Morning Joe - U.S. launches major retaliatory strikes on Iran

Episode Date: July 30, 2026

July 30, 2026: 8am — U.S. launches major retaliatory strikes on Iran  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.

Welcome back to morning, Joe. A couple minutes past the top of the hour. The United States has launched major strikes against Iran after the country fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan. President Trump had promised retaliation after the attack by Tehran, saying, we're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn. The strikes come as the war enters its six-month and amid growing reports of growing frustration inside the West Wing. NBC News reports that Trump has become increasingly exasperated by the length of the conflict and Iran's refusal to reach any sort of deal. According to this report, Trump recently erupted at top national security officials over his frustrations with one official saying there is no unity within the Trump administration on Iran. The White House denies that Trump lost his temper but says he remains committed to punishing Iran

until its attacks stop. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has joined U.S. operations with strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq. Saudi Arabia accused that Iranian-backed militias of attacking Saudi oil facilities, but so far, no group has actually claimed responsibility. And in nearby Egypt, two ships caught fire in an explosion at a port in an incident

that one maritime security firm says may have been a drone attack that we should note that has not yet. yet been officially confirmed. So with all that as the backdrop, that comes as Kwinipiac University poll, a new one, shows that 34% of voters support U.S. military action against Iran, compared to 60% who oppose it. That's the lowest support for the war and the highest opposition to it since Kinnepiak first began tracking the issue back in early March. Other new polling shows that a record number of Americans don't think President Trump has the right priorities.

According to a new CNN SSRS poll, 73% of U.S. adults say that Trump has not paid enough attention to the country's most important problems. The poll shows that Trump's overall approval rating sits at 34%, which matches the career low he saw at the end of his first term right after the January 6th Capitol attack. Trump's approval has also hit a new low among independent voters, and he's underwater among white voters with or without a college degree. Young voters, along with both men and women. So really not going great. You can compare those numbers to the same point in his first term back in 2018

when Trump's approval among independents was actually much higher. He had a majority of support among white voters without a college degree and men, as well as back then, higher support from members of his own party. Elise, to you first, back just the state of the conflict here. We were talking earlier on the show, really fears growing that the war is widening, that more and more countries are getting pulled in. And, you know, there's certainly no sense of any progress whatsoever in negotiations. Trump is stuck. Well, and it's also shown that the Iranians can use their drones, and they can expand the war

to other places in the region, our great allies who are depending on us to protect them and to protect our bases in their country, and continue this with little cost, but with huge cost to Americans and the American taxpayer and our global economy that is suffering because of this war and because of the Strait of Hormuz. And Iran has their leverage point with the straight, and they aren't going to concede that any time in the near future. And 18 American lives lost now. And Mike, those polls show that the American people simply disagree. They disagree with this war, and they think it's emblematic, I'd say, of, of Trump's misplaced priorities, he doesn't seem to care they think about what matters to them.

Well, if you walk around, if you do your own grocery shopping, pump your own gas, talk to people you've known for a long period of time in your neighborhood or your city or whatever, this country is in a state of flux. It's basically leaderless with a president of the United States who just talks too much about too many things. The idea of the president of the United States in the middle of a lit fuse called the Middle East, where each, in every country in the Middle East that we deal with is on fire in one form or another. And he continues to talk about it in terms of that it's a game. And we're going to go bomb them again because it's our turn to bomb them.

This is ridiculous language from a leader of the free world, supposedly the leader of the free world, Donald Trump. And I think it has a lot of Americans uneasy about the immediate present as well as the immediate future. And you put that in a whole package combined with the economy. I mean, the number of people who pull into gas stations and put in $25 or $30 worth of gas because they can't afford to fill it up, they just take care of themselves one day at a time. The number of Americans in a checkout line who are buying one-third or half of what they would usually

buy for groceries because they just want to get through until the next pay period is astonishing and is very, very bad for the president of the United States. And his party heading into this November. Price is continuing to go up. Coming up ahead here on Morning Joe, we'll bring you new reporting on increased detentions at immigration authorities at airports across the nation. You're watching Morning Joe. We'll be back in a moment. Live shot there of Dallas, and we turn to Texas now for our next story as two married pastors in that state who were detained by immigration authorities prior to traveling to a religious retreat last week have now been released. The couple who are both from Mexico serve as assistant pastors at a church in Texas.

