"Tsunami Of Lies": The Week In Donald Trump | Morning Joe | MSNBC
Todays installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Donald Trump said on CNBC this morning that he saw his doctor last week for a physical and he intends to release the results sometime this week. In an interesting approach to transparency, the Republican said he expects to report good statistics. Otherwise I wouldnt be telling you I did this.* Also this morning, Trump, who apparently knows practically nothing about monetary policy, accused President Obama of keeping interest rates down something the Republican expects to address if inaugurated in January.* One more: Trump, true to form, called Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Pocahontas during his CNBC interview.* Michael Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA, and Mike Vickers, the former undersecretary of defense, argued in a Washington Post op-ed that Trump is unqualified for the presidency. Among other things, they pointed to Trumps affection for Vladimir Putin.* Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican Partys vice presidential nominee, released a decades worth of tax returns late Friday. His running mate still refuses to do the same.* For anti-Trump Republicans, Libertarian Gary Johnson seems like a possible alternative, though it didnt help his case when GOP insiders noticed he asked on MSNBC last week, What is Aleppo?* In Iowa, a new poll from Simpson College and RABA Research shows Trump leading Clinton among Hawkeye State voters by one point, both in head-to-head and four-way match-ups. The latest poll from the Quad City Times, however, shows Clinton ahead in Iowa by two points.* On a related note, that Quad City Times poll found Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) up by six over Patty Judge (D) in Iowas U.S. Senate race, 49% to 43%.* And in Alaska, six years after Joe Miller won the Republican Senate nomination before losing to Lisa Murkowskis write-in candidacy, Miller is back, this time as the Libertarian nominee.
Body Camera Video In Alton Sterling Shooting May Not Be Available | MSNBC About a month ago, on the heels of the mass shooting in Orlando, House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) raised a few eyebrows by arguing that the murders werent related to the LGBT community. It was a young persons nightclub, Im told, the congressman said overlooking the fact that Pulse described itself as the hottest gay bar in Orlando.Nearly five weeks later, Sessions told MSNBC, in the wake of the murder of five police officers in Dallas, that he was concerned that officers let their guard down.Perhaps realizing that the comment didnt make any sense, his office clarified soon after that the Texas Republican did not have all of the facts of the case when he made the comment.When MSNBC asked about how a Trump administration might handle these kinds of situations, Sessions initially talked about singling out the most effective police departments as a model for others to follow, before taking his answer in a stranger direction.
This is done not through America having a terrible unemployment problem. Its done through having a vibrant, strong nation where people help each other. And I think Donald Trump will bring 10 million new jobs to America. And we desperately need GDP growth and jobs.
I watched the clip a few times, trying to make heads or tails of this, but Im still not sure what Sessions is trying to say. Putting aside the fact that Trump lacks a credible economic plan one recent independent estimate found that Trumps economic vision would likely create heavy job losses the truth is, the job market has already improved dramatically under President Obama. Since the end of the recession, the U.S. economy has created 14 million jobs, but that hasnt stopped mass shootings.
Addressing societal challenges like these is incredibly difficult, but to assume that Trump has a solution, and that Trump can lower unemployment beyond Obamas successes, is a mistake.
Postscript: Following up on our recent coverage, for those unfamiliar with Sessions background, in 2014,Sessions became strikingly confused about what a witch hunt is. The year before, Sessions said he believes its immoral to extend jobless aid to long-term unemployments [sic]. Around the same time, the congressman said the House should stop worrying about governing and focus exclusively on messaging.Last year,the Texas Republican said he holds President Obama personally accountable for murders committed by undocumented immigrants, pointing to imaginary evidence. Sessions then insistedthe Affordable Care Act costs Americans$5 million per person. (Hewas only off by $4,991,000.)
Donald Trump Get-Rich-Quick Scheme Exposed | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC It was already a tragic week in the United States, with the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota in police shootings. These tragedies prompted a series of protests in communities nationwide last night, nearly all of which were held peacefully and without incident.In Dallas, however, terror struck. NBC News reported:
Downtown Dallas was in lockdown early Friday after snipers shot 11 officers, five fatally, during a protest over deadly police shootings of black men elsewhere.
