you care a lot more about your food stamp population. and so they're going to have to. resolve some of those things. so anyway, we've got a long way to go just procedure wise. >> but also there's a. >> real substantive questions between these two chambers. and if the senate says we can't do huge medicaid cuts, there are a lot of conservatives in the house who are just not going to vote for anything. so we could be here late into the year, i think. >> i think we know, especially the house, we're always here late. they're never they're never doing it the easy way. brendan buck, we will have many more occasions to talk about this, i'm sure. thank you for coming in this morning. that was way too early for this monday morning. morning joe kicks off right now. >> can ukraine survive without u.s. military support? >> probably. it will be worried very, very difficult. and of course, in all the difficult situations you have a chance. but we will have low chance, low chance to survive without

support of the united states. >> that was ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky telling nbc's kristen welker that ukraine's survival hinges on u.s. military support. we'll go over the latest in ukraine's fight against russia and where peace negotiations. >> now stand. >> plus, president. >> donald trump. >> is now. >> alluding that. >> the law does not apply to him. we'll dig into the criticism he's now facing over his cryptic social media post over the weekend, invoking napoleon and what this means as he tests his limits of. >> presidential power. and also ahead. it was a big. >> night for saturday night live, as the iconic show celebrated 50 years with comedy, music and special guest appearances. >> and in a. >> moment, we'll have someone who was featured in last night's show joining us. you won't want to miss that. good morning, and welcome to morning joe. it is monday, february 17th. i'm

jonathan lemire. i'm alongside u.s. special correspondent for bbc news and host of the rest is politics podcast, katty kay. we're in for joe, mika and willie on this president's day. >> always good to start with napoleon, right? >> yeah. >> presidents day i mean particularly i feel. >> yeah. >> the timing was impeccable. >> yeah. >> he was not a us president, but. >> i'm sure he would have liked to have been if he'd had a chance and then stayed for. >> yeah. we have a lengthy segment later on. franklin pierce. you won't want to miss that. but we have we have a very, very busy show this morning. we're grateful to have with us, msnbc political analyst elise jordan. she is a former aide to the george w bush white house and state department. also with us, the host of way too early, ali vitali, columnist and associate editor for the washington post, david ignatius and rogers chair in the american presidency at vanderbilt university, historian jon meacham. he is contractually obligated to be with us on each and every president's day. we will go to him later. >> for thoughts on. >> president bonaparte day. >> yeah. president bonaparte, i

know. you're from over across the atlantic, but we'll have to straighten a few things out. but yes, for talk. pierce, coolidge and the rest with professor meacham in. >> a little bit. >> but right now, we do begin overseas this morning, where several top trump administration officials are preparing. to meet with. >> russian leaders. >> in saudi arabia to begin talks about ending the war in ukraine. but ukrainian president zelenskyy insists. >> that his. >> country will never accept a peace deal struck by the u.s. and russia. if ukraine. does not have a seat at the negotiating table. zelenskyy made the comments to nbc's kristen welker during during an exclusive interview on meet the press that aired yesterday. >> can you accept any peace deal that is cut without ukraine? >> no. i'm sure that we have to be there. otherwise it's not acceptable. but if there is a decision without us and putin will go out from all our land,

we will be in nato and putin will be in the prison. so president trump can do it without us. secretary of state. >> marco rubio arrived in saudi arabia a short time ago, earlier today. >> to initiate. >> negotiations toward peace. russian foreign minister lavrov also heading to saudi arabia. but president zelenskyy indicated that ukraine had not been invited. zelensky spoke to nbc news amid a high stakes security gathering in munich, germany, over the weekend. while there, he did meet with u.s. vice president j.d. vance. >> you had a message to vice president vance about the potential implications of pulling out of nato. what was your message to the vice president? >> that that will be destroying of nato? >> president zelensky also shared. details about what he said to president trump during a

phone call between the two last week. >> is it true. >> that you told president trump during that phone call that putin is only pretending to want peace because he is afraid of mr. trump? >> yes. >> yes, i said that he's a liar. and he said, i think that my feeling he said that he's ready for peace negotiations. and i said to him, no, he's a liar. he doesn't want any peace. but i think he is really a little bit scared about the president trump. and i think the president has this chance and he's strong. and i think that really he can he can push putin to peace negotiations. yes, i think so. i think so he can. but don't trust him. don't trust putin. >> while at the munich security conference, zelensky said that he has intelligence that russian president vladimir putin is

amassing more troops on the belarus border to potentially invade other nato countries. additionally, zelensky called for the creation of a european army to deter russia. >> let's be honest now we can't rule out the possibility that america might say no to europe on the issue that strengthens it. we must build the armed forces of europe so that europe's future depends only on europeans. >> we've also learned that zelensky. >> has instructed his aides. >> not to sign off on a proposal that would give the us access to ukraine's rare minerals. last week, u.s. treasury secretary. >> scott bessent. >> proposed a deal that would have granted the u.s. 50% ownership of ukraine's rare minerals as a form of repayment for the support washington has already provided kyiv. but zelenskyy says that agreement does not include adequate future

security guarantees for ukraine. and katty. a lot of thought here that zelensky and ukraine simply doesn't have a seat at the table necessarily with these negotiations, conflicting reports whether ukrainian officials will be in riyadh. >> at all. >> clear about. >> that. >> for the talks that are set to potentially begin tomorrow between u.s. officials and russian officials, that also seem to be paving the way for a trump-putin summit sooner than later. >> it looks like the. >> europeans are. >> going to try and get the, at least the ukrainians to a european summit where they're going to be talking, because a lot is going on. >> in. >> europe at the moment, particularly the relationship with the united states. vice president j.d. vance delivered his first major speech on that international stage at the munich security conference on friday. vance used his time to essentially scold attendees, specifically america's european allies, by telling them they are not doing enough to uphold democratic values. >> the threat that i worry the most about vis a vis. >> europe is. >> not russia. it's not china,

it's not any other external actor. and what i worry about is the threat from within. the retreat of europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the united states of america. for years, we've been told that everything. >> we. >> fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values. everything from our ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy. but when we see european courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask. whether we're holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard. and i say ourselves, because i fundamentally believe that we are on the same team. we must do more than talk about democratic values. we must live them. >> so not what european leaders have been used to for the last four years. and some were said to be stunned by those remarks

from the vice president. president trump was later asked for his response. >> vice president. >> vance's speech. >> to the conference has ruffled a few. >> feathers. >> in europe. >> what did you say to ruffle them? >> he was talking about the freedom. >> of speech. >> and migration in europe. >> do you. >> believe that european leaders have a fundamentally. different view of the world. >> than this administration? >> well, i heard his speech, and i tell you you're talking about jade's speech, right? yes, sir. i heard his speech and he talked about freedom of speech. and i think it's true in europe it's losing. they're losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. i see it i mean, i thought he made a very good speech, actually, a very brilliant speech. you know, europe has to be careful. and he talked about immigration and europe has a big immigration problem. just take a look at what's happened with crime. take a look at what's happening in various parts of europe. i thought his speech was very well received. actually. i've heard i've heard very good remarks.

>> so, david ignatius, you were reporting at the munich security conference this past week. we spoke to you from there. your latest piece for the post is titled at munich. trump's chaotic approach has allies rattled. so what did you see in reaction to jd vance? because i've heard some reports that you had europeans saying, okay, at least we now know where the americans stand, that they're being clear about this, and maybe it is time for europe to stand up for more of its own defense. >> so i think there. >> has. >> been a two stage reaction in the. >> hall. when he was speaking. >> there was what i described as a stunned silence. the german defense minister was heard. >> muttering, this is unacceptable. >> and i think that was the feeling. >> of the audience. >> in general here. >> an american. >> vice president had come to munich and essentially insulted the european. >> audience, lecturing them about democracy at the time. >> when there are so many

questions. about democratic values. being observed and. upheld in the united. >> states. >> it seemed particularly inappropriate. but i think the second reaction has been for europe. understanding. >> that it's threatened from the. east by a very determined. >> warlike vladimir. putin to. >> know that it has to stand together. zelensky, in a clip that you played. >> earlier. >> said, let's. >> be. >> honest, america may not. >> come to the rescue. >> america may stand back and it's. >> us, europeans, ukraine and the european countries. >> that have got to defend ourselves against. >> this strong. >> advancing russia. and i found. across europe agreement that they do need to spend more for defense, which trump has been lecturing them. >> to do. >> for years. >> and he. >> was right about that. but but more fundamentally, to stand

opposed to putin and putin's expansion. >> because america. >> may not. >> be prepared. >> to play. that role anymore. so david. vance is talks there about. >> the freedom of speech interpreted by many to, you know, his belief that some of the far right, the right wing parties in europe have been muzzled, you know, and he compared that to the situation in the united states. but but you're right. this is more than that. this is about a fundamental, potentially a fundamental change in the relationship between the us and europe. these longtime alliances, those ties really being strained. and we're seeing that on full display with how the ukraine matter is being handled, where it seems like president trump's inclination is to go over the head of the ukrainians and deal just with the russians and putin. what's the latest you've heard about what we should expect this week in saudi arabia? who is going to be there? what's going to be the goal of these talks? >> so at this. >> moment. >> and obviously. >> everything that involves this administration is subject to change. >> this is going to be a meeting. >> in saudi arabia. >> between marco. marco rubio,

our secretary of state, and a russian. delegation led by their. >> foreign minister, sergey lavrov. i have not seen any. >> indication that. any high level ukrainian will be there. >> there may be. >> observers. >> but it's. >> not not the same thing. >> so in effect, what we. >> are. >> seeing is the. beginning of. peace negotiations over the head of ukraine, one of the key combatants, a country that's lost hundreds of thousands. >> of young. >> people trying to defend its freedom. it's something that i find. really difficult to accept that we would, in effect, try to orchestrate a peace agreement without. >> our partner. >> but we'll. >> see, you know, anytime peace. >> agreements. peace negotiations. >> begin. that's cause for, for, for happiness. and i'm. >> glad that that rubio. >> is going to. >> saudi arabia and that saudi arabia is playing. >> a role as, as a broker. >> but it. >> is absolutely. >> crucial that that. >> ukraine be involved in this, not. >> least so that the peace, any peace agreement that's made will be durable. it has to. >> have security guarantees for

ukraine. >> ukraine has. >> to feel confident. that russia won't come back across that. >> line. >> ■six months. >> after the. >> agreement is signed. >> otherwise. >> we're just going to have a continuation. >> of what. >> we've seen there since 2014. >> so, john meacham. >> let's go to you for a big picture. look here. this does seem to be what vice president said in munich. and the signs were hearing from president trump and others of the white house, a fundamental reevaluation of how the us deals with europe, particularly in being a bulwark against russian aggression, which would just change the post-world war two order. >> it changed the post-world. >> war. two order. >> it changes the. republican party in a deep and fundamental way. >> the party. >> of ronald reagan. >> is fully the party. >> of donald trump. >> which is a. >> hugely significant historical shift where. >> the center. >> of gravity moves from trust but verify. >> mr. gorbachev. >> tear down this wall. ronald

reagan was one of the great negotiators in american history, the only union president. >> to ever. >> be president of the united states. and he starts out his term in 1981 saying that the soviets reserve unto themselves the right to lie, to. >> cheat and to steal. >> and then he ends it literally. in the spring of 1988, playing with babies in red square. that's where the republican party was. 40 years ago. now it's in. >> a. >> place where, as you suggest, jonathan. it basically is going back to a pre world war two great power politics where the rule of the strong predominates, and principle, which is always, as david knows, far better than i do. principles always a flexible matter in geopolitics. but we have at least tried since we entered the second world war.

after nazi germany declared war on us in the first week of december 1941, the united states has attempted to ground its policy in a principled ethos. this becomes a moment where if you are russia, if you are china, if you are a foreign power, what is the lesson of this? the lesson is aggression will be rewarded. >> and the. >> fundamental principle since 1945 has been that we cannot award reward aggression. >> it's a deep. >> and fundamental thing. >> certainly. i think john seems to be right. what you're saying is right. we had 80 years of a wonderful relationship, and now it's time for a rethink. and arguably the person you served, george w bush and then joe biden, were the last transatlantic presidents. obama wasn't. clearly, donald trump isn't america first is europe last in donald trump's mind? but what what are the specific

openings this gives to in the short? we can talk about china later, but in the short term to russia. i mean, if you're sitting in moscow right now, what are you thinking beyond ukraine? or are you thinking, listen, i mean, there's another point of view. i've lost so much in ukraine. it's cost me so much in terms of people. i really don't want to go any further. or do you think zelenskyy is right when he starts warning. listen, they're having exercises in belarus just like they did before they invaded ukraine. where's next? >> well, for putin. >> he sees. >> how clearly. transactional relationship with donald trump pays off. >> and he. >> also, though. has to be wary of what he is causing. >> among the. >> european allies. >> right. >> outside his. >> borders, who are really rising to this moment. and i think that's what i would ask david ignatius, does it seem like at the munich conference that our allies are seeing that this is not just passing talk from donald. >> trump, and they are really. >> going to have to. >> step up and. provide more. >> of european. >> security and.

>> fill the vacuum that's going. to be left by the. united states. >> so. >> elise. they're hoping that the united states will. >> remain a solid partner. i heard people, you know, you could say hoping against hope after hearing the jd vance speech, that america. would continue. >> its traditional role. but but they're trying to. >> prepare for. >> a different. >> kind of future. >> it's so. >> extraordinary, this munich. >> that conference that i've just come back back to. >> every year is a celebration. >> of the transatlantic alliance. >> the whole idea was. >> to bring. >> germany, the defeated power in world war. >> two, into. >> the order that would maintain peace and security across europe, around the world. it's been successful to have this attack on europe take place. at that. >> at. >> that event was unusual. >> but i don't. >> i don't want your viewers to think that europe. is giving up on america. >> i don't think. >> they're there yet. >> they're hoping. but but. >> they're but they're making

prudent plans. they're thinking about their own defense because they know they may be, in the end, left alone, facing putin, who is. i just would note the. intelligence reports are clear. putin has not given up on his desire to dominate ukraine. he thinks he's winning. you know, he may go into a negotiation, but that doesn't mean he's giving up his basic goal of overcoming ukraine's desire to be an independent european nation. >> yeah, and certainly ukrainians fear that the russians, maybe they maybe there is a year or two pause in the fighting, but they have their whole economy is turned into a military base one, and they could rearm and try again before too long. so ali vitali, you know, to john meacham's point earlier, the republican party, this is such a change for them. you know, it's not so inconsistent from what we've heard from trump before. but for the traditional republicans, it is. and we did hear a little bit of pushback from republican senators at the end of last week, when defense secretary hegseth seemed to leverage away

much of what ukraine could get at the peace table, the settlement talks saying it couldn't go into nato, saying it wouldn't get its territory back. but what about some of these other republican senators, those, yes, who are normally trump allies, like lindsey graham and the rest who what are they saying there who have been strong throughout pre-trump post? trump being anti putin? what are they saying here about this potential fundamental shift? >> they have been strong throughout. and yet the america first policy that trump is now bringing right back to the forefront of this new administration is something that these senators have known and had to adapt to over the course of the last nearly ten years, that trump has really grabbed their party and pulled it in the direction that he wants it to go. and so, yes, you're right that some, like senator roger wicker, offered some chastisement from munich that hegseth and others were basically pre-negotiating before negotiations were even on the table, that they weren't leaving themselves much room to maneuver. but we've watched the

way that this republican party senators on capitol hill have all largely allowed themselves to be remade in trump's image. so, yes, you look at some folks like senator lindsey graham. certainly mitch mcconnell is going to try to be at the forefront of this battle, especially as it comes to ukraine. he's talked about the fact that national security and the role of america on the world stage is going to be his calling card. in these waning years of his senate career. the question is, though, a will it be enough? and b we were talking at the end of way too early about the commission structure and why sometimes for these republican senators who may have true disagreements, there's not really an upside to speaking out, because it's not going to change the direction that this administration is going and they are going to face the political consequences. that's been true on everything from confirmation battles, domestic politics all the way through, potentially the way that foreign policy is done in this administration. but of course, as we talk about the ukraine war, we are also, of

course, speaking about the ongoing conflict in the middle east as the israel-hamas war enters its 500th day, that fragile ceasefire brokered by the biden administration is still holding, at least at this point. hamas released three hostages in exchange for over 300 palestinian prisoners and detainees over the weekend. this is the sixth swap to occur under that ceasefire deal. the three hostages, which include an american israeli dual citizen, were forced to give a speech on a stage with a backdrop of hamas leaders. all of this comes as secretary of state marco rubio was in israel over the weekend. rubio met there with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu yesterday, as well as an israeli opposition leader, yair lapid. and so, david, as you watch these concurrent parallel conflicts, what do you make? of course, we've talked about the way that the ukraine russia conflict is unfolding. what do you make about the way the trump administration is potentially trying to carry this tenuous ceasefire into its next phase?

>> so we have the disruption. >> of president trump's. >> proposal to turn gaza into an american owned riviera. putting that. >> aside. >> there had been the. >> expectation that. >> the hostage. >> release deal. >> which was. negotiated by. the outgoing biden and incoming trump people, would be the prelude to a true end to this war that the war in gaza was going to going to end. we'd move into phase two. it now appears to me as if that transition to a real. ending is not going to happen anytime soon. the israelis i talked to say we see hamas in the streets as the hostages are released, strutting around with their guns. they're still very much a military power. they have not been defeated. and there's a broad feeling, i think, in israel, that for all the anguish about the hostages, hamas needs to be militarily and politically finished before we talk about the next stage. so i begin to think that this war isn't

ending. it's likely to go on for a while. >> much, much more on these developments overseas later in the show. but next here on morning joe, the jobs of thousands of federal employees are in jeopardy this morning as the trump administration expands its efforts to slash government spending. we'll go over the agency's impacted, including the fired nuclear safety workers that officials now are trying to get back on the clock. those seem like important posts. plus, the department of justice officially moves to dismiss corruption charges against new york city mayor eric adams. we'll bring you the latest in the legal saga that has led to the resignations of at least seven federal prosecutors. you're watching morning joe. we'll be back in just 90s. >> back in the fight. >> oh. >> we're back. >> we're back. >> on the planning to move? join the 6 million families who discovered a smarter, more flexible way to move, with pods. save up to 20% now for a limited time.

whether you're moving across town or across the country. save up to 20% at pods dot com today. set. both have buttery soft upholstery in multiple colors, but mine. >> has storage charging and costs hundreds less than two. compare this presidents day. >> at. >> bob's lumify. >> it's kind of amazing. >> wow. my go to is lumify eye drops lumify. dramatically reduces redness in one minute. and look at. >> the difference. >> my eyes look brighter and whiter. whiter. >> for up dexcom g7 sends your glucose numbers to your phone and watch, so you can always see where you're heading without fingersticks. dexcom g7 is the most accurate cgm, so you can manage your diabetes with confidence. ♪♪

climbing up on solsbury. >> hill. >> i could see. >> the city. >> light. >> my heart going boom. >> boom, boom. >> hey, he said. >> grab your. >> things, i've come. >> to take. >> you away. >> so come. >> on, take me home. back in locomotive. >> welcome back. very busy monday morning. here we turn now to some news at home. thousands more federal workers were laid off last week as president trump and elon musk continue to drastically cut and reshape the federal workforce. the trump administration has ordered terminations for thousands of jobs, ranging from wildfire prevention to medical research. that's according to reporting from axios and others. sources say agencies have also been given until 8 p.m. tomorrow to fire probationary workers on a

case by case basis. across the government, there are around 200,000 probationary workers who have been in agencies for less than 1 to 2 years. employees at the consumer financial protection bureau and the department of agriculture have reported layoffs, and according to some reports, the veteran affairs department dismissed more than 1000 employees on thursday. politico also reports that many terminations came from within the health and human services department, hitting staffers at the fda and the centers for medicare and medicaid services. >> yeah, the trump administration has also terminated hundreds of employees at the centers for disease control and prevention, including people responsible for supporting disease outbreaks and the response efforts to those. nbc news spoke to two people at the agency who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern over retaliation. and they said that two dozen of the so-called disease detectors in

the program received termination emails saturday that cited poor performance as the reason for the layoffs, even though most of the people who were dismissed had been given excellent performance reviews. still on health, the trump administration has also fired 25% of the federal workers in a program that's responsible for tracking and monitoring the bird flu outbreak, according to new reporting. state and local health officials say they've gone weeks without getting regular updates on avian flu from the cdc. after trump froze nearly all external communications from the agency. as the virus continues to spread, the administration has not yet outlined a strategy to stop it. cuts to usaid have also limited monitoring of the virus overseas while top trump while top roles in the trump administration central to responding to a pandemic, remain empty. and of course, all of these disruptions come as the virus has been decimating poultry flocks and has been

showing signs it can evolve to more easily thrive in other species. at least 68 people have contracted avian flu in the us and one person has died. that's according to the cdc and the average price of eggs. well, those famous egg prices. a dozen grade a eggs in the us. the price hit a record breaking $4.95 in january due to the outbreak and the level. even if you subscribe to the theory that, yes, you have to have whatever it is 20% cut in the federal workforce at a moment when you have an avian flu outbreak that we are watching happening around the country. you've got a measles outbreak happening down in texas at the moment to be cutting. the people who are specifically monitoring this is the problem. we're taking a hatchet. these things need to be done with a very fine tool to make sure that you save the people, like the nuclear health workers we're going to talk about later nuclear safety workers. but why attack the people that you need in this particular moment? this seems like that specialism.

