. they came out and they in many ways seem as stunned as the rest of us. his neurological function intact, he was communicating, wrote that note, did we win the game? they play on sunday the buffalo bills for damar hamlin. the cincinnati game on monday night will be canceled. they won't make that up. but you look at his health and

say thank gold that he pulled through and you say, wow, the response that the doctors pointed out yesterday from the buffalo bills training staff, from the bengals training staff, from the doctors who were there, from the emts who got to him so quickly, they did extraordinary work and saved his life. >> from the moment it happened, so, i mean, you really can hear that they just all trounced upon him and got to work. they didn't like the way he went down, they noticed it right away, and not a moment was lost. and it might be why his life was saved. but an incredible, remarkable turn of events. of course we'll be praying for his continued move toward -- his doctor said they want him back to where he was, exactly where he was before he went down, so that would be amazing. we'll take these small steps for sure. coming up on "morning joe," we're learning more about how police were able to track down

the suspect in the tragic murders of four university of idaho students. we'll bring you the latist. also ahead, one of the 12 people set to receive the presidential citizens medal today for their actions surrounding the capitol attack. michigan secretary of state jocelyn benson is our guest. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. hello, world. or is it goodbye? you know, it seems like hope and trust are in short supply. [clap] now, as businesses we can blame and shame. or... [whistles] we can make a change. [clap] we can make work, work for our communities. create more equal opportunities. [clap] it's time for business to show its true worth. because it's not goodbye, world. it's hello, team earth. [clap]

realtor.com (in a whisper) if we use kevin's college fund, we can afford this house. the house whisperer! this house says use realtor.com to find options within your budget. good luck young man. realtor.com to each their home.

i want history to show that the individuals responsen't for it were held accountable, which 730 days we're still waiting to happen. and not just the foot soldiers tabbed by many but the people who were responsible for inciting it and frankly not doing anything to end it. >> 24 past the hour. that's u.s. capitol police officer harry dunn speaking with

us earlier on "morning joe." officer dunn is one of the 12 people who will be awarded the presidential citizens medal today. people who put their lives and careers on the line to protect american democracy following the 2020 election. that ceremony will take place in just a few hours at the white house. in a moment, we'll speak with another person who will receive that medal today as well. but first, white house reporter for politico and "morning joe" senior contributor eugene daniels joins us with more on today's ceremony. so, gene, tell us about it, and is it really to put an emphasis on protecting democracy? what should we expect to see today? >> reporter: it's pretty unanimous that this white house and administration needed to mark this anniversary again in some way, and what it seems like they're doing is trying to strike a balance between the message we heard president biden give for two years now, which is about january 6th being the dark

day in our history but also that that is continuing and people are still working and wanting to overturn the will of the voters in the future. when you talk to aides and allies, they talk about just how concerned biden remains about this despite kind of the -- despite seeing americans vote against a lot of the election deniers we saw in the 2022 midterms. a lot of those folks did not win. but folks looking for kind of the fiery speech calling out donald trump over and over again by name, i would curb expectations just a little bit. aides tell us that the thrust of his remarks are going to be about the honorees. last year president biden talked about there being people who in the darkness, these 12 people here especially, in the darkness were pillars of light, people who stood up before, during, and after the election when donald trump and his allies were working to overturn it. and as you see, this is bipartisan.

it's across the country, rusty bowers departing, arizona house speaker, jocelyn benson, the michigan secretary of state. the white house is hoping to make this not about democrats versus republicans but about these folks who stood up for small-d democracy as, you know, then president trump and his allies were working to overturn it. i think that is what they want people to walk away thinking about is everyday americans can do whatever they can to make this a better country and to save it from folks who want us to live closer to autocracy. >> is there -- it appears also, eugene, that in a way, you know, there's been so much disinformation about january 6th. we can put the pictures up from that day again. in a way, as you highlight the heroes from that day and from that time, and then you look at the pictures and the video of what happened on that day, what you're looking at are pictures

