Joe Scarborough (3:49)

This is the best neighborhood. Everybody knows each other. Everybody helps each other out.

Mika Brzezinski (3:55)

Before he left, our neighbor Brad here.

Joe Scarborough (3:57)

He was putting out little fires on, you know, before he felt like he just had to go, he was putting out little fires on our property. And who knows, maybe that saved our house. But that's the kind of neighborhood we have. And it's, you know, most of it's gone now.

Willie Geist (4:12)

All the stuff that's here is replaceable. People are not so happy. The family is the most important thing.

Joe Scarborough (4:19)

I drove with the kids and the dogs down to Laguna Beach. I mean, what are the answers? They say, mommy, where are we gonna live?

Jonathan Lemire (4:29)

Where are we gonna go to school?

Joe Scarborough (4:30)

What are we gonna do? And I don't have answers to those questions right now.

Dana Griffin (4:36)

One day you swim in the pool, and the next day it's all gone.

Joe Scarborough (4:40)

But she came out with her little yeti piggy bank for us to rebuild our house.

Dana Griffin (4:47)

We lost, lost all our things.

Willie Geist (4:54)

Partners, all our photographs and, oh, my grandpa's.

Joe Scarborough (4:59)

Antique chest and all that kind of stuff.

Dana Griffin (5:03)

I'm going to break down again.

Joe Scarborough (5:05)

That's what I feel.

Dana Griffin (5:09)

It's my whole life. Everything was in there. I lost everything.

Joe Scarborough (5:15)

You shape, you're supposed to be a support. Anyway, I'm okay. I'll be okay. I'm tough. And we'll start over. Even though I'm 91 years old, I'll start over again.

Willie Geist (5:30)

91 years old. Just a handful of what are thousands of stories like those. A woman from Houston who is from Pasadena describes how the cemetery where her mother, brother and several family members are buried is now completely burned. Joining us now from Altadena, California, where the Eaton fire continues to rage, NBC News correspondent Dana Griffin. Dana, good morning. What are you seeing on the ground?

Dana Griffin (5:55)

Lily, good morning to you. And I gotta say, just listening to those stories, they're just heartbreaking. They're touching. And there are several more out there just like it here in Altadena where the Eaton fire, as you mentioned, has burned some 10,000 plus acres. Five people have been confirmed dead in this fire. We're seeing neighborhoods that look just like this. Those embers during those hurricane force winds were pretty much playing hopscotch to vehicles and homes. You have some homes that are standing, but in this neighborhood that we're walking through right now, almost every single one looks like some of the. We'll show you those images in a second because we're in front of a vehicle right now. But all of the homes have been leveled in this neighborhood. And as we kind of pan over here, I want to show you there's not any active flames in this particular neighborhood concerning the wildfire itself. But we are seeing these blowtorches at almost every single home. These are fires that are starting from the gas line because officials have not come in and shut it off so that we don't see these blowtorches here. You do have a tree stump that is smoldering in the area. But again, every single home has been burned mostly to its foundation. At this home, the only thing you can really make out are the mailboxes. You see the numbers 309. That's the only thing that you can still see here. And there are even power lines that are hanging over, drove over some that were in the road. We usually wouldn't stand this close to these, but these have been de energized. But you've got several power lines that are strewn everywhere. And in this vehicle there's actually a cat that we heard moments ago meowing, obviously badly hurt. Our photographer and producer kind of got underneath the car to try to get a look at it. They put some water down there for the cat. We're not hearing it at this moment, but obviously several families had to flee in such a hurry. So their pets, some have lost them, others have tried to find safety. And the only thing that they could, a vehicle that was untouched. And it's just sheer devastation. We're still trying to determine what caused this fire. We know the Palisades fire started in someone's backyard. What caused it exactly? Officials have not released that cause, but there's still a lot of unanswered questions how this happened and why this happened. I mean, obviously we know we had those hurricane force winds that really drove this fire. There were issues with trying to get helicopters and aircraft up to dump water on the fire. And that is usually such an amazing tool to try to prevent fires like this from happening in Los Angeles County. But as you mentioned, I've spoken to so many people who say the same thing. We did not think that this could happen here, Lily.

Willie Geist (8:40)

You know, Dana, just reading the accounts and listening to some of the briefings from the LAPD and the Los Angeles Fire Department, it's clear they've never seen anything like this. And they see a lot out there in Southern California. The fire department saying, we are doing everything humanly possible, hands on deck. It's just overwhelming. It's too much to get to every call. It's too much to get to every house that's on fire. It's too much to let people back into these neighborhoods to see if their homes are still there because they're not sure that it's safe to be there. So what is your sense of how authorities are attempting to get their arms around this?

