to have to come to terms with and understand as she gets older, you know. it's really tough. reporter: paula plans to make sure the daughter of shauna tiaffay never forgets. we talk about her mom and how much she loved her and what we think her mom would want for her now. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. [theme music playing] >> good morning. >> and welcome. >> to this sunday. >> edition of morning joe. >> weekend. >> it was another. fast moving newsweek. >> here are some of the conversations. >> you might have missed. the

washington. >> post. >> reports current and former usaid officials say usaid's ebola prevention efforts have been largely halted since musk and his allies moved last month to cut the global. assistance agency. >> and freeze. >> its outgoing payments. so i don't think they. >> put it back. >> a joke. >> well, this. >> is. >> the problem. it's a problem with a lack of transparency, where it's basically what they're saying is, hey, trust us, we've restored a lot of funding. you go back and you find out that that's not actually the case. and a lot of times, the agencies don't even have the answers. we talked yesterday to josh dorsey, who wrote wrote a story. >> about how. even the lawyers. >> representing the government don't know the current status because of things when they're trying to defend the white house, the administration, because there's so much ambiguity out there. and, of

course, this is something, jim vandehei, that that you wrote about, about dodge, how. >> it's a drop in. >> the bucket. how how damage is being done, whatever pain is being exacted, they're not getting the gain on the other side. i'm curious, given all of that, what your take was yesterday on the cabinet meeting and specifically elon musk's role in it. >> i mean, there's so much in that clip to digest, right? the truth is, i think the american people are with trump directionally, right. that okay, the government is bloated. >> yes. >> there's a lot of waste. yes. you can probably cut a lot of roles. i think where they start to lose the american people is if you're operationally sloppy or cruel. >> in how you're doing it. >> and i think you see some of the slop. >> in terms of having to hey, we. kind of screwed. >> up the ebola thing. >> it's ebola, right? >> like there's ways to avoid that, which is, hey. >> go through the budget. >> figure out the things that

need. >> to change, give people a reasonable amount of time to make those changes, then. >> make them. it doesn't need. >> to be done in a chaotic way. >> and when. >> i say cruel, the cruel. >> part is imagine the person. >> who takes a job. >> in government. are some people disingenuous? maybe. >> but most. >> people are like, hey, i want to serve my country. there's an agency. >> that exists. >> they didn't create the agency, they didn't. >> create the slot. they took. >> a job to serve their country, and now they're being. >> told that. >> they might be either fraudulent, they might not exist. they're terrible. >> at their job, even though no one's probably even looked. >> at their job. performance before making that claim. and you. >> just. >> saw a. >> lot of that in that cabinet meeting. >> and the truth. >> is, even if you did all the stuff that ellen is talking about, we pay. >> three. >> i think $3 billion a day just. on the interest on our debt. >> and so these little. >> bitty tucks. >> around the. >> corner aren't going to do a. >> darn thing. >> the truth. >> is, if. >> you. >> want to change the deficit. >> you want. >> to. >> get. >> rid of the debt.

>> you either need to. raise taxes. >> a lot. >> or you need to cut defense. >> you need to. >> cut social security. >> you need. >> to cut medicare. >> you need to cut medicaid or some combination. >> thereof. >> because that's where we spend. >> the vast. >> majority of. our money. and so a lot of this is a is a is a sideshow. >> unless you're really going to get serious. about trying to reduce the size of government, which is really. >> hard work, which is why republicans. >> are having a difficult. >> time coming together to. >> figure out. >> how can they. >> both decrease. >> taxes by up to. $5 trillion, right. >> but retain all of those programs? >> yeah. >> i mean, they're just not going to be able to do it without blowing a hole in the debt. again. again. cbo estimating $20 trillion additional in debt over the next ten years. and of course, we didn't over 220 years, we didn't have $10 trillion of debt accumulated. jonathan lemire there are so many fact checks we have to go through there. one of them is donald trump kept saying, and we're going to be talking about ukraine in a minute. but donald trump kept

saying that, that we've we've spent $350 billion defending ukraine, giving ukraine. it's just not it's not even close to true. he's also said the united states has given more than europe. that's also not close to being true. i mean, i think the numbers somewhere around like 140 billion. but even of that, i think only 80 billion of it has been delivered. one additional thing, one additional thing that's very important to say here. when you listen to administration officials, it sounds as if we wrote a check to zelensky and said, here you go. no, that's not actually the case for so much of this funding, billions of dollars have gone to american factories. american workers, american jobs. >> this this. >> has been, in part, a jobs bill. because so much of the aid

that we have sent. >> them has started. >> here in the united states and has created. >> jobs in america. >> yeah, that's actually. >> was mitch. >> mcconnell talking. >> point. >> for fellow republicans last year. >> trying to. >> get funding. approved through the. senate to. >> ukraine, saying, look, a lot of this is right here at home. and we'll talk more about that in a moment. uk prime minister starmer in washington today. zelenskyy tomorrow. but back to that cabinet meeting first. just the optics of it. president trump called on one person to speak in that cabinet, elon musk, who is not a member of the cabinet. he also then had all of his cabinet officials. >> applaud musk's. >> efforts. >> saying, don't you like what doge is doing? >> and they all. >> sort of like. >> on command had to clap. >> even though we don't. >> have. reported over. >> the. >> last few days that so many of these cabinet leaders were. completely taken by surprise, by that musk email, now. seems like it's going to be going out again. pushing more people out of the workforce. we should also note social security administration is being told to instruct to cut its staff by half. >> the labor. >> department. >> which of course. >> enforces equal. employment

opportunity laws, has been told. to cut their staff by 90%. there's going. >> to be by mid-march. >> the trump administration. wants to utterly gut the federal workforce. that's their plan. >> at the same. >> time. >> we have reporting. today that. the faa is terminating a $2.4 billion deal with verizon and instead going to give that contract. >> to elon. musk's starlink. we also know that so. >> much of. >> this is. >> going to be. >> used to. >> fund for. >> tax cuts, which are going. >> to largely benefit. >> the rich. >> so we're already. >> seeing some anger from voters. >> from republicans. >> in these. town halls. and now. >> you're taking away services, rewarding. musk and trump's rich friends. >> where do you think that this is now going to break through? >> we're going to see some real opposition. >> yes. so there is i. >> mean, i think. >> there is. >> some opportunity here for democrats. and you're starting to hear some of. >> them talk. >> about this. there's some new data by a group called grow progress. which does big ai searches and has found that among elon. >> musk. >> is a point of vulnerability for donald trump. first of all, we've seen his approval.

>> numbers decline just. >> in the course of the last month. but this new data is suggesting that the general public is. twice as likely to be. >> concerned that elon. >> musk is going to go too far. >> then, that he's. >> not going to go far enough. >> so he. >> is a point of vulnerability for. >> donald trump. >> the speculation that the relationship might bust up fast. >> i don't think that's going to happen. >> as quickly as some people had thought, partly because elon musk has an enormous amount of money. >> and all the. >> indications are that donald trump look at just yesterday likes what he's doing. >> but if democrats are looking for somewhere and. >> the other thing that this data is showing is that the thing that people are concerned. >> about are. >> exactly what you just said, john, these. >> conflicts of interest. >> where is elon musk actually making changes that may benefit him? and if you start to see people who. >> are growing increasingly. >> anxious, for example, as ashley has reported often about cuts in medicaid coming, how is. >> that going. >> to look. >> if elon musk is there making changes to the us. >> government that might. >> potentially benefit starlink. and spacex. >> at the same time. >> that americans are worried that some of these cuts that are. >> passed in. >> congress might. hurt their

medicaid. this is why democrats are wondering, look, is there something brewing that suggests overreach in the white house that may give them an. >> opportunity to. >> be more of a resistance or an opposition than they have been? we have lots more to get to this hour. morning joe weekend hour. morning joe weekend continues after still have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis... ...or crohn's disease symptoms after taking... ...a medication like humira or remicade? put them in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief with rinvoq. check. when flares tried to slow me down,... ...i got lasting remission with rinvoq. check. and many were in remission... ...even at nearly 2 years. and rinvoq... ...helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting remission. and visibly reduced damage. check. 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;...

