Morning Joe - Morning Joe 3/29/24

Episode Date: March 29, 2024

The Morning Joe panel discusses the latest in U.S. and world news, politics, sports and culture

Deep center. He's certainly got enough of this one, didn't he? An absolute bomb to straightaway center. Vladdy's first of the season. It's been untouchable. 11 strikeouts for Corbin Burns in his Oriole debut. There's a base hit to right field. Dubon runs third.

They're raving him hard. Here's the throw from Soto. Here's the play. He's out. They got him. Infield moves back. And he has his right to right center. He is going to get the redemption.

Heim walks it off. The Rangers win the opener. A little walk-off baseball on opening day. Some of the big moments yesterday, including that walk-off win for the Texas Rangers to begin their World Series title defense. You also saw the ninth inning game-saving assist by a grand Yankee. Brand new Yankee, Juan Soto. What a throw that was.

And the 11th strikeout debut with the Baltimore Orioles from ace pitcher Corbin Burns. Meanwhile, last night in Seattle, Boston's Tyler O'Neill set a major league record, homering in his fifth consecutive opening day game as the Red Sox beat the Mariners 6-4. Welcome to Morning Joe. It's Friday, March 29th. Joe, it's like you were saying yesterday. This Red Sox team may go undefeated. The 27 Yankees go through these years and look at that performance last night. I just, I don't like to, you know, poor talk, but there is no doubt that Jonathan Lemire is right, that this may be the best Red Sox team assembled yet.

And through the years, and Lemire last night called me at 1 o'clock, and he said, you know, I think Ted Williams might be riding the pine if he were around on this team. May not even be able to make this team. Isn't that right, LaMere? Dream the impossible dream, Joe. This is hope springs eternal. This Red Sox team, as we've been saying all winter long, they spent money. They're committed to winning.

They built an all-star roster with a 5-2 player at every position. The sky is the limit for this particular Old Town team. I feel a little guilty, to be honest with you. But I will tell you this. You could not dream the impossible dream last night, Lemire, because Mark Palomaropoulos was texting you and me and Mike Barnicle every three minutes, not realizing the game was on the West Coast. And those texts were going every three minutes.

Devers, home run, that's great. And then he'd be like, wow, okay, he fouled that ball off well at like 1047. And, you know, 11-0-1. What do you think the next pitch is going to be? Now, luckily, I was up because I don't know if you saw it, but there was a shooting star. There's a shooting star from Devil's Lake, North Dakota, all the way across to Los Angeles. A blinding light, incredible player, Mr. Nelson. It was just Grant Nelson, absolutely incredible.

Fourth seeded Alabama is going to be in the Elite Eight now for just the second time in school history. Crimson Tide are the first team in this year's knockout tournament to knock out a number one seed, beat North Carolina 87, 89 to 87. Who would think? I'm on two hours sleep. Who would think I could read anything? Alabama is going to

now take on Clemson. So, Willie, I can't read anything because I can't see anything because well, right now, I can't even feel my teeth. I'm so tired. because I can't see anything because, well, right now I can't even feel my teeth. I'm so tired. But I will tell you, this has been a wild ride if you're not UConn. I mean, this is UConn's tournament. They are just massive.

And congratulations, I think, to Illini once. So congratulations to your dad and fighting Illini in there as well. But yeah, this is UConn's tournament. But there are teams like fighting Illini and Alabama Crimson Tide that can still dream that they can get there. And Clemson beat Arizona yesterday. So, yeah, I mean, crazy stuff, huh? Yeah, it was. And now, so Alabama Clemson, what looks like a college football playoff, like a national championship game in football, playing for the right to go to the Final Four. Incredible. Clemson looks really good. It's funny,

these teams you don't think about all year. You see them in the tournament. You go, wow, these guys are good, including Alabama. Here's the clinching three-point play near the end of the game for Clemson to beat Arizona. Alabama, as you said, beating top seeded North Carolina by two points. UConn just rolling. The defending champ. It was a rematch of last year's national championship game against San Diego State. They won by 30 points. And yes, the place where my parents met, Champaign, Illinois.

The fighting Illini of Illinois beating Iowa State, the second seed my parents met, Champaign, Illinois, the Fighting Illini of Illinois, beating Iowa State, the second seed by three points. So now they, great season, they've gone to the Elite Eight, have the Herculean task of playing in Boston, which effectively is a home game for UConn against one of the best teams, not only this year, I think, Jonathan Lemire, but one of the best teams we've seen in college basketball in a long time. I'm not quite sure why that game started at 10 o'clock last night on the East Coast. It was being played in Boston.

Yeah, but that said, I mean, I don't know how many people stayed up to see it, but UConn, dominant. They are. In a season in college basketball where it's very topsy-turvy, a lot of teams were ranked number one for various stretches. They'd hold it for a week or two, then lose and fall down. UConn has come on so strong. To Joe's point, it is their tournaments to lose. It doesn't mean they can't get picked off. It is March Madness.

But they are the prohibitive favorite at this point. We should note the Women's Sweet 16 starts this afternoon. But Willie, I want to go back to you. Your Yankees, they fell down 4-0 after just an inning and a half or so. And they've chipped away. And there have been some panic on Yankees. We lost Garrett Cole, who are these guys that can't hit, but yet steady, gutty, gritty underdog Yankees, as you know, with a $450 million payroll. And then the new guy with a really good throw that I guess he was out at the plate.

