Mike Barnicle

As the Morning Joe panel unpacks the ongoing controversy and demands for recusal of House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes (R-CA), senior contributor Mike Barnicle comments: “The House investigation is over. One of the questions that ought to be answered is: Who signed (Nunes) into the White House. You’ve got to be signed in. You can’t just walk onto the grounds of the White House.” Listen to more of the discussion here with hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and contributors Nicholas Confessore from The New York Times and Eddie Glaude Jr., chair of Princeton’s Department of African American Studies.

“Joe, it’s a tsunami of events, almost unparalleled–certainly in recent American political history. When you get the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes (R-CA), doing what he did, which is tantamount to a prosecutor in a capital murder case, leaning over, and telling his co-counsel: ‘Hey, I’ve just got to go across the hall and talk to the defendant. I have a couple of tips that might help him out.’ It’s just staggering, beyond belief,” says Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle as he and host Joe Scarborough weigh in on Nunes’ defense of President Donald J. Trump’s unsupported wiretap allegations against former President Barack Obama. Listen in on ht the conversation here.

“How do you get people to stay home in places like southern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern Kentucky?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of bestselling author J.D. Vance, whose book “Hillbilly Elegy” examines poverty and economic malaise among America’s white working class. Vance has just joined forces with Revolution LLC, the D.C.-based investment firm founded by AOL co-founder Steve Case. The two will work together to grow investments in startups outside the Silicon Valley and New York City tech bubbles, which received the bulk of VC funding.

The Morning Joe panel reacts to President Donald J. Trump’s speech at the National Republican Congressional Committee March Dinner, in which he suggests that most people don’t know that President Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. “Someone should really build a memorial to Lincoln after hearing that. I never knew that,” says Mike Barnicle, sarcastically. Listen to President Trump’s comments about Lincoln here and go along for the ride with Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist.

In his latest column for The Daily Beast, Mike Barnicle pays tribute to legendary New York City columnist Jimmy Breslin, who died Friday at the age of 88. “He stood for the vulnerable and used the voice contained in his talent to call out the political people and anyone else who abused or ignored the poor, the disenfranchised, anyone living on life’s margins and judged by their zip code, their needs or their lack of income.” Read the column in its entirety here.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/20/jimmy-breslin-the-people-s-champion.html

As the Morning Joe conversation continue about the impact of New York City newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin, who died Friday at age 88, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle says: “A century from now, historians will look at Jimmy Breslin’s columns to get a handle of what life was like in the mid to late 20th century, early 21st century. Dan Barry’s obit in The New York Times was so spectacular. One line sums everything up about Jimmy’s writings and how he changed column writing in newspaper, and it is that Breslin inspired every emotion but indifference….He was a magical, magical writer. I cannot say enough about him.” Tune in here for more from Barnicle and The Washington Post’s columnist David Ignatius on Breslin and the late rock ’n roll great Chuck Berry.

As the Morning Joe panel memorialize the late, great columnist Jimmy Breslin and rock ’n roll pioneer Chuck Berry, veteran columnist and MSNBC regular Mike Barnicle contributes about Breslin’s style of reporting: “You have to witness things visually and then report them in the newspaper the next day. It’s sadly true, that art and that technique, that’s disappearing in newspapers today.” Listen in on the conversation here with Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough and The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson.

Live from Newton, Mass., Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle talks with host Mika Brzezinski about the legacy of legendary New York City newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin, who died Friday at age 88. “He was a columnist for the ages,” says Barnicle, a veteran newspaper columnist. “There was never one like him before, and there will never be another one like him again, and that’s not really hyperbole. What Jimmy Breslin did for American newspapers was miraculous. It was like reading a fine novel in about 900 words. The electricity of the thought. His reporting was remarkable and his writing skill was incredible.” Listen in for much more from Barnicle on Breslin: “A man of many emotions….He was what life is all about: A huge roller coaster of emotions.”

During a Morning Joe discussion of President Donald Trump’s first budget proposal, branding and marketing expert Donny Deutsch recalls a comment that veteran columnist and Morning Joe regular Mike Barnicle made during Trump’s run for the White House. “Mike Barnicle, during the campaign, said: ‘One thing about this President-elect is there doesn’t seem to be any empathy there.’ And there is no empathy in this budget. On top of idiocy, there is no soul in there,” says Deutsch. “This president only bets on the present day. I don’t think this guy gives a damn what he leaves in his wake.” Hear more of the conversation and co-host Joe Scarborough’s opinion on the budget proposal, which he tweeted from his vacation.

During the Morning Joe discussion with Congressmen Will Hurd (R-TX) and Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) about their bipartisan road trip from Texas to Congress, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle asks them about their music choices during the 36-hour drive, much of it live-streamed on Facebook and Periscope. “Guys, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. A long car trip, the two of you in the car together. Let’s get to the playlist, you know the music. Who picked it? Were there any fights about it?” asks Barnicle. Hear from the Congressmen about the playlist created by O’Rourke, a singer and guitarist in the band Foss before his life in politics. What songs made the cut, what didn’t? Find out here.

