Joe Scarborough (0:00)

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That's the faith we must hold onto for the Saturdays to come. We must hold on to hope. We must stay engaged, must always keep the faith in a better day to come. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not kidding. Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride, bringing it all back once and for all. We're going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington. A failed administration not going to take it anymore. A contrast of two presidents with one leaving the White House and the other preparing to take the oath of office for a second time. We'll bring you complete coverage of President Elect Donald Trump's inauguration, including what we can expect today about his possible executive orders. We'll also take a look at the long list of his day one promises. Also ahead, the latest out of the Middle east as the first hostages held by Hamas for 15 months are reunited with their families. Plus, TikTok is back online for American users after a very brief ban. We'll dig into that reversal and the political implications. A lot going on a very big day. Good morning and welcome to Morning Joe. It's Monday, January 20th, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day. And we're going to be talking to Reverend Al Sharpt and he's going to be here at 9:00 to be talking about that. He's going to be having a ceremony on the other end of the mall celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. S Day. Well, I do want to just say you got certainly marked contrast between the Outgoing president, the incoming president. It is extraordinary. Here we are again. I mean, this is only the second time this has happened. But you have, you have a president who was out of office coming back into office. Apparently the reports are Joe Biden got a letter from Donald Trump. That's one thing that Donald Trump did do when he left office. That sort of nodded to history. Biden reportedly writing that back. So this does, this has happened every four years, except for four years ago. Right. And you do, you always have presidents coming in saying, I'm, you know, things have been terrible, I'm going to make them better. You know, if talk about the missile gap that Kennedy did, we could go through all of that. I do just have to say, though, that when we hear about how horrible America is right now, I say this because Republicans will be judged four years from now, just like Jimmy Carter was judged four years after with Ronald Reagan. Are you better off today than you were four years ago? And I just would be very careful with this talk in office because you're talking about how horrible America is. We have to just keep reminding Americans. For Donald Trump's biggest supporters, stock market at a record high. Crime, violent crime at a 50 year low. Even illegal immigration going across the southern border lower now than it was Donald Trump's last year in office. Unemployment near record lows. Wages have continued to go up year after year. So there are challenges. Housing interest rates seem to be going up. And I would just say that is the biggest warning going into this, is this economy is still much hotter, much hotter. That's Joe Biden's biggest problem. The economy that he has shepherded through over the past four years is too strong. And we're, we're just this side of another explosion in inflation if the wrong policies are implemented. Yeah, at the end of the day, it was inflation. You can factor in immigration and some cultural issues as well, but it was inflation that things cost too much, that probably cost Kamala Harris, that cost Democrats at the ballot box a couple of months ago. And as you say, that report we got on Friday showed prices still pretty hot, something the Fed's going to have to grapple with now under this new President, Donald Trump. But otherwise, if you look again at the data, and that was all true before the election, too, this is a very strong economy. So the idea of American carnage, and we're first getting some look into what the incoming president is going to say in his inaugural address today, it doesn't sound like it's as much American carnage as it was last time, but clearly, the tone that he set during the campaign, and we heard again last night, is I'm inheriting a disaster. Exactly. And I am the one who has arrived to fix it. Most Americans, inflation notwithstanding, don't believe that we are living in a terrible country. Well, along with Joe Willey and me, we have the co host of our fourth hour, Jonathan LeMere. He's a contributing writer at the Atlantic covering the White House and national politics. NBC News and MSNBC political analyst former U.S. senator Claire McCaskill is here, MSNBC contributor Mike Barnacle and Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University, historian Jon Meacham. In just a few short hours, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. In a wide ranging phone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said the theme of his inauguration speech today will be unity and strength and also used the word fairness, just as he did back in 2017. Trump is entering office as a political disruptor, promising to seize momentum starting on day one. You know, Claire McCaskill, it's so important for people to read the political climate. And when I was interviewing Bill Clinton a couple months ago at the 25th anniversary of his presidential library, he said Democrats, in effect, forgot to meet people where they are. I love that you're here as somebody that represented Missouri and represented a state that has gone deep red. Now we can sit and grind our teeth and get angry if you're a Democrat at home and you don't like how Wisconsin accepts. But it seems to me the biggest challenge for Democrats are the Missouris that have gone deeper red. Texas, that Obama lost by 13, Hillary lost by 9, Biden lost by 5, and then, boom, went the other way. When you see this, when Democrats are looking not only at this speech, but the next two years ahead, how should they be thinking about today, the political future and how they turn things around and stop the momentum, especially in middle America, that they've got to win back if they want to win the Senate. Well, it's going to take some discipline. It's going to take a party that remains laser focused on what folks are really worried about. And like it or not, Donald Trump created a crisis around immigration. So I don't think it's a good idea to say, okay, we're going to try to fight him about deporting people who have committed crimes. I mean, that's not a good idea. Laser focus on costs, the American people, food, insurance, health care. And then really importantly, Joe, be a good opposition party and exposing the broken promises, the promises that will be broken are like a minefield. We know that because we know he promised things. There's