Texas and received religious visas back in 2022. But the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that they overstayed for four years after their visas expired. While they have since been released due to extensive petitioning from their friends and local lawmakers, their story is just one example of the increased detentions by immigration authorities at airports across the nation. Joining us now from McGowan, Texas, is MS. Now reporter Namdi Iguanwu. Nandhi, you talked to some friends of the couple who were detained. Tell us what they had to say. Yeah, Jonathan, we talked to a couple that aren't just friends, but two pastors that were actually intimately involved in the process to get these couples' religious visa back in 2022. It's why Serae Luna and Charlie Martinez were so confident during their interview with me that that detained couple, their legal status wasn't in question.

They tell me that they came here with that religious visa. They filed paperwork in a timely manner requesting an adjustment for permanent residency. But as we've seen with this administration, among the immigrants at risk here, aren't just folks who are undocumented, but also folks in a, quote, gray area. People who the visas might have expired, but they had active applications for permanent residency. And the Susayas, that detained couple, they fit into that category. With my interviews with their friends, they told me that the Susayas, they are shaken up. They are still trying to process what happened to them. But the most concerning part of their experience was this idea that after they were detained at the airport and taken to a processing center, they allege that an immigration agent used their children, their three U.S. citizen children in an attempt to coerce them to sign voluntary deportation papers back to Mexico.

I want to play you a little bit of my conversations with their friends so you could hear what that experience allegedly looked like. Take a listen. There's a particular officer that was the initial contact with. them at the center that told them that if they didn't sign it was going to be a very prolonged time that they were going to go without seeing their children that they were going to be separated from their children and that if they signed quickly they could reunite in Mexico. By their account they were coerced and they were pressured into signing and yes as you mentioned And a big topic used to leverage that moment was their children.

And those of us who are parents, we can all relate to, I mean, the one thing that you treasure the most in life is your children and you'll do anything for them. This used to be a predominantly blue area. Now it's considered purple, so to speak. And so yes, definitely. I think that the immigration issue is one that could definitely impact the way that people vote. And so, again, we, the Latino community and being a border community, we understand the challenges of a border region. We understand the challenges of, yes, there has to be order. There has to be

rule of law. So a couple of things there. I reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about that specific claim that this couple was coerced into signing those voluntary deportation papers with their kids being used as leverage. DHS didn't deny that. They actually in a statement just said, We're encouraging all people in this country whose citizenship status is in question to take advantage of that self-deportation option. But the second point you heard there is one that I've heard consistently, the political impact of all of this. I'm in Hidalgo County. It's one of roughly a dozen that shifted right during the 2024 election that President Trump won. There is big support for the president here.

And I've been hearing this sense of betrayal from the pastors you just heard from from local community members that actually supported the president in this community. community that say we were told that there was going to be a focus on criminals. We were told that he was going to go after the worst of the worst. What we're seeing isn't that. The church you see behind me, this is where that nun last month, Sister Letitia Bogia was walking when she was detained by immigration authorities. You know, what we're being told by community members is there's this perception that ICE is now going after low-hanging fruit, including people whose citizenship status is currently under review. And it feels like a sense of fear is permeating throughout this community. So it's something we've heard before.

We're still hearing. And the point that really is being hammered home is that there is going to be a political consequence ahead of the midterms when the Latinos here that supported Republicans rethink that decision. MS now reporter Namdi Iguamu. Thank you, Namdi for that report. We really appreciate it live there in Texas. And Mike Barnacle, the number of immigration detentions have gone up. There is a focus at the airports. We know quotas are. in place from Stephen Miller to DHS. But there is something I feel particularly galling that men and women of faith are now being swept up. Well, yeah, sure, that's a huge element, Jonathan. But the larger picture is that we have a federally organized group of kidnappers

called ICE. That's what they are now, kidnappers. The phrase, we're going after the worst of the worst. That was a phrase issued one year and a half ago, two years ago. But now you can see them in airports, as you've seen them, I've seen them, you've seen them. You can see them roaming streets of various cities. We hear the news reports. We see the news reports. People snatched off the sidewalks at one moment and the next two days later they're in some camp down in Louisiana or sent to a foreign country. Innocent people, they're not the worst of the worst. This is just an incredibly, incredibly ugly photograph of America in 26. And it's documented day in, day out, and it's put a stamp in people's minds that is not easily erased.

