Morning Joe - Michigan Senate Primary latest, Blanche nomination advances

Episode Date: August 5, 2026

               August 5, 2026 - 6am: Michigan primary race El-Sayed vs. Stevens: Too Close to Call Other Primary races Trump in Las Vegas today to talk about his economic policies Senate Committee advances Blanches AG nomination Iran latest: U.S. nears Hormuz deal, aiming for announcement today: AXIOS U.S. has used ‘virtually all’ long-range missiles in Iran war: Reuters Military families outraged by conditions on USS Lincoln: MS NOW 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.

There is so much more that unites us. However much we might disagree with our democratic opponent, there is so much more that unites us than divides us. Tomorrow we begin to mend fences. Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to assure that we unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate. soon who our nominee is going to be. And whoever wins is going to go and take on Mike Rogers. Republicans are going to do everything they can to throw all the dirt, all the mud, the kitchen sink

at us because they want to keep the U.S. Senate red. So Mike Rogers can keep rubber stamping Donald Trump's ridiculous agenda? The race this morning still too close to call, but both candidates in the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, calling for unity overnight as those votes still are being counted in a very tight race.

We'll have an update on where things stand in just a moment. President Trump, meanwhile, is out west today to sell voters on his economic policies. We'll see how that goes, and we'll tell you what grade he's giving himself so far. I bet you can guess.

Plus, Todd Blanche, is one step closer to becoming Attorney General on a permanent basis after clearing a Senate committee vote yesterday as expected. His nomination now heads to the Senate floor, where it's not clear yet if he has enough Republican support to be confirmed. Also ahead will bring the latest out of the Middle East on a possible deal over the Strait of Hormuz. Comes amid new reporting. The United States has depleted its arsenal of long-range precision missiles. Good morning. Welcome to morning, Joe. It is Wednesday, August 5th. I'm Willie Geist. Joe and Mika off this morning with us, the co-host of our 8 a.m. hour

staff writer at the Atlantic, Jonathan Lemire, and managing editor at the bulwark, Sam Stein, doing yeoman's work this morning on way too early. So, Michigan's closely watched Democratic Senate primary race is still too close to call this morning. As of the moment, progressive candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, remains in the lead with Congresswoman Haley Stevens trailing by about one percentage point. The race much closer. than polling had indicated votes still coming in from Wayne County, which includes the city of Detroit. The candidates addressed their supporters last night before the final result to rent. They want to tell us that here in Michigan, we're a purple state.

That somehow everybody walks around wondering, I wonder where I stand on a left-right spectrum. When really up and down the state, what you hear is I wonder how I can afford my rent. I wonder how I can afford my groceries. I don't know what will happen if I get sick because I can't afford my deductible. We are not a purple state. We are a state in need of a movement. And however we might feel about the campaign we've just come through, I want you to understand that it pales in comparison to the cynicism,

In comparison to the corporatism, in comparison to the lies that Mike Rogers and Donald Trump are going to tell. There is so much more that unites us. However much we might disagree with our Democratic opponent, there is so much more that unites us than divides us. I am feeling good about this fired up. You should be too. They want to keep the Senate red so Mike Rogers can go to Washington again and sell us out to the highest bidder and make himself even wealthier. They want to keep the Senate red so Mike Rogers can ban abortion,

gut health care, and roll back workers' rights and voting rights. Friends, we are not going to let that happen. Again, the race not called yet. Abul El-Said will be our guest on Morning Joe, a short time from now. For now, let's bring in MS Now, Senior Capitol Hill Reporter, host of way too early, Ali Vitale. She joins us live from Detroit and the man who knows Michigan politics much better than anyone, former White House and political reporter for New York Times bestselling author, Ron Fornier. Ron, it's so great to see you. I want to start on the ground with you, though, Ali, in Detroit, where we're waiting for some votes to come in. Some people expecting this race to be.

be called perhaps a short time from now. What are you hearing? I think that's exactly right, but we knew in the early hours of the morning that it was going to be a little later in the morning, typically morning, Joe, and way too earlier as early as it gets. And yet here we are still waiting for the official race call. I do think that all signs at this point point to El-Sayed. And I have to say throughout the night at Stevens HQ, it became clear that it was not going to be her night. There were moments where the folks who were at her election party were starting to leave around 9 o'clock. It starts looking like they're making a go of it. And of course, it was much closer that I think even some of those supporters early in the night thought that it was going to be.