>> exactly the wrong moment to do this. and so much of it seems to be the silicon valley tech startup ethos of go real fast, break things and then if needed, go back and fix it right afterwards. but john meacham, that seems like a very dangerous game to play right now, particularly in matters of health. and there's such a difference, though, between perhaps trimming government, reshaping government and dismantling government. and right now, it seems like what trump and musk are doing are doing is far more of the latter. >> well, one of the benefits of being a kind of conspiracy theorist is you can always find someone else, some other force to blame. so if tragically, these forces that katie lays out become national and international problems, it will it won't be that we cut the incumbent administration, cut people. it will be. see, we told you they were bad, right? so if you keep moving the goalposts up

and down the field, which is part of this mindset, and it's what the country i know there's some debate about this. the country didn't vote for this. they did. but there was no mystery about the chaotic factor that was going to be part of a second trump administration. now, specifically, did they think that elon musk was going to be running around act allegedly? i think the post reported trying to get into irs information, that sort of thing. the details? no, but the basic disruption is something that the country, 49.9% of the country, decided to do. so, one of the things that i've been struggling with, and i suspect you all have too, is how do how to best think about a political policy world that is now almost entirely chaotic. and one of the things we've learned, i think, in the

last decade, is that howling against the storm, you know, sort of the king lear approach doesn't work. and it may just be that the more specific, clear case studies where you lay out, you know, what, the federal government does a lot of things they probably shouldn't do. there's a lot of inefficiency. there's a lot of inefficiency in the private sector to, you know, inefficiencies, a human human force. but let's let's pick these things. let's pick the right places to cut. and it goes to a presidents day point, if i may, which is, you know, there's not a i know, a surprising i promise you i will i'm going to quote john quincy adams in a second. but what i think what we have here is two, there are ways both in foreign policy, both in domestic policy, to do big

things without burning the entire place down. right. and at the same sam rayburn once said, speaker of the house, any jackass can kick down a barn. it takes a carpenter to build one. does it mean you can't fix the barn? does it mean you don't have to, you know, do maintenance to it, but just to kick it down because you can, i think is going to hurt some folks. and the place to argue this, i think, is exactly on questions like public health. i would argue on foreign policy as well. rewarding aggression, you know, pick let's pick the conversations where you can make an appeal for a more balanced approach. >> yeah. and john's point washington post reporting late last night that musk and his doge team trying to access sensitive taxpayer information at the irs. we'll see where that goes today. but amid the onslaught of federal firings, the trump administration is

apparently looking to reinstate some of the nuclear safety workers that they had previously fired, but now they can't get a hold of them. multiple staffers within the national nuclear security administration were let go on thursday. and then on friday, officials with that agency frantically attempted to rehire some of those employees but struggled to get in touch with them because they no longer had access to their federal government email accounts. and at least this is a know better case study than this in terms of the dangers of going too fast, not thinking it through, targeting workers and departments that should be protected because they perform such crucial roles. >> yeah. >> leave the people we need. >> at the faa, maybe within nuclear agencies. let's not just. >> kid everyone kick them off. >> the block immediately. i keep going back to this does remind me of. >> the. federal government.

>> version of the afghanistan drawdown. >> everyone agreed. >> it. >> was pretty much. >> a bipartisan consensus. we needed to get out of afghanistan. the way. >> it went about. we went about doing. >> it was horrible. >> we could. >> have done. >> it in a better way. >> right now, we. >> agree that there's waste. >> in the federal government and. that everyone. >> would like to. >> cut the deficit and cut. >> spending the way they're. >> going about it, it makes. >> no sense. >> they need to be more strategic about what they're. >> cutting and. >> where and. >> have some success, have some early success. >> to show. that the mission can continue before you. >> just decimate. >> and hollow out critical areas. >> like nuclear security. so, ali, i know that you're still in touch with everybody on capitol hill, even though you're getting up terribly early to do another job as well. we haven't heard much complaint yet from members on the republican side about giving away so much of the power of the purse, as they seem happy to have done over the last month. but as these cuts start to take effect, particularly on

the public health side, to jon meacham's point, are you getting any members of congress on the republican side in particular, starting to get a little anxious about whether their constituents might have some of their funding cut? we know that quite a lot of this health funding, for example, quite a lot of the nih money that goes to research programs is going to universities in red states. but if members of congress are starting to hear from constituents that their nephew, who is in a cancer trial program, can no longer be on that program because the program is cut? i mean, is there a point at which the general public starts to feel the impact of what elon musk is doing? >> yes. >> and we've started to hear from some republican senators who are recognizing that while they might broadly support making these cuts within government, they might not support it. when it comes to the one line item, line item in the budget that goes directly to their constituents. you talk specifically about where some of the nih funding and grant money might be going. you look at states like alabama and maine. i

bring those two up because senators katie britt and susan collins, respectively, have spoken about the impacts in their states. but when we're watching republican senators speak out, it's not some kind of full throated standing on business for their constituents. they are doing it with a subtle message of, well, maybe we don't like the way that these cuts are coming down. maybe we should rethink that. so we're not listening to some kind of full throated rebuke. instead, we are listening to senators trying to make the point subtly, that this is coming for their constituents. i wonder if, as we get deeper into this, we will end up hearing more forcefully from some of these senators. but certainly you look at the fact that they're trying to claw back some of the employees that they've gotten rid of. it almost feels like, well, if this isn't the result of my actions coming back to bite us, looking at those nuclear regulators, among others, don't forget, david ignatius, that it's tax season. and they're also looking to not just access irs systems, but also potentially lay off irs

workers there. i mean, this is a full scale assault on government and it's going to have impact. >> i said to. >> a trump supporter during my trip to munich over the weekend. >> this is. >> looking to me like a case of ready, fire, aim. >> you know. >> the aim only comes at the end. and that's no way to run a government, but no way to run a reform of government. >> and i. >> think the point that you and katie and john are making that that when this comes home to roost, when people in your district are getting. >> their clinics. closed or their. >> checks aren't arriving, or other basic services that they depend on, or when the avian flu, which could be really deadly, that begins to sweep across the country, people will say, where is government? where is the help i need? and then maybe we'll have a congressional response that we haven't seen so far. but but the way in which

this group of young people working for the, you know, world's richest man are sitting in this kind of pinnacle pushing buttons on algorithms and systems and deciding who stays and who goes. it's if you if you try to write a plot. >> with that novel. >> people would have laughed at you. but it's happening. >> it is happening, and it's happening just as much in red states as blue states. but yet to this point, almost no criticism from trump's fellow republicans. coming up next, the president is now facing rebuke for appearing to quote a french monarch. and yes, that one, while suggesting he's above the law. the criticism includes one prominent conservative voice who says this is not restoring the way the justice department is supposed to work. we'll read from that new piece in the national review when morning joe comes right back. >> i see. >> bad. >> times today.

>> times today. >> don't go aroun got eyelid itching, crusties and swelling that won't go away? it could be... demodex blepharitis! and we're demodex mites. we're very common and super irritating to your eyelids... but we love making ourselves comfortable here! oh, yeah...steam time! if demodex mites are partying it up on your eyelids... it's time to eliminate the root of the problem with xdemvy. with one drop in each eye twice a day... you can kill the mites in just six weeks. xdemvy is the first and only fda-approved treatment that kills the mites that cause demodex blepharitis, a common eyelid disease. avoid touching the tip of the bottle to your eye or other surfaces to minimize contamination. wait 15 minutes before inserting contact lenses. in clinical trials, the most common side effects were stinging and burning in one out of ten patients. party's over folks.... it's not you, it's demodex mites. talk to your eye doctor today.

it all started with a small business idea. it's a pillow with a speaker in it! that's right craig. pulling in the perfect team to get the job done. i'm just here for the internets. at&t, it's super-fast! you locked us out?! and when thrown a curveball... arrggghh! ahhhh! [crashing sounds] we had everything we needed. is the internet out? don't worry, we have at&t internet back-up. the next level network for small business. ♪♪ i sold a pillow! with hotels and vacation rentals, booking.com has something for everyone. seashells! you got anything more boutique? oui, oui, oui. right this way... now we're talking. what about something more family friendly? oooh! maybe a resort with a waterpark... [water splash] or somewhere less family-friendly? yep! one vegas hotel for the bride to be. what if we hate everything? we have free cancellation. find exactly what you're booking for. booking.com booking.yeah

if you have this... consider adding this. an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan from unitedhealthcare. medicare supplement plans help by paying some of what medicare doesn't... and let you see any doctor. any specialist. anywhere in the u.s. who accepts medicare patients. so if you have this... consider adding this. call unitedhealthcare today for your free decision guide. ♪ here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! ♪♪ with fastsigns, create factory grade visual solutions to perfect your process. ♪♪ fastsigns. make your statement™.

and i go down to the ground. >> we begin with the extraordinary events at home this week, the breathtaking actions which president trump has taken much of it following what he promised on the campaign trail. pink slips for thousands of federal employees. some fired. others taking a now expired offer to leave their jobs in exchange for being paid without working until september. and in new. >> york, a tense standoff.

>> played out over the trump justice department's efforts to drop, at least for now, corruption charges against new. york city mayor eric adams, the top prosecutor in. >> the southern district of. >> new york. >> danielle sassoon. >> a highly. respected conservative who was. appointed by donald trump, blasted the move. and she resigned in protest. six other career prosecutors followed her lead and resigned. an exodus that has drawn comparisons to the darkest days of watergate. >> that's abc's jonathan karl sounding the alarm about what he termed the exodus of prosecutors in president trump's justice department, comparing it to the darkest days of watergate. he was referring to events surrounding the fdny corruption case against new york city mayor eric adams, which has been submitted now for dismissal. on friday, an attorney at the department of justice officially signed off on the order to drop the charges. this, after a total

of seven federal prosecutors tendered their resignations in protest. the final prosecutor to leave, rather than comply was hagan scotten. he was one of the leads on the adams case. scotten has impeccable conservative credentials, having clerked for both supreme court justice john roberts and then dc circuit court of appeals judge brett kavanaugh. he slammed the decision to drop the charges in his resignation letter, specifically pointing to the order to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning that the doj could refile it in the future. quote, no system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives. late last year, mayor adams was indicted on multiple charges, including bribery and fraud. he maintained his innocence. last week, the

acting deputy attorney general, emily bovy, ordered the southern district of new york to dismiss the charges in an explosive memo that triggered a massive revolt within the doj in new york and washington. the filing to dismiss the case does not immediately release adams from the charges. a federal judge must now approve of the order. so let's see where that one goes. yeah, i mean, extraordinary kind of quid pro quo. and the people going around saying, well, eric adams is now walking around in a t shirt that says property of the us government. >> just seemingly so blatant. and then some of the, the city and state's top democrats are saying exactly that, that adams is beholden now to trump will have to do his agenda. can he really govern with new york city citizens at the forefront of his mind? we'll have more on that a little later in the show. meanwhile, amid the numerous legal challenges to many of the moves by his administration, president trump posted a single sentence message to his social media accounts on saturday while he was out golfing. i might add, he wrote this he who saves his

country does not violate any law. that line has sometimes been attributed to the french emperor and military leader napoleon bonaparte. yes, napoleon. keeping that in mind, we want to read from a new column from the conservative national review which bears this title. this is not restoring the way the justice department is supposed to work. and it's by senior fellow andrew mccarthy, who writes in part this pam bondi now represents the justice department, in fact leads it. it is thus her ethical duty to advance whatever good faith defense there is of the government's conduct. if she is just going to spout trump's grievances without putting the justice department's response to egregious behavior in context, then she is engaging in partizan law enforcement. exactly the noxious practice she claims to be rooting out. the weaponization directive is doing

politics, not removing politics from law enforcement. plainly, the weaponization working group exists to settle the president's scores and rewrite dark chapters of his. history while providing him with quarterly assurances of attorney general bondi's progress on what is now the justice department's core mission. so, jon meacham, you're the historian here. napoleon got mentioned. so therefore, obviously we're coming to you. but this is i mean, this is the polling. of course, not exactly the model democratic leader. talk to us about, you know, what this really means, because as we just read from, there's all kinds of echoes of watergate here. this is a president who's basically saying i am the law. i'm above the law. >> yeah. yeah. napoleon bonaparte, of course, declared himself emperor of france in the

wake of a revolution. intimately linked with ours. sorry, katie. i know this is a rough day for you. given 1776 through the caddy. actually has a un yorktown. she wears black. the anniversary. but what? what the point of the united states of america, as thomas paine said, is that in america, the law would be king. now, i am not going to naively or sentimentally sit here and say that no american president in history has ever gone beyond the bounds of the constitution in order to govern. they have always followed the letter of the law. that is not true, right? thomas jefferson bought louisiana from napoleon, by the way, calling it a fugitive occurrence. it was not strictly within the bounds of the law. if alexander hamilton had tried to do it, jefferson would. his head

would have exploded. but because people tend to be against executive power until they have it, which is an important thing to remember. this is about context, balance, and scope. do did abraham lincoln go beyond the bounds of the constitution to save the constitution? yes. i just ask you and i ask the country to think about, is this a crisis on the scale of the civil war? is when president trump came in to now it's emerging as a very important, critically important moment about the rule of law. but it begins with president trump telling us, essentially that the country is in the i'm paraphrasing, but only narrowly, is in the grip of a dark and

even evil force, and that he alone is going to break that grip and therefore inter napoleon from the internet. therefore, anyone who saves the country and breaks that grip is intrinsically heroic. and the danger we have here is that. if, in fact, president trump believes that anything he does is justified, then we are in a place where we genuinely have not been before, having presidents who have violated the letter and even at times, the spirit of the constitution and the declaration is something we have had before. sometimes we view it well, which i think lincoln ultimately is redeemed by saving the union, by suspending, you know, when he suspended habeas corpus. shouldn't have done it. ideally.

did it? union survives. we still go to the lincoln memorial, but some of the darks, some of the dark chapters that presidents then have to endure for all of history. the internment of japanese americans during world war two is something that franklin roosevelt's administration always has to bear, and that was a violation of the spirit of the declaration in the constitution. to me, that's the question is, are we doing things? is the president trump doing something that if it's in a particularly vociferous way, is it justified by the circumstances, or is he doing it simply because he can? >> so david, listening to what john's just saying, and in the context of how europe, where you've just come back from response, i mean, there's always been a sense about america. the pendulum swings, it goes one way

and it goes another, but it comes back to the center. if a if the rest of the world is now looking at america thinking, you know what, america is not that reliable. we could get tariffs. i mean, we may not get them, but we could get them. the rule of law may be a little bit more fluid than we're used to it being. if we wanted to invest our money there, and we know that the europeans are trying to mount their more of their own operations. there's been a lot of talk of that over the last few days. they are having meetings with the ukrainians, for example, over ukraine. i think the calculation in the trump administration is america is the strongest. this is the biggest market. they have no choice. what was your feeling in europe? was there a feeling that actually now they will start to look elsewhere? or is there a feeling that actually okay, we would love to look elsewhere. but trump is right. america is the biggest game in town and we have to be part of that market. >> united states. >> is so dominant in the world. >> that there. >> isn't really a. >> good option. >> for walking away from america, for europe, or indeed

right now for china. so that american power, the momentum of our power continues and people are worried. but as warren buffett likes. to say, anybody who ever in our history bet against america lost money. that's just been a bad. bet that even in our worst periods, periods of greatest instability, worst leadership, the country has recovered and prospered in amazing ways. and i think that that feeling is still embedded in europe. i would just say to what john meacham said so thoughtfully, we're now in a in a. >> situation that. >> tests the ideas that our founders put at the center of our constitution, how we're ruled. they thought a lot about executive power being abused. they just had broken away from a king whose abuse of power had caused a revolution. and they wanted to make sure that there

were checks and balances, as we always say, against abuse of that power. we're now seeing cases in which people are asking, and the courts will ask, is this an abuse of presidential power or is it legitimate? and i think, you know, hopefully at the center of how this is resolved will be our system system, the founders created to resolve differences in moments like this. >> our thanks to washington post columnist david ignatius and presidential historian jon meacham. john, i know you had a presidents day segment on john tyler prepared. i'm sorry. we've simply run out of time. our thanks to you both. >> so looking forward. >> to it. catch you on your. >> youtube page. >> next up here. we'll speak with newly elected dnc chair ken martin as he seeks to rebrand the democratic party and its messaging. plus, we're now learning new details about some of the migrants who were sent to guantanamo bay and why there are growing doubts as to whether they committed any crimes at all. morning, joe. we'll be

right back. >> the things i said. >> hourly amazon employees earn >> hourly amazon employees earn an average of over hey we're going big tonight let's go safety whoa! should i call mom? no, no don't tell your mother anything >> what's the secret? >> we know humans like new toys. >> so always staying one. >> step ahead. >> and with ai. >> we can look at so. >> much more than sales. >> data by our behaviors. social engagement. see that? predictive analytics. >> how long have you been doing this? >> as long as we've been with. >> people who know.

>> know b.d.o. legal. and. doug. >> you'll be back. >> emus can't help people customize and save. >> hundreds on car insurance. >> with liberty mutual. >> you're just. >> a flightless bird. >> no. >> he's a dreamer. >> frank. >> gave. and doug. >> well. i'll be. that bird really did it. >> only pay for. >> only pay for. i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. but thanks to skyrizi and clearer skin — i'm all in. with skyrizi, i saw dramatically clearer skin. and many even achieved 100% clear skin. ♪♪ don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. with skyrizi, nothing on my skin means everything. ♪♪ ask your dermatologist about skyrizi today.

dexcom g7 sends your glucose numbers to your phone and watch, so you can always see where you're heading without fingersticks. dexcom g7 is the most accurate cgm, so you can manage your diabetes with confidence. ♪♪ when i started walton goggins goggle glasses, i had no idea what i was doing. but godaddy airo does. using ai to build a logo, website and social content. so i can let the world know, if your goggles ain't goggins, they don't belong on your noggins! ♪♪ wait. noom has glp-1 meds now? noom, the psychology based weight loss company? yes, noom combines medication and behavior change so you can lose the weight and keep it off. and it starts at just $149. noom. the smart way to lose weight. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max!

>> darling. >> shot of the lighthouse. >> here on. this president's day. >> little gray. >> yeah, there's. well, there's snow in the forecast. although to your dismay, you just learned. >> you just broke that news. >> there had been talk of a major storm up and down the east coast affecting new york dc later in the week. chances now downgraded, tanked, tanked was the word that our friends at the capital weather gang used. but we're still a few days out.

