Morning Joe 12/20/24

Summary

Morning Joe – December 20, 2024: Government Shutdown Looms as Trump and Musk Influence GOP Decisions

Hosted by Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist

---

**1. Government Shutdown Crisis

As the nation approaches the holiday season, Capitol Hill is engulfed in chaos over the looming government shutdown. With less than 24 hours remaining to fund the government, a bipartisan agreement faltered under the combined pressures of President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.

Republican Congressman Chip Roy's Critique Chip Roy, a Republican Congressman from Texas, voiced strong opposition to his own party's handling of the situation:

"To take this bill, to take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine. [...] It is absolutely ridiculous." (01:32)

Roy's outburst underscores the internal fractures within the Republican Party, highlighting frustrations with increasing national debt despite campaigning on fiscal responsibility.

Host Jonathan Lemire's Overview Jonathan Lemire, filling in for Joe, Mika, and Willie, set the stage:

"Congress still has no path forward to fund the government. Capitol Hill in complete chaos yesterday after President elect Trump and Elon Musk [...] nearly all Democrats who were not going to give in to Trump or Musk's demands." (02:07)

**2. The Trump-Musk Dynamic and GOP Dysfunction

The episode delves into the unprecedented influence exerted by Trump and Musk over the GOP’s legislative process. The failure to pass a government funding bill has sparked debates about the real power dynamics within the party.

Ali Vitale on Shutdown Likelihood Ali Vitale, NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent, assessed the situation:

"It seems likely at this point... opposition from the same core group of folks in the conservative ranks of the House Republican Conference who don't vote for continuing resolutions anyway." (06:17)

Vitale highlighted the complexities added by Trump’s insistence on linking the debt ceiling negotiations with government funding, complicating an already fragile negotiation landscape.

Simone Sanders Townsend on Democratic Strategy Simone Sanders Townsend provided insights into the Democratic response:

"Democrats cannot take the same posture that they have taken previously as it relates to Speaker Johnson... Real people are affected by this." (09:16)

Sanders Townsend emphasized the delicate balance Democrats must maintain, advocating for the needs of refugees and vulnerable populations despite the political turmoil.

Chip Roy on Unelected Influencers Roy further criticized the influence of Musk:

"He is running this doge, which is not a government body, it's really an advisory panel. [...] that's not any way to run a country." (15:33)

Roy warns against the dangers of an unelected billionaire shaping legislative outcomes, questioning the legitimacy and future implications for governance.

**3. Labor Strikes and Holiday Impact

The podcast also touched on significant labor unrest affecting the holiday season.

Starbucks and Amazon Workers Strike Starbucks baristas went on strike in major cities, demanding better wages and working conditions. Concurrently, Amazon workers at several delivery hubs initiated a strike over contract negotiations, potentially disrupting holiday shipments. These labor actions reflect growing discontent among workers seeking fair treatment amid rising costs and demanding seasons.

Jeff Bezos' Dinner with Trump and Musk The episode discussed the reported dinner between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, President-elect Trump, and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago. This meeting illustrates the collusion between top business leaders and political figures, raising concerns about undue influence over policy decisions.

Gene Robinson's Column Insights Gene Robinson, Washington Post columnist, warned against the cozy relationship between billionaires and Trump:

"Titans of industry and commerce, beware when you bend the knee to the mad king... He will always want more." (30:11)

Robinson cautions the billionaire class about the perils of aligning too closely with Trump, emphasizing the risks of relinquishing legislative influence to personal allies.

**4. Media Influence and Public Perception

Jim Vande Hei on Musk's Media Control Jim Vande Hei, co-founder and CEO of Axios, analyzed Musk's control over Republican media dynamics:

"He single-handedly with his tweets and his followers killed that bill. [...] Republicans are seeing they got the benefit of Musk in winning the election. Now they're going to have to deal with the consequences of having a media infrastructure that can put pressure on them." (17:52)

Hei explains how Musk's dominance on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) has transformed the Republican media landscape, enabling real-time pressure on lawmakers to conform to his directives.

Michael Tomasky's Perspective on Civic Health Michael Tomasky, editor of the New Republic, linked media poisoning to deteriorating civic standards:

"Rupert Murdoch and to a lesser extent, his imitators... have injected so much poison and so many lies into our discourse since 1977 that common civic agreement about basic morality in public life has become impossible." (34:02)

Tomasky argues that the decline in shared civic values, fueled by right-wing media, undermines the ability to hold leaders accountable and maintain democratic norms.

**5. Future Implications and Speaker of the House Uncertainty

With the House Speaker position in flux, future legislative negotiations remain uncertain.

Ali Vitale on Speaker Johnson's Challenges Vitale highlighted Speaker Mike Johnson’s precarious position:

"The question of the last two years has been who is going to be the next speaker?... it's easily the most difficult and thankless job in Washington." (22:45)

Chip Roy on Speaker Election Chaos Roy elaborated on the complications:

"The speaker of the House... agreed with Democrats, negotiated and agreed on a bill to do the basic thing of keeping the government functioning. And it fell apart." (15:33)

Roy emphasized the chaotic environment hindering effective leadership and legislative progress, exacerbated by external pressures from Trump and Musk.

---

**6. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Topics

As the episode concluded, the hosts previewed upcoming segments, including labor strikes' impact on the holidays, insights into a meeting between Jeff Bezos and Trump, and Eugene Robinson's latest column on the risks of billionaire influence. The discussion also briefly touched on sports events, highlighting the intersection of politics and cultural moments.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Chip Roy (01:32): "It is absolutely ridiculous."
• Jonathan Lemire (02:07): "Congress still has no path forward to fund the government."
• Ali Vitale (06:17): "It seems likely at this point..."
• Simone Sanders Townsend (09:16): "Democrats cannot take the same posture..."
• Chip Roy (15:33): "That's not any way to run a country."
• Gene Robinson (30:11): "Titans of industry and commerce, beware when you bend the knee to the mad king..."
• Jim Vande Hei (17:52): "He single-handedly with his tweets and his followers killed that bill."
• Michael Tomasky (34:02): "Common civic agreement about basic morality in public life has become impossible."

