Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough, during a panel discussion about Mike Allen’s interview with President-elect Donald Trump for the newly launched Axios AM newsletter, says: “It reminds me of something that Mike Barnicle said …before Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States. He said: At some point everybody gets the briefing and when they get the briefing it changes them.” Listen in on more of the conversation here about Trump’s “unusually subdued” nature and “somber tone” during Allen’s interview, which Morning Joe senior contributor Barnicle calls out as “among the more encouraging reports.”
“The ripples of relief began in Washington and extend around the globe – specifically to Europe with the testimony of General (James) Mattis, General (John) Kelly, and Congressman (Mike) Pompeo. Each three in their own ways in the testimony, in the questions and answers that they were providing to the committees, looked professional, responsible, not crazy. They weren’t going to do anything off the cuff, and I think they gave a great degree of confidence to the people who are going to be voting on their nominations as well as to our allies overseas – especially Mattis on the Iran Treaty,” said Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle about the Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings happening this week. Hear more of the conversation here.
“Wrong venue, wrong time…Important content, but it basically should’ve been given two years from now as he launches his campaign for president,” said Morning Joe senior correspondent Mike Barnicle during a panel discussion about Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s decision to break precedent by testifying against his Senate colleague Jeff Sessions’ (R-AL) nomination for Attorney General, which led many to believe Booker was using his speech in a calculated attempt to launch his bid for the 2020 presidential election. Listen to more on the situation here.
“Yesterday was a new low…for all of us in this nation. When you have the President-Elect of the United States basically comparing intelligence professionals to Nazis. That has taken this into another realm entirely,” said Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle during a heated discussion with Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough about President-elect Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with the intelligence community and the fresh start he will get next week. Hear more of the conversation here.
Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle says it was “good parenting” to have children watch President Barack Obama’s Farewell Address from Chicago. “That was a spectacular moment. You had the President of the United States going out the door…and the speech was – I thought – spectacular in the sense that it wasn’t a partisan speech. It wasn’t about yesterday. It was more about tomorrow. And it was directional and optimistic for the country.” Listen in on more of the conversation here.
While the Morning Joe panel speculates how much the strained relationships of President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for National Security Advisor Mike Flynn has with some intelligence officials over being fired as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency are impacting Trump’s views, senior contributor Mike Barnicle says: “General Flynn has – I’m sure – a list of grievances against the intel community. How many of them are legitimate? I don’t know. I don’t think anybody knows, but he has a list. So, you’ve got to ask yourself how much of a role is that playing into this overview of the intelligence community.” Hear more of the conversation with Bloomberg Politics Managing Editor Mark Halperin here.
“Here is the killer quote…from Paul Ryan, when asked about his replacement plan (for Obamacare), he said: ‘You’ll see it as the weeks and months unfold.’ For those who don’t have health insurance that’s a long, long time. Who has a plan?,” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle during a conversation with MSNBC political correspondent Kasie Hunt about House Speaker Paul Ryan saying Republicans have a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act at a press conference in Capitol Hill but then refusing to provide any specific details when asked by a reporter at the event. Hear which politician Hunt says may hold the answer. Only on MSNBC.
“Stop it,” says Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle with a grin as the show’s staff teases him about being “legendary” yet again during the introduction of the panelists. Watch the footage of the “legendary” Mike Barnicle sitting through another round of banter.
As the Morning Joe panel discusses the desire some Republican politicians have for immediately rescinding the Affordable Care Act despite not yet having an alternative program to replace it, senior contributor Mike Barnicle explains: “One of the principal messaging points of the Republicans who want to just repeal Obamacare right now…is that `health care costs have gone up. Instead of $112 a month you’re not going to be charged $175.’ These are people – a huge percentage of them – who have never had healthcare.” Tune in to listen to the conversation and Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough explain why revoking the Affordable Care Act without a replacement program would ultimately hurt the Republicans in coming elections.