Three people were in custody and a fourth suspect exchanged gunfire with authorities in a parking garage at El Centro Community College into the morning, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
NBC Dallas Fort-Worth reported the fourth suspect had been neutralized at around 2:45 a.m. (3:45 ET). Earlier, he had told police negotiators that the end is coming and that there are bombs all over the place in this garage and downtown, Brown said.
As is always the case after a tragedy of this scale, many of the details are still coming together, but reports indicate that multiple snipers targeted law enforcement last night during a peaceful protest. This morning, extensive sweeps of the downtown area are still underway.
While the casualty count may yet change, this was the deadliest attack on American law enforcement since 9/11.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said, Our worst nightmare happened.
President Obama, in Poland for a NATO conference, spoke to Rawlings directly this morning, and condemned the vicious, callous and despicable attack.
The president went on to tell reporters, There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. Anyone involved in the senseless murders will be held fully accountable. Justice will be done. Referring to law enforcement officials, Obama added, Today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices they make for us. When people say black lives matter, it doesnt mean that blue lives dont matter.
There will plenty of discussion going forward as we learn more about last nights murders and what can be done to prevent future violence, but there are some early indications that some intend to take the debate in an ugly direction.
Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, wrote via social media last night in response to the Dallas slayings, This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you.Perhaps realizing that these are the kind of remarks that invite a visit by the Secret Service, the former GOP lawmaker deleted the message soon after, but added a related comment, insisting the presidents rhetoric is responsible for the murders of police officers.
I suspect most reasonable observers will agree comments like these are as irresponsible as they are insane, and we can hope that the broader discussion goes in a more sensible direction.
Mika: Hillary Clinton Couldn"t Get Bernie-Sized Crowd | Morning Joe | MSNBC The failure of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownbacks (R) economic experiment should be pretty obvious to everyone by now. By slashing taxes far more than the state could afford, the Republican governor has generated debt downgrades, weak growth, and state finances in shambles.During his re-election bid last year, Brownback assured Kansans his plan would create 25,000 jobs in the state per year. The Kansas City Star reported last week, however, that job growth in the state over the last 12 months was 0.0%.To appreciate just how ridiculous conditions have become, consider the fact that even Brownbacks allies are giving up on his failed policy. The Kansas Associated Pressreported yesterday:
After he became Kansas governor in 2011, Sam Brownback slashed personal income taxes on the promise that the deep cuts would trigger a furious wave of hiring and expansion by businesses.
But the shot of adrenaline hasnt worked as envisioned, and the state budget has been in crisis ever since. Now many of the same Republicans who helped pass Brownbacks plan are in open revolt, refusing to help the governor cut spending so he can avoid rolling back any of his signature tax measures.
The key element in this controversy, even more than the growth failures, is state finances. Brownback assumed that massive and unaffordable tax breaks would not only boost Kansas economy, they would also largely pay for themselves through new jobs and tax receipts from economic activity. When none of those benefits materialized, the governor and the Republican-led legislature faced a massive budget shortfall, which necessitated big cuts to things like education and transportation.
The more Brownbacks policy failed, the more Kansas had to cut. The state has now reached the point at which the budget mess is no better Kansas has missed revenue projections in 11 of the last 12 months and the governor is calling for even more cuts.
Republican state lawmakers have come up with a new response to Brownbacks latest request: Um, no.
If Brownback wont reconsider any of the tax cuts, they say, he will have to figure out for himself how to balance the budget in the face of disappointing revenue. Let him own it, Republican Rep. Mark Hutton said. Its his policy that put us there. []
Were growing weary, said Senate President Susan Wagle, a conservative Republican from Wichita. While GOP legislators still support low income taxes, wed prefer to see some real solutions coming from the governors office, she said.
Or put another way, Brownbacks plan leave his massive tax cuts in place, while cutting public investments even more is no longer seen as a real solution.
Also note, the alliance between the governors office and the GOP-dominated legislature is supposed to be unshakable. Lets not forget that in his first term, Brownback identified moderate Republican lawmakers and pushed them out of the legislature, replacing them with far-right ideologues whod be more inclined to do his bidding.
