Donald Trump (3:48)

Why they had a great, well, I will tell you, there's a lot of, a lot of Americans not really happy about the Chiefs either. So let me ask you, Jonathan Lemire, I was doing my regular afternoon routine after coming back from the orphanage and swimming 12 miles and running my marathon. I sat down and had my barley juice or whatever healthy people sit down, watch. And I was watching pti. And they were on Friday, Cornice and Wilbond were debating whether the Chiefs had reached the damned Yankees status yet, whether they are that hateable of a team. I don't think they've won enough. And Kornhuiser, Wilbaum both said that we just don't know that many players on there. They're not that hateable that you like them on the state farm at I don't know. I think they're getting there, John. I think they're getting there. I've had enough of the Chiefs. And I, I grew up loving the Chiefs. Lynn Dawson, I, Hank Scram, I love them all. I've had enough by now, John. I've had enough.

Mika Brzezinski (4:53)

Yeah, they're already there. I think this is, I think this was the year where America kind of reached its tipping point with the Chiefs. And two things to be true once we can respect the Chiefs. Andy Reid's a great coach. Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the league. They keep finding ways to win, especially these one score games. But Mahomes is in every other commercial on television. Travis Kelce, who's had a great career as sort of a shell of himself at this point, he of course is also over overexposed. And yes, there's a lot of Taylor Swift fans who have latched onto the Chiefs, but a lot of America might be tired of that.

Donald Trump (5:24)

Nothing wrong with that.

Mika Brzezinski (5:25)

Nothing wrong with that.

Donald Trump (5:26)

And not that is Taylor Swift is a mitigating factor here. She is the only thing that stops them from being the damn Yankees.

Mika Brzezinski (5:33)

But they keep going, they keep winning. I think there's a fatigue that set in just like happened to the Patriots a few years ago during the Brady Belichick. But there's also rightly the concerns about the officiating where it seems like the Chiefs get every single big call.

Donald Trump (5:47)

Happened again last night.

Mika Brzezinski (5:48)

It happened several times.

Donald Trump (5:50)

It happened on, on a, on a key drive. Once again, clearly the Ralph's botched it. You had Josh Allen on a fourth and one clearly make it over the first down line. And you had the worst mark. A guy running in. The guy at the top of the screen had it. Guy had coming at the bottom clearly moved the ball back a half yard. You once again you had the announcers inside saying, you know, in the booth saying he clearly made it.

Mika Brzezinski (6:23)

Yeah, we're seeing it here. The referee at the top of your screen, clear as you just said.

Donald Trump (6:27)

There it is, first down. And this was on, this was on a critical drive. There he is, makes his first down. And the refs, it's almost like they aren't even listening to what people like Don Van Natt and others have been saying about him. This is how, how the guy at the bottom of the screen over here comes at the top of the screen. He's got the mark right. And this is one on one of the critical drives. But it is what it is. The Ralphs afterwards, it was kind of moving when Patrick Mahomes and the ref at the bottom of the screen exchanged jerseys. That kind of started to tear too. Me too. We'll talk. Well, we'll talk about that more when Pablo comes. I want to let's, let's here very, very quickly. It is a quick turn. Let's just look at the front pages of the papers. The New York Times talking about the two big stories, both about Israel one, the attacks yesterday and the very fragile peace treaty, if you can call it that, actually cease fire. And also the, the, the vague but chilling statement that Gaza should be quote, cleaned out. Also down below, great story on how Kobe's image all over L. A with art on the wall. But here, the Wall Street. Wall Street, Yeah. Okay. Dueling Wall street journals. Hold that up. So. So, Richard, look at the headlines here. Obviously, proposals to vacate Gaza stuns all sides, scrambles diplomacy. I would be shocked if we go there. I think it's just one of those things. It grabs headlines. But I find it very hard to believe that Saudi Arabia, the uae, Jordan, Egypt, all of our Sunni Arab allies in the Middle east, would go along with a cleaning out of of where the Palestinian homeland one day should be.

Richard Haass (8:35)

Well, Joe, nobody in the Arab world, beginning with the Palestinians, but also the two countries that established peace with Israel first, Egypt and Jordan, both of them oppose this vehemently. Jordan's already 60 to 70% Palestinian. They would worry that any transfer of Palestinian populations would destabilize the monarchy in the country. Egypt lives on a knife edge because of its enormous population and its. Its poverty. This just wouldn't be acceptable. No Palestinian would want it. The people who are celebrating here are the far right in Israel, these ministers who have been part of Bibi Netanyahu's government for most of the last few years, and the settler movement, because this is what they want. They want to see what's known as transfer, the pushing out of Palestinians and therefore making Gaza, and even more important to them, the west bank, what they call Judea and Samaria, open to Israeli settlement to ultimately annexation. So I think this is a non starter, Joe. What's interesting to me is where did this come from? What does it tell us about the policy process of the new president? That an idea that is so, I think, so much a nonstarter and so potentially inconsistent with stability and peace in the region. Where did this come from? Why was it being surfaced the way it was? And that's what I'd like to hear a little bit more about.