---

Conclusion

The December 20, 2024 episode of Morning Joe provided an in-depth analysis of the escalating government shutdown crisis, highlighting the disruptive influence of Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the Republican Party's legislative processes. With internal party conflicts, labor strikes affecting the holiday season, and significant concerns about media influence on public perception, the future of American governance appears increasingly tumultuous. The panelists underscored the urgent need for bipartisan cooperation and cautioned against the undemocratic sway of influential outsiders over elected officials.

Transcript

[UNHCR Representative]

Unhcr, the UN refugee agency, responds to emergencies and provides long term solutions for refugees in more than 130 countries including Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan. UNHCR supports people forced to flee from war, violence and persecution at their greatest moment of need. During the winter, people forced to flee are faced with increased hardships and costs. As temperatures drop, families struggle to meet basic needs like heating their shelters, buying warm clothes and cooking hot meals. Refugees and displaced people are struggling to survive like never before. Funding shortfalls and rising food prices forced UNHCR to dial back its life saving aid to vulnerable families around the world. Donor support is crucial to address the need for essentials for millions of families. Without sufficient funding, life saving assistance will be threatened, cutting off a vital lifeline for refugees and displaced people. This is a tremendous challenge for people forced to Flee. Donate to USA for UNHCR by visiting unrefugees.org winter all gifts before December 31st.

[US Cellular Advertiser]

Are automatically matched Gifting is hard, but here's a Give the Gift of connection from US Cellular. Not sure what that means? Here's a slightly more specific you can choose four free phones and get four lines for $90 a month from US Cellular. Your family wants new phones. How do we know? They told us. The good news is that compared to wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints. So take the hint and get them four free phones and four lines for Doll month US Cellular built for us.

[News Anchor]

It's shameful.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects. But to take this bill, to take this bill yesterday and congratulate yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine. And that's precisely what Republicans are doing. I am absolutely sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity to go forward to the American people and say you think this is fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous.

[News Anchor]

Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas, a consistent critic of spending bills, calling out his own party yesterday. His rant highlights this self made crisis for the Republican Party. Get ready. They had a bipartisan bill that would have passed this week, but then Donald Trump and Elon Musk killed it. Then yesterday they hastily put together a Trump backed package only for it to be rejected by dozens of Republicans and almost all Democrats who were not going to give in to Trump or Musk's demands. To top things off, Elon Musk may get rewarded for all of this as some Republicans are now floating him as the next speaker of the House Good morning and welcome to Morning Joe. It's Friday, December 20th. I'm Jonathan Lemire, in for Joe, Mika and Willie. With us, we have a great group. Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and associate editor of the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson, NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitale, co founder and CEO of Axios, Jim Vande Hei, co host of the Weekend on msnbc, Simone Sanders Townsend and editor of the New Republic, Michael Tomasky. It has been a dizzying stretch here. Let's dive right in and try to sort it out. With less than 24 hours to go, Congress still has no path forward to fund the government. Capitol Hill in complete chaos yesterday after President elect Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire buddy, torched the bipartisan agreement to fund the government through March. Congressional leadership and Vice President elect J.D. vance spent the day working on new legislation that would appease Trump and the already very small Republican majority. After hours of negotiations, the group managed to come out with a bill that had Trump's seal of support. A dramatically smaller bill, however, it did not have the full backing of the Republican conference. The alternate package failed 174 to 235, falling far short of the 2/3 majority needed to pass. Moments after the bill failed on the floor, Republicans tried to blame Democrats for tanking the legislation. But Democrats for their part say the GOP backtracked on their deal and they felt no need to bail them out. The Democrats just voted to shut down the government even though we had a clean CR because they didn't want to give the president, president negotiating leverage during his first term or during the first year of his new term. And number two, because they would rather shut down the government and fight for global censorship. Bull. They've asked for a shutdown and I think that's exactly what they're going to get.

[Political Analyst]

I want you all to remember that it was just last spring that the same Democrats berated Republicans and said that.

[News Anchor]

It was irresponsible to hold the, the.

[Political Analyst]

Debt, limit, the debt ceiling hostage. What changed? It is, I think, really irresponsible for us to risk a shutdown over these issues on things that they have already agreed upon. I think you need to be asking them the questions about that.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

House Republicans have abandoned that bipartisan agreement.

[News Anchor]

That we entered into in good faith. A bill that House Republicans negotiated gave us your word that we were going.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

To move forward together on behalf of the American people.

[News Anchor]

It was a Republican drafted bill that.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Was posted by House Republicans and then.

[News Anchor]

One or two puppet masters weigh in and the extreme maga Republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy, the.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Well off, the well connected millionaires and billionaires, not working class people.

[News Anchor]

There is so much to sift through here in terms of the politics, the impact on the incoming Trump administration. But let's start Ali Vitale with the basics. What's the latest you're reporting? Is the government going to shut down tonight?

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

It seems likely at this point, especially because the speaker and other top Republicans aren't sure what Plan C looks like. We watched Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise and other top members leaving the building last night, even questioning if they're going to end up having a vote on anything today. It's bad news when you're hours to go until a government shutdown deadline and you don't know if you're going to have a vote because you don't know what you would vote on. And even if they did have a vote, they don't know that it could pass because all the different iterations of, okay, is it going to be just a clean continuing resolution? Is it going to be that plus just disaster relief? You've also got to throw a farm bill extension in there at some point, otherwise you're going to run into a lot of various problems in grocery store aisles across the country. There's different permutations of this, but there still remains the same opposition from the same core group of folks in the conservative ranks of the House Republican Conference who don't vote for continuing resolutions anyway. It's why they're negotiated in bipartisan fashion to begin with, because you always need Democrats in this iteration of the Republican Party to keep the lights on with the government because there's always going to be staunch opposition from the same Republicans within the party who don't want to vote for it. Then Trump comes in and further complicates it by adding a debt ceiling negotiation to this mix, which I know to a casual viewer might seem like it's all part and parcel with a government funding negotiation. But we're talking about two very different fiscal negotiations happening right now. And you can't just negotiate away the debt ceiling on a 24 hour deadline. And so that's certainly something that they're running into as well, because now Trump has told them you have to keep that in the mix. And if you don't, you're going to have me and Elon Musk saying we're going to primary you. So they're creating guardrails to a system that is already very difficult. And that makes the job for Speaker Johnson even harder. I also think the Democratic posture here is going to be instructive because there's very much a vibe of you break it, you buy it. And that's why Democrats are setting the tone here, too, that they are not just going to be led down a path of negotiation in bipartisan fashion sense, see it fall apart after good faith negotiations and then just say, okay, we'll vote for whatever you want. So they're doing their own tone setting here, too. And I have to say there is a very subtle troll that's happening, which is Hakeem Jeffries is issuing all of his statements about this, not on the social media platform that Elon Musk owns, but on Blue sky, which has emerged since the election as the alternative. So we're watching a little bit of trolling in real time, too.