And that presents a real challenge as Democrats go forward here. As I was listening to those speeches that both of them gave around 1 o'clock in the morning last night, it was striking then and it's more striking now. The ways that they both seem so eager to pivot to the general election, And in large part, that's because this primary itself has been so bruising. And I have heard so many hurt feelings on both sides when it comes to allies and supporters of theirs in Democratic ranks in official politics. But then also when I was talking to voters throughout the day yesterday, Willie, I think there is a lot of healing yet to be done. And that is one of the things that, frankly, Democrats on both sides of this race are concerned about as they try to turn the page and head into the next chapter of the general election.

I think that's going to be something for us to watch very closely as Michigan Democrats are set to have unity meals, a unity breakfast, of course, on Thursday and then more on Friday. There is so much pressure, I think, to heal the divides that have been made from what was a just bruising primary. It's going to be a pretty awkward meal, I think. They're going to have a lot of work to do. But I think when I talk to voters, one of the things that I was looking for is what does it say about that adage of vote blue no matter who? It's something that I've heard for years on the campaign trail, but something that voters yesterday were just actively grappling with as they cast their ballot. Many of them, almost all of them that I talked to, when in decided for who they were going to vote for, they had a lot of reasons for that. And all of them were values based. And so I think that it shows that if you're Abdul Al-Said reaching out to black voters, the same voters that were really the Stevens campaign hoping they were going to power them in places like here in Detroit and Wayne County.

And I think when we look at the margins this morning, they just are not where they likely need to be for Stevens to be the winner and make up the gap that still exists there. I think the other thing I was asking voters, Willie, is what does it say if Elsaid wins? And one voter gave me this answer that I think will be instructive as we look ahead to the next 13 or so weeks of this race. Watch. I think it's going in the right direction if he wins. I think it's where we need to go, especially with Trump. on his way out of office. We need to get the people who matter in the office,

who's going to make the right decisions for our country. There are some people who say, well, Abdul is not as electable in November. What do you say to them? That's BS. That's BS. He has the credentials. He has the smarts.

He has the values. So for me, it's the little guy that you know that is always going to be the overcomer. he's electable to me. So it's mending divides that might have been born from this primary, but then also on Abdul Al-Said's part, convincing voters, not just those that didn't vote for him because of a misalignment of values or politics,

but also because they just want to win in this place. Now that it's the general, now that it's about Trump and Rogers and Republicans, Michigan Democrats I've talked to say, all right, I just want a fighter who can win the state. Ali Vitale in Detroit this morning, Allie, thanks as always. So, Ron, this race has been sort of pain. it is a snapshot of what might be happening nationally the Democratic Party, but really today and this morning, it is about the state of Michigan. So given all your background, your experience there in

Michigan, what are you watching play out there right now? Well, I'm watching the revenge of the embattled establishment versus the march of radical populace, which is basically what we're seeing nationwide in Democratic Party. And will we have a mirror image of the Republican Party? Is this going to be a partial takeover in the next couple election cycles, like the Tea Party in 2009, or a full takeover of radical populace like we had with the Magma movement in 2016. So, Ron, talk a little bit about, if you would, about Abdul Al-Sayyad. Obviously, there's been this national attempt in the state of Michigan to paint him as a radical. And I think some people do not disagree, obviously, with his views on Israel, for example. He has some things to answer

for there. But what kind of public servant has he been? What kind of candidate has he been? And then what kind of potentially United States Senator would he be for Michigan? I used the word radical in the sense of populism, that both parties, because of how dysfunctional our politics are and how weak our economy and our way of life is in America now, that there's a push from both extremes to have a more populist movement. And Al-Bu'll be a public servant, relatively untested. He's been a public health doctor in Wayne County in Detroit. Wayne County is the main county here in the state.

As a politician, one of the most talents of political athletes I've ever seen. And I covered Bill Clinton in Arkansas in Washington. He's charismatic. He's on message. He knows how to connect with people in big arenas in Detroit. And I'm up here in northern Michigan. I've seen them in small libraries in red counties connecting with folks. He's very ambitious.

