Morning Joe - Details Emerge on Potential Iran Deal

Episode Date: May 25, 2026

Details Emerge on Potential Iran Deal To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Look, we were told about 11 weeks ago by Hegset and the Department of Defense that they had obliterated Iran's defenses, and it was just a matter of time before we had the nuclear material. Now we're talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran. How does that make sense at all? Also, a 60-day ceasefire and expecting that they're going to clear the Strait of Hormuz before the terms of the deal are established also seems questionable to me. That was Republican Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina yesterday expressing some real skepticism about a potential deal with Iran. We're going to bring you the latest on those negotiations in just a moment. Good morning and welcome to Morning Joe. It is Monday, May 25th Memorial Day. We, of course, are so mindful of, and grateful for the service and sacrifice of those in our armed forces and their families who may be watching today.

Thank you again. with us for this hour. President Emeritus, the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard Haas, MS now, senior national security reporter, David Rode, and MS now, senior Capitol Hill reporter and the host of way too early Ali Vatali. We, of course, will begin with negotiations to bring the war in Iran to a close

a lot of developments you may have missed over the weekend. The White House is pushing back against bipartisan criticism of a potential emerging deal to end that conflict. Regional officials are telling the Associated Press, that under the proposal, the war would end and Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as give up its stockpile of the highly enriched uranium, with the details and timelines to be worked out later during a 60-day window.

Iran has not publicly committed to giving up its uranium, but the country's president told state TV that they were ready to, quote, assure the world that we are not after a nuclear war. weapon. Several Republicans took to social media over the weekend to speak out against the framework agreement. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said that if the proposal allows Iran to continue to enrich uranium and to potentially build a nuclear weapon and effectively retain control over the Strait of Hormuz, then in his words, that outcome would be a disastrous mistake. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi echoed that sentiment, writing that the rumored 60-day ceasefire would

be a disaster. Trump's former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, denounced the proposal as not remotely America First. Now, President Trump is working to fight off that skepticism, saying on social media that he instructed his negotiators to not rush into a deal and insisting that what is being worked on is the, quote, exact opposite of a nuclear pact that was agreed to under the Obama administration. The president added the deal isn't even fully negotiated yet, so don't listen to those losers who are critical about something they know nothing about. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued this defense yesterday.

Multiple political leaders, multiple presidents of the United States have all said the same thing. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The only one who's tried to do anything and has actually done anything about it in a real way has been President Trump. So his commitment to that principle that they'll never have a nuclear weapon shouldn't be questioned by anybody. And the idea that somehow this president, given everything he's already proven he's willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd. That's just not going to happen. So Richard Haas, let's go through this.

Over the weekend, a flurry of reports that the deal was on the – first of all, there were rumors at the end of last week that the president was about to resume hostilities. Instead, it seems like the pushing negotiations, a deal on the doorstep. The breaks were tapped a little bit yesterday. I was told by senior officials. This is still at least a few days away. It's not quite done yet. But let's talk about what we do know. And there's some mixed signals.

There are two main areas. Uranium, the future of the nuclear deal, and the Strait of Hormuz. Why don't we go through what you know of what's on the table and whether this would be a good deal for the United States? Two separate questions. The piece is all there. You're right, though. It hasn't quite come together, some of the important details. it's straight first. Let's start with the straight. Because in a funny sort of way, the nuclear has been

slightly pushed, not aside, but it's on a second slower track. The idea is to get a ceasefire in place, get the straight opened. Still uncertain, Jonathan, are the long-term terms under which the straight would operate, but at least for the first 30 days, supposedly, the Iranians would demine, there wouldn't be tolls or fees charged. So that, in some ways, is at least temporary. temporary return to the status quo ante, what existed on February 27. And that's a long process of unwinding all these ships that are in the street. But it's a step in the right direction. You'll see energy prices begin to come down and so forth.

