is >>> robert maxwel link back mart macmillan and jon meacham. >> i hope that you are having as much fun as accessible as i am. [applause] [cheering] the best thing to do is to take the teacher, not the course. to take these incredible authors and whatever they are talking about. the only problem with this festival is there is somebody in every room. i think you heard from them all at one point or another. douglas brinkley has also done so many other interesting thin things. >> john f. kennedy and the great space race. >> he is the cnn historian and has a little basement studio envy of jon meacham, who's got that at msnbc. [laughter] of course the great historian and transformative books that is so important and he's written so many wonderful biographies, former editor of "newsweek" many of us know him from his basement from morning joe. the assignment is to talk about their favorite historical figure. i think i want to make that a free and fun thing. and then maybe we will then get into some other elements of thinking about writing. but why don't you start us off with your favorite

. >> jon meacham, they're duck boots. they're not rugged boots. >> he doesn't really need to wear them. >> it's a fashion statement i like to say. >> exactly. >> it is. it is. so, jon meacham, my favorite president's day story is bill clinton gathering foreign contributors in the white house and announcing to them, this is the day in america that we call president's day. i thought that was sort of a laugh because, of course, he's getting money from people that did not know what president's day was. but you put some pretty interesting quotes out this weekend about the importance that past president's say in electing the right type of president. i thought it was very timely. >> yeah. john adams said -- and this is obviously in the very beginning -- that it's absolutely crucial who the people send to the presidency. and that sort of blows up this myth that in the early days that the presidency didn't matter as much. it was article 2, not article 1. the founders understood most of them that the office was as a historian would

jon meacham, who you all know, of course, one of america's great biographers, but i should add also was the editor of "newsweek" and has played a wonderful role both as a journalist and as a biographer and also, of course, for those of you who watch msnbc, for some people in the audience i know that's daylong viewing, you get up at 3:00 in the morning, you can watch jon meacham who, by the way, the if you wonder how he gets to the studio from that hour, i discovered they actually build a studio in your basement. >> that's true. i'm look boo radially, i never leave the -- radley, i never leave the house. [laughter] >> and standing if nor barbara and gray, jamie very cleverly persuaded amie parnes to join the panel who's the author of "shattered" which, of course, is a brilliant book about the 2016 election. please join me in thanking and welcoming this panel. prison -- [applause] >> a lot of you, i think, were in the last session. first of all, i think of this room kind of now becoming it's not just a book festival, and i was privileged to help jamie when it was starting, but it's actual

historian margaret mcmillan and jon meacham on their favorite historical figures. rancho mirage writers festival saturday starting at 2:00 eastern on tv. >> next, the chair of the white house council of economic advisers kevin hassett. this is 40 minutes. >> before joining, he was a senior economist at the federal reserve board. any of you who know kevin or

on the day of that visit, i was joined by the pulitzer prize winning historian jon meacham, just as wed by john tonight. john, sum up his place in history. >> the most important protestant evangelical figure of the 20th century, one of the most important in american history, and arguably in global history,because of the reach, because of the steadiness of the message. he was a -- in some ways, he kind of embodied protestant christianity for many americans through the years of the cold war, through the years we added under god to the pledge of allegiance. he was a pastoral figure in the years in which we were beginning to fight what we would come to call the culture wars. but they were -- it was a gathering storm when he started out in the '50s. to me the most compelling thing, and i spent some time with him after the new york crusade where you interviewed him is he was really toward the end much more about contemplating the word. he was really contemplating the gospel. he was not -- and this is in way a criticism because he would have said it himself. he did say it himself. he was not

specifically not protected by the second amendment as interpreted by this conservative court. >> jon meachamvery much. >> thank you, jon. and by the way, we'll get you and chernow together. i've heard he's not that bad of a guy. >> any time. >> can i ask you -- what musical has anybody written -- when is the andrew jackson musical coming? >> oh, my god. >> no, no, you haven't heard about the george h.w. bush rap musical? do you know how hard it is to find words that rhyme with martini? >> exactly. >> we'll wait for it. >> wasp, the musical. >> we'll see you opening night, mika. >> wear your boots. >>> still ahead on "morning joe," a bipartisan group of senators spent the last week trying to reassure foreign allies that relations with the u.s. aren't changing for the worse despite some of the comments the president has made. senator chris coons was one of the lawmakers on that trip. he joins us next. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ today, you're recognizing two promotions. mom: "hey, kids, i'm home. what do you want for dinner?" hers to manager and yours to grown-up.