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>> thing can help you give the best care. >> get pumpkin pet insurance at pumpkin care. >> there is a lot going on tonight. you've been in these rooms. >> how are you. >> digesting it? >> and how do you think the

world is digesting what trump is saying? what are people saying to you. in new jersey about doge and what they're seeing? musk and. his team do here. what are the global politics for some of these leaders, and why do you see them stating the opposite. >> of what the. >> united states president has stated? >> you are an old man. >> who thinks in. >> terms of nations and peoples. >> there are. >> no nations. there are no peoples. there are no russians. >> there are no arabs. >> there are. >> no. >> third worlds. >> there is. >> no west. there is. >> only one. >> holistic system of. >> systems. >> one vast. >> and remain interwoven, interacting. >> multivariate, multinational. >> dominion of dollars, petrol dollars, electro dollars. >> multi dollars, reichsmarks. >> rins. rubles. >> pounds and shekels.

>> it is the international. system of currency which. >> determines the totality. >> of life on this planet. >> that is. >> the natural. >> order of. things today. >> i tell you, when i heard the news yesterday coming out of the washington post, i immediately thought of ned beatty's iconic performance in the 1976 film network, which actually started as a parody, and now, of course, has become prophetic. he he portrayed, though ned beatty, arthur jensen, the chairman of an overleveraged conglomerate that owns a television network. and that scene feels especially relevant today given the next story. the billionaire owner of the washington post, jeff bezos, announcing yesterday a major shift to the newspaper's opinion section, saying it's now going to focus on what he calls two pillars personal liberties and free markets, and pointedly said the paper will not publish any

opposing viewpoints on those topics. the decision to reduce the scope of views of the opinion pages is a major departure from the paper's long time approach to commentary. in response to the newspaper's opinion, editor david shipley resigned from the position he has held since 2022, declining to stay at the helm under the paper's new editorial direction. let's bring in right now the former executive editor of the washington post, marty baron. marty started in that position in early 2013, months before bezos purchased the post, and he served through 2021. marty, i, i mean, most of us, when we saw this, we just said, what the hell? it is it's like something that we've never heard. i mean, it's obviously opinion pages can go their own direction, but to say we don't publish opposing viewpoints seems shocking at best. what was your reaction? >> well, i was shocked as well. you know, bezos said that he's

in favor of. >> personal liberties. >> well, of course, so am i. >> and that's. >> why i'm in favor. >> of free expression. >> you know. >> it's right there in the first amendment. and news organizations have always honored free expression by having a variety. >> of points of view. >> on their opinion pages. >> but bezos now. >> is just shutting that down. >> and he's saying. >> that only his point of. >> view. >> is going to be. >> represented on those pages. and that really is a betrayal of the heritage of the, of the washington post. and i think a betrayal of the very idea of free expression. >> and it. actually. >> it can contrast to. >> how. >> newspapers. >> news organizations honored free expression with a variety of points of view. it actually dishonors free expression, you know, which is the most. fundamental personal liberty of american citizens. >> so, marty. >> as you heard that new edict. >> from jeff bezos to focus only on personal liberty and free markets, what. >> did you take that to mean? >> in other words, if you're an op ed columnist. >> at the washington post sitting. >> down in front of your laptop this morning, what are you expected to write about?

>> well. >> that's a good question. >> i think. >> it sends a very disturbing. message to the very good. columnists at the at the washington post. >> that if. they are. >> not. >> in line. >> with. >> his particular point of view, if they don't share his view on all of these. >> issues. >> that they can go take a hike. >> and. >> you know, maybe some of them will take a hike because the signal is that they're not welcome there. >> marty, you've had quite an accomplished career. miami herald, boston globe, washington post you know, more than most people know that the editorial page and the op ed page, basically. but the editorial page specifically belongs to the publisher. if the publisher wants his views on the editorial, on the op ed page editorial page, he will get it. but what. does it do in your sense here with the post staff at the post? what does such behavior do that bezos exhibited yesterday due to the morale of the reportorial staff? >> well. >> i think the. the morale is

definitely gone into the tank. it's true that the editorials belong to the publisher, to the owner. >> they can. >> use the editorials. but to say that the entire opinion. page belongs to the owner as well. when historically those opinion pages have been. available for a variety of points of view. you know, bezos himself has said over time that those pages should have a variety of views. and i totally agree with them. >> that's the nature. >> of democracy. is that we have vigorous, vigorous debate over policies. >> but this. >> is really. >> an. >> anti-democratic move. it says. >> that, no, the only the only opinion that is permitted. >> here is my opinion. >> and you have to. share that. and there's no room for you on my. >> pages on, on our site. >> if. >> you have an. >> opposing point of view. that is anti-democratic in nature. >> marty. >> there's no evidence. >> i haven't. >> heard any from colleagues who work at the washington. >> post that. >> jeff bezos. >> has been. >> at all involved in the news. reporting of the post.

>> i don't. >> know if you've heard anything. >> about that. >> obviously. >> it's something that i'm sure you keep close tabs on. what would. >> it what have you heard and what would. >> it do to the post if that started to become the case? >> well, that would be terrible. >> if it did happen. >> i too have not. >> heard any anything. >> like that. i've seen no sign of it. >> in fact, the post news coverage has. >> been remarkable. >> i mean, it's been really revelatory. they've broken a lot of, you know, one big story after the next. they're telling the public what it needs to know about what's happening in their government. that's what a newsroom ought to be doing. and they're doing it with a lot of vigor, and i think with a lot of rigor as well. i would just like to. >> see the. owner publicly thank his reporters. >> and editors for that. >> kind of work, because they. >> deserve his gratitude. >> for it. >> former executive editor of the washington post. marty baron, thank you so much for being with us. >> up next, journalist. >> tina brown joins. >> us with. >> who she. thinks is the best person to lead the democrats. >> forward as they try.

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find exactly what you're booking for. booking.com booking.yeah >> democratic strategist james carville. he's out with a bold. >> prediction. >> saying that. >> the trump administration and. republican lawmakers will suffer a massive. >> collapse in 30 days. let's take a look. >> what i've said very publicly. >> that democrats need to play possum. >> this whole thing is collapsing. >> it doesn't need elizabeth warren. in somebody screaming to pacify some progressive advocacy groups in washington, which, by the way, i wish. >> these people were. >> just useless. >> they're actually. >> worse than useless, that they're detrimental. and they never, ever learn to. shut up. and so, dan, this. is what. i believe. >> i believe that. >> this administration. >> in less. >> than 30. >> days, in the midst of a massive collapse. >> in particularly.

>> a collapse. >> in public. >> opinion. >> it's going to be easy pickings. >> here in. >> six weeks. >> just lay back. >> so you literally you literally. >> think 30 days to six weeks. >> the trump administration. >> is effectively going to collapse in terms of public support. >> well. >> it's collapsing right now. we're in the midst of a collapse. this is the lowest approval. not even close that any president has ever had at a comparable time. >> again. >> that that's. >> a provable fact. >> so they're. >> not going. >> to be able. >> to get. >> a debt extension. >> that's pretty clear. i don't. >> think they're going to be able to pass reconciliation, but i'm not sure. but they're. going to have to go to harkin. and that is going to be the equivalent. >> of stacking arms. >> it's over. >> well. >> that's that is certainly. >> a pronouncement. >> that's certainly. >> one view of it.

>> again, going back to wide world of news, halperin also quotes from heather cox richardson's newsletter. her quote of timothy snyder, who is a scholar on authoritarianism, who said something is shifting. they are still breaking things and stealing things, and they will keep trying to break and steal. but the propaganda magic around the oligarchical coup is fading. nervous. musk. nervous. trump. and the point is not that necessarily everything is going to be over in 30 days, or that things are going to collapse in 30 days, but democrats, for the first time since election day. and that's this is what halperin's wide world of news is saying. for the first time since election day, democrats are starting to see an opening. and with that opening, a lot of questions about who will lead this party. >> right. joining us now, co-founder. ceo of axios, jim

vandehei. and journalist, editor and. >> author of. >> the. >> newsletter fresh hell. >> available on substack tina brown. >> i love it. >> my favorite. >> newsletter. >> the bbc's. >> katty kay. >> is still. >> with us as well. she's the host of the rest is politics. >> podcast. which is amazing as well. >> so jim vandehei, you've actually written about axios, has actually written about this, which is they're sort of different camps that we have right now for leaders who want to take. charge of the democratic party and lead the fight against republicans and donald trump. talk about that. >> yeah. i mean, i don't know if carville is spot on in his analysis, like he's got to look at where the democratic party is right now, right? we have also have polls showing democrats have never been as a party more unpopular than they are at this moment. on top of that, they don't have much power, right? >> if you don't. >> control the senate. >> you don't control. >> the house.