>> i'm holding you personally responsible. >> there's still. >> a few. >> things could. >> could change. it is monday, february 17th. i'm jonathan lemire, alongside the bbc's katty kay, elise jordan and ali vitali. still with us as well. and joining the conversation, we have president of the national action network and host of msnbc's politics nation, the reverend al sharpton. and reverend, you had a big night last night. a lot of the country watching saturday night live as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. you played a role. tell us about it. >> well, i, i was one of the guests and they gave me a little cameo and it was a good it was a good i mean, you couldn't believe the people around the country that watched that night live. i got more text messages. >> than usual. >> but it was exciting to be there. i hosted the show in 2003, and then i been on 4 or 5 times since, and. but the lorne michaels is a genius, and you see a lot of people. jimmy

fallon was in the show that i hosted. he was just a kid then, and eddie murphy and i have known each other for 30 years. so it was a it was a good night. but to see the superstars and to get a cameo, you couldn't ask for a better night. >> we just saw some. >> of the pictures. >> of the celebrities. >> you ran into. >> there, and that's now take a look at your moment from last night. >> it kind. >> of feels like. >> this whole question. >> and answer thing is just a way for you guys to give some airtime to. celebrities who aren't. in other parts of the show. >> oh really? >> it doesn't seem that way to me. >> and what do you think, reverend. >> al sharpton and ray romano? >> it seems it seems very natural to us. >> really. >> don't don't. >> don't be. >> so cynical, seth. >> we're having a nice time here. >> yeah. >> you well. >> done, sir. >> star turn. >> i practiced. >> yeah. no, you're you're spot. line delivery is spot on, and i. i'll admit, i stayed up a little bit too late watching last night. we'll catch the rest of

it on peacock, i guess. maybe later tonight. >> they're staying up. >> yeah. for sure. it was fun. it was three, 3.5 hours, apparently, but. >> that's in the tradition. >> i did. >> not stay up for the full. >> three saturday night. >> live. >> you know. but it was yeah, certainly a legendary show and had taken over here at 30 rock the last few days. great to see. all right, back to the news now. and secretary of state marco rubio is in the middle east this morning ahead of critical negotiations with russian officials about ending the war in ukraine. nbc news white house correspondent yamiche alcindor brings us the latest. >> reporter president trump revealing that his team spoke with russian president vladimir putin for hours ahead of high stakes talks to end the war in ukraine. >> i think he wants to end it and they want to end it fast, both of them, and zelenskyy wants to end it too. >> the president adding that ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky will be involved in the negotiations. but zelenskyy says he hasn't been invited to the first round of talks. two u.s.

officials telling nbc news the white house wants to host separate meetings before bringing russia and ukraine together. zelenskyy sitting down with nbc's kristen welker. >> can you accept any peace deal that is cut without ukraine? >> no. >> do you feel like you have a seat at the table right now? >> i not only count on it, i'm sure that we have to be there. >> on his first trip to israel as secretary of state. marco rubio saying the ukraine talks set to take place in saudi arabia are a starting point. >> vladimir putin expressed his interest in peace, and the president expressed his desire to see an end to this conflict in a way that was enduring and that protected. ukrainian sovereignty. >> the secretary is expected to attend. in addition to the president's middle east envoy, steve witkoff, who has been speaking with putin after helping to broker the gaza ceasefire deal. white house national security advisor mike waltz will also attend. he has laid out four priorities driving

the negotiations a permanent end to the war, a diplomatic end to the war, economic integration and changes to u.s. aid for ukraine. >> and in terms of long-term military security guarantees, those have to be european led. >> questions remain about whether ukraine will be expected to give up some of its territory seized by russia. >> maybe russia will give up a lot. maybe they won't. >> that was. >> nbc's yamiche. alcindor with that report. and just moments ago, we learned that ukrainian president zelenskyy will, in fact, be in saudi arabia on wednesday. now, he says ukraine is not participating in talks between the u.s. and russia. he added that there will be clarity on a date of the meeting with president trump, after u.s. envoy keith kellogg visits ukraine. zelenskyy in saudi arabia, for other reasons, it seems. but of course, if he's there, it's possible he'll join the talks, though at the moment, heads of state trump and putin are not expected to be there. it's their emissaries will be in riyadh the next couple of days.

joining us now, the president of the council on foreign relations, michael froman. michael also had been in munich over the weekend at the security conference there, where talk of ukraine certainly dominated the proceedings. michael, let's get to your analysis here as to where these where things stand with ukraine. it certainly seems president trump sending a lot of signals that he'd rather deal he and his team deal with putin and the russians and maybe even sideline the ukrainians about their own war. >> well, this. >> was not a great week. if you're a. >> european, i. >> would say earlier. >> in the week, secretary of defense. >> hegseth basically made it clear that u.s. security interests lay more in the. indo-pacific than in europe, and that europe. >> was going to have to step. >> up and take care. >> of its. >> own security. >> much more than it. has in the past. >> and then, of course. >> the announcement. >> of the. talks in saudi arabia, where europe is being excluded. in fact, they received a questionnaire that they're to fill out to lay out what it is that they can do on the security side, including whether they can deploy troops in order to

justify their participation in the talks going forward. so i. >> one. >> hand, this. >> is just. >> an initial conversation and it gets the negotiations going. certainly, the intent is to include the ukrainians in the negotiations. going forward, and the europeans ultimately are going to have to play a much more significant role in, in ukraine than the united states going forward. but for right now, it was. sort of quite. >> a quite a. >> shock to the europeans. >> mike, i can see why it was a shock, but in a way, the signals were there, right? everybody knew that trump had this predisposition towards europe. he doesn't have much time for them. he sees them as freeloaders. i guess the question is, how constructive are the talks now taking place in europe in light of what vance said to the europeans in munich about what they can do about ukraine? i mean, how much can they step up arms production commitments, deployments themselves? how much of a security force could they give to the ukrainians? or is the feeling in europe that, you know, what, if we don't have the americans, we really don't have much ourselves? >> well.

>> the europeans. >> are. >> feeling pretty. >> schizophrenic about it. >> on one hand, this. >> could be their moment. >> all these things, as you said, katty. >> these issues have been on the table for a long time, and europe has been encouraged for a long time to get its act together, build a stronger defense industrial base, be able to be more effective on the battlefield, and this could be the opportunity for them to step up. the problem is. >> it's happening at a time. >> when european leadership is not particularly strong. president macron is. >> basically a lame. >> duck, and in germany. >> there's an election. >> this week, and the expectations are that the coalition may well be a pretty weak coalition. and so there. >> aren't a lot. >> of leaders in europe who can take the necessary steps for them to finally address the long. >> standing issues that have. >> stood in the way of them being able to be more effective. >> once again, i think the profile that zelenskyy cuts here is a really fascinating one, both in the way that he talked to our own kristen welker, but then also the ways that he's trying to basically get europe back in this fight, saying at one point in that interview that russia will, in his words, 100%

occupy europe if he's allowed to continue having moved forward with what he's done in ukraine. but are those warnings falling on deaf ears when they're also heard by the americans, including president trump? >> well, i think zelenskyy has been. >> very. >> effective in articulating. >> the narrative. >> and. >> frankly. >> pretty pragmatic. the ukrainians. for quite a while have realized that they're going to have to give up territory, maybe not in a permanent way, but reach an armistice based on the territorial gains that the russians have have made. the question really comes down to what are the security guarantees that they will get going forward? >> they don't. >> want russia to just come in a third time. as the u.s. and europe turn their attention. elsewhere and do more damage to ukraine. >> and so. >> their demand has been for nato membership. there are a lot of members of nato who would like to include them. the u.s. and germany and a few others are not among those. and so the europeans are working to get the ukraine into the eu, which is sort of a step towards ensuring there is european security

guarantees. we're going to come up with something creative. if ukraine can't be a nato, then maybe parts of nato can be in ukraine, where european troops are either on the ground or closely nearby, and there's some real security guarantees better than the ones that they've had before. >> michael. elise jordan here at the same time, the munich conference was happening and ukraine dominated that discussion. i was in dubai at the world governance summit, and the only thing that everyone was talking about was artificial. intelligence. and. how governments. >> are going. >> to use artificial intelligence to modernize, to get forward. and there's a sense that the europeans are really behind the curve because they are so restricted. what was the conversation at munich like when it comes to how artificial. >> intelligence is going. >> to shape the next century going forward? >> it was interesting. last year. the conversation about artificial intelligence was. really about the risks associated with it, the issues of trust and safety, the concern about artificial intelligence

being used to manipulate all those elections in 2024. this year, it was much more about the opportunity that ai presents. and you're absolutely right. the europeans are far behind. you know, the us innovates and europe regulates. and as. >> a result. >> they don't have many companies who are at. >> the cutting edge. >> of artificial. intelligence innovation. all the all the entrepreneurs in europe who have a really good idea want to come to the us and build their companies in the united states. this is part of that broader effort of european reform, the draghi report and other ideas that have been out there for a while, that the europeans all know they need to get at. and yet the question is, do they have the political will to do so? really smart insights this morning for the president of the council on foreign relations, michael froman. michael, thank you so much. we appreciate it. turning now to. here at home, as the trump administration moves to slash the federal workforce, thousands of government employees are bracing for more layoffs this very morning with new questions about the impact

on the irs. the height of the tax season. nbc news white house correspondent aaron gilchrist brings us the latest. >> air force one buzzing the daytona speedway just before president trump took his ultra armored car, the beast, for a lap around the track at the daytona 500 and telling nascar fans the country is doing well. >> we brought it. back and it's been less than four weeks, so you'll see what we do in, in in a little period of time. it's going to only get better. >> his raceway message, coming on the heels of his promise to save the nation money by continuing to slash the federal workforce. with tax season in full swing, social media flooded with fears about tax return chaos and delays. if thousands of irs employees are fired. >> i feel bad for all of us. hard working people may not get our taxes filed in time. >> in the. >> middle of the tax. >> new treasury secretary scott bessent telling bloomberg news earlier this month irs employees can't take the president's

buyout offer during tax season. >> they're not eligible for. >> that until may 15th. so i don't imagine anything is going to go on at. >> the irs until then. >> or beyond. >> president trump last week responding to a question about closing the irs. >> no, i don't expect it. but but i think i think that the internal revenue service will be looked at like everybody else. >> nbc news has obtained a termination letter sent to dozens of probationary workers at the transportation department, saying they were fired for poor performance, despite most being rated exceptional. they joined a growing list of fired employees like once furloughed, now fired lawyer kate royce. so when you got that email, what went through your mind? >> so i think my first emotion was grief, quickly followed by anger. i'm worried about paying rent in march. i'm worried. about getting. >> the health. >> care that i need. >> that was. >> nbc's aaron gilchrist with that report. >> we should add to.

>> that the washington post reporting last night that musk and his doge team in the irs may be getting access to sensitive taxpayer data. so, reverend al sharpton, there's an extraordinary amount of, of cuts that have already happened. more coming from musk and his team. president trump seems to be okay with that. but these are it's happening so fast. and as we discussed earlier, seemingly without discretion, that is going to have real impact on people. and that includes a lot of people who voted for donald trump. >> which shows the recklessness of this. when you find that people that were protecting us against nuclear attacks were just arbitrarily dismissed, and they can't even find out how they to retract that or bring them back. this kind of recklessness is beyond politics now, because if you're trying to make an assessment to save money or waste, to deal with waste or deal with people that were

ineffective, you would assume that there's been some deliberation in that and some investigation in that. but what we're finding people just dismissed and then later found out, oops, that might have been a security problem. then it shows that there has been no real serious thinking investigation looking into those that are being fired. and i think that on top of that, the instability is already in instability when you go from one administration to another. now you're talking about hundreds, if not thousands of federal workers laid off. it gives the country a sense of instability, including the people that supported president trump. >> at least there was a feeling amongst democrats a couple of weeks ago that they couldn't really attack any of the doge stuff, because the message in the election had been, it's all about democracy. and that hadn't really worked. and so they just weren't interested. democrats just didn't seem interested in attacking anything to do, or trying to defend anything to do with washington and the government and the federal

bureaucracy. now that we're starting to see this, getting the stories a little bit more of individuals who are being impacted or potentially members of the public who are impacted. do you think that messaging is going to change? do you think they are going to take the doge efforts to cut bureaucracy more head on? well. >> when they. >> can attack something like nuclear security, when they can say, oh, they're stripping away these critical safeguards for national security, they have a better vantage point politically than if they're defending, say, usaid, which unfortunately is not very popular with a lot of the american electorate. so as different moves are made and when it is something that is seen as critical to our safety, they have a much better line of attack. >> yeah. >> okay. so much going on in the federal government. i mean, it's really hard to keep track of it. it's hard for the general public to keep track of it. but if they start going to national parks this summer and the restrooms are not open or they have longer lines, then you can imagine that people will start realizing what has actually happened. >> yeah, it seems pretty clear that right now it's still early. there's so much there's the

firehose of news here. people haven't really focused on anything, but as they start to feel it in their lives sooner than later, i guess we could see some outcry. >> yeah. okay, let's look at the other stories that are happening around the country. a large and powerful winter storm is threatening nearly 20 million people across the country. the storm ripped through the south with reports of tornadoes touching down in some areas. hundreds of thousands were left without power. the storm also caused flight delays and cancellations. elsewhere, heavy rains triggered flooding and mudslides through virginia, west virginia, tennessee. there you can see roads turned into rivers extraordinary and homes completely submerged by the floods in kentucky. at least nine people were killed in the flooding there, including a mother and her seven year old child. officials there warned that the death toll could increase. be careful. these floods are dangerous. meanwhile, further north, many people are bracing for moderate to heavy snowfall in some areas. wind gusts could reach 60 miles an

hour and create hazardous whiteout conditions. although, as i've just heard from our meteorologist, jonathan lemire, i will not be getting that snow in washington, d.c. >> this week. >> now for a look at some of the other stories as well that are making headlines. the government of australia has announced it will impose a two year ban on foreign purchases of existing homes. the ban, which is an effort to boost the country's housing supply, will go into effect on april 1st. the measure is expected to free up around 1400 properties each year for local buyers. it's a band that extends to foreign owned companies and temporary residents as well. this is amazing. one humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off the coast of chile. an incident was caught on camera. i've been watching this video all weekend. the kayaker was paddling with his dad in the strait of magellan when a humpback whale surfaced and scooped. there you go. and scooped up both the man and his kayak for a few seconds before boom, spitting them out

again. his father captured the scene on video. despite the scare, the kayaker was uninjured and made it back to shore. i'm just. i'm longing to ask him what it was like inside the whale. >> the video is simply extraordinary. it sort of defies belief. >> unbelievable. >> unconfirmed reports. the young man's name was jonah. >> escaping the whale. >> we should now turn also to the box office. where? captain america brave. we're still watching that video. captain america brave new world brought in nearly $89 million in ticket sales across the us and canada over the weekend. that's according to estimates. and it's on track to hit $100 million by the end of the president's day holiday today. despite some pretty poor reviews, it was the biggest opening weekend by far for a film so far this year. next up here, yoni appelbaum is with us to discuss his new book, stuck how the privileged and the property broke the engine of american opportunity. it's a fascinating read. plus, dnc chair ken martin will join us

live in studio as he now helms a divided democratic party. we'll speak to him about his plans to drive the party into a bolder direction. also ahead, we'll show you my conversation with oscar nominated actress mikey madison about her new film. honora has all sorts of. >> oscar buzz. >> you're watching morning joe. >> you're watching morning joe. >> we'll be right do your dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? with miebo, eyes can feel ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer for the number one cause of dry eye: too much tear evaporation. for relief that's ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ remove contact lenses before using miebo. wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. what does treating dry eye differently feel like? ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪

for relief that feels ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ ask your eye doctor about prescription miebo. businesses and communities come together on tiktok. they don't show up like they do on tiktok. and i had all these people rooting for me on tiktok. empowering over 7 million us businesses. there's no way i'd be able to support this building or any of my employees. > that went from maybe a few hundred people seeing my product to millions. they rely on tiktok to succeed. i don't think i could have gotten this far if i didn't have that kind of community. small businesses thrive on tiktok. (♪♪) sunglasses, like a brand. >> new pair of jeans. >> i feel like. >> taking chances. >> i feel a lot. >> brand new. oh.

>> to learn more about celebrity cruises latest offers, you probably. >> know. >> vistaprint for business cards. >> yep. >> but did you know we also. >> print these and those and that and. definitely this. okay. that's engraved where we print with lasers at vistaprint. we print your brand on everything so your customers can notice you, remember you and fall in love with you. like really fall in love with you at vistaprint if you need it. we print it with 25% off for new customers@vistaprint.com. >> hi, grandma. i played baseball today. >> oh that's great. >> what position did you play? >> first base. >> that's what grandpa used to play. >> when our. >> hearing wouldn't allow us to use a regular phone. >> it made us feel isolated. >> it became difficult to communicate with our friends and

family. >> clear captions. was an easy solution for us. >> clear captions. provides captions on a phone. like captioning on your tv so you can see what the. caller is saying live as they say it. >> making it easy. >> to understand and respond immediately. >> there is no insurance or medicare required. clear caption service is provided at no cost to you through a federally funded program. we deliver, install and train you on how to use your phone all at no cost to you. >> give your. >> loved ones the independence and connection they deserve. >> call now to see if you qualify to get clear captions. phone at no cost to you. call 1-800-714-2088. that's 1-800-714-2088. >> skating for over 45 years. >> has taken a toll on my body. i take qunol turmeric because it helps with healthy. >> joints and inflammation support. >> why qunol? >> it has superior absorption co you think those phone guys will ever figure out how to keep 5g home internet from slowing down during peak hours? their customers have to share a wireless signal

with everyone in their area. oooh. you know, it's kinda like when you bring a really big cake for your birthday, and then there's only a little, tiny sliver left for the birthday girl. aw. well, wish her a happy birthday. happy birthday... -it's... ...to her. -no, it's me. have your cake and eat it, too. don't settle for t-mobile or verizon 5g home internet. get super fast xfinity internet you don't have to share. forty's going to be my year.

>> beautiful shot there. >> 725 in the morning here in midtown manhattan. according to a recent study of u.s. census data by the government mortgage giant freddie mac, the united states has a housing shortage of approximately 3.7 million units. experts cite the 2008 housing crash and private equity's recent uptick in buying homes as two causes of the shortage. but according to our next guest, the blame should also be placed on progressive policy makers. let's now bring in deputy executive editor at the atlantic. yoni appelbaum he is the author of the new book titled stuck how the privileged and the property broke the engine of american opportunity. yoni, congratulations on the book. thank you so much for being here. it is a fascinating read. an excerpt on the atlantic's website the last few days. it's highly recommend. so talk to us a little bit about the thesis here. in terms of, first of all, americans used to be very

mobile. and that's changed. >> yeah, we used to move a heck of. >> a lot. >> maybe 1. >> in 3. >> americans moved. >> every year in the 19th century. >> and we. >> just got new numbers. >> from the. >> census that we. >> set a dismal new low last year. >> of 1. >> in 13. it's been astonishing. >> drop. >> i started writing this book. >> when i was living in in. >> cambridge. >> massachusetts. >> in an apartment that was. >> already. >> a little. >> too small for my family. >> and cost a little more than we could. >> actually afford. >> and i could look around. >> my neighborhood and see that the neighborhood was changing for. >> 100 years. >> have been. >> a. place that. >> the children. >> of. >> immigrants came and. >> they got opportunity. >> they they. >> found a slightly. >> better life for themselves and. >> launched their. >> children into. >> the american dream. the neighborhood wasn't doing that anymore. >> i could see that it was. >> broken there. and you could. >> tell the same story in. >> neighborhoods like. >> it all across. >> the country. and i wanted to know what had gone wrong in america that we no longer gave people that. >> that first wide. >> rung on the ladder of opportunity. >> is it underneath that there was no focus on making sure we

maintain it, or is it that we just lost our way? because i've, i've seen even in communities that are deemed underprivileged or black and latino communities, the same trend. and is it that there is no longer a proactive policy to try to have people upwardly mobile, or is it that they're being blocked, or is it that we're just at random with no kind of plan? >> well, that's exactly the. >> right question. i think they're being blocked. >> i think. >> the. >> people in. >> america who. >> have been fortunate enough. >> to find success. >> have put a web of. rules over. >> their. neighborhood over. >> the last 50. >> years and their well intentioned rules. >> right. >> they want to protect. >> the environment. they want to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood. i understand why people do. >> this. >> but if you add. >> up all of those. >> rules. >> what it means. >> is. >> that the places in. >> america which have the most. >> opportunity. >> the best jobs. >> the. >> best schools. >> the chance for. >> kids to. >> be born there. >> and that's the most important decision you'll ever make as a parent. >> the thing.