I'm not quite sure. But they called him out, so we'll let you have it. Whatever. They called him out, confirmed we'll let you have it. Whatever. They called him out, confirmed by replay he was out. Yeah, we fell down 4-0. Nestor Cortez, our opening day starter because Garrett Cole's out for a couple of months. Very shaky at the beginning of the game, but kind of righted himself and pitched well beyond that first inning.

And it's true, Joe, if you look at this, if the Yankees can pitch this year, which is always the open question for any team if people get hurt, that lineup is just brutal. I mean, there's no break in it for the opponents. So if you've got Soto and Judge coming next, they're going to be very tough. But the division, the Orioles look great, the Jays, it's going to be tough. Yeah. Yeah, I still got to say, when you're watching the Yankees play the Astros, it's it is really like, OK, it's Hitler versus Stalin.

Like, who are you going to jail? I guess. OK. OK. Measles. Yeah, exactly. He wants measles. Mumps might be a better way to put it. But no, that's that's quite something. But no, you're right. The great thing, Gene Robinson, let's get to you because Michigan's not in the tournament. And the Nats lost. No, they're not. Welcome.

But when you get to the final 16 of these NCAA tournaments, the great thing is you can get kids that just come out of these. Well, these NCAA tournaments, the great thing is you can get kids that just come out of nowhere. I mean, seriously, last night, you had this Grant Nelson guy that a couple of games before, they hand him a basketball and he was dribbling like this. Last night,

he was the reincarnation of Larry Bird. They literally turned the ball over to this 6'11 guy, the point guard. Sears stopped bringing it down the court. They literally turned it over to this 6'11 kid from Devil's Lake, North Dakota, who's dribbling between his legs. He's playing point guard. He's shooting three-pointers.

He's stuffing the best player in North Carolina, one of the best inside players in UNC history. It's what's so great about college basketball. Any kid at any given time can rise up like that. It was amazing. I'm like you this morning, Joe. I'm running on fumes because I stayed up to watch that game and then some of the UConn game as well.

But Grant Nelson was amazing. He dominated inside. He dominated inside. He dominated outside. And I'm kind of looking up, you know, Googling, like, who is this kid who absolutely was just a star? And if he can play like that again, there's no telling where this Alabama team can go. They just, you know, it seemed like they wouldn't catch up. They might not catch up.

And then when they did, I don't know about you, but I just kind of had this strange feeling that they were going to find a way to win that game. And they did. It was amazing. It was a tough battle up and down the court, and it was really brutal tough. But you guys, Willie and Lemire, you ought to see the highlights later on. This kid started, I mean, just dominated inside, rebounds, and then suddenly he sinks a three-pointer. Suddenly he's picking and rolling off the top of the key.

And suddenly he's shooting three-pointers. And by the end, they just hand the ball to him. They're like, you take it down. They pass him. This is a 11 guy. He's dribbling between his legs. And he's running the offense for the last 20 minutes of this game. And he, Estrada, and another two or three kids you wouldn't have expected

were the guys that rose up when the Stars weren't having a good game. It was something to see. Grant Nelson turned into Kevin Durant last night. It was unbelievable. Yeah, he did. As you said, the magic of this tournament is a guy like him and a team like Alabama or a team even a lower C that you've never heard of making these deep runs into the tournament.

So we'll be watching closely. Do want to check in with Katty Kay and see how hard she's rolling her eyes as we have this discussion. The level of exasperation on Katty Kay's face. I'm wondering why I was booked this morning. But anyway, here I am. So I'm reading. Actually, look, have you got the Wall Street Journal and that great front page they've done on Evan Gerskovich and his one year in prison?

Yes. Emma Tucker's done just a great job on reporting on his stolen year. She really has, Katie. Yeah, she really has. And what I love about what she's done since she's taken taking control of the journal, especially on I mean, it's just always a great paper, even though the editorial page loses its mind once in a great while when they write about us. But look at that front page. And I'm telling you, we understand what's at stake, but it takes a bold editor to say,

we're going to do this. We're going to make a point of it. They keep putting full page ads in. Emmett Tucker is doing a great job over at the Journal in many ways, but especially highlighting Evan Gershkovich's unbelievable plight in the former Soviet Union that's looking more and more like the Soviet Union every day. Yeah, not to fly the flag, but have you noticed how many Brits are over here at the top of American news organizations? Just saying, just saying.

Yeah, there you go. Yeah, a lot of us. You're at the top of Morning Joe, even though your family's a City fan. I'm definitely at the top of all of your sports coverage. Well, you're going to be talking about the City-Arsenal game on Monday, I'm sure. I will be. That one, I will. Happy son or a happy husband.