>> you don't control the. >> white house, you don't control the courts. there's only so many levers that you can that you can actually pull. so the debate inside the party is, do you accept that some of the things that. >> donald trump wants. >> to do directionally might. >> be. >> correct, and then put sort of governor whitmer or governor polis in colorado in that camp saying, listen, maybe. >> they're with him on. >> tariffs or part of tariffs. maybe they're with them on the border and conceding that that things need to be done, and not that every day doesn't need to be a fight. that's one camp. i think. >> the. >> other is your chris murphy, a senator. >> from connecticut. >> or jd pritzker in illinois. people who are from very liberal states where they have the freedom to be in sort of the warfare mindset day. >> in and day. >> out, our in, our out. and i think that. is the. >> that is. >> the big fight. i think, you know, we know the way politics works is if trump's going to live or die based on his performance, like tell me what inflation. >> looks like in a month. >> tell me what the. >> jobless rate looks like. tell me where wages are and tell. >> me how much chaos flows from

some of the decisions of the first 30 days. >> and i'll tell. >> you kind of where his public standing is and whether or not republicans will break. but so far, there's zero sign. you saw it. you had it this morning. the idea that no republican. will speak up and say, hey, maybe vladimir putin is a thug, maybe he's a dictator. maybe he's been held his entire life starting at the kgb to. >> destroy your nation. >> maybe. >> zelinski. >> you could argue. >> whether or. not we. >> should be there or not. there. you can't argue like, oh, he started the war when. >> someone invaded me. >> and yet you don't have. >> a single republican who says, hey, that's crazy. that's counter. everything we've ever believed in our careers. and i think that. >> speaks to. >> the power trump will have until those poll numbers go way the hell down. well. >> yeah, until if inflation. >> goes up. >> or. >> those poll numbers go down, the economy goes down. exactly. i think you're right. i don't see that happening within 30 days. but but you are right. i mean, vladimir putin has seen the united states of america as an enemy his entire life. and

yet here we are. with not a single republican willing to stand up and speak out aggressively against against what president trump has been saying. you know, tina, your your latest your latest piece in fresh hell. has this line and i. >> do agree. >> with you, because i have noticed that since the election, most democratic leaders have been stunned. one real exception to that has been rahm emanuel, who time and time again with his language, strips things down to their bare essentials. and if h, let's say he's talking about. or let's say he's talking about trans athletes or talking about some of these hot button issues that democrats fumble around on rahm, he'll have a line for it, which is the democratic party is popular. when they're the party of acceptance, they are unpopular when they're party of

authoritarianism. on these social issues. are they're the party of. >> advocacy. >> shoving all of these issues in americans faces, even when they don't want to. acceptance. yes. stern advocacy? no. >> absolutely right. i mean. >> god, how much do i love james carville, by the way? but rahm. >> you know, he. >> knows how to communicate. and, you know, he actually says, you know, the messenger. >> is the. message because democrats. >> like to go on about. >> like, we have. >> to get the. >> message, right. well, the. >> messenger has to be right, too. and rahm is able to. speak with. >> clarity, which is so missing from the kind of mothballed, you. >> know. >> euphemistic verbiage. >> you know, that the. >> that the democrats. >> tend to speak in. and he says, you. >> know. >> democrats tend to. >> defend. >> you know, they defend the process. instead of the results. and it's absolutely true. >> you know, i mean, much, though, i love elizabeth warren. the sight of her sort of. >> parading around with a sign. >> saying, you know, save our cfpb. it's like.

>> what's the. >> next thing, you. >> know, save our irs. >> i mean, you know, this. acronyms and. and sort. of. you know, it's lame. it's lame. >> and rahm is. >> never lame. >> he he has this amazing. >> expertise. >> which is, of course. >> wildly out. >> of fashion to have any expertise. but when you think that he. >> was a. >> chief of staff, that. >> he was. >> you know. >> ambassador to japan. >> that. >> he. was mayor of. >> chicago. >> the guy has a. >> you know, he's. >> a he's. >> a practitioner. he's not a. >> advisor, although he has been. >> he's a practitioner. >> he's been in, you know. >> in the throng. and the and the. >> throes of the. >> real sort of heat of politics. and he. >> understands what. >> really works and what doesn't. he knows how to communicate. >> and yet, you know. >> he's. >> also brilliant. so i. think we need. >> people like. >> him who. >> intellectually top. >> notch, but who are communicating. >> in ways. >> that people can understand with clarity. >> beyond rahm emanuel. >> when you look. >> around the country and you look particularly to the next election, obviously democrats are hoping that they're. >> going to.

>> find a candidate who can run for president in four years time, who can take. on whoever it is, j.d. vance or whoever is the heir to donald trump. who do you see that that makes you excited, makes you hopeful for the democrats chances in the next election? >> well. >> i do think that. >> is too early. >> i mean, i. >> wish that rahm. >> would run himself. >> and i don't see why. >> he shouldn't. i think he could. >> and he should. >> but i think that, you know, it's. >> probably going to be at, you know. >> the sort of. >> much lower levels of politics. >> it's not. >> going. >> to come from the big crowd that. >> we see out there. >> at the top. it's going to. >> come from the. >> sort of the johnny. >> appleseed's who are. >> being sort. >> of grown. >> and i think. >> that rahm himself. >> is. >> a great. >> believer in that, which is. >> to grow. >> you know. >> right from the grass. >> roots new leaders. >> who can come up. >> and somehow get. >> into the mix. that's what we're really going. >> to need. but whoever it is, they they've got to have. >> communication skills. >> they've got to be. >> able to think and. >> talk at the same time. >> and if. >> they don't. >> have those skills. >> you know, get out of my face. >> i don't want to see anybody

else who people say. >> you know, behind closed doors. >> he's really fabulous. he's you know, we had that with john kerry. we know we've had that with we had it with. >> people like romney. >> i mean. >> they don't win. >> those people. >> the people who can only be. >> stars behind closed. >> doors. >> you know. >> stay behind closed doors. that's my message to them. >> so, jim vandehei. >> you've been pretty. >> consistent and clear in the last few. >> months. >> just about the. uphill climb. >> democrats have. >> ahead of them in the. >> wake of. >> november's election. >> and one thing i've been hearing from. >> a. >> lot of people in. >> the. >> party. >> especially in recent. >> weeks, is. >> the sort of lack of leadership. yes. >> rahm emanuel perhaps. >> could fill that role. >> but they're right now they're looking around. they're not really seeing it. they're not. >> sure that minority. >> leader jeffries or schumer. are right now meeting this moment. >> they're look, they're. >> it's too early perhaps. >> for. >> the really. >> the 2028 presidential. field to emerge. >> what's your. assessment here? >> who should be filling the gap. and the way. >> that during the first trump. >> term. >> 2017, 2018. >> that first wave. >> of trumpism, it was. >> nancy. >> pelosi who stepped into. >> the breach.

>> yeah. i mean, listen, over the last 20 years, we've had similar thumpings by both parties. and when you come out of an election where you have no party control, every party goes through this and everyone is hopeless and oh my god, we have no leaders. there's not a single leader who could step up. there's not a single. democrat right now who can command a national attention because of either their position like chuck schumer is just not it. he has power in the senate, but he's just not a national figure like that. and the way that politics works, way power works, is that it's almost always a reaction to who's in power now. and so whatever trump does, it will feed that reaction. and if he's unpopular. >> then little. >> by little, republicans. >> will. >> break from him potentially. and it will give a clear opening for democrats to figure out, how do you run against a guy who doesn't do or believe or say anything that you thought anybody could and get away with it in american politics? and so all the power flows through him. the reason that i'm not as certain as others that

republicans will break as quickly from trump if things go poorly, is this combination of musk and trump like the new dynamic? and you saw that in the nominating process, is that when you have the power of the presidency and the power of sort of the information warfare machine aimed at you, almost. >> no one has the. >> courage to stand up and take the bullet. nobody you go back to a month and a half ago, had you said that this crop of people were going to be nominated to be cabinet officials and that all of them would get through, we were saying we thought they would get through because we've kind of seen the dynamic with this republican party. but most people thought they'd be defeated. they wouldn't. it's the reason you see. >> everyone being quiet or. >> playing word games with russia. it's why. >> you see. everyone being quiet or playing word games with gaza. >> or why, when the president picks a podcaster to be the number. two at the fbi. >> where you now have two. >> loyalists running the fbi. >> not two people. >> who have. >> a lot of experience. >> with. >> a massive bureaucracy. >> that has extreme power. >> over the entirety of the united states. >> they're not.