and videos of criminals, of people who stormed the capitol, who brought zip ties and a noose and trump signs, i hate to say it, inspired by donald trump, and were chanting to go after mike pence or speaker pelosi. they were committing crimes. and unfortunately in this time of division, it appears president biden wants to highlight the heroes but also make sure we are very clear on the facts. >> reporter: yeah. that's exactly right. you had president trump and his allies, folks on the right wing in media kind of downplaying this, talking about how, you know, it was simply a protest, all of these lies, and that's been going on for two years as the january 6th committee finished up its work. so this is the first time the president will really be able to speak about that after the

january 6th committee wrapped up its work. and part of that is saying over and over and over to the american people, this is actually what happened. here are the people who proved that this wasn't fake. here are the people who prove that january 6th wasn't just some random protest, that it was over and over and over again for months you had folks trying to overturn the will of the american people that culminated in january 6th. and these 12 people are perfect examples of american who is stood up and said no. and i think that is what this white house wants folks to walk away with, because you have police officers, you have everyday americans who volunteer as election workers, people whose lives were threatened. i think as this white house continues to operate in a country where that's the case, they have to find ways, different ways to show people that this won't stand in this country. >> those people all continue to

do their jobs even under those threats. politico's eugene daniels at the white house. thanks so much. joining us now, one of today's recipients, michigan's jocelyn benson. she oversaw her state in the face of death threats. secretary benson, thanks for being us this morning. we appreciate it. you've been on with us previously talking about what the time around that election was like for you. you had armed protesters outside your house. i think i remember you telling us you had to run the bath a little louder for your young son to drown out the sound of the people outside. talk a little bit about what that time was like for you personally and why you thought it was so important to continue to do your job in the face of it. >> first, thank for having me, and i'm grateful for this recognition and this deep honor. it was a very harrowing time, but it was one that was filled with a great sense of purpose and duty to our nation, to the people of michigan and our

entire country. recognizing step by step every day from the minute the polls closed in november to the minute we saw the tragedy unfold on january 6th, every day was filled with challenges all based on lies to try to overturn the will of the people. and so i was grateful to have a team in michigan, the governor, the attorney general, all of us working together to protect the will of the people. but it was very harrowing. and every day i woke up thinking surely the most recent thing we've overcome was the last thing. and then january 6th really showed that this was just the beginning of what ultimately unfolded to be a multiyear, multifaceted effort that were in many ways we're still in the midst of, to overturn the very principles of our country and our democracy. >> of course there is now almost this family of secretaries of state around the country like yourself, you can go across the map and go to arizona, across to georgia, pennsylvania, and all those state where is there were

challenges from donald trump and his supporters. to you just carrying about your responsibilities and doing your jobs. do you speak to them about that time? you're democrats and republicans but all doing the same thing. >> we've been a close-knit sort of -- linked through the duty we felt and in some cases the trauma we experienced together, it's been gralt fiing to see one of us, al schmidt being honored today, nominated by governor-elect shapiro in pennsylvania to serve as the secretary for the commonwealth for the upcoming 2024 cycle. so it really reflects how we've built strength together through our common experiences, and it's made us more prepared for any types of shenanigans or attempts that might occur again in the future, particularly as we careen towards the 2024 presidential election. >> secretary benson, that's exactly where i wanted to go with you is that you're being honored today of course for what

happened in 2020, but we had the 2022 cycle as well. there were election deniers on the ballot, in your state largely defeated, but certainly many people believe this could still be a real danger in 2024. candidates, yes, but also perhaps rhetoric from the other party that would inspire people to commit acts of political violence again. tell us about the steps your state is taking ahead of what will be an extraordinarily high-intensity presidential election in '24. >> we anticipate a lot of the same tactics and levers that were pulled in 2020 will be attempted again. we've been anticipating that throughout the last several years. that's why we've been building coalitionings across the state and the country in all the six states that were targeted to make sure we're ready and stronger than ever. we have recruited tens of thousands of new election workers. our clerks have been trained and supported with more funds for security to ensure they're ready, to address the ongoing

