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Morning Joe
Morning Joe 1/29/25
00:57:39
Pentagon pulls General Milley's security detail and revokes clearance
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- [00:00]
Joe Scarborough
Auto insurance can all seem the same until it comes time to use it. So don't get stuck paying more for less coverage. Switch to USAA auto insurance and you could start saving money in no time. Get a quote. Today, restrictions apply.
- [00:13]
Mika Brzezinski
Usaa when living with cancer, it's important to be informed and know what to expect. But finding the right information can feel overwhelming. That's why understandcancertogether.com is here to help. We've gathered practical information and resources based on where you are in your cancer journey so that you can focus on the important conversations and decisions of today. Understand CancerTogether.com helping you navigate life with cancer one moment at a time.
- [00:46]
Joe Scarborough
So my message to federal employees who receive this is, yeah, the president has tried to terrorize you for about a week and then gives you a little sweetheart offer. If you resign in the next week, we're just going to pay you for doing nothing for the next seven months. Don't be fooled. He's tricked hundreds of people with that offer. If you accept that offer and resign, he'll stiff you just like he stiffed the contractors. He doesn't have any authority to do this. Do not be fooled by this guy.
- [01:21]
Willie Geist
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine warning federal workers not to take an offer from the Trump administration to resign immediately in exchange for a buyout from the federal government. We're going to dig into the details of that proposal. Also ahead, we'll go through what's next for the federal funding freeze after a judge blocked it minutes before it was set to take effect. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is revising another funding pause that was causing a lot of confusion within the State Department. Plus, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth takes action against a decorated general who has been a frequent target of. President Trump will explain what's happening with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. And before taking office, Donald Trump hinted at a government conspiracy connected to the dozens of drone sightings over several states. Yesterday, his administration gave an update and it doesn't sound that much different than what the Biden administration said. Good morning and welcome to Morning Jo. It is Wednesday, January 29th. Ally made me feel like it was Friday.
- [02:34]
Mika Brzezinski
I tricked you.
- [02:34]
Joe Scarborough
I'm sorry.
- [02:34]
Willie Geist
It's a good thing. Along with Willie. Well, she just kind of, you know, has that Friday look. Packaging, the jeans, the vibe. Okay, so we've got.
- [02:43]
Joe Scarborough
What is today, by the way?
- [02:45]
Willie Geist
It's only Wednesday.
- [02:46]
Joe Scarborough
Oh, good. We have three more days.
- [02:48]
Willie Geist
You tricked me, Ali Vitale. Two more days.
- [02:51]
Joe Scarborough
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
- [02:52]
Mika Brzezinski
Oh, that's True.
- [02:52]
Willie Geist
We're not.
- [02:53]
Joe Scarborough
We got four hours in front of us.
- [02:54]
Mika Brzezinski
So true. So true.
- [02:55]
Jonathan Lemire
Exactly.
- [02:56]
Willie Geist
Co host of the fourth Hour, Jonathan Lemire is here. He is a contributing writer at the Atlantic covering the White House and national politics. The host of Way Too Early, Ali Vitale, president of the National Action Network and host of MSNBC's Politics Nation, Reverend Al Sharpton is here with us. And author and NBC News presidential historian Michael Beschloss joins us this morning.
- [03:19]
Joe Scarborough
We have a lot going on today. I mean, a lot going on every day, right? Really quickly, let's just get the headlines. New York Times actually picture of L. A in the aftermath. And of course, there's going to be so much cleaning up to do. The Wall Street Journal, again, conservative voice for conservatism of the Republican Party. It's fascinating going to their opinion pages, Willie, because over the last couple of days they have been very clear about well, first of all, they called out the violent, the cop beaters, as they said it, and them getting pardoned, obviously, yesterday. RFK Jr. We're going to talk about that a little bit more. They've had concerns about others today. This is what they write about. Tulsi Gabbard, very briefly, voters want disruption in Washington, but it would be something else entirely for the syndicating from a director of national intelligence who has a record of defending those who subvert U.S. interests. When former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard testifies Thursday, will Republicans pose questions that serve the public interest or simply go along to get along with President Trump? The question isn't Mrs. Gabbard's patriotism, it's judgment. And what message would it send friends and foes to confirm a director of national intelligence who doesn't really seem to believe in protecting national intelligence? And we're going to be talking again about Bobby Jr. That certainly seems to be in trouble. But Tulsi Gabbard, another one, Cash Patel, coming up this week had some news coming out that I know has to concern a lot of a lot of Republicans, Republicans that went along with Pete Hagseth when, you know, it's just sacro saying that when they're hostages and you're trying to get them home, nobody says anything until they're in U.S. custody and he's out leaking to the Wall Street Journal while they're not in US Custody, according to CBS News reports yesterday. And FBI officials were just absolutely furious that he they believe he may have risked the lives of those people by being so reckless. So we're sure to hear about that to rfk. But here, Tulsi Gabbard, who I guess we keep hearing is the one that's in the most the nominee in the most trouble right now.
- [05:45]
Ali Vitale
Yeah. If these nominees were Democrats, these Republican senators rightly would be yelling and screaming about everything you just laid out. It was disqualifying to have had such a cozy relationship with Russia, disqualifying to have met with Assad in Syria, disqualifying to do all the things she's done. And the same goes for Cash Patel. But so far, the answer to the Wall Street Journal editorial board's question, will Republicans just go along to get along with Donald Trump? Has been yes, with a few exceptions, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins. But by and large enough, Republicans have said this just is not worth it at the beginning of Trump's second term for me to cross him right out of the gate. But if they're being honest and they really are concerned about national security, they will ask some tough questions and perhaps exercise their power to vote against somebody who is not qualified to have this job.
- [06:36]
Joe Scarborough
Well, I think many people Ali, believe that three people up this week may be three who pose the greatest risk, the greatest danger on all fronts, whether you're talking about Tulsi Gabbard and most Republicans agree she poses great risk and danger. RFK Jr. Who whose nomination obviously even before the chicken in the blender story came out. And all on the brainworm other. Yeah, exactly. Also in danger. And then Cash Patel, who has said he will arrest members of the press, has an enemies list. Again, we'll see if there are four Republicans who actually don't think it's a good idea to have an FBI director who first of all, again, according to other people, FBI risk the lives of hostages and a hostage release, said he was going to arrest members of the media and has an enemies list he's going after. And we're finding out with Pete Hegseth we're going to get this story, too. Isn't it is it amazing? I mean, I think a lot of a lot of Pete Hegset critics probably are thanking him this morning for proving that he's doing exactly what they said he was going to do. Because here's the guy who said, oh, we're focusing too much on woke. We're focusing too much on politics. We need to focus on the warrior culture. And what he's what's he doing? He's focusing on politics. He's focusing on political retribution instead of readiness, instead of the warrior culture. Instead, he's focusing on Going after the most highly decorated general soldier along with one or two others of our time.