Dana Griffin (9:18)

Well, I think they're trying to do the best that they can. The good thing is those Santa Ana winds, or at least the strong gusts that we saw yesterday, are not the winds that we are seeing today, today. So we have seen some helicopters up above, which has been amazing. And we're just going to walk a little bit more over here so you can see more of the flames behind us. They're doing the best that they can. We did have a sheriff's deputy drive past us and we got this warning to be careful. And we thought, okay, maybe he's talking about the smoke because the air quality is so poor. That's why we're all wearing respirators and masks. He said, no, be careful because there are looters out here. He said, we've already arrested. And I asked, well, how many and where and try to get some more information. He says he couldn't give you that information, but the fact that they this morning have already arrested people, it just goes to show that people are taking advantage of an already devastating situation. So that's another element that is that they're dealing with out here, is trying to get the flames fully out where we are. We're not seeing any active flames. And that could be because it's in such a remote area, so it's hard to get that vantage point. But hopefully the fire can burn out in those remote areas and hopefully not spread anywhere else. We did have another fire pop up in the Hollywood Hills. They issued evacuation orders. A lot of those evacuation orders have been lifted, which is a great sign. But we are not out of the woods yet. There are still major wildfires still burning in Southern California. And the threat, Willie, is not over.

Willie Geist (10:51)

Dana, good morning, it's Jonathan. Yes, that Sunset fire came within a couple hundred yards of some of the most major and famous thoroughfares in the city. We hope indeed it stays and firefighters are able to keep pushing it back. Want to ask you about the response that firefighters have been able to do there in the region where you are, but also throughout the city. There's been a lot of questions about whether there was water in the hydrants, whether they had the appropriate amount of resources to deal with these fires. What are you hearing from fire officials as what they will do from the ground and from the sky, from helicopters like the one we're seeing now?

Dana Griffin (11:21)

Yeah, so that's a really great question. And officials addressed that yesterday. They admitted that we did not have the water pressure in order to fight the fire on the ground. And the reason that happened is because they have about three, 1 million gallon tanks that they have in the Palisades area. And the reason you fill that up is so that you have the water pressure. And so they were pumping out so much water over about 15 hours, about four times the capacity, they could not keep up with the demand. So that water ran out. And around 3:00 in the morning, 4:00 in the morning, they have no more water. And that was the critical time of this firefight yesterday because that's when the winds were the highest overnight and into the morning. On top of that, you also had the aircraft which were not flying, they had to be grounded because of those strong winds. So when you have no water coming from up above or on the ground, that's why you see more than a thousand structures that have burned, because there was no way to fight this. And also you had those whipping winds that carried embers up to a mile or two. So it was really the perfect storm that created this mess.

Joe Scarborough (12:31)

Dana, Altadena is a vibrant community. I've enjoyed spending lots of time there. Right now, does it just seem like an evacuated ghost town, a hellscape? Do you still see anyone wandering around or has everyone fled?

Dana Griffin (12:48)

That's a great Question. We are seeing absolutely no one on the streets except for that sheriff's deputy that drove by and reminded us to be safe. While we're out here, it's a ghost town. We have not seen anyone out here except for the patrol vehicles that have shut down the roads. Again, it's hard to see because it's so dark right now. We've tried to light this as best as we can, but once the light, once daylight comes up, you may get a better scope. But every home on this street looks just like this. I haven't seen one home that is standing yet. So when you talk about communities that have been completely wiped off the map, those words are not exaggerations. This is something that people did not think could happen in Los Angeles county that's so populated. And you know, usually these wildfires decimate remote areas or communities that are very spread out. But these are neighborhoods and communities that our friends stay and loved ones and co workers. And to see this much widespread devastation, it's really hard to wrap your head around it.

Willie Geist (14:01)

Dana, stay with us for a moment if you can. We want to swing over to meteorologist Angie Lassman for a look at how things may look today where these fires are now. Angie, good morning. What are you seeing there?

Angie Lassman (14:11)

Good morning, Willie. Well, Dana, Dana said the winds are a little less than they were yesterday, but I want to stress that they're not diminished completely. And we're going to kind of see these swings of winds, elevated winds coming down. The Santa Anas are going to stick with us here, at least for the long haul. We could have a couple more events here even as we get into next week. Here's what we've got right now, though. 17 million people still under these red flag warnings. Winds are coming offshore. Remember, that means that we're not adding in a whole lot of moisture with the winds coming off the water. Instead, they are going offshore at about 40-50 mph through the day today. Tomorrow, those increase. We're talking a range of 50-70 mph across this region. So let's talk about exactly where they currently stand. You'll notice closer to the coast, less 5, 10, maybe 20, 30 mile per hour winds. You get up into the hills and you get up into parts of the mountainous regions. And we've right now got 40 plus mile per hour wind gusts, 20 plus mile per hour wind gusts. And that's going to be kind of the situation for this morning as the day goes on. We'll go in kind of a flux. We'll start to see things winding down a little more as we get into the afternoon hours and then they ramp up as we round out today and we head back into tomorrow. But still, the gusty winds, they're going to be there. I do think that these will be wind speeds where air relief can be, can be started up again and can continue across this region. So that's at least one specific thing that we'll watch for a positive. But again, those weekend and maybe next week Santa Ana's will return. So in the meantime, we've still got the potential for significant fire growth, especially with any new fires that do start and notice how widespread it is. One thing that you're not seeing on here, yesterday we had a good chunk of this same kind of region right here under the extreme version of the fire weather threat. Today, it's the critical risk. But again, it's just a minor improvement. It will of course, help those firefighters when it comes to battling these. We've seen a lot of these wind advisories expire and then come back up. And now the wind advisory that's in place for parts of ventura county and LA county, that's going to last until 6pm and we've got a total of 13 million people under these wind alerts at this time. This is going to stay with us. So again, as we get through the day today, we've got still this high pressure and this low pressure kind of sandwiched to the north and the south of this region. That is essentially what's in play for the Santa Ana winds to continue. Now, one thing to note, these are really strong high and low pressures. So that means that we've got these strong winds. This low is going to be on the move here. And this is why we've kind of got a weakening situation with the winds as we get through tomorrow. So you'll notice they get farther apart. There's not as tight of a pressure gradient that's going to leave us with positive, of course, you know, a positive influence when it comes to the winds. But we're still going to kind of go through these fluxes as the day goes on. And guys, we've been talking for, you know, the past couple of days about how the lack of rainfall in this region has just added to that really intense wind event. And we're running way below normal, less than 10% of normal since October 1st. So we really could use some rain in this region. Unfortunately, we don't see a lot of relief in that way. So it's going to be those Strong winds, the dry conditions as far as the vegetation goes. But one positive is we do see that relative humidity kind of coming up by the time we round out this week. And we'll see it in flux as the day goes, as the days go on and we get into next week.