harassments rooltded in lies and misinformation. what we really need help with are two things -- more funding from the state and federal government for increased election cycle as we get into the 2024 cycle. secondly, we need more accountability. the voters rejected election denier who is wouldn't stand by the will of the people in 2020. now we need legal accountability. and we'll continue to make sure we see that in the future. >> secretary benson, in light of senator stabenow's announcing her retirement, there are some positions open in national office. i'm just wondering if you are considering stepping up and running. >> well, look, i think defending democracy is the most important issue of our time, and i'm always going to do whatever i can wherever i am to have the greatest impact in defending the people of michigan and making

sure they're protected and their voices are heard. today is a day to celebrate the work we've done and the honor we're receiving and in this moment the contributions debby has made. i'm confident we will work together as a party, a democratic party, to ensure it's filled and that we maintain that seat for the democratic party. >> so, not a no. michigan secretary of state jocelyn benson, thank you very much for coming on the show this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you for your service. up next, chilling new details revealed in the murder case of four university of idaho students, including testimony from one of the victims' roommates who told investigators she came face-to-face with the suspected killer. with a catchy song. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's a little number you'll never forget. did you know that liberty mutual custo— ♪liberty mutual♪

♪ only pay for what you need♪ ♪only pay for what you need♪ ♪ custom home insurance created for you all♪ ♪now the song is done♪ ♪back to living in your wall♪ they're just gonna live in there? ♪yes♪ only pay for what you need. ♪liberty liberty liberty♪ ♪liberty♪ trying to control my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ enough was enough. i talked to an asthma specialist and found out my severe asthma is driven by eosinophils, a type of asthma nucala can help control. now, fewer asthma attacks and less oral steroids that's my nunormal with nucala. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor.

tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. talk to your asthma specialist to see if once-monthly nucala may be right for you. and learn about savings at nucala.com there's more to your life than asthma. find your nunormal with nucala. next on behind the series... that run with the champ was magical. i mean the tender chicken, the peppercorn ranch... i love my rings but i'll cherish that lunch... forever. the subway series. the greatest menu of all time.

okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. together we support immune function. supply fuel for immune cells and sustain tissue health. ensure with twenty-five vitamins and minerals, and ensure complete with thirty grams of protein. this morning we are learning more about how police were able to track down the suspect in the murders of four university of idaho students. nbc news correspondent gadi schwartz has the details. >> reporter: suspect bryan kohberger making his first appearance thursday before an

idaho judge. >> all rise. >> alleges that you committed felony of murder in the first degree. >> reporter: also in the courtroom the family of mitch mcconnell -- katie goncalves. did you ever see him turn back and look at you? >> i was hoping for that. he's going to avoid me for a while. >> reporter: and authorities releasing new details about the night he murdered goncalves and madison mogen, xana kernodle, and ethan chapin in an off-campus home. one of the two surviving roommates told police she came face-to-face with the killer. waking around 4:00 a.m., she heard one of the roommates say there's someone here but didn't see anyone when she looked herself. she later heard crying coming from one of the victim's rooms and opened a door to see man dressed in black and wearing a mask. she stood in a frozen shock face and locked herself in a room. police weren't called until noon

that day for reasons still unclear. the roommate's state. >> they were so stressed. one passed out. the other was hyperventilating that the message wasn't clear enough. >> reporter: the newly unsealed 18-page charging affidavit also says a state for instancics lab found the suspect's dna on the button snap of a night sheet laying next to one of the victim's bodies. police used cell phone records and video footage of his car to place the suspect near the scene of the crime. according to the affidavit, videos from the neighborhood show multiple sightings of the suspect's vehicle at the time of the murders around 4:00 a.m. according to law enforcement, the suspect's phone was turned off or had no service for about two hours during the time the murders took place. police say they believe he was trying to conceal his location. when it turned back on at 4:48 a.m., cellular data shows it traveling on a state highway south of moscow back to pullman, washington, where the suspect