Nuclear is in some ways more complicated. And there you've got the question of what's the status of the enriched uranium that's in Iran. Is it moved out? If so, to where? If it stays, is it diluted? Who oversees the process? that's one question. Question about future enrichment. Is Iran allowed to enrich? If so, how much, to what level? Is there a moratorium before it's allowed to start enriching again? If so, is it 10 years,

15 years, 20 years? Some of these details. I've heard nothing about the details of an inspection regime. How, you know, who is going to operate that? What kind of access are they going to have? Because in some ways, whatever the details, you can only have confidence in Iranian compliance if you have a really powerful, intrusive inspection regime. And maybe I've missed it. I haven't heard a lot of that. Then in all of this is the question of sequencing. Iran, does this in the straight?

It might, you begin to talk about the nuclear. What are the incentives for Iran, other than the United States would lift its blockade? Because right now, essentially, you have twin blockades. Just a question of two things. Sanctions relief for Iran and frozen asset return. And the question is, how much do we up front that to encourage them to add. on the strait, to what extent to keep some of that on the back burner to encourage them to do what we want on the nuclear.

So that's where we are. What's interesting is also what's not here. But think about what we haven't mentioned. Haven't mentioned Iranian ballistic missiles, which for the Israelis was the most important issue before this war started three months ago. Second of all, we haven't mentioned drones. Thirdly, we haven't talked about Iranian support for groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. So the Israeli agenda is not really being addressed.

and what's being, with the exception of the nuclear issue. But the two issues being addressed are straight and nuclear, and then there's the question again of all the Iranian assets. Is this a good agreement? I think the problem for the president and for the Israeli prime minister is going to say we are better off. And I quite honestly, I do not see how they could say how we are better off. Richard, we'll revisit the Israel piece of this in a minute.

But David Road, let's go to you now. Let's talk about the Iran's incentives, right? Richard brought that up. The blockade is still in place. That is taking some economic toll. There's just unclear exactly how long Iran will be able to withstand that. Some people think it could be a matter of weeks. Some could be months. And President Trump did say the blockade would remain in place during this negotiation period. So it's still there. It's still there now. So why would Iran, from what officials you're talking to, why do they think now is the right moment and speak up to what we know about how they view the future of the straight-of-war moves because there's been a lot of mixed

signals, even in recent days, some suggestion that they were, in fact, going to insist upon some sort of tolling or fee structure for this vital waterway. So it's interesting. Just overnight, a couple of colleagues of ours spoke with an Iranian official who doesn't want to be named, but they've sent a message. It was Ian Sherwood, our London producer, and Rich Greenberg, who works on the national security team. And this Iranian official is very clear in terms of this memorandum of understanding. And they just call it a memorandum of understanding.

This is not a broad peace agreement. But there is no detailed decision on nuclear. They don't want to talk about nuclear. No, there's only a general agreement to talk on nuclear issues as a follow-up to this memorandum of understanding. So they're pushing back hard on this key issue for President Trump and Prime Minister and Yahoo about the nuclear, the nuclear. rich uranium in the nuclear program that Richard was just talking about. So that seems to be a firm Iranian position. And then, you know, for the time being, we must concentrate on the most

immediate matter, which is ending the war. That, I assume, means they want this blockade of their ports lifted. And then there's also this, they talk about this American, they call it an addiction to sanctions. So clearly the Iranians are looking for some sanctions relief as part of this deal. But they're saying that is slowing this down because they won't, the U.S. won't, I think, give them more immediate sanctions relief. So it's interesting to me because if you saw the process yesterday and Richard talked about this, this very hard sort of pushback from some Republicans about the dangers of Iran's nuclear program. The president has turned in, you know, said the key rationale for this entire war is preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon. And the Iran's are saying, we are not going to negotiate on that about that at all. in this 60-day agreement. So that's, I think, going to be a challenge in the days ahead to get a

detailed agreement. Yeah, that is going to be a very tough thing for the president to sell that this war, frankly, put us, the world in a better, safer place than before. And Ali Vitale, it does seem like those concerns are voiced from an unlikely place. Republicans in the Senate who, yes, once in a while defy President Trump, we saw a little bit last week on some domestic matters, but it was striking how, you know, vociferous, some on the right were over the weekend as details of this deal began to emerge in the press, in the Senate and also other conservative media spheres. Take us to Capitol Hill. What's the reasoning? What are they hoping for a pressure campaign that might get Trump to hold off? Well, they're going to have to defend this on the campaign trail,