no way this Congress will do it. There's no way he can accomplish it under the law of the Constitution. And if we get distracted by his nonsense, you know, which. Which we have a tendency to do, by the way. By the way, for the past decade. Yes. Concentrating on every tweet. And that's. And that, by the way, that's almost everybody. That's almost always. Because he says stupid stuff for the last decade. But you've been saying, and I'm shocked by how many Democrats, how many progressives have been saying, you know what? There's so much of that stuff. We just need to let go by and focus on the signal and not the ground noise. That's exactly right. Focus on the fact that he is not accomplishing what he promised. He's not delivering for the people who take a shower after work instead of before work. He's not. He's not going to concentrate on those folks. He doesn't even like those folks. They like him, though. They love him because they think he is a guy that says out loud the stuff you're not supposed to say and they feel like they've been screwed over by the system. Now, he is not going to be their savior. They think he is. And our party, the Democratic Party, has to focus on his failure years, not his nonsense, and then stay focused on the cost to the American people. I mean, insurance is a big deal right now, Joe. Right. It's sky high everywhere. Nobody understands why it's getting so high. There really needs to be some discipline around issues like that. The Democratic Party, because frankly, that's our bread and butter. That's our meat and potatoes. Not this, okay, he's going to buy Greenland or whatever stuff he says just to try to get attention. Right. And you are so right. The health insurance crisis is devastating. People are paying more every day. They're getting less coverage every day. Car insurance is a nightmare. Homeowners insurance is a nightmare. Rental insurance is a nightmare. Interest rates up to 7%. Now, there are a lot of challenges for working Americans, but there are a couple of polls I want to talk about in a minute. Mika. With Jon Meacham, the Wall Street Journal poll that came out this week and also the New York Times poll that came out this weekend showing that Donald Trump and what he said during the campaign connected. And even with people that don't necessarily like Donald Trump, they like what he's saying on the issues. And we'll go through those polls in a bit. Well, we're getting a preview of what Donald Trump will likely say during his inaugural address today. According to the wal, the president elect will call for a revolution of common sense. In excerpts that were shared with the paper, Trump is expected to say, I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor, and the vitality of history. Greatest civilization. Civilization. So, John Meacham, yesterday I spoke with somebody close to Donald Trump who said he is in the best mood they've ever seen him in his adult life. And the question of vengeance came up and said, right now, that's not on his mind. You look at what, what's been excerpted excerpt to the Wall Street Journal, just that little snippet looks positive. But you listen to the language from yesterday and of course, a lot of, a lot of negativity about Joe Biden. But I'm curious what your thoughts are today on the administration leaving one that you know very well, one that occasionally you have to write speeches for the one coming in. And also those polls that I talked about this weekend that the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal polls both showing on illegal immigration, on tariffs, on crime, on a lot of these issues that Donald Trump led with throughout the campaign, on transgender rights, about men who transition post puberty not being able to compete in women's sports. You know, a lot of those issues were just, they were 80, 20, and Americans in the Wall Street Journal poll, while they want immigrants that came here, even illegally, and have been here for 10 years, you know, and worked hard, played by the rules, they want them to stay in. Those that have been here for four or five years, just four or five years. And of course, criminals, they agree with Donald Trump. They should be out. So it is, it's interesting where the American people are. Again, even if they didn't love Donald Trump and even if they didn't vote for Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times both say it's very interesting that he does, as Claire said, he's got his finger on the pulse of a lot of those working Americans. Yeah, I mean, one of the remarkable things about today is we will see in a tangible way, a tactile way, the fundamental tension of democratic governance, lowercase D, which is that a single person will take an oath administered by another single person representing the person administering the oath. Is the Chief justice of the United States. The person taking the oath has won the presidential election, and that person swears allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. So you have this highly individualistic, seemingly monarchical moment, but the pledge is to this 18th century system amended, but also a spirit of that Constitution that has shaped us for two and a half centuries. That's the tension. And I'm delighted President Trump is in a good mood. But what are the points of the Constitution? One of the points of the rule of law, one of the points of having the spirit of the laws is that my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness shouldn't be dependent on the mood of a single person. That's why we have a democracy. That's why we have a constitutional republic. Let me ask you, John, during this break, John, let me ask you what your thoughts have been. We both know the 11th Circuit, one of the most conservative, if not the most conservative circuits in America, ruling against Donald Trump on an issue that mattered a great deal to him. The Supreme Court ruling and probably the issue that mattered the most personally. Him, five to four against him, 38 Republican House members saying no after Elon Musk and Donald Trump threatened them on the cr. The United States Senate saying no to Don Gates, saying no to Rick Scott voting in John Thune, somebody that Donald Trump said, do not vote. I'm wondering again, we have no idea where this is going to go. But have we not seen, at least in this interim, have we not seen institutions and let's, let's just say at the courts, doing what the courts did his first term? So it's not just one person. Well, but we're giving the nuclear codes to one person in four hours. Yes. And we're right. And we have seen, four years ago this day, we have seen what happens when that one person declines to accept results that he doesn't like. All I'm saying is this is, this is in the tradition of John Adams. When John Adams was vice president, he wrote and said, the American presidency, I'm paraphrasing, is