I'm going to have to choose between the two. Yeah. OK. Good luck with that one. Willie, what do we got today? By the way, on this, I guess, happy Good Friday. Let's say blessed Good Friday to everybody watching today. Yes, we're going to talk much more about that. We're going to talk about Evan Gershkovich coming

up in just a moment. This is the one year anniversary of his arrest. He's been in prison for a year now. He's been in prison for an entire year. We're going to talk much more about Evan in just a moment. We do want to turn to the news here with President Biden's star-studded fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall last night. The Biden campaign says it raised more than $26 million at the event. 5,000 people attended. It was hosted by actor and comedian Middy Kaling. Special guests Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt all performed. The highlight of the fundraiser, though, a conversation between President Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Discussion was moderated by late night host Stephen Colbert. The president's talk about a wide range of issues, including the war in Gaza and the need to protect our democracy.

They also took some jabs at former president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. The event was met with pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom interrupted that conversation among the presidents. A large group also marched outside of Radio City Music Hall, calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Let's bring in White House correspondent for Reuters, Jeff Mason. He was one of the few reporters inside Radio City for last night's event. Jeff, good morning. Thanks for stopping through on your way out of town after the event last night. Take us inside the room, if you could. What was it like during that event? My pleasure, Willie. It was electric in that room. There were more than 5,000 people in Radio City Music Hall. So a lot of bodies, a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, especially to see, I think,

the former presidents and, of course, President Biden. energy, a lot of excitement, especially to see, I think, the former presidents and, of course, President Biden. They came onto stage by being sort of lifted up with one of those platforms that comes up. So it was a very rock star moment and it was a rock star night for the Democrats and for President Biden. They had a long discussion with Colbert, as you mentioned, about everything from from peace in the Middle East to the economy. And the former president's really laid out a case for Biden. We've been hearing Biden lay out his own case. But last night, what he did was he sort of sat aside and let his predecessors talk about what it's like to be president and why he should get a second term. I mean, twenty six million dollars, Jeff, such a staggering sum for one night. And it just adds to an already significant and growing cash advantage

that Biden and Democrats have over Trump and the Republicans. As Willie noted, there were some protests outside and some interruptions inside the hall as well about the war in Gaza. Tell us how the president's particularly President Obama, handled this and whether you think that could almost be a blueprint for President Biden going forward, because this issue is not going away. It's certainly not going away. And it's been dogging President Biden throughout this campaign politically. I thought it was interesting to see how President Obama responded. He was giving a response about Gaza and was interrupted and said, look, you have to listen, not just talk. And that was a moment that really resonated with the crowd.

It was kind of sharp in a way that we haven't seen Biden be sharp. But I understand that. The president has tried to show a lot of understanding for the people who disagree with his policy. He's said before, let them talk. They feel passionately about this. And they do. And it's an important part of the president's coalition that he's trying to get back before November. But Obama and Clinton laid out reasons for the people who have maybe moved away from Biden to come back.

And one of them was saying President Biden, in a way that President Trump probably would not be, is an advocate for Palestinians, has been pushing really hard for a two state solution. And we'll continue to do that. And President Biden also excuse me, President Obama also made an interesting statement about saying there can't be a purity test. And he spoke about that from his perspective of having been in the White House. You know, Gene, just hearing hearing about what President Obama did last night, it does remind me how great he is in this. I remember at the if there was a sort of height of woke ism and I don't say that to trigger anybody. I just use that term because, you know, 2017, 2018, 2019 was sort of peak wokeism. Of course, Trumpers will say that they're all coming to eat our bones one day soon. But in the middle of, let's just say, the most pitched debate, maybe it's 2020. Obama was President Obama was at speaking at Mandela,

Nelson Mandela Day, an event. And he said, listen, if you don't let somebody debate and talk and say their words are invalid because they're white or because they're a man or because they're Hispanic or because they're black. Well, you really don't have a real debate and you're only hurting yourself. And it was a message that not not not just because he was black, but because he's Barack Obama and he can do these things so well. It was a message that only Obama could deliver. It's the same thing last night when Obama is telling left wing protesters, hey, you know, we got to learn to talk to each other.

It resonates. And it's quite a moment last night there. Yeah, it really was quite a moment. He's very, very good at that. Barack Obama is very, very good at telling you you're full of it in a way that's, if not charming, then something close to it. And getting the message across and making you pay attention. I've been on the end of that sort of you're full of it message from Obama a couple of times, and I know what it's like.

He is what a collection of political talent on that stage last night. You know, if you've got Barack Obama and you've got Bill Clinton, they know a bit about being president, and they talked a lot about that. But they also know a whole lot about running for president and about speaking to this country in a way that represents Democratic Party views, progressive views to varying degrees, while not sort of turning others off, necessarily. And it triggers—obviously, Obama triggers some people. He triggers Donald Trump massively. But wow, what a night, what an event. And $26 million is just a staggering amount of money to have raised in one evening. It just boggles the mind. It gives a sense of the Biden campaign as something of a juggernaut while Donald Trump worries about his court cases and

cheats to win his own golf tournament. Yeah, Jeff, Obama clearly triggers Donald Trump to the degree that Trump still seems to think he's running against Obama or has run against Obama at some point. There was also that phone call for the donors who couldn't actually make it to Radio City, be there in person. There was a phone call with campaign managers beforehand, which I thought was really interesting, where they laid out, the three presidents laid out their theory of the case with the campaign managers as well to donors. Give us a sense of what they there was a bit about personal stories, how they felt that was going to be so important. Did you have a sense of that from that call of what we should be looking ahead to? Well, I think it was another in part an opportunity for the three presidents to bring in nonbig dollar donors. The Biden campaign has been proud of saying that a good chunk,