Yeah, there'll be likely political consequences, but also historical ones too. Still ahead here on Morning Joe, the leaders of the National Governors Association, join us to discuss the agenda for this year's summer gathering and where lawmakers from both sides of the aisle can find some common ground. Morning Joe, we'll be right back with that. Coming up, Emmy nominated actor Max Greenfield joins us for. the look at his new Netflix comedy that's produced by Adam Sandler. We'll bring you a sneak peek of don't say good luck straight ahead here on Morning. The National Governors Association's summer meeting begins today in Oklahoma City,

bringing together state leaders from across the country to discuss a number of issues, including the economy, workforce development, state federal partnerships, and bipartisanship. Joining us now, National Governors Association Chair, Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, and the association's vice chair, Democratic governor of Maryland, Westmore. Thank you both, Mr. Governors, for being with us this morning. Governor Stitt, we'll start with you. You're the home team there in Oklahoma. The last thing I mentioned there, bipartisan ship, it's just so rare in our polarized environment right now.

But we do see it sometimes on the state level. Talk to us, if you will, about how important it is for governors. to work together and reach across the aisle. Yeah, well, I think it's just super important. And like you said, I think Americans are craving this type of leadership that you can see a Republican and a Democrat governor that actually like each other and we're closer to our states. We believe in federalism that he knows way more about Maryland than somebody in Washington, D.C. does or that I do.

And I'm the governor of Oklahoma. And we don't have to sacrifice our beliefs or our values. and I'm always going to talk limited government lower taxes, but we can do it in a positive way and a constructive way. And I really like Westmore. We've got a great relationship. And we agree on a lot of things. And so I think Americans love seeing that at the state level

because governors have a unique perspective. We have to get stuff done. We can't just be ideologues. We can't just play politics like it seems like Washington, D.C. does a lot. Yeah, it's certainly refreshing to see. Governor Moore, question to you now. I mean, certainly one of the other items of the agenda is the state federal partnerships. You know, the Trump administration, I mean, let's be clear.

At times, his played favorites. There's been a lot of reporting this week about disaster funding not being sent to Democratic states, blue states because the president said, well, they didn't vote for him. So talk to us about the challenge there. What kind of progress can be made at something like this with your Republican brethren to try to improve those relationships with Washington? Yeah, I think one thing that we all recognize is that progress is not partisan. In order for progress to happen, it means that you need to be able to reach not just across the aisle,

but also reach out to people who might not even be politically engaged, because the truth is that people in this country, they are not playing the Washington parlor game. They just want to know who can help to deliver results from me and to my family. And there has been no doubt, and we've seen it, that there has been a measure of politicization when it comes to the relationship between the states. that I know, like, for example, in my state where, you know, we have not received federal disaster relief for historic storms that have happened in the state of Maryland. But I think one of the great things about governors is that we can show what does progress actually look like when you then turn around and protect your people. So when we're watching attacks on everything from food assistance to health insurance to what happened with flooding, for example, in the state of Maryland, that happened in a part of our state that was a deeply Republican part of our state. our state. And so what we end up doing, we use state resources to be able to make sure that we could rebuild the school, rebuild the library, dredge the creek, and ensure that those type of

tragedies don't have to happen again. And so we want to make sure that we have good, strong partnerships with our federal partners as governors. I mean, it matters to us. And at the same time, though, we want to make sure that the people of our individual jurisdictions know that we are going to fight for everybody within our jurisdictions, no matter how they voted in the last election, because that is a pledge that we took, and that is a moral obligation that is as governors that we take seriously. Governor Stead, I want to take this question to you. Mark Wayne Mullen, the DHS Secretary, is coming to speak to the governors on Saturday. And you have put together a working group of governors to discuss immigration reform and work permit reform.

Where are all of you landing when it comes to a way to secure the border, but to also have, have the workforce in America that local economies need to succeed? Yeah, well, thank you for that question. I mean, we're really excited to talk about that as governors because that's another, that's another area where Democrat governors, Republican governors, there's broad agreement. And I think most people agree Americans know that we need to have secure borders. We need to know who's coming in our country. And we believe that Trump won on that issue.

It is a very important issue. Trump's done an amazing job of securing the borders, but now what is the endgame? And we believe that the state should be more in control of workforce permits, workforce visas. And so that's something that we're pushing from the governor of Oklahoma and all over the state, Louisiana and Maryland and New York. And there's broad agreement that we're closer to our workforce, whether it's hospitality, agriculture, construction. And I think we're overthinking this issue that governor should be able to match employer with employee.

and really if you're going to be contributing, chasing the American dream, contributing to the Oklahoma economy, that's who we want here chasing the American dream. If you don't have a workforce permit, then, yeah, you don't need to be in the country because we don't have the money or the resources to take care of the entire world with our health care system, with our safety net system that we have in place. And so I think that is a, it's a very important issue. It's a sticky subject. Congress doesn't want to deal with it.