Willie Geist (17:18)

So, Angie, Southern California sees wildfires, Southern California sees drought. Southern California sees these high winds. But it does feel like they all came together in the last few days. What are the conditions that have made this unique and so devastating?

Angie Lassman (17:32)

Yeah, so basically what happens is when you have these Santa Ana wind events, which you just said is common for this region, we've got a high pressure and a low pressure that I just mentioned. The difference with what happened in this scenario is that we have a much stronger low pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere. Why do we care about this? That means that we've got this extra kind of punch when it comes to those winds coming down the mountain. So a lot of that influence gives us a. A lot of speed, a lot of oomph when the winds are coming up over the mountains and then they come down. And when you have just a little more of that going on in the upper levels of the atmosphere. These winds are 80 to 100 miles per hour. And the National Weather Service, 24 hours in advance, knew that this was going to be a destructive kind of wind event. And we're prepared for this with the setup in the atmosphere. So this is what makes it so different. We also, Willie, had a couple of seasons where we had a lot of rain in this region. That means that the vegetation was growing at, you know, paces that we didn't see in previous years when we had those prolonged droughts across the the state of California. So that now, of course, means that we've got lots of vegetation that eventually, as we're dealing with drought conditions in this season, is now basically just fuel for all of these ingredients to come together and create basically the situation that we've seen, by the way, we've seen now more than 2,000 structures damaged from this. So that not just makes it one of LA's most destructive, but we also have seen it enter the top five of California's most destructive when we're looking at the numbers of structures devastated and.

Willie Geist (18:55)

Still burning as we speak. All right, Angie Lastman, thanks so much. We'll be back to you this morning. Appreciate you talking us through that. Joining us now, the national spokesperson for the American Red Cross, Nicole Mall. Nicole, thanks for being with us on a difficult and busy time for you there in Los Angeles. What are you all seeing and what efforts are you making to help?

Joe Scarborough (19:14)

Well, being here right in Los Angeles, right at the center of all of the activities, I'm actually outside one of the shelters that the Red Cross has opened up. And for context, for anyone watching, it's three in the morning right now here in Los Angeles. That means there are dozens of folks who've evacuated their home that are now having the chance to rest their heads and hopefully for a moment they can get well deserved rest. You know, really during a time that's been quite chaotic, potentially traumatic for what they're facing. Right. And so now these shelters are opened across Los Angeles and for anyone who is still in need of safe shelter. I can't stress enough, everyone is welcome at these shelters and folks may never have thought that they've needed the Red Cross services, but I can tell you now's the time. If you need a hand, we are here to help.

Willie Geist (20:04)

So Nicole, we're hearing that hotels across the area are at capacity. We saw people literally yesterday having to just get out of their cars in traffic and start walking, being told by some police, just go to the beach, at least for starters. So what can people who do need shelter expect when they get to a Red Cross one?

Joe Scarborough (20:23)

When they make it to a Red Cross shelter, they folks can come as they are. We know folks may be arriving in different states and that's okay. So when you get there, you're going to meet some of the friendliest people around. These volunteers who are staffing these shelters are from the area. They've potentially been impacted themselves, especially from knowing, from conversations I've had with fellow Red Crossers. But these are the folks who are working day in, day out, even in the middle of the night right now to help make sure folks are cared for. Whether it's a warm meal, someone to talk to, a sense of community, and just knowing that someone has your back, I think that really goes a long way. In addition to that safe shelter.

Willie Geist (21:03)

So Nicole, can you tell us more people who are watching at home who want to help, what's the best way they can, whether they live in Southern California or not?

Joe Scarborough (21:12)

Absolutely. Well, I would suggest there's two really prominent ways you can support folks. First, if you feel so inclined, supporting the American Red Cross and our disaster relief efforts. It's because of folks who've supported us financially in the past that we were able to mobilize so quickly to help the folks of Los Angeles. But you know, disasters can happen in any community and you might actually have a heart for this. Right. You might be ready to roll up the sleeve and say, I want to help my fellow neighbors during a time of uncertainty, during a time of disaster. And becoming a volunteer is a great path to do that. And you can get started both ways.