- [08:16]
Willie Geist
So unsurprising.
- [08:17]
Mika Brzezinski
But that's also what you have to do to stay in Trump's good graces at this point. It's the same game that senators are playing. And that's why, despite serious concerns about Hegseth, about RFK Jr. About Tulsi Gabbard, about Cash Patel, the list could go on. But there's not a good faith debate going on in the Senate because of that other permission structure that Trump has created, which is, cross me, at your own political peril. Joni Ernst would have had serious and legitimate questions to ask given her background about Pete Hegseth, and ultimately was persuaded out of that. Whether it was by Hegseth himself or the political climate is up to us. But the Hill, and we've seen this before, yes, Tulsi Gabbard might be in trouble today, but we saw that same thing with Pete Hegseth. I remember when that nomination was supposedly on death's door and they never pulled it. We went through the holidays and there it was. There's a reason we're seeing all three of these nominating contests or nominating hearings on the same day. And it's to almost dilute the controversial so that people aren't quite sure where to focus, which has been the entire strategy so far.
- [09:17]
Willie Geist
And it, I'd say it goes beyond serious concerns. It's evidence and patterns that these nominees have in their lives. Let's start with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As our top story. President Trump's nominee to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. He'll appear before the Senate Finance Committee for his first confirmation hearing today. Now, ahead of that, his cousin Caroline Kennedy is speaking out, warning senators that while RFK Jr. Is family, he is not the right choice for this job. In a video posted to social media, Caroline Kennedy accuses RFK Jr. Of being a, quote, predator who should be rejected by the Senate.
- [10:04]
Caroline Kennedy
Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out. Overseeing the fda, the nih, the cdc, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us, is an enormous responsibility and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government financial management or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed. These facts alone should be disqualifying. I've known Bobby my whole life. We grew up together. It's no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator. He's always been charismatic, able to attract others through the strength of his personality, his willingness to take risks and break the rules. I watch his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction. His basement, his garage, his dorm room were always the center of the action where drugs were available. And he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks. It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence. That was a long time ago, and people can change. Through his own strength and the many second chances he was given by people who felt sorry for the boy who lost his father, Bobby was able to pull himself out of illness and disease. I admire the discipline that took and the continuing commitment it requires. But siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse, suffered addiction, illness and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life, Bobby is addicted to attention and power. Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following, hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs. Even before he fills this job, his constant denigration of our health care system and the conspiratorial half truths he's told about vaccines, including in connection with Samoa's deadly 2019 outbreak of measles, have cost lives.
- [12:45]
Willie Geist
I can't even imagine how painful that must have been for. I mean, she's a very private person. And just from as a point of view of someone who's had a sibling who's nominated, this is such a proud moment for a family when someone in your family is asked to serve. And I can't even imagine what it took to say all those things and put them out in the public square. Willing.
- [13:11]
Ali Vitale
And this comes months after his own siblings, she's. Caroline, of course, is his cousin. His own siblings came out and spoke out against his presidential campaign and said he shouldn't be anywhere near the White House. Rev. As Mika said, Caroline Kennedy doesn't do this.
- [13:26]
Willie Geist
No.
- [13:27]
Ali Vitale
This probably took a lot for her to get out in front of a camera and give such a detailed critique, not just of his views on medicine and vaccines, but of his character. She's indicting the character of a guy she grew up with for her entire life and saying he just shouldn't be anywhere near running our health system.
- [13:44]
Al Sharpton
And she's not that type of person. I've met her on several occasions and she's very private. She's not one you can enlist on a cause. Whatever's hot at the hour, can you come? She's not that type of person. She's very deliberate. So I would think that this was very painful for her and well thought out that she had to do this to call her cousin a predator who she grew up with and to say, yes, people can change, but he hasn't. I remember and I talked about this a couple weeks ago when we were doing the Choose Healthy life during the COVID 19 and we were having vaccination for people at black churches. At the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church where Adam Clayton Powell pastor, we had a vaccine display. Reverend Calvin Butts, who's passed now, and I and others with Deborah Frazier House, Bobby Kennedy had people picket the black church against vaccines. We told people, if you want one, fine. If you don't know, they picketed. This kind of venomous behavior while he was vaccinating his own children, that's the.
- [14:53]
Joe Scarborough
Insanity of it all. And during COVID right, when I would have friends who were supporters of this new anti vax lunacy, just total lunacy on the basics, I would remind them, like you vaccinated your own children, right? Six times before they went to school. You were vaccinated, your parents vaccinated you, and now suddenly you know you, it was you. Because the funny thing is conservatives, we used to make fun of the hippies on the west coast that were anti vaxxers because it was so crazy. You look Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the states of the deep South, Arkansas, they had the highest vaccination rates and the truly disadvantaged were the greatest beneficiaries of that. And these diseases wiped out. Now, I'm going to read another op ed at some point, but this is Wall Street Journal editorial page Jason Riley and I'll read more of it later. I mean, he's very conservative, Trump supporting guy, but he's talking about something that I've been thinking about over the past couple days, and that is that every administration overreaches and every administration pays for overreaching. And you talk to people in the Trump administration, people around the Trump administration, they believe, like everybody who walks through those gates, that this is the end of the end of history. The smartest people ever walked through the gates and everybody meek. And I will not say the administration we said this to, but really you think you're the smartest people ever? Do you not think the people that left with a 22% approval rating at the end of their administration when they walked through the gates. Also thought they were the smartest people ever. Yeah, you're not. We'd seen this rodeo before, but this is. This is Jason Rylowood.
- [16:44]
Willie Geist
He talks about the rodeo.