[News Anchor]

So, Simone, let's talk about how the Democrats are handling this and let's stay up front. They agreed to the initial deal. It's the Republicans who walked away, not the Democrats, despite what the GOP trying to play the blame game there. But give us your analysis here because there's a lot of trolling about President Elect Musk and the like. But they also chose not to bail out Republicans. They walked away from this replacement deal, do you think, on both fronts, are they handling it right?

[UNHCR Representative]

Well, look past this prologue here. And I think that the last, this, this 118th Congress that we are at the tail end of, Democrats have bailed out Republicans. Every sing there has been a continuing resolution or something had to get done for the government. Something had to get done in terms of funding. Democrats did come over, cross the aisle and do what needed to be done to keep the government functioning. You saw in the election that they weren't necessarily rewarded for that work and so did the American people. Were they aware of what Democrats were doing on that regard? Did they, did they know? Maybe. Did they know and not care? We have to ask the voters. But the reality here is that Democrats cannot take the same posture that they have taken previously as it relates to Speaker Johnson, think that the voters will just recognize what they're doing and or even punish Republicans for not doing their jobs. So in this regard, I think that the posture that the Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries is taking is in fact the right one. I do think that Democrats need to step back just a notch and not be too gleeful, if you will. And some folks are sounding a little gleeful here. And the Republicans don't know what they're doing and it's a mess. And we're just waiting and posting their popcorn memes because the reality here is that if the government shuts down, whether it's for 24 hours or through January 20th, like Elon Musk has, he tweeted on his social media platform that that's what he thinks should happen. Real people are affected by this. Social Security checks, yes, are going to continue to flow, but workers are not going to get paid. Okay, they're not going to get paid. We are just days away from Christmas. Folks are making, going to have to make real time decisions, government workers across the country about how they're going to survive over the holidays because Congress, that is Republicans in Congress are taking their orders from Elon Musk on the social media site. So I just really think watching here for what Donald Trump is going to say. He usually tweets through or posts on his true social site through everything else. And we're not, I'm seeing Elon Musk tweeting and I'm looking for what the president elect is saying. So I don't know if the blind is leading the blind, who is leading who? But Democrats just, they, they have to continue to take their posture that they are going to do what's best for the people, but they are not going to do the Republicans work for them.

[News Anchor]

So let's dig in a little deeper on Musk's role here. Several lawmakers are placing the blame squarely on the billionaire for the failure to pass this government funding bill. Democrats say Musk was meddling where he did not belong and has effectively taken control of the Republican Party. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took to social media, calling the president elect Musk's puppet president elect, adding that House Republicans are abdicating their responsibility to the American people and siding with billionaires and special interests. Other Democrats echoed those very sentiments.

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

It's just shameful that they allowed Elon Musk, who now everybody's calling President Musk.

[News Anchor]

To blow this deal up.

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

I heard one Republican colleague say, now it's President Musk and J.D.

[News Anchor]

Vance as Vice president.

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

Where does that leave Donald Trump, the president elect? Is he the former campaign manager?

[News Anchor]

They write the bill, they post the bill, they agreed on a bill, they signed it. And you know what? They got scared because President Musk told them President Musk said, don't do it, don't do it. Shut the government down. Elon Musk, unelected man, said, we're not doing this deal.

[Political Commentator]

And Donald Trump followed along.

[News Anchor]

So here we are once again in chaos.

[Political Commentator]

And House Democrats are going to stand.

[News Anchor]

Together and make sure that American families.

[Political Commentator]

Voices are heard here.

[News Anchor]

All I've heard for the last couple weeks about this giant mandate, landslide trifecta.

[Political Analyst]

Put on your big boy pants, pass your own bill. We're only here. We're only here because you guys can't agree amongst yourselves.

[News Anchor]

We're the legislative branch of government. Mr. Musk is not the legislature. We should be voting on that agreement, and that agreement is a fair agreement. For his part, President Elect Trump told NBC News in a phone interview yesterday that Musk did not influence him at all. When Trump initially came out against the spending bill, some Senate Republicans also weighed in publicly, generally displeased with the idea of a government shutdown right before the holidays. But they claim that Trump is in control, not Musk.

[Political Analyst]

I think President Trump's driving this, and I'm not diminishing Mr. Musk's role. I mean, this is America.

[Political Commentator]

Everybody's entitled to have their opinion.

[Political Analyst]

And I listen, I follow his tweets. And just one more factor that I.

[News Anchor]

Add to my equation, trying to make the right decision.

[Political Analyst]

But I think President Trump's driving the strength.

[News Anchor]

I think it's somewhat constructive, quite honestly.

[Political Commentator]

But it's also a little bit disruptive.

[News Anchor]

But that's what people elected. They wanted, a constructive disruptor.

[UNHCR Representative]

And.