Willie Geist (21:51)

@Redcross.Org national spokesperson for the American Red Cross, Nicole Mall. I know the people there, so appreciate the work you're doing right now. And we'll let you get back to it. Again, this is a good place to start. If you're sitting at home and wondering how you can help somehow, the Red Cross is a great way to do it. Nicole, thank you very much. Let's go back to Dana Griffin reporting for us from Altadena, California, this morning. So, Dana, we're still a few hours there from sunrise, but we'll get a new look at some of the destruction wrought overnight. What are you expecting today in terms of fire and in terms of a response here?

Dana Griffin (22:25)

Well, I think the response is still trying to put out fires in neighborhoods like this. You just missed it. There was a fire truck that came down this road. It stopped for a second. We thought maybe it was going to come down. But there are also power lines that are down and we can walk over. Just so you can see, these are some of the conditions which are possibly hampering those firefighting efforts because you've got these lines that are across the street. You've got life that a street light that is on the ground. Like you can tell that this broke. This was likely during the windstorm or possibly the fire that cut through this wooden pole. So they're still responding. But the fact that we're still seeing these torches, as I like to call them, almost at every single house, like this entire neighborhood is aglow. Usually you get the gas company to come out, shut those off, but they haven't gotten to that step yet. So that tells you that they are still in the active phase of this fire because they say the priority is first, saving lives, second, property. And a lot of these homes have burned down, so there's not much that they can do. But there's still some areas that need to be. There's still some areas that need to be visited by the firefighters. Hopefully when the sun comes up, we get a better chance, a better look at some of the areas where maybe there the act of flames still happening. I was watching our local affiliate kmbc, and the only image that they had was at the Palisades fire, but they could only see it from their chopper because it was burning in a remote area. So it's very smoky in this area. So there is still some residual from the fires that rolled through here. And the major concern right now is the air quality. A lot of us are wearing respirators or masks because this air is so dangerous and very toxic to breathe in. That's going to be a major concern. A lot of people are probably wondering, when can I get back inside my home? When can I get to my neighborhood to see if my home is still standing? Those are questions that we always get during these fires. And there's never a timeline for when that will happen. It just depends on how quickly firefighters can mop up this fire and get it under control. And they also have to make sure the neighborhoods are safe for people to come back through. And a lot of times they keep people out of the area for several days just because firefighters and trucks are coming up and down these roads constantly. And having people in the way only inhibits their ability to continue to work on these fires. So, again, it's a very smoky mess out here. And just kind of getting a look at the devastation. I can't imagine what it was like for people who had to evacuate. And actually, we'll walk over here because, Willie, there is a cat that is stuck inside this Jeep. This is one of the vehicles on this road that is untouched. And it was meowing a little bit. Let's check on it to see if it's still. If it's still there. I don't know if you can hear it. We're not hearing it anymore. Our producer Giselle, put some bread, some water. Our photographer Serkhan, went under there, tried to get the cat out. We heard it meowing, and it was doing that for several minutes throughout the morning. Even during some of our earlier live shots, we could hear it, but we're not hearing that cat right now. It appeared to be injured, according to our photographer. So that's the other part of this devastating story. So many people evacuated and did not have a chance to take their cats, and many of them have died or are hiding in vehicles like this.

Willie Geist (26:14)

Yeah, people racing to get their pets. Dana, we want to get you and your crew to safety and get you out of some of that air right now. We so appreciate your reporting. We'll be back to you later in the morning. NBC News correspondent Dana Griffin live in Altadena, California, for us. Dana, thank you so much, John. We all know people. We've all got friends out there to the point that Dana was just making. We've got dear friends who grab Their pets, grab their dogs, get some prescriptions. If there's a photo album, great. Otherwise get out and are expecting the worst, haven't been allowed back in. But a place like Pacific Palisades is all but burned to the ground. Some well known people, Billy Crystal among them reporting yesterday, put out a statement that the home he and his wife have lived in since 1979 is now gone. He said all the memories of our kids, our grandkids, have taken place in that home. They can't take those memories away from us. But everything else is gone. And he offered his great thanks and prayers for first responders. But this is just impacting so many people and they're still trying to get under control this morning. Yeah, and there are a number of celebrities who said they lost their homes, Judd Goodman, Paris Hilton among them. Whether they are a bold face name or not, the idea of losing everything you have and in a matter of minutes, you know this again, this is a fire started a small fire in someone's backyard in the Pacific Palisades and exploded within hours to consume an entire neighborhood. And then we have seen these other fires, you hop, skip the embers flying surround LA county right now. It is extraordinary and thankfully there's a little break in the winds today that should help. We saw some remarkable footage last night, particularly that sunset fire burning in the Hollywood Hills of these helicopters able to drop water and other chemicals on there. They were able to suppress it somewhat, but it is a forever changed city right now. And at least two words we haven't said yet this morning, but we need to is climate change. The extreme droughts, these extreme fires have become only that much more common in recent years and there's no sign that that will abate anytime soon.

Joe Scarborough (28:19)

About a week ago I was in Arizona over Christmas break and a friend told me that there hadn't been any rain there in over 100 days in the place we were at and the temperatures in the summer, that it had been over 100 degrees for months on end and, and what can we do to combat this and to keep people safe and to make the Los Angeles area and Southern California a safe place to live in light of all of these challenges, it's just heartbreaking. My best friend has left. All of my friends in LA have fled. Her little sister's house in Brentwood on the edge, got completely overtaken and is gone in a heartbeat. These communities, the schools that children go to, everywhere that you've made your life, it's just gone.