States can get this done. And that's why federalism is such an important aspect of. our democracy. You know, that theme, Governor, chasing the American dream, I'm not entirely sure that a lot of Americans who work hard and have families have time to dream anymore. But I'd like to ask the both of you, beginning with Governor Moore, in terms of your jobs, I mean, unlike people in Washington, you actually leave your office, you have to get out of the car several times a day, you have to meet ordinary citizens in Oklahoma and Maryland, and talk to them and listen to them. What's your version of what is going on out there in your state with regard to people

who get up every day, think about their families, pay their taxes, and don't have time to dream because they're worried about their kids' education? What's your version of the American dream? Wes Moore? Well, I think our version of the American dream is just simply giving people a pathway to work, wages, and wealth, a pathway to own more than they. owe a pathway to pass something off to their children besides debt and a pathway for them to have the kind of journey that I've been able to benefit from you know that I'm a kid who watched my dad die in front of me when I was three years old because he didn't get to health care he needed that I had handcuffs my wrist by the time I was 11 that I joined the army when I was 17

years old I graduated from a two-year college and now I'm the 63rd governor of my state because there were people who were willing to help me to see that the world is bigger than what was just directly in front of me. And I think that's all everyone is asking. That in Washington, oftentimes, politics is like, you know, people are talking political science 101. When in our communities, we're just talking economics 101. We just want to have an opportunity to be part of something bigger than ourselves. And it's why I think about the focus that we'll also have with the National Government Association during our talk. is going to be service united because I know service can save us because service saved me.

And we want to make sure that that spirit of service is something that's built out in this larger conversation about what does the next phase of the American journey look like. Governor Stitt? Yeah, well, my initiative this year as chairman of the National Governor Association is reigniting the American dream. So we've talked a lot about it. We're going to be rolling out a full-fledged documentary. talking about the American dream and the stories of West Moore being raised by a single mother

immigrant to this country. We've interviewed governors. We've interviewed Mark Cuban and the founder of Ritz Carlton and the mayor of this city that came here as an immigrant to people that grew up middle class on a good day that have achieved amazing things. People all around the world look at America and the opportunity that we have because of our free markets, because of the opportunity. that we have. It doesn't matter the circumstances of your birth in our country or who you're

born to. It only matters what you're willing to work hard for. And we can't lose that. I don't believe we teach our children that there's such things as equal outcomes, but we want equal opportunities for everyone and get government out of the way and let the American people go chase their American dreams. Because you're right. They're taking their kids to soccer practice, piano lessons, you know, going to work, trying to get a better life for their kids. And that's what it's all about. And so when government comes in and tries to put their thumb on the scales and change things, I think that's where we need to unleash the innovation of the American people to go achieve their American dream.

National Governor's Association Chair, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, and Vice Chair, Governor Westmore of Maryland, our thanks to you both. Thank you. Thank you. All right. And coming up next here on Morning Joe. Was you mine if I got a ride home with my friend? If I was your father, I'd say no. I'm your grandfather, so I say, you're a seatbelt.

Call me if he gets hands in. We're just running lines. Never they call it these days? Our next guest is the father and that new coming of age drominy, comedy Netflix, actor Max Greenfield joins us with a look at Don't Say Good Luck. That's next here on Morning Joe. You feel good about your audition song? I just want to be good.

Money will be. Am I allowed to say good luck? Just say break a leg. But I would be so sad if you broke your leg. You'll get over. I know. Can you please stop butt dialing me? Sophie Beerenbaum?

Pretty sick. Got the lead. Whoa. That's a look at the new coming of age. Netflix comedy drama, don't say good luck. The film follows a high school student who lands the lead role. in her school musical only for her life to be upended when her mother's cancer returns. Joining us now, one of the stars of that film, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor,

Max Greenfield, and we also just learned to the break, Nick Superfan. But there will be no discussion of that at this set today. No, no, no, no, we've spent enough time congratulating the Knicks. Max, so good to meet you. Thank you for being here. Let's just start. Tell us a little bit about your role there. and something about the emotional journey of the story.

Yeah, well, thank you for having me. I watched the clip, and every time we've done this, I keep watching the clips, and then I get emotion. Yeah, I don't blame you. Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's hard. I was like, well, I got to pull myself together. We had such a really wonderful emotional time shooting this film,

mainly because of Sonny Sandler, who stars in the movie. She is so phenomenal. Tell people who. she is. Well, she's her own person. She's Sondlander. She's a wonderful actress. She happens to have a famous dad who also produced the movie along with her mom, Jackie Sallner, who's incredible. And we were sort of invited into this family to be a part of this movie. And everyone was just, it was everyone was on the same page. And everyone was making the same movie. and we all felt as strongly about this story as the next.