[News Anchor]

And Elon fits that bill pretty nicely well, despite what Senator Cramer just said. We'll just note that Elon Musk was, of course, not on the ballot and was not elected to any position in the government. So Eugene Robinson, though, Elon Musk, he wasn't elected, but he sure holds a perch of power, at least for the moment. I mean, it was already. We've spent a lot of time on this show talking about just this unprecedented influence he had on the election with his money, with his time, with his social media site. Now he gets this doge quasi government agency. And yesterday, let's be clear this week, when this bill, the original bill, went down to defeat, that started soon after. It was Musk, not Trump, who started going after it. On social media. It seems like he's got the President's ear, and it seems like he's wielding a lot of power.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Yeah, he definitely is wielding a lot of power. He definitely has the President's ear, I don't think, or the President Elect's ear. I don't think Donald Trump is for very long going to like people talking about President Musk and how Elon Musk is really running the show. But if we step back for a second, I mean, look at what just happened. The speaker of the House of Representatives, like the number three official in our entire government, agreed with Democrats, negotiated and agreed on a bill to do the basic thing of keeping the government functioning. And it fell apart. And it began to fall apart, as you said, when Elon Musk got on his social media platform and started attacking it. Elon Musk is not elected, was not elected to any position. He's not been appointed to any official position. He is apparently running this doge, which is not a government body, it's really an advisory pan. Yet he is running, or he was yesterday, he was running the show. I mean, I think it's difficult to look at it any other way. I think a very dangerous situation for this country to have this unelected gazillionaire essentially running the country by whim. But also what is the speaker of the House now supposed to do? How does he negotiate anything if his word is no good, if he has to go through not only President Elect, soon to be President Trump, but also Elon Musk and figure out, well, what does Elon think about this? That doesn't sound like any way to run a country.

[News Anchor]

So we have never been here before. And Jim Vande Hei, you've got new reporting out this morning for Axios about the government funding fight and how it captures the power and flaws of what you call the new information ecosystem, which is in many ways Elon Musk and.

[Axios Co-Founder Jim Vande Hei]

X. I mean, this is your future foretold. You might like it, you might hate it, but it is like you now have Musk controlling the dominant organ of the Republican media industrial complex. There's nothing close. He single handedly with his tweets and his followers killed that bill, there's no doubt about that. I think, listen, I think the aspirational part of what he's saying probably is a good thing, right? Like we do spend way too much money as a country and the process by which we do it is often asinine. And I think that was like the fundamental thing that started this. But now you do have somebody who, at least in this interim period is arguably the most powerful person in politics and is totally. So now Republicans are seeing they got the benefit of Musk in winning the election. Now they're going to have to deal with the consequences of having a media infrastructure that can put pressure on them to force members to instantaneously change their votes. And make no mistake, that's what happened. Go back and look and acts at the number of members of Congress who went on and genuflected before Musk to say, I changed my votes because of what you said. Now, the complicating part for Musk is there's a little bit of intellectual dishonesty when you say, listen, I want to cut spending, but now I also am for a bill that would raise the debt limit. Never in the history of the country have we raised the debt limit and not then hit the limit. Right. So the best way, if you actually wanted to cut spending, would say, don't raise a debt limit. Force government to start living within its means and make the really hard choices. But Trump doesn't want to do that. Why would Trump want to do that? He wants to do crackdown on immigration. He wants to do massive tax cuts. There's no appetite to do massive spending cuts on day one of the presidency. So I get what Trump is trying to do, and I do believe they'll figure out some kind of solution. I agree with everything Ali Vitaly was saying, but there are ways out of this. You can just do a clean CR for three months. You could get rid of the debt limit and hope Trump doesn't get too ticked off. But there are ways to avoid a government shutdown.

[News Anchor]

Yeah, the methods, but avenues to escape it. But at least right now, Republicans don't seem particularly close to any of them. So, Michael Tomowski, let's bring you in. I mean, you've a veteran observer of Washington, been covering this for a long time. This feels like not only an unprecedented moment, but a preview, a preview of what's to come here in these next couple of months that Donald Trump, you know, he received hype that he ran a more disciplined campaign this time around. He's coming in with a, you know, exaggerated but mandate. He's got the two houses of Congress both in Republican hands. He's more experienced this time around. He's going to get things done. Well, if this week is any example, it's the exact same chaos that we saw the first time around.

[Political Commentator]

Yeah, well, you know, when Republicans control the House of Representatives, Jonathan, we have chaos, and we've had chaos going back a long time. Really? You can trace this back to John Boehner's tenure. Now, John Boehner was like a reasonable human being compared to what we've got today. But the fact remains that when Boehner was the speaker, the Senate Republicans, you'll recall, voted in a bipartisan fashion to pass a good immigration bill. And the House held it up, and Boehner refused to bring it to the floor because he knew it would pass. And he Knew, therefore, he would lose his speakership. Fast forward to Ryan's tenure, Paul Ryan, they passed. What did they pass? They passed a tax cut. That's really about all they passed. When they had the reins, they couldn't even repeal Obamacare. Fast forward now to Kevin McCarthy's very brief tenure, the third shortest, I believe, in the history of the House of Representatives, and they essentially did nothing. And now here in Mike Johnson's tenure, they have another mess now when Trump is sworn in and Trump presents his legislative agenda, such as it will be. And I can't really think of much that he has in the way of a legislative agenda except another massive tax cut and some tariffs, although he may not even need legislation on those tariffs. What are the Republicans going to do? It's interesting that we see these cracks today. 38. Yesterday, 38 Republicans voting against the bill that Trump wanted for, you know, fairly principled reasons, actually. So, you know, yes, there's a history of chaos, and there are divisions right now within that caucus that make the future pretty up in the air, I think.

[News Anchor]

And one of the questions that's up in the air is, who's going to be speaker of the House? Ali Vitale, because Mike Johnson right now, I mean, his grip on power has never been particularly firm, but he has been taking it on all sides this week. Give us the latest here as to whether you think whether the government shuts down tonight at midnight or not, whether he's going to be reelected speaker come January 3rd.