lived. police also sacco berger's phone registered in the vicinity of the victims' home 12 times in the months before the murder dating as far back as august of last year. kohberger expressionless as charges against him were read. >> maximum penalty for that offense if you plead guilty or are found guilty is death and/or imprisonment for life. do you understand? >> yes. >> nbc's gadi schwartz with that report. two years after the january 6th attack on the capitol, nearly 1,000 rioters have been arrested. but while hundreds more could face charges, federal prosecutors are nowtute of limi. we'll tell you what's ahead as the justice department probe enters its third year. willie, this morning we are also remembering teddy ballkind who died a year ago today in an accident during a hockey game in connecticut.

>> one year ago a lot of people will remember this terrible accident during a game up in connecticut. just a wonderful young man, a 16-year-old hockey player, a teammate, a classmate, a son, a brother, and by all accounts just a wonderful, wonderful young man. i've gotten to know his family a little bit since this tragic incident happened a year ago, and we're thinking about his dad, buck, his mom, leslie, his sister kerry and all those teammates and classmates at his wonderful school that are hurting today. the mantra was be more like teddy, be more like this great kid. we're thinking about the family this morning. those are tributes from nhl teams, from kids around the world putting their sticks out from canada, to europe, all over the place to remember teddy. we're certainly thinking about teddy and his family today. we'll be right back on "morning joe." flu symptoms hit harder than the common cold. so it takes the right tool for the job... to keep it together. now there's new theraflu flu relief

with a max strength fever fighting formula. the right tool for long lasting flu symptom relief. hot beats flu. next on behind the series... let me tell you about the greatest roster ever assembled. the monster, the outlaw... and you can't forget about the boss. it wasn't just a roster. it was a menu. the subway series. the greatest menu of all time.

humpty dumpty does it with a great fall. wonderful pistachios. get it crackin'nu.

live picture of the united

states capitol at 9:47 in the morning. in the two years since the january 6th attack on that building and the membership inside, the fbi has arrested just a fraction of the more than 3,000 people who likely could be charged for their conduct on that day. joining us now is nbc news justice reporter ryan reilly, who's been following the january 6th investigation since the very beginning. ryan, good morning. where do things stand today two years on? >> that's right. the january 6th committee's investigation has wrapped up but there are hundreds more arrests even though the feds have arrested about 900 people. in many ways the federal investigation is just getting started. >> reporter: it's an historic and sprawling investigation, and federal agents aren't even at the halfway mark. the fbi and justice department have already made more than 900 arrests, resulting in merely 500 guilty pleas, 300 in last year, and dozens of significant prison sentences. for seditious conspiracy

convictions than the u.s. has seen in several decades. luckily for the fbi, they've had much-needed help. >> most of these cases wouldn't have been broken without the use of an online sleuth. when you do a crime like this, videos everywhere, iphones out, you see these folks online put together a mosaic of what happened that day. >> reporter: since january 6th, 2021, a community of online investigators say they have been coming through all the evidence they can find, i.d.'ing rioters and turning it all over to the fbi. they call themselves sedition hunters and they've aided with several hundred arrests. >> most of them were not arrested on the spot because the capitol police were overwhelmed. so they were people who have to be found and have to be found by sometimes our -- looking at our own video data, sometimes from citizen sleuths around the country. >> reporter: the sedition hunters say they're handing over