And it really was such an incredible... I mean, you know, you do these movies, you never know how the experience is going to go and how it's going to translate onto screen. And we would see little pieces of the movie as we were shooting it. And, you know, making the movie felt so emotional and so real and we all loved one another.

And then we would see those pieces and you go, oh, it's so rare that what you're making, ends up on screen. You know, you're like, well, this didn't feel this way. You know, you see that, and then you watch the movie and you're like this. This is really how this turned out? And so this one really matched up. And Julia Hart, who directed the movie, did such an incredible job. And Sonny's been great in a lot of other things. I was just looking, I mean, the cast is incredible. Like, before the break, we saw Steve Semi, who we all love. Yeah, yeah. Bebe Newer's in it. You know, John Lovitz, I mean, tell us a little bit more about like, in the sort of family

atmosphere that was created there. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's about this young girl who gets the lead of her high school musical, which she so desperately wants, at the exact same time that she hears her mom's cancer has come back. And so she's trying to, like, balance these two parts of her life. And Melanie Linsky, who beautifully plays her mother and my wife in the movie, that's sort of the central relationship that we're dealing with. And it's how, you know, the family moves through this and how Sonny moves through this. And Sunny has a do so much in this movie. She sings and she sang everything on live while we were shooting the film. So we were watching her daily, you know, up there and singing and so many different

songs and environments and, you know, ones that were emotionally all, just everywhere. And so we all just sort of rallied around her and we're all so excited for her and excited for people to see what she's done in this movie. take a look at a clip where your character goes to pick up his teenage daughter after she misses curfew. This is going to be the greatest acting challenge of your young life. You know what time it is? You're supposed to be old by 9. 9 o'clock. I'm sorry, my phone was on the sunside.

Sunside. Smell that? What? Yeah. So I don't want you to give up the whole film. But what happens with your wife in the movie and the relationship with the daughter? Yeah, I mean, she, we get to experience through Sunny, you know, how this family is coping with somebody who is losing a battle to cancer. And just the slow sort of grief and acceptance, an emotional struggle that comes with that time.

and again, you know, it all comes back to Sunny and how she portrayed that and walked through that and emotionally led us in to the way that she was portraying it. It was really, it was incredible. And so, yeah, I mean, we tried to honestly tell that story in the best way that we could. And you could feel it again when we were on set. and then to see it on camera and to see the final product of this film and to see that it matched up with how we were all feeling on set is really special and we're all so proud of this film. I'm just so scared now that there's not going to be a happy ending, although I don't want you to spoil it,

but give us some kind of reassurance. Spit-take. Okay. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, look, they hired a lot of, you know, a lot of people who were known for their comedies, so hopefully... Okay, let's just keep our fingers crossed. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And we should note it's based on a real-life story that Laura Hankin. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Of the screenplay. Yeah, she did a beautiful job with this. Yeah, it's a beautiful. We could tell how much it means to you to film here. So thank you for being with us.

Yeah, no, thank you. Don't say good luck. DeVues on Netflix, August 14th, Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominated actor, Max Greenfield, Max. Max, thanks again. He'll be right back in just two minutes with some more morning, Joe. Welcome back. And Mike, we'll end this show where we began this morning, which is just that Americans not feeling great about the direction of this country. And that certainly, it's the war on Iran, but also I'd argue the display we saw on Capitol Hill yesterday, that embarrassment of a hearing involving Dr. Fauci, we have, you know, an attorney general

nominee refusing to commit to, you know, drop the slush fund and the like. And I think just Americans see this and they just turn off by all of it? Well, deservedly so. And the reference you made to what happened yesterday in the United States Senate was disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful. No matter what you think of Anthony Fauci, the man has delivered over a half of century, over 50 years of service to this country. He was originally responsible for PEPFAR with George W. Bush, which saved millions

of lives, not only in Africa, but throughout the world and AIDS. Anthony Fauci, please. I want to see what's going to happen with this. Attorney General will vote, though, today. It really is going to be something if Cornyn does torpedo it. But also if Todd Blanche lets himself be torpedoed over the Weaponization Act. It's been postponed for now, but we're going to watch developments on the Hill all day long here on MS now. And we'll bring you the latest, well morning, Joe, tomorrow, 6 a.m. Eastern. Money, power, politics with Stephanie Rule is up next after a short final break. See you tomorrow.