He's very mission and values driven. He's somebody to watch, whether he wins or lose today. He's the type of candidate that's the future of the Democratic Party for better. Ron, good morning. Ron, good morning. Good to see you. Michigan. Talk to us about the state of Michigan.

It went twice for Trump, though he lost it in 2020. Republicans who are pretty pessimistic. across much of the country this fall, but they like Mike Rogers. They like Michigan. And frankly, they'll tell you, privately anyway, this would be the race. If Abdul Abseid was to win, this would be the race they feel better about. Talk to us about how Michigan shapes up as a general election state and the strength of, strength or weaknesses of Rogers' candidacy. The Republicans are spinning you. If Abdul Syed wins this race, he's coming out of it with huge momentum. He's got all the headwinds or the win to his best.

back because of how poorly President Trump has delivered for the people of the state of Michigan. He promised to bring down inflation on day one. He promised to have no more forever wars. He promised to fight for us and not fill his own pockets. And now here we are with an election. And Mike Rogers, for as moderate as he was years ago in a different time, as for as as incredible of a record as he has, and for as formidable of a candidate as he can be. He's tied to President Trump. And that is not a good place to be. in this election cycle anywhere in the in in in purple and blue states but especially in a state like michigan that that puts so much um in the basket of donald trump and has been disappointed

yeah ron it's sam stein here first of all it's great to talk to you i do agree on the macro stuff that you're talking about um i know you're in the reporting and observation game but uh for a second um put yourself in the strategist's headspace let's say lsaid does eke this out and it looks sort of like he will. Obviously, there's some things he has to do, even with those good macro trends, to better position himself for the general. What would you suggest are the first steps he makes

in that general election context? At first, I'm out of the journalism game. I appreciate that you still are. Fair enough. I'm going to put on the hat that I wear all day now. First, he has to not change too much. Don't play this old game of running to the middle. He has a message that will resonate with the people of Michigan.

I'm going to put money in your pocket. I'm going to take it out of politics, and I'm going to give you health care. That's not a radical position. That's right in the mainstream. Secondly, for as charismatic as he is, for as talented as he is, he has a tendency to come across, and I would tell him this personally, of coming across sometimes a little too condescending, a little too cool for school. He needs to keep in mind that he's speaking to all Michiganders now,

not just the base. I'm telling him he's got the potential for doing it. I've seen him doing it on a smaller scale, especially up here, like I say, in Northern Michigan. But he needs to moderate his tone a little bit, but not moderate his message. And obviously, you have the tropes. He's got to reach out to Haley Stevens voters.

He's got to spend even more time in Detroit to make sure he brings black voters across. But I don't think he's going to have a problem with that. Again, independent voters and Democratic voters in the state are tired of Trumpism, tired of MAGAism, and they're dying to vote for anybody who's going to give them a different direction. Ron, I want to pick up on that. As John mentioned, the state of Michigan voted for Donald Trump twice in 2016, and they kind of left them in 2020 to vote for Joe Biden, came back to him in 2024. You say they're fed up with MAGAism in the state of Michigan,

but it still seems like the margins are pretty close. What is the feeling among, let's say, independence right now about Donald Trump and this administration? It's the, same as it is around the country. They're sick of it. They're tired of Trump. The polls show you that. Now, Democrats can't get too heady about this because just two years ago, independence were for Donald Trump in a lot of states. A couple years before that, they were for Democrats. Independence, a lot of voters are swinging back and forth because they're not happy with what they're getting from either one of these parties in the duopoly, and they're looking for something new. That's why 10 years ago, Donald Trump, you know, a failed businessman and a reality TV star,

looked like a good bet because he was different from the status quo. Abdul Syed, a Muslim, a ultra-progressive, somebody with not much of a public service record, is different. He's not for the status quo. He, like a lot of populace on the far left and the far right, are against, share a – I'll put it this way. He shares a lot of attributes with MAGA voters and MAGA leaders against the status quo, against the establishment, against anything that is holding us back this last two decades. And a critical seat for Democrats to hold on to if they have any hopes, obviously, of taking the Senate. Ron Fornier, always so great to talk to you.