During the Morning Joe discussion about Dina Powell, President Trump’s senior counselor for economic initiatives, being named a deputy national security adviser for strategy, senior contributor Mike Barnicle says: “Her selection will make you a lot less nervous about what goes on in the National Security Council.” Listen here for more from hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist about their knowledge of Powell.

While the Morning Joe panel discusses President Donald Trump now backpedaling on his wiretap accusations against President Barack Obama, senior contributor Mike Barnicle explains: “We have got to stop acting so surprised at (Trump’s) behavior. This is his pattern for his entire professional life since he began as a developer in New York with the phrases, the spin, the misdirection….What he is doing is damage to his own presidency because the main ball game here is healthcare, and by keeping the light on this problem he is taking it off of healthcare.” Listen to more of the discussion on Trump here with host Mika Brzezinski, NBC’s Willie Geist and the BBC World News America’s Katty Kay.

While the Morning Joe panel analyzes a drop in President Donald Trump’s approval ratings and the issues front and center for his Administration, senior contributor Mike Barnicle comments: “The bottom line is kind of instructive for people in the news business because the President of the United States, no matter what those numbers show, when he goes to his base in Nashville, Tennessee – he’s not losing much support in the people who put him in office.” Listen to more of the conversation with NBC senior political analyst Mark Halperin, who attended the President’s rally in Nashville.

Final thoughts on Morning Joe ranged from President Donald Trump temporarily coming out ahead on his tax return issue, the potential of a serious investigation into the Trump campaigns alleged ties to Russia and the health care issue of repeal and replace. Says senior contributor Mike Barnicle: “I just cannot get over the fact that the drafters of the House bill seemingly just ignore or can’t hear the numbers of people who have health insurance for the first time who might be losing health insurance.” Listen in on the conversation here.

“Senator…You can go home a lot to a state filled with hard-working people, veterans, miners who have seen their companies close and leave the state, and it’s a state that went overwhelmingly for Donald J. Trump for president. So, when you go home, how do you speak to people who voted for Trump, who under this proposed healthcare bill will have very little access to opioid clinics, rehab facilities. What do you tell them other than `You’re probably going to die if you get sick’?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) during a conversation about the House Republicans’ proposed healthcare bill, which has been widely criticized. Listen to Manchin’s response here and his advice for President Donald Trump: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

“David Ignatius, I am wondering in the course of you talking to your many, many sources in Washington, D.C., if you have run across the following possibility for Director Comey’s hesitancy, his reluctance, his stringing out when he is going to say whatever it is he says, and it is this: That in the course of an investigation that began with one thing, Russia, they might be now a couple of investigations going on, and that Director Comey is reluctant to really come out in full public view for fear of giving up sources and methods involved in a multiple investigation,” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of The Washington Post columnist David Ignatius during a conversation about why FBI Director James Comey has not answered ongoing questions about the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia. Listen to Ignatius’ response here.

“Why don’t you just hit them with a subpoena?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, during a conversation about why the Justice Department has delayed its rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s unsupported claims that his predecessor, President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of phones in Trump Tower before the election. Listen to Schiff’s response and what he believes will happen next in this ongoing saga.

“Senator….Take me to Greenville, South Carolina. We are talking about someone 65, 66 years of age looking at potentially losing a lot of health benefits; and we’re looking at a maybe 27, 28-year-old single mom with a couple of young kids living on the margin. What specifically would you propose to do to the House bill when it comes to the Senate to take care of the problems of people like that?” asks Morning Joe senior contributor Mike Barnicle of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during a conversation about the House Republicans’ proposed healthcare bill, which intends to replace the Affordable Care Act. Listen to Graham’s response and advice for President Donald Trump on how to handle the health care crisis in this country.

While the Morning Joe panel looks ahead to FBI Director James Comey’s closed-door briefing about President Donald Trump’s alleged campaign ties to Russia with the top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, senior contributor Mike Barnicle asks the questions: “What is going on within the FBI and specifically with Director Comey? I know no one who knows Jim Comey who doesn’t give him the highest of marks for integrity and character, but he had this conversation with Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on March 2nd. It’s March 15th today. What is going on here? If he has the answers, why don’t we have the answers sooner? Why does he have these press conferences as he had last October, 10 days before the election? Why do we have this tease, this build up? I don’t comprehend this.” Listen in to more on the situation here.

While the Morning Joe panel discusses a new Wall Street Journal article about the motivations and vast influence of White House Chief Strategist Steven Bannon in the Trump Administration, senior contributor Mike Barnicle says: “A huge portion of what he stands for, what he articulates, is driven by resentment, which is sort of an admirable thing on the one hand when you consider he feels very strongly about what happened to his dad and his dad’s life savings. On the other hand, what he now articulates nearly every day and the President helps him articulate this: ’Restoring the coal mines, restoring the factories in New England, the manufacturing base in this country throughout the middle West. If you talk to ordinary people who live in those regions, they know that’s not going to happen.” Listen to more of the discussion with host Mika Brzezinski.