And now even some of these Republican allies of the governor are no longer willing to follow him off the cliff.
About a month ago, New York published a good piece arguing that the Republican Party must answer for what it did to Kansas. As things stand, many GOP legislators would prefer to avoid the question and put the onus on Brownback, not the party.
FULL MSNBC Democratic Debate: Hillary Clinton VS Bernie Sanders - New Hampshire Feb. 4, 2016
The Rachel Maddow Show, 2/9/16, 9:54 PM ET
Maddow: Sanders gives liberals a mainstream voice
Rachel Maddow remarks on the lack of liberal representation in mainstream politics and notes that Bernie Sanders has given voice to a new generation of liberals who dont have to feel excluded from mainstream politics.
There are plenty of questions about what happens now in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, and those questions matter. But before looking ahead, its worth pausing to appreciate just how impressive Bernie Sanders landslide win in New Hampshire really is.
For one thing, this would have been very hard to predict when the race got underway in earnest several months ago. Hillary Clinton, who won the New Hampshire primary eight years ago, appeared to have an insurmountable lead over a 74-year-old socialist senator, who was believed to be running as a protest candidate, simply looking for a platform for his ideas. And yet, as the dust settles, Sanders appears to have finished with a roughly 22-point victory.
For another, consider that margin in a historical context. Among New Hampshire Democrats, the biggest win ever for a non-incumbent was Michael Dukakis 16-point victory in 1988. Sanders defeated that record easily. In fact heres the really amazing part Sanders 22-point win is actually larger than some of the Democratic primaries in which an incumbent Dem president faced a challenger: Jimmy Carter won by 10 points in 1980 and Lyndon Johnson won by 8 points in 1968.
Exit polls offer us some sense of how the Vermont independent pulled it off.
Values and demographics shaped the strong support Bernie Sanders received Tuesday in New Hampshire, according to the NBC News Exit Poll of Granite State Democrats.
The Vermont senator won 83 percent of millennial voters under the age of 30. He also won 66 percent of voters who describe themselves as very liberal, and at the same time took 72 percent of self-described independents.
That last point is of particular interest. Among New Hampshire Democrats, Clinton and Sanders actually tied, but independents voted in the primary and propelled Sanders to his record victory.
Having set the stage, lets now consider the What It All Means question.
For Sanders supporters, its quite simple: the senators easy win in New Hampshire, coupled with a strong, second-place showing in Iowa, means Sanders has the momentum h**l need to win the Democratic nomination.
And that may yet happen. But some caution is in order.
Following up on our post-Iowa coverage, FiveThirtyEights Nate Silver published a piece back in July noting that Sanders is strongest in states where the universe of Democratic voters is very white and very liberal. Based on previous performance, that means the three best states in the Union for the senator are, in order, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Iowa.
This is no small detail. It means that, other than his own home state, Iowa and New Hampshire are quite literally the two strongest states in the nation for Sanders.
Sanders and his capable campaign team know exactly what they have to do as the race shifts to less-friendly terrain expand the senators base of support, connect with constituencies that have not yet been as receptive to his message, etc. but pulling it off is much easier said than done.
Hillary Clinton"s Campaign Taps Into Supporters" Enthusiasm | MSNBC
First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the days most important political stories and why they matter.
This story has been updated to reflect results with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
Why Clintons apparent win feels more like a loss
Who knew that Donald Trumps defeat last night in Iowa would be only the SECOND-most dramatic story of the evening? The most dramatic one was the announcement by NBC News, just before 4:00 am ET, declaring Hillary Clinton the apparent winner on the Democratic side, with Clinton getting 699.57 state delegate equivalents to Bernie Sanders 695.49, with 2.28 still outstanding. (Now with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton has been awarded700.59state delegate equivalents to Sanders 696.82.)Yes, a win is a win for the Clinton campaign. And yes, that razor-thin margin points to Sanders limitations in states other than Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont. But there are three reasons why this apparent victory for Clinton feels more like a loss. One, theres already controversy, with the Sanders camp alleging that due to Iowa Democratic Party mismanagement, reports were late coming in from about 90 precincts, per NBCs Danny Freeman. And in an interview with NBCs Kasie Hunt, Sanders didnt rule out challenging the results. Two, winning essentially by one vote (err, five state delegate equivalents) instead of 1 percentage point, denied Clinton the opportunity to use ANY win as momentum heading into New Hampshire, where Sanders enjoys a sizable lead. And three, if you dont want to take our word for it, heres the attitude inside Clinton Land. Clinton advisers said they did not know if a significant staff shakeup was at hand, but they said that the Clintons were disappointed with Monday nights result and wanted to ensure that her organization, political messaging and communications strategy were in better shape for the contests to come, theNew York Times writes.