- [16:47]
Joe Scarborough
Distinction matters. Okay. We haven't seen this rodeo before. Have you seen others? It's about power that comes and goes. For MAGA diehards, there's no such thing as a president going too far. It wasn't Mr. Trump's base, however, who put him over the top in the election. Swing voters who couldn't bring themselves to cast a ballot for Kamala Harris are The major reason Mr. Trump won the popular vote in the presidency. The distinction matters. Trump loyalists don't care if the President Spartans on January 6th protesters who assaulted police officers after he condemned George Floyd's protesters who assaulted police officers. It doesn't concern them that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The president's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, declared as recently as 2023 that, quote, there's no vaccine that's safe and effective. Okay, 2023. They may not care, but a hell of a lot of Americans do.
- [17:50]
Willie Geist
So let's move on now. A federal judge in D.C. yesterday temporarily prevented the Trump administration from carrying through with its plans to pause trillions of dollars in federal loans, grants and other financial assistance just minutes before it was set to take effect. The judge ruled the courts need more time to consider the ramifications of Trump's order, which is part of his administration's push to unravel programs that don't align with his agenda. The stay only affects the disbursement of government funds that have already been authorized, not money that was being sought. A decision is expected to be issued on Monday. The ruling was seen as a win for nonprofit and public health groups who filed a lawsuit earlier in the day. However, the order does not touch on the legality of Trump's freeze on grants and loans. Meanwhile, the move sparked chaos as to whether the pause would impact Medicaid reimbursement, which provides health insurance to more than 72 million people, several states reported portals were offline yesterday afternoon. The White House blamed an outage for locking out agencies. Later in the day, Medicaid programs reported they were finally able to resume accessing their payment system. At one point, there was also concern about the sudden suspension of SNAP benefits, Social Security and Medicare, but the White House says those benefits are not impacted.
- [19:26]
Joe Scarborough
Well, I mean, there's so much to talk about here.
- [19:28]
Willie Geist
The chaos is kind of the point. Well, one of the points, you know, absolutely.
- [19:33]
Joe Scarborough
I think on Medicaid especially Jonathan Omere don't know what caused that outage. Maybe you can provide us more insight. Medicaid though, you know, it must, must be said Medicaid drives rural health care. Medicaid drives even, you know, even for middle class Americans, a lot of nursing homes, a lot of other things that, that, that Americans don't understand. Medicaid helps on. It keeps a lot of hospitals open all across America, especially in rural America. So when it went offline yesterday, obviously devastating. But you know John, I was thinking yesterday and when the judge stepped in, it wasn't a surprise at all. You know, we used to have this debate about line item vetoes pass the budget to give the President the power to do line item vetoes. It didn't get through. It didn't pass. I see no way I could be wrong here. But that courts would allow Congress, the Article 1 branch to do what Madison said is one of their most important powers and that is to fund government programs and then allow the Article 2 branch, the President in effect do line item vetoes and say don't like this. So we're not going to allow that funded. We don't like that. So just as a matter of law, as a matter of the Constitution, I don't, I don't see any court, any serious court holding this up.
- [21:11]
Michael Beschloss
Yeah, there had, that had been the legal speculation is that this was an overreach of the presidential powers here, that he does have the ability to pause funding streams but not to end them. And certainly this judge yesterday though did not rule on the legality of the matter, put this freeze in effect until Monday. But I can't stress enough as we sort of sift through this, this has been the story here in Washington the last couple of days. I mean, yes, the Medicare funding, the White House has said that was a coincidental gl that had nothing to do with these pauses. Some Democrats not so sure. Senator Chris Murphy for instance, suggested there was more to it. We have heard from several states that they went down also some Republicans, some red state governors raising alarms, saying look, my constituents need this and that's part of this here. So many of the programs that were targeted directly, intentionally targeted here, freezing their funds, impact Trump voters as well as other Americans. And it's a long list here. It's SNAP benefits, WIC subsidized school meal programs, USAID programs, homeless veterans programs, mental health programs, victims programs, the amount of social services that depend on this federal funding. Federal funding, It's a really complicated process and time consuming process to get that money approved in the first place. These sort of organizations have really been left reeling here. It's the first moment, I'll also close with this, where the Democrats do, to Mika's point earlier, have sort of not been able to find steady footing to combat some of the chaos. And so that is a deliberate strategy, as I reported yesterday as well, is though, this is a moment where they found their voice, at least for now, saying, look, this is too far. And they were joined by some Republicans while doing so now.
- [22:52]
Joe Scarborough
And you are so right, people that are running around going, rev, what's it? What's the Democrat strategy? What's the Democrat. Why aren't they doing anything? What's it? Well, you talk to top Democratic leaders on the Hill and they're like, we're going to see, we're going to wait. Nobody's going to be able to say that we came out early.
- [23:14]
Willie Geist
We're not going to.
- [23:15]
Joe Scarborough
And we did what we did in 2017. We're not the resistance, we're the loyal opposition. We're going to wait. And they are waiting. And every day they believe they're getting something. Another powerful political tool to use against Republicans. And yesterday, I mean, when the Medicaid portal shuts down, when pepfar is frozen and now unfrozen all these things that are happening, these Democrats that are telling everybody, hold, wait, hold on. So Bunker Hill thing, wait till you see the whites of their eyes. You know, it's very interesting how this is happening.
- [24:01]
Al Sharpton
No, it is very interesting. And I think for those seasoned Democrats that's been to battle before, they knew, just give it time. These people were hurting themselves. I told Hakeem Jeffries, who I know well, he grew up in National Action Network. I said that when I was younger, you talk sports all the time. I was a big boxing fan. I knew Muhammad Ali.
- [24:24]
Joe Scarborough
Oh, yeah.
- [24:25]
Al Sharpton
And I asked Ali, I said, how did you beat George Foreman? He was much younger than you, stronger than you. You went to Africa. How did you beat this guy? He said, well, Raoul, I'll tell you, he says, I couldn't fight like I used to. I couldn't dance. I laid on the ropes and let him punch himself out. We call it the rope a dope, right? He says, and then when I saw the opening, I knew I had to get him now. And I hit him when I knew he was tired. I think the Democrats have rope a doped Donald Trump, by the way.
- [24:53]
Joe Scarborough
I will tell You. It's very early in this political battle, I will say I saw a clip the other day, I've never seen it before, of Ali before. He's about to go on stage in Zaire against Foreman, and he's turning all his people, and they're sitting there looking glum, and he's like, right, what are you doing? What are you. He's basically says, this chump's not going to beat me. You all look like we're going to a funeral. It's like, smile, come on.