Joe Scarborough (9:55)

It's interesting because.

Donald Trump (9:57)

Let's go, Joe.

Joe Scarborough (9:58)

It's interesting because I was talking to somebody who ultimately ended up becoming a member of the cabinet, and he says a lot of the concepts are opening bids. Don't really know where this stands in that, but let's go live to Tel Aviv. We'll switch up our rundown this morning. NBC News international correspondent Raf Sanchez. Rap. What more do we know about this?

Raf Sanchez (10:21)

Well, Mika, this has been a dramatic and emotional weekend here in the Middle east, starting with those comments by President Trump made to reporters on Air Force one suggesting that 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, that is three quarters of the population, be moved so that the Strip can be, in his words, cleaned out, as he said, suggesting that they go to Egypt and Jordan. Immediate and very firm rejections by those two Arab allies of the United States saying as far as they are concerned, that is a total non starter. Now, over the weekend here, those four young Israeli soldiers released from Hamas captivity after 477 days, very emotional scenes as they were freed from Gaza, they were reunited with their families. We actually sat with the family of one of those soldiers, Liri Al Bagh, she's second from the left in that photo. And we watch with them in real time this sort of surreal Hamas spectacle. Those four soldiers marched on stage in costume uniforms in front of the cameras and then released into the hands of the Red Cross and handed back over to Israeli forces. Now, that all played out very much in public. What was going on in private over the weekend were absolute crisis talks because this ceasefire was under real stray in Hama had not released an Israeli civilian called Arbel Yehud, who Israel says under the terms of the agreement should have been released ahead of those four soldiers. In response, Israel refusing to allow Palestinian civilians to return to their homes in northern Gaza. But a deal was brokered and this week we are expecting not just the three hostages who were scheduled to come out, but but six hostages in total. So our Beliyahud will come out on Thursday along with two others, and then those three additional hostages will come out on Saturday. And Mika, that is raising hopes that we may finally see American hostage Keith Siegel, a 65 year old grandfather, released from Hamas captivity sometime this week. You might remember he was taken along with his wife. His wife was released in the first stage of the deal and he has been in Gaza for 15 months now. As well as those two hostage releases, we are expecting President Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to make his first trip here since the Trump administration took office. This is a man who was deeply involved in brokering that deal in Qatar. And Wyckoff is saying that he is not only going to visit Israel, do the meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu that you would expect, but that he is also thinking about going into Gaza himself. A ceasefire obviously on, but this is still a dangerous part of the world. So that would be a first for a senior U.S. official.

Donald Trump (13:18)

All right, NBC's Raf Sanchez, thank you so much. We greatly appreciate your reporting. And Mika, you brought up before about talking to a cabinet member in the Trump administration. We've also seen Jamie Dimon and other people just when they talk about, for instance, Tariffs. Most see it as an opening bid. And there have been many people around Donald Trump that say it's the opening bid. In fact, Donald Trump reportedly told the Senate Senate Republicans last weekend that he doesn't want to, quote, tax people. He doesn't want to put the tariffs on people, but he will if, if he has to. But he also suggested to the Senate Republicans that these are opening bids. We see that in the Middle east. Of course, it's a non starter in the Middle East. If you, if you look at Saudi Arabia and, and all the things that they want to do by extending the Abraham Accords, that cannot be done if Gaza is, quote, cleared out. They know that. But, but also fascinating what happened overnight regarding tariffs and Colombia. Again, we saw the opening bid, right? And then we saw the negotiations there. And it's fascinating. I think we're going to see this with a lot more countries, the use of tariffs as a, quote, opening bid in negotiations.