some of them anyway. I mean, Tom Tillis has been among the more vocal Republicans pushing back against this on the Sunday shows, he has said that he's unbridled by the fact that he's not seeking re-election. And so he can use different, more blunt words to describe a criticism that he says he would have regardless. But I do think that this is an interesting point where Republicans are trying to look for, okay, what are we going to tell voters we got for them having to pay higher prices at the pump for an administration that seems distracted from dealing with affordability concerns? And what they're looking at now is not being able to to say that Iran is further from a nuclear weapon. And I think what's interesting to me is I was

watching Republican senators, even a month ago, try to start saying that the win out of this war is going to be the Strait of Hormuz reopening, which was closed because of the conflict in the first place. And then, of course, the idea that Iran is more destabilized and has less from a missile stockpile perspective than before. The idea of what is obliterated is going to be really important. And Republicans were already starting to negotiate with what success looked like for this conflict. Now that the administration is saying, okay, we might have a memorandum of understanding that doesn't directly or immediately deal with the nuclear question, that doesn't deal with proxy groups, all of that makes it harder for Republicans to say, okay, we actually have something

to sell as a victory. And that is why they're starting to voice this early concern. I think it's notable when you look at someone like Senator Roger Wicker saying that, this would be a disaster. It's important given the fact that he is a chairman of an important committee, that he is someone who has been at least skeptical of what some of the administration has briefed Congress on. We're starting to hear concerns even too around Pete Hegeseth. What is the intelligence that the Hill is being given? So there are just more questions starting to be asked. I will also say it feels notable to me that Tillis is signaling that he wants any of these deals to go through and be ratified by Congress. But it feels flimsy.

to ask for that, given the ways that this administration has bypassed Congress at every turn of this Iran conflict. And now Republicans are basically going to be left holding the bag, defending it on the campaign trail, but maybe not having much to defend. Yeah, Trump has made Congress so irrelevant in many ways this year and seems to care not at all about the political price that those in his own party may face. So, Ali mentioned, of course, straight-in-form moves in its fate. MS Now's reporting this morning that British forces are standing by waiting to a six, in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz once an agreement between the U.S. and Iran has reached. British officials stress the effort will take months and require advanced technology and a large

multinational fleet. The officials invited journalists to see how British forces are training to use high-tech mini submarines in order to clear mines from that strait. They say the initial plan is to clear a roughly 1,000-yard-wide corridor to allow the roughly 2,000 ships that have been trapped in the Persian Gulf for months to exit, a second corridor would then be cleared to create a route for ships to enter the strait. Richard, you were scoffing in my line of sight as I read that. I would never do that. But you can weigh in on the British efforts in the street if you'd like. But let's just speak about the international picture here, you know, and beyond Europe. We know President Trump has been very frustrated that Europe hasn't helped. And they're like, well,

you didn't tell us you were going to do this. So why should we be? Why should we be involved? I'm more interested in the region, the Gulf, the neighbors there in Iran, and how they're viewing this and the signals that they've been sending to the White House about whether to end this war or push further. So three points. First of what Al are saying, all these critics now, but talk about being a day late and a dollar short.

Nothing has happened that wasn't totally, totally anticipated. Through these 11th hour criticism, shall we say, are a little bit thin. Certainly the British offer a little bit less than meets the eye. everything has to be resolved, and then it's an administrative rather than a military undertaking. Let's be serious about it. But your point's the accurate one. People, if you want them there on the landing, they got to be there on the takeoff. We didn't involve them.

And they basically said, this was your war, not ours. We don't think it was a smart idea. But I think you put your finger on the real issue. The countries of the region, the Saudis, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar. They are really uneasy. Why? Because no matter what, imagine everything the president wants to happen. happens. Iran is more radical than it ever was. There's been regime change. It's not the kind we

bargain for. They have all these capabilities, drones, missiles. They've shown what they're willing to do with the strait. They've shown their ability to hit the energy infrastructure of their neighbors. So all these countries are worried. The United States is going to basically say, okay, been there, done that. We're going to move on to other things. And what? They're going to be left to live with a radical, capable Iran. And the funny sort of way has discovered its power. And that is what they are wildly uncomfortable with, that the postwar situation for them threatens their entire business model. This is not what they bargained for. Again, they didn't have a big say in this war, but they will be decidedly worse off. That's what they're worried.