Willie Geist (29:06)

It's heartbreaking, it's hard to fathom. We should just know President Biden was in Southern California the last couple of days. He did leave yesterday, had to cancel some events because of this fire. He did go thank some firefighters at a firehouse there in Santa Monica. You know, there's obviously a major federal response to this. Also, President Biden was originally, after today's funeral for former President Carter was supposed to leave tonight for Rome, what would been his final presidential trip, including an audience with the Pope. He has now canceled that trip in order to stay back in the United States and to oversee the response to this terrible fire. The president approving a major disaster declaration for those fires and saying the federal resources are there and that they California has the support. More than 100,000 people evacuated these fires this morning. Still burning. The Palisades fire, more than 17,000 acres flattening to rubble. Pacific Palisades, the Eaton fire, more than 11,000 acres. The Hearst fire. And that Sunset fire burning up into the Hollywood Hills appears to have been contained somewhat, but not completely. The fight continues this morning and we will be covering it all morning. Also ahead on MORNING joe, the national funeral service for President Jimmy Carter will take place a bit later this morning at Washington National Cathedral. We'll tell you what to expect as the nation's 39th president is laid to rest. Morning Joe. Back in 30 seconds.

Joe Scarborough (30:29)

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Willie Geist (32:27)

This is a live look at 6:30 in the morning at the Capitol Rotunda. Just a stunning shot from above there, President Jimmy Carter lying in state. Just a few hours from now, Carter's casket will depart for Washington National Cathedral, where his funeral service is scheduled to begin at 10am Eastern Time. President Biden will deliver a eulogy there. Also in attendance, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff and all living former presidents. Let's bring in NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent from the east front of the Capitol, Julie Cirkin. Julie, good morning. What are you expecting to see today?

Joe Scarborough (33:06)

Good morning, Willie. Or first of all, the crowds to pay tribute to Jimmy Carter are still streaming in. The wind chill is making it feel like 9 degrees here. They've been coming overnight to pay tributes, to pay respect to the 39th President over the last two days since that emotional procession that we witnessed on Tuesday here at the east front of the Capitol. You see police and military units, the Navy band as well, that just made its way into the Capitol. That is because in a couple of hours from now, they will begin the moment of processing Jimmy Carter's casket in a hearse to the National Cathedral, the Washington National Cathedral, which has held funerals for many presidents in the past, including General President Ford, Gerald Ford, who was a close friend of Jimmy Carter's. In fact, his statue has been looking down at his casket here in the Capitol as Carter's body has been lying in state here in the rotunda. They had a close bond. The son of Gerald Ford, Stephen Ford, will be paying tribute to Jimmy Carter. You mentioned that all five living presidents will be in attendance there. That is going to be a special moment, including President elect Donald Trump, who paid tribute last night with Melania Trump to Jimmy Carter when he visited the Capitol. And it was such a beautiful moment here on Tuesday, Willie, you know, all week, really, from Georgia to D.C. in his final trip here to Washington, just to see the family, the friends of Jimmy Carter, people who worked for him. On Tuesday, they actually followed his casket as it was in the caisson, that military wagon coming up the hill from the Navy Memorial, which, of course, Jimmy Carter was famous for establishing. There was a law that he had signed establishing that memorial. He was, of course, a graduate of the Navy Academy. He was a lieutenant in the Navy as well. And that was a really powerful moment because, of course, they replicated the walk that Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter made in 1977 during his inauguration. So, so many unique tributes just dating back to his legacy as president, especially his legacy in his post presidential era. And of course, all of those moments were touched on by Speaker Johnson and John Thune and Vice President Harris here behind me a couple of days ago.

Willie Geist (35:27)

Willie, as you say, President Carter will leave the Capitol for the final time around 9 o'clock this morning and make his way to the Washington National Cathedral for a brief arrival ceremony, ceremony at 9:30 and a funeral service at 10:00 this morning. NBC's Julie Serkin outside of Chile, United States Capitol. Julie, thanks so much. Joining us now is Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Senator, it's great to see you. Thanks. Willie, what are your thoughts this morning as President Carter will be laid to rest tonight in Plains, Georgia?

Jonathan Lemire (35:57)

The outpouring of support for President Carter and what he stood for not only as a president, as a peanut farmer, capturing the nation's attention, winning the presidency out of nowhere, but also what he stood for after the presidency. I think it's astounding. You saw at the Capitol, the Republican leaders, Senator Thune and Speaker Johnson, give beautiful remarks earlier this week. And now you're going to see, as you noted, all five living presidents from President Bush and Clinton and Obama and Trump and Biden, all there to pay tribute today. Jimmy Carter was a relentless force for good in our nation and the world. And I can't think of a better time of this divisiveness and what we're facing right now than trying to ground ourselves in the life of Jimmy Carter.

Willie Geist (36:48)

Senator Klobuchar, good morning. You're right. A rare moment of bipartisanship in Washington there as Republicans, Democrats alike, unite to remember the former president. Tell us a little more about your personal connection to the Carter White House. You interned for then Vice President Mondale, a fellow Minnesotan, of course. Tell us some of those reflections, what that time meant to you.