>> that has the. >> greatest impact. on how your kids will do in life is. the neighborhood. >> in. >> which you raise them. >> if you. >> can't move into that neighborhood. >> if it doesn't. >> give you the shot to get in, then you're not. >> going to be able to give your. >> kids that better chance in life. >> and with these. >> rules, it's gotten harder and. >> harder to build housing where the jobs are. >> i'm going to read an excerpt in just a second, but step back a second. why is it that mobility specifically leads to steps up the social ladder? >> you know. >> it does it. >> in. >> two ways. one is. >> a very. >> simple way. if you're moving, you're. usually moving. >> someplace where. >> there's some kind of opportunity. >> at least that's how it worked in america for 200 years. and so maybe you leave. >> behind the. >> job in a. >> declining industry. >> that you had, and you arrive in a new town and you look around, you're. >> going. >> to get hired into the industry that's adding jobs. >> that's growing. >> that's giving you. better opportunities. you're going. >> to be in a. >> place with more jobs for your kids, right, as they come of age and enter the workforce. and so we know that people who move. >> have always done better. >> than people who. opt to stay where they are. so mobility can change your prospects that way.

it also means they're resetting all your habits. we know that when people move, the whole mindset changes. >> if you try. >> if you want to move and you can't, you. >> get depressed, you. >> get cynical. >> you start to see. >> the world. >> as. >> a zero sum game, and anyone arriving in your community is taking away part of. >> the. >> slice of the pie that might have been yours. if you move, you grow optimistic. >> you see new chances. >> you start to see that. that you and i can both do better and we can lift each other up. and so when people are moving toward opportunity, they're not just changing their own immediate economic prospects. they're likely. to reach out to make new friends, to join organizations. the things that make america a really special place came out of our mobility. >> fascinating. so in the book, you discuss why america's social infrastructure is poorly suited to deal with a housing shortage. and you write in part, quote, today, the united states combines increasingly european levels of geographic immobility with american style parsimony, delivering the worst of both worlds. with neither help workers move toward opportunity

nor do enough to provide for them when they can't. the united states has weathered many shifts in the distribution of opportunity, only to emerge more prosperous than ever. and most economists expected that workers who lost their jobs through the shocks of environmental regulation and of free trade with mexico and china, would find new and better opportunities. their models, though, were validated against historical data and failed to account for new barriers to mobility. instead of relocating, most of these workers were trapped in places with few prospects. so what needs to happen to take off the kind of dead hand of those regulations and those barriers to mobility? >> you know, when i. >> was writing the book. >> i spent a week walking around flint. >> michigan. and talking to people. everybody in flint is the son or daughter or grandchild of somebody who moved to flint. it was a boomtown. but they can't leave. they can't find places that are cheap enough to be able to move out of flint and go to the new

opportunities. they can't do what their grandparents did. so what we need to do is three simple things. we need to come up with simpler rules that apply over broad geographic areas so that the rules are fair. they apply to the. >> rich. >> places and the poor places alike. we need to tune. >> those rules to allow. >> for mobility. so it's not just an affordable housing crisis that america faces. it's a mobility crisis. and they're not the same thing. there is affordable housing. the houses are so cheap in flint that they're tearing them down because they can't find anyone to move in, but they're in the wrong places, right? so we need to tune the housing policy to put the housing where people want to live. and then we need abundance. we need so much housing that we can drive down the prices and restore that american dream. >> how has the push for private equity coming in and buying up single family housing? >> how has. >> that changed the market fundamentally in terms of affordability and the ability to access the market and enter it? >> it's a. >> great question. >> you know, those. >> guys are vultures. they look and see that we've created an

artificial scarcity. they can see that we're not letting people build. and they say, great, that's an enormous opportunity for us. we can leverage that. we can take advantage of it to profit off the people who are renting and buying. but if you opened up the opportunity to build again, they. disappear overnight because. >> they. >> wouldn't have that. >> monopoly to. >> exploit anymore. it's such an important conversation. we've barely scratched the surface here. thankfully, the new book stuck how the privileged and the property broke the engine of american opportunity is available for preorder now and goes on sale tomorrow. pick up a copy. copy. author and deputy executive editor at the atlantic, yoni appelbaum. yoni, thank you for being here. congratulations. >> thank you so much. >> great to see you. coming up next, an update on pope francis's health as he remains hospitalized with bronchitis. plus, some democrats say our next guest has the ruthlessness the party needs to return to electoral success. the new chairman of the dnc, ken martin, will join us live here in studio to talk about his. vision for the party. morning joe will be

the party. morning joe will be right back. well i was on my regular route, when i find this note... bring rings to beach wedding? fedex presents tall tales of true deliveries. so i grabbed the rings and hustled down the beach. who has the rings? i do... i mean, i do. okay... save wedding...all set. just another day on the job. if this is what we did for love, see what we can do for your business. fedex. this is steve. steve takes voquezna. this is steve's stomach, where voquezna can kick some acid, heal erosive esophagitis, also known as erosive gerd, and relieve related heartburn. voquezna is the first and only fda-approved treatment of its kind. 93% of adults were healed by 2 months. of those healed, 79% stayed healed. plus, voquezna can provide heartburn-free days and nights,

and is also approved to relieve heartburn related to non-erosive gerd. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take if allergic to voquezna or while on rilpivirine. serious allergic reactions include trouble breathing, rash, itching, and swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat. serious side effects may include kidney problems, intestinal infection, fractures, life-threatening skin reactions, low b-12 or magnesium levels, and stomach growths. tell your doctor about your medical conditions, medications, and if you have diarrhea, persistent stomach pain or fever, decreased or bloody urine, seizures, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, jitteriness, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches or weakness, spasms of hands, feet, or voice. voquezna can help kick some acid, and so can you. ask your doctor about voquezna. it all started with a small business idea. it's a pillow with a speaker in it! that's right craig. pulling in the perfect team to get the job done. i'm just here for the internets. at&t, it's super-fast!

you locked us out?! and when thrown a curveball... arrggghh! ahhhh! [crashing sounds] we had everything we needed. is the internet out? don't worry, we have at&t internet back-up. the next level network for small business. ♪♪ i sold a pillow! ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ your own personal jesus ♪ ♪♪ ♪ someone to hear your prayers, ♪ ♪ someone who's there. ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ reach out and touch faith ♪ butterfly shrimp and sirloin steak. >> yeah, that's the reason.

>> i. >> don't get it. >> don't get it. >> do you have any if you have generalized myasthenia gravis, picture what life could look like with... vyvgart hytrulo, a subcutaneous injection that takes about 30 to 90 seconds. for one thing, could it mean more time for you? vyvgart hytrulo can improve daily abilities and reduce muscle weakness with a treatment plan that's personalized to you. do not use vyvgart hytrulo if you have a serious allergy to any of its ingredients. it can cause serious allergic reactions like trouble breathing and decrease in blood pressure leading to fainting and allergic reactions such as rashes, swelling under the skin, shortness of breath, and hives. the most common side effects are respiratory and urinary tract infections, headache, and injection site reactions. it may increase the risk of infusion-related reactions and infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart hytrulo for gmg and picture your life in motion.

you could turn this... into this. (♪♪) we give you the rewards and you choose how to use them. (♪♪) get rewards on everyday purchases with credit one bank. listen. >> staying up half the night reading executive. >> orders for this defining time in the second trump presidency. stay with msnbc. >> welcome back. and this just in pope francis's infection is now presenting a, quote, complex clinical picture that will require further hospitalization. that's according to the vatican. it comes after the pontiff was admitted to the hospital on friday after being diagnosed with bronchitis. he was placed on a drug therapy and was told to rest. this is the pope's

fourth hospitalization since his election in 2013. we will, of course, continue to monitor this story closely. >> certainly our best wishes there. earlier this month, democratic national committee delegates elected ken martin as the party's new chair, setting him up to lead democrats through the second trump administration. martin had been the leader of the minnesota democratic party since 2011, and a vice chair of the dnc since 2017. in his campaign for chair, martin emphasized his commitment to giving resources to democratic state parties in blue, purple, and red states. after winning the race, he also acknowledged the potentially combative nature of the job, stating this i have always viewed my role as a chair of the democratic party to take the low road, so my candidates and elected officials can take the high road. meaning i'm going to throw a punch. dnc chair ken martin joins us now. today he is kicking off his first official tour as chair, visiting

pennsylvania, texas, illinois, wisconsin and missouri. hopefully he won't take a swing at us. thank you, ken, for being here this morning. we really appreciate it. so you were saying a moment ago, as we were getting ready for the segment, you said there were a lot of challenges ahead. you certainly have a big job ahead of you after what happened in november. that has left a lot of democrats and democratic donors really despairing. to start, what's job one. >> right now? >> it's first off is this tour. >> that we're kicking off today, actually, which i'm really. >> excited about. when i. >> ran. >> i said, we need. >> to get. >> the. >> dnc out. >> of dc. >> and someone said. what do. >> you mean. >> you're moving the headquarters. >> from dc? >> no, it's a mindset change. it's really focusing back. >> on the. >> states, building a 57 state party strategy. >> up and. >> down the. >> ballot, contesting. >> every race and all. >> 3244 of our counties. we have to be organizing everywhere. >> which is, by. >> the way, the name of this tour. >> we're going to be. talking with voters, with union members, with farmers door knocking for candidates, holding listening. sessions throughout those red, purple. >> and blue. states that we're visiting this week. we need. to

get the dnc. >> out of dc, out of the. >> beltway, reconnecting our message back with voters. that's job number. >> one, right? >> so many. >> parts of our coalition left us this last election cycle, right. we know that from latino voters. >> to working. >> class households. >> to young voters to. >> women, you can go. >> down the list. >> the only. >> two groups that. >> we. >> overperformed with in the last. >> election cycle were wealthy. >> households and college. >> educated voters. that's a. damning indictment on the. >> democratic party. we got to. >> do. >> a better job. >> so that's. >> why. >> we're. getting out. >> there to these. states this week to reconnect. >> our message to the voters. >> well, congratulations, mr. chairman. thank you. and i'll check in in a month to see if you still have that. i congratulate you, but let me ask this. when you look at the fact that a lot of people complain that the democrats were not punching back, that were not fighting, and that they and they were not feeling represented, when you say you're going to throw punches of which which is welcomed by a lot of people that i talk to around the country, how do we throw punches that are

effective without looking reckless at the same time and empower local candidates? they may have to be throwing different punches. >> well. >> it's. a great. >> question and let me say this. >> in 2016. >> someone said to me, you know, the republicans are shameless. and the. democrats are spineless. the first thing we need to do is we need to stand up. >> if we're not. >> willing to right. now resist. >> donald trump and jd vance and elon musk when the stakes. >> are so high for. >> the. >> american people, how. >> in the hell are anyone. >> in this country going to. >> believe that we would stand up and fight for them if they put us back in power? >> we have to. >> resist now. we can't just live in that space. >> of perpetual resistance. >> we need to very. >> strenuously resist. >> donald trump. and i'll get to that in a moment. but we also need to. >> give people. >> a sense of who we are as democrats. >> what we believe in and what we're fighting for. but as it pertains. >> to the resistance, look at what democratic attorney generals are doing, like my. friend keith ellison from. >> minnesota, right. they're leading the. >> charge right now. >> in taking on donald trump and jd vance and elon musk. >> through the courts. right. >> our democratic.

>> congressional members are using the. >> power of. >> their platform to move public sentiment against. >> these cuts. >> that we're seeing in the federal. >> government right now. and it's local elected officials across the country. >> right now who are giving. >> hope to communities. >> who are being ripped. >> apart by this. >> administration right now, that they're going. >> to be safe. >> democrats are standing up. they're ready for this fight, and i'm. >> happy to lead them. >> so, mr. chairman, on. >> the idea. >> of donald trump and what he's doing, i want to get your thoughts on a new poll from marquette university law school. it shows that some of trump's policies, such as taking back the panama canal, pardoning january 6th defendants and more are seeing broad opposition, but others are finding some real support. 63% say they support the federal government only recognizing two sexes. 60% say they support deporting immigrants that are here illegally, and 59% say they favor declaring a national emergency due to migrant crossings at the southern border. your fellow democrat, house minority leader hakeem jeffries, was asked about that same poll yesterday. let's all

take a listen to his response. >> is there anything. >> you are seeing that trump is doing that you are in favor of, that you think is the right thing? >> let me say. >> as it relates to all. of those issues, we're just at the beginning. and the core promise that donald trump made is that he's going to. lower costs for everyday americans. in fact, we were told that grocery prices would go down on. day one on january 20th. costs aren't lower. in fact, costs are increasing. the price of eggs is skyrocketing. out of control. inflation is on the way up. that was the core promise that's been broken. >> mr. chairman, how do you thread the needle? we heard from the minority leader. they're certainly focusing on prices. undeniably, prices have not gone down yet. but we that poll suggests there is some real support for some of what trump is doing and things that the democrats really dinged for during the last election cycle,

particularly on some cultural issues and immigration. >> well, what i would say is this 66% of. americans believe that donald trump, jd vance and elon musk are not doing enough to actually bring. >> down prices. >> that's really what's impacting the. >> majority of. >> americans in this country right now. and that's where they want to see this administration. >> put their focus. >> instead of actually making it easier for people. >> to afford their lives. what is donald trump focused on? he's focusing on. >> annexing canada. >> he's focusing on. >> invading panama. >> he's focusing on. >> buying greenland. >> right. >> he's focused on anything but. >> actually helping. >> the american people. >> afford their. >> lives at this moment. and that's. >> where our focus needs. >> to be. he said. >> and leader jeffries. >> is. absolutely right. he said he would bring down prices. >> on day one. >> he backtracked. >> on that. >> and now he's. >> done nothing. >> he doesn't even talk. about inflation right now. >> he's focused. >> on everything. but we need an. american president who's going to deliver on making it easier. >> for. >> people to afford their lives. >> donald trump, elon musk. >> and jd vance are not. >> doing that. >> at. >> this point. >> mr. chairman, i don't know if

it's that you don't want to talk about the cultural issues that are in that poll, but 63% of americans think that it is right that the government policy should be there, just have to have two sexes. do you think u.s. government policy should be that there are just two sexes in the country? >> it's not up to me. >> to decide what u.s. policy. >> should be, but. >> what i will tell you is. >> that what people. >> are focused on is their day to day lives, the kitchen table. >> issues that. impact their families. >> and that's where. >> i. >> think democrats. >> don't think there's anything in this poll that gives democrats cause for concern about whether it was gender issues, whether it was immigration, that donald trump had something right and that democrats got something wrong on where the american people are. >> what i. >> would say is this we're going to participate. >> in a. >> post-election review. >> to get at exactly this question. >> which is what happened in this. >> last election. >> that had big. >> parts of our coalition move away. >> from us. >> i don't know the. >> answer to that right now. right. >> but what i will say. >> is, what i. >> do know most americans are focused on is. what impacts. >> their families at the kitchen table. >> right? and that's that's. >> where we're going to be

focused on. >> you know. >> i think there's going to be. >> plenty of discussion on all of these. >> issues as. >> there should be. right? but again, i think if you talk to americans and you had them rank order, those issues, those. >> issues would be very. close to. >> the bottom. >> you were in. >> minnesota this election cycle. the ad. >> the transgender. >> ad that. >> the trump. >> campaign played over and over and over, it became their dominant ad september 4th in the election. and you look at that poll, and it does show that. >> women in. >> sports turned. >> out. >> to be a kitchen table issue. >> how does. >> the dnc move past. these hot button issues to reach common ground with the american people, and not be out of the mainstream? >> one of the. >> challenges. >> i think, for the democratic. >> party is we've allowed ourselves. >> to message. >> to smaller and smaller parts of our coalition, and as a result, we've. >> lost the narrative of. >> who we are as a democratic party. right? there is. >> a. poll that. >> showed last spring, and it. >> should have been the canary in the coal.

>> mine. for all of. >> us. >> that the perceptions of the two political parties has switched, that the republicans, the majority of americans, now believe the republicans best represent the interests of the working class and the poor, and the democratic party is a party of the wealthy and the elites. that is just hogwash, right? that's completely false. >> but the. >> reality is. >> is for us. >> we. >> need to focus on. >> the narrative. >> that connects all parts of our coalition, which is economics, right? which is what i said earlier, the. belief in the american. >> dream. that you should be able to get. >> ahead in life. >> and achieve that dream and climb the. economic ladder. >> that's how the democratic. >> party gets back, by focusing. >> on those issues, not at the expense. >> of. >> our values. >> by the way. >> we are also we are. >> always been the. >> party that's focused on the working class and the poor. we have also been the party that's fought for the marginalized and the oppressed and. >> people who are being bullied. >> and harassed, and we'll continue to do that. but what i'm saying, for us as a party, we have to get back to basics. >> what unites. >> all parts of our party is an economic success and the american dream. >> we are, of course, only beginning this conversation. new

chair of the democratic national committee, ken martin. thank you. come back regularly. >> thank you. >> all right. we appreciate it. still ahead this morning we're going to bring you some more highlights from saturday night live's 50th anniversary celebration that took place right here at 30 rock all weekend long, including last night. morning joe is coming right back with that. >> i've got my. >> car into. >> car into. >> baby: liberty! mom: liberty mutual is all she talks about since we saved hundreds by bundling our home and auto insurance. baby: liberty! biberty: hey kid, it's pronounced "biberty." baby: liberty! biberty: biberty! baby: liberty! biberty: biberty! baby: liberty! biberty: bi-be-rty! baby: biberty! biberty: and now she's mocking me. very mature. mom: hey, that's enough you two! biberty: hey, i'm not the one acting like a total baby. mom: she's two. only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

baby: liberty. asthma. does it have you missing out on what you love with who you love? it's time to get back out there with fasenra. fasenra is an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks and can also be taken conveniently at home. fasenra helps prevent asthma attacks. most patients did not have an attack in the first year. fasenra is proven to help you breathe better so you can get back to doing day-to-day activities. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems. serious allergic reactions may occur. get help for swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens or you have a parasitic infection. headache and sore throat may occur. get back to better breathing. get back to what you've missed. ask your doctor about fasenra, the only asthma treatment taken once every 8 weeks. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

(♪♪) [birds chirping] [dog growls] ♪♪ ♪ who knows what tomorrow ♪ ♪ will bring ♪ [dog barking] ♪ maybe sunshine, ♪ [dog whining] ♪ and maybe rain ♪ ♪ but as for me ♪ ♪ i'll wait and see ♪ [knock at door] ♪ and maybe it'll bring my love to me ♪ ♪ who knows ♪ ♪ who knows ♪ ♪♪ ♪ are you having any fun? ♪ ♪ what you getting out of living? ♪ ♪ who cares for what you've got ♪ ♪ if you're not having any fun? ♪ ♪ are you having any laughs? ♪ ♪ are you getting any loving? ♪ ♪ if other people do, why can't you? ♪ ♪ have a little fun ♪ ♪ and have ♪ ♪ have a little fun ♪

cafe owner: we're finally opening! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects! only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix doesn't protect everyone and isn't for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. tell your healthcare provider if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can happen so take precautions. most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling where injected, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor about shingrix today. >> before i pick up my prescription? i always. >> check the single care price. >> it's quick, easy and. >> it's quick, easy and. >> totally free to use. dexcom g7 sends your glucose numbers to your phone and watch, so you can always see where you're heading without fingersticks. dexcom g7 is the most accurate cgm, so you can manage your diabetes with confidence.