>> looking at. >> experience like the reason that republicans. >> don't speak out of it. >> is fear. and the only way you get rid of fear is by eradicating the amount of authority and popularity that trump has right now. >> coming up three years. >> after the start. >> of. >> the war in ukraine, a new book. >> is out. >> featuring 300 images across ten chapters covering ukrainian culture. we'll speak with. >> the author. >> diplomat gregory slayton. >> joins us next. on morning joe weekend. hi. >> it's dorinda. >> medley and i am finally. >> at soto belen. >> i work. >> out, i eat right, but there are just some areas i just need to. have tweaked. >> that's why this celebrity housewife. >> went to sono bello. one visit, permanent fat removal. >> i saw. >> results right away. >> i just feel. >> so much more confident in my body, which feels great. >> when it comes to your personal health and happiness. you deserve the absolute best. >> i go. >> back to. >> old dorinda. schedule your free. >> no obligation consultation

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i knew something was wrong. then i saw my doctor and found out i have afib, and that means there's about a 5 times greater risk of stroke. symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or light-headedness, can come and go. but if you have afib, the risk of stroke is always there. if you have one or more symptoms, get checked out. making that appointment can help you get ahead of stroke risk. this is no time to wait. rachel maddow and team will break down the speech and its impact at home and abroad. the joint address to congress special coverage tuesday at eight on msnbc. >> 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. >> eight on msnbc. >> welcome back. as we've been. >> discussing this morning. today marks. three years since russia. >> launched its. >> unprovoked, full scale, full. >> scale war. >> on ukraine. this past. >> fall, the wall. >> street journal estimated that. over a. >> million. >> troops in total. >> have. >> been wounded or killed in the conflict. >> according to the u.n. refugee agency. >> nearly 7. >> million. >> refugees from. ukraine have. >> been recorded globally. >> since february 2022. >> to honor. ukraine today marks the. >> release of a new book titled portraits. >> of. >> ukraine a nation at war, featuring 300. >> images across. >> ten chapters. >> covering ukrainian culture. >> recipient of the. >> distinguished foreign service. >> award. >> gregory slayton. >> takes readers. >> into the past three. >> years in. ukraine and beyond. >> with exclusive. >> contributions from president zelenskyy. as well as former u.s. vice president. >> mike pence. >> and co.

>> author gregory slayton. >> joins us now. >> from kyiv with more. >> gregory, good morning. thank you for joining us today. it's obviously. >> a somber. >> moment there. >> in ukraine. talk to us about the origins of. >> this book. what did you. >> hope to accomplish? >> well, my family and i have had the great privilege. of helping to deliver millions of pounds of relief supplies since. >> the unprovoked. >> russian invasion. and we noted all the russian propaganda, including, you know, nato started the war, ukraine started the war, ukraine closing down churches. all this. >> stuff is completely untrue. >> so we decided to do this book. we started about two years ago. we had a team in ukraine, a team in poland, a team in the united states. and we've documented. >> very, very carefully not just the russian. >> invasion. >> but the history. >> of ukraine. >> the culture, the. >> language, the people stretching back. >> thousands of years.

>> no, ukraine is not a state of the russian federation like kentucky is part of the united states. it's a separate independent country and has been for a long, long time. >> gregory, as you've. >> been speaking, we're going. >> to. >> show images. >> from the book. >> at first, some pre-war, now some. >> far. >> more harrowing. ones that have happened. >> after the conflict began. >> there's been, as we've been. >> discussing at length. >> the. >> last few weeks. >> on this show, suddenly notes of ambiguity here from. >> the. >> united states. >> and from the white. >> house as. >> to who was the. >> aggressor in. >> this conflict, what exactly. >> russian russia has done. but talk to us about. >> some of. >> the. >> images you have. >> you and. >> your colleagues. >> have documented. >> in the. book showing. >> russia's aggression and at times, war crimes. >> well that's right. war crimes have been widespread. some of it has been extremely well documented, others not so much. we have documented over 500 churches of all. different denominations that have been shut down, burned out, or the pastors or priests taken

prisoner in the occupied ukrainian territories. so this idea that there's somehow not freedom of religion in ukraine, but there's freedom of religion in russia, that's another kremlin talking point that just isn't true. now, you mentioned earlier in the show that 7 million plus ukrainian civilians or refugees, actually, our numbers are over 10 million. if you include ukrainian civilians who have lost loved ones, who have lost jobs, who have lost homes. it's a gigantic number for a nation that was only 40 million at the beginning of the russian invasion. there's been a huge amount of suffering here. >> so, gregory, we. >> showed some of the images. >> there, clearly from the front lines or the aftermath of the. conflict between. >> the military. >> so talk. >> to. >> us a little bit. about what you. >> see. >> day to day. >> among the civilians. >> just your average. >> ukrainian who has. had their life fundamentally. >> changed because. >> of actual russian. >> armament. >> or at least. >> just the. >> fear that. >> comes. >> with it over these.

>> last three years. >> exactly right. it's been a long time, and i think the ukrainian people are extraordinarily brave. they're tough, they're strong. i think they're great allies for us. remember that they have suffered all the casualties, half a million killed and wounded, something like that. and how many united states military and two of our children are u.s. military officers? so i speak from the heart here. zero u.s. military casualties here. everybody wants peace. nobody wants peace more than ukrainian people. but to bow the knee of vladimir putin and become again part of what is effectively his dream of reestablished soviet union. nobody wants that. and certainly not here. not in poland, not in lithuania, nobody. >> the new book, portraits. >> of ukraine a nation. >> at war, is available now. >> diplomat gregory slayton. >> gregory, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. let me just

mention all the profits from the book go to good ukrainian charities. so i do hope your audience will reach out and get it and be a blessing to ukraine as well. >> up next. >> a look at. >> the new dark comedy. >> my dead friend zoe, which follows the. >> journey of a u.s. army veteran who served in. >> afghanistan, is now. >> struggling with ptsd. we'll speak with the cast, including. four time oscar. four time oscar. >> nominee ed harris, next on. (♪♪) 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

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liberty. >> 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, grandpa. i've been. >> dealing with. >> some things. >> that's what a soldier does. we suck it up. anybody. >> else they. >> don't know. >> first platoon said there's a sniper out there. >> you think i'm scared? where are you going? zoe. you can't tell anyone. girl. damn, what a name. don't say that.

>> what? >> i can joke. >> about the dead. these are my people. hey. >> here. >> i didn't think. >> have you. >> ever played. >> buck hunter? >> no. that's a new record. >> well, damn. >> yeah. >> i'm crazy. >> crazy enough to say. >> all right, that was a look. >> at the new. >> movie. >> my. >> dead friend zoe. the film follows. >> a. >> u.s. army. >> veteran named merritt who, after. >> serving in afghanistan. >> is struggling. >> with ptsd. >> dealing with the loss of her best. friend from her time. >> in the military. >> while moving back in. >> with her vietnam. veteran grandfather. >> that's a lot. joining us now. >> costars of. >> my dead friend. >> zoe, oscar nominated and golden. >> globe winning actor. >> ed harris. >> and actors. >> natalie morales. and sonequa martin-green. >> they all serve as executive producers on the project as well. i'll go down. >> the line then. ed, i'll start with you. >> this is. >> based on. >> someone's real life experience. >> tell us who that.

>> is and more about the narrative. >> the plot. >> well, our dear. >> director. >> kyle houseman. >> stokes. who wrote the three of us individual. letters and sent the script, and we all met with him. >> and his passion. >> and his need to make this film, and his desire to try to save. >> some lives. >> it's based on his. >> life. >> like he. >> said, like 93%. >> he lost a couple good buddies when he came back from iraq. and so he really wanted to. >> make this film. >> and really in hopes that it would help some people get some help. >> so we're all, you know, what said to be part of. >> what's so incredible about this film? natalie, is that 90% of the actors i understand that served are veterans. it was written and directed by a veteran. and so this isn't just this isn't just somebody who dreamed a concept up. this is

somebody who suffered the way that so many veterans are suffering still today. talk talk about that. >> yeah. >> you know. >> i wish kyle was here to talk about his. >> his own story, but. >> yes, kyle. >> houseman stokes. >> was a veteran. >> served in the army. and this story. >> is about. >> his own experiences. post post getting home, you know, and his friends that he lost in the war. so sonequa and i were. >> avatars for. >> for him and. >> his friends, essentially. and it really meant a lot to us to be a part of that. >> but i do. >> also want to say that even though this film is about veterans, it's also for everyone. >> it's not. >> it's about people, really. that's right. >> sonequa. >> you play merritt. talk to me about what that was like. and also just sort of what you brought to this film. >> it's it was such a tremendously illuminating