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

Yeah, no matter what, that's when the true ripple effect of whatever happens in the next 28, 24 to 48 hours is going to happen is January 3rd. But look, the question of the last two years has been who is going to be the next speaker? You know, McCarthy is ousted, ousted. And then you go through three weeks of chaos. The real question that we should be asking is why would anyone want to be speaker at this point? It is easily the most difficult and thankless job in Washington. And President Elect Trump has only shown that it's going to be worse this time around for whoever it is, because he clearly can't be predicted to even stay on his team's side once they have a negotiation that they feel is palatable to move forward with. I mean, that's what Mike Johnson has dealt with this week. The reality is there's always someone who wants to be speaker, whether it's Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan. We could go down that road. But the questions Republicans have to ask themselves is, do they want to start the initial weeks of their new Congress and of Republicans having a trifecta of power in Washington by going through yet another multi round chaos driven process to elect a new speaker when I still think Steve Scalise put himself up for the job a year ago now he had 20 or so detractors. That number may or may not still be the right whip count, but certainly that would be something they'd have to deal with. And the same can be said for Jim Jordan. So if not them, then who? Johnson is the person who right now has proven he can herd the cats. And that is, I think, the school of thought for the majority of Republicans who say let's go with the guy we've got and the person that we know. But who knows?

[News Anchor]

Although there are some Republicans who even floated Elon Musk as a possibility for Speaker. I mean, we should note there's actually not a requirement that the speaker be a member of the House. This would seem deeply unlikely, but there was more than a few Republicans yesterday who seemed to at least somewhat seriously engage with the idea. NBC's Ali Vitale. Ali, thank you. We know you have a very busy and long day ahead of you. Thanks for being with us. Everybody else, stay put. Coming up next on Morning Joe, Amazon workers are on strike at several delivery hub locations. We'll break down the failed contract negotiations and how it could potentially impact the holidays. Plus what we're learning about the meeting between Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and President elect Donald Trump. Gene Robinson will weigh in on that and we'll read from his new column on the risks of declaring fealty to Donald Trump. You're watching Morning Joe. We'll be back in just 90 seconds.

[US Cellular Advertiser]

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. Reproductive health care and rights are under attack from public officials who are out of step with the will of the vast majority of Americans. The constitutional right to abortion has been stolen and politicians in 47 states have introduced bills that would block people from getting the sexual and reproductive care they need. Planned Parenthood knows that equitable access to healthcare, including safe, legal abortion, is a human right. Right now, Planned Parenthood needs your help to Protect access to healthcare. Donate today by visiting plannedparenthood.org protect gifting is hard, but here's a Give the gift of connection from US Cellular. Not sure what that means. Here's a slightly more specific hint. You can choose four free phones and get four lines for $90 a month from US Cellular. Your family wants new phones? How do we know? They told us. The good news is that compared to wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints. So take the hint and get them four free phones and four lines for $90 a month US Cellular built for us. Oh my God. It's the coolest thing ever. Hey guys, have you heard of Goldbelly? Well check this out. It's this amazing site where they ship the most iconic famous foods from restaurants across the country, anywhere nationwide. I've never found a more perfect gift than food they ship Chicago deep dish pizza, New York bagels, Maine lobster rolls, and even Ina Garten's famous cakes. Seriously. So if you're looking for a gift for the food lover in your Life, head to goldbelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code gift.

[News Anchor]

A beautiful shot there of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree just outside here at 30 Rock. We're now six days from Christmas and complicating perhaps the holiday season, some labor strife. Starbucks baristas are walking off the job this morning in three major cities. A union representing the workers say employees in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, Starbucks hometown, are launching a five day strike that would impact hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve. Workers are accusing Starbucks of stalling union contract negotiations and failing to produce better wage gains. The two sides have been bargaining a new national contract since April. Meanwhile, more labor issues. Amazon workers at seven different delivery hubs across four states also went on strike yesterday, this after the Teamsters union claimed the company ignored a Sunday deadline for contract negotiations. It's not known how many are on strike or how long it will last. The union is pushing for higher wages, better benefits and safer work conditions. Representatives from Amazon say the strikes are not expected to impact holiday shipments, but I'm sure there are some nervous last minute shoppers. And that strike, of course, comes just a day after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly had dinner with President Elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Who else? At Mar a Lago? According to reporting in the New York Times, Musk was not initially invited to the meal, but joined it after it began on Wednesday. During Trump's first term in office, he often targeted Bezos, calling him out for issues like how Much Amazon pays in taxes. And news headlines he disagreed with, because, of course, Bezos also owns the Washington Post. The two men's evolving relationship is seen as an example of America's business leaders rushing to Trump's side before his administration begins. It's a change that the president elect has touted multiple times, including on social media, where he recently wrote, everybody wants to be my friend. All caps three exclamation points. Gene, your latest column for the aforementioned Washington Post has this headline, the Risks of Declaring Fealty to Donald Trump. In it you write, in part, titans of industry and commerce, beware when you bend the knee to the mad king, when you shower him with money and bathe him in flattery, he will receive your gifts with apparent gratitude. But he will want more. He will always want more. And Eugene, tell us more about your piece and frankly warning you're trying to issue to the billionaire class, who at the moment is trying to cozy up the president elect.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

They certainly are. I mean, who hasn't been to Mar a lago from that class, the billionaire class at this point, Mark Zuckerberg was there. Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai from Alphabet Google were there. And of course, there was the dinner Wednesday night with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk dropping in. Some of the titans or their companies are giving million dollar donations to the Trump inauguration. Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is doing that. They, they don't generally give money to that sort of thing, but they're doing it this time and Amazon is giving a million dollars. There are other big donations. I just want the billionaires, if they want a little advice, is to manage their expectations. Because if their idea going in is to open a line of communications with the president elect and the incoming administration, I get that. If they think that finally they're the ones who are going to talk sense into Donald Trump and get him on board some sort of systematic, what they would see as a systematic, reasonable program, then they're going to be disappointed because we've seen this movie and we kind of know how it works out. So I don't want them to have illusions about what sort of influence they're ultimately going to have over the president elect or when he becomes president, or indeed what kinds of policies may be coming down the pipe. Because as we've seen in the last few days, things can change in an instant. And we know how chaotic and unpredictable the first four Trump years were. We're gonna see that again. And we definitely know that loyalty between Trump and anybody else really flows One direction, it flows toward Trump. And if you don't believe me on that, just ask Mike Pence.