Come back as soon as you can, Ron. Thanks so much. We appreciate it. Also in Michigan yesterday, the race for governor, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, to victory with 83% of the vote, she will be the Democratic nominee, and she will face Trump-backed Congressman John James, who won the Republican nomination with 50% of the vote. A number of other notable races across the several states yesterday in Virginia, former Congresswoman Elaine Luria won the Democratic nomination for that state's second congressional district.

Her win sets up a high-states general election rematch against Republican congresswoman Jen Kiggins, who ousted her in 2022. In Missouri, Congressman Wesley Bell won his Democratic primary against former Congresswoman, an outspoken activist, Cory Bush, who was trying to make a comeback to Congress after she lost a bell

a couple of years ago. In Kansas, Senator Roger Marshall won easily in his Republican primary for Senate, likely will win re-election in November. Still ahead on Morning Joe, Todd Blanche clears a major hurdle in his nomination to become U.S. Attorney General. We'll go over yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee vote and what his path forward

looks like now. Plus, there are questions over U.S. Attorney Janine Piro's standing with President Trump after she broke with him on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Show you what the president continues to say about her. And as we go to break, a look at the traveler's forecast this morning from Acuweather's Bernie Reno. Bernie has it looking out there. We'll leave the dry weather in the northeast we had yesterday. Gone. Wet weather the rest of this week. Beginning today, it's more humid, spotty shower thunderstorm around. Temperatures in the 80s, acuity with the real field temperatures in the lower 90s. Also watch out for some storms from Chicago towards St. Louis. Texas is hot and dry, spotty thunderstorms and steamy across the southeast. And those storms will cause some travel delays today. In Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami. They help you make the best decisions and be more in the know. Download the ACUweather app today. That is a live picture of Vegas at 323 in the morning where the action is still hot. Not early there. No, not early there. President Trump is there in Las Vegas this morning ahead of a

rally at a casino later today. The White House says the president is there to talk about his signature tax cuts and other economic policies. In an interview last night with Fox News, the president said his polling on the economy should be higher. He also predicted a steep drop in gas prices. Then they saw in the economy, Trump is at 42%. I shouldn't be for it. We have the greatest economy, maybe in the history of the world for any country. You have $19.2 trillion being invested in the United States.

I think we're going to have it coming down. The oil companies have to start going. They're making too much money. And they've got to start lowering it. But we're going to be down into the, Threes and maybe the two's pretty soon per gallon. We'll see what happens with the war. We have a very good day today.

You know, they don't like to say that the Iranians. They always like to say, we didn't discuss that. We didn't. People have found out that's not true. But if the straight opens up and it's partially opened anyway, and as you know, we control the straight totally through the blockade. But if we have no friction, then oil will go down to, I think it'll go down to two and a half. Then I read where we're doing badly on the economy.

By the way, job numbers. We have more people working in the United States today than ever in history. We're doing an unbelievable job. Costs are coming way down. I inherited. You know, they talk about costs. I inherited very, very high costs. And they're all coming down now.

The food, the groceries. It's all coming down. We've done a great job. You know, I think we should be given an A plus on the economy. But I think that's coming. People are starting to talk about it. A plus. many voters disagree. Let's bring an MS now contributor, Mike Barnacle. Mike, a lot in there.

As always, the president sees record highs in the stock market and says, the economy's doing great. It sure is for some people, but remains a daily struggle for most Americans. The description of Trump world, as he explains it, is really so irrational, so out there, so apart from what happens every day in people's lives in this country. If you look around the country, if you feel for the country, if you do your own grocery shopping, if you just walk around and talk to people. This is a paycheck to paycheck economy for huge, huge numbers of people. And everybody running for public office this fall, Republican or Democrat has got to answer the question, paycheck to paycheck. That's me. What are you going to do for me and my family? Forget all the other

stuff that that guy is talking about just then. What are you going to do for me and my family? Sam Stein, President Trump gives himself an A or A plus, but voters, at least in her polling, far less generous with their marks for him right now as we are now in early August. The midterms three months away. And look, the economy is, there are other issues at play here, but the economy is course going to be at the forefront for voters' minds this fall. And frankly, Trump's, it's not just the economy is not working for many. It's that he doesn't seem to be able to realize that, that inability, that disconnect, that inability to have sort of any sort of understanding it would appear of how so many Americans are struggling. It's that that sort of obliviousness that also