Jonathan Lemire (37:07)

Yeah, my first job in Washington, you know, thought I'd be meeting President Carter, which I got to do. But I did do the furniture inventory. But what I do remember is the relationship between him and Vice President Mondale. And then that how that relationship continues continued after their presidency. It was Mondale's words that are emblazoned on the Carter center in Atlanta. I got to visit there when I went to Plains and met with Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn. And those words said, we told the truth, we obeyed the law, we kept the peace. We told the truth, we obeyed the law, we kept the peace. And I can't think of a better word and sort of a mantra for us to think about as we go forward. But when I met with them in Plains and went once, I went to the Bible study and prayed with Jimmy Carter, and then on this other time, went to his house and Rosalind made pimento cheese sandwiches, one of their favorites. And he related to me his own run for president. He said one of the reasons he picked Walter Mondo, among many, was that Walter Mondo had done the research and could say Rosalynn's name, Rosalynn instead of Rosalind, unlike some of the other nominees. So his memory was incredible, and his advice was always, so many candidates. I think it was Bob Dylan, and I guess I'm thinking of Bob Dylan because I love that movie. Complete unknown. But he, of course, and other musicians spent a lot of time with Carter. And in an interview, one of his rare interviews, he said Carter was the kind of man you don't meet every day and that you're lucky to meet if you ever do. I think that pretty much sums it up.

Joe Scarborough (38:47)

Senator. President Carter made human rights rights the forefront and just a cornerstone of his foreign policy vision. How has his emphasis impacted foreign policy within American politics in the decades that followed his presidency?

Jonathan Lemire (39:07)

In a big way. You know, American policy, foreign policy has its moments, and there are moments that involve human rights and others that don't. But Carter looked at the world and said, you know, America should stand for being an economic power, yes, but also being a human rights power, because that's what our democracy is based on, respecting people's rights and freedoms. And so you saw him elevate that. And I think you're still seeing it today. You see it with the bipartisan support that you saw against. Against the actions of Vladimir Putin when he imprisoned journalists, including Evan, the Wall Street Journal journalists. When you see the action that's made to take on sanctions and other things against nations that are violating human rights, again, we are not a have a perfect foreign policy. And sometimes there's other reasons that intervene. But clearly, human rights is mentioned more and more and more and as a reason for siding with a country like Ukraine because of the violation of human rights by, in this case, Russia.

Willie Geist (40:18)

By the way, Senator, you're representing Minnesota very well this morning with mentions of both Walter Mondale and Bob Dylan. Very impressive.

Jonathan Lemire (40:24)

Come on. It's early, but I'm good. Should we get to the Vikings? Are you okay as it is?

Willie Geist (40:30)

They look pretty tough. They look pretty tough. You get prints into the conversation, you will have hit the track.

Jonathan Lemire (40:35)

There you go.

Willie Geist (40:35)

So we'll see this bipartisanship today as we talked about. You have the five living presidents, ex presidents there at the funeral. But shortly thereafter, it's back to business in Washington, as you know. And President elect Donald Trump is calling on Republicans to pass his legislative policies, though it appears he doesn't really have a strategy for that. He did hold a closed door meeting with Republican senators yesterday with your colleagues. President elect calling for White one big beautiful reconciliation bill that tackles his top priorities on taxes, energy and the border, a move House Speaker Mike Johnson supports. But Senate Republicans think that's going to be too tough to pass, suggesting instead two separate bills. Trump for now, though, appears to be staying out of the strategy debate. Whether it's one bill or two bill, it's going to get done one way or the other. I think there's a lot of talk.

Jonathan Lemire (41:25)

About too, and there's a lot of talk about one.

Joe Scarborough (41:27)

But it doesn't matter.

Willie Geist (41:28)

The end result is the same. We're going to get something done that's going to be reducing taxes and creating a lot of jobs and all of.

Joe Scarborough (41:36)

The other things that you know about.

Willie Geist (41:38)

So, Senator, what's your take on how this is all going to play out? Your Republican colleagues in the Senate, Senate appearing a little frustrated yesterday in their most polite terms possible because Donald Trump was there saying this is going to be a little tough to do in one big beautiful bill. How's the going to go?

Jonathan Lemire (41:54)

Well, these bills, first of all, are never very big or beautiful, but I think they're just trying to practically get through the machinations of government and understanding there's some Republicans that have concerns about the debt and some of the proposals that the president elect has made that would add to that debt. That being said, when he talks about results, results for who? Is it going to be results for regular people and Americans like he promised in the campaign campaign, or is it going to be results like we saw in those last tax cuts that help the wealthiest, help them game the system, help them rig what's going on to help their businesses or help themselves. That is where Democrats are going to really draw the line. Because what we want to see is, yes, tax reform and relief for people, say, making under $400,000. But for the wealthiest people, if the past is any instruction, and some of the things we're seeing out of the mouths of our Republican colleagues, there's going to be a whole bunch of stuff here that's going to set other people back and make it harder for them to get things like Social Security or housing or less expensive pharmaceuticals. And if they're ready to work with us on those kinds of things, we're ready to find common ground. But we're going to draw the line if they're helping their wealthiest buddies to rig the system.