central and it shall be the object of all eyes, the subject of all attention. And so it's a vital role both constitutionally and culturally. And a dispositive number of American voters have decided to entrust it again to someone who has broken with tradition in ways that many people cheer and which may be constructive. But he also broke with tradition in ways that were potentially destructive. And so that is the tension we will now live with. Will the institutions hold? I pray so. I think the evidence is, yes, this is a country that for 250 years, more often than not, has gotten things wrong. But here we are still believing this experiment is worth defending. And so what I would say to people who are seeing today in a darker light, in a darker shade, is you can't surrender your agency in a democracy because you lose a single election. This is about we the people. We are a player in this symphony. And it's going to be hard and it's going to be depleting. And as we all know, there are a lot of people who are exhausted. But as John Belushi said, because I'm John Adams to John Belushi. We didn't give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. No, we did not. So we can't give up now. Wow. You know, he brings it all the way around. He's got that college. He's got a college sweatshirt underneath there. Yeah, he's got that poster that every college kid had. Belushi, he's connecting with the youth of yesterday. The kids love him. Of like 1978. Exactly. Yeah. It was a good reference, John. Well done. We like it just to give people a little bit of a run of show. We'll see. President elect Trump and Melania had a service at St. John's Church about 8:30. Then they'll go have tea at the White House with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Then President Biden and the President elect will ride together from the White House to the Capitol, where the new president will be sworn in just before noon today. So Jonathan Lemire, as we talk through all this, today is the day with executive orders, at least 50, we're told, perhaps more going into effect. We hear he may sign some of them in front of a large crowd at Capital One arena, where all the rhetoric becomes policy today on mass deportations, on tariffs, on transgender athletes. All these issues that were kind of at the center of the campaign this year. He's going to do something about right away. Yeah. The Trump team told, I talked to over the weekend, said they really want to have like a shock and awe. They really want to come out really running this time around. In 2017, on his inauguration Day, he signed one executive order. This time they say it could be well north of 100. The first perhaps right there in the, in Statuary hall at the Capitol, he might sign a few. Then over at Capitol One arena, where they're going to have a rally that's in place of the traditional speech on the Mall because of the cold. Those events have been moved indoors and then still more yet at the White House later today. We could tick through some of them. Some of these, of course, are largely symbolic. They won't have any teeth to them. Others will. A number of our are on immigration. We're going to declare a natural national emergency at the border, freeing up additional money for Department of Defense. He's going to abolish return, bring back the remain in Mexico policy. He's going to try to reset how United States deals with asylum seekers targeting criminal. We might see the first raids by the immigration services later today or tomorrow. Trump aides have previewed. He's going to talk about energy withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement yet again. That is what he did in 2017 as well. Call for more drilling, reverse the Biden ban on liquefied gas, the, the halt the construction of new wind terminals. We know Donald Trump hates those. Can I ask really quickly about immigration? He and Holman have been focused on violent criminals. Any, any hint at all, from what you've heard and you're reporting, is that going to be the main focus or is it going to be more expansive? That's going to be the first focus. But Stephen Miller, of course, who's sort of the immigration czar and sort of the, the architect of this plan, previewed over the weekend to reporters that it might go beyond that. It might be more sweeping, it might be more expansive beyond just violent criminals in those early stages. And again, we expect those to begin within the first 24 hours or so. We know he's going to launch Doge, that new agency, although maybe without one of its founders. Is Vivek Ramaswamy maybe heading for the door, already ending DEI in the federal government and the like. The list goes on and on. Some of them are relatively meaningless and others that he promised during his campaign like to revoke birthright citizenship. We know cannot happen. But this is going to be they're gonna try to unlike the chaos. We all remember that first week of 2017 where it seemed like the Trump White House couldn't get out of its own way. They feel with a more seasoned team and more loyalists this time around, and Republicans in the House and the Senate along for the ride, they feel like they're gonna be able to get at least some of this done right away. Mike, wouldn't you like to be in that limousine in the beach riding from the White House, the short drive to the Capitol with President Biden in his final moments as president, United States sitting there trying to impart some final wisdom to Donald Trump you know, the truth is both men can be very charming, can be very charming. And I assume that the ride to the Capitol will not be a hostile ride, I think, because both are aware of one unique fact, and maybe this fact is responsible more than any other fact for Donald Trump being sworn in again as President of the United States. We live in a nation burdened by uncertainty. People are just uncertain of what's going on with their lives, with their government. And I don't think any of us have paid enough attention to the ramifications of what Covid did to this country and is still doing to this country, to our kids. We live with it. It weighs people down. They question everything. They question the credibility of. They're burdened with things that normally years ago, they'd just take as a grain of salt. Oh, the car insurance is due. Now the car insurance is like a house payment, little things like that. And so you have the outgoing President of the United States who is rooted and always has been rooted in four family, faith, friendships, and most importantly of all, fate. He's a narrator of fate, what fate can do to your life, to your hopes, to your expectations. And I think he knows, he's always remembered one quote from his old friend Al Simpson, former senator of Wyoming, about everything that's going on with him now, about people attacking him for pardoning his son, about the Afghanistan withdrawal, whatever, his