Yeah, and the straight-at-form moves, even if it does reopen, even if Iran abandons this plan to toll the ships to go through it, they know in the future, they can close it again. They effectively closed it and they know that if needed, they could again. And that's not the way to think about, almost rather than something that's permanently open or permanently closed, Iran could pressure it. Look and say, you know what, we're angry at you today, this country. We're not going to let your ships through this week or this month. So what you could have is a kind of gray area operation of the strait of hormones.

That's undeniably a bad consequence for the United States and its partners. So David Ignatius has a new piece in the Washington Post titled Trump's Iran exit ramp is a long shot. He doesn't have a better option. David writes in part this. Post-peace deals, the framework described by U.S. officials Sunday would be a series of compromises, well short of the capitulation that Trump sought when he joined Israel in launching the war on February 28th. The Iranian regime can claim victory simply by having survived the assault. If Trump gets a peace agreement, he will have escaped what had become a military morass in a

strategic dead end. As one source involved in war planning put it, we have the capability to bomb anything. But what can we do that will change Iranian decision making? The bet that triumphal IRGC cadres and their regional allies will join in building a modern state is a long shot, but Trump doesn't appear to have any better options available. And, Ali, the political consequences here are very real. We just talked about how Republicans, or many of them, are objecting to this deal. And perhaps, watching along, President Trump, just wade in, on truth, social, criticizing those who have, you know, been denounced this effort saying it's not done yet. And again, sort of suggesting a note of caution that a deal is not done. We'll see where

that goes in the days ahead. But it's undeniable. From where this war began to now, Republicans are more vulnerable at the ballot box in November, but also President Trump looks significantly weaker on the world stage. We all know that he was, you know, the Venezuela triumph was so emboldening for him. He thought he could do, he and the military could do anything. He went into this war thinking he'd be over a matter of days, a couple weeks at most. And instead, now, we see it. He is just desperate to get out of this, even if it means taking, frankly, potentially a bad deal. And even as he says, there's no timeline. He doesn't feel rushed. And then, of course, privately the reporting behind the scenes is that he's in some cases bored with this war or in other

cases just ready for it to be over. And so we'll see what the eventual deal here is. But again, to double back to where I started when we were talking about this, Republicans will be the ones left holding the bag. And I think the thing I heard a lot from Republican strategists during the month of April was that that was the month that they really needed to show proof of purchase on what they had done the summer before, which was making permanent those Trump-Pence tax cuts from 2017, and making it that Americans would feel more in their tax refund when it came to tax season. And then what was happening in tax season? Prices at the pump were going way up and people were paying more, even if they were getting more back in their tax refunds.

And so the main Republican talking point of what was meant to make Americans feel good going into the midterm season was pretty much neutralized by the administration's own actions. And I think the question that we've been asking, or at least that I have, of my sources when I talk to them regularly, is at what point, if any, do Republicans realize that their political fortunes will diverge with that of the White House and that of the president, a president who will never be on the ballot again and who, as much as the White House wants to make it seem like he's on the ballot in November, is not actually and is not really doing his party any favors in terms of the actions that he's taking to make it that they have an easier job defending their electoral prospects at a point

where history already says this was going to be a tough election for Republicans. but frankly, the Senate map was something that people were pointing to a year and a half ago saying, all right, but Republicans have a great map. And now Democrats are actually feeling bullish about some of their own prospects with that map. I don't necessarily think it's enough to flip the Senate. But I do think that it's definitely a change in the way that people are talking. And that is due in part to affordability remaining at top concern. And the ways that Iran has bolstered that and made it seem like this White House is focused basically everywhere else except on what's happening at home. Yeah, and those Republicans are now saddled with a president whose approval rating in the mid-30s.

All right, everybody stay with us. Still ahead here on Morning Joe, what we're learning this morning about a shooting outside of the White House on Saturday evening and what President Trump is saying about the incident. Plus, a top Republican has some harsh words for Texas Senate hopeful Ken Paxton after Trump endorsed him over incumbent Senator John Cornyn and that closely watched Lone Star State runoff. And as we go to break, a quick look at the travelers' forecast this morning from Ackyweathers, Anna Azalean. Anna, how's it looking? Well, Jonathan, the unofficial start to summer hasn't been feeling too summery.