[News Anchor]

Yeah, it's a one way street, to be sure. So, Jim Vande Hei. I mean, Trump is a unique character and some perceive as a singular threat to democracy. But it's not unusual for billionaires or business leaders to meet with a president or a president elect coming in to try to get in that administration's good graces and get favorable policies.

[Axios Co-Founder Jim Vande Hei]

I mean, to be blunt, if you're a CEO of a publicly traded company, your job is to drive. You have a fiduciary responsibility to drive shareholder value. And if you're sitting and running one of these tech companies and you realize that the next government is going to decide antitrust laws and potentially breaking up some of these big tech companies, and they're going to set the parameters for AI, which is the future of all of these big tech companies, you'd be nuts not to be talking to the president and his incoming staff and incoming cabinet secretary so that you have some leverage in those negotiations on top of it. You can trace that back to Musk, too, because Musk is their competitor in all of those spaces. And they see what we see, that he's sitting next to the president every day, all day at Mar a Lago, talking about policy, talking about personnel. And so they're scrambling to get in front of him to make sure that they can at least make their case and that there's not punitive actions taken against their companies. Because Musk is whispering in one ear and critics of them are whispering in the other. So if anything, this dynamic will intensify.

[News Anchor]

So, Michael Tobowski, in your latest article for the New Republic, which is titled the Real Reason why Americans Approve of Trump's Disastrous Transition, you write in part, how can it be, you may be wondering, that 55% of Americans tell pollsters they approve of how Donald Trump is handling the transition. He has nominated almost, but not quite literally across the board, unqualified extremists. I don't blame people, you say. I blame the larger culture, which has been almost totally drained of common concern about our civic health. First and foremost, I blame Rupert Murdoch and to a lesser extent, his imitators, whose media properties have injected so much poison and so many lies into our discourse since 1977 that common civic agreement about basic morality in public life has become impossible. You go on. We had a basic understanding about what kinds of actions did and did not reflect our best values. And this was why Richard Nixon had to Resign in disgrace for committing far fewer offenses than Trump already has. Everyone, whatever their politics, agreed that Nixon had clearly crossed a line. But that impulse is dead in the United States and the right wing media killed it. Michael, a powerful piece. Tell us more about your argument about the right wing media, what it's done, and do you see any way that this civic bond, this civic concern can be repaired?

[Political Commentator]

I'm not very hopeful about that, Jonathan. Unfortunately. You know, John Dean famously said a few years ago that if Fox News had existed in 1973, 74, Richard Nixon would have survived Watergate. I think that's probably true today. The right wing media extends far beyond Fox News. I mentioned Murdoch in that piece. But there's, there's Sinclair Media, there's many, many outlets that follow essentially the same kind of script. I do think that we have lost those bonds. I'm talking about, I think that, you know, in an earlier time, without that media pressure, right wing media pressure, I think Republican senators and House members during Donald Trump's first term would have said this is a bridge too far, he's gone too far. This crosses a line we can't tolerate. This just aren't the rules anymore. With respect to the transition. Very quickly, I watched these polls. 55% approve of the transition, 59% I saw in one poll, although that was a few weeks ago. I don't really think, I just can't believe that 55% of Americans think that Robert F. Kennedy is the best choice for HHS. I don't think 55% of Americans think Tulsi Gabbard is the best choice for intelligence or Pete Hegseth is the best choice for the Pentagon. What I think is happening though is that people are just kind of checked out. They don't know, they're not paying attention. And some portion of the media, the right wing media, is telling them that these are very well qualified people and that they should be confirmed. It's a sad situation that we're in and I don't see an easy way out.

[UNHCR Representative]

You know, I think Jim makes an important point here. And Eugene, I'm wondering what you think, because the reality is is I do think that some of it is people are not fully informed, right? Folks are like, oh, people voted for what Donald Trump is going to do. They wanted this. I'm not sure if they were fully informed about all the things, but one could argue a lot of people knew enough because of our fractured media environment, they weren't fully informed. I think depending on where you get your news, you could actually believe that the speaker of the House is supposed to go to every single member of their caucus and say, hey, what do you want to put in the bill? Not knowing that that's not actually how negotiations work. You elect a leader to negotiate on your behalf, and the leader should the respect and the backing of their caucus. That's how this usually works. And so, given though this is our situation, Eugene, what are we gonna do? Because I have, I asked my folks on social media questions last night on Instagram and I should have been sleep. And people are like, how are we gonna survive the crazy of the next four years? And Donald Trump isn't even elected yet. This is utter chaos for no reason except that Elon Musk. And I can't help but think also maybe the President elect didn't actually understand how the continuing resolution was supposed to go and what was actually in the bill.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Yeah, well, just a couple of quick points, Simone. First of all, on those polls, you know, 55%, 59% saying they support the transition. Frankly, I am not surprised. You know, Donald Trump won the popular vote. Not quite just as a Skoj, less than 50%, but he won the popular vote. And so it doesn't surprise me at all that 55 or even 59% of Americans, many of whom voted for Donald Trump and others of whom are not really that firmly attached to either party, it doesn't surprise me that that many people would want to be optimistic about the administration. That's called the honeymoon. Right. And so that'sthey're hardly going to, I think, take a hard look at some of the. At the chaos and the dysfunction, at least until Trump takes office and the administration begins to shape up. So that's one point. And the other point is that a lot of people have just checked out. After a couple of years of really intense politics and political news and being invested in one candidacy or the other and headlines every day, I think a lot of people are just checked out for a little bit, and that's kind of okay. It's the holidays. Let's get through the holidays. People will check back in. I don't worry about that, because stuff will happen and people will have feelings about it, and then we'll say, but what's happening right now, it's not a huge concern to me.

[News Anchor]

Yeah, perhaps when the inauguration rolls around, that's when the people do check back in. Editor of the New Republic, Michael Tomasky and CEO of Axios, Jim Vande Hei. Both important columns online. We're reading them thanks to you both for being with us this morning. And of course, Simone Sanders Townsend, thank you as well. We will be watching the weekends, Saturdays and Sundays starting at 8am right here on MSNBC. Coming up, we'll take a quick break from politics and turn to sports. Pablo Torre is here to preview the opening round of the first ever 12 team playoff in college football. He's got a bracket. I need a bracket. Morning Joe's coming right back.