Joe Scarborough (14:45)

And of course, tariffs can go both ways. The Trump administration says Colombia has agreed to accept deportation flights after a standoff over tariffs. The saga started yesterday when Colombia denied entry to two United States military planes carrying about 80 Colombian migraines each. Colombia's president accused the US of treating the Colombian migrants like criminals and called for dignified treatment before his country would receive them. In response, President Trump announced sweeping retaliatory measures against Colombia, including 25 tariffs and visa sanctions. The Colombian president then responded by announcing 25% tariffs on American imports. He also threatened to stop exporting goods to the United States. But late last night, the Trump administration backed off the trade threats after Colombia said it would accept deportation flights. Meanwhile, federal agents ramped up immigration enforcement operations over the weekend. ICE reported 956 arrests made in total yesterday. That is the largest number of arrests in a single day by the Trump administration to date. The operations targeted several cities across the country with federal law enforcement agencies and multiple communities posting about assisting with immigration efforts. In Denver, the DEA says it targeted members of the Trenderogua Venezuelan gang. In Chicago, ICE carried out what it called enhanced targeted operations. Trump border czar Tom Homan was there to oversee the effort. Since President Trump was inaugurated last Monday, ICE has made at least 2,681 arrests. Let's go live to Chicago and NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez. Gabe, you spoke to Trump border czar Tom Homan yesterday as the immigration roundups were taking place. What did he tell you?

Gabe Gutierrez (16:56)

Hi there, Mika. Good morning. Well, no surprise. He said it was a successful operation. And over the last few Days we have seen this ramped up enforcement effort really across the country, but also the Trump administration really wanting to publicize this. I guess, no surprise. Before, during the Biden administration, we did not get a daily tally of how many arrests ICE had made nationwide. Now we are getting it each day, as you mentioned, nearly a thousand arrests yesterday and more than 2600 since President Trump. Now, Chicago, of course, this is the city where Tom Homan had previously said would be ground zero for mass deportations. It's again, no surprise that he's here just several days after President Trump taking office. And at one point he got into a feud with local officials who may have threatened to perhaps impede ICE agents, although they've since backed off of that and said that they don't plan to get in the way of any ICE agents. But, but Tom Homan said, has repeatedly said that he would prosecute local officials here or anywhere else if they got in the way. Chicago is a sanctuary city and it's a, when I say a target rich environment. We know a lot of illegal aliens live here. We know we don't have access to Cook County Jail, one of the biggest jails in the country. And I'll say it again, if the politicians, the mayor and the governor would just simply work with and let us in that jail to arrest a bad guy in jail is safer for the officer, it's safer for the alien, it's.

Raf Sanchez (18:23)

Safer for the community.

Gabe Gutierrez (18:23)

I don't get it. Do you plan, under certain circumstances to go into churches and schools at some point?

Raf Sanchez (18:30)

I'll never say never.

Gabe Gutierrez (18:31)

If there's a national security threat that.

Raf Sanchez (18:33)

We know is in a certain place.

Gabe Gutierrez (18:35)

On a college campus, well, we're going to get that national security threat. If he's a significant public safety threat that's in what we used to call central location, no, we're going to force a law. And that policy is different from the Biden administration, Mika. Of course, ICE now allowing its agents to go into those sensitive locations like schools and churches. But, Mika, I should also point out the Trump administration has sometimes made it seem as if they're beginning this deportation process from scratch. But we should point out that during the Biden administration, especially during the last year, they had ramped up deportations and ICE made arrests nationwide, really, throughout the Biden administration. We went on one of their operations just last month. The difference is now the numbers in the last several days, at least in the latter half of last week, do seem significantly higher. It'll be interesting to see if this is sustained in the coming weeks and months ahead. Tom Homan says that he needs more funding from Congress in order to keep ramping up these, these mass deportation plans. We go.

Mika Brzezinski (19:44)

Good morning, Gabe. It's Jonathan. Good context there. We know that the Biden numbers also, the Biden administration also did some of these raids. Talk to us a little more about just the jump here from the Trump team, but also what do they hope to do next? Because that, that's always been the tension point. They said the first wave would be criminals, people who committed violent crimes. We've also heard rhetoric from those in the administration, including Stephen Miller, who is the architect of this whole program, that suggests that eventually the targets will be people whose only crimes were to enter the United States illegally.

Gabe Gutierrez (20:16)

Yeah, look, if you talk to Tom Homan, he says that no one should be in this country illegally. And I asked him yesterday, were there collateral arrests yesterday? What collateral arrest means is essentially when these ICE agents go on one of these operations and they are searching for an immigrant with a criminal record, in the process of that, they may run across other immigrants who don't have violent records. During previous administrations, the Biden administration, specifically collateral arrests didn't happen quite so often, but now the Trump administration is saying that there will be collateral arrests. The question is just how many. And Jonathan, as you point out, what about the detention beds? Is there enough detention space in this country? Tom Homan has repeatedly said there isn't. Right now, there are about 40,000 beds or so nationwide. He wants to have more than 100,000. Of course, that requires a lot of funding from Congress. ICE is already facing a $230 million budget shortfall. But what is different here is not only the increased rhetoric, the increased publicizing of these numbers, but also what Tom Homan said to me is the biggest difference is now the partnership from other federal agencies as part of the operation. Yesterday, it wasn't just ice. There was, as you mentioned, the DEA, ATF, U.S. marshal's office is involved in some of these, and also the DOD now using those military aircraft to deport some of these immigrants around the world. Jonathan?