worries Republicans as they head into the fall. They just, they and their party seem out of touch. Can you get a grade higher than A plus? I mean, can we go higher? But I'm sure, it's a failure of imagination that he didn't give himself an A plus plus. No, you hit the nail in the head. It's, it's, I mean, it's not surprising because Trump's not capable of doing anything other than bragging about how great his presidency is. So I don't, I'm not shocked that he gave himself that. But at the same time, I think it's understated how damaging those comments really are politically for him. Because if you're a voter out there and you're struggling, and there's lots of people out there who are struggling, you don't need to just look at data, you can talk to folks.

And you see the president saying, things are great. You should be giving me an A plus. You know, cost of living, what is that? That's just a made-up thing. I've got these things down. You know, it seems so detached and so insensitive that you have to wonder why he's not being more empathetic, why he can't bring himself to say, I'm working on it. I understand, to quote Bill Clinton, I feel your pain. He's not capable of it, and it's going to really harm him in his party. You know, I'm just being told, Sam, that an interview a couple months back with Politico, Donald Trump, I'm not making this up, gave himself an A plus, plus, plus, plus, plus, plus, six pluses.

So you're under something there with your analysis. Sam, things are getting worse. Yeah, exactly. It's like one of those razors. Yeah, it's like one of those shaving razors where you keep adding blades. He just keeps adding pluses, right? It's like the seven plus. I agree.

Yeah, but he's down to one today, so maybe that says it. By the way, on his claim that he says there are more people, working than ever before. That's true, but experts say that's, of course, because of population growth. There are more people, therefore more people working. There's a lot to sift through there. Let's talk about Todd Blanche and his nomination to become Attorney General. That is now headed to the Senate floor. The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday advanced Blanche's nomination in a vote along party lines. Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Tillis of North Carolina supporting Blanche after he gave them that memo stating the Department of Justice would not

move forward with President Trump's so-called anti-weaponization fund and clarified the terms of the president's tax audit immunity agreement with the IRS. Legal experts and former department officials have said Blanche's written assurances can be reversed easily or at least evaded. And as the New York Times notes, the DOJ has broad authority to dispense cash to President Trump's allies, including potentially to January 6 rioters through existing processes. Meanwhile, tax experts, Telling the paper, the New York limits on Trump's immunity agreement, did nothing to keep the president and his family from an enormous windfall offered to no other taxpayers. A deal of Times reports could save the president $100 million. Senator Cornyn was asked about all of this yesterday on Capitol Hill.

Well, the globalization fund is dead. We pointed out that the Department of Justice has represented that to numerous courts. and as to the idea that it could be revived in the future, I think it's highly unlikely that that could happen without the cooperation of the Department of Justice. And I think Mr. Blanche gave us the assurances that it was dead and would not be revived. And in this case, we have no alternative but to take his word for that. The settlement agreement could not be changed without the signatures of the parties of the lawsuit. and that did not include Todd Blanche. It could well be that that settlement agreement, that entire settlement agreement will be held invalid, but we don't know that yet.

The president was saying as recently as yesterday that he likes the idea of this fund that he wants to find some way to pay these people. Does that concern you as someone who's tried to fight against getting this anti-weaponization fund in place? Well, there's nothing we could do to reign in the president when he said he likes the fund and he wishes still a exists, but the fact of the matter, it's dead. And that's all we could do under these circumstances. John, you're picking up on something there. Senator Corbyn's saying there's nothing we can do to rein in the president. Already Democrats seized on that line yesterday saying not just on this issue, but overall, that that's the problem. The Congress, in this case, the Senate, not even trying to rein in the president. They're going to use that as an argument to turn the Senate blue this

fall because they're like, we can be an actual check in the way the system is supposed to work of checks and balances. And Mike, it boggles the mind that two senators who are leaving town, they got nothing to lose anymore. Senator Cornyn's run out of office effectively by President Trump supporting the other guy. And Tom Tillis is moving on and retiring. They could have easily stood in the way of this and decided, based on a memo used to just kind of smallify them, that they could go along for the ride with Todd Blanche here. Do we really want to get into mind-boggling? Because there are so many mind-boggling things occurring in Washington, D.C., see, especially out of the failure of the United States Senate to step up and, first of all,