I think 80 or 90 percent of the money that they've brought in has been from people who donate less than $200. And last night was a big glitzy event with tickets that in some cases cost as much as $500,000. And I think to stay on brand, they also wanted to have a chance for other people to weigh in and to have a chance to see the three presidents. So I think that was the goal and personal story is certainly part of it. And more broadly, just laying out that case again for why Biden should have a second term. Meanwhile, guys, former President Donald Trump also in New York yesterday to attend the wake of an NYPD officer killed the other day in the line of duty. Trump met with the family of Officer Jonathan Diller yesterday during the memorial service on Long Island, where hundreds of law enforcement officers were on hand to pay their respects. Officer Diller was shot and killed on Monday while approaching an illegally parked

car in Queens. Police say the suspect in the shooting has nearly two dozen previous arrests. After meeting with Officer Diller's family, who invited Trump to the service, Trump spoke to reporters outside, describing the officer's death as a horrible thing and calling for a return to law and order. Trump has accused President Biden of not being tough enough on crime,

and his campaign looked to contrast his visit with Biden's fundraiser in New York City with former Presidents Obama and Clinton. Jonathan Lemire, just a horrific tragedy. Officer Diller killed, has a one-year-old child at home. A rally of support around the city, across the country for Officer Diller paying off his mortgage, making sure his family is taken care of. But a reminder that there's no such thing. I'm always reminded by cops as a routine traffic stop as this was just a pullover in Queens and Officer Diller was shot and killed. Yeah, each officer starts each day not knowing if it'll be their last shift on the job. I covered the NYPD for a long time and

covered a lot of funerals just like this. It is a remarkable outpouring of support from the community and the nation when something like this happens. But of course, because he's Donald Trump, he's making it political. And look, his aides were very clear yesterday that they liked this split screen of President Biden being at Radio City Music Hall with two other presidents for a big dollar glitzy fundraiser while Donald Trump was out in Queens and then Long Island meeting with the family of a slain officer. Now, we'll get into later in the day that later in the show how Trump also spent his day attacking the daughter of a judge. But at least in this moment, he tried to stay on message, Jeff Mason, and talk about crime. Trump and Republicans are trying to

make crime a central issue this election. We should note stats show that crime has actually fallen most places in this country over the last couple of years since its post-pandemic high. But just the politics of crime, we should note President Biden called Mayor Adams to express condolences about the slain officer. How worried are Democrats that this could be an issue that resonates this November? I think Democrats think they have their own case to make on crime. President Biden has been very, very active in working on gun violence issues. He started an office at the White House on gun violence, and they see that as completely connected to crime in a way that Republicans don't like to make that connection. So I think you can also look back at some previous elections, 2022, 2020, where Republicans were talking a lot about crime ahead of time. And then it didn't resonate as much at the polls as they were expecting.

So, you know, I think it's an it's an issue that Republicans will see as a vulnerability. And you certainly see President Trump trying to to make it one for for the Democrats. But I think they're ready. All right. White House correspondent for Reuters, Jeff Mason. Jeff, thanks so much. We really appreciate it. Still ahead on Morning Joe, as we mentioned, it has been one year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was wrongfully imprisoned by Vladimir Putin. NBC's Keir Simmons joins the conversation on that next. Plus, Speaker Mike Johnson getting a firsthand account yesterday of the dire situation in Ukraine. We'll talk through his conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Plus, we'll show you how Liz Cheney is warning about a possible second Trump presidency and the reception she got to it. You're watching Morning Joe. We'll be right back. Good Friday. Beautiful look at New York City. Hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend. And Willie, I just want to circle back. And of course, our thoughts always, as we say with the men and women, the NYPD, for all they do, for the bravery they show every day. And we are we are truly grateful. I do want to just circle back and just there's an NBC article that I just now posted on my threads account. And and it just shows the facts. I know the facts don't matter to Donald Trump, but crime rates keep dropping. Crime. In fact, the rate is lower now than when Donald Trump was in office, lower than it was in 2020, even slightly lower than it was in Trump's best year as it as it pertains to crime in 2019. Murder rates over the past year

in the big cities that he's constantly harping on down 20 percent, rapes down 16 percent. You can go down the list on and on the most serious crimes way down down. And again, the overall crime rate for 2022, the last year recorded, the crime rates lower again than Donald Trump's best year in 2019, certainly a lot lower than 2020. So he'll say what he says. Republicans will keep lying. Other news outlets will keep lying about it. And people whip themselves into a frenzy and say, what about crime? And you can show them the facts. It's just seriously, it's just like I can show people, you know, maybe they're UNC fans where they don't want to know that Alabama won last night. I think it was 79-77, but Alabama beat UNC. And they go,

no, no, no, it's not. No, that's not the truth. It's the fact. It's just the fact. They may not like it, but it's a fact. And that's how Trump extremists have gotten. And it's how cable news networks run. It's their business model to lie about the facts, to twist and distort reality for viewers day in, day out, night in, night out. And when you talk about crime, it's not as low as I want it to be. It's not as low as you want it to be. We've both said we think the bail issue in New York City is a joke. We think cops aren't allowed to do their jobs enough. We think that's a joke. That said, if you look at the numbers, Donald Trump is lying when he says crime rates are way up. They're not. They're down. They're lower than they were when he was president. Yeah, that's just a fact. And violent crime,