Donald Trump (21:46)

So, Gabe, I'm sure, Joe here, Gabe, I'm sure some Americans listening to what Tom Holman was telling you, would ask themselves, why wouldn't Chicago officials allow law enforcement officers to go into prisons and get illegal immigrants with violent criminal records and send them back to their home countries? Do you have any insight on if that is happening, why that is happening, what the justification is of Chicago or Illinois officials?

Gabe Gutierrez (22:24)

It's actually very interesting, Joe. And Governor J.B. pritzker, yesterday, we have seen a sort of a little bit of a change in the rhetoric with some Democratic officials here. They've backed off some of their tough, tough talk against the Trump administration making that exact point that they agree that immigrants with criminal records should be deported. But some of the, you know, further left politicians, not just in this city, but others, they say they don't want to cooperate with ICE at all with the question of jails. Joe, there's a program called the 287 program, and that's something that is already in place. It has been for years. And certain sheriff's departments and other law enforcement agencies locally take part in it. It allows local law enforcement to partner with ICE and essentially deputize those local officials to help enforce immigration law inside jails. Stephen Miller and the Trump administration have said that they plan to ramp up that program specifically and it will again be interesting to see how many of local officials essentially agree to that and try to get some of the more violent criminals out of here because they realize politically that is something that this country voted for. Donald Trump ran on immigration and many of his voters can say that they want those violent criminals out of there. And as Jonathan mentioned, though, the question will be how many collateral arrests will there be moving forward? Will there be the detention bed space for that and how soon before the Trump administration moves in that direction? Joe, Mika and Jonathan.

Joe Scarborough (23:59)

All right, NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. And when we come back, Richard, we're going to get your take on this on the tariffs and other world events as well. Still ahead on MORNING joe, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham breaks with President Trump, calling his January 6th pardons a mistake. We'll show you those new remarks and speak with two former federal prosecutors who worked on several January 6th cases. Plus a brazen robbery in Europe as thieves use explosives to break into a museum and steal ancient artifacts. We'll go over what happened there and what investigators are saying. Also ahead, a big announcement regarding Forbes and Know youw value, our 50 over 50 list. We're going to take a look at some of the trailblazers who are shipping everything from cybersecurity to science and even traffic safety. All that and Pablo Torre on the super bowl match up. Morning Joe is back in 90 seconds.

OnDeck Representative (25:19)

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Donald Trump (27:51)

Hey, welcome back to Morning Joe. Beautiful shot of the Capitol. You know, since John Meacham's not here this morning, I have to. I have to reach back and get get well, this isn't so abstract of a historical reference, but today, in 1838, Abraham Lincoln delivered an address to the Young Men's Lyceum, a debating society in Springfield. It was in wake of a growing mob, mob violence, including the Killing of abolitionists by pro slavery mobsters. And I was reading on Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter yesterday, the entire speech, because we've heard, we heard parts of the speech, but I didn't realize that Lincoln was only 28 when he did the Lyceum speech. And it was on defending the political institutions of America. And in that speech Lincoln said this. At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined with all the treasure of Earth our own, excepted in their military chest with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. I've always loved that line, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide. And you know, Richard, again, just, just so timely, when we hear people. Civil war, the movie's out, talking about civil war. You have an America that's divided in two camps politically, and I must say politically, because I know a lot of people who voted for both candidates and I know you do as well. And we seem to manage away from social media or away from cable news or these other places in business settings and social settings. That does happen. But there is, there is more of a division over the last 10, 15 years, I think in large part because of the media ecosystem that we live in. So Lincoln's words today, on the anniversary of his speech on January 27, 1838, ring true. We must stand together. He also, of course later would say, a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Richard Haass (30:54)

The line of destruction be our lot. The real threat to the integrity of this country, to the fabric of America, is not going to come from abroad. From now you'd say the Chinas, the Russias, the North, North Korea's or anybody else. It's from within. And all the trends are with political scientists. Joe called sorting S o r T I n G. You know, that red America is getting more red, blue America is getting more blue, and there's less and less interaction between the two. It's one of the reasons that people like me are so intent on bringing back things like greater national or public service to bring Americans together who are living in these ideological and informational silos closed. The reason that people like me are so intent on getting civics in our classrooms to remind Americans about what, what, what the ideas were that, that led to the formation of this, this country. But Lincoln's words, you know, they, they echo powerfully, they resonate powerfully today.