We're a little better today in the 70s across the northeast, but we're still stuck with the rain. Now, for a lot of us, it clears out by early to late evening, depending on exactly where you are, New England, a little later. But it continues in the mid-Atlantic. Chicago might be a candidate for best Memorial Day forecast. The southeast, plenty of rain and thunderstorms. And you know what that means, too? It means travel issues. We're looking at delays in Atlanta all day.

Boston clears up by the afternoon. Chicago looking a-okay, though. To help you make the best decisions and be more in the know, make sure to download the Accuether app today. Welcome back. Tulsi Gabbard has stepped down as President Trump's Director of National Intelligence. In a resignation letter released on Friday, Gabbard said she's leaving the administration to care for her husband after his diagnosis with what she called an extremely rare form of bone cancer.

Principal Deputy D.N.I. Aaron Lucas will serve as acting intelligence director. Gabard's tenure was marked by internal clashes over foreign policy and intelligence matters, including disagreements over Iran and reported tensions with the CIA. Gabbard's now the fourth cabinet-level departure of Trump's second term. I believe all four women. David Rode, you know, we certainly wish Tulsi Gabbard and her husband, best of luck in his fight against cancer. But this was happening soon anyway. You know, she had been largely cut out of the process, sidelined on Venezuela, sidelined on Iran, had tried to sort of ingratiate herself to President Trump by diving into some 2020 election conspiracies. But her legacy here was just how, frankly, it would seem. how irrelevant she and that post became during the second Trump term.

Yeah, that's broadly true. And I also want to say it was a bone cancer diagnosis. It's a horrible thing for her husband and her. And on Memorial Day, and thank you for mentioning Memorial Day earlier. You know, she served in Iraq, and I want to give her credit for that and for serving this job, which is a difficult one. But she essentially inside the cabinet was in a power struggle with John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA, and Ratcliffe won.

hands down. It took some time. A key thing was Venezuela. The CIA played a central role in just penetrating Maduro's inner circle and planning, you know, getting information that allowed that astonishingly successful raid to snatch Maduro. And then again, Ratcliffe played a central role and gained a lot of credibility, I think, in the planning for the attack on Iran. He now spends most of his time in the White House. He's not in the CIA headquarters and that's all about being close to the president, and he's part of an inner circle of four or five officials, Vice President Fance, Secretary of State, Natural Security Advisor, Rubio, being part of that.

And often, you know, Jared Kushner and Steve Whitkoff. So, Ratcliffe won. And just lastly, I see her legacy. She promised the MAGA base that she was going to expose all these vast conspiracies. She did release thousands and thousands of documents about the JFK and MLK and RFK and RFK assassination. about Amelia Earhart's disappearance about UFOs. And most importantly, she publicly accused a former president of Barack Obama of a treasonous conspiracy. That was extraordinary.

That's never been done. I mean, even going back to the battle days of the CIA, they never accused a former president of a treasonous conspiracy. She never produced any evidence of that conspiracy. And she didn't produce sort of damning new. revelations about the assassinations I mentioned. So she was essentially her ambitions, I was told by people who watched her closely, got to her, and she promised to reveal all these conspiracies and trafficking theories, but did not deliver. MS now, senior national care reporter, David Rode, David, thank you for joining us. We really appreciate it. Richard Haas, John Hauman, a frequent guest

on this show, is fond of talking about how with Trump, everything is confession or projection. I couldn't help but note over the weekend in one of his many posts criticizing President Obama and the Iran nuclear deal. He talked about the rank amateurs that the Obama administration used to negotiate that deal. And I've thought of that as David Rhodes brings up Jared Kushner, Steve Whitkoff, you know, some of the, such an unorthodox team of negotiators, the usual process completely sidelined. And I know you believe that's partly what has contributed to the bad diplomatic situation, the United States currently finds itself in. Yeah, the deal that Jared Kushner and Steve Whitkoff were offered in late February is at least

as good and arguably better than anything we're going to be able to negotiate now. So talk about an unnecessary war of choice. This is going to be high on the list. And the president's already running around talking about how bad the Obama 2015 agreement is. He doth protest too much. The people are going to note the similarities. Neither that agreement nor this one will get Iran out of the nuclear business.