particular, all the ones you just laid out are down double digits year over year. They spiked in 19 and 20 and about the end of last year and really into the beginning of this year have come way down. Criminologists, law enforcement experts, they debate about why those numbers come down. They talked about that in the 90s in New York. Why did this work? The fact is they are down. And it's that perception versus reality thing that we talk about a little bit with the economy, right, Joe, where you say, look at the data, you know, number after number showing how strong this economy is, how resilient it is. We know inflation is too high. And yet in polling, just like in crime, people say the economy is not good or crime is bad in

this country. A lot of times it's a matter of perception. It's a way you feel walking down a street in New York City. If you see things like street safety that don't make you feel good, and I get that. We all have some of that. But if you want to talk about data, violent crime in America is down significantly year over year. That is just a fact, but you can bet that will remain an issue with Donald Trump and many others in this race. Let's turn to something we're talking about at the top of the show. Today marks exactly one year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was wrongfully detained in Russia for alleged espionage, a charge both his employer and the U.S. government deny strongly.

Earlier this week, a court in Moscow extended Evan's pretrial detention for a fifth time, stretching his imprisonment to at least the end of June and perhaps beyond. Joining us now, NBC News chief international correspondent Keir Simmons, who's been covering this story so closely. Keir, good morning. That very powerful front page of the Wall Street Journal, a blank white space where the paper says Evan Gershkovich's reporting should be this morning. What do we know? We know he just had his pretrial detention extended. What do we know about his fate and the efforts to bring him home? Well, Willie, there are huge efforts to bring him home.

And what we know about his fate is very difficult to read, honestly. I mean, he can be kept in the Fort Svoboda prison in Moscow for as long as the Russians want to keep him there. I mean, that hearing that you talked about where, again, we asked to be there, our team in Moscow asked to be there. The press and media were told that they weren't going to be allowed in. And and that hearing was really about whether he should still be held in pretrial detention. He's not being tried. He's not being, we don't really even quite know what he's accused of beyond that it's an accusation of espionage, which of course the Wall Street Journal absolutely deny and say that he is

a journalist. And you mentioned that front page and I think Jonathan has that front page there. The front page with the blank space where his story would be. And then the back, his face, of course. Yeah, absolutely powerful message from the Wall Street Journal. Look, this is a story in part of how Russia is now an intelligence agency, security agency run country. He is accused of espionage. There are others, of course, Paul Whelan, who is jailed there, accused of espionage, jailed for espionage, again, denies it. Elsa Komasheva from Radio Free Europe, who is accused of supporting Ukraine again by the FSB. Ksenia Karolina from California,

accused of, and again, denies that she was supporting Ukraine, but accused of making donations. Again, it's the FSB running that. The FSB, the former KGB prison. So this is really all about the extent to which President Putin is in charge of a country where the most powerful organizations in the country are the FSB, the SVR. And in fact, it's pretty clear. Putin makes it pretty obvious that what they want to do is swap Evan and others for Russians held, particularly at this stage. It looks like a Russian held in Germany serving a life sentence and sentence for murder. Who is an FSB officer? And of course, Putin keeps seizing Americans. Wall Street Journal had a great story, Gene Robinson yesterday about that, how Putin just keeps seizing Americans and uses

them as pawns, innocent Americans to get the worst actors out of prison. I don't know if you had a chance to see any of the Netflix series Turning Point. But for those that have denied, it is a great reminder, especially for younger Americans, to understand just how brutal, how savage the reign of Stalin was, the millions and millions of Ukrainians he deliberately starved to get to death in a government sanctioned famine. The millions of kulaks, 10. Some people estimate 20, 30 million Russians died at Stalin's hands. And after Stalin's death, Khrushchev called out these crimes. And these crimes have been recognized up until recently. The police state that he had, now you actually have Vladimir Putin praising Stalin.

Stalin, once again, the figure of adoration in the old Soviet Union. And it lines up very neatly with a police state that Russia has become, as Keir said, even more so than before over the past year or two. Absolutely. You know, I have not seen that series, but I've read a lot about Stalin, biographies and histories. And it's absolutely one of the worst monsters of the 20th century, responsible for tens of millions of deaths, intentional deaths, including this horrific famine in Ukraine that he engineered and presided over with satisfaction. And this is what Vladimir Putin looks back on with great admiration and nostalgia. and he looks upon himself, I think, as Vladimir the Great, who's going to restore, let's just say it, the Soviet Union, Stalin's creation, the Soviet Union to its former glory. And so why would anyone think that he would, for example, stop with Ukraine if he is successful there? Why would anyone think it's not a good idea for the United