Donald Trump (31:48)

They really do. I mean, we, we. I totally agree with you, Richard. We need, we need to strengthen our institutions, respect and strengthen our institutions. We, of course, need to respect the rule of law because as people always told me on the campaign trail and reminded me, we are not a government of men. We are a government of laws that have to be respected. And finally, to Richard's point, we need a well informed electorate, as I think Jefferson said. And so I agree. I think, you know, we have all these requirements in school. We really need to teach history. Every school needs to teach history. But some of the best schools in America don't require their students to even scratch the surface of American history, world history. So civics, yes. I also, man, I know it's really unpopular, but wouldn't it be something if after high school, yes, we looked at a year of national service, 100% something that would actually bring Americans together, bring young Americans together to understand, to build that community for the strength of America and understand that we have so much more in common than we don't. So we'll see. But anyway, thanks to Heather Cox Richardson. She just always. I don't want Jon Meacham to get jealous, but she just, she has great, great insights, great historical insights. And this certainly was timely.

Joe Scarborough (33:25)

That was good, Joe, but you're no Jon Meacham. So we'll move on now to know. That was good.

Donald Trump (33:33)

We'll have. See, what Meacham would do is he would talk about the speech Lincoln gave to the local Springfield Kiwanis Club three weeks later. Yeah, on the water buffalo. But anyway, we'll talk to him about that.

Joe Scarborough (33:47)

Okay, so time now for a look at some of the other stories making headlines this morning. The Central Intelligence Agency is now saying COVID 19 was likely leaked from a Chinese lab before it became a global pandemic. That's according to a statement the agency released on Saturday pointing the finger at China, but also acknowledging the CIA has, quote, low confidence in its own conclusion. A source tells NBC News the review was ordered and completed in the final weeks of the Biden administration and then was declassified by the Trump administration. This seems still a little. Yeah, a little fuzzy, Joe.

Donald Trump (34:29)

Well, well, it sounds a little fuzzy because it still is a little fuzzy. Sam Stein.

Joe Scarborough (34:37)

Correct.

Donald Trump (34:38)

So the CIA during the Biden administration was, was kept going back and forth there. They again, they have, quote, low confidence in this, but they also had a low confidence in coming out and saying that, that it happened some other way. So Bill Burns, the CIA director, as the New York Times reported, that as they got near the end of Biden's administration, he said, I don't know if Bill Burns ever said dude, but he probably, if he lived in northwest Florida, he would have. He basically said dude, dude. Like pick a side. Like the CIA needs an official side. The evidence is not overwhelmingly compelling on either side, but we can't just sit in the middle. So they have picked a side which certainly aligns with the new CIA director. Not shocked, not stunned that that's the side they picked.

Jonathan Lemire (35:36)

Yeah, this is one of those things that's been re litigated. The scientific consensus is a little bit more towards the human, Sorry, animal to human jump than what the CIA has concluded. But obviously there's a lot of debate over the origins of this virus. It matters materially, obviously, because if this was a lab leak, that can affect both what we do diplomatically, but also our world health institutions and how they approach the Chinese. But ultimately we're four or five years now past when this happened. We need some clarity. I'd like to get some more clarity on it, but it seems like we're at this place where we're just going to keep debating the origins of it. And that's unfortunate.

Donald Trump (36:25)

Yeah, I mean, you know, the thing is, Mika, there is one thing we do know. We don't know if it's a lab leak. We don't know if it happened in a wet market. One thing we do know is that the Chinese kept the Trump administration out there. Like Matt Pottinger was trying desperately to get in to get the answers early on and China would not let him in. I mean, you know, this hit America. We really were aware of it In March of 2020, in December of 2019, he was, he was like ringing the alarm bell, trying to get the Chinese to give us information. They stonewalled. And so here we are five years later, still asking questions that the Chinese could have let us get in early 2020 at the very, very latest.

Joe Scarborough (37:13)

Okay.

Richard Haass (37:14)

I don't think it's that much of a mystery. Sorry folks, you know, the law of parsimony, Occam's razor. This is a unique laboratory. The idea that the disease broke out in Wuhan that'd be one hell of a coincidence. The reason it's still at all fuzzy is the Chinese essentially have eradicated any evidence, have made it impossible for any of the people working at the lab to speak. But I think it's, you know, I am comfortable with the conclusion yet. The only reason it's low confidence is because there's not sufficient evidence anymore and we're never going to get it. The Chinese are worried about being blamed. They're worried about reparations. But again, you'd have to believe in coincidences on top of them. This broke out in this city. I think the argument's pretty powerful that it came from these experiments there and then, you know, raises some very awkward questions about American funding of some of these experiments and, and so forth. But I think it's, I don't think this is actually a big mystery anymore.