information on hundreds of suspects who have not been arrested and that the fed aren't working fast enough. but the doj says its investigation is moving forward at an unprecedented speed and scale. the fbi arrested more than 700 defendants the first year, back in 2021. and then over 200 the second year. but the total number of people who could face charges is likely upwards of 3,000, according to a database compiled by sleuths. the fbi says it will spend the next months and years bringing january 6th offenders to justice. >> the wheels of justice sometimes move slowly. i understand that people may be frustrated but there needs to be due process. >> reporter: that's about 700 cases roughly in the fbi's possession right now. future potential arrests they could make of people who eitherd the building or assaults law enforcement. amongst that group of 700 are some really interesting cases. there's male models, a corrections officer, an ex-nfl

player, a race car driver, a neurosurgeon in the crowd. and there's someone who got arrested for walking around their neighborhood winnny the pooh style with no pants on. >> i think a lot of these people who are play acting 1776 and thought they were fighting tyranny are now seeing it was very real, as the repercussions ask the consequences come down on them. it sounds to me like there's more to come in terms of arrests that are going to be made. >> that's right. just yesterday one of the judges in d.c. federal court indicated that the justice department had said there could be a thousand cases. it we get to that number, we get around the final 2,000 mark by the end of this five-year window in which the feds can can bring charges. they will have made their way through two-thirds of the people that could be charged. it's unlike lu we'll get to the 3,000 number, but it seems like we could get a two-thirds of the people who were charged the a at end of this investigation.

>> let's hope they find the no pants guy. ryan riley, thank you. peter baker, what do you think we have in front of us today on the hill as kevin mccarthy? >> will we get a speaker? >> kevin mccarthy continues to make history for all the wrong reasons. >> it doesn't look like there's a speaker think time soon. it's possible this could go into the weekend. the question is how long mccarthy's own supporters are willing to put up with this. at some point does he start to bleed support among people who have time and again now given him their votes but are not necessarily enthusiastic about it. for more pointless votes that don't end up with a final result. that's the final question if he starts to lose support, you can see a movement pushing him to reconsider staying in the race and looking for somebody else.

>> peter baker, thank you. we'll be watching what happens on capitol hill today. kevin mccarthy gets it and one person stands up and i says i move to vote to take him down. >> it could happen. >> up next, a development from a major airline. we'll tell you what that is, next on "morning joe."

i brought in ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. uhhhh... here, i'll take that. [woo hoo!] ensure max protein, with 30 grams of protein, one gram of sugar and nutrients for immune health.

there's always a fresh deal on the subway app. like this one! 50% off?! that deal's so good we don't even need an eight-time all-star to tell you about it. wait what? get it before it's gone on the subway app! good news! a new clinical study showed that centrum silver supports cognitive health in older adults. it's one more step towards taking charge of your health. so every day, you can say... ♪ youuu did it! ♪ with centrum silver.

a few other stories making headline this is morning. hawaii's volcano is erupting again. it started yesterday afternoon. the lava is confined to the volcano's crater. right now, there's no threat to the community. but the volcanic gas and ash could be hazardous. this is the first eruption since it went quiet in early december. delta airlines will offer free wifi on most domestic flights starting next month. the company's ceo says more than 700 planes will have service by

the end of the year. by the end of 2024 it will be free why fie on international and delta connection flights. the project costs $1 billion and puts delta ahead of its rivals including american united and southwest. and the mega millions jackpot is now closing in on $1 billion. it is the fourth largest in mega millions history and the sixth largest overall. the estimated $940 million jackpot has a cash option of $484 million. the odds of winning, 1 in 302 million. >> so you're saying there's a chance. the next draw sergeants tonight. >> that's a lot of money. >> willie, final thoughts? >> we have talked about this before. by the time you take the cash option, thaw take tax out of it.

what are you left with? it's almost the not worth the price of the ticket. i don't know if i'm going to play. i keep losing. i'm in a bad lottery losing streak. >> 1 in 302 million, also the odds of kevin mccarthy becoming speaker today. >> well, it could happen today. >> you think so? >> that does it for us this morning. so you think there's a chance? chris jansing picks up the coverage in one minute. life... doesn't stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it's the number one doctor recommended brand that is scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna.

good morning, it's 10:00 a.m.