States and the West to do everything it can to thwart him in Ukraine, to contain this 21st century monster who wants to reclaim the Soviet Union's former, what he would consider, glory. What he's done to Evan Gershkovich and the other Americans he has cynically kidnapped and is holding as hostages is deplorable. It's disgusting. It's illegal. It's wrong. And of course, there is very little we can do about it except keep on the pressure. And I so commend The Wall Street Journal for what it's done to keep Evan's name and situation in the news. Other news organizations are doing whatever they can to try to help in this effort, knowing that this is really out of our hands. Yeah, Joe said at the top of the program, program is a bold editor who leaves half of the front page blank,

as Emma Tucker has done in The Wall Street Journal today. Kier, talk to us a little bit about your understanding of these negotiations. That FSB officer who's in jail in Germany, he was raised around the time that Brittany Greiner's negotiations were taking place. And obviously she got out in exchange for Victor Boot and the Germans wouldn't release that FSB officer. Do you get any sense from the kind of back channels, the reporting that you do, that there is a path for Evan to get out, that the Americans may be able to talk to the Germans and get this FSB officer out? And if the Germans agreed, would that be enough? Would the Russians then release Evan? You make a really important point because he's being held in Germany. He's not being held here in the States. So there's a diplomatic

challenge here. It goes to Putin's absolute belief that America runs the West, that America is able to just say to Germany, release this guy, and Germany will do it. And of course, that isn't the case, although absolutely, you know, the American government is enormously powerful. So those negotiations continue. Putin has said that, sorry, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, has said that they're better behind closed doors. That may be right. I do think there's an aspect of this, though, just listening to the conversation, which I think is worth highlighting. From my trips to Russia, I can tell you that that revisionist history that Joe is talking about is absolutely embedded now there, that it is believed by many, many Russians. And I've said on this show many times, made the point that Putin does have a lot of support. And I think

that should concern us, because the combination of that and the military industrial changes in Russia, the way that it's becoming a kind of a military economy, that is going to be a threat over a sustained period. And the point I'm making is that this really is a wider lens than just Putin, although, of course, we focus on Putin. And I'll just say one other thing about that. This goes to these negotiations. Putin, when he spoke at that news conference after his election, his so-called election, he talked about how he had asked for Alexei Navalny, he'd agreed for Alexei, I'm sorry, for Alexei Navalny to be released from Russia and said that just a few days later, Navalny was dead. Now, clearly,

you can't believe things that Putin says. But if that's true, if there's an element of truth in that, then what does that tell us about the way Russia is run, that the president, President Putin, says he wants him released, and a few days later he's dead? What does that tell us about the nature of that country? And again, what does that tell us about the threat from Russia that potentially goes beyond just Putin and lasts for longer than Putin? Although, of course, at this stage, we're looking at potentially 12 more years of Putin at least. Well, and that brings up a good point. We can just look at the character who is looking to overthrow Vladimir Putin, a man who said he needed to turn Russia into a North Korea and they needed to have even more aggressive war,

not only with Ukraine, but also the West. So, yes, Vladimir Putin is a problem. But if anybody thinks that removing Vladimir Putin makes Russia a safer, more stable place, well, they weren't alive in 1991, 1992, 1993. It's not always the case. Let me read Emma Tucker's, part of Emma Tucker's letter to her readers at the Wall Street Journal. Evan has shown remarkable willpower, strength, and even humor during his wrongful detention. We are amazed at this. And it is family steadfastness in the face of such a harrowing ordeal. But their fortitude doesn't change the fact that Evans' detention is a blatant attack

on the rights of the free press at a time when evidence abounds around the globe of the vital role that quality journalism plays in our society's understanding of world events and in bearing witness to history. This one-year anniversary is an opportunity to express our admiration for our colleague and his family. It is a reminder of the dangers facing journalists worldwide as they pursue their essential mission, and it energizes us to continue the effort to ensure that this is the last milestone that Evan spends in prison. Sincerely, Emma Tucker, Editor-in-Chief, The Wall Street Journal. Jonathan O'Meara. Powerful words there. The sub-headline here on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, one year stolen. And that's right. One year of Evan's life stolen, spent behind bars in a Russian cell for something he did not commit.

And of course, the backdrop to his detention is the war in Ukraine. Yesterday, we received word that House Speaker Mike Johnson had a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. And Zelensky explained, pushed again, the dire situation in his country and the dramatic need, Kir, for the U.S. to step up and send that funding, send that money, send that military equipment to Ukraine, which is literally running out of ammunition on the front lines. And, you know, Speaker Johnson has signaled more positively in recent days that, you know, when the House returns from its recess in a couple of weeks, he'll push forward on Ukraine, though they may jeopardize his job if he does so. But talk to us a little bit more just about the state of the conflict right now, what you're aware of, what appears to be a really frozen front. And Putin, who has really escalated, though, the number of airstrikes, including a number of overnight,

just in the last few hours, it seems like he's willing to bide his time for November to see if Donald Trump gets back in. I think he's definitely prepared to take time. You know, that is without question an enduring Russian approach to war, frankly, and to this war now. Whether or not he's waiting for November, what Putin will say and his spokesman Dmitry Peskov will say and other members of that Russian government is that they don't care if he becomes president in the US. Is that true? Well, just back to what I said at the beginning here. President Putin is a intelligence officer. His worldview is that the world is about battles between intelligence agencies. His perspective is, and you can hear the kind of echoes of a Trump perspective, right? His perspective is that it doesn't really matter who

the leader of the US is because the US is being run by the intelligence agencies. That's where the real fight is. Now, clearly, he's wrong about that. But don't underestimate the extent to which President Putin truly believes the things that he says. And in a sense, that's the danger. That kind of puts the focus on where the real risk is, that he is somebody who is not just saying these things, he really believes these things. Now, clearly, what happens on the front line is unpredictable because war is unpredictable. Will that front line stay fixed? What difference will F-16s make? Will Putin carry out his threat to attack even bases where those F-16s are flying from? Would he really do that? Would he really take on a fight against NATO of that nature?