Joe Scarborough (38:08)

All right, more news now. In Southern California, firefighters got some much needed relief battling wildfires as rain fell in the area over the weekend. But the region is now under a flood watch until this afternoon. Officials are warning residents in burned areas that scattered showers could bring about hazardous waste, toxic ash runoff and mudslides. In preparation, officials put out sandbags and installed concrete barriers. They also started clearing out debris in fire affected neighborhoods. And Dutch police are investigating a daring burglary over the weekend. Surveillance video from early Saturday morning shows three suspects pulling on a door at the Drent Museum in the Netherlands. Moments later, there's a large explosion that removed the door from its hinges. Police say the thieves got away with a golden helmet and golden bracelets that date back to the 5th century BC which once belonged.

Donald Trump (39:12)

Yeah.

Joe Scarborough (39:12)

To Romanian royalty.

Donald Trump (39:16)

So, Joe. Yeah, well, yeah, well, you know, it's very interesting. I FaceTimed Lemire last night. I saw something that looked vaguely like that. Sam Stein, are you with me? Like, I, I, I called, I called Lemire all week and I go, where are you? He goes, brooklyn. I go, well, why did it have that like that, a different ring?

Gabe Gutierrez (39:40)

He goes.

Donald Trump (39:44)

The Bronx? I mean, come on, Sam. I had trouble reaching.

Jonathan Lemire (39:50)

I had trouble reaching. And then he answers the phone and there's all this random Dutch speaking in the background and muzzled talk because he has a helmet over him and I just don't know. Jonathan, where were you?

Mika Brzezinski (40:03)

I like to watch NFL playoff games and Dutch sports bars. What can I say?

Joe Scarborough (40:07)

Okay, coming up, Pablo Torre is here to recap the championship weekend for the NFL playoffs and break down the matchup for Super Bowl 59. Morning. Jo is back in just a moment.

Tanks (40:36)

What's up podcast listeners? It's Tanks Host of the It's Me Tanks podcast. Join me weekly on It's Me Tanks as I dive into topics like relationships, why it's okay to feel lonely, fighting some comparison, and pop culture's hottest takes. I don't shy away from getting candid about my personal experiences and I want to share all the advice I have learned with you. I'm even joined by some of my friends like Claudia Ashray, Connor Wood, and Amanda Hirsch each Friday for our new Office Hours episodes. You can listen to It's Me Tanks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday wherever you listen to podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show so you don't miss an episode.

OnDeck Representative (41:14)

The other day I saw a meme showing a baby in a womb and it was captioned this was the last time I slept well. Now. At first I laughed, but then I got concerned because it was true. I always figured bad sleep was my fate until I took a leap of faith and replaced my pillow. Coop's original adjustable pillow seriously solved my sleep issues. Before Coop I tossed, I turned and I woke up with neck pain feeling exhausted. Now I sleep comfortably and wake up feeling refreshed. Whether you're a side back or stomach sleeper, you can customize the pillow's height by adding or removing the fill, which is this blend of microfiber and memory foam that doesn't go flat. Don't settle for sleepless nights and groggy mornings. Try Coop Risk free with a 100 night trial and get 20% off your first order. Better sleep starts with Coop's adjustable pillow. Visit our website@coopsleepgoods.com health that's coopsleepgoods.com health work management platforms ugh.

Sam Stein (42:18)

Endless onboarding. It bottlenecks admin requests. But what if things were different? Monday.com is different.

OnDeck Representative (42:29)

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Donald Trump (42:48)

The game Everyone at the heavyweight battle.

Gabe Gutierrez (42:50)

You got quarterbacks at the top of the mountain.

OnDeck Representative (42:53)

First and goal Home still has it.

Donald Trump (42:57)

To the five and in for the touchdown.

Mika Brzezinski (43:02)