- [25:19]
Al Sharpton
None of them thought he was going to win.
- [25:21]
Joe Scarborough
No, they thought he was going to get crushed.
- [25:23]
Al Sharpton
That's right. 74.
- [25:25]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah. So, Michael Beschloss, I just. It's very, very early. It's very, very early.
- [25:33]
Willie Geist
Early in the morning.
- [25:34]
Joe Scarborough
Early in the morning.
- [25:36]
Ali Vitale
Early in the administration, President Trump's administration.
- [25:38]
Joe Scarborough
And early in the administration. We don't know where this is going to go. We don't know how far it's going to go. We just don't. But we do know this about power in Washington, D.C. it is fleeting. I'm old enough and I've been around long enough to see one administration after another go in. And they go in thinking that it's the end of history, that they're smarter than everybody that ever walked through those gates before them, and they have figured out the secret. And I see them leave quite differently. I'm not saying that's happening here.
- [26:18]
Willie Geist
Yeah, we don't know.
- [26:19]
Joe Scarborough
I am just saying, though, that for Democrats who are thinking this is the end of history and this is it, and for Trump supporters is as Wall Street Journal, this Wall Street Journal op ed says, we think they can do whatever they want to do, you know, because 35% of the MAGA base is excited about it. May, in fact, as Mr. Riley says, may in fact be badly misreading not only the political situation now, but just politics in general.
- [26:54]
Ali Vitale
Of course. No, that's absolutely right. And I agree with all of you that of course this is not the end of history. And no one can predict, you know, every time you have a president who is asserting strong presidential power, you know, all the way back to Andrew Jackson and presidents in this century like Roosevelt and Reagan and lbj, you know, the story unfolds, you can never predict. I keep on remembering, you know, that lbj, as you all know, who knew Congress so well at the beginning of 1965, the beginning of his big legislative year, the Great Society was talking to, to Hubert Humphrey, and Humphrey was saying, isn't it great? We've got this enormous landslide. We've got huge control of Congress. We've got a very sympathetic Supreme Court. And at the same time, Johnson, who was a lot wiser and realized that, you know, you can never predict in advance, he said, well, that's all great, but I'm asking, for instance, a lot of members of Congress who want to run for reelection to the House, for example, next year to make some sacrifices that they might not want to make. And probably after I asked them for all these strong Great Society programs and also to escalate the Vietnam War, they're going to get tired and start striking back. So they did in the fall of 1965. And LBJ suffered a big reversal in the midterms that, you know, going by what you've been saying, Joe, could not have been foreseen. You know, what we heard yesterday, the explanation from the White House about these cuts, the freezes of the federal grants and the federal loans was this was the president's mandate. He was swept in to do these things. Well, that's not how this works. There's a Congress, as you just explained very well, that controls the purse strings. But to your point, they believe because he won seven swing states, he won by a point and a half with a plurality of the vote, not a majority of the vote, that he can do whatever he wants. And so you get statements like the one from the acting director of OMB yesterday, explaining these freezes of trillions of dollars that affect everyone from hospitals to Head Start programs, saying we need to stop, quote, Marxist equity, transgenderism, and then start talking about the Green New Deal, to which parents who don't have Head Start today for their pre K children and not sure where to leave them so that they can go to their job, say, what the hell are you talking about?
- [29:21]
Willie Geist
Exactly.
- [29:21]
Michael Beschloss
What are you talking about?
- [29:22]
Willie Geist
And Democrats sitting back, making sure it's very clear to the American people, no need to distill this for you. No need to influence thinking. This is on the Trump administration. There you go. This was the will of the people.
- [29:38]
Joe Scarborough
Well, again, I just. Sorry, Alex, I'm going to finish reading this. I think it's so important because I keep hearing how it's the end of history and.
- [29:50]
Willie Geist
No, no one just said that here.
- [29:52]
Joe Scarborough
No, no, I didn't say you just said this.
- [29:53]
Willie Geist
Okay.
- [29:54]
Joe Scarborough
I didn't say you just said that. I heard it over the past week. Where people are the triumphalism is just. I just say, oh, my God, they did they just fall off the turnip truck? So Jason Riley continues They're not talking about the mega base. They're not bothered about Bobby saying there's no vaccine that's safe enough effective in 2023. They're not bothered that he yanked security protection for former key advisers involved in planning the lethal drone strike on Iran's leading terrorist, Soleimani, not because it's no longer needed, but because he simply doesn't like them anymore. Mr. Trump can't be confident that all of his supporters will ignore such rank hypocrisy, foolishness and petty behavior. Joe Biden badly misread voter sentiment after winning the 2020 election, and he left office with an approval rating in the mid-30s. If Mr. Trump has learned nothing from his predecessor's mistake, it could be a long four years.
- [30:57]
Willie Geist
All right, presidential historian Michael Beschloss, thank you very much for coming this morning. And still ahead on Morning joe, the latest on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and how enforcement operations could play out in the days and weeks ahead. Plus, President Trump is doubling down on his push to have Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza. NBC's Keir Simmons is standing by from Jerusalem, joins us with more on that controversial idea. We're back in 90 seconds.
- [31:39]
Mika Brzezinski
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 health care, 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 auto.
- [32:42]
Joe Scarborough
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- [32:54]
Mika Brzezinski
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- [33:29]
Ali Vitale
As immigration end ups continue across the country, NBC News has learned the Trump administration is planning to carry out what's being described as major immigration operations in at least three American cities every week. That's according to three sources familiar with the planning. These so called major roundups already have begun, beginning in Chicago on Sunday, followed by New York City yesterday. Sources say Aurora, Colorado will be tomorrow. Newly sworn in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was on the ground in New York City yesterday to observe immigration enforcement operations there and posting on social media about it. Additionally, sources say ICE's 25 field offices were told last week.
- [34:09]
Joe Scarborough
Was she wearing a flak jacket?
- [34:11]
Ali Vitale
Yeah, she was wearing the gear that the ICE and ATF agents wear on the raids.
- [34:16]
Joe Scarborough
She did. She got on the raids with them. Is that why she's wearing the jacket?
- [34:19]
Ali Vitale
Well, she was live streaming them anyway.
- [34:21]
Willie Geist
She was live streaming the raids?
- [34:23]
Ali Vitale
Yeah, yeah. On social media.