Willie Geist (43:13)

You know, Senator, there's been so much talk since the election about a mandate for President Trump and that Republicans own Washington. They, of course, will control the White House, the House and the Senate, but by very slim margins in both chambers. So how are you approaching in less than two weeks from now, this new administration, this new Congress, what do you think things will be like in Washington over the next couple of years?

Jonathan Lemire (43:37)

Well, I have good relationships, as you know, on both sides of the aisle. But and I will whenever possible, as I know Senator Schumer wants to do, our leader and others, is to find that common ground. We'd love to bring more housing, affordable housing in. So let's get some proposals and get it done. Childcare, let's get that done. Let's bring down health care costs. But some of the things we're seeing, including in the face of these nominees, right where you've got Cash Patel saying that he wants to close down the FBI headquarters when we just had an incredibly tragic attack in New Orleans or cyber attacks happening every single day. He wants to turn it into a museum and be on a rebel revenge agenda. That doesn't keep people safe. And so as we look at these nominees, and I'm sure we'll support some of them, but we're going to look at them and say, are they able? Do they have ability to do this job? Does their background check out ethically? And then finally, are they going to be committed to the American people? So I think you're going to hear a lot of the work done on looking at these nominees because our job is advice and consistent under the Constitution. We take an oath to support and defend it. And that means making sure that the people who are in place that are making major, major decisions for our country are able to do the job up for the job and have a mission consistent with the American people.

Willie Geist (45:03)

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Senator, we always appreciate your time.

Joe Scarborough (45:07)

Thank you.

Jonathan Lemire (45:08)

And thank you for focusing on these horrific fires in the Los Angeles. Literally, it is apocalyptic and you think about all the lives changed forever and those that have been lost and are brave firefighters. So I appreciate your coverage.

Willie Geist (45:21)

Well said. It is breathtaking. We're going to get back to that coverage in just a moment. Thanks, Senator. Coming up, we are learning more about Donald Trump's mass deportation plan. NBC News correspondent Julia Ainsley will join us with her exclusive reporting on the action the incoming administration may take take soon after Trump's inauguration. Plus, we will return shortly to Southern California covering the wildfires as they continue to burn this morning. With more than 100,000 people now evacuating, Morning Joe's coming right back.

Mika Brzezinski (45:53)

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Must be 21 years or older, terms and conditions apply. But as Democrats, their identity now as a party post election.

Willie Geist (47:35)

We'll find out if they're still clinging.

Jonathan Lemire (47:37)

To that open border policy.

Willie Geist (47:40)

Why are you talking about an identity crisis? The Republican conference is filled with marauding.

Jonathan Lemire (47:49)

Bands of individuals who can't stand each other.

Willie Geist (47:54)

And Democrats, as far as I can tell, are unified in our determination to make life better for the American people. Marauding bans, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hitting back yesterday after Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of struggling with party identity after the 2024 election, not really knowing what it is. Meanwhile, NBC News has exclusive reporting that the incoming Trump administration is actively considering carrying out a high profile raid targeting undocumented immigrants in the D.C. area. Three people familiar with the discussions reveal the raid could take place within days of Trump taking office to send a message. Joining us now, one of the reporters who broke the story, NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainslie. Julia, good morning. So what more can you tell us about what the Trump team's considering here?

Mika Brzezinski (48:42)

Well, Willie, of course, nothing is final yet, but we know that they're in discussions to try to figure out what resources they have to carry out workplace raids in the D.C. area. That could be in Maryland, D.C. proper or in Northern Virginia. They could target a number of sectors. They're looking at things like agriculture, hospitality and health care. This is to carry out what would be a shock and awe first operation. And it could be done with as soon as Inauguration Day. This is because, of course, the president campaigned on making or the incoming president campaigned on making this the largest deportation operation in American history. And he wants something to show for it when he comes into office. But workplace raids are historically very expensive and logistically difficult. They take a long time to plan so that when ICE barges into a workplace and starts arresting people who they suspect to be living and working in the US Illegally, they know exactly who they're arresting and they don't make mistakes. So some current officials I've spoken to say they actually worry about the risk here if they try to take an action like this too early.

Willie Geist (49:46)

So, Julia, we've heard from Tom Homan, who is going to be Trump's border czar, or immigration czar, whatever the title is. Exactly. Who has said we are going to target criminals, hardened criminals first, that it's going to be a very difficult task to deport, as Donald Trump has promised some 11 million people here illegally. But how does that work exactly? What does that look like as a practical question?

Mika Brzezinski (50:09)

Well, Willie, I think this reporting Shows that they can't only target, they can only arrest the people who are the biggest threats. If they're looking at workplace raids, for example, most of the people who would be working in those places wouldn't be these hardened criminals that they want to go after. And if they're going to do a big sweep like that, of course they're going to be picking up people who have committed no other crime other than being in this country and working here without authorization. Be families. There could be fathers who are deported while their children are at school. When you're talking about a workplace raid. Now, we do know that There are over 400,000 people on ICE's non detained docket. That means they're at large in the United States. Some of them could be serving time in prison who do have criminal convictions of some kind. So obviously they would want to start looking at that population. There are also people who already have final orders of deportation. They've exhausted all of their remedies for asylum or any other kind of benefit. And they were told by a judge to leave the country. That's who they want to target. But this kind of discussion really illuminates the fact that there is also a very strong voice within the incoming administration to say cast the net as wide as you can and boost those deportation numbers. Willie?