♪♪

through. i don't care about the young. >> 753 on the east coast, and we are hearing directly this morning from the man accused of killing united healthcare ceo brian thompson. luigi mangione is speaking out for the first time since being jailed, with a statement posted on a website set up by his defense team. nbc news correspondent sam brock has more. >> this morning. accused killer luigi mangione speaking out from inside a jail cell for the first time. in a message to his supporters on a new website, mangione in his. >> own words. >> writing i am overwhelmed. by and grateful for. >> everyone who has written. >> me to share their. >> stories and express their support. while it is impossible. >> for me to reply. >> to most letters, please know. >> that i read. >> every one that i receive. his defense team launching the

website on behalf. >> of. >> their client to provide accurate information about his cases and dispel misinformation. >> it's uncommon to hear from. >> a defendant. >> behind bars like this, because most defendants. >> don't generate this level of public interest. >> mangione, now bolstering his. counsel ahead of his court appearance later this week while. >> awaiting. >> trial at a federal jail in. >> new. >> york city. >> not guilty. >> adding a court appointed. >> death penalty. >> legal expert. >> to. >> his team after. pleading not. >> guilty to. >> several charges. >> including first degree murder in the furtherance of terrorism and the federal count. >> of murder. >> using a. >> firearm that could result. >> in capital punishment. in the midst of the brewing legal battle, a new investigation discovery documentary, who is luigi mangione? is out today on macs, all about the. >> murder of healthcare. >> ceo brian thompson, featuring new firsthand accounts about the accused gunman at the center of it all. it's just. >> like a normal. >> happy go lucky. >> kind of 26. >> year old guy. >> i don't. >> know what. would motivate. >> someone like that, you know,

to do. >> something like that. >> ahead of the ivy league grads upcoming court appearance, money from supporters is now pouring into his legal fund. >> reaching nearly. >> half $1 million. some reportedly from healthcare professionals, according to organizers. >> one doctor who donated. >> says, quote. >> i applaud. >> luigi for his courage, heart and passion. >> the notoriety. >> and extra. >> resources could come in especially handy for a defense team, say legal experts. >> the money he's able to. raise is a benefit to. >> the defense in a case. >> that otherwise, to outside observers. >> appears to. >> be a really difficult one for the defense. >> to win. >> nbc's sam brock with that report. and still ahead, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy confirmed he will visit saudi arabia this week, one day after a critical meeting between top russian and u.s. officials is set to take place there. nbc's richard engel is standing by for us in ukraine, and keir simmons is live in dubai with what to expect and where peace negotiations now

stand. morning joe will be right back. >> walk on water. it's a war. it's time to dare to compare presidents day edition. >> my canyon. >> bedroom and the competition. similar set. >> both come with. >> a bed, nightstand. dresser and mirror, but mine has hidden and mirror, but mine has hidden storage and costs this is steve. steve takes voquezna. this is steve's stomach, where voquezna can kick some acid, heal erosive esophagitis, also known as erosive gerd, and relieve related heartburn. voquezna is the first and only fda-approved treatment of its kind. 93% of adults were healed by 2 months. of those healed, 79% stayed healed. plus, voquezna can provide heartburn-free days and nights, and is also approved to relieve heartburn related to non-erosive gerd. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take if allergic to voquezna or while on rilpivirine. serious allergic reactions include trouble breathing, rash, itching, and swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

serious side effects may include kidney problems, intestinal infection, fractures, life-threatening skin reactions, low b-12 or magnesium levels, and stomach growths. tell your doctor about your medical conditions, medications, and if you have diarrhea, persistent stomach pain or fever, decreased or bloody urine, seizures, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, jitteriness, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches or weakness, spasms of hands, feet, or voice. voquezna can help kick some acid, and so can you. ask your doctor about voquezna. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ get 0% apr for 60 months on 2024 gmc ev models. that's up to $17,200 in average finance savings.

♪♪ dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? with miebo, eyes can feel ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer for the number one cause of dry eye: too much tear evaporation. for relief that's ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ remove contact lenses before using miebo. wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ ask your eye doctor about prescription miebo. car shopping? >> yes. >> it doesn't have to be scary. >> show me. carfax. >> knowing how. >> knowing how. >> a car's accident his (♪♪) now for something you can both agree on a sleep number® smart bed is perfectfor couples the climate360® smart bed

is the only bed that cools and warms on each side and all our smart beds adjust the firmness for each of you. let's agree to agree on better sleep. and now, save 50% on the new sleep number® limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery and 0% interest for 48 months. shop now. qanon has the number one doctor recommended for for all those making it big out there... ...shouldn't your mobile service be able to keep up with you? get wifi speeds up to a gig at home and on the go. introducing powerboost, only from xfinity mobile. now that's big. xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half vs. t-mobile, verizon, and at&t for your first year. plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us.

military support? >> probably it will be a worried, very, very difficult. and of course, in all the difficult situations you have a chance, but we will have low chance, low chance to survive without support of the united

states. >> that was ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky telling nbc's kristen welker that ukraine's survival hinges on u.s. military support. we'll go over the latest in ukraine's fight against russia and where peace negotiations now stand. plus, president donald trump is now alluding that the law does not apply to him. we'll dig into the criticism he's now facing over his cryptic social media post over the weekend, invoking napoleon and what this means as he tests his limits of presidential power. and also ahead. it was a big night for saturday night live, as the iconic show celebrated 50 years with comedy, music and special guest appearances. good morning and welcome to morning joe. it is monday, february 17th. i'm jonathan lemire. i'm alongside u.s. special correspondent for bbc news and host of the rest is politics podcast, katty kay. we're in for joe, mika and

willie on this president's day. >> always good to start with napoleon, right? yeah. presidents day i mean, particularly i feel. >> yeah. >> the timing was impeccable. >> yeah. he was not a us president. >> but i'm sure he would have liked to have been if he'd had a chance and then stayed for. >> yeah. we have a lengthy segment later on, franklin pierce. you won't want to miss that. but we have we have a very, very busy show this morning. we're grateful to have with us msnbc political analyst elise jordan. she is a former aide to the george w bush white house and state department. also with us, the host of way too early. ali vitale, columnist and associate editor for the washington post, david ignatius and rogers chair in the american presidency at vanderbilt university, historian jon meacham. he is contractually obligated to be with us on each and every president's day. we will go to him later for thoughts on. >> pierce and bonaparte. >> president bonaparte. i know you're from over across the atlantic, but we'll have to straighten a few things out. but yes, for talk pierce, coolidge and the rest with professor meacham in a little bit. but

right now, we do begin overseas this morning, where several top trump administration officials are preparing to meet with russian leaders in saudi arabia to begin talks about ending the war in ukraine. but ukrainian president zelenskyy insists that his country will never accept a peace deal struck by the u.s. and russia. if ukraine does not have a seat at the negotiating table. zelenskyy made the comments to nbc's kristen welker during an exclusive interview on meet the press that aired yesterday. >> can you accept any peace deal that is cut without ukraine? >> no. i'm sure that we have to be there. otherwise it's not acceptable. but if there is a decision without us and putin will go out from all our land, we will be in nato and putin will be in the prison. so president trump can do it

without us. secretary of state marco rubio arrived in saudi arabia a short time ago. earlier today, to initiate negotiations toward peace. russian foreign minister lavrov also heading to saudi arabia. but president zelenskyy indicated that ukraine had not been invited. zelenskyy spoke to nbc news amid a high stakes security gathering in munich, germany, over the weekend. while there, he did meet with u.s. vice president j.d. vance. >> you had a message to vice president vance about the potential implications of pulling out of nato. what was your message to the vice president? >> that that will be destroying of nato? >> president zelensky also shared details of what he said to president trump during a phone call between the two last week. >> is it. >> true that you told president trump during that phone call that putin is only pretending to

want peace because he is afraid of mr. trump? >> yes. yes, i said that he's a liar. and he said, i think that my feeling he said that he's ready for peace negotiations. and i said to him, no, he's a liar. he doesn't want any peace. but i think he is really a little bit scared about the president trump. and i think the president has this chance and he is strong. and i think that really he can he can push putin to peace negotiations. yes, i think so. i think so. he can but don't trust him. don't trust putin. >> while at the munich security conference, zelensky said that he has intelligence that russian president vladimir putin is amassing more troops on the belarus border to potentially invade other nato countries. additionally, zelensky called

for the creation of a european army to deter russia. >> let's be honest now, we can't rule out the possibility that america might say no to europe on issues that threaten it. we must build the armed forces of europe so that europe's future depends only on europeans. >> we've also learned that zelensky has instructed his aides not to sign off on a proposal that would give the us access to ukraine's rare minerals. last week, u.s. treasury secretary scott bessent proposed a deal that would have granted the u.s. 50% ownership of ukraine's rare minerals as a form of repayment for the support washington has already provided. kyiv. but zelensky says that agreement does not include adequate future security guarantees for ukraine. and a lot of thought here that zelensky and ukraine simply doesn't have a seat at the table

necessarily with these negotiations. conflicting reports whether ukrainian officials will be in riyadh. >> at all clear about that. >> for the talks that are set to potentially begin tomorrow between u.s. officials and russian officials, that also seem to be paving the way for a trump-putin summit sooner than later. >> it looks like the europeans are going to try and get the, at least the ukrainians to a european summit where they're going to be talking, because a lot is going on in europe at the moment, particularly the relationship with the united states. vice president j.d. vance delivered his first major speech on that international stage at the munich security conference on friday. vance used his time to essentially scold attendees, specifically america's european allies, by telling them they are not doing enough to uphold democratic values. >> the threat that i worry the most about vis a vis europe is not russia, it's not china, it's not any other external actor. and what. i worry about is the threat from within. the retreat of europe from some of its most

fundamental values, values shared with the united states of america. >> for years. >> we've been told that everything we fund. and support is in the name of our shared democratic values. everything from our ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy. but when we see european courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we have to ask whether we're holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard. and i say ourselves because i fundamentally believe that we are on the same team. we must do more than talk. >> about democratic values. >> we must live them. >> so not what european leaders have been used to for the last four years. and some were said to be stunned by those remarks from the vice president. president trump was later asked for his response. >> vice president. >> vance's speech to.

>> the conference has ruffled a few feathers in europe. >> what did you say to ruffle them? >> he was. >> talking about. >> the freedom of. speech and. migration in europe. >> do you believe that european leaders have a fundamentally different. >> view. >> of the world. >> than this administration? >> well, i heard his speech, and i tell you, you're talking about jd's speech. yes, sir. i heard his speech. and he talked about freedom of speech. and i think it's true in europe, it's losing. they're losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. i see it. i mean, i thought he made a very good speech, actually, a very brilliant speech. yeah. europe has to be careful. and he talked about immigration. and europe has a big immigration problem. just take a look at what's happened with crime. take a look at what's happening in various parts of europe. i thought his speech was very well received. actually. i've heard i've heard very good remarks. >> so, david ignatius, you were reporting at the munich security conference this past week. we spoke to you from there. your latest piece for the post is titled at munich. trump's

chaotic approach has allies rattled. so what did you see in reaction to jd vance? because i've heard some reports that you had europeans saying, okay, at least we now know where the americans stand, that they're being clear about this. and maybe it is time for europe to stand up for more of its own defense. >> so i think there has. >> been a two stage reaction. >> in the hall when he was speaking. there was what i've described as a stunned silence. the german defense minister was heard muttering, this is unacceptable. and i think that was the feeling of the audience in general here in american vice president had come to munich and essentially insulted the european audience, lecturing them about democracy at a time when there are so many questions about democratic values being observed and upheld in the united states. it seemed particularly inappropriate. >> but i think.

>> the second reaction has been for europe, understanding that it's. threatened from the east by a very determined, warlike vladimir putin to know that it has to stand together. zelensky, in a clip that you played earlier, said, let's be honest, america may not come to the rescue. america may stand back. and it's us, europeans, ukraine and the european countries that have got to defend ourselves against this strong, advancing russia. and i found across europe agreement that they do need to spend more for defense, which trump has been lecturing them to do for years. and he was right about that. but but more fundamentally, to stand opposed to putin and putin's expansion, because america may not be prepared to play that role anymore. >> so david vance has talks

there about the freedom of speech. interpreted by many to, you know, his belief that some of the far right, the right wing parties in europe have been muzzled? you know, and he compared that to the situation in the united states. but but you're right. this is more than that. this is about a fundamental, potentially a fundamental change in the relationship between the u.s. and europe. these longtime alliances, those ties are really being strained. and we're seeing that on full display with how the ukraine matter is being handled, where it seems like president trump's inclination is to go over the head of the ukrainians and deal just with the russians and putin. what's the latest you've heard about what we should expect this week in saudi arabia? who is going to be there? what is going to be the goal of these talks? >> so at this moment, and obviously everything that involves this administration is subject to change. this is going to be a meeting in saudi arabia between marco marco rubio, our secretary of state, and a russian delegation led by their foreign minister, sergey lavrov. i have not seen any indication that any high level ukrainian

will be there. there may be observers, but it's not not the same thing. so in effect, what we are seeing is the beginning of peace negotiations over the head of ukraine. one of the key combatants, a country that's lost hundreds of thousands of young people trying to defend its freedom. it's something that i, i find really difficult to accept that we would, in effect, try to orchestrate a peace agreement without our partner. but we'll see, you know, anytime peace agreements, peace negotiations begin. that's cause for, for happiness. and i'm glad that that rubio is going to saudi arabia and that saudi arabia is playing a role as a broker. but it is absolutely crucial that ukraine be involved in this, not least so that the peace, any peace agreement that's made will be durable. it has to have security guarantees for ukraine. ukraine has to feel confident that russia won't come back across that line six months after the agreement is signed. otherwise, we're just going to

have a continuation of what we've seen there since 2014. >> so, jon meacham, let's go to you for a big picture. look here. this does seem to be what vice president said in munich. and the signs we're hearing from president trump and others at the white house, a fundamental reevaluation of how the us deals with europe particularly, and being a bulwark against russian aggression, which would just change the post-world war two order. >> it changed the post-world war two order. it changes the republican party in a deep and fundamental way. the party of ronald reagan is fully the party of donald trump, which is a hugely significant historical shift where the center of gravity moves from. trust but verify. mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. ronald reagan was one of the great negotiators in american history, the only union president to ever be president

of the united states. and he starts out his term in 1981 saying that the soviets reserve unto themselves the right to lie, to cheat and to steal. and then he ends it literally. in the spring of 1988, playing with babies in red square. that's where the republican party was 40 years ago. now it's in a place where, as you suggest, jonathan, it basically is going back to a pre-world war two great power politics where the rule of the strong predominates, and principle, which is always, as david knows, far better than i do principles, always a flexible matter in geopolitics. but we have at least tried since we entered the second world war, after nazi germany declared war on us in the first week of december 1941, the united states has attempted to ground its

policy in a principled ethos. this becomes a moment where if you are russia, if you are china, if you are a foreign power, what is the lesson of this? the lesson is aggression will be rewarded. and the fundamental principle since 1945 has been that we cannot award reward aggression. it's a deep and fundamental thing. >> i think john seems to be right. what you're saying is right. we had 80 years of a wonderful relationship, and now it's time for a rethink. and arguably the person you served, george w bush and then joe biden, were the last transatlantic president. obama wasn't. clearly, donald trump isn't america first is europe last in donald trump's mind? but what what are the specific openings this gives to in the short? we can talk about china later, but in the short term to russia. i mean, if you're sitting in moscow right now, what are you thinking beyond

ukraine? or are you thinking, listen, i mean, there's another point of view. i've lost so much in ukraine. it's cost me so much in terms of people. i really don't want to go any further. or do you think zelenskyy is right when he starts warning. listen, they're they're having exercises in belarus just like they did before they invaded ukraine. where's next? well, for putin, he sees. >> how clearly a transactional relationship with donald trump pays off. and he also, though, has to be wary of what he is causing among. >> the european. >> allies right outside his borders, who are really rising to this moment. and i think that's what i would ask david ignatius, does it seem like at the munich conference that our allies are seeing that this is not just passing talk from donald trump, and they. >> are really. >> going to have to step up. and provide. more of. european security and. fill the vacuum that's going to be left by the united states. >> so. >> elise, they're hoping that

the united states will remain a solid partner. i've heard people, you know, you could say hoping against hope after hearing the jd vance speech, that america would continue its traditional role. but but they're trying to prepare for a different kind of future. it's so extraordinary, this munich, that conference that i've just come back back to every year is a celebration of the transatlantic alliance. the whole idea was to bring germany, the defeated power in world war two, into the order that would maintain peace and security across europe, around the world. it's been successful to have this attack on europe take plac. at that at that event was unusual, >> but i don't i don't want your viewers to think that europe is giving up on america. i don't think they're there yet. they're hoping. but but they're but they're making prudent plans. they're thinking about their own defense because they know they may be, in the end, left alone, facing putin, who is i just would note the intelligence

reports are clear. putin has not given up on his desire to dominate ukraine. he thinks he's winning. you know, he may go into a negotiation, but that doesn't mean he's giving up his his basic goal of overcoming ukraine's desire to be an independent european nation. >> coming up, the latest from israel as we hit 500 days since the october 7th attack by hamas, we'll talk about where the fragile ceasefire stands this morning. morning joe is coming morning. morning joe is coming right back. (♪♪) years of hard work. decades of dedication. committed to giving back. you've been there, done that. and you're still here for more. so now that you're 50 or older, and at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia and ipd be proactive with capvaxive- a vaccine specifically designed for adults to help protect against pneumonia and invasive disease caused by certain types

of pneumococcal bacteria. capvaxive is the only vaccine that helps protect against the strains that cause 84% of ipd in adults 50 or older compared with up to 52% by other pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. don't get capvaxive if you're allergic to the vaccine or its ingredients. tell your doctor if you have a weakened immune system. common side effects include injection-site reactions, feeling tired, headache, muscle aches, and fever. whether you've had another pneumococcal vaccine or not ask your doctor or pharmacist about capvaxive. (♪♪) it all started with a small business idea. it's a pillow with a speaker in it! that's right craig. pulling in the perfect team to get the job done. i'm just here for the internets. at&t, it's super-fast! you locked us out?! and when thrown a curveball... arrggghh! ahhhh! [crashing sounds] we had everything we needed. is the internet out? don't worry, we have at&t internet back-up. the next level network for small business. ♪♪ i sold a pillow!

east as the israel-hamas war enters its 500th day. that fragile ceasefire brokered by the biden administration is still holding, at least at this point. hamas released three hostages in exchange for over 300 palestinian prisoners and detainees over the weekend. this is the sixth swap to occur under that ceasefire deal. the three hostages, which include an american israeli dual citizen, were forced to give a speech on a stage with a backdrop of hamas leaders. all of this comes as secretary of state marco rubio was in israel over the weekend. rubio met there with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu yesterday, as well as an israeli opposition leader, yair lapid. and so, david, as you watch these concurrent parallel conflicts, what do you make? of course, we've talked about the way that the ukraine

russia conflict is unfolding. what do you make about the way the trump administration is potentially trying to carry this tenuous ceasefire into its next phase? >> so we. >> have the disruption of president trump's proposal to turn gaza into an american riviera. putting that aside, there had been the expectation that the hostage release deal, which was negotiated by the outgoing biden and incoming trump people, would be the prelude to a true end to this war that the war in gaza was going to going to end. we'd move into phase two. it now appears to me as if that transition to a real ending is not going to happen anytime soon. the israelis i talked to say we see hamas in the streets as the hostages are released, strutting around with their guns. they're still very much a military power. they have not been defeated. and there's a broad feeling, i think, in israel, that for all the anguish about the hostages, hamas needs to be

militarily and politically finished before we talk about the next stage. so i begin to think that this war isn't ending. it's likely to go on for a while. >> still ahead. layoffs are expanding across several federal agencies as the trump administration works to shrink the government. we'll have the latest on which departments have been hit and where more cuts could still be coming. morning, joe, back in a moment. joe, back in a moment. >> la la. with hotels and vacation rentals, booking.com has something for everyone. seashells! you got anything more boutique? oui, oui, oui. right this way... now we're talking. what about something more family friendly? oooh! maybe a resort with a waterpark... [water splash] or somewhere less family-friendly? yep! one vegas hotel for the bride to be. what if we hate everything? we have free cancellation. find exactly what you're booking for. booking.com booking.yeah the wildlife series that started them all is back.

join us every saturday morning on nbc for mutual of omaha's wild kingdom: protecting the wild. and celebrate conservation success stories. stream all episodes on peacock or nbc.com here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! hi, susan! honey? yeah? i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin, the only brand with true source certified honey. if you have generalized myasthenia gravis, picture what life could look like with vyvgart hytrulo, a subcutaneous injection that takes about 30 to 90 seconds. for one thing, could it mean more time for you? vyvgart hytrulo can improve daily abilities

and reduce muscle weakness with a treatment plan that's personalized to you. do not use vyvgart hytrulo if you have a serious allergy to any of its ingredients. it can cause serious allergic reactions like trouble breathing and decrease in blood pressure leading to fainting, and allergic reactions such as rashes, swelling under the skin, shortness of breath, and hives. the most common side effects are respiratory and urinary tract infections, headache, and injection site reactions. it may increase the risk of infusion-related reactions and infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart hytrulo for gmg and picture your life in motion. how do you check single care? >> before i pick up my prescription? i always check. >> the single care price. >> the single care price. >> it's this is where you are.