It's hard to believe, despite him making those threats. And we remember that President Putin has made many threats and many of them turned out to be just threats. So the issue with the funding for Ukraine is that we don't know what happens if the money doesn't arrive. But the risk is that it leaves Ukraine deeply vulnerable. And Congress is out for the next week as well. So there's no urgency from this House of Representatives, despite that conversation yesterday between Speaker Johnson and President Zelensky. NBC's Keir Simmons. Keir, thanks so much, as always, for your insights. We appreciate it.

Coming up next here, Donald Trump lashes out against the daughter of the judge presiding over his hush money case, calling her out by name using a story that is a lie. We'll tell you about his latest comments coming just one day after a gag order was imposed on him. Plus, we have the first clip of the conversation between Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton on stage at Radio City last night. We'll let you listen in with us. And we'll speak with DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison live in our studio. He thinks the Democratic Party is headed now. He'll with us. And we'll speak with DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison live in our studio. He thinks the Democratic Party is headed now. He'll tell us. Morning Joe's coming right back. It's about telling a story. People have people are breaking their necks, just putting three squares on a table every day, worrying about the kid who may be sick, worried about a mom who may need help. And it's just, and when I say tell a story,

I'm not talking about making up stories. I'm telling how you feel because people trust you all. Your neighbors trust you. That's a clip of the president's pre-recorded interview for donors who could not make the event at Radio City Music Hall. That's the event we've been talking about all morning with President Biden, Obama and President Clinton as well. NBC News gained access to the live stream of that conversation you just heard. The three presidents also headlined a major fundraiser in Manhattan last night where the Biden campaign says it raked in more than $26 million. The president's took part in a conversation moderated by Stephen Colbert.

The late night host brought up Biden's busy tour of the country lately, while Trump has had his eyes on other things. Here's a first look at the discussion inside Radio City. Donald Trump, as far as we can tell, has just been trying to win a third championship at his own golf course. My question to you, sir, can voters trust a presidential candidate who has not won a single Trump International Golf Club trophy?

At long last, sir, have you no chip shot? Well, look, I'd be happy to play. I told him this before when he came into the Oval, when he was being before he got sworn in. I said, I'll give you three strokes if you carry your own bag. Can't do that. You know, Willie, there's been some whining by by a few people. And of course, gloating by Trumpers talking, oh, this is so terrible. Star studded fundraiser the same day that Trump went to the funeral of a slain. You know, again, we we salute anybody that will go to a funeral of a slain NYPD officer.

This is an event that's been scheduled for a very long time. This is an event where they they had an opportunity to get three Democratic presidents together to explain not only to their base, but also to independent swing swing voters, Republicans that could be moved. Why this election is so important. You talk about the bully pulpit that a president has. This is three bully pulpits on stage. And it was quite a remarkable night. Yes, there were protests outside the protests are playing at club championships and miraculously winning yet another club championship from a club that he's the owner of. really think the setup was bad yesterday? Because it wasn't. It was, again, it was a massive, massive success for Joe Biden, for the campaign, not only for the Democratic Party, but for pro-democracy forces. And as you say, in this moment, important to see the solidarity between those three presidents, particularly with President Obama, given some of the splintering we've heard about in the Democratic Party, grumbling from certain factions inside the party

that are frustrated with Joe Biden for this reason or that to show. And to hear last night in that room, President Obama, President Clinton saying, guys, we understand we're always going to have differences within our party, but this is too important. We've got to get on board and keep Donald Trump out of the White House and reelect Joe Biden. That was their message anyway. And joining us now, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jamie Harrison, who, of course, was at last night's event. Also with us, NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli, one of the few reporters inside the room, plus the host of the podcast on brand with Donnie Deutsch, our good buddy Donnie Deutsch, and staff writer at The Atlantic, Mark Leibovich, Jonathan Lemire, Katty Kay, Eugene Robinson are still with us as well. A full house as we turn to the top of another hour. And Chairman Harrison, I'll start with you.

The event last night, to you, what was the significance of seeing those three presidents on stage together? Well, Willie, I can tell you it was electric. The atmosphere was just amazing inside that house. There was such unity within the Democratic Party. And, you know, those three presidents represent honesty, decency, men of character, men who, as president, understood that America's greatness is not tied into some one body or one individual, but America's greatness is in its people, in the diversity of its people. These are men who

understand that, you know, their jobs as presidents of the United States is about having progress over chaos. It's about making sure that we are moving forward in this country. And so it was an amazing moment. I call it my be our Beyonce moment because it's it was the time that Democrats were getting in formation because we understand what the task is, which is protecting American democracy from someone who wants to be a dictator on day one, somebody who believes in political retribution. And of course, $26 million, the largest event ever. And that money will go straight into the field. We've already opened, Willie, over 100 offices across the country. The Republicans haven't opened anything. They've opened a line of credit at a bank because they're broke, but they haven't opened any offices. We've been hiring voter protection staff.