It's going to place a ceiling on it. And again, we'll see what the details are. We'll see what the inspection mechanisms are so we can monitor it. But there's actually much more in common than this president is ever going to be comfortable with. To domestic politics now, Republican Senator Tom Tillis, is showing support for his colleague, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, after President Trump endorsed Cornyn's challenger, Ken Paxton. Tillis slammed the Texas Attorney General yesterday in an interview he did with CNN. They call Paxton ethically challenged is to call Jeffrey Dahmer suffering from an eating disorder.

This guy is an empty suit and will do us no service by being in the U.S. Congress. I hope that Texans realize how tough John Cornyn is, how pro-Second Amendment he is, how pro-limited government he is, how pro-America First he is. And when they go to the polls on Tuesday, I hope that they know that they've got a great American who deserves re-election. and the other guy is going to be nothing but an anchor on our conference for as long as he's in the U.S. Senate. I'm being unambiguous on Paxton. He is a failure. He doesn't deserve to be in the U.S. Senate. And John Cornyn is one of the most powerful, one of the most influential, one of most patriotic members I've had the privilege to serve with over the last 11 years.

The YOLO era of Tom Tillis continues, Allie Vitale, including with an unexpected Jeffrey Dahmer reference. That's a rough one. Don't look that up at home. Kids, if you're walking. watching. It's a bit early for that. Yeah. Yeah, but Allie, this is, this is interesting. This is a closely watched race. Many in the Senate really unhappy with what Trump did. I know you were in Texas recently profiling, looking at these men, Corny and then Paxton, ahead of this runoff, which is going to have massive implications for November. Yeah, especially since Trump waited so long to make this endorsement. I think that there was some question on Capitol Hill of, might he just end up staying out of it? And you also have to wonder,

of Senator Tillis there in his unencumbered non, not being on a ballot again, is channeling what Republican leadership in the Senate is actually feeling right now. Because on John Cornyn, it was one of the moments that Majority Leader John Thune was actually going to the president behind the scenes and making clear that Cornyn was his candidate of preference. That's where the millions of dollars in money were flowing to try to get Cornyn reelected. And now that it's, again, in this runoff posture, we will see the power of the president's endorsement. Is this something that seals the deal for Paxton? Or is this a moment where Cornyn's deep ties in the state of Texas ultimately push him through? I think the conventional

knowledge is that this is going to end up being Paxton's nomination, but ultimately we will end up seeing. I think that the conversations that I've been having behind the scenes, and even when I was on the ground in Texas, is that this could be a commentary on, yes, how often do you stick with President Trump, but also, are you someone who just goes for the party red meat? I was struck when Senator Cornyn was campaigning about the ways that he was campaigning on results, on everything from the Chips and Science Act, which was bipartisanly negotiated, but has big national security benefits of bringing chips production back home to the United States, on everything from the deep ties and money that he's been able to bring back home

to the state of Texas. He was campaigning in the way that Tillis was painting him. and it doesn't seem like that's what it takes to get elected in Republican politics right now. It instead has to be fealty to Trump. And that's something that Paxton has just done a better job on the ground of grabbing and encapsulating. I will tell you, I'm not someone who's ever been fully sold on Democrats saying this is the year finally in Texas. And yet now they actually have some reason to believe that with Tala Rico as their standard bearer. I met Republican voters on the ground who said right now they would vote for,

as Republicans, if Cornyn were the nominee, but that if it were Paxton, they would entertain Tala Rico. And I have a feeling that's a conversation that Republicans and Democrats alike are paying attention to. I didn't even have to work hard to find that voter. We'll see how they end up coming out in November. But I was struck by that. And I'm going to carry that with me now as we look ahead to the general election, of course, after we get through this runoff. Yeah, Texas, along with the Democrats, white whale. You're right. But they do feel increasingly optimistic here. And again, another example of for President Trump, loyalty to him is the only thing that matters. It's the only thing that matters, even prioritizing that over Republicans' chances to keep the seat.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has removed hundreds of news releases from its website about criminal cases tied to the January 6th Capitol attack. A journalist for the Washington Post noted the move on Friday, highlighting on social media that the department was quietly removing the releases, including one about a Texas state. man who pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the insurrection and also face separate charges of soliciting a minor. This is Merrill Cornfield from the Post doing great work there. The DOJ's rapid response account responded saying there was nothing quiet about it.