experience. you know, being able to tell this story, like ed and natalie, you know, have been saying, you know, kyle was a staff sergeant, bronze star. you know, he he's he's made a business of saving lives. he was doing it before he did this film and is. continuing that mission to save lives with this film. and so i, i just have such profound respect for him. we all do. and he decided to have a black woman tell his story, and a. >> cuban woman tell. >> his friends stories, you know, serve as, as, as a, as proxy. >> for. >> his battle buddies. and so it was a very complicated, challenging, fulfilling, beautiful, sort of irresistibly touching experience. it was collaborative. we were a family, and we all were all honored to stand with him. and like natalie said, too, it isn't just for veterans. it is. it is a very

specific story. >> but everyone. >> anyone can, can relate to this kind of pain, guilt, shame, survivor's remorse, you know, mental health issues, everybody can relate. so we hope that people watch it and grow from it. talk about it. >> and also it's a comedy. that's true too. >> what's so funny? i was. >> going to. >> say i. >> was going to. >> say and you can see it. it jumps off the screen. that, that. yeah. you tackled. serious subjects. >> but it's. >> also it's a dark comedy and there's that one moment in ther, and i can't wait to watch the fraught relationship between merritt and you, where merritt trying to open up to your character who is a vietnam vet. and you response is basically, yeah, suck it up. >> so that looks. >> like. >> that's again, that's a relationship a lot of people. >> can probably. >> relate to. >> yeah.

>> this seems. >> a little. >> bit more involved than that, joe. but yeah. >> it. >> does come down to that at one point. yeah. >> i mean, you know. >> it's funny. it's an. >> entertaining film. i mean, i. >> think people. >> we had a screening the other night at the premiere and. >> people really. >> dig it. it just it's really. >> a. >> good film. >> you know. >> i look forward. >> to it. >> and ed, you're also starring. >> in another movie. >> you're a little busy right. >> now, coming. >> out later this week. >> it's entitled. >> riff raff. >> and features a star. >> studded cast of yourself, bill. >> murray. >> jennifer coolidge. >> gabrielle union. >> pete davidson, and lewis pullman. >> tell us. >> about this. >> yeah, well, we shot it in. >> jersey beginning of last year, and. >> dito montiel was the director i had met at the sundance. >> film lab. >> years ago. he was one of the fellows. i go out there as an advisor. >> every summer. >> and sent me the script. >> and it's. >> it's riotous. it's pretty funny and it's dark and bloody, and i think people are going to dig it. >> we'll see how. >> it goes. >> okay.

>> well. >> for now. >> the new movie. >> my dead. >> friend zoe, is. >> in theaters this friday. >> don't miss it. >> don't go away. >> we have a second. hour of morning joe weekend. >> this sunday morning. >> coming up. >> coming up. >> right [coughing] copd isn't pretty. from the struggle to breathe... to getting stopped in your tracks. bye, grandma. ♪♪ but with trelegy, i can finally move forward. with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. once-daily trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain,

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get this deal. it's friday plans pills.com. hello and welcome back to the sunday edition of morning joe weekend. let's jump into some of the stories you may have missed this week. let's bring right now democratic

senator adam schiff of california. he's a member of the judiciary committee. senator, thanks so much for being with us. so, senator, in 2014, republican senators were very critical of barack obama for not providing military assistance to ukraine as quickly as they needed it in 2022 and 2023. you had republican house members and some senators also being critical of joe biden, suggesting that he wasn't doing enough to support and defend ukraine. i'm curious, where are your republican colleagues on on this issue? they they seem to be quite strident, and i will say i agreed with them in the defense of ukraine against russia and against russian invasions. i am curious, though, where are they now? >> well, it's. a good question. and look, i was. >> also critical of the biden administration at. >> times for. >> not leaning. >> into more. support for

ukraine. for taking. >> so long to provide high mars. >> and other vital. >> military materiel to ukraine. but we're in a whole different place. >> now where. the question is not how. >> quickly are we. >> providing aid, but whether. >> we're going to. >> completely turn our. >> back on our. >> ally and provide aid and comfort. >> to our enemy. that is russia. >> in terms. >> of where. >> republicans are, we've. >> heard some rhetorical. >> support for. >> ukraine. >> but ruben. >> gallego and i took to the senate floor. >> yesterday on. >> a resolution to condemn the. >> opposition to the. >> u.n. resolution that would. have supported ukraine and that. >> passed without our support. >> and the republicans objected to it coming up. >> not a single. >> republican would. support it. >> now. >> if the. >> administration is going to give up. >> the mantle of leader of the. >> free world. >> it doesn't mean that. america has to. the u.s. senate. and the house of representatives could. step up into the void and.

express a view that is consistent with. >> our. >> role in supporting. >> democracy around the world. >> that is not. >> happening because they don't want as yet to contradict this president. but this can't go on. not if we have any hope, frankly, of maintaining any trust with our allies. >> senator. >> let's turn to some domestic issues now, and. particularly the work of. elon musk and doge. >> there have been a couple federal judicial rulings. >> that. >> have thrown. >> that have. >> put the brakes on some of what he's trying. >> to do, but he and the office. >> of personnel. >> management are planning. >> for mass, widespread layoffs, federal government employee cuts in the middle of march, just a couple of weeks from now. give us your assessment as to what that. >> would mean. >> not just. >> for the government. >> but for your constituents. >> well, if they're. >> able. >> to go forward with. >> this continuing agenda of slashing the government and slashing benefits primarily to raise the money for this massive tax cut that will benefit

benefit large companies, lots of people are going to be hurt and really visceral ways. i think you're going to see hospitals shut down. you're going to see clinics go away. you're going to see the results of the cuts to education in the. form of less funding for special ed for classrooms around the country. already in some places, people are saying a trump. surcharge on their bills. that was one example in alabama. where because there were slashes to energy subsidies. people were getting $100 surcharge on their bill. when those impacts start to be felt, and there's always a lag between the cuts and the pain, then i think my republican colleagues are going to be hearing from people in massive numbers, and the president's numbers are going to tank more. >> their own. >> numbers are going to tank more. but more importantly, the american people are really going to suffer in la, where we've gone through these horrible wildfires. some of the firefighters that battled those blazes have gotten notices that they're fired or they should

quit. that's quite a reward for a job, you know, courageously done. and, you know, some of the funding for fema and other agencies may go away that would be necessary for the rebuilding. that's just. in one state and one part of one state. but the whole country is going to feel this. >> all right. democratic senator adam schiff of california, thanks so much for being with us. let's bring in now msnbc host symone sanders townsend and also nbc news national affairs analyst and a partner in chief, political columnist at puck, john heilemann, let's start with you. front page of the new york times talks about chaos with the musk cuts, and also how the cabinet is actually donald trump's own cabinet is struggling with it. there's some grumbling, some backbiting, some real concerns. i'm curious right now, even though we're starting to see that out at town hall meetings across america, i'm curious, what is what is the immediate political impact?

>> well, look, joe, i have actually been hearing from a lot of individuals who work inside the government, people that i knew when i worked there who are career officials, but people whom i do not know who are reaching out anonymously, who are scared, saying, we just want people to know what it feels like. and i just want to tell you, i spoke to a person who was a nonpolitical general counsel at an agency. this president has been placed on administrative leave with proposed termination. and they said, quote, we are living through a coup. another individual who works at u.s. customs and citizen, u.s. citizenship and immigration services, said to me that they are all afraid within the agency that they're going to be merged with ice. to be clear, ice is enforcement. u.s. citizenship and immigration services helps people naturalize and helps set the immigration policies. and so this is this is hitting people exactly where it hurts their pockets, their lives, their

livelihoods. and i think that the political ramifications are not actually being captured at these town halls. there are people who are not going to be present at these town halls because they are scared, because they are afraid. there are also some people, frankly, y'all, that aren't showing up to the town halls because they tried to warn folks before the election started and they did not vote for donald trump because they knew what he would be bringing. so i do think that republicans who are saying, oh, democrats are they're bussing in democrats to these town halls and they're organizing they can they can play with the american people if they would like. i remind them, remember when democrats back in the first year of the biden administration, i worked there, said that the inflation was transitory, right? that it wasn't going to be that it wasn't that it wasn't going to be a permanent, that people were just making things up. that was not the reality. people were living. and we saw the ramifications of that during the election. so i just i would caution folks. >> i will say, john, if you and we've talked about this a good

bit, if you talk generally about doj's, if you talk generally about cuts, that concept is a popular concept. it's been a popular concept when, you know, there was a golden fleece award when al gore was talking about it. it's been popular, you know, remaking reforming government. it is when the rubber hits the road and you have the individual cuts that there are problems. certainly in states like virginia. i will say, though, you know, what did we. hear after the election? it was the price of eggs. it was the price of groceries. it was the price of gas. well, none of those have actually gone down. and i suspect as much as we talk about this and talk about other issues, if the price of beef remains at record levels, if the price of eggs remained at record levels, if the price of groceries don't come down substantially in the coming year, that's probably what voters are going to be more focused on than those or ukraine or any of these other issues that do matter a great deal.