stuttering, he tripped once. All of that he remembers one thing imprinted on him by Al Simpson, who told him once, a long time ago, remember Joe, Resentment. Resentment destroys the can that it's carried in. And so he's not a resentful person. He's a good person with tremendous faith in God and a very strong will. And we're going to see all of that playing out today. And also someone who has real faith in institutions. And let's remember, we shouldn't overstate this. He is providing Donald Trump what Donald Trump did not give him four years ago. That's right. A peaceful transition of power, adhering to the American ideal, even hosting him for tea and riding with him to the Capitol. None of those things Donald Trump did. Because Joe Biden, even in this moment of real, of agony, in some ways the fear for the American experiment still believes in it and needs to be upheld. Well, he's an old time politician. And even when Donald Trump came into the White House, a lot of people were angry because he was smiling there behind the scenes. If they had heard what the Biden team had said, that those two got along very well, it was Very civil. It was very polite. Probably more upset by that. But I suspect that ride will be very congenial because that's who Joe Biden is, regardless of who he's sitting next to, certainly in while he's engaged in politics. I do want to go to Jon Meacham as we close out this set though, because I'm hoping, Willie, for a really esoteric sort of far reaching historical reference. Dig deep. That will leave most of our audience members and us not only a bit confused, but feeling a bit queasy. Yes. So we've talked about, we talked about. And I don't know if you heard the same thing that I did from, from people inside the Biden White House, but Joe Biden was beyond congenial to Donald Trump when he came in during the transition, despite all the terrible things that were said on the campaign trail. Doesn't always go that way on the rides over. I mean, think about how Truman and Ike, something you know about because you're writing about Ike right now, a very, very icy transitional meeting and an even icy a ride. Capitol, of course, Jimmy Carter didn't have a whole lot to say to Ronald Reagan in January of 1981 as well. Talk about this moment, this ceremony. Americans were robbed of it four years ago, where we didn't have that peaceful transition of power. Talk about how important it is even in the worst of circumstances for one side or the other. Well, the first time we did this, the former, the outgoing president, had gone home. It was 1801 when John Adams left town, about 4am Before Thomas Jefferson became president. My favorite story about the ride is from 1981, when President Reagan, who, like President Biden, as Mike says, and President Trump, abhorred a silence. Carter and Reagan are riding up and President Carter, of course, is exhausted. He's been negotiating the release of the hostages and isn't saying anything. So Reagan starts telling stories. They get out of the Capitol and President Carter turned to an aide and said, who the hell is Jack Warner? He keeps talking about Jack Warner. So Reagan had fallen back on Hollywood stories. So you see so much of American history in our press. It does go to what John Adams said. They are the object of all eyes because they are in many ways an embodiment of who the country is at a given moment. And so, you know, Eisenhower, Kennedy, you know, the passing of a generational torch, the George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, you know, the boomers handing it back and forth. And so I think what we all want to do on a day like this is hope and there's reason to do so. I do think that these political norms, which are often scorned and people think, well, it's all just kind of beltway stuff. And it does matter because. Okay, here you go. You want Jane Austen? How about that? Yeah. Well, that closes to it. Okay. Pretty good. Try it. Okay. Jane Austen talked about that manners weren't hollow gestures. They're actually representations of how we feel. So if we're generous to someone, it's a sign that we are in fact accepting of them. We grant them respect. Manners are morals. And what President Biden will do today is he will act in a well mannered way that signals his deep connection to a Constitution that, however imperfect, has served us incredibly well. And now it's up to us to continue to guard that document. And for those of us who actually believe in the Constitution and the institutions and the things that have served this country well, it is important to continue that even if four years ago, Joe Biden did not receive the same thing. So it will be interesting. And I know you want to make another reference. You've gone from John Belushi, Animal House to Jane Austen. Alex Courson thinks you may be referencing Spaceballs next. Go ahead. Well, very quickly, I hope people will stop saying today on the center left and left. Oh, I can't believe Joe Biden is being nice to him. That's wrong. Right. Because Trump. Because President Trump did not do this four years ago makes it all the more important for President Biden to do it today. Yeah. No. Even with harsh words and criticism about Michelle Obama not attending. I really hope Americans on both sides see that even with what happened four years ago, Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will be offering and presenting a peaceful transition of power. That's important. As will Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Yeah. George W. Bush and Laura Bush. I mean, yeah. They will be there because they believe in the institutions. They believe in American democracy. Yeah. Because they think it's important to be there. Because they're not there for any particular man. Right. They're there for the 77 million Americans that voted for that man. And to say we're going to continue this even when we disagree, you know, outgoing President Biden has enormous respect for the democratic process. He's been on the ballot one time or another for the last 50 years for one office or another. And he respects the process and he admires the process. You put your name on a ballot to run for anything, whether it's selectman or President of the United States and complete strangers across this country, vote you up or down. And he has respect for the impact it has on the person running and the impact it has on the process as well. You've had your name on the ballot a few times. You've been voted up and you've voted down. It's an incredible process. It's the only process in the world that has worked effectively for as long as it's worth cherishing. And everybody acts, Willie, like they always have. This is the last election. This is. This is. This is. You know, their memory only goes back to this last election. And I remember walking around the floor during the Clinton impeachment and everybody's whipped up, and they were