but this... is where you want to go. we give you the rewards and you choose where they'll take you. introducing the credit one bank dear doctor k, wander american express card. i used to think i was never meant to be beautiful. i was teased because of my teeth. i didn't like the person looking back at me in the mirror. i never thought i could afford dental implants. you and your team work within my budget and helped me feel confident in the plan we made together. i love my new smile. thank you. congratulations. you have a beautiful soul, cynthia. finance the smile you want for as low as one forty eight a month per arch. schedule a free consultation. >> staying up. half the night, reading executive. >> orders for this defining time in the second trump presidency.

stay with msnbc. >> we saw elon musk take kind of a powerful role. did anything about how he wielded his power surprise you? do you not need a katrina level type of response that is rebuilding to make sure it won't happen again? you've obviously made a decision to resign. are there any lessons that can be learned as you're talking to members of your congregation, what do you tell them about how to stand up for their own moral beliefs, but still find grace in this moment? >> welcome back. very busy monday morning here. we turn now to some news at home. thousands more federal workers were laid off last week as president trump and elon musk continue to drastically cut and reshape the federal workforce. the trump administration has ordered terminations for thousands of jobs, ranging from wildfire prevention to medical research. that's according to reporting from axios and others. sources say agencies have also been

given until 8 p.m. tomorrow to fire probationary workers on a case by case basis. across the government, there are around 200,000 probationary workers who have been in agencies for less than 1 to 2 years. employees at the consumer financial protection bureau and the department of agriculture have reported layoffs. and according to some reports, the veteran affairs department dismissed more than 1000 employees on thursday. politico also reports that many terminations came from within the health and human services department, hitting staffers at the fda and the centers for medicare and medicaid services. >> yeah, the trump administration has also terminated hundreds of employees at the centers for disease control and prevention, including people responsible for supporting disease outbreaks and the response efforts to those. nbc news spoke to two people at the agency who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern over retaliation. and

they said that two dozen of the so-called disease detectives in the program received termination emails saturday that cited poor performance as the reason for the layoffs, even though most of the people who were dismissed had been given excellent performance reviews. still on health, the trump administration has also fired 25% of the federal workers in a program that's responsible for tracking and monitoring the bird flu outbreak, according to new reporting. state and local health officials say they've gone weeks without getting regular updates on avian flu from the cdc. after trump froze nearly all external communications from the agency as the virus continues to spread, the administration has not yet outlined a strategy to stop it. cuts to usaid have also limited monitoring of the virus overseas while top trump while top roles in the trump administration central to responding to a pandemic, remain empty. and of course, all of

these disruptions come as the virus has been decimating poultry flocks and has been showing signs it can evolve to more easily thrive in other species. at least 68 people have contracted avian flu in the us, and one person has died. that's according to the cdc. and the average price of eggs? well, those famous egg prices. a dozen grade a eggs in the us. the price hit a record breaking $4.95 in january due to the outbreak. i mean, the level of even if you ascribe to the theory that, yes, you have to have whatever it is, 20% cut in the federal workforce at a moment when you have an avian flu outbreak that we are watching happening around the country. you've got a measles outbreak happening down in texas at the moment to be cutting. the people who are specifically monitoring this is the problem. we're taking a hatchet. these things need to be done with a very fine tool to make sure that you save the people, like the nuclear health workers we're going to talk about later

nuclear safety workers. but why attack the people that you need in this particular moment? it seems like that is. >> exactly the wrong moment to do this. and so much of it seems to be the silicon valley tech startup ethos of go real fast, break things, and then if needed, go back and fix it afterwards. but jon meacham, that seems like a very dangerous game to play right now, particularly in matters of health. and there's such a difference, though, between perhaps trimming government and reshaping government and dismantling government. and right now, it seems like what trump and musk are doing are doing is far more of the latter. >> well, one of the benefits of being a kind of conspiracy theorist is you can always find someone else, some other force to blame. so if tragically, these forces that katty lays out become national and international problems, it will it won't be that we cut the incumbent administration, cut people. it will be. see, we told you they were bad, right? so if

you keep moving the goalposts up and down the field, which is part of this mindset, and it's what the country i know there's some debate about this. the country didn't vote for this. they did. there was no mystery about the chaotic factor that was going to be part of a second trump administration. now, specifically, did they think that elon musk was going to be running around back? allegedly. i think the post reported trying to get into irs information, that sort of thing. the details? no, but the basic disruption is something that the country, 49.9% of the country decided to do. so one of the things that i've been struggling with, and i suspect you all have too, is how how to best think about a political policy world that is

now almost entirely chaotic. and one of the things we've learned, i think, in the last decade, is that howling against the storm, you know, sort of the king lear approach doesn't work. and it may just be that these more specific, clear case studies where you lay out, you know, what, the federal government does a lot of things they probably shouldn't do. there's a lot of inefficiency. there's a lot of inefficiency in the private sector, too. you know, inefficiency is a human human force. but let's let's pick these things. let's pick the right places to cut. and it goes to a president's day point. if i may, which is, you know, there's not a i know a surprising i promise you i will i'm going to quote john quincy adams in a second. but what i think what we have here is two, there are

ways, both in foreign policy, both in domestic policy, to do big things without burning the entire place down. right. and it's the same sam rayburn once said, speaker of the house. any jackass can kick down a barn. it takes a carpenter to build one. doesn't mean you can't fix the barn. does it mean you don't have to, you know, do maintenance to it, but just to kick it down because you can, i think is going to hurt some folks. and the place to argue this, i think, is exactly on questions like public health. i would argue on foreign policy as well. rewarding aggression. you know, pick let's pick the conversations where you can make an appeal for a more balanced approach. >> yeah. and john's point washington post reporting late last night that musk and his doge team trying to access sensitive taxpayer information at the irs. we'll see where that

goes today. but amid the onslaught of federal firings, the trump administration is apparently looking to reinstate some of the nuclear safety workers that they had previously fired, but now they can't get a hold of them. multiple staffers within the national nuclear security administration were let go on thursday. then on friday, officials with that agency frantically attempted to rehire some of those employees but struggled to get in touch with them because they no longer had access to their federal government email accounts. and at least this is no better case study than this in terms of the dangers of going too fast, not thinking it through, targeting workers and departments that should be protected because they perform such crucial roles. >> yeah. >> leave the people we need. >> at the faa, maybe within nuclear agencies. let's not just get everyone. >> kick them off the block immediately. >> i keep going back to this

does remind me of the federal government version of the afghanistan drawdown. everyone agreed it was pretty much a bipartisan consensus. we needed to get out of afghanistan. the way it went about, we went about doing it was horrible. we could have done it in a better way. >> right now. >> we agree that there's waste in the federal government and that everyone would like to cut the. >> deficit and. >> cut. spending the way they're going about it. it makes no sense. they need to be more strategic. >> about what they're cutting. >> and where and have. >> some success, have. >> some early. success to show that the mission can continue before you. >> just decimate. >> and hollow out critical areas like nuclear security. >> so, ali, i know that you're still in touch with everybody on capitol hill, even though you're getting up terribly early to do another job as well. we haven't heard much complaint yet from members on the republican side about giving away so much of the power of the purse, as they seem happy to have done over the last

month. but as these cuts start to take effect, particularly on the public health side, to jon meacham's point, are you getting any members of congress on the republican side in particular, starting to get a little anxious about whether their constituents might have some of their funding cut? we know that quite a lot of this health funding, for example, quite a lot of the nih money that goes to research programs is going to universities in red states. but if members of congress are starting to hear from constituents that their nephew, who is in a cancer trial program, can no longer be on that program because the program is cut? i mean, is there a point at which the general public starts to feel the impact of what elon musk is doing? >> yes. and we've started to hear from some republican senators who are recognizing that while they might broadly support making these cuts within government, they might not support it. when it comes to the one line item in the budget that goes directly to their constituents. you talk specifically about where some of

the nih funding and grant money might be going. you look at states like alabama and maine. i bring those two up because senators katie britt and susan collins, respectively, have spoken about the impacts in their states. but when we're watching republican senators speak out, it's not some kind of full throated standing on business for their constituents. they are doing it with a subtle message of, well, maybe we don't like the way that these cuts are coming down. maybe we should rethink that. so we're not listening to some kind of full throated rebuke. instead, we are listening to senators trying to make the point subtly, that this is coming for their constituents. i wonder if as we get deeper into this, we will end up hearing more forcefully from some of these senators. but certainly you look at the fact that they're trying to claw back some of the employees that they've gotten rid of. it almost feels like, well, if this isn't the result of my actions coming back to bite us, looking at those nuclear regulators, among others. don't forget, david ignatius, that it's tax season. and they're also looking to not

just access irs systems, but also potentially lay off irs workers there. i mean, this is a full scale assault on government and it's going to have impact. >> i said to. >> a trump supporter during my trip to munich over the weekend that this is looking to me like a case of ready, fire, aim. you know, the aim only comes at the end. and that's no way to run a government, but no way to run a reform of government. and i think the point that you and katty and john are making that, that when this comes home to roost, when people in your district are getting their clinics closed or their checks aren't arriving, or other basic services that they depend on, or when the avian flu, which could be really deadly, that begins to sweep across the country, people will say, where is government? where is the help i need? and then maybe we'll have a

congressional response that we haven't seen so far. but but the way in which this group of young people working for the world's richest man are sitting in this kind of pinnacle, pushing buttons on algorithms and systems and deciding who stays and who goes. i if you if you try to write a plot with that novel, people would have laughed at you. but it's happening. >> coming up, a live report from ukraine as leaders from the united states and russia prepare to meet and begin talks about ending the war in that country. nbc's richard engel joins us straight ahead on morning joe. >> i want to her i assume she watches. me to be with someone in this business. this is how it works. one of our people. >> stole something. >> this stays in the room. >> would you kill for me? >> i would do.

>> anything for you. >> who is the suspect? >> your wife. >> thousands of. innocent people will die. >> you're the perfect couple. >> that's how. >> that's how. >> it works. my moderate to severe crohn's disease... ...and my ulcerative colitis symptoms... ...kept me... ...out of the picture. now... ...there's skyrizi. ♪i've got places to go...♪ ♪...and i'm feeling free♪ ♪control of my symptoms means everything...♪ ♪...to me♪ ♪control is everything to me♪ and now... ...i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at... ...4 weeks with skyrizi. skyrizi is proven to help deliver remission... ...and help visibly improve damage.... ...of the intestinal lining at 12 weeks and 1 year. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions,... ...increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections... ...and tb. tell your doctor about any... ...flu-like symptoms,or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization... ...may occur when treated for crohn's or uc. ready to get...

...back in the picture? ask your... ...gastroenterologist how to take control of your crohn's... ...or uc with skyrizi. ♪control is everything to me♪ abbvie could help you save. >> emus can't help people customize and save hundreds on car insurance. >> with liberty mutual. >> you're just a flightless bird. no. >> he's a dreamer. frank. >> and doug. >> well. i'll be. that bird really did it. >> only pay. >> for what you need. liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. >> 10,000 by next month. >> i don't see. >> hey. >> we. >> won't. >> know unless. >> we try, right? >> how long have we waited for. >> something like this? >> we'll have. >> to alert. >> suppliers, coordinate

shipments. >> already alerted. >> already coordinated. >> every supplier sees changes. >> as they happen. >> since when can. >> we just. >> scale up mid-cycle? >> since we brought in bdo.

details, visit dental now.com. >> physicians mutual, physicians mutual. >> we begin with the extraordinary events at home this week. the breathtaking actions which president trump is taking much of it following what he promised on the campaign trail. pink slips for thousands of federal employees. some

fired. others taking a now expired offer to leave their jobs in exchange for being paid without working until september. and in new york. >> a tense. >> standoff played out over the trump justice department's efforts to drop, at least for now, corruption charges against new york city mayor eric adams, the top prosecutor in. >> the southern district of. >> new york. danielle sassoon, a highly respected conservative who was appointed by donald trump, blasted the move and she resigned in protest. six other career prosecutors followed her lead and resigned. an exodus that has drawn comparisons to the darkest days of watergate. >> that's abc's jonathan karl sounding the alarm about what he termed the exodus of prosecutors in president trump's justice department, comparing it to the darkest days of watergate. he was referring to events surrounding the s.d.n.y. corruption case against new york

city mayor eric adams, which has been submitted now for dismissal. on friday, an attorney at the department of justice officially signed off on the order to drop the charges. this, after a total of seven federal prosecutors tendered their resignations in protest. the final prosecutor to leave, rather than comply was hagan scotten. he was one of the leads on the adams case. scotten has impeccable conservative credentials, having clerked for both supreme court justice john roberts and then d.c. circuit court of appeals judge brett kavanaugh. he slammed the decision to drop the charges in his resignation letter, specifically pointing to the order to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning that the doj could refile it in the future. quote, no system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected

official to support its policy objectives. late last year, mayor adams was indicted on multiple charges, including bribery and fraud. he has maintained his innocence. last week, the acting deputy attorney general, emil bove, ordered the southern district of new york to dismiss the charges in an explosive memo that triggered a massive revolt within the doj in new york and washington. the filing to dismiss the case does not immediately release adams from the charges. a federal judge must now approve of the order. so let's see where that one goes. yeah, just an extraordinary kind of quid pro quo. and the people going around saying, well, eric adams is now walking around in a t shirt that says property of the us government. >> just seemingly so blatant. and then some of the, the city and state's top democrats are saying exactly that, that adams is beholden now to trump will have to do his agenda. can he really govern with new york city citizens at the forefront of his mind? we'll have more on that a little later in the show. meanwhile, amid the numerous legal challenges to many of the

moves by his administration, president trump posted a single sentence message to his social media accounts on saturday while he was out golfing. i might add, he wrote this he who saves his country does not violate any law. that line has sometimes been attributed to the french emperor and military leader napoleon bonaparte. yes, napoleon. keeping that in mind, we want to read from a new column from the conservative national review which bears this title. this is not restoring the way the justice department is supposed to work. and it's by senior fellow andrew mccarthy, who writes in part this pam bondi now represents the justice department, in fact leads it. it is thus her ethical duty to advance whatever good faith defense there is of the government's conduct. if she is just going to spout trump's grievances without putting the justice department's response to

egregious behavior in context, then she is engaging in partizan law enforcement exactly the noxious practice she claims to be rooting out. the weaponization directive is doing politics, not removing politics from law enforcement. plainly, the weaponization working group exists to settle the president's scores and rewrite dark chapters of his history while providing him with quarterly assurances of attorney general bondi's progress on what is now the justice department's core mission. so, jon meacham, you're the historian here. napoleon got mentioned. so therefore, obviously we're coming to you. but this is i mean, this is napoleon. of course, not exactly the model a democratic leader. talk to us about, you know what this really means, because as we just read from, there's all kinds of echoes of watergate here. this is a president who's

basically saying i am the law. i'm above the law. >> yeah, yeah. napoleon bonaparte, of course, declared himself emperor of france in the wake of a revolution. intimately linked with ours. sorry, katty. i know this is a rough day for you. given 1776 through the caddy actually has a yorktown. she wears black. the anniversary. but what? what the point of the united states of america, as thomas paine said, is that in america, the law would be king. now, i am not going to naively or sentimentally sit here and say that no american president in history has ever gone beyond the bounds of the constitution in order to govern. they have always followed the letter of the law. that is not true, right? thomas jefferson bought louisiana from napoleon, by the

way, calling it a fugitive occurrence. it was not strictly within the bounds of the law if alexander hamilton had tried to do it. jefferson would. his head would have exploded. but because people tend to be against executive power until they have it, which is an important thing to remember. >> coming up, billionaire elon musk's department of government efficiency is seeking access to an irs system that includes detailed financial information about every american taxpayer. we'll have that new reporting we'll have that new reporting straight ahead at&t has a new guarantee. because most things in business are not guaranteed. like a distraction-free work environment. -yeah,i'll circle back around. -get those steps in, kevin. your coworkers keeping things confidential. [phone ringing] oh, she's spilling all the tea. ♪♪ or office etiquette. yeah, that's not guaranteed. i know you can see me! you know what at&t guarantees? connectivity you depend on, the deals you want,

and the service you deserve. can i get that logo bigger? or we'll make it right. that's the at&t guarantee. a new tears. it works differently than drops. tears is a once daily supplement clinically proven to hydrate from within, helping your eyes produce more of their own tears to promote lasting, continuous relief. you'll feel day after day. try blink neutral tears a day. try blink neutral tears a different way to cidp is no walk in the park. that's true. but i take vyvgart hytrulo. same! it's the first major innovation in cidp treatment in over 30 years. vyvgart hytrulo has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of symptoms getting worse. and my cidp can be treated with once-weekly injections that take about 30 to 90 seconds. do not use vyvgart hytrulo if you have a serious allergy to any of its ingredients. serious allergic reactions,

like trouble breathing and decrease in blood pressure leading to fainting, and allergic reactions such as rashes, swelling under the skin, shortness of breath, and hives have been reported. the most common side effects are respiratory and urinary tract infections, headache, and injection site reactions. it may increase the risk of infusion-related reactions and infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. i'm hittin' fairways with the fellas. i'm hittin' the road with my number 1. ♪♪ that's how we live vyvidly with vyvgart hytrulo. visit livevyvidly.com or talk to your neurologist. ♪♪ come in multiple. >> colors. >> but mine has a bench option. >> is only 5.99 and is

>> entire first order. >> when. >> you sign. >> up. >> as a new vip only@fabletics.com. >> donald trump is defending the mass firings of federal watchdogs. >> our federal. >> government now can

discriminate. >> against the citizens of the country. >> we are all watching. >> and waiting. >> to see. >> who is going to hold the line. >> don't miss the weekends. >> saturday, and sunday mornings at 8:00. >> on msnbc. >> what was it like when trump got elected? what was the mean? what was the reaction? do you think about ice. >> coming to. knock on. >> your front door? >> t for president trump's first 100 days. alex wagner travels to the story to talk with people most impacted by the policies. >> were you there on january? >> i was there on january 6th. >> did it surprise you that you were fired, given how resolutely nonpartisan you have been? >> and for more in-depth reporting, follow her podcast trumpland with alex wagner. >> this is the beautiful annie. >> hi, i'm annie. >> i'm yvonne. >> it was really weird. i love him. >> no way. yes, way. >> and i'm seeing him again tonight. >> i. don't want you. to take. >> away.