- [34:25]
Joe Scarborough
Very good. Smart move then.
- [34:26]
Ali Vitale
Sources say ICE's 25 field offices were told last week to enhance their routine operations by meeting a quota of between 1200 and 1500 arrests every day. That news was first reported earlier this week by the Washington Post. Meanwhile, NBC News also has learned the Trump administration officials are actively considering pulling funding from the TSA to make up for a budget shortfall facing ice. Joining us now with more on that report, NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainslie. Julia, good morning. What more can you tell us on this?
- [35:00]
Julia Ainslie
Well, look, ICE is facing a $230 million shortfall because they are obviously burning more than they can right now. That shortfall was even under the Biden administration. And they actually did an estimate about how much it costs to deport one migrant from arrest to the time they're on the plane. It's about $10,500. So you can do the math. Trump has promised to deport millions of millions a year. Basically, they need more money. They're trying to ramp up detention space so they have someplace to hold them. But in the end, they're going to have to really ask Congress for more money. But the low hanging fruit right now is to reprogram. So they're looking at pulling from tsa. That might get some backlash if people are looking at longer travel lines. Of course, you also have national security threats to worry about. And then they're also looking at pulling from cisa, that cybersecurity and infrastructure agency that Trump has criticized because he thinks that they put their finger too hard on the weight when it came to judging what was misinformation around the 2020 election. He's also looking at pulling from the Coast Guard. That's often a place where money gets dragged from during tough budget times at dhs. So some of this is just to show how big this operation is, but how little funding they actually have to pull it off. And especially as you look at these plans to come, we understand they want to do three all hands on deck cities every week where they pull in lots of law enforcement agencies from across doj, like the marshals and atf. But then when they don't have the manpower, they're going to be doing things in small city. So you will still hear of raids in places like Los angeles and the D.C. area. But what happens is these are the places they really want to make that show, like what you saw from Kristi Noem in New York City yesterday.
- [36:36]
Michael Beschloss
So we should just remind viewers, of course, that the TSA created after the September 11 terror attacks and the idea of defeaterally defunding that. What could that tell us a little more about the security implications here for an agency that, yes, we all sometimes groan when we have to stand in a long line, but its core mission, at least in terms of these airports, has been extremely successful.
- [36:58]
Julia Ainslie
Right. DHS itself was created after 9, 11 and they boosted TSA as a result of that to try to prevent terror attacks. It's its number one mission. Of course, it's really grown in to take on what a lot of people would criticize as being too much of an immigration mission. But tsa, yes, they're responsible when there's intelligence coming from overseas that we shouldn't be bringing liquids or a laptop or all these things that we can't bring out a plane, that's up to them. And those lines people are groaning about could get a lot longer if they start to cut some of those agents from that line. Jonathan.
- [37:27]
Joe Scarborough
All right, NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainslie, thank you so much.
- [37:32]
Willie Geist
All right. The Trump administration has reversed course on its order to pause nearly all foreign aid and it's now exempting core life saving programs that involve medicine, medical services, food and shelter. The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a State Department memoir. A State Department directive last week called for the broad suspension of foreign assistance, while a three month review of the aid programs was carried out. That move caused confusion and concern among humanitarian organizations who worried that the distribution of vital assistance, everything from food to vaccines, would be disrupted, the Journal notes State Department officials have yet to clarify whether the pause applies to the agency's financing of weapons purchases for Taiwan and Ukraine. President Trump is doubling down on his proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt. Over the weekend, Trump suggested Palestinians leave the Gaza Strip in order to, quote, clean out the enclave. He elaborated on his plan Monday night, telling reporters he has spoken about it with the president of Egypt.
- [38:48]
Joe Scarborough
We helped him a lot, and I'm sure he'd help us. He's a friend of mine. He's in a very rough part of the world, to be honest.
- [38:58]
Keir Simmons
It's a rough, as they say, it's a rough neighborhood.
- [39:01]
Joe Scarborough
But I think he can do it, and I think he can do it.
- [39:04]
Willie Geist
If we do it now. Egypt and Jordan have rejected the idea, and a group of 22 nations known as the Arab League said Trump's proposal would only prolong the conflict.
- [39:15]
Joe Scarborough
Let's ring it right now from Jerusalem outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is NBC News chief international correspondent Keir Simmons. Keir, what can you tell us?
- [39:28]
Keir Simmons
Well, there was no sign of that language from President Trump about cleaning out Gaza in the readouts after conversations between his secretary of State, Marco Rubio and King Abdullah of Jordan or the foreign minister of Egypt. What those readouts, least the readout after the conversation with the Egyptian foreign minister did say is that as far as the US Is concerned, the secretary of state told Egypt that Hamas can play, as far as America is concerned, no part in any kind of future for Gaza. And at the same time, and it's quite a split screen, you're seeing Hamas officials in Gaza as thousands return to the north to their devastated homes. You're seeing Hamas soldiers and officials on the streets. You're seeing them in clean uniforms, taking selfies, holding babies. So I guess that's Hamas's response to that. The question might be, what is President Trump trying to do here? Is he kind of setting out a maximalist position in order to try to negotiate, or is he genuinely thinking that he could push along a policy that would be incredibly, possibly existentially destabilizing for Jordan and Egypt? And in terms of those, those negotiations. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, is here now in Israel. He has said that he wants to go to Gaza. We are expecting him today to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu, as you mentioned. This is Prime Minister Netanyahu's office behind me here. We did see an IDF helicopter fly in just, I guess about 30 minutes ago. Whether that was carrying Steve Wyckoff, we cannot say. But certainly it's clear that the situation here in Israel and Gaza is perhaps the main foreign policy priority for the Trump administration. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been invited next week to see President Trump in Washington. He'll be the first foreign leader to visit President Trump since the inauguration. So that, that is a sign, I think. But this is stage one and the ceasefire is fragile. And the Trump administration, for example, has withdrawn support for unwra, the UN Organization that has been supplying food and medical supplies to Palestinians in Gaza, in which the Israelis accused of being implemented, infiltrated by Hamas. So that just that simple question raises the question, how do you continue this deal if you can't send important life supporting materials supplies into Gaza? I mean, of course the Israeli government would disagree with that and say it's still possible. It's stage one. There are three Americans who are still hostages. Keith Siegel is one of them. Maybe he will be released this week. But then we have stage two and stage three, and then what future for Gaza it is. To say it is on a knife edge is under underestimating. So, yeah, you want to find better words.