[Political Commentator]

Foreigna Jones and the Great Circle is available now.

[News Anchor]

Uncover one of history's greatest mysteries in.

[Political Commentator]

A first person single player adventure game set between the events of Raiders of.

[News Anchor]

The Lost Ark and the Last Crusade. The year is 1937. Sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle. And only one person can stop them.

[Political Commentator]

Indiana Jones Adventure calls on Xbox series.

[News Anchor]

X and S Game Pass and PC rated T for Teen. Copyright and trademark 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

[US Cellular Advertiser]

Gifting is hard, but here's a hint. Give the gift of connection from US Cellular. Not sure what that means. Here's a slightly more specific hint. You can choose four free phones and get four lines for $90 a month from US Cellular. Your family wants new phones? How do we know? They told us. The good news is that compared to wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints. So take the hint and get them four free phones and four lines for $90 a month US Cellular built for us.

[News Anchor]

Hey guys, have you heard of Goldbelly? It's this amazing site where they ship the most iconic famous foods from restaurants across the country, anywhere nationwide. I've never found a more perfect gift than food. They ship Chicago deep dish pizza, New York bagels, Maine lobster rolls, and even Ina Garten's famous cakes. So if you're looking for a gift for the food lover in your Life, head to goldbelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code gift Herbert Little shovel dump pass to haskins inside the 10. Touchdown Chargers. That's Hassan Haskins taking a shovel pass from Justin Herbert. 34 yards to the end zone for the Chargers. Go ahead score late in the fourth quarter. It was LA's third touchdown in the second half in a comeback from a double digit deficit against their division rival Denver Broncos. Now this included the NFL's first successful fair catch kick in nearly half a century. The Chargers took advantage of the seldom used rule after the Broncos were called for fair catch interference. You saw it just there. That would have been the final play of the second quarter. The rule though, allows a team that just made the fair catch to try a free kick for three points. The rule states the kick has to be taken from the line of scrimmage while all defenders must line up at least 10 yards away so you have a clear line of sight. And with the flag moving the ball to the Denver 47 for an untimed down, LA knocks one through the uprights from 57 yards. Chargers rally from it for a 34 to 27 win, keeping the Broncos from clinching a spot in the postseason while increasing their own chances at a playoff berth. Louisiana can secure its second trip to the playoffs in three seasons on Sunday if both the Colts and Dolphins lose. But that fair catch kick Truly bizarre. Thankfully we have someone here who specializes in truly bizarre sports.

[Political Analyst]

That's right, Moments.

[News Anchor]

The host Pablo Torre finds out on Metal Arc Media. MSNBC contributor Pablo Torre Apollo I followed the NFL my whole life. I know you have too. I didn't know that rule existed. And yet it gave the Chargers three points in a key win.

[Political Analyst]

Yeah. Oh definitely. I was familiar with this. No you weren't. Absolutely no. I study the fact checking the parliamentary rules of NFL special teams studiously. The NFL is part, you know, violent spectacle. It's the Coliseum brought to modern day and also tax law sometimes. And you realize, oh wait a minute, this is a thing that we have not seen happen at this distance. A successful free kick, fair catch, free kick since Paul Horning. John, in case you were wondering, Green Bay packers legend I didn't know you could do this. I didn't know you could do this. It was crucial. It's ridiculous. Apparently both coaches claimed after the game, of course they practice this, which is either psychosis or just reality.

[News Anchor]

The only person on the planet who knew about this rule was clearly Bill Belichick. UNC will specialize in this play that.

[Political Analyst]

Man loves next year.

[News Anchor]

I will say though, this was a a eyebrow raising headline this play. Another one though in the NFL came hours earlier when we learned that the New York jets apparently make personnel decisions based on players ratings in the video game Madden.

[Political Analyst]

Yes, the New York jets, much like our Congress you could argue, apparently run actually by teenagers. Woody Johnson is the owner of the Jets. Woody Johnson, you may recall him as also President Trump's ambassador to the uk. He goes away for a while. He has some young boys. He comes back from that appointment and those boys are teenagers and one of them named Brick, which is just a thing we do now, you call your teenage son BR and you allow him to basically take over the post Game huddle Look, I'm not the guy who comes on this show and praises Aaron Rodgers very often, but there's a story in this piece in which it is the post game huddle in the locker room and Aaron Rodgers is about to give the game ball to a defensive player who was unheralded and deserves it. And in comes Brick with a profanity laden celebratory toast to Garrett Wilson. He gives Garrett Wilson, star wide receiver, the ball instead, leaving everybody mystified. On top of allegedly recommending that they not sign Jerry Judy acquire him because the Madden rating was not high enough.

[News Anchor]

Not high enough. And this is why the New York jets each and every year continue to disappoint, have the longest playoff drought.

[Political Analyst]

It's so good. And by that I mean they're so bad.

[News Anchor]

No, it's so good. I'm going to stay with it. It's so good. So let's turn from the pros to the college game. The 12 team college football Playoff kicks off tonight in south bend with number 10 Indiana visiting nearby Notre Dame, which is ranked number seven in the first round opener. The winner advances to the quarterfinals against second seeded Georgia in the Sugar bowl on New Year's Day, but the Bulldogs are reportedly preparing to play without starting quarterback Carson Beck. Beck, who had been considered a potential first round pick in next year's NFL draft, has not practiced since he was hurt in the first half of Georgia's SEC championship game win over Texas earlier this month. ESPN's NOW report the quarterback is exploring surgery options to repair an injury to the elbow on his throwing arm. So that's a blow potentially to one of the favorites in this tournament. First time expanded 12 teams. I see you brought with you your brackets.