>> within reason. >> will you, man? >> seriously? >> seriously? >> three carats. >> what about four? >> coming up, oscar nominated actress mikey madison joins the table amid the growing buzz that her new film, honora, could possibly take home the academy award for best picture. that conversation is straight ahead conversation is straight ahead here guest of honor: everyone's here for me! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects! only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix doesn't protect everyone and isn't for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. tell your healthcare provider if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can happen so take precautions. most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling where injected, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor about shingrix today. (♪♪) some people just know they could save hundreds

on car insurance by checking allstate first. like you know to check first that you bought seats in the right section. kansas fans, get on your feet! boo! boo! yeah, checking first is smart. so check allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. oh, yeah. we'll see! oh, yeah! help yourself. wow! you're in good hands with allstate. >> i feel like taking chances. >> i feel. >> like. >> oh. >> brand new. >> oh. oh. >> oh. oh. >> oh. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday.

help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! ♪♪ did you take your vitamin today? that's my job. ♪♪ nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. ♪♪ with fastsigns, create factory grade visual solutions to perfect your process. ♪♪ fastsigns. make your statement™. (sigh) (snoring) if you struggle with cpap... you should check out inspire.

honey? inspire. sleep apnea innovation. learn more and view important safety information at inspiresleep.com the best part? >> it's up. >> to 90% off. >> the real deal. crafted just

for your own little bundle of weird by ollie. >> a live look. >> at lax. >> out in southern california. 6 a.m. out there, 9:00 here on the east coast. welcome to the fourth hour of morning joe. on this monday, president's day, i'm jonathan lemire, alongside the bbc's katty kay, elise jordan, also still with us. and we have a lot to get to this final hour of our morning. let's dive right in. we'll begin with president trump's sweeping cuts

to the federal workforce, which continued over the weekend with jobs slashed across a number of agencies. this, as elon musk's doge, may be a step closer to accessing the irs system that contains taxpayers sensitive information. let's bring in nbc news senior white house correspondent garrett. hey, garrett. good morning. what more do we know? >> well, jonathan, the president remains in florida today. he's got. >> nothing. >> on his public schedule but his wrecking ball. overhaul of the. >> federal government. >> continues apace here in washington. >> we've got layoffs. conducted at. >> the. >> cdc. >> the faa. >> even the agency that oversees nuclear stockpiles. and democrats have largely been powerless. >> to. >> stop these changes. >> but. >> the federal. >> courts have slowed them. >> and now it. >> appears. >> the first case. >> could. >> be. >> headed to. the supreme court. >> overnight, president trump's sweeping. >> plan to reshape the federal government, reaching the. supreme court in its first major. >> test, the. >> administration appealing a federal judge's. decision to strike down. >> trump's. >> attempt to fire the head of a

government. >> ethics watchdog. >> how the justices. >> rule on this. >> case could have larger implications for the legal viability of trump's strategy, which has faced. >> more. >> than 60 lawsuits so far. >> the president. >> giving a potential hint into the legal thinking behind his expansive moves and coming under fire after posting over the weekend quote he who saves the country. >> does not. >> violate any law. >> the dominant. >> objective of this administration. >> is corruption and lawlessness. >> it comes as. >> elon musk's department of government efficiency, also known as doge, is expanding its reach inside the federal government. on sunday, nbc news learning an irs worker affiliated with. >> doge is expected. >> to seek. access to a highly sensitive computer system that contains taxpayers personal information. >> the doge. >> affiliated worker seeking to identify fraud and protect taxpayers and. administration officials said. >> and while. >> the civilian workforce represents a relatively small portion of federal spending over the weekend, the layoffs and firings of federal workers continue to pile up. >> nationwide.

>> including hundreds at the centers for disease control, according. >> to two agency. >> sources, as well as 400 at the department. >> of. >> homeland security and 200 at fema, according to department spokespeople. president trump, touting his sweeping. >> and rapid fire. >> efforts after visiting the daytona 500 over the weekend, which included taking the beast limousine for a lap around the track. >> this country has made more progress in the last three weeks than it's made in the last four years, and we're respected again as a country. >> but the cost. >> cutting strategy is running into some headwinds. the white house now trying to rehire safety workers from the agency that oversees. >> the nation's nuclear. >> stockpile, but are struggling to find them because they didn't have their. >> contact information. >> and the trump administration has. >> also begun. firing several hundred. >> faa probationary. >> workers. >> according to their union. now, these folks are typically, but not exclusively, people who've been on the job for less than two years. it comes at the same time as the transportation. >> secretary has announced that. >> the. >> president is ordering him to create a. >> new, world class air traffic

control system. that effort, also set to. >> involve elon musk's. >> team from spacex. >> so another foothold for he and the doge. >> team across the federal government, guys. >> yeah, garrett, i mean, obviously some areas you don't want to touch. air safety is one of them. nuclear safety might be another one. talk a little bit more about the irs incursion by doge. it hasn't happened yet. we've had the reporting that they are looking to do this. what specifically do they want to do with the irs? do they just want to cut back on the amount of people who are being investigated by the irs? we're heading into tax season. everybody needs the irs to be working efficiently over the next few months. but what's the kind of political goal of hitting the irs like this if that's what happens? >> well, look, i. >> think the ultimate goal is a little bit unclear, but this is something that a lot of us have been watching very closely to kind of see when or if this was going to happen. >> the irs has. >> the. >> most information about the most american citizens, really, of any federal agency. this computer. >> system. >> it's called the irs, is sort of very closely guarded. what kind of people can even get access to it? the washington

post, which broke this story, noted that even the irs commissioner doesn't get access. >> to. >> this system. >> most political. >> appointees don't. and having a security clearance, which this administration official tells me, the doge affiliated person at the irs does is typically not enough to get this kind. >> of access. >> so what i think we're looking at here is something similar to what we saw at treasury, at least at first. doge wants to go in and see kind of how payments are done, who they go to see if they can detect, as this administration officials said. >> fraud or waste. >> but what happens after that review, i think, is a very much an open question and has. >> raised some. >> alarm at the irs that you could have people who don't necessarily know what they're even looking at, tinkering around inside these very sensitive systems. >> and, gary, i want to be sure to make to touch on one more thing that's happened in the last couple of days. the trump white house has barred the associated press indefinitely from participating in the pool of reporters. that includes going to the oval office. that includes being on air force one, and they're doing so because of

a dispute over the name of the gulf of mexico. the ap saying the gulf of mexico is ap style. that's what we've been using. we're not going to change it. trump white house angry because they want it to now be known as the gulf of america. talk to us about where things stand here and something that's that's really important. the ap, you know, for those who don't know, acts as the eyes and ears for a lot of local, smaller newspapers who can't, you know, staff washington, who can't staff the white house. and they're part of their permanent member of that 13 person press pool that travels everywhere the president does, no matter who that president is, and shutting them out is a significant development. >> yeah, this is really escalated on friday when an ap reporter showed up to get on air force one to travel with the president to south florida and was essentially turned away. jonathan, look, i think the. >> white. >> house wants to have this fight. they dispute the idea that this is a first amendment question. their argument is the first amendment doesn't guarantee specific outlets, specific kinds of access in limited spaces like the oval

office and aboard air force one, and that the associated press still has its credentials. they're still in the briefing rooms. they still cover the president, like the majority of news outlets do, who aren't participants in the pool. but this fight over language, and who can decide what kind of coverage is appropriate to continue to get that kind of access that a news organization is typically used to getting, i think is probably well, i don't want to speculate. i think, again, this is a fight that the white house wants to have here. they want to sort of say, this is how we're doing things. and just because you've always been here doesn't necessarily mean that's the way that it's going to continue. they want to say, you know, it's not up to the ap to have a stylebook about language. it's up to us to decide what something like the gulf of mexico or the gulf of mexico is called. and i think they they relish these kinds of discussions and these kinds of fights about press coverage, as opposed to some of the other things that are going on inside and around the administration. >> nbc's garrett haig, thank you very much. and i'll say, katty,

there's certainly the white house correspondents association has denounced this move. they're certainly fear that other media outlets could be next, that this may not stop with the ap, the trump administration trying to hand-pick who gets that sort of access. but certainly the whca and others have noted that it's not the right of any elected official, no matter no matter party, to dictate the language that a news organization uses. >> yeah. and i think it is worth pointing out, associated press, where you used to work nonpartizan nonpolitical, doesn't take a point of view, tells it like it is, and it really is one of the they're not very many news organizations left in the world where people can go to and know that what they are getting is news without a point of view. yeah, and that is exactly what the associated press does. >> we'll be staying on it for sure. >> yeah. meanwhile, secretary of state marco rubio is in saudi arabia this morning to hold meetings on the postwar landscapes of both gaza and ukraine. that as ukrainian president zelensky is set to visit saudi arabia as well on

wednesday but will not participate in the us-russia peace talks while he's there. for the latest, let's bring in nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel, who is reporting live for us from southern ukraine. richard, what are you hearing from the ukrainians about these talks that are being held in saudi arabia? and why is zelensky going if he's not going to take part in them? >> so i'll. >> pick it apart piece by piece. so the president zelensky is in the middle east right now. >> according to his office, this was a. >> previously scheduled middle eastern tour to several countries, including. >> saudi arabia. >> that this was part of. >> a humanitarian. >> effort to. >> to boost support. >> for the country. it also. >> and the ukrainians say coincidentally happens that right. >> now these negotiations. >> are happening. >> between the trump administration. and senior russian officials. and russia today confirmed that it is sending several delegates to

that to these talks in. >> saudi arabia. including sergey lavrov, the. >> russian foreign minister. those negotiations are set to. take place. >> in saudi. arabia tomorrow. >> tuesday. and then trump administration officials will meet. >> here in ukraine. >> with the ukrainian. >> side later this week. so for now, the. >> trump administration is holding two parallel tracks, meeting the russians in saudi arabia and. >> the. ukrainians here in ukraine. separately. >> ahead of joint negotiations which still have. >> yet to be scheduled. >> as diplomacy. >> that could redraw. ukraine's borders. >> kicks into. >> high gear. >> russia is trying to. >> show it has the upper hand firing around 150 drones at ukraine overnight, according. >> to the ukrainian military. >> russia and ukraine are each trying to show dominance and take as much territory as they can before. >> a peace. >> deal that president.

>> trump insists. >> both sides want. today, secretary of state marco. rubio arrived in saudi arabia. >> to. meet the. >> russian side. on sunday. >> president trump. >> said he'll be. >> joining. >> the process soon. meeting directly with russian president. vladimir putin. >> i think he wants to end it and they want to end it fast, both of them. and zelensky wants to end it, too. >> president zelensky. won't be attending the talks in. >> saudi arabia. >> according to his office, but he is. nearby in the united arab emirates on what officials described as. a previously. scheduled trip. to boost. >> humanitarian support. >> for ukraine. >> president zelenskyy told nbc's kristen welker ukraine. >> can't be cut out of negotiations. >> for. >> a. >> peace settlement. >> that could. see ukraine surrender. >> large amounts. >> of territory. >> currently occupied by. >> russian troops. >> have you been given any assurances that ukraine will have an equal seat at the negotiating table? >> so i will never accept any

decisions between the united states and russia about ukraine. >> in a basement bunker in the ukrainian city of kherson this. >> morning. >> children gather for a small party. >> organized by volunteers. it's a valentine's. >> day celebration. >> to lift their spirits. the city. >> is under constant russian attack. >> after three years. of war, many. >> ukrainians want to return. >> to. >> normal life. >> but they. don't want their fate to. >> be decided for them. >> by president trump. >> i kind of like. >> games behind. >> our backs. >> and we don't. >> like it because we don't understand that. it feels like there are. negotiations happening in private, and that your future is being. >> determined under a big. >> question. >> under. >> a big question mark. >> can you. >> tell us about. >> for now, the europeans. sorry. go ahead. >> it's okay. what can you tell us about the decision to hold these talks in saudi arabia?

>> so i think this has to do more with president trump. and saudi. >> arabia and. >> saudi arabia putting. >> itself at the. >> center of world events more than it has to do with ukraine. in effect, you could have picked any neutral location. there was some talk that a putin-trump summit might. >> take. >> place in turkey. now, there's. >> some speculation. >> that. >> it might take place. >> in saudi arabia. as you know, diplomacy. >> can happen anywhere. >> geneva is a city where there's a long history of negotiations of this kind or vienna. but it. >> seems right. >> now that saudi arabia. >> is emerging as. >> as the place for. the ukraine talks. >> qatar had the. >> the, the. >> talks for, for gaza. >> and it seems like the. >> home address for now is going to be saudi arabia. and as i was just saying. >> before i accidentally interrupted. >> you. is that. >> the europeans, however, do seem to be cut out of this process. >> and several.

>> senior european leaders are. meeting today in paris for consultations. but at this stage they are. >> mostly. >> consulting among themselves. >> nbc's richard engel, thank you so much. we, of course, will be staying on all these fast moving developments about the ukraine war, but we also want to keep an eye on the middle east. and that's where the cease fire between israel and hamas is still holding, at least for now. over the weekend, hamas released three hostages in exchange for over 300 palestinian prisoners and detainees. this is the sixth swap to occur under. under this deal, the three hostages, which include an american israeli dual citizen, were forced to give a speech on a stage with a backdrop of hamas leaders. let's now bring in nbc news chief international correspondent keir simmons, live from dubai. keir, good to see you this morning. obviously welcome news to see these hostages be released though the show of force, this propaganda show of force that

hamas is putting on in conjunction with the release, i know has unnerved many. tell us the latest here about the fragile nature of the cease fire and what is supposed to happen next. >> well. >> it's fragile amongst just a. >> stunning. >> frankly, flurry of diplomacy. >> i'm. >> as you say. >> here in the uae, where zelensky is senator, secretary. >> of state. >> rubio is in saudi arabia. neighboring here. >> so just. think about that. >> that the trump administration has the. same team dealing with the issues that. >> richard was. >> just talking about there. and at. >> the. >> same time, dealing with the middle east, with the gaza file, trying to keep those ceasefire talks on track, and israeli team heading to cairo. today for more ceasefire talks. but but honestly, it really is all as fragile as ever.

>> the ceasefire. >> is holding, but. >> lasting peace looks a long way off. an israeli strike in gaza killed three and 17, were injured in ongoing raids in the west bank. prime minister netanyahu and marco. rubio on his first trip to israel as secretary of state, praising president trump's controversial plans to rebuild gaza and vowing hamas cannot have a role in its future. >> frankly. >> as long as it stands as a force that can govern or as a force that can administer, or as a force that can threaten by by use of violence, peace becomes impossible. >> this weekend, the. >> us says. >> it struck. >> al. >> qaeda in syria, a country now run by turkish backed islamists. but both men singling out iran. >> israel and america stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of iran. >> we agreed that. >> the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons. >> nor in gaza. over the weekend, another american

hostage, released and greeted by his wife. on october 7th, he locked her pregnant in a safe room and set. >> off to. >> fight hamas. he never returned until now. this weekend, he saw his new baby girl for the first time. his family, certain more hostages, including another american, will be released. >> there is absolutely no way that the trump administration will not. >> see this through. >> but that requires. >> phase two of the deal, where israel would commit to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of forces from gaza. president trump's envoy confident. >> but phase two is. >> absolutely going to begin. >> but devastated gaza's future. is far from agreed. president trump's plan for palestinians to leave has been called ethnic cleansing in the arab world, but those governments have yet to present their own plan for a palestinian two state solution.

and jonathan. looming over all of this is that question of iran and whether israel will decide to launch a strike against its nuclear program, whether israel has the capability to carry out an effective strike of that nature without the military support of the united states. and so far. president trump has seemed to indicate that he prefers negotiation, but there are no negotiations. jonathan. >> nbc's keir. >> simmons live for us in the middle east. keir. thank you as always. back here at home, we're also following deadly severe weather this morning. hundreds of thousands of people are still without. power after. >> a powerful. >> storm system ripped through the south over the weekend, with reports of tornadoes touching down in some areas. nbc news correspondent kathy park brings us the latest. >> this morning. >> parts of. >> the south are. >> recovering from a weekend of.

>> wild weather. >> violent storms sweeping. >> across kentucky. >> tennessee and west virginia. >> where. >> streams and. >> creeks surged to historic levels. >> making roads impassable and causing severe. damage to homes and businesses. >> rising waters proving too much for a levee that burst in tennessee. flooding entire neighborhoods. while in other parts. >> of the state. >> people and pets had to be rescued by boat. the extreme weather also spawning. >> a. >> destructive tornado in alabama. >> we have a lot of damage downtown. you see behind me. roofs are blown off the most of our buildings. >> in kentucky. flash flooding. >> stranding drivers. >> and residents across the state. >> first responders finding. themselves caught in the chaos to this. firehouse in hazard flooded. by the intense rains. >> at least nine. >> fatalities reported in kentucky, the governor saying most of the tragedies. >> occurred as people tried to drive. >> through high. >> water. >> including a mother and her child. >> this is one of the most serious weather events we've dealt with in in at least a

decade. the biggest challenge of this event is it's everywhere. >> president trump. >> approving a disaster. declaration for kentucky. >> and it's. >> not over. >> yet. >> as the state braces for powerful winds. and more snow. in louisville, the wintry mess being blamed for this massive pileup. >> a blast of snow also. >> barreling across the great lakes. >> and into new england. where officials say it may have played a role in. >> this partial building collapse. >> well, dangerous weather there across the country. nbc's kathy park with that report. time now for a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines around the country. a woman in wyoming was hospitalized with h5n1 bird flu and likely became infected by handling sickened birds in a backyard flock. officials say she is an older woman who has other health conditions, which may have made her more likely to contract the disease. this is the first human case of bird flu in the state, and the 70th human

case in the us since 2024. a 2023 train derailment that hospitalized three people and spilled hundreds of gallons of fuel in rural maine has been blamed on a beaver dam environmental problem. officials say the derailment, in which three engines and six train cars were knocked off the tracks and caught fire, was the result of a beaver dam that let go, causing a vast amount of water to flow under the tracks and cause a washout. an estimated 500 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into local waterways following the derailment. never knew you had to watch out for beaver dams when you're taking the train. and a judge in michigan is ordering shoplifters to wash cars in a wal-mart parking lot. the judge hopes the punishment for misdemeanor shoplifting discourages people from stealing from the store, while rewarding shoppers who could see higher prices. if thefts continue, there will be no charge for the

washes. the judge believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars at weekend events this spring. he was shocked to see the breadth of retail thefts, saying he had 48 cases of retail theft on his docket in a single day. novelty there? >> yeah. creative. >> creative punishment as punishment, i suppose. >> a lot of clean cars. >> yes. >> so, turning to lighter news. saturday night live celebrated its 50th anniversary in a star studded special featuring iconic characters, cast members and past celebrity hosts all coming together for one big night of laughs right here at 30 rock. nbc news correspondent joe fryer has a look at some of the most memorable moments. >> in a three hour love letter. >> to. >> saturday night live. the show's legendary cast, both past and present, taking the stage for a tribute to five decades of laughs.

>> and i'm doing this. >> my right. >> foot is throbbing. >> pretty sure. >> it's. >> my old. >> friend gout. >> panama canal is ours. >> call it. snl's 50th anniversary special. >> saw the reprise of beloved characters and sketches with plenty of surprise twists. >> like. meryl streep, who made her. >> first ever appearance. >> on the. >> show. >> and pedro pascal joining kate mckinnon in a close encounter. >> wow. >> you are a. >> good mama. >> yeah, well, a good mother can also be a bad girl. >> and mike myers classic character, linda richman, sitting down with amy poehler and maya rudolph on bronx beat. >> bad news. it's raining, but good news, it's sweater weather. >> sweater weather. >> sweater weather. >> sweater weather. >> hercules. >> hercules. >> the show brimming with celebrity cameos from. >> a. >> sketch featuring g.e. smith and. paul shaffer to.