Willie Geist (51:20)

Yeah, this was a key promise of Donald Trump during the campaign. It looks like he wants to deliver on it right away. Julia, you talked to the current ICE director about the Biden administration's handling of the immigration. What did he tell you?

Mika Brzezinski (51:34)

Yeah, Willie, this was a really surprising and candid interview. This is outgoing acting ICE director P.J. lechleitner, who sat down with me and told me about some of the frustrations. He thinks that the current administration could have been more transparent and forthcoming on the immigration issue and frankly that Biden may have taken action too late to solve the border crisis. This is someone who's been with DHS since its inception. He's a 30 year career in law enforcement, served Republicans and Democrats. I think some of his remarks here are really enlightening. Take a listen. We saw millions of immigrants come across the border. And I know you're not focused on the border, but you know, you're focused on the ramifications.

Willie Geist (52:14)

We're related to it.

Jonathan Lemire (52:15)

Sure.

Mika Brzezinski (52:16)

A lot of that came down. Those numbers drastically fell, especially starting in June when the new executive action went into place. Do you think that Biden should have taken that action earlier?

Willie Geist (52:27)

Yes, yes, absolutely. Yes, he should have. The administration should have taken that action earlier. And I think the career people in DHS would have liked that. And all of us in dhs, quite frankly, I don't know if anybody in DHS wouldn't have wanted that earlier. You know, maybe there's some counselors here or there that don't like this kind of stuff, but law enforcement is always going to be on that side where we want, you know, some tighter controls. Because for a while there you remember it was 10,000 plus.

Mika Brzezinski (52:57)

Biden had an exit interview this week where he was asked about his regrets and he did not mention the border. Does that surprise you?

Willie Geist (53:06)

No, doesn't surprise me. But it's unfortunate because I think we could have done more what specifically? We could have put more resources to it either CBP for the border itself and with ice and we could have went and tried to get more of these individuals who are on the non detained docket and we could have detained more people and we could have removed more people and I think we could use more resources and support and we could have done that in the last four years.

Mika Brzezinski (53:34)

Is it possible to increase your number of deportations under your current resources?

Willie Geist (53:39)

Under our current resources, no, because we're basically at, we're burned. Like I mentioned before, we're burning hot. We're at maximum resource capacity at this point. We're going to need more money and resources to increase and with more money and resources we can increase detention, we can increase removal operations. Listen, there's still a whole immigration process so people have to go through and either get, you either get, go through and get some benefit that comes out of it and you know, asylum, you name it or you're order removed and it has you to go, go through the immigration proceedings and go through there. But with more resources, with more money, we can do more.

Mika Brzezinski (54:21)

So a very candid conversation, we should say that was Lech Lightner speaking from his own opinions. That's not the view of this administration and we're reaching out to the White House for comment. But what this shows is that you know, for a lot of people who are career dhs there was some frustration and really a thinking that they were doing a lot of work that wasn't being recognized because at least in Lightner's opinion the Biden administration wasn't doing more. And also to talk about it and also when you talk about those resources, that's when he's looking at a new administration who's promising mass deportations. He says unless they have more money, it's really not possible.

Willie Geist (54:58)

What a fascinating interview. Because you have an ICE director saying now publicly to you, Julia, what we've heard privately from them for several years. NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainslie. Julia, thanks so much for bringing it to us. We appreciate it. And we should point out, Elise, that border apprehensions are at lows, not seen since in the Trump administration right now. But too little, too late for a lot of people, including for the electoral.

Joe Scarborough (55:22)

Hopes of Democrats and only after the June executive order.

Angie Lassman (55:26)

And that interview from Julia with the.

Joe Scarborough (55:28)

ICE director was really revealing because he wasn't holding back and saying he was dissatisfied with what they had accomplished. He felt that more could have been done. He, he thought the rules were too lax and he thought that asylum became a good opportunity, in fact, for migrants crossing the border. And that, I think, in and of itself is quite an interview that says everything about the 2024 election.

Willie Geist (55:53)

And there's no doubt there's been a lot of second guessing on the political side of this that the Biden team should have acted sooner on the border and that they didn't do enough to promote the idea that it was the Republicans who scuttled the bipartisan bill over the summer. And that as we turn the page to the Inc. Trump administration, I mean, Julius Terrific reporting there, lines up what we've heard about these detention camps are going to build outside major cities, are going to have some high profile raids. The question is, do they just target hardened criminals? Well, it sounds like maybe not. If they're going to go after workplaces and if they're going to do these deportations at these massive numbers, it's going to change American society in some ways. And that could trigger a real protest movement. We'll have to see if they try to pair it with some border measures as well, the same measures they voted down over the last few months, the new Trump administration promising to start here in the next couple weeks as soon as they get into office. Pandora makes it easy for you to find your favorite music, discover new artists and genres by selecting any song or album, and we'll make you a personalized station for free download on the Apple App Store or Google Play and enjoy the soundtrack to your life.