The Post also said we are proud to reverse the DOJ's weaponization under the Biden administration calling information about the prosecution's partisan propaganda. The AP reports among the releases removed from the site, were those concerning seditious conspiracy cases against members of far-right extremist groups, the proud boys, and the oathkeepers. And Richard Haas, I mean, the campaign continues to downplay, to whitewash what happened on January 6th. And the timing here is so telling that DOJ is going with this amid a real furor that kicked up about the slush fund that President Trump once created to. which would give compensation to those who are victims of political weaponization, their words,

which includes January 6 rioters, including some of those who are convicted by a jury of their peers. And some fear, it's an incentive to commit violence again. Yeah, and the pushback against the slush fund, including from Republicans, is actually one of the, I think, a welcome sign that there might be some limits. And the previous story as well, Republican politics were the first time, what, and almost a year and a half for getting a little bit interesting. Can you guys make a larger point about what's going on with the January 16th? I recently read a book about China, and here's the connection.

It was the Chinese attempt to rewrite history, and that's what we're seeing here a little bit. We're seeing it in some of the museums. We're seeing it now on this website. History is a powerful thing. It's how we educate ourselves. It's what we're meant to learn from as a people. And this is actually serious stuff. When people rewrite history, they fabricate history either by what they put in and what they leave out,

it denies this generation and future generations the chance to learn from it. What mistakes were made? How do we avoid repeating them again? I actually take this really seriously. It's not just kind of short-term whitewashing, but it's actually much more corrosive for us because it makes it more likely we don't learn from things and we're more likely to repeat them. It's an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to do just that. Still, Ed, here on Morning Joe, we're going to bring you an update on the Ebola outbreak in Africa amid attacks on health centers by people who are demanding that the bodies of their relatives be released.

Morning Joe will be back in just a moment. A very foggy Washington, D.C. this morning, you'll have to trust us that the White House is there. And that's where U.S. Secret Service officer shot and killed a gunman after he opened fire at a security checkpoint outside the executive mansion over the weekend. The incident happened shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday. Secret Service says President Trump was inside the White House at the time, but was not impacted. A bystander was shot during the gunfire and rushed to a nearby hospital. It's unclear whether that person was struck by the gunman or a responding officer. No secret service personnel were injured during the shooting per officials. Sources tell MS now that the 21-year-old suspect had previous encounters with the Secret Service

and had been ordered to stay away from the White House. Five, senior law officials also said that the suspect had a history of mental health issues. President Trump posted on social media thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for their work. Trump also, as you might expect, renewed his push for his ballroom, saying this latest incident underscored his desire for, quote, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, a disturbing rise in these number of shooting incidents and violence across our politics. Still ahead here on Morning Joe, we'll take a quick break from the news to turn to sports,

including the highlights from the NBA playoffs Western Conference finals. Also, how NASCAR honored legendary driver Kyle Bush over the weekend, Bush died unexpectedly at a very young age in recent days. We'll be right back in a moment. First do have it to sell. Wembe Nama, I think he's going to go from midcourt. And you just knew it was going in, because there's nothing this man can't do. Victor Wenbinoa sends the spurs to the break of a 12-point lead last night,

beating the halftime buzzer with that heave from mid-court. Frankly, he didn't even have to really heave it. He just shot it like a normal three-pointer, and it went in. Wemby led San Antonio with 33 points as the Spurs held the thunder to their second lowest point total of the playoffs, beating OKC 103 to 82 to even the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece. The teams now travel back to OKC for game five tomorrow. Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to avoid a sweep at home in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals as the New York Knicks, their first trip to the NBA finals since 1999.