But that doesnt mean that Sanders apparent loss is a win
You have to give the Sanders campaign a lot of credit: Its revolution turned more than anyone had expected. (Turnout according to the state party was 171,109 not the nearly 240,000 from 2008, but certainly more than the 124,000 from 2004). But we stand by what we wrote yesterday: If Sanders is going to win the Democratic nomination, he needed a clear win, a la Barack Obama, to transform the races in more diverse states like South Carolina, where an NBC/WSJ/Marist poll last week found Clinton ahead, 64%-27%. Essentially tying Clinton in Iowa a very white and very liberal state points to Sanders ceiling in states outside of New Hampshire and Vermont. And that wont be good enough, especially with Clintons expected superdelegate advantage. As the late (and great) Darrell Royal used to say, a tie is like kissing your sister. And thats the reality this morning for both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns.
Lets get ready for the first one-on-one Democratic debate Thursday!
And what is better than just having a virtual tie in Iowa on the Democratic side? How about the first one-on-one debate between Clinton and Sanders on Thursday night that will be moderated by NBCs Chuck Todd and MSNBCs Rachel Maddow in Durham, NH? (Martin OMalley, the third Democrat in the race, dropped out last night.) By the way, look at these fascinating divides from the exit polls:
Clinton won among Democrats, 56%-39%
Sanders won among independents, 69%-26%
Sanders won among very liberal, 58%-39%
Clinton won among somewhat liberals, 50-44%, and moderates, 58%-35%
Clinton won among past caucus-goers, 59%-35%
Sanders won among first-time caucus-goers, 59%-37%
Sanders won among those ages 17-29, 84%-14%
Clinton won among those 65 and older, 69%-26%
Cruz took a punch from Trump, others and won
Turning to the Republican results out of Iowa, the pressure was on Cruz to win, and he passed the test, proving the polls and pundits wrong by defeating Trump. More than anything else, Cruz took punches from Trump (on the birther issue), from the states Republican governor (on ethanol), and from the news media and pundits (on his debate performance, his poll position). And guess what he won. It proves that Cruz is resilient, and hes punched his ticket into the future rounds.
Photos from the Iowa campaign trail
As Iowans prepare to cast the first votes of the 2016 presidential election, Democrat and Republican candidates have been blanketing the state.
Pressures now on Trump (to finish first in New Hampshire)
And so now the pressure is on Trump to even the score in New Hampshire, where he has enjoyed a sizable lead in the polls. Well give Trump this: He was bold trying to win a state where evangelicals and conservative Republicans usually dominate all in an effort to run the table in the first two contests. But theres a big danger for the candidate whose brand is all about winning to fall to second place in the first nominating race. And so next weeks New Hampshire primary is key for him. Our questions: How does he campaign this week? How does he fix his organizational deficiencies? And who, exactly, does he target on the GOP side?
Pressures now on Rubio (to get second in New Hampshire)
The question for Marco Rubio heading into last night was if hed have a strong third-place finish (or maybe even second place), or if it would be more of a disappointing third. Well, it was the former, with Rubio just one percentage point behind Trump - Cruz 28%, Trump 24%, Rubio 23%. While were not going to treat Rubios third-place finish as a victory, it does position him well in the upcoming states. And it puts pressure on him to finish second in New Hampshire, which would truly make him the establishment alternative in the field.
Your three-way GOP race?