[Political Analyst]

I am Steve Kornacki on some sort of psychedelic it's just really messy. I've been crossing out names, updating it based on the injuries and all that. John Georgia, can we just start there because I am picking them just to spoiler alert you here. And the reason I'm doing that is because as much as Carson Beck is the guy who is the incumbent Gunner Stockton, which is a name that's also just great. Brick and Gunner just dominating Morning Joe. I'd watch that show on the Friday before Christmas. Gunner Stockton is arguably even better. He's the younger guy, a dual threat guy. Carson Beck, more of the conventional passer. Gunnar Stockton was the guy who helped them beat Texas and then of course got brutally concussed as well because football again is the Coliseum in modern day. But that guy I believe is he's, he's got enough to pilot a team that is the most feared team in the sec. Which means I'm old enough to remember when that used to mean you won the national title.

[News Anchor]

So, Eugene Robinson, I know you'll be watching these college football playoffs. I know you won't be picking Ohio State, but otherwise you're going got.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Well, you know, Georgia. I, I like Georgia too. And I like that kid Gunner Stockton. I am not, you know, I don't have a bracket filled out and I doubt that I'm going to because it's, it's frankly too complicated. I can't keep, you know, which bowl is what. And a bowl is actually a quarterfinal.

[Political Analyst]

That's right.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Or a round of eight now or whatever. And also Michigan's not in it. So why am I going to invest that much time?

[News Anchor]

So Pablo, in your latest episode of Pablo Torre finds out you spoke with frequent Morning Joe guest Paul Feinbaum about the passionate college football fans who call into his show. Let's take a look at some of those calls, all pertaining to the University of Alabama and running the full gamut of human emotion.

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

The Tide just hired the board and I smell a natty in 24.

[News Anchor]

Roll down tide. Paul.

[NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ali Vitale]

See you later, buddy.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Paul.

[Political Commentator]

I'm in sports hell, brother.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

I'm in sports hell. I never thought I would other these words.

[Political Commentator]

Mandy is my daddy.

[Political Analyst]

Coach Saban.

[Political Commentator]

You built this thing, baby.

[News Anchor]

You built this thing from the ground.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Up.

[News Anchor]

Up.

[Republican Congressman Chip Roy]

Please come back, Mick.

[News Anchor]

Come back. Come back.

[UNHCR Representative]

Hey, cow turd.

[News Anchor]

You, you are just. I don't even have a name for you anymore except cow turd. How dare you. Don't you dare come down on the University of Alabama. I will eat your for lunch and I can make that a promise. Are you there? I am. I'm listening to every word and nodding my head. That was Phyllis at the end there with some anger. The call previous to that was a man named legend. We didn't have time to play Joe's frantic phone calls to Paul the most unhinged complaining about the University of Alabama. But talk to us more about just the the sort of singular role that Paul F. Has played for such a long time.

[Political Analyst]

Yeah, look, it is telling that whenever I come on to revel in in Alabama's misery, Joe Scarborough is nowhere to be found. But the thing you should realize is that sometimes Paul Feinmam joins us on Monday mornings to talk college football at this very table. And then he goes off and he talks to an audience that is the most important and influential base in sports. When it comes to the American south, this is a very different demographic. And this Christmas season I have never been more interested. John, they are miserable. They are populist, they are a little bit Occupy Wall street and a lot a bit crazy. And when it comes to why this job in Alabama is so hard and so glorious, it's because of these people and this show just for people who are not familiar, there's a guy who literally called into the show while in the emergency room while he's having a heart attack to tell Paul Feinbaum, paul, I love you. And Paul says, are you really in the er? And a nurse's voice comes on the line and it's very clear that he is. This is. When we say life and death, this is not a metaphor. This is actually real. And this is a sports radio show that's unlike any other. So we went behind the scenes of how it is that these people are the way they are and why Alabama is this sort of demographic that encapsulates why college football is in fact the second most popular sport in America behind the aforementioned Gladiator. It is absurd.

[News Anchor]

And a note how the college football not shying away from head to head matchups with the NFL over the next week or so, but let's turn for a second to baseball. For me, life or death. The Red Sox, I know your Yankees after missing out on Juan Soto have been busy. So weigh in what you think of the moves they've made to replace Soto using the money freed up when he chose to go to the Mets. And also we sort of hit after a very busy stretch, hit a bit of a lull in the hot stone, but there's a lot of big names still out there.

[Political Analyst]

Yeah, freed up. I see what you did there, Max. Freed up. Look, I believe that the Yankees ultimately dodged a financial bullet. I fully believe this. John, my text messages to you are not admissible in court. Do not use them against me in this conversation. I currently believe that the Yankees are piecing together. Look, when I went to game five of the ALCS and I myself had Gene Robinson style trauma, watching my team lose the game, I realized I needed a closer. We needed a closer. Guess what we got. We got a closer. Devin Williams. Guess what we got? We got a new starting pitcher. We could use one of those now. Of course, I would like another slugger. I would like to show the largesse that made the Yankees what they are. I would like to out Steinbrenner Steve Cohen, who is one of the hundred richest men on the planet. It bit of an uphill battle, but it's not yet over. How are you feeling, by the way?

[News Anchor]

Very briefly, the Garrett Crochet trade was good. That's a good step in the right direction. They got a lot more to do. The ownership for a few years now has promised to spend money, has promised to compete. Well, let's see it. They also need the starting pitcher. They need a righty bat, they need a couple relievers. Those guys are all available out there. Spend the money. Make it happen.

[Political Analyst]

So the theme of today of this week is actually, can we please spend more money there? We go in lots of places.

[News Anchor]

Maybe no doge for the sports world.

[Political Analyst]

No, for sure.

[News Anchor]

The latest episode of the Pablo Torre Finds out podcast is available now. You won't want to miss that. MSNBC contributor Pablo Torre. Thank you.

[Political Analyst]

As always, Roll Tide gifting is hard.

[US Cellular Advertiser]

But here's a hint. Give the gift of connection from US Cellular. Not sure what that means. Here's a slightly more specific hint. You can choose four free phones and get four lines for $90 a month from US Cellular. Your family wants new phones, they told us. The good news is that compared to wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints. So take the hint and get them four free phones and four lines for $90 a month US Cellular built for us.