Let's bring in the Pulitzer Prize-winning host of Pablo Tori finds out. MS. Now contributor, Pablo, let's start out West. It is a series, it's 2-2. This series was so highly anticipated. The games, other than the Watt-O-T game, the games have not lived up to the hype just yet. But it's swinging back and forth. And now it's 2-2.

Thunder, go home. They've got two of the next three at home. But they've also got a bunch of injuries to key guys. The path is there for the Spurs. Yeah, this whole thing has been a pendulum in a way that it surprised me, because the Thunder have depth. The Spurs, I mean, is victory of Mniamah, and a really good, an incredibly young starting five.

Good but young. Good but young. And so the idea that they're blowing out the thunder. I mean, the thunder for those not familiar, this is the dynasty of this era, an incredibly, incredibly well-built team. And yet, what do you do against the guy like Victor Webbenyama? I mean, there is a Deus X Webbenyama dynamic to these games,

where something goes wrong, and then he comes down from the sky and changes everything. And that's just it. Wemby, there's sort of this belief, Pablo, that Wembe was about to become the face of the NBA, become its league's most dominant player, rack up the titles. He's getting there ahead of schedule. Way ahead of schedule. I mean, Richard, have you seen, I mean, no one, we've seen versions of this. Typically, though, the architecture of a guy like that, constructed like that, he doesn't last very long. He gets hurt. And I'm not trying to say anything into the universe, but like, we should be so

grateful that we get to watch a spectacle like that. Yeah, we should. And Richard, I'll say this. I mean, he, there is a sense all year that the best teams in this conference, the league were out west, Spurs and Thunder, among them. I've been accused of trying to do the reverse jinks bit. This is not true. You will know, I've been on this for weeks. The path couldn't be better for the Knicks. You know, they overcame both the Cavs in Game 3 as well as Taylor Swift's presence sitting court side. That's right. Another handy win. And the best thing that the Knicks, if the Nick, there's, Taylor Swift's boyfriend, I forget his name.

The beer chrugger. Yeah, that's guy. The Knicks here have a chance to finish the series, potentially tonight, game four. I would say, at worst, they go back to game five and take care of it there. And they're going to get several days off to rest as the Thunder and Spurs beat each other up and both teams taking injuries along the way. From your mouth to God's ear. It's a scenario in some ways a repeat. No. But last nice game, the Spurs looked so athletic. Theyus looks sincere.

Almost Nick-like, I would say. From your lips to the back page of the New York Post. Yeah. And this is where we are. This is where we are. The graphics, Larry O'Brien, it's right. People can taste this. And the question is, how well rested are they going to be?

As this other series, pendulum swinging, goes to seven? I was in college when the Knicks last won a championship. Can you say that? It's time. It's time. What's collegiate Richard Hauss like? Yeah, that will require more than four hours. So we'll have to set that aside.

Quick note on the NHL, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, came back and beat Colorado last night. They're at 3-0 in the West. So they're in great shape. Montreal, Carolina. We're seeing, this is the hockey highlights last night. Vegas was down to nothing against a desperate

Colorado team but rallied to win. So they're in commanding position now. The East, good series. Carolina, Montreal 1-1, a key game three tonight. Now some sad news. NASCAR remembered the late Kyle Bush yesterday's Coca-Cola 600. Charlotte Motor Speedway honored the two-time Cup Series champion with his number eight and signature painted on the front stretch grass and a highway billboard near the main entrance of the track. Each of the 39 cars in the field carried a number eight decal and the Speedway's public address system and the TV commentators went silent for the

eighth lap of the race. According to a statement from Bush's family, the 41-year-old died Thursday after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications. It's all, he survived by his wife and two children. Very sad, 41 years old. And, you know, in a matter of days, Pablo, went from not feeling great to passing away. This is one of the all-time great characters in racing. And at 41, there were questions, how could this happen? And if nothing else, it's a reminder. We all exist on this roulette wheel.

And in NASCAR, typically, you think it's going to be violent in a crash. And instead, this was, in its own way, even more shocking and even more cruel because it happened in a racing simulator. That's where he died. And so this is how you pay tribute is you bring him back out on the track in its own way. and you remember a guy who gave us a lot in terms of, well, a career that we all enjoyed watching. Certainly our thoughts with the Bush family this morning.