yeah. >> 100%, 100%. joe and i you know, i talk to a lot of people who are out there doing. >> focus groups around. >> the country. and this is. >> a persistent. >> theme that you keep. >> hearing from voters. >> not democratic. >> voters, independent voters and republican. >> voters. >> which is the. >> price of eggs, the price of beef, the price. >> of gas. >> the price. >> the price of things. >> was the thing. >> that ultimately was. >> the most lethal to joe biden's presidency. >> and what. >> those focus groups. >> are saying. >> is that. >> the what the chaos looks. >> like to them, what we. >> portray as chaos. >> and some of those things. really are going. >> about the way. >> that musk and doge are going about. things are. >> undeniably chaotic, and it obviously makes headlines. >> when they're cutting air. >> traffic. >> they're cutting. >> faa people. >> when they're when. >> there are these near misses in the skies, the admission. >> that they cut the ebola. >> funding. >> these are, you know, big headline things, the nuclear safety people. but in the town.

>> halls. >> what people see is they see. >> donald trump not. >> focused on the main thing that they want. >> donald trump. >> to focus. >> on. >> which is. >> the economy and prices. on one hand, they see that and they also see. >> that prices are not falling. >> the prices are. >> in fact rising. >> and i think in the end, that. >> is the most. lethal factor that donald trump has to contend with politically. >> i love a. >> lot of civil servants. >> i think people who. >> serve the government are almost. >> are almost. >> entirely public spirited public, and they work really hard. and i have. enormous sympathy for them when they are facing getting fired. i think out in the country where many, many millions of people have worked in private. >> sector jobs. >> where big, unexpected. >> layoffs have occurred. >> that a lot of those people have a lot less sympathy for government. >> workers. >> whether you call them bureaucrats. >> or. >> call them. >> civil servants. >> they sort. >> of say, this is the. >> way our. >> economy is right now.

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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. send info.com for all the details. >> physicians mutual. >> physicians mutual. >> what was it. >> like when trump got elected? what was the. >> i mean, what was the reaction, do you think about ice. >> coming to knock. >> on your. >> front door to. >> you 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. >> washington post owner and amazon founder jeff bezos, of course, announced a major shift in the paper's opinion section in a social media post. of course, you all saw this. the tech mogul outlined dramatic changes that would focus on personal liberties and free markets. still not sure exactly what personal liberties is defined by in his mind, and won't publish anything that opposes those ideas. the billionaire also revealed he offered the section's editor, david shipley, a chance to continue in this new chapter, but shipley decided to step away. he's been running the section since 2022. let's bring in talk about this and much more. pulitzer prize winning columnist and associate editor of the washington post, eugene robinson. gene, let's just i'm

curious what your thought is. you have been connected with the washington post, pulitzer prize winner. you've had pulitzer prize winners leave the post over the past several months, and it continues. i'm just curious what your thought is about this directive coming down for a newspaper whose tough questions literally redefined modern journalism in america over the past half century? >> well, it's a very good question. first of all, joe, you know as much about this as i do in terms of what this you know what exactly jeff means. it's not as if we publish a whole lot of pieces or in fact, any pieces that oppose free markets and personal liberties. right? we don't we cannot recall ever publishing a piece with the

headline the joy of socialism. that's that's not us. so what does this mean? because he describes it as a significant shift. you know what was intolerable to david shipley and is intolerable to a lot of us, frankly, is this idea that we're going to be we're going to be channeled, that there will be some views, who knows what they are that will no longer be published in the washington post's opinion pages that are off limits. and that is not the way we've ever functioned. that is not the tradition of the page under david shipley, under his predecessors, fred hiatt and meg greenfield. going back the entire time i've been at the washington post. and i just to

be very frank, i mean, for many of us, this is as to quote elon musk, this is a fork in the road moment. because the kinds of strictures, whatever they turn out to be, are, are not what we thought we had signed up for. this is not the way we have worked to produce what is, i believe, objectively, the best opinion in american journalism. and i would i would defend that. and i think it's a i think it's a mistake journalistically. i think it's a mistake as a business proposition. but it you know, it leaves us with with choices and decisions to make about about our futures. >> you know, and what's so

surprising to me, gene, is, again, we're trying to sort through everybody's trying to sort through exactly what that statement means. i'm shocked that you, as a columnist on that page, a pulitzer prize winner, doesn't sound like you have any more insight into what those limitations are. potential limitations might be. >> you're right. i have absolutely no more insight into that. we have we have heard nothing from jeff beyond the statement that he put out on x and to the staff on wednesday morning at 9 a.m, we staff had a meeting with david shipley, but he was you know, i'm not going to discuss a private meeting with with staff, but i will say that i was not further enlightened as to exactly what this means. and nor have we heard anything more from our

publisher, will lewis, who also issued a statement to the staff, essentially saying, you know. yeah, what what what jeff said, this is what we're doing. but we don't know what what is. >> what that means. yeah. mike allen is certainly it seems bizarre to many observers, especially people who have worked for the washington post and who love it so much, your partner, jim vandehei, said yesterday that he, you know, he's been confused by five years of decisions that that have been made at the washington post, and it has been seemingly going, going in circles while losing readership. pull, pull back and tell us what how this gives us a better. light on the entire media landscape, especially when you have conglomerates, when you have multinational corporations who decide to pick up a newspaper as a bit of a rounding

error. we played a clip out of network, that famous, iconic ned beatty scene where he's the head of a conglomeration lecturing anchor who didn't take the lecturing very well. i'm just where are we right now with, with, especially with these conglomerates that that that have media outlets that are institutions but are basically a rounding error on their balance sheet? >> no, joe. >> that's exactly right. >> and lots. >> of your. >> viewers run things. so your viewers. >> run teams. >> run organizations. >> run companies. run nations. >> and if you run something, a superpower is clarity. knowing what your. thing is, knowing what your. >> mission is. >> knowing what your. higher purpose is. and that's what seems to be totally. >> missing from the. >> washington post. and is missing across. >> so much.

>> of the. >> media landscape. >> jim and i. >> have written about. >> the shards of glass that the media ecosystem basically fractured, and now you have. >> so many of these different shards. >> all of them. >> unconnected, disconnected. >> and so these. >> legacy organizations that. >> are trying to find. >> their way. >> in that new. >> universe seem totally lost. and this is why jim said yesterday on the show. >> of the many. >> things we don't. >> understand about what's going. >> on. >> at the washington post, and. >> i'm. a proud. >> alumnus, i started on the. >> metro desk. >> covering the alexandria city council. >> i'm a customer. >> i get it. at my. >> door in. >> arlington, virginia. >> to this day. >> we don't understand how they're communicating with their staff. >> with their readership. and this is a big message about communication for all. >> your viewers. >> that when the. >> communication is unclear. >> and foggy confusing. >> that's often downstream. >> from an unclear. >> foggy strategy. >> thinking up next, we're going

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>> trained techs. >> can replace your windshield right at your home. >> they flight safe. flight. >> don't wait. go to safe flight.com. >> and schedule now. >> safelite repair safelite replace. >> it's been five weeks. >> since president. >> trump took. >> office for the second. >> time. >> and his administration. >> has reshaped government on everything from law. >> and order. >> to the role of the free press. >> with that as our backdrop. >> our next guest took to the senate floor last week with a. >> message to his. >> colleagues it's time to. >> wake up. >> this isn't just a battle between the senate and the house and the president, and they're fighting about powers. no, the. reason the framers. >> designed our. >> constitution the way they did was. that they. >> were. >> afraid of concentrated power. the responsibility of the president is to take care that the laws be faithfully executed,

not write the laws, not deny the laws, not ignore the laws, not pick which laws he or she likes to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. that's the responsibility of the president. and right now, those laws are being ignored. power was divided for a reason. there's some criticism now in the press saying the people are talking about a constitutional crisis. they're crying wolf. no, this is a constitutional crisis. it's the most serious assault on our constitution in the history of this country. it is the most serious assault on the very structure of our constitution, which is designed to protect our freedoms and our liberty in the history of this country. it is a constitutional crisis. and i'll tell you what makes it worse. the president and the vice president are already hinting that they're not going to obey decisions of the courts. what's it going to take for us to wake up? and when i say us, i mean this entire body to wake up to what's going on here? is it

going to be too late? is it going to be when the president has accreted all this power and the congress is an afterthought? what's it going to take? i mean, the offenses keep piling up. the president over the weekend famously quoted napoleon, when you're saving your country, you don't have to obey any law. wow. a president of the united state, quoting napoleon about not having to obey. >> the law. >> an independent senator, angus. king of maine, joins. >> us now. >> it's great to have you back on the show, senator. >> katty kay. >> has the. >> first question. >> for you, sir. >> katty. senator, i've known you. >> for a long time, and you. >> are not given to making speeches lightly like. >> that on the floor. >> you choose your words carefully. what? who were you talking to? who was. >> your audience? >> what were you trying to achieve when you stood up there. on the senate floor and spoke to. >> your colleagues? >> i was trying to. >> capture the conscience of the. republican senators because that's where the power is.