By the way, the exit polls maybe revealed your three-way GOP race over the next couple of months. Cruz won among VERY conservatives - 44% to 21% for Trump and 15% for Rubio; Rubio won among SOMEWHAT conservatives - 29% to Trumps 24% and Cruzs 19%; and Trump won among MODERATES - 34%, to Rubios 28% and Cruzs 9%.
The public polls were wrong, especially on the Republican side
Finally, as you know, we love everything about polls at First Read. So we have to admit that last nights polls, especially on the Republican side, were wrong including from the gold standard Des Moines Register. Indeed, the last eight Iowa polls that meet our standards all had Trump in the lead. But he finished second. We all have some explaining to do.
Countdown to NBC/MSNBC debate in New Hampshire: 2 days
Bernie Sanders" Unconventional Rise To The White House | Morning Joe | MSNBC
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MSNBCs Joe Scarborough said that there are more explosive revelations to come out of the Hillary Clinton email saga on top of the announcement that there were 22 top secret emails on Clintons serverFriday.
Monday on Morning Joe, panelist and Bloomberg Politics managing editor Mark Halperin said that even if Bernie Sanders loses todays Iowa caucus he can go forward with lots of money, with debates on the schedule and see are there are developments in the legal front that allow him to start to win even after tonight if he doesnt win.(VIDEO: MSNBC: FBIs Hillary Investigation Far More Advanced Than Public Knows)
Halperin argued, Theres an undefined element in [the Democrats]campaign that will impact the campaign sooner or later and thats whats going to happen in the Justice Department. I mean, you can just sense among Democrats theyre right on the edge of their seats trying to figure out what will happen and what determining factor thats going to play in the nomination process.(RELATED: Reports: Some Of Hillary Clintons Emails Are Too Damaging To National Security To Release)
Scarboroughthen toutedhis claim from last Friday morningabout how there were more revelations.
By the end of the day Friday, the State Department announced that they were unable to release 22 of Clintons emails because they would compromise national security if they were released, even in part.(RELATED: Rep. Issa: FBI Would Like To Indict Both Huma [Abedin] And Hillary Clinton)
Halperin added that there are more problems with [Clintons]emails, more questions about how it was handled. Look, the legal calendar, we dont know what it is. We know the political calendar, Bernie Sanders announced yesterday hes raised $20 million this month. Hes forced Secretary Clinton to agree to more debates into the spring. So Bernie Sanders, even if he loses here tonight can go forward with lots of money, with debates on the schedule, and see are there are developments in the legal front that allow him to start to win even after tonight if he doesnt win here.(RELATED: State Dept. Records Show John Kerry Sent Hillary A SECRET Email From His iPad)
Everybody in the government, everybody in the media, everybody that runs anything is talking about how advanced this investigation is, and nobodys telling the American people about it, Scarborough argued. So I had an executive in another network ask, Is it safe to talk about it now? So we talked about it. And then that afternoon, explosive revelations came out, and there are more.(RELATED: Four Sid Blumenthal Emails In Latest Clinton Release Are COMPLETELY Classified)
Panelist John Heilemann added, And Ill tell you, to me the most interesting thing about that is that in the last 48 hours when Bernie Sanders has been asked about the Hillary Clinton email thing, having famously in the debate a few months ago said, Dont worry about it. No one wants to hear about your emails. Asked about it a couple of days ago, he said, Oh, I dont think its irrelevant at all, theres a process playing out here. Bernie Sanders now edging towards kind of retracting his Nobody cares about your dam emails thing. You can easily imagine Sanders not attacking her personally on this but him now saying, Hey look, this is something we have to think about and bring into a discussion in a more active way."
When Bernie Sanders is hearing from top leaders in the Obama administration that this is further along than expected, he doesnt want to be caught saying its not a big deal and then having the FBI suggest it is, Scarborough said. (VIDEO: Bernie Sanders Says Hes Tired Of Hearing About Hillarys d**n Emails)
Another Morning Joe panelist, Mike Barnicle insisted, Theres just too much buzz around it from all different levels of government, media, and everything to ignore it, and Bernie is no longer ignoring it. (VIDEO: Bernie Sanders: Hillary Clinton Is The Problem)