going to, you know, vote all four for Clinton. And they wanted to add four more, and they wanted to add four more. And the only admonition I had is I was like, you all are acting as if there will never be another Republican president again. So you do what you want to do on these four votes, but you better think through it, because the standard by which we use on the Democratic president, they will use on us. And we just have to remember that. And again, I just want to double down on what Jon Meacham said. The fact that Donald Trump didn't do this four years ago makes it all the more important and impressive that Joe Biden does it today. Yeah, we have to reset. We have to establish again, the norms of our country the way things are supposed to be done. And you're right about the Republicans are going to do a whole bunch of extreme things beginning today, by the way. And the smart Democrats, as Claire knows, they know they now have an opportunity because there's going to be a lot of extreme stuff going on in the next year, year and a half. And those midterm elections are going to be here before you know it. One last thing that we should point out as we talk about this tradition. I can't let this day pass without talking about the letter that George H.W. bush left in the Oval Office for Bill Clinton. He was embarrassed by his defeat to Bill Clinton, a man he thought he should not have lost to. And he wrote a beautiful letter that people can look up and read. And it ended by saying, your success is our country's success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck. And he just signed it, George. And that was January 21, 1993. I think we all agree we could use a little bit more of that. Presidential historian Jon Meacham taking us on just a wild tour of references this morning. We wouldn't have it any other way. John, thanks so much. We appreciate it. Still hot on Morning Joe. Donald Trump has promised to start carrying out mass deportations on daily one of his presidency. NBC's Julia Ainsley is standing by with new reporting on a major operation set to take place in Chicago in the coming days. We know the battle for the soul of America continues in this moment of strength of our institutions, of democracy, the presidency, the Congress, the courts, a free and independent press, and yes, our institutions and our communities like the this museum, they matter more than ever. This podcast is supported by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Planned Parenthood Federation of America exists so all people can get access to the sexual and reproductive care and education they need. Planned Parenthood organizations advocate for health equity and policies that allow people the freedom to control their own bodies, lives and futures. More than 2 million patients a year rely on Planned Parenthood Health center services like STI testing and treatment, birth control, gender affirming care, abortion, cancer screenings and more. 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Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtibank. On Deck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval. Start a business that sells decorative plates. Find out. You have to track expenses. Use Intuit QuickBooks to auto track expenses so you can keep spinning selling those plates. Manage and grow your business all in one place. Intuit QuickBooks your way to Money V7 past the hour, three Israeli hostages are now out of Gaza and back with their families. They were released after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect yesterday. In exchange, Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners. NBC News international correspondent Raf Sanchez has the latest. We're outside the Sheba Medical Center. It's one of the big hospitals here in Tel Aviv. And it was the final destination for those three female hostages, Romy Gonan, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, after they were freed from Gaza. This was really an epic journey. It began in Hamas, California captivity. They were handed over to the Red Cross, surrounded first by Hamas gunmen, but then also just an enormous crowd inside of Gaza. The Red Cross drove them to an Israeli military position. They were handed over to IDF forces flown by helicopter here. And then they drove straight past us into this hospital where they are beginning what is going to be a long road to recovery. But doctors say the early indications are that they are in pretty good condition given just the unimaginable trauma that they lived through during 471 days of captivity. All three able to walk unaided. Doctors saying they are healthy enough to be reunited with their families. We are learning that Emily Damari lost two fingers during the October 7th attack. And everyone here is clear. These women have a long way to go. One doctor telling us that Hamas dehumanized them and the goal is to give them their humanity back. Now, this ceasefire went into effect 11:15am local time. That is three hours late. Hamas did not provide the list the names of these three hostages when they were supposed to. Israel continued striking in Gaza after the ceasefire was due to go into effect. And in that three hour window between 8:30am when ceasefire was supposed to go into effect and 11:15am when it actually did, at least 19 people were killed by Israeli strikes inside of Gaza. Just agonizing to think that these are people who were killed in literally the last minutes before the guns went silent. Israel releasing 90 Palestinian prisoners, women and children, in exchange for these three female hostages. And the big question now, is this ceasefire going to hold? Phase one of the deal is supposed to be a six week ceasefire. 33 hostages, including two Americans, Americans are due to come out. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that he reserves the right to go back to the war on the other side of this six week cease fire. If that happens, it not only brings fresh misery to the people of Gaza, but it potentially also means the remaining 60 something hostages who are still inside the Strip may not come out. That is something causing a lot of anxiety here in Israel. All right, NBC's Raf Sanchez with that report. And one can only hope that the process continues peacefully. We can. Obviously such great news for these three hostages, but still so many still to be released and unfortunately, several hostages dead and the families just want the bodies back. Yeah. This is an extraordinary photograph on the COVID of the New York Post. The three women who came home, ranging age from 24 to 31, with smiles on their faces after what they've endured for 471 days. As Raf said, they're said to be in relatively good health. But again, that's a relative term when they've been in captivity for that long. And the concern, as you point out, Mika, is what will be the condition of the 30 that are left to be