- [42:38]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah. So here from officials I've spoken to in the region over the last 24 hours, the proposal to, quote, clear out Gaza was met even by those who quietly supported Donald Trump's return to the White House with something far more than skepticism, almost a laughing contempt, said that is not going to happen. It's not going to happen in Jordan. The Saudis are not going to support it. The Egyptians will not support, I mean, there, there seems to be the deepest, I can't underline the word deep enough, the deepest of skepticism that, that this would ever happen and that these countries would ever absorb the Palestinians living in Gaza. What have you heard?
- [43:28]
Keir Simmons
Yeah, but keep in mind also that many of these governments, autocracies, after all, were in power during President Trump 1.0. So they've kind of seen this before. I've spoken to diplomats in the Gulf and remember in the Gulf, Gulf, there was enthusiasm about the arrival of President Trump. I've spoken to diplomats in the Gulf who kind of are shrugging and saying, well, that's just not going to happen. And so that's just President Trump for you. And I think it's notable that Steve Witkoff, his envoy, was in Saudi Arabia, I'm told by a senior Gulf diplomat before he came here to Israel. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Doha before I suspect he will return to Washington for that Benjamin Netanyahu visit next week. So the negotiations continue on all sides. All sides are still talking to each other while President Trump uses this frankly, inflammatory language, language that, you know, ostensibly you would think is just going to make things harder. Does it focus minds? Does it kind of set the table for someone like Steve Witkoff to say, okay, but let's, here's what we propose, that is more of a compromise. I mean, in the end, if you're going to have a deal, if you're going to have a permanent ceasefire, there has to be compromise. And really that is one of the reasons why it's so fragile. Because, you know, how on earth do you get compromise after 15 months, almost 50,000 are dead, killed in Gaza.
- [45:00]
Joe Scarborough
All right, NBC's Keir Simmons, thank you. Thank you so much for reporting. Greatly appreciate it. When Donald Trump says things like that, and Kier just talked about that possibly being an opening position or whatever, it's always important for those around Donald Trump. So it's important what they say is often the first thing he says. The first shocking thing he says, whether it's about the Palestinian people or tariffs or the freezing of aid, is always the opening offer and the negotiation.
- [45:34]
Willie Geist
All right, coming up, Tom Brady says he will fulfill his contract with Fox Sports as a commentator. But does that pose a major conflict of interest for the future? Hall of Famer Pablo Torre and Mike Barnacle are here to discuss that. And yet another addition to to the already stacked LA Dodgers. Morning Joe will be right back. Hey, it's Mel Robbins, host of the Mel Robbins Podcast. Let's just cut to the chase. There is a change you want to make right now, but you're waiting to feel motivated. You don't need motivation. You've got me. You can change your life anytime you want. And when you're ready, the Mel Robbins Podcast is here to help you with inspiration and simple science backed tools to help you create a better life. Listen to me and you'll feel motivated. All right, listen to the Mel Robbins Podcast now on the SiriusXM app. Download it today.
- [46:32]
Mika Brzezinski
When living with cancer, it's important to be informed and know what to expect. But finding the right information can feel overwhelming. That's why understandcancertogether.com is here to help. We've gathered practical information and resources based on where you are in your cancer journey so that you can focus on the important conversations and decisions of today. UnderstandCancerTogether.com helping you navigate life with cancer one moment at a time. Sling has the sports you can't miss and will reward you for watching. Every time you watch is another chance to win cash and prizes. Plus, only Sling lets you choose and customize your channel lineup starting at just 45.99amonth. @ that price, there's no such thing as an off season. Catch all your favorite Sports. Go to sling.com to customize your channel lineup and start earning rewards just for watching. Sling lets you do that. Restrictions apply.
- [47:36]
Ali Vitale
Boy, that's a beautiful live picture. That's got to be chopper four. Our good friends WNBC, thank you, Chop. They do it every morning. It's 365 days a year. Look at that shot. Live picture in New York City. Did you see the numbers for the AFC championship game?
- [47:50]
Joe Scarborough
Unbelievable.
- [47:51]
Ali Vitale
Unbelievable.
- [47:52]
Joe Scarborough
You know, just 1 million behind Ali Vitali's debut.
- [47:58]
Mika Brzezinski
Actually way too early.
- [48:00]
Joe Scarborough
Which? Same number when the Beatles John Paul Giorgio played Ed Silva. 64.
- [48:06]
Ali Vitale
And the MASH finale's in there somewhere. So Sunday's game between the Chiefs and Bills, now the most watched AFC championship game in NFL history. The CBS broadcast averaged more than 57 million viewers. 57 million broke the previous record set last year between the Chiefs and the Ravens. The game also had substantially more viewers than the NFC title game, which aired in the afternoon on Fox. Not bad though, that one. 47 and a half million viewers.
- [48:39]
Joe Scarborough
How about the NFL and these days of fragmented viewership?
- [48:45]
Jonathan Lemire
Absurd.
- [48:46]
Joe Scarborough
The NFL. This is beyond anything that we've ever seen. I do, I do have to ask how much longer? It's kind of like the Yankees Red sox rivalry. Pre 2004. Yeah, we thought it was a rivalry, but the Yankees didn't because the Yankees always won. At what point the people like me stop thinking that Wiley Coyote is going to catch the roadrunner and Josh Allen is going to win? How long? It's like he's in Jim Kelly territory. Great quarterbacks for the Bills that just can't do it. It's heartbreaking. I love him.
- [49:25]
Ali Vitale
So close. What they have to do is get the best record in the afc. So that game's in Buffalo.
- [49:31]
Joe Scarborough
Exactly.
- [49:31]
Ali Vitale
That's the key to the whole thing. Let's bring in Pablo Torre.
- [49:34]
Joe Scarborough
Hello.
- [49:35]
Ali Vitale
He really doesn't need an introduction, but he's the host of Pablo's story. Finds out on Meadowlark Media. Also an MSNBC contributor, Mike Barnacle with us as well.
- [49:43]
Al Sharpton
Hi.
- [49:43]
Willie Geist
Hi, Mike.
- [49:44]
Joe Scarborough
How are you?
- [49:46]
Ali Vitale
57 million.
- [49:47]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [49:47]
Jonathan Lemire
I appreciate you guys having me here because you could have put a football on the table and drawn 35 million.