do away with the immunity that's supposedly in the works for the Trump family, the entire family, he and his sons, immunity from any IRS investigations. You got that, you get what we just heard, paying off criminals from January 6th. I mean, it's beyond mind-boggling, beyond mind-boggling that the presidency of the United States has become a cash opportunity for this particular president. what Senator Cornyn said, their most legal experts are saying there's an easy way around this, or at least out of it for President Trump to get what he wants on this weaponization fund. A Senate floor vote for Blanche's confirmation could come this week before the chamber's

month-long August recess. But because of Senator Mitch McConnell's continued absence, Republicans can only afford to lose two votes. Republican Susan Collins of Maine said yesterday, she will not vote for Todd Blanche, telling reporters he had taken several actions that have further eroded the Justice Department's independence. Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, also leaving town, have not yet committed to supporting him. So Sam, Susan Collins is a no. Are there other noes out there or at least enough to stand in the way of Todd Blanche becoming the next attorney general? I think what we're going to see is what we've seen time and time again, which is they'll let and just enough

people vote and know that they don't trip up the proposition. So it wouldn't surprise me, for instance, if Lisa Murkowski also was a no, but ultimately that they get to 50. And frankly, look, I'm not saying that there was no other outcome, but when you listen to John Cornyn and Tom Tillis say and rationalize why they are voting for Blanche, it's very evident that they weren't really looking for anything other than political cover to vote for Blanche. This idea, no alternative, but to take his word for that. I mean, seriously, there are plenty of other alternatives. I can list a couple right here,

one of which is vote against the guy. That's an alternative. You don't have to do it. I mean, it's right there. You're a senator. You have an independent mind. And I keep coming back to this. And I mean, who knows, if any of this matters.

But what they're essentially saying here is that Todd Blanche came up with this idea. This is what John Corne and Tom Tillers are saying. Todd Blanche came up with this idea for immunity and for weaponization fund. that is so unethical that we have to stop it. But we'll vote for Todd Blanche anyway so long as he stops those funds. It's like saying, oh, you tried to rob a bank or you did rob a bank,

but so long as you return the money that you robbed, we're fine with you. I mean, isn't the act of coming up with the weaponization fund, the anti-weaponization fund, and the immunity from IRS auditing? Isn't that disqualifying enough for these centers? Apparently not. Apparently just a thin piece of paper is all it takes. And ultimately, I think Todd Blanche will get the 50 votes needed because J.D. Vance will cast the tiebreaking vote. Yeah, and really, to that point, I mean, Blanche has already proven he'll do whatever the president wants.

And Trump has been very clear in this last week, wants that weaponization fund, wouldn't mind the IRS protections while he's at it. And yes, I also agree with his analysis. Republicans are very good at counting votes. They're very good at keep people in line. Odds are Collins was given permission to vote no, because they know they have enough votes to get him through. They recognize Collins has a tough re-election fight. this would be helpful for her in a very, in a purpleish state there in Maine, even a blue state, it'd be a surprise if Blanche wasn't confirmed. And if that happens, the President of the United States is personal attorney will become the

Attorney General of the United States. Coming up here, an update on a possible deal over the Strait of Hormuz involving the United States, Iran, and Oman. Plus, we'll go through new reporting on the poor conditions sailors and Marines are facing during their months-long deployment to the Middle East. New details. And Morning Joe comes right back. Axios is reporting this morning. The United States, Iran, and Oman are closing in on an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with the U.S. aiming for announcement today.

That's according to two regional sources and the U.S. official. The deal under discussion sets up a 60-day temporary arrangement between Oman and Iran in the strait, which could be extended. All inbound ship traffic would use a northern lane through Iranian waters, while all outbound traffic would use a southern lane through Omani waters. coordination with Iran. No tolls or fees would be charged during that 60-day period. A senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks tells MS now the United States in Europe are placing a great deal of pressure on Oman to accept the agreement. The diplomat adds the deal is poised to give Iran temporary control of both routes in the strait, which would be a major concession as the outbound route would, through Omani territorial water still includes a section of Iranian water. This all comes as Reuters report.

the U.S. has used virtually all of its long-range precision missiles throughout the war now in its six months. That's according to sources familiar with Pentagon data. As the news outlet puts it, the dramatic rundown of these missiles means President Trump may have to rely more on riskier piloted bombing missions if he relaunches large-scale attacks on Iran. President Trump hit back at that reporting writing in part. We have far more munitions than anyone in the world and far more than we need. Let's bring in MS Now, Pentagon reporter Priya Shrethar. It's great to see you.