There he is. Kansas City Chiefs Queen quarterback Patrick Mahomes adds his second rushing touchdown to his 245 yards passing. He also got a TD in the air against the Buffalo Bills last night. That one gave the Chiefs the lead early in the fourth quarter. The Bills tied the game on the next possession, a nine play 90 yard drive capped by Josh Allen's big fourth down throw to Curtis Samuel in the back of the end zone. But Mahomes answered with four consecutive completions to set up a go ahead field field goal and the Chiefs defense did the rest of the work. KC making a huge stop on what will be Buffalo's final drive, denying the Bills on fourth down to force a turnover with two minutes left to play. Elton K had a shot at that ball. Tough, tough catch. Couldn't bring it in. Chiefs get a couple first downs, run out the clock and they win 32, 29 in the AFC title game. Their dreams of a three peat still alive. The Chiefs will meet a familiar opponent in the super bowl after the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Washington Commanders for the NFC title earlier yesterday at star running back Saquon Barkley. He rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Giants including that one on the Eagles first play from scrimmage. Washington had moved the field ball down the field slowly. One play, bang. Touchdown. Eagles also took advantage of four turnovers by the Commanders. The signal Commanders just ran out of magic yesterday and Philly scored the most points by a team in a conference championship in the modern NFL era. Eagles whoop the Commanders 55, 23. So Super Bowl 59 is Sunday, February 9th at the Superdome in New Orleans. It's a rematch of the big game just two years ago that was won by the Chiefs, who now face the Eagles for a second time in their bid for an unprecedented three peat. So Joe, I mean, I will say I don't think this is exactly the super bowl matchup most of America wanted. We just did see this game two years ago. That said, there are some compelling storylines, of course. Chiefs looking to become the first team ever to win three in a row. Mahomes already going for his fourth. And then we have the Eagles. Saquon Barkley, the most exciting player in the league right now. You know, they've got a strong defense too. Should be a good one.

Donald Trump (45:12)

Didn't Saquon used to play for the Giants, Richard?

Mika Brzezinski (45:14)

He did. Richard Hoskins to my left.

Richard Haass (45:17)

Let me make the point that so gifted a player, if he had played for the Giants this year, he wouldn't be playing now because they never would have been near the playoffs. He never would have had more than a thousand yards. So I don't feel any, any discovery. It's great to see a great player have a chance to show his nice.

Donald Trump (45:34)

Stop it. You don't mean any Richard. Doesn't mean Whatsoever. Let's bring it right now, though. So Pablo Torre finds out on Metal Art Media. MSNBC contributor Pablo Torre. First of all, I think we can all agree Washington has a great future with Jaden Daniels. A future. Things like that happen, you know, first time to the big dance and certainly the championship game. But, you know, I want to say something that, that, I mean, I don't want to say, but I'm going to have to say it. I know you're going to agree with me here. You know, Nick Saban would say, you know, there's blocking, there's tackling, but there's also just knowing how to win. That is a talent in and of itself. Bear Bryant used to say it about Pat Tram was favorite quarterback. He said he couldn't run, he couldn't throw, but if you needed six yards for a first down, he'd get you seven. They're just those type of players. And there's a reason why today we talk about Joe Montana as being one of the greats of all time and not Jim Kelly. Because in those moments where you've got to make the last drive to win the game, Joe Montana always did it. Jim Kelly, God bless him, I loved him. He didn't at that level. And of course I love Josh Allen. Everything about that guy. He is Buffalo, but he is not. It hurts me to say he is not Patrick Mahomes.

Sam Stein (46:59)

No, he is Salieri. I said this to you on Friday. F. Murray Abraham is going to be on your show later today.

Gabe Gutierrez (47:05)

It happens to be.

Sam Stein (47:06)

I looked this up cosmically, Mozart's birthday today. I don't know that you're having. But I say that because Patrick Mahomes is a prodigy, okay? No one has had a start to his career like this guy in professional football. And at a certain point, a prodigy can become a super villain. And the question is whether you feel like Salieri or whether you feel like Claire McAskill at this point. Because, Joe, what you're talking about, knowing how to win the Chiefs, it's, it's beyond, I think, think an intuitive feel. It is something. It's something deeper and darker. We just haven't seen a team truly squeeze the randomness out of the most random sport that America loves and turn it into order. And if you're the Bills, if you're, whether you're the ghost of Jim Kelly or whether you're the family of Dalton Kincaid, that tight end who dropped that ball on Frank fourth down, that was so, so close to making that potentially a tie game, you throw your Hands up. And you're like, I think, I think we're just, we've been banished to the dustbin of history. That's how it feels to be anybody else but the Chiefs right now.

Mika Brzezinski (48:22)

And Pablo, it's just a remarkable winning streak in one score games. The Chiefs have, they even lost the turnover battle yesterday, but still overcame that. But let's give credit here. I mean, look, Mahomes stats aren't flashy. He did just enough. That's what he does. Let's give credit to the Chiefs defense and the Steve Spagnolo, the defensive coordinator who knows exactly when to send blitzes and this overwhelming pressure. And they also stop Josh Allen on short yardage repeatedly. Now we saw the one we talked about, the officiating earlier that was, I think we can agree, a bad call. But beyond that play, they really negated Allen's running for the most part. That's why they won the game. The defense.