- [49:52]
Joe Scarborough
Yes, exactly.
- [49:53]
Jonathan Lemire
Just on that basis alone.
- [49:54]
Joe Scarborough
But would they be wearing a shocking blue sweater? Like. No, I don't think so.
- [49:58]
Willie Geist
This is good. What is this? Is this cobalt?
- [50:00]
Jonathan Lemire
I believe this is a cobalt blue. Giant.
- [50:03]
Joe Scarborough
Giant blue.
- [50:04]
Willie Geist
It gets a little less.
- [50:06]
Mika Brzezinski
I don't know.
- [50:06]
Joe Scarborough
I like a giant Pablo. I remember a couple of years ago when people were saying in 2000, 2001, yeah, I'm never going to watch the NFL again. No, I'm never. And I'm like, yeah, dude, okay, I'll say. And then. And then, like, I call, like, six months later, and they're. They're moaning about the Packers. I thought you weren't watching the NFL anymore.
- [50:27]
Jonathan Lemire
I went to so many panels in and around Brooklyn, New York City. I remember. I don't want to. I don't want to put Malcolm Gladwell on blast out of nowhere. Very smart guy.
- [50:35]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [50:35]
Jonathan Lemire
But at one point, I listened to him predict, this is going to be over in about 15 years. Fifteen years ago, so smart people were saying, look at the concussion problem, look at the controversies, look at the way that Roger Goodell needs to be a Supreme Court justice punishing people night court style, you might even say. And instead. Instead, you have the most important piece of real estate in literally American culture, broadly speaking, it's the NFL. And they are ascendants somehow, despite being already.
- [51:04]
Joe Scarborough
Let me ask Irene. We all grew up watching the NFL. When did we get to this tipping point where it became so culturally dominant that 91 out of the top 100 TV shows in a year are NFL games?
- [51:20]
Jonathan Lemire
I think it is concurrent with the fragmentation that you reference, because there is no monoculture anymore. Again, if you're playing along with the drinking game of listening to me talk about football, I said the word monoculture. As I always say, it's because there is nothing communal left, because there are no ecstatic collective experiences anymore, because the pandemic taught us. I was talking to Barnacle over there when you took fans out of the building and you realized we actually need lots of people to be around to fully enjoy sports. The NFL came along and said, here's a reminder. We fill coliseums, and also we're the only thing that you will watch with the person who vehemently disagrees with you on literally every other cultural issue. And so they are eventizing, to use another word of the day, in a world of fragmentation. They are making things feel like you gotta watch it to be included, which is just a rare American sensation.
- [52:15]
Ali Vitale
Yeah, Well, I agree with Pavel. The things that bring us together have been elevated. Go to a Taylor Swift concert, for example.
- [52:21]
Joe Scarborough
She's on her list.
- [52:21]
Ali Vitale
It feels good to be in the stadium. So how does the NFL sincerely feel about the Super Bowl? Because we're seeing ticket prices are down, there's Chiefs exhaustion, People are like, here we go again. The Eagles and the Chiefs, they kind of wanted a new story. The Bills, are they going to do it for the first time, all that. But the NFL likes Mahomes, it likes Travis, it likes Taylor. Of course. It's a really good Eagles team. So how are we feeling about the game?
- [52:43]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, look, for me, this is the least interesting matchup of the ones available because we've seen it before. But when you see those numbers, I mean, when almost 60 million people watch the Chiefs and the Bills, the NFL has to be thinking to themselves, yeah, we'll take it. We'll take the part of that matchup that is going to take Taylor Swift again into a. Yet another. Another luxury box for us to. To gaze up at. On top of the fact that Travis Kelce. Look, if you talk about the most famous football players in America, Travis Kelce I think is probably tied with Patrick Mahomes 1A, 1B in some fashion.
- [53:17]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [53:18]
Jonathan Lemire
So if you're the NFL, that plus a bunch of people trying to climb greased lampposts in Philly.
- [53:24]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [53:24]
Jonathan Lemire
There is just enough psychosis.
- [53:27]
Joe Scarborough
No, this is going to be great.
- [53:28]
Jonathan Lemire
They're going to bring it.
- [53:29]
Joe Scarborough
They're going to bring it right the way. For idiots at home that are saying, not that there are any idiots that watch this show because they're very smart. Above average intelligence is amazing. But anyway, for those saying that Travis Kelce is only big because of Taylor Swift, I bought Jack Scarborough a Travis Kelce jersey for Christmas five years ago. That guy, one of the great tight ends.
- [53:52]
Ali Vitale
Oh, yeah.
- [53:52]
Joe Scarborough
Of all time. There's no doubt about all time.
- [53:54]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [53:55]
Joe Scarborough
Two quick things. I really want to talk about the Dodgers, but I think we have to talk about Brady first. I'm just curious, how do you rate Tom Brady this year? He says he's going to. He's going to stick it out. How did Tom Brady do?
- [54:08]
Ali Vitale
Got much better as he went. I mean, listen, that's a. You go from the field to the booth. He knows the game clearly as well as anybody, but the broadcasting side of it is something completely different. I thought he got better, Pablo, and I think now he's going to call the Super Bowl. There's all this talk about whether A guy who owns a portion of a team, like he does with the Las Vegas Raiders, should be calling games. The Raiders aren't playing in this game, so you can put that to the side.
- [54:29]
Joe Scarborough
Not even close.
- [54:30]
Ali Vitale
But what? No, but what? They got Pete Carroll. Now, though, things are about to change. What's the consensus about Brady, the broadcaster?
- [54:38]
Jonathan Lemire
He now appreciates how hard it is to speak in public about even the thing that you know better than anybody else, maybe, who's ever played the game. Like, there is a giant difference between describing live with millions of people watching versus doing live with millions of people watching. And look, I don't want to take this to Michael Jordan running the Wizards, but we have in sports lots of experiments we've run where it's like, hey, here's the greatest of all time. They must be able to transfer this skill set to any part of the industry. And Tom Brady has gotten better over the season, but it's still remarkable. The guy was processing as quarterback faster and better and more precisely than anybody else who's ever done it. And yet, when it comes to translating that verbally, he's just not nearly as good as lesser players.