released? Are they all alive even? Yes, and that remains to be seen. So. So I think the families will take that day of joy and we'll see what comes next. Let's turn back to the inauguration today. In the coming days, mass deportations are expected to start across the country as part of Donald Trump's immigration push. But NBC News has learned the plan for a large scale operation in Chicago now has been postponed because of leaks to the media. Joining us now, NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainslie. Julia, good morning. So where do the plans for Chicago stand now and which other cities. Cities are bracing for this action? Well, Willie, as we understand, the Chicago plans are postponed. They're not canceled. They still have targets across the Chicago area, a lot of people with criminal records. We understand that ICE does want to go out and arrest. We also understand this would be part of shock and awe, what Steve Bannon called days of thunder, something they want to carry out to really show force in the beginning. And we could see ICE wearing tactical gear that we wouldn't normally see really for that display. But because of the media leaks, NBC News is one of those organizations that got a hold of we had a hold of a document of these plans and reported about Chicago that was supposed to start on Tuesday. Because of those leaks, we now understand they've postponed the Chicago operation and they're eyeing other cities where they could start. That includes right here in the D.C. area, especially in Northern Virginia. It could be Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles. We also know that Trump was talking to New York City Mayor Adams about operations there. Really what he's focusing on are blue cities, especially places like Denver and Chicago. As we mentioned, it's now postponed where Trump can go head to head with sanctuary city policies because they want to start that fight. If Trump really wanted to start with areas where there were the most numbers of undocumented immigrants, the most numbers of immigrants who might have final orders of deportations or criminal records, you would think he would start in an area like Houston, Texas, but instead he's going to really blue cities to start this operation. We also understand there's tension here about exactly who they should be targeting. Homan, of course, a longtime law enforcement person with a history in ICE and all through dhs, wants to start with criminals at the top. He wants to be able to use resources accordingly. He knows he can't cast a wide net. In the very beginning, then you have the influence of Stephen Miller, as Jonathan Lemire mentioned. He said, look, look, criminals are not the only ones we're going after. So it's a matter of what they start with first. They are limited in resources. We reported here ICE is already spending way over what they have. They have $230 million that they haven't made up for this year. So they really are starting in the negative here, trying to ramp up these operations. So it's a question of what they can do at first before Congress might come through with more money. So it could be in the early days especially, I think we would see this beginning Tuesday after they're able to get in and execute these plans. We can see arrest in those cities we mentioned, but we should look at exactly who's arrested. You know, when we talk about criminals, is it someone with a DUI or is it someone with a murder conviction? And then really look at the numbers, especially numbers that could increase far later and they might need money in order to do that. NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainslie, thank you very much for your reporting this morning. And John, you've always pointed out this is very expensive. I mean, there are natural sort of constraints against the sort of broad, sweeping mass deportations. Inflation's one of them because it's very inflationary. You take away, you take away a lot of workers, small business owners, and even people on Wall street will say that's going to be inflationary, but also just the cost. You've always talked about how expensive it is to move through deportation. And I will say I would be quite surprised if Donald Trump, given all these different sort of polls, even deports as many people as Barack Obama did. You know, over eight years, he was called the deporter in chief for good reason. He deported far more men, many illegal immigrants, than Donald Trump did the first term. And in part because it is so expensive to do. Yeah, an extraordinarily expensive proposition. And even as Stephen Miller takes the hawkish line and say these are going to be sweeping mass deportations, there's some divides with the administration and the outer sort of Trump orbit, business leaders suggesting we're going to take away workers that we need right now. We know how much Donald Trump is concerned about the nation's economic health. There's divisions within Congress as they debate whether this is going to be one massive bill that contains so much of Trump's agenda, including money for immigration reform and these deportations, or whether it's split into a few because he also wants to have this sweeping tax cut. So this is going to be and there's also questions of just who's carrying out these raids, if they were to happen, what local officials might balk, whether this would trigger protest movements and the like. But it is. The cost is paramount here. It's going to be very difficult and very expensive if he's going to do even remotely what he's promised to do. All right, coming up, we're going to take a quick break from the news and politics and turn to sports. Pablo Torre joins us to break down the NFL playoffs after a weekend of entertaining games. Morning Joe is back in just a moment. We're going to ask Claire if the refs really are rigging the games for the Chiefs. We'll be right back. Shut up. You know they are. Hey, everybody, it's Rob Lowe here, if you haven't heard. I have a podcast that's called Literally with Rob Lowe. And basically it's conversations I've had that really make you feel like you're pulling up a chair at an intimate dinner between myself and people that I admire, like Aaron Sorkin or Tiffany Haddish, Demi Moore, Chris Pratt, Michael J. Fox. There are new episodes out every Thursday, so subscribe, please, and listen. Wherever you get your podcasts, sometimes you have to choose between a great deal or a great experience. Other prepaid providers stick you with slow networks and price hikes. 