There's a lot to go through there. Let's talk first about this potential deal to open the Strait of Hormuz. There's a lot of talk about Omani waterways versus Iranian waterways, how the United States feels about it. Bottom line, it would be opened temporarily and then what happens from there.

Yeah, so this sounds a lot like the memorandum of understanding that we saw back in June, which created this 60-day ceasefire. The Strait of Hormuz was. supposed to be open once again. But really why that deal blew up was that Iran was having issues with commercial vessels passing through the Omani side of the strait and not the Iranian side of the strait. And that's why they were shooting drones at those vessels because they wanted them to pass on the Iranian side. And Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has maintained numerous

times that if we allowed Iran to have any control of the state, that straight, I should say, that would create a very dangerous precedent for other waterways around the world. So it seems like this is a major concession that Iran would have any control of what's happening in the straight there. And I think what remains to be seen is how this is really going to play out because clearly it didn't work that well the last time around. But I think that Reuters reporting that you just highlighted is really, you know, a key point here. We are dramatically low when you look at stockpiles, regardless of what the administration tells us. The last check I saw, we have 234 thad missiles left and 759 patriots. And that's creating these windows of vulnerability

around the world. So not only if we had to continue air strikes on Iran, are we going to have to do it in a more dangerous way, as they pointed out, with these piloted missions, which could lead to more American troops dying, but also if you look at other regions of the world, we're extremely exposed. Yeah, I mean, Reuters reporting is the most stark, but there have been others for weeks now, saying that the munitions supplies are running really low. And that I think is sort of emboldened Iran here a little bit. And let's talk a little more about the Strait of Formos. Iran has also made clear that their plan to exact some sort of tolling system, whether they're going to call it environmental fees or service charge, whatever it might be to stay away from the rhetoric that

the U.S. has said that they oppose. But even that would be greeted so poorly by other countries in the region in particular, who feel like, well, we're going to be paying Iran to help rebuild them after they just launched all these missiles at us for months? Like, this seems like just an unacceptable outcome for the U.S. and its allies and one that will really emboldened Tehran. Yeah, I mean, it'll be really interesting to see how this administration tries to spin this as a win for the United States, because this could, you know, as Secretary of State Rubio pointed out, create sort of a domino effect around the world. I mean, we already saw the Houthis try to impose their own naval blockade in the Red Sea. I mean, what Iran has done with the strait, trying to take

control of the stray, try to profit from the stray is inspiring, you know, groups around the world who are thinking, wait, we could do something similar with oil exports and trying to sort of control the energy supply chain around the world. So I think it'll be really interesting to see how it all plays out. But yes, this is certainly something that I think is emboldening Iran. And they are very well aware of the United States issues when it comes to our stockpiles. And I think that's why they've been continuously trying to provoke the United States to attack by launching missiles onto American troops in the Gulf or, you know, shooting drones at tankers in Egypt. I mean, they've expanded this war. They've brought in regional proxies. They've increased the amount of targets that they've been, you know,

focusing on in that region. And it's led up to this point. So, Priya, until recently, we had three carrier groups in the Persian Gulf. Now we're down to one carrier group. And they've been out there for nearly a year, each of them, 250, 275 days, which has an enormous toll, obviously, on the crew. But before you respond to the query of the mood and what's going on in the United States Navy, I want to thank you for 10 years of service in the United States Navy. Thank you. Your answer. Well, thanks a lot, you know, and I'm really happy that you guys are giving me an opportunity to highlight what's going on out there because there have been 50,000 service members who have been deployed for Operation Epic Fury. But this has been a war that's been largely fought by the Navy. As you mentioned, three carrier strike groups were out there simultaneously.