Sam Stein (48:58)

Oh, this play here, here, Right. So what happens on this play? They do a corner blitz. You hadn't seen that. So Steve Spagnolo, who is the defensive architect of the Chiefs, on the play that mattered the most, again knowing how to win, he sends a cornerback that discombobulates Josh Allen into making a decision that is almost bailed out, but is a, in general a terrible one. And when it comes to Mahomes, also in terms of just like the surprise element, the reason I say it's deeper and darker than, than just like, wow, they're really good. Patrick Mahomes, there was a designed run in which he scored a touchdown and Patrick Mahomes at one point had dislocated his knee on a Design Run.

Mika Brzezinski (49:36)

2019.

Sam Stein (49:37)

He just doesn't do it anymore. They break it out to break your back and it's just, it's just like what do you do? What do you do when they still have that? When they still can do that?

Jonathan Lemire (49:48)

Hey Pablo, it's Sam Stein. Look, let's look forward now, right? We have the Iran Iraq war of the super bowl here. Chiefs versus Eagles. Who do we root for?

Joe Scarborough (49:59)

But I will say this, that was a dark parallel.

Jonathan Lemire (50:03)

The Eagles do the tush push. We just talked about the Chief's ability to stop Josh Allen. Yes, the Eagles do the tush push better than anybody. And we just saw that where the commanders had to jump over offsides like four to times in a row to try to stop it. Are we looking at a trench warfare type Super Bowl? What are your expectations for this game?

Sam Stein (50:23)

Yeah, there is a think piece in that Eagles Commanders game that Sam just referenced. At one point the referee came on and said, if this behavior continues, referring to how the commanders were trying to leap the line to stop desperately to tush push at any, at any cost. He said, I'm going to award the Eagles the touchdown automatically. He called it a quote unquote palpably unfair act, which is a thing I had never heard before in a football game. It's, it's, it's a rule. So if you're asking is this game the super bowl going to be a lot of just this stuff messes in the trenches, the Eagles would love that. So what the Eagles did was they had six rushing touchdowns on the ground, but it was the tush push again, that was the thing that feels unstoppable. And now there's this debate, do you outlaw is it actually too unstoppable? And to me, as ugly as it is, it's telling that only the Eagles do it that well. Typically you got to have some copycats to make this a thing where you got to ban it. They just have mastered this play. That could be the one thing the, the one saving grace against again, the unbeatable Kansas City Chiefs. The unstoppable play versus the unbeatable.

Donald Trump (51:32)

Actually the the chief showed you why it doesn't need to be banned because some people know how to stop it. It's remarkable how many times they did stop Joshua. By the way, we talk about Mahomes being the greatest, but I just want to really quickly Pablo. I mean Andy Reid and just, just he's just such an offensive genius. Steve Spagnolo defensive genius have we ever had two coaches lined up like that that are that that good with a quarterback that is that good? Because we could talk about Mahomes, but Mahomes isn't winning these Super Bowls without speed. Steve Spagnola's defense are with Andy Reid's. Without Andy Reid system. Is this the best combination we've ever seen?

Sam Stein (52:17)

It feels like it. Like the Patriots again, all due respect to John Lemire at the table here, but Andy Reid, just to keep in mind, like if Andy Reid wins the super bowl, there's an argument this guy really should be in the conversation for when you talk about the greatest coach coaches of all time. And also by the way, Andy Reid was formerly again himself famously Eagles coach couldn't win the big one. So when it comes to just the narratives we spin, Andy Reid has a chance to completely change that first sentence of his obituary and have a very different introduction when he gets inducted inevitably into the hall of Fame. It's a remarkable thing when you have a perfect coach and a perfect quarterback. It's the dream.

Donald Trump (52:57)

And also, you know, and arguably he was the Eagles greatest coach ever. And now of course, the Chief's greatest coach ever.

Sam Stein (53:06)

Yep.

Donald Trump (53:07)

Mika, the Australian Open, a lot of drama at the, at the Open center wins just, he's, he's tearing it up right now.

Joe Scarborough (53:18)

Top seated Jannik Sinner is the Australian Open champion for a second consecutive time, defending his title in a straight second win over number two seed Alexander Zverev yesterday. On the women's side, American Madison Keys broke through on Saturday for her first Grand Slam title. Keys upset number one Irina Sabalenka in three sets, earning the major and a number seven world ranking host of Pablo Torre finds out on Meadowlark Media. Pablo, thank you so much. We'll see you again soon.

Sam Stein (53:52)

Thank you, Mika, as always, for your indulgence.

Joe Scarborough (53:54)

Yes, of course. Very polite to each other today.

Donald Trump (53:58)

Hey, friends, Ted Danson here. And I want to let you know about my new podcast.

OnDeck Representative (54:03)

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