Entries from Apr 2018
Sen. Kaine on immigration

“Senator, in your border enforcement proposals over the years, has there been any provision that would successfully pass Congress that would impose rigorous penalties, rigorous financial penalties, on employers here in the United States who hire illegals?” asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of Sen. Tim Kaine during a conversation about the employment of undocumented immigrants. Listen to Kaine’s response here.

Sen. Kaine on Syria

“Senator Kaine….What’s your level of concern right now about this imminent apparent strike, or something that will happen with regard to Syria? What’s your level of concern about that?” asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) during a conversation pertaining to President Donald Trump vowing his administration will make “major decisions” on Syria, following the Syrian government’s latest use of chemical weapons against its own citizens. “There needs to be a consequence for that, but it can’t be the President deciding on his own without Congress,” says Kaine. Hear the rest of the conversation now.

What’s next for Syria?

“Congressman, do you have a level of concern – any level of concern – about apparently imminent actions to be taken by the United States within Syria with a president who is nearly totally preoccupied with legal difficulties here at home?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) during a conversation about President Donald Trump vowing his administration will make “major decisions” on Syria, following the Syrian government’s latest use of chemical weapons against its own citizens. Listen to Kinzinger’s answer here about “strong team” Trump has around him and his confidence POTUS will make a “wise decision.”

What’s next for Cohen and Trump?

Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation about what’s next in the process following this week’s FBI raid of the Rockefeller Center office of President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, during which they seized business records, emails and documents related to several topics, including a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

The Truth v. The President

“It might be actually our obligation today to report the truth about what happened yesterday…because the president is clearly setting up a separate narrative, a different narrative for his supporters to believe and follow. But…there’s a specific procedure that took place—that had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the law,” said Morning Joe veteran columnist Mike Barnicle as the panel discussed President Donald Trump lashing out against the FBI for having raided the Rockefeller Center office and hotel room of his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, seizing business records, emails and documents related to several topics, including a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Listen to the conversation here.

Raid on Trump’s Personal Lawyer

Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation between veteran columnist Mike Barnicle and former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi about the sensitivities surrounding the FBI raid on the Rockefeller Center office of President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, during which they seized business records, emails and documents related to several topics, including a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
“A search warrant on a lawyer’s office is extremely rare, extremely dicey in how it’s conducted.,” explains Barnicle. Hear more from Figliuzzi here.

The impact of the brewing trade war

ICYMI: Listen in on the conversation among CNBC senior national correspondent Brian Sullivan and Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough and veteran columnist Mike Barnicle about the impact of President Donald Trump’s brewing trade war.

The Future for Paul Ryan

Join in on the Morning Joe panel discussion that followed a report by NBC News political reporter Vaughn Hillyard from a town hall meeting in Janesville, Wisconsin, organized by high school students for Speaker Paul Ryan in his hometown. But Ryan declined to attend. Veteran columnist Mike Barnicle explains: “Look it’s only anecdotal reporting that we just saw. It was good reporting, but the voices articulated at the town hall meeting that the speaker did not go to—that’s kind of a warning sign. That’s his hometown and it’s a coalition of youngsters, high school students who put that together. You would think that he would have gone, which lends credence to the rumors…that he may fold it up.” Watch the report here and listen to the conversation between host Joe Scarborough and Barnicle.

Russia’s Role in 2016

Journalists Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News and David Corn of Mother Jones join Morning Joe to talk with Elise Jordan and Mike Barnicle about their new, bestselling book, “Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump,” the timeline of the “Russian information warfare attack,” and who knew what, when. Barnicle asks: “Who was there first?” Hear the conversation now.

Stabilize Syria, Defeat ISIS

“What are the odds of us being able to put together a mini coalition of Great Britain, France, perhaps, perhaps even Turkey, to act in a concerted fashion within Syria when there is nothing at the State Department that would lead you to believe that the mechanics of putting together such a coalition would be there; and the verbal behavior and tweeting behavior of the president has our allies on the fence as to who we are today?” asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of former U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns as the Morning Joe panel talks about potential strategies for stabilizing Syria and defeating ISIS. Listen to Burns’ response here about what he sees as next steps for President Donald Trump.

Chief of What?

Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation between veteran columnist Mike Barnicle and Washington Post White House bureau chief Philip Rucker about Rucker’s article that discusses the fate of the “out of the loop” White House Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly amid the “crisis” and “chaotic” nature of the Trump White House. Asks Barnicle: “General Kelly, given who he is and who he has been his entire life, he’s not going to quit, it would seem. But what does he do all day, every day, now that he has a president of the United States who I don’t know the last time that he released a public schedule with something on it?” Hear Rucker’s response here.