>> they have a 53 vote majority in the. >> senate. >> and they can go to the white house and tell the. >> president, slow down. >> this is not the way our system. >> is designed. >> and they can they have some influence. that's what. >> i'm really talking about. >> what's shocking to me is that we're not standing up for the constitution. >> and when. >> the executive when the president cancels a whole. agency created by. >> congress. >> whether it's aid or the, the consumer finance board or the. >> independent agencies. >> that were set up almost 100 years ago to protect the public as. >> independent agencies. >> the congress is not only giving up its power, but. >> as i said. >> in the speech, we're violating the fundamental structure. >> of the. >> constitution, which was there in order to protect us. the framers were students of human nature, and they understood a very important principle. power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. therefore,

they divided power. that's what the constitution is all about. it divides power between the. >> president. >> the congress, the courts, the states, and the federal. >> federal government. >> so that. >> nobody would have all the power, because that inevitably leads to abuse. >> you're an independent. you you vote. >> with democrats. >> by and large. but i know. >> you have good relationships with your republican colleagues as well. do you. think they're open. >> to your message. >> when you have your private conversations. >> with them? and i don't want you to disclose names, but. >> are you hearing. are you hearing. >> murmurs of disquiet? >> i think, yes, i think the answer is. disquiet is a good word. i think they're uneasy. i think many of them understand what's going on, although their public posture as well. the courts will. >> protect us. >> the courts. >> will take care of us. >> well, there are two problems with that. number one, it's a cop out. we're not holding up our end of the constitutional bargain. we all take an oath when we come in to defend the constitution. not a president or a party to defend the

constitution. >> against all. >> enemies, foreign and domestic. i think. >> it's. >> fascinating that the framers had an idea there might be domestic. >> enemies, the constitution. >> so it's our responsibility. and the other the other part about the courts is, as i mentioned in the speech, the vice president and the president have already made noises about not obeying court orders. what happens then? that's where i think it is our responsibility in the congress. and again, i want to repeat this is an institutional jealousy. although madison in the federalist thought institutional jealousy would would protect this division of power, he didn't contemplate parties. that's one of the problems. but it isn't institutional jealousy. it's the fundamental structure that keeps us free from an autocrat, from a dictator, from. >> a monarch. >> these guys in 1787 had just fought a brutal seven year war. against a king. they didn't want concentrated power. they wanted it to be divided. and if donald

trump doesn't like, i'd come to congress, pass a bill. he's got a majority in both houses to abolish it. but don't do it in the middle of the night with this guy, musk, and nobody knows who he's working for or who's what his authority is. you know, we've got a bunch of 25 year olds deciding cutting programs. here's another. example the other day. and this tells you where we are. they point, someone pointed out that the ebola prevention program was cut in the aid cuts. musk said, oh, that was a mistake. we're going to fix it. think of the implications of that. what he's really saying is i get to decide which programs we fund and which we don't. that's not the way our system is set up. that's not the way, the way this thing is supposed to work. again, to protect our freedoms, people who are cheering, all of this going on, boy, they're going to have some second thoughts when the eye of sauron turns to them. >> coming up, a book club for bewildered liberals. new york times columnist nick kristof

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>> hey, carfax. how are you hiding from. >> used car shopping? >> yes. it doesn't have to be scary. show me carfax. knowing how a car's accident history impacts price means you don't have to overpay. no fear. >> just fox. say. show me a carfax. >> 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. >> president trump's first 100 days. watch. >> i'm going to be here five days a week again. >> read and listen. >> staying up half the night. >> reading executive. >> orders for this defining time in the second trump presidency. stay with msnbc. >> the trump. >> administration can. >> continue to. deny access. >> to one. >> of america's. >> preeminent news organizations. >> at least. >> for now. the associated. >> press filed a lawsuit against the white house after it was barred from the. >> oval. >> office and air force one over

its refusal to call. >> the gulf of. >> mexico what trump prefers, which is the gulf of america. >> now. >> a federal judge has denied a request. >> from. >> the ap for a temporary. >> restraining order. >> deciding he needs a full briefing before. issuing a final ruling. however. >> judge trevor. >> mcfadden. >> who is a trump appointee. >> did appear sympathetic to the ap's argument that the white house's actions. appeared to punish. >> the news organization. over language choice. >> which he said. amounted to viewpoint discrimination. the ap. full disclosure i used to work has accused the white house of violating. >> its first amendment rights. >> in a. >> statement, the news organization. >> said it will continue to stand for the right of the press and the public. >> to. >> speak freely without government retaliation. the white house did a real victory lap on this yesterday, calling the judge's. >> ruling a win. and in a statement posted. >> to the. official account, the us attorney. >> for the district. >> of. >> columbia, ed martin, also

celebrated. >> the ruling. >> and referred to his office as president. trump's lawyers. and joe, there should be two things here. >> first of all. >> i'm not sure why the us attorney. is weighing in at all. the ap is did not commit. >> a crime. >> no one is. >> suggesting that they did. and secondly. to reiterate, u.s. attorneys are. >> very much not. >> the president's. >> personal lawyers. >> no they're not. never have been never been considered the president's attorneys. i am curious, is this something that republicans in the united states senate on the judiciary committee may raise questions about? if not, that is even more disturbing. let's bring in right now the president of the national action network and host of msnbc's politics nation, reverend al sharpton and new york times columnist nick kristof. and his latest piece, nick invites people to join his, quote, bewildered liberals book club. and nick, let me let me

ask you about that. obviously, you see u.s. attorneys saying, i am donald trump's lawyer. you see every day, not only political norms being shattered, but constitutional norms, legal norms being shattered. and of course, a lot of it is intended to overwhelm, to bewilder. you, though, have said that liberals should read certain books to understand better what's going on. talk, talk, talk about that and talk about your idea for the column where it came from. >> sure. >> joe. and i mean, you know, i'm appalled by what has happened with ap and in so many other ways. it reminds me of the authoritarian countries i've lived in, and the way the press is treated, the way the government is going after independent institutions and trying to chip away at them. but what is just as frustrating is that democrats aren't seen by

many voters as a credible alternative. and i think the thing that just kind of breaks my heart is that while trump's popularity has dipped a little bit, ticked down a little bit in the last few days, he's still more popular now than the higher approval ratings than in november. and the idea that he could run roughshod over the constitution and crack down on the press and, you know, pardon the january 6th people and switch sides vis a vis russia. and yet, if the election were held today, perhaps win by an even larger margin. i think that forces those of us who are horrified by this to try to figure out how we can be more effective. and i think that one of the challenges and one reason why democrats aren't perceived as more effective is that they're, you know, in i'm talking to you from yamhill, oregon, very working class area that too often they're perceived as these educated folks who just have a different agenda and who don't care about those, their issues. and i don't think that's entirely fair. but i do think that democrats too often have

condescended to voters that they're trying to reach, and that's not an effective strategy. so my book club was really an effort to try to address that. i suggested barbara kingsolver's demon copperhead, which is just this amazing tour of the america that has been left behind and unraveling. and then the tyranny of merit by michael sandel at harvard, which looks at the whole idea of elitism and the. he argues that the last acceptable prejudice in america is that held by the educated, toward the less educated. and finally, my times colleague david lenhart's book ours was the bright, shining future, which looks at the way educated democrats, you know, didn't didn't sufficiently back blue collar labor unions to which they didn't listen on issues like immigration, which, you know, in the us and europe and canada has been, you know, such an important issue, empowering

the nationalist right. coming up, one democratic lawmaker from california is fighting back against cuts made by the department of government efficiency, specifically regarding veterans. we're going to talk to him when morning joe weekend returns. >> hi. it's dorinda medley, and i am finally. >> at soto. i work out, i eat right, but there are just some areas i just need to have tweaked. >> that's why. >> this celebrity. >> housewife went to sono bello. one visit, permanent fat removal. >> i saw results. >> right away. i just feel. >> so much more confident in my body, which feels great. >> when it comes to your personal health and happiness, you deserve the absolute best. >> i go back. >> to dorinda. >> schedule your free. >> no obligation consultation >> no obligation consultation call now sore throat got your tongue? mucinex instasoothe sore throat medicated drops, uniquely formulated for rapid relief that lasts and lasts. that's my babyyy! try our new sugar-free cough drops. instasoooooothe!