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The whole season essentially comes down to this play for these two great teams. Roll, roll, flip it. Got it. Oh, the ball was dropped. He had the two point conversion in his hands. Andrews did not hold on. Oh, that was a Willie. That was a Jackie. I think it was Jackie Smith moment and one of the great Super Bowls of all time. When Roger Staubach throws to his tight end at the end zone, who does just that then and loses again. The context for that is the Ravens had gone down the field. They came within two points. They had to get that. The two point conversion. If Mark Andrews, who's a really good tight end, the best, just pulls that in, sits down across the goal line, it's a tie game. We're probably going to over. I'm going to cry. He couldn't make the catch. The Bills win 27 to 25. The Ravens are going home now. The Bills will visit the two time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday in the AFC Championship game. After the Chiefs rolled. I don't know if they rolled, but they won 23 to 14 over the Texans on Saturday. Lemire sent me a great picture. You know how a lot of times players will exchange jerseys. They had Mahomes exchanging his jersey with the ref. It was very moving. That seems wrong. It kind of seems wrong. And when you have somebody like Don Van Natta saying basically this is rigged and the officials are going to have to do. The NFL's going to have to do something about officials giving Patrick Mahomes every benefit of the doubt. It's Van Naeta. It's not just some random three time political prize. Look, the lopsided officiating threatens the integrity of the game and the quality of the product. Something must be done. I say this, of course, and it hurts me to say this in front of Claire McCaskill, but I say this, somebody who's been cheering for the Chiefs my whole life. It is ridiculous. Oh, Willie. And I know you share. There was in particular one rusher call, more than one, where two Texas defenders seem to have targeted each other. Right. And were called for targeting. And halfway across the field somebody pushes Patrick Mahomes and he does a Ronaldo flop out of bounds and it's another 15 yards. Are you done? Will Anderson hits right here and they. Yeah. Senator, you have the floor. Okay, so I know. I'm afraid to be sitting next to Pablo Torre's here. Pablo Torre, how are you? Good to see you. Yeah, yeah. I know that we are going to the seventh AFC championship in a row because of the refs. I know that we. I'm glad you're admitting it. At least the last four time in history. Yeah, Kelsey broke an NFL record for playoff receiving yards. I mean, here's Will Anderson hitting me in the belt. Okay? He knows he can't go helmet to helmet. He knows he can't go helmet to helmet. It's the rules. He didn't go helmet to helmet. He went helmet to shoulder pads. Please, you guys. And by the way, on the one that everyone's complaining about the most, was it pretty obvious that Mahomes was sliding to everybody that watched? Was it pretty obvious to you? Yeah. It was also pretty obvious to those defenders. It was pretty obvious that those defenders hit each other's own helmets. So you're saying we're going to give 15 yards to Mahomes because they hurt you? I just want to say to Jonathan Lamir, I feel the Patriots pain for being hated by the world because we know how to win in playoff football. Well, the legal event scandals against you next then. Yeah, the ideal gas law. And this is where he caus a 15 yard penalty for. For two Texans hitting each other and then he goes game. Kansas City Chiefs win. Shouldn't there be a challenge? No, no, his helmet wasn't hit. No, no. Give me a break. What are you gonna believe? They hit each other's head. Oh, you guys, I have, you know, I, I showed up here wanting to be the first person on your show. To quote Jane Austin, we're finally dispensing with the pleasantries. Right? Like manners may hold a society together or whatever. But this is what I've been calling for. The idea that in this game, it just felt like there was a turning point because Claire's Chiefs are not just the team with the best player in the world, which is true, Patrick Mahomes, but they're also the team that gets the calls. Why do they? They do. Because first off, this is the history of sports, okay? Michael Jordan got the calls. The superstar gets the calls. And Don Veneta, again, my friend, three time Pulitzer winner. What he's alluding to there is just this dynamic that's hard to avoid, which is when there is a razor thin decision, it always goes her way. It goes in favor of the guy that might be the best and most important player to the business of football. So it's not that he isn't the best, it's just that he's getting. And this is the story of the Chiefs all season. To me, cosmically, they get treated like a billionaire who's asking for a tax cut just like we get it. Seriously. Let's talk about Van Mata for a second and put the tweet up against a three time Pulitzer winner. This isn't just somebody that's like a crank out there from Texas saying my team lost. This is the best. And when he tells the NFL that the officials are rigging the games and impacting the quality of the product, I do think the NFL is going to start paying attention to that. Don Van Natta. There is no one who knows more about the intricacies of pro football in the National Football League than Don Van Natta. There is nobody who follows it more closely than Don Van Natta. And if you speak to him about the officiating, he will point out the obvious mistakes that officials make. And to Pablo's point, he will point out there is absolute legitimacy in the fact that officials, officials cater to and try and take care of the biggest financial stars in the game, quarterbacks. And one other thing that Don will tell you is the things that officials miss and don't call that are right in front of them. Yeah, you know, I want to follow up, Willie with something that Pablo said because this is something, as Pablo said, it always happens in sports. When the Dream Team got together, they had a shot of like Magic and Larry and Mike Cole and I Forget the other two. But somebody put their arms put. Somebody put their arm around Michael Jordan and I think it was Bird who said be careful, they're going to call a foul because Jordan always got the benefit of the doubt. As a Knicks fan, I can say he sure did. But why don't we. Yeah, and Brady too. I mean you can go down the list, but let's go, let's pull out bigger picture on this. Take the refs out for a minute. The Chiefs 151 now they've won this game in the playoffs, 16 and 1. They've been playing with fire a little bit all year. I think you can see that. Claire. That's a lot of close games that they pulled out in the end to their credit, thanks to our defense. And now they get a real test. Yes, it's a home game, but this is a really good Buffalo team. Yeah. I mean what the Bills did against the Ravens. So on Friday, you may recall I told you guys I'm taking the Bills because there felt like a home field advantage in the cold in a city that refuses to build a dome. Right. They want the elements. Yeah. And when you look at what happens happened in this game, Mark Andrews, I guess we start with that just because the drop was