- [55:27]
Joe Scarborough
I think, Mike, the problem is, and I've noticed it throughout the season at times as a broadcaster, he gets in his head. He should just talk. He should. He's got to learn how to tune out the critics, and he's got to just talk. Because when he's just talking and he's not in his head, he's really good. Yeah, he is really good. But would you be surprised. Would you be surprised if the Super Bowl. He does the super bowl, and that's it.
- [55:51]
Jonathan Lemire
So this has been a rumor to the point where Tom Brady, almost in the way that he would, as a player, declared, wait a minute. How dare you doubt me? I'm going to stick it through for the rest of this contract. But the subplot here, which Willie mentioned, he's the minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and that does not indicate a merely ceremonial position according to everybody who's been paying attention. Reporters are now saying this. The dude is the guy making the decisions.
- [56:18]
Joe Scarborough
Didn't. One of the greatest quarterbacks, the guy that I would say was the greatest quarterback in NFL history before Brady, didn't he walk off at halftime? Joe Montana in a Super Bowl. He was broadcasting. He was terrible. Yeah. And just at halftime, he said no mas and walked off. Right, Right.
- [56:36]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. Brady is doing something that I think is unprecedented. He is actively running, de facto running an NFL team and also coaches.
- [56:44]
Joe Scarborough
Yes.
- [56:44]
Jonathan Lemire
Pick some hiring. The hiring Pete Carroll, the guy that Mark Davis, the owner of the team, is consulting on these decisions. He's in the zoom calls, interviewing people. And he's also going to call the Super Bowl. Like, again, I get it. He's Tom Brady. Give him all the real estate. But it's an interesting experiment that we have not seen of power and publicity.
- [57:02]
Joe Scarborough
Let me ask you another question. You referred to this earlier in terms of the ratings for Sunday's game. Highest ever. Enormous numbers of people watching the game. Do you think that part of the draw is the fact that our politics, our government, the world around Americans is so shatteringly crazy and divisive that Americans still are looking for communal experiences? And here we are.
- [57:28]
Jonathan Lemire
I think there's no question about that. There's no question it makes us feel together, as we talked about. It's also, I feel this when I get to come in and you guys are talking about very serious things. It's like a palate cleanser.
- [57:40]
Joe Scarborough
Right.
- [57:40]
Jonathan Lemire
It's just, hey, we're not just sorbet. We're not just our problems. We're also a nice cobalt sorbet sometimes.
- [57:48]
Joe Scarborough
Exactly.
- [57:49]
Willie Geist
I love a cobalt sorbet.
- [57:52]
Jonathan Lemire
Many such cases, yes.
- [57:53]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah. You've got the NFL, you've got Taylor Swift concerts, and you've got Way Too early with Ali Vitale.
- [57:59]
Jonathan Lemire
That's right.
- [57:59]
Mika Brzezinski
Things America agrees on.
- [58:00]
Willie Geist
Exactly.
- [58:02]
Joe Scarborough
So this is just up into the entire table. And I'm serious. How many World Series in a row are the Dodgers going to win before Major League Baseball understands that this is destroying the competitiveness of baseball?
- [58:18]
Ali Vitale
Added another great relief yesterday. Just, I mean, they're. They're an all star team almost today. Every position. Everyone talks about the evil empire of the Yankees. I get that. I take that the big budget. But this is probably. This is something else that we've seen. Part of it is the deferred money in Ohtani's contract. So they're not actually paying him today, so they can pay all these other people.
- [58:37]
Jonathan Lemire
Now they've turned the nation of Japan into their farm system, basically. And they have some great prospects coming out of Japan. The scariest thing in baseball. Now, again, for those not familiar, baseball, there is no salary cap, so spending is essential. But when you have a team that can spend as well as a front office that is trained on fiscal discipline, like the guys running the Dodgers used to run the Rays, the Tampa Bay Rays. And so they know, let's be smart and judicious while also having the pocketbooks. If you don't have both. It's incredibly difficult to compete. And so, Joe, to your point, I don't know why you would pick against them in the foreseeable future.
- [59:14]
Joe Scarborough
Well, yeah. And by the way, Mike, if you're a fan, you know, if you're in Pittsburgh, if you're in Kansas City, if you're in Minnesota, I mean, you know, before the season even starts, you're never going to compete with the Dodgers. No, I'm not going to. And so, so, so why doesn't Major League Baseball have a salary cap? And again, I understand the union strong, but are they going to let the union destroy baseball? Saying the Major League Baseball players union is strong is a serious understatement. They control the game. They run the game. There's no doubt about it. What this does, I don't think it ruins baseball. I think it encourages. There are other owners with a lot of money. The Red Sox being one, the Orioles now, they now have money. Other teams have money. The Yankees have an enormous amount of money. The Mets have an enormous amount of money. And he's spending the money. It's going to force owners to break out of the package. And unfortunately, well, the system of fines and taxes in baseball, when you go over a certain amount of money on your yearly budget, is so complex. I don't know anyone who can explain it, but a lot of owners live in fear of it. Well, they've got to fix the deferred farce. What compensation? The deferred compensation. If you're selling Ohtani for $700 million for 10 years, that can't be deferred. Like it goes on your books for 10 years. How the contract is signed goes on your book for 10 years.
- [60:52]
Jonathan Lemire
What we're seeing is a sophisticated financial instrument in that contract being introduced that I think is in the interest of really nobody except for the Dodgers. And so the question of, you know, what if you're a team that values the present tense at the expense of some future cost? Well, there's a real market inefficiency for you to seize as long as you're good to pay the bill later. And it's, it's a crazy thing to have the guy on the richest contract in the history of sports. Right. I don't know what gladiators in ancient Rome made inflation adjusted.
- [61:24]
Joe Scarborough
Right.
- [61:24]
Jonathan Lemire
But I believe that Ohtani would be comfortably ahead.
- [61:27]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah, probably so. And with that, we say goodbye to our. Our own sort of royal pallet coral sorbet. It's true.
- [61:38]
Willie Geist
It's something I really know how to a pallet. Thank you.
- [61:43]
Jonathan Lemire
That's all I have.
- [61:44]
Willie Geist
I think you're more than that, Pablo.
- [61:46]
Jonathan Lemire
Thank you.
- [61:47]
Joe Scarborough
The last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options. Which is why with USAA Auto Insurance, you'll get great service that is easy and reliable, all at the touch of a button. Get a quote.
- [61:58]
Jonathan Lemire
Today, restrictions apply.