“One of the principal things that President-elect Trump is going to have to deal with is China’s increasingly growing sphere of influence in Africa, in the south China Sea, in South Asia. They are going to dominate much of Africa. China is back in the game,” explains Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle during a conversation about the foreign affairs challenges that await President-elect Donald Trump. Listen to more on the situation here.
As the Morning Joe panel discusses President-elect Donald Trump’s recent tweets disparaging the intelligence community, including one tweet where he supports Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s claim that the Russian government was not the source of hacked Democratic campaign emails, senior contributor Mike Barnicle says: “First of all, you’re not going to believe everything that Julian Assange says. The key element is…what it does to the professionalism and moral of the intelligence gathering community. What do Donald Trump’s tweets mean to that community? A president cannot deal in gossip and rumor…. He needs to have the briefings. He’s got to have professional material presented to him.” Listen to more on the topic here.
“Patriots Day” director Peter Berg joins the Morning Joe panel to talk about his film, based on the true events of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Asks senior contributor Mike Barnicle: “Peter, talk a little bit about the sensitivity that you…showed toward so many families affected by what happened that day, including the family that lost a young child.” Listen to Berg’s response about the sense of responsibility that he and producer Mark Wahlberg felt in telling this story that impacted the country.
“Senator.. does it concern you at all that the President-Elect of the United States of America…has continuously demeaned the intelligence gathering and thus the people who do this dangerous work around the work?,” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) during a conversation about Donald Trump’s ongoing criticism of U.S. intelligence operations. Listen to Cotton’s response here on MSNBC.
Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle speaks with The New York Times’ political reporter Nicholas Confessore about why House Republicans decided to quickly drop their plan to gut the independent ethics office just a day after it had been agreed upon. “The key thing here is the word ‘ethics’,” says Barnicle. “Nick Confessore, you have done so well in covering the flow of money in politics. What do you figure they did not hear in the word `ethics’ when they were there in that room?” Listen in for Confessore’s response here about the difference between those in favor of shuttering the office and those not. Only on MSNBC.
As the Morning Joe panel continues the discussion about why House Republican dropped their plan to gut the independent ethics office, senior contributor Mike Barnicle explains: “The guys in the closed session – it was like they cut through the screen of the backdoor to break into the house. And they got caught on the porch and they fled.” Tune in to hear more of the conversation with Bloomberg Politics’ Managing Editor Mark Halperin. Only on MSNBC.
As the Morning Joe panel analyzes why House Republicans quickly decided to drop their plan to gut the independent ethics office, senior contributor Mike Barnicle explains: “Bob Costa (from The Washington Post) reported that they received thousands of call from constituents, which is a very encouraging sign that you can still tip these people over with a phone call.” Tune in here to listen to the Morning Joe panel discussion on the topic.
“Keep going, keep going – no, no, no. Elise is here. Elise is here,” says Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle with a smile as he attempts to prevent host Joe Scarborough from continuing to tease him about his “legendary” status during the introduction of the show’s panelists. Tune in to watch Scarborough and the rest of the Morning Joe crew share some laughs with the one and only “legendary” Mike Barnicle.
“Oh no, please let’s end this…or I’ll end it,” remarks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle with a smile as host Joe Scarborough begins the show by teasing Barnicle, sitting in the co-host chair, about being “legendary.” Tune in to watch the rest of the Morning Joe crew join Scarborough on the banter about Barnicle’s status.
Kellyanne Conway, incoming Counselor to the President, joins MSNBC’s Morning Joe and talks with host Joe Scarborough and senior contributor Mike Barnicle about the effort under President-elect Donald Trump to repeal and replace Obamacare and the future of healthcare in America. Asks Barnicle: “Right now, do you or do you not have a replacement plan ramped up and ready to go?” Hear Conway’s answer here.
In the continuing conversation on MSNBC’s Morning Joe about the potential political backlash following the decision by the House Republicans to revamp the ethics office, senior contributor Mike Barnicle asks the network’s political correspondent Kasie Hunt: “What do we know, if anything, about what happened behind closed doors? Did anybody bang the table and say: ‘hey morons, don’t do this’?” Listen to what Hunt’s response only on MSNBC.