We haven't seen a military buildup like that in the Middle East since 2003. And as you mentioned, each of these carriers are setting records. The Ford had the longest modern day carrier deployment. the Lincoln set a record that nobody in the Navy wants to break, which is the most number of continuous days at sea. And I think one thing that's very important to emphasize is the flight deck on an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous places in the military. You have fast aircraft, whether it be fighter jets or helicopters that are launching and landing on that aircraft carrier. You have bombs, you have munitions, things that can easily explode. These sailors are being exposed to extremely

loud noises for sustained periods of time, which can lead to long-term injuries like hearing loss. And these sailors and Marines are working 12 to 14-hour days. They're not getting any poor calls. They left San Diego in November, briefly stopped in Guam in December, and then didn't get another poor call until Oman just a few weeks ago. 12 to 14-hour days with barely any breaks. And their family members told me that they're terrified that this exhaustion and low morale, because their orders just got extended for a second time. There's no end in stipe because nobody knows what the end goal here is in Iran, right? That that could lead to accidents that could be dangerous or even deadly.

I want you guys to take a listen to what one of the moms I spoke to had to say about what's going on out there. I think that's the hardest part is I don't get to see or hear him. Hearing his voice, not hearing his voice for seven months is the hardest part because that's, you know, a mom knows how her kid is doing based on. their voice based on seeing them. We just know. We just know. And not being able to hear it. Yeah, you can tell me things all day long, but, you know, in an email,

but not seeing or hearing him is what gets me. And I think that's the biggest issue. I don't think it's the ship is the issue. I think it's, it's our president. It's our government that's not helping the morale. I think the ship is doing what they can do with what they're given. But I think our government needs to be doing more for our military that's sitting over there. And it's not just the exhaustion and morale that they were telling me about the conditions on the ship right now, a lack of food.

She said that her son has been eating two tortillas and a can of rice. They're taking showers in moldy showers, non-operational toilets. Their laundry facilities were broken for weeks. They didn't have any hot water in their showers. I mean, just really horrific conditions. They're standing in line for the ship's store for one to two hours. And when they get inside, there's no deodorant toothpaste or soap. So these people really feel as though their sons and daughters have kind of been taken hostage

and brought to this war. There's no end in sight. and, you know, they're hearing lawmakers talk about munitions and bombs and stockpiles, and they really want to hear more about the service members themselves. And by the way, that mom and many of the parents I spoke to voted for Donald Trump because he said that he wasn't going to get involved in wars overseas. Yeah, that was Nicole Conrad. We heard speaking there.

She went on to tell you about President Trump. He put our nose in a war that we shouldn't be in. Another mother said, I voted for Trump because he says he wasn't going to go to any war. All I can say is he's the last, that's the last time I'm voting for any politician ever. So that's like a macro point we hear that people who supported Donald Trump voted for him in some ways because he wouldn't get us into wars like this. Now we're hearing from the ground level from the families. I'm curious what you heard from the Pentagon from the Navy about this. How did they respond?

Yeah, that's a great question. They acknowledge that there have been, you know, not, they've had to ration food at some points. And they sort of blame that for, you know, geography and logistical. challenges, of course, of carriers moving around. They also said, yes, there have been some wear and tear on the flight deck, but that, you know, they're able to meet all of their operational needs. They've been able to repair everything. They understand that this has been a challenging deployment, but that all the service members have access to chaplain teams and mental health teams and fitness classes, if they want it. So they're very well aware that the people are struggling on the ship. But, you know,

as the mom said, she doesn't blame the Navy. She really blames President Trump, the administration, and the lawmakers who she feels like are just not doing enough to figure out what is the end state here? What is the strategy? What's going to get our sons and daughters home and what's going to bring them relief? And no one has that answer at this moment. The new reporting available to read online now is excellent MSNOW, Pentagon Reporter. Priya Shrethor.

Priya, great to see you. Thanks for being here. Still ahead. Vote still being counted. As we speak in Michigan's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, progressive candidate Abdul al-S. Ayyed will join us live with his reaction to the results so far. That's coming up next on Morning Joe. Coming up, the latest on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Yeah, we're still talking about that. And what defense lawyers are saying about the Justice Department's flawed case against a former Olympian who had been charged with damaging the monument. We'll be right back.