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to you in new jersey about doge and what they're seeing? >> musk and his. >> team do here. what are the global politics for some of these leaders, and why do you see them stating the opposite of what the united states president has stated? >> don't touch. >> the ball. let the ball come to. >> you, then throw it. the ball is coming to us. and the other thing that i place a lot of stock in are these organic town halls. these are not being organized by democratic interest groups. these are not being organized by the dnc. these are just people coming up and saying, we don't like this at all. and you are seeing it. and as you point out, very, very smartly, in georgia, in wisconsin, in oregon, i saw something even in idaho, you know, when you're starting to lose idaho, you got some you got some problems. so i think we

just have to play possum for a little while. just let them keep coming and musk will turn out. if they keep him, we'll be the greatest generator. maybe very, very specifically, the greatest generator of democratic turnout ever. more than barack obama. >> democratic strategist james. >> carville predicting elon. >> musk's work. >> in the trump. >> administration will. actually benefit. >> the democratic party. >> carville followed up those remarks. >> with. a guest. >> essay for the new york times. >> entitled, it's time. >> for a. >> daring political maneuver. >> democrats, in. >> which he urges his the party. >> for the. >> moment to, quote, roll over and play dead. >> so is it. >> play possum. >> or. >> well? if you're james carville would say, here's your daring political move. roll over and play dead. i don't, i don't i don't know that that's the case. you know, lauren, it's very interesting right now on doge. what's interesting in, as

axios reported, generally it's a popular idea. like generally if you ask people, what do you think about this doge idea to cut waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government? they'll go, hey, that's a great idea. you talk about the specifics, though, suddenly and when people see it in their own life, suddenly it becomes more unpopular. so it does seem democrats need to push the message of, you know, flight safety being impacted, nuclear safety being impacted, food safety being impacted, the medication that we give our children and our parents being i mean, you could go down the list where they've actually fired people and had to bring them back. but there's a lot of cutting here that's a problem. but i will say and i'm curious what your thoughts are. thoughts are doge is just a drop in the bucket. as mike allen has said, fiscally but also politically, when we start seeing these

massive cuts voted on, that's going to impact hospitals in upstate new york, hospitals in central pennsylvania, hospitals in alabama, universities in alabama, universities in iowa, research funding for alzheimer's go down the list. these massive cuts are going to impact people's lives in red state america. and i just wonder how willing they are to gut hospitals from upstate new york to nevada. >> right? and look, everywhere i go, i actually hear, i. >> think in. >> our bubble, we all feel a lot of sense of. >> frustration and rage at musk. >> i'm not sure people feel that way so much across the country yet. i hear a lot of folks say, you know, look, he's i don't like his methods, but at. least he's finding corruption in ways like they've been. >> very effective at. >> trying to. persuade people that they're actually doing a good service. but i agree with you that most americans have felt so disconnected from government. this thing that elon musk is doing far away doesn't

touch their lives. but as soon as it starts to get personal and starts to be in their backyard, i do think that starts to change things. and you're seeing that, you know, with folks, you know, who've lost their state government jobs or who aren't getting access to services. so in a sense. >> you know. >> congress, congress overstepping with his budget is the. >> biggest is this. >> huge gift. and i really disagree with james carville. i actually think democrats have to step up and keep making the case that all of this is happening, not to make government better, to enrich people like elon musk. like you have to keep saying that they have been, but they're going to have to keep hitting that from now until the end. >> of the election cycle. >> coming up, actress julia schlaepfer joins us to discuss season two of the hit drama series. 1923. morning joe weekend is back after a short break. >> 10,000 by next month. >> i don't see hey. >> we won't know unless.

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>> spencer doesn't scares me. kill him. >> and he. >> killed a. >> whole lot of them. >> of all. >> the things i've had to do for this ranch. >> takes a cake. >> that was a. look at season two of the hit show 1923. the series. >> set in. taylor sheridan's yellowstone universe. >> stars harrison ford. and helen mirren. >> and follows. >> the ancestors. >> of the modern. >> day. >> dutton family on. >> their montana ranch. >> in season two, the. >> dutton family must ward off an out of town businessman looking. to make. >> a profit. >> on their. >> homeland by any means necessary. joining us now, one. >> of the. >> costars of. >> 1923. >> julia schlaepfer. >> and she plays. >> alexandra. >> who is married to spencer dutton. >> the pair are separated. >> at the end of season. >> one. leaving alex. >> on her own to make a

harrowing. transatlantic journey. >> to the family ranch in bozeman. >> and joe. >> i'm going to. >> i'm going to. >> ask, okay, because this is this is where. >> we land after. >> yeah. >> we got to know julia. >> julia. >> we got. >> to know julia. >> last year. >> julia. >> julia. >> i know we're. >> going to ask you. >> again when. i can. >> julia. when did. >> we get there? >> are spencer and alexandra going to get there? >> when are you going. >> to get to montana? >> i promise. >> you, she's trying. she's trying. >> so hard. >> she will do. >> everything she can to get there. >> that is for sure. she's going. >> to fight her way. >> oh, god. >> okay, you know what? what? yeah. yeah. what? one foot at a time. >> i mean, it is. >> a it is. >> a slow. >> painful journey. >> my god. >> it's exhausting. >> it is exhausting. yeah. >> it was. >> very exhausting. >> yeah. >> it's just like, i.

>> i want my favorite crew members to get out of the building and severance. and i want you to get to montana. i don't know if it's going to happen or not, but i wanted to ask you, though. this was 19, 23 was the gateway drug to mika and me watching, tv, getting into the tyler, tyler, tyler sheridan universe. right. yeah. and so we saw 1923, and we've seen so much since then. tyler sheridan universe. but we get back to 1923 and just blown away. it seemed it's just set apart. and so much of it has to do with the extraordinary actors and acting. talk about that. and what a joy it is to work on this show with the people you work with. >> yeah, it's. >> been so incredible. >> i feel so lucky. >> you know, we have harrison ford and helen mirren, and they're just the most special. >> people there are. >> i mean. >> you, they say don't. >> meet your heroes, but. >> these ones. >> you. >> should definitely meet.

>> they're just. >> they led our. cast and crew. >> you know. with such grace. and humor. and they just wanted to hang out. and they loved. to be one of us. >> it was. >> really. >> really cool. >> yeah. and you know, mika, it is, it is, it is remarkable again, you know, if you look at all the things that taylor sheridan has done, i mean, we just got through land, man. i mean, you wonder how he does as much as he does. and then you look at 1923 and again, it's just it's just the highest quality of writing, working, acting, really directing, producing. taylor sheridan i mean, it's just a stand alone talent. >> that and harrison. ford and helen mirren, i mean, the cast seems really there seems i don't know what it's like off camera. >> maybe it's a. >> nightmare. >> but it. >> really seems tight. tell us what it's like. working with. >> these folks. >> it is. >> such a tight knit. yeah. it's

a we're. >> so tight knit. >> you know, taylor. >> brought us. >> all out. for cowboy camp in montana. it was like summer camp. >> for adults. we learned how to ride horses. >> and, you know. then brandon and i traveled the world together. >> we went to africa. >> we. so, you know, it's. >> impossible not. >> to. >> get incredibly. >> close. >> with your costars. >> when you're traveling the. >> world like that together. >> but, yeah, it's. >> really special. >> and i think. >> taylor wrote us such a beautiful, beautiful. >> season two and season one. but he is such an incredible writer. >> well, that's all the time we have for this weekend, but we're going to be back here tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. eastern to kick off a new week of morning joe. until then, thank you so much for watching and i hope you enjoy the rest of your sunday. >> good morning. >> it is sunday, march 2nd. i'm alicia menendez with symone sanders townsend and michael steele. breaking this morning, americ