time and rise of evangelical. >> same with saz i can'asia, ex growth of the church. >> i thought jon meachamso well. he wanted to be the pastor for the whole world, for all americans. jon, you describe billy graham in such a moving way and i'm wondering as billy graham looked at this divided america, that must have troubled him. he was not a man who wanted to see people's teeth on edge in a way that we see today. >> i think that's right. . he was a great cable news viewer in the back of this house where he lived with his beloved ruth for so long. and ruth graham is the author of arguably one of the great lines about spouses of powerful men from that generation. mrs. graham was once asked, she would say, had she ever considered divorce. she said divorce? never. murder? often. which barbara bush has always embraced. >> i love it. >> isn't that great? it's a wonderful line. she was a formidable woman and she would have to be raising i think four or five children while he was on the road so much. but yes, he -- i think he made a point and his critics believed he was simply interested in power, w

we're going to just hang on and try and reconnect with jon meacham while we figure out why we lost theommercial. let's go to a commercial and i will come back after we try to reconnect with him. >>> absolutely, i think president putin cut us off there for a second. >> we started to talk about president trump and that's what happened. let's talk about the concept that the president brought up in the state of the union about the wanting more unity and considering bipartisanship and then this concept of calling those who didn't clap for him treasonous. he's attacked the institutions of the media, the courts, the law enforcement, the fbi, the department of justice and now democrats. again, it's partisan. is this going further than you've seen in american history? >> it is because ordinarily presidents who want to be remembered fondly, which is to say almost every president by the nature of the job, are presidents who reach out beyond their base. the folks we think back on are those who did things that were really remarkable and were not simply telling people who already agreed with them wh

jon meacham, i know you're leaving this hour. what are your final thought this is morning?> well, i think we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. and the people who are on the second amendment extremist side of this will say that you can never legislate complete safety. that's true. but let's say you save one life. let's say one of these shootings doesn't happen. that's worth the price and i would ask every lawmaker, every person in a position of power around everyone who has any access to lawmakers a simple question -- do you want to be on the side of an extremist lobby or do you want to be on the side of public safety? it's a straightforward call at this point. >> jon meacham, thank you. 46 days into 2018 and we're already covering the 18th school shooting this year, this time in south florida. we'll talk to the superintendent of broward county public schools, plus bill nelson of florida and other lawmakers that know what it's like to have their states ravaged by gun violence, senator tim kaine of virginia, michael bennett of colorado and congressman jim himes

eastern from the recent rancho mirage writers' festival, authors and historians jon meacham, margaret mcmillan and douglas brinkley discuss their favorite historical features. at eight in their newest book, a recounting of the nixon's administration efforts to apprehend timothy learly after his escape from prison in 1970. then on afterwards at 9 p.m., former u.s. trade negotiator and former democratic senate staffer ira shapiro argues that the u.s. senate has lost its political center. he's interviewed by former senate majority leader tom daschle. at ten, william remple talks about his biography of movie industry mogul kirk yes corps january and we wrap up with emily dufton with a history of marijuana in the united states. that all happens tonight on booktv, television for serious readers. >> i had three criteria, and the criteria were, one, the person had to be important or teach something important about the valley. and, two, they had to have a truly interesting story. i mean, for fun i almost exclusively read fiction, and i think that a narrative arc especially when you're talking

jon meacham, thank you for being with us. >>> coming up, president trump took credit for his record highsll street so what is he saying about this big drop? >> big, beautiful 20,000? >> he is a big man. so what does he make of the big drop in the dow. nbc's andrea mitchell and the "washington post's" eugene robinson joins us. >> quick correction, everything will be fine today, kids. >> all good. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you h