>> a. >> rare appearance. from jack nicholson. >> ladies and gentlemen, adam sandler. >> sabrina carpenter. >> finally made a cameo. >> in the flirty. >> domingo saga. >> we are now talking about domingo. >> the studio. >> audience also filled. >> with. >> famous faces who got in on. >> the. >> fun with tina fey and amy poehler. >> ryan reynolds, how's it going? >> great. >> why? what have you heard? >> no. >> by 16 time host steve martin doing the honors with the opening monologue. >> it was only a few days ago that lorne told me i was doing the monologue, and i was actually vacationing on a friend's boat down in the gulf of steve martin. >> but the laughs started even before the show, with snl stars taking the black and gold carpet. i've been. >> to. >> red carpets before. >> but never one where most of the people are talented. >> oh, by. >> and of course, there were. >> some special. >> musical guests too. >> from miley cyrus performing a cover of sinead o'connor's

nothing compares. >> to you. >> think back. >> to paul. >> mccartney performing. >> a medley from the beatles abbey road. >> we love you all. >> adding to friday night's homecoming concert. >> turn back time. >> where cher, the backstreet boys and lauryn hill rocked. >> radio city, london. >> and will ferrell and ana gasteyer as marty and robbie. >> characters covered. >> some of today's biggest hits. >> body ody. >> ody ody. >> ody ody. >> but it was adam sandler's heartfelt musical performance on sunday that brought studio eight h to its feet. >> 50 years of the best times. >> of our lives. >> all right. >> our thanks to nbc's joe fryer for that report. and yet, adam. >> stayed up late, so we didn't

have to. >> yeah, didn't have to. i saw some of it. i actually turned it off. right? right about after adam sandler. it was this really emotional, heartfelt tribute to cast members, including some no longer with us, but then the show itself a valentine to 50 years. it was it was really nice. and our congratulations, of course, to lorne and everyone at snl. coming up here, a number of immigration judges have been fired by the trump administration, placing further strain on a system that is backlogged with nearly 4 million cases. we'll bring you those new details. plus, we've got new reporting on the identities of migrants being transported to guantanamo bay and how they do not meet the requirements to be transferred there. the same requirements that were set up by the trump administration. we'll be joined by one of the reporters behind that piece next reporters behind that piece next on morning known for creating memories. no one wants to be known for cancer, but a treatment can be. keytruda is known to treat cancer. fda-approved for 18 types of cancer, including certain early-stage

and advanced cancers. one of those cancers is a kind of bladder and urinary tract cancer called advanced urothelial cancer. keytruda may be used with the medicine enfortumab vedotin in adults when your bladder or urinary tract cancer has spread or cannot be removed by surgery. keytruda can cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body during or after treatment. this may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion, memory problems, persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness, muscle cramps, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. there may be other side effects. tell your doctor about all medical conditions, including immune or nervous system problems, such as crohn's, ulcerative colitis, lupus, or myasthenia gravis or guillain-barré syndrome, an organ, tissue, or stem cell transplant, or received chest radiation. keytruda can harm your unborn baby. keytruda is an immunotherapy

and is also being studied in hundreds of clinical trials exploring ways to treat even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda. see all the types of cancer keytruda is known for at keytruda.com, and ask your doctor if keytruda could be right for you. sometimes my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis gets in my way. ♪♪ but thanks to skyrizi, i'm free to bare my skin. ♪ things are getting clearer, i feel free ♪ ♪ to bare my skin, yeah that's all me ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ ♪♪ with skyrizi, i saw dramatically clearer skin. and many people were 100% plaque free. skyrizi is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. ♪♪ ♪ nothing and me, go hand-in-hand, ♪

♪ nothing on my skin, that's my new plan ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ now's the time - ask your doctor about skyrizi, the number one dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save.

yeah, it is weird that we still call these things phones. dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. well, yeah. they're more like mini computers. precisely, next slide. xfinity mobile customers are connected to wifi 90% of the time. that's why our network has powerboost with wifi speeds up to a gig where you need it most. so, this whole meeting could have been remote? oh, that is my ex-husband who i don't speak to. hey! no, i'm good to talk! xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half for your first year with xfinity mobile. plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us. granger for the ones who get it done. >> welcome back. bottom of the hour. now, the justice

department fired multiple immigration judges on friday. the acting director of the executive office for immigration review at the justice department, which oversees immigration courts, dismissed without notice five mid-level assistant chief immigration judges and 13 candidates to become new judges at union representing immigration judges, said more than two dozen immigration judges, managers and new hires have been fired since the start of the trump administration. meanwhile, is the us department of homeland security continues sending flights of migrants to guantanamo bay. new questions have risen about the identities of those detainees. a new investigative report from the washington post details the reality of who the administration claims is being sent to that infamous detention facility. joining us now, one of the reporters behind that piece, national investigative reporter for the washington post, sylvia

foster. sylvia, thank you so much for joining us this morning. so what have you found? first of all, just give us some numbers here. how many of these migrants are being sent to guantanamo? what justification is the administration offering for doing so? but what have you found in terms of what these people have actually done? >> yeah. so as of friday, we know there were at least 126 migrants that had been sent to guantanamo from the united states. and they are being housed both in the military detention that was used for former terrorism suspects, and also the migrant operation center, which was used for migrants interdicted. >> at sea. it was usually. >> a very small number. and what the administration has been saying and giving this impression of is that these are criminals. these are people who have ties or are members of. de aragua, the venezuelan gang, and that they need to be removed from our communities, removed from the violence that they're causing in our communities. but

what our reporting found was that the migrants that we spoke to did not quite fit those descriptions. we spoke to several family members, the family members of several migrants, and then scoured court records and even requested certificates from venezuela that showed their delinquency. and what we found is that nearly all of them had no criminal record, and that we could not find any ties that were confirmed to. >> tren de aragua. >> and so it really kind of upended this narrative that we've been given that a lot of these migrants that are being sent, there are criminals that have been committing violent acts in the streets. we also found that nearly all of them that we spoke to had been detained as soon as they crossed the border. and so they were not even in american communities to be causing that kind of discretion to begin with. >> sylvia. elise jordan here.

what did you hear from officials about how long these detainees can expect to be held at guantanamo bay? did they give you any sense of what kind of process will adjudicate their holding? >> so the homeland security secretary, kristi noem, said that they wouldn't be there for long and that they would be going through the usual immigration process, but we really don't know what that means. i mean, they've been there now for over a week, and we're not really sure what exactly those plans are for deportation. so i think that's part of the a lot of the unknown that surrounds this entire operation. >> so, sylvia, what is the trump administration saying in response to the reporting here in questions about those who are detained? because we've heard the rhetoric has been that right now, anyway, the focus is supposed to be, per the administration, just on migrants who have committed violent crimes. those are the ones who are being sent out, including to guantanamo. what are they saying in response to reporting that

that's not the case? >> you know, for one migrant in particular, alberto castillo, they stood by their statement that he was a member of tren de aragua, even though when we spoke to family members and tried to find any kind of records of that, we could not find it. but they said that basically they've been using a variety of factors to determine people's membership to tren de aragua, and it was very unclear basically what those factors were. a lot of those migrants have tattoos, and their family members said that the migrants had told them that they thought that their tattoos were reason for their detainment and for the suspicion. and there's actually been a history of that. we know that under the previous trump administration, a very similar playbook was used with ms. 13. now it's in that agua before it was ms. 13. and it was a similar thing where a lot of detainees and their families were saying that it was tattoos that were kind of like gang style tattoos that were leading officials to believe that they were members of that gang.

>> the new reporting is online now. the washington post's sylvia. sylvia, thank you for joining us. terrific story. thank you. coming up next, our conversation with someone who could be an oscar winner in just a few weeks for her role in a film that could also earn academy gold. oscar nominated actress mikey madison joins us with a look at the major buzz surrounding her hit comedy, honora. morning joe will be honora. morning joe will be right back with the itch and rash of moderate to severe eczema disrupts my skin, night and day. despite treatment, it's still not under control. but now, i have rinvoq. rinvoq is a once-daily pill... that reduces the itch... and helps clear the rash of eczema— ...fast. some taking rinvoq felt significant itch relief as early as 2 days. and some achieved dramatic skin clearance... as early as 2 weeks. many saw clear or almost-clear skin. rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections. before treatment, test for tb and do bloodwork.

serious infections, blood clots, some fatal... cancers, including lymphoma and skin; serious allergic reactions; gi tears; death; heart attack; and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events, infection, hep b or c, smoked, are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infection. ♪♪ disrupt the itch & rash of eczema. talk to your dermatologist about rinvoq. learn how abbvie can help you save. >> liberty mutual. >> and doug. >> well, i'll be. >> well, i'll be. >> only pay for on chewy, save 35% and shop all your favorite brands. for any taste, or any diet, at prices you love. delivered fast. for low prices, for life of pets, there's chewy. at&t has a new guarantee. because most things in business are not guaranteed.

like a distraction-free work environment. -yeah,i'll circle back around. -get those steps in, kevin. your coworkers keeping things confidential. [phone ringing] oh, she's spilling all the tea. ♪♪ or office etiquette. yeah, that's not guaranteed. i know you can see me! you know what at&t guarantees? connectivity you depend on, the deals you want, and the service you deserve. can i get that logo bigger? or we'll make it right. that's the at&t guarantee. your brand on everything so customers can notice you, remember you and fall in we fine

small businesses. msnbc presents a new original podcast hosted by jen psaki. each week, she and her guests explore how the democratic party is facing this political moment and where it's headed next. the blueprint with jen psaki. listen now.

>> all of this can be overwhelming. >> but it is important to. >> remember there are still checks. >> and balances. >> there's a lot being thrown at the. american people right now, and it is really. >> important to pay. >> attention to it. >> but it is just as important to recognize how many. >> of those. >> things are. >> getting announced. >> but they're not. >> happening at all, or at. >> least not yet. >> just try to remember we are not looking at the final score. we are still in the first quarter. keep your pads on. the game has just begun. >> this is the beautiful eddie. >> hi, i'm annie. i am yvonne. it was really weird. i love him. >> no way. yes, way. yeah. >> and i'm seeing him again tonight. >> i. don't you ever. >> try. >> to cheat? >> let me. >> beat it. >> will you. >> marry me? seriously? >> seriously?

>> three carats. >> what about four? >> so that. >> was a look at the award winning film honora, which has become a surprise frontrunner in this year's oscars race with a total of six nominations. the comedy drama, directed by sean baker, follows annie, a young sex worker from brooklyn whose life seemingly takes a fairytale turn when she meets and impulsively marries the son of a russian oligarch. but when news of the wedding reaches russia, the parents of annie's new husband set out to destroy her cinderella story and tear the two apart. joining us now, the film's star mikey madison, who plays annie and is nominated for an academy award in the category of leading actress. mikey, thank you so much for being here. congratulations on the nomination and the extraordinary buzz this film has generated. let's just start at the beginning. when you when you were sort of pitched this script

or you came up on the idea, what drew you to the story and in particular this character. >> it was really mostly just about wanting to work with our incredible director, sean baker. there really was just a loose idea for what the story might be, but i knew that i absolutely needed to work with him. and so sean and i just agreed that we needed to do something together. and the script came from from there. >> so it's. >> a wild ride. it's a rollicking movie, in part, at least. filmed on location in brighton beach in brooklyn, a traditionally russian neighborhood. talk to us about what that was like and how you were welcomed to the area. >> it was amazing. i love brighton beach and i actually just went back recently, and it was really nice to see the neighborhood because it was pretty much exactly how i remembered it from, you know, two years ago. but, i mean, i don't think i ever would have had another opportunity to live in brighton beach if it weren't for this movie. and it's such an interesting community. it's so

rich with culture and incredible people, delicious georgian food, you know, really interesting russian clothing stores. and so i loved it. i, i think i, i felt more like a fly on the wall. i was able to kind of just immerse myself in that community with nobody really noticing and just get to know the, the neighborhood. >> so, mikey, this movie was. written for you? >> yes. right. so explain to us how that happened and how there's. >> probably a little bit. anxious reading those. pages and just talk to us about that. >> yeah. sean, sean wrote it for me. i wasn't anxious going into it. i was really excited. i think if anything, i just really wanted to make sure that i did my character justice. i wanted to do as good of a job as i possibly could. so i put a lot of pressure on myself. but, i mean, sean and i were talking pretty much every day up until he delivered the script to me,

and then the script was even more incredible than i thought it would be. it was fun and sad and. you know, funny and all of the things that you hope a script would be. and the character, i mean, i'm just i'm really lucky that i was able to be a part of this film because i think it's really special. >> so for. those who haven't seen it yet, and they should correct that. tell us more about the character. and, you know, sort of a gutsy, you know, a gutsy choice for you to do it. tell us what people should know about her. >> i mean, she's she's such a complicated person. and i think that throughout the film you get to see lots of different sides of her. i think she, you know, you get to see a side of her where she presents herself at work, and then she's presenting herself sort of as this perfect girlfriend experience character where she's still working. and then you get to see those more private moments where i think

the walls are let down a little bit, and you get to see who she really is. but i think that she's a scrappy character. she's a true fighter. she's hopeful. she stands up for herself. she's really amazing, i think. >> so a little bit. >> this is a story about rich in-laws, right? >> talk to. >> us about that. >> well, you know, in the film, it's not a spoiler. i mean, also, the movie's been out for a minute. my character, annie, ends up marrying the son of a russian oligarch. and so his parents are very, very wealthy. and they learn about it. the news has spread to russia, and they try to have the marriage annulled. and so i think annie sort of is welcomed by ivan, her new husband, into this very incredible, fun, adventurous, comfortable world. and it's being ripped away from her and she's just really trying to grab back onto it.

>> oligarch's certainly having a cultural moment right now. the film is currently in select theaters and on streaming platforms now. academy award nominated actress mikey madison, thank you very much and good luck at the oscars. >> so much. >> thank you. >> thanks for being here. and we'll be right back with more. morning, joe. morning, joe. >> try. for a half here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! can eat. >> butterfly shrimp and sirloin steak. >> yeah. >> that is the reason. >> that is the reason. >> i thought i this is steve. steve takes voquezna. this is steve's stomach, where voquezna can kick some acid,

heal erosive esophagitis, also known as erosive gerd, and relieve related heartburn. voquezna is the first and only fda-approved treatment of its kind. 93% of adults were healed by 2 months. of those healed, 79% stayed healed. plus, voquezna can provide heartburn-free days and nights, and is also approved to relieve heartburn related to non-erosive gerd. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take if allergic to voquezna or while on rilpivirine. serious allergic reactions include trouble breathing, rash, itching, and swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat. serious side effects may include kidney problems, intestinal infection, fractures, life-threatening skin reactions, low b-12 or magnesium levels, and stomach growths. tell your doctor about your medical conditions, medications, and if you have diarrhea, persistent stomach pain or fever, decreased or bloody urine, seizures, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, jitteriness, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches or weakness,

spasms of hands, feet, or voice. voquezna can help kick some acid, and so can you. ask your doctor about voquezna. where does the time go? where does the time go? until this week, my dad did not know where he was from. i'm african american. i want to know where i come from. it means the world to share ancestry® with my dad. so nigeria, this is where it all started. so they've broken it down by regions, by journeys, and by parent. man, this is deep. it adds more complexity to our lives, too. it adds more color. my pops is my fuel, my family, and my community. this is my way of saying thank you to him. (♪♪) blink neutral tears. it works differently than drops. blink neutral tears is a once daily supplement clinically proven to hydrate from within, helping your eyes produce more of their own tears to promote lasting,

continuous relief. you'll feel day after day. try blink neutral day after day. try blink neutral tears a different way baby: liberty! mom: liberty mutual is all she talks about since we saved hundreds by bundling our home and auto insurance. biberty: it's pronounced "biberty." baby: liberty! biberty: biberty! baby: liberty! biberty: nice try, kid. only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ baby: liberty. dave's been very excited about saving big ♪ with the comcast business. ♪ 5-year price lock guarantee. five years? -five years.

and he's not alone. -high five. it's five years of reliable gig speed internet. five years of advanced securit. five years of a great rate that won't change. it's back. but only for a limited time. high five. five years? -nope. comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. powering five years of savings. powering possibilities. comcast business. your entire first order. when you sign up to be a new vip only@fabletics.com. >> as for my comments, mr. >> chairman, on my statement, which i believe. >> was around the closure of the news of the world newspaper. >> you get to that. >> i would just like. >> to say one sentence. this is the most humble day of my life. >> thank you. >> that was rupert murdoch and one of his sons, james, testifying before british parliament back in 2011 about a phone hacking scandal involving their u.k. publications. james murdoch, once his father's close

ally and the favorite to take over his family's conservative media empire, has since had a falling out with his now 93 year old father and his older brother, lachlan. let's now bring in staff writer at the atlantic, mckay coppins. his latest piece is titled growing up murdoch, which goes behind the scenes with the murdoch family in the wake of a nevada probate commissioner ruling that fox will be split evenly upon rupert murdoch's death by his four oldest children. after murdoch tried to make a change to the family trust that would block his more politically liberal children from taking control of the conservative media empire. mckay. good to see you this morning. congratulations on the piece. i devoured it over the weekend. couldn't put it down. you had extraordinary access to james murdoch. talk to us a little bit, if you will, about his evolution and this falling out with his father. >> yeah. so james murdoch is

rupert's youngest son. and at various points. in his life and career, he's actually been. >> seen as the. >> successor to the to the murdoch empire fortune. he spent 20 years. >> inside the company. >> kind of. >> playing the loyal lieutenant. >> he ran large portions of the company. but throughout his 20 years in the company, he became. increasingly disillusioned with the way that his father was running these media outlets. and this is something we talked about a lot over. >> the past year. >> we had more than a dozen interviews where he kind of. vented about. what he. saw behind the scenes. he is now at a point where he believes. that many of the murdoch. >> outlets, especially. >> fox news. >> are a. >> blight on his family name, a menace to democracy. and he believes. >> that serious. >> reforms need. >> to. >> take place. >> to salvage. >> these companies. and obviously, he he sees things very differently from his father and older brother, who believe that they should stay the course

and continue to. >> kind of build. >> this right wing media. empire around the world. >> mckay elise, here, i will second what jonathan said, and this was just a riveting read. and at its core, i feel very sad read, a sad, sad story. and what james decision he made this decision to come forward with his wife and to talk and to tell, you know, more of their side of the story. and he's very sympathetic. and it just comes across that he finally acknowledged that maybe his relationship is never going to be what he wants it to be. and so he decided to talk. what do what do you make of why he decided to talk and his motivations? >> yeah. i'm glad you bring that up, elise, because i'll i'll tell you, i felt the same way. i mean, honestly, i approached him early last year on almost a lark. i didn't know if he would give me any access, let alone the kind of wide access. that he ended up giving me. but what i found pretty early was that.

>> yes. >> this is a political story. yes, this is a business story. yes. the stakes are pretty high for, you know, global. >> democracy. >> but it's also a really personal and painful story about the unraveling of this family. and, you know, i think that james and his wife, catherine, probably had various motives in talking to me. i write in the piece. that they seemed at times kind of concerned about reputational management. they wanted to. >> distance themselves from. >> the. murdoch name in some ways. but i also think that james is somebody who spent a lot of his life studying dysfunctional dynasties in families like his. and he, he, you know, he really. >> wants to. contribute a. chapter to. this literature. >> he thinks that. the story of his family's unraveling, how it's been wrecked by power and money and greed is something that he hopes future families can take a lesson from. he chronicled his father's twisted behavior. that's his word. he

talked a lot about, you know, how sad he. >> is that. >> he's at this point and late in his father's life where he's completely estranged from him. but at the end of the day, i think he he really wanted to share the stories he'd seen, you know, to share what he'd seen behind the scenes in a way that he never really had before. and i think in some ways it was cathartic for him. >> so, mckay, you described the experience of james murdoch being deposed by his father's lawyer with his father, rupert, sitting in that very room. you write in part this. james sat across the table from his father and prepared to be deposed for nearly five hours. rupert's attorney asked james a series of withering questions. have you ever done anything successful on your own? why? were you too busy to say happy birthday to your father when he turned 90? at one point, the attorney referred to james and his sisters as, quote, white privileged, multi-billionaire trust fund babies. james did his best to concentrate, but he couldn't

help stealing glances at his father. rupert sat slouched and silent throughout the deposition, staring inscrutably at his younger son. every so often, though, he would pick up his phone and type. finally, james realized why he was texting the lawyer. questions to ask. james told me. how expletive twisted is that? when the session ended, rupert left the conference room without saying a word. mckay. this certainly underscores just how sad this is, even at a moment where rupert murdoch's influence is at an all time high with trump's election. he was just simply in the oval office last week. >> yeah. that's right. and that's what i mean when i say that this is both a intensely personal story and also a really high stakes story. and what's really at stake here is the future of this very powerful media company. right. james and his two sisters. have been, to varying degrees, pretty open about what they see as the

changes that need to take place at fox news, at other murdoch outlets to make them responsible contributors to the global discourse. rupert and lachlan have resisted those changes. at one point, james was in place to take over after his father left. rupert lobbied lachlan, james's older brother, to come in and take his place because he didn't want to see those changes take place. and so really, the question is going to be when rupert dies, who wins out? and i think that it's a story that's going to have enormous consequences going forward. >> no question there. the must read new piece is online now at the atlantic. staff writer mckay coppins. thank you so very much. that does it for us this morning. we'll see you again tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. eastern. jose diaz-balart picks eastern. jose diaz-balart picks up the coverage here in woman: we've waited so long for this spa day. oh yeah? shingles doesn't care. shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. grandmother: we got the best seats in the house! ha! shingles doesn't care.

99% of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate any time. guest of honor: everyone's here for my birthday! cute. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects! only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix doesn't protect everyone and isn't for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. tell your healthcare provider if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can happen so take precautions. most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling where injected, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪

♪ control is everything to me.♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and with skyrizi, many were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 3 years. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization may occur when treated for crohn's. now's the time to take control of your crohn's. ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ask your doctor about skyrizi, the #1 prescribed biologic in crohn's disease. for.

>> tal w