And so we are ready because we know what is at stake. America's freedoms are at stake and we're going to do everything in our power to protect those. Well, I mean, yeah, you're exactly right. Americans freedom is at stake and anybody that pretends there's anything less than that. When you have a guy that schemed with fake electors, a guy that intimidated, went out of his way to intimidate people, Katty K, from certifying election results, a guy who has said he's going to terminate the Constitution, a guy who has said he's going to execute generals, a guy who has said he's going to find media companies guilty of treason and try people, a guy that's said he's going to find media companies guilty of treason and try people, a guy that's said he's going to be a dictator on day one, that he's going to immediately jail his political opponents.

I could do this all day. So, yeah, there is so much at stake. So Democrats, again, they don't need to wring their hands. When they have a great night, it was a great night for for the Democrats to show a united Democratic Party to get more money to invest in groundwork, to get people out to vote. Well, Donald Trump is canceling events. He's canceling Hispanic outreach. He's canceling so many other things. I've seen Democrats when they look out of touch. I've seen Democrats when they wring their hands for looking out of touch. This isn't this isn't a Democratic Party that that in this event with Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden that look out of touch. Those are Democratic leaders. Those are presidents that have spanned a generation.

And the Democratic Party, the base that Joe Biden needs to bring together, needs to hear from them in a united voice. And last night they did. That's good news. And if you have people on Fox News today and people on Newsmax and people across the Trump far right whining and screaming, well, it's because they know how good that event went last night, how much money the campaign got and just what that means when they're cheering on a guy who's spending his money on lawyers and lawsuits. Yeah, you're hinting at the text that I think Lemire suggested he'd had earlier that I've had also overnight from people on the Trump campaign saying that Biden missed a big opportunity, didn't call the widow of the fallen police officer who was killed in a traffic stop and Donald Trump went out to the wake. But you had the cast of democratic political know-how there. Those are two presidents who have both won reelection and who are now lending all of their star power and their experience and their money raising capabilities to Joe Biden to help him try to win reelection as well. And they're doing so, you know, with advice in private, but also in public that it's unlikely that after the success of raising twenty six million dollars last night, we won't see something like this happening again.

And Barack Obama has made it very clear that he's going to put all of the weight that he can behind the Biden campaign. There may have been tensions between the two men in the past, but you heard from Barack Obama last night, this is very much about making sure that Donald Trump does not get back into the White House. And at the same time, not just focusing it on Donald Trump, but realizing they have to sell Joe Biden's positive story as well. Certainly Clinton and Obama explainers in chief in doing that. We should also note for all the gloating Republicans and Trump aides were doing about how Trump went to that funeral. And President Biden did not. Others have pointed out that Donald Trump did not attend the Waker funeral of any officer who died after January 6th. So, Mike, I want to zero in on the role that Barack Obama played last night.

You were in the room. You saw him delivering a command performance by all accounts. I struck by just the calendar. Barack Obama fancies himself and his ex-presidency as a closure. He comes in in late October, and he's the one who whips up the enthusiasm. He does like two weeks of events, huge crowds, drives people to the polls. It's March. He's already out there. He's playing a much more visible role this time around. Talk to us. I know you cover the Obama White House, too. Talk to us about the thinking there, why he's so front and center. And are we going to be seeing a lot more of him between now and November? Well, what the Biden campaign sees as the former president's biggest value now is speaking first at this point to young voters and to Democrats. You saw that last night, the effort

to get the party fully behind him. A lot of that's going to be on video, on YouTube, different digital social channels. And then in the fall, you'll see him out on the road nonstop, essentially. But I thought what was so fascinating last night and probably the most electric moment of the night was, yes, of course, there were protesters. We saw them on the street outside 30 Rock here and we saw that in the room. And they were certainly prepared for that. And what Barack Obama did was after President Biden laid out all the ways in which he's trying to make the best and try to resolve the situation in Gaza to the best of his ability, Barack Obama really at one point scolded those protesters to say, listen, if you want to talk, you also have to listen. The crowd erupted. He said the presidency, and this is something only a former president can really testify to. He said the presidency is a lonely seat. There are no easy solutions to hard problems. And he laid out all the ways in

which you can be both sympathetic, supportive, wanting to do everything you can to support the Palestinian people, but also recognize that Israel's existence is very much at stake here. And he commended not just the president's policy, but his person, his empathy, his character in being exactly the kind of president we need at this moment. I was told that was intentional, that there's going to be a time for President Obama over the course of the fall to talk specifically about issues, the president's record. But he sees his role now as really about testifying to President Biden's character. And listen, you talk to the chairman, you talk to senior Biden team members, they'll say the poll numbers. Sure, they are what they are. Don't count President Biden out. He's been underestimated his

whole career. I've been on the road with him as much as anyone these last 16 years. I've seen that. But they also will recognize that it's going to take everybody, every Democrat, everybody who supports President Biden, whether you're a local community leader, whether you're an influencer on TikTok, or whether you're the former president of the United States, to do everything you can to support President Biden, to get him over the finish line, and we saw that last night.