a choke job by any objective measure. But then bigger picture, it's three turnovers. Lamar Jackson in the cold. All of these things that happened to him, the interception, his fumble, Mark Andrews, his drop and also a fumble. All of that you could argue a function of the elements. Lamar had never played in a game this cold. When you add that to a history with him in which he's just a, a shell of himself. Right. This is. He's going to be the three time mvp. And the stuff he's doing here and this is the, I mean it's just dropping the ball. That's the one. It's, it's a, again a razor thin margin. But this is Buffalo's dream come true. Right. And Mark Andrews is a Ravens hall of Famer and drops the ball at the end of the game. A safety blanket for Lamar Jackson. Terrible fumble earlier when if he had turned up field there was no one between him and the end zone. So you feel bad for him as the possible goat. Look Lamar, the two early turnovers, he did have the drive at the end. He did have the drive at the end. So there answers some questions. But it is another year. But it's another year of him failing in January. And now we go to Josh Allen who his numbers aren't outrageous but he managed the game, some good running games, some solid defense. They win, they get another shot at the Chiefs. Claire, in the 1970s, the game was always the Steelers and the Cowboys. I think this decade, the game is always the Chiefs and the Bills. You go back three or four years ago, one of the classic playoff games ever. You'd have to go back to San Diego and the Dolphins back in the 70s for one. Is crazy. How big is this game going to be? I know, not for the Chiefs because you guys win all the time, etc. Etc. But for fans. The Bills and the Chiefs for the AFC championship. The Chiefs on the verge of history. I mean, it's going to be massive, isn't it? It's going to be big. We're three and oh. Against the Bills in the playoffs. We've never lost to the Bills in the playoffs. So you're saying a lot more pressure on the Chiefs. A lot of pressure. Yeah. And you know, one thing we've talked a lot about, Mahomes and you know, everybody whining that we always win. We haven't said anything about the Chiefs defense. They did great the last two years. We have done well because of our defense. And Karloftus was on fire over the weekend and he. I mean, this defense is on a roll. You know what's so incredible about the Chiefs is for the past year and a half, I will say they've played below expectations of being one of the great teams in NFL history. They just win, but they kind of win ugly. So much of that has to do with their defense. Yeah. And you know, I feel for everybody. I get it. That everybody wants the Chiefs to lose. I do. Yeah, I do. Okay. I get it that everybody wants the Chiefs to lose. I get it. I remember when I wanted the Patriots to lose every time they played. But the point is that's why you only have three. Yeah. Oh, there it is. You do all. There you go. Oh, there you go. We only have three in the last five years, so, you know, it is. It is a thing that the country will be cheering for Buffalo. But I gotta tell you, Chiefs nation, we are so proud of the way this team figures out a way every time. Mika, we can't let you go without talking about the game that I think broke a lot of football players, a lot of football fans, hearts, whether they're from Detroit or not. Oh, that was so sad. That is the Lions. The Lions. Such an extraordinary story. Yes. But I'm gonna say when. When you're. When you're short 18 of players on defense, and when Goff gets just hammered in the helmet, he's off the rest of the night. I mean, it's hard to look at this game and say, gee, this, this team, you know, everything they've done preceding this just didn't matter. What the Commanders did to the Lions ruined the entire season. And this is one of those games where if you're a Detroit fan, you're like, I don't even know if you can look back on the regular season with fondness anymore because they did this to you. And this as Mika, I can just feel. I can feel the energy. Jaden Daniels, okay, as a rookie, I don't know the last biggest upset before this, I just know it wasn't done by a rookie who was also clearly the best player on the field. And the Lions coaches are freaking out, out trying to trick plays, trying to have receivers and backup quarterbacks do whatever they can to beat the Commanders. Jaden Daniels is in total control, and that feeling is jealousy inducing. They have their guy. Jaden Daniels is the guy. I'm not wearing burgundy because of that reason, but it just felt like he's a guy that actually the country is going to be excited about. You know, Willie, you look at. And Mike, you look at Daniels on the bench, rest, resting, heart rate of like, you know, 68, right? You. You hear him talk afterwards. He. He's. He's good guy. When I say he didn't sound excited, I don't mean that negatively. He's just so Zen. He goes, yeah, you know, I work hard. My parents had me work hard. I have my faith in God. I did. I just. I'm. I'm so glad for the team. He's an amazing guy. He goes out there and you can tell everything slows down for him on the field. Incredible for a rookie. I think he's only the sixth rookie quarterback to play championship game. And even to hear Tom Brady talk about him in the broadcast, he's like, this guy is a guy cut in my cloth. He gets to the facility at 4am they have to give him a key. He's there before all the coaches watching film. He's just that guy. And you put that work ethic together with the talent that he so clearly has, has. He is special. And now, Mike, they play the Eagles, which, as a Giants fan, it was very difficult to watch Saquan Barkley galloping through the Snow for another 62 yards, 200 yards total. He has found his home, and they get to play at home against Jaden Daniels next Sunday. Jaden Daniels is extraordinary. He's an extraordinary young talent. I mean, and. And to your point, Joe, I mean, the calmness of that guy in a game situation like that was also extraordinary. I would like to compliment Dan Campbell, the coach of the Detroit Lions. And the people in politics should take a message from Dan. Campbell stepped up to the plate after that game and said we did not deserve to win. Congratulations to them. They beat us fairly and squarely. We made a lot of mistakes. We're sorry about it. But he took responsibility for the loss. Okay. At six minutes past the hour, the host of Pablo Torre finds out on meadowlark media. Burgundy.cl thank you. Your next guest on your podcast, Claire. I think it's going to get ugly. Punch me in the break. I know. I think that's a good idea. Start a business that sells decorative plates. Find out. You have to track expenses. Use Intuit QuickBooks to auto track expenses so you can keep spinning selling those plates. Manage and grow your business all in one place. Intuit QuickBooks, your way to money.