frontrunners for the 2024 republican nomination, even though only one of them is officially in the race. ahead, a veteran gop strategist explains why desantis is stealing some of trump s thunder. meanwhile, election deniers are celebrating after three states pulled out of a program to protect voter rolls with two more states considering joining them. we ll explain this latest development. plus, we ll go through the changes norfolk southern is making following the derailment of two of its trains in ohio. and we ll ask transportation secretary pete buttigieg about the federal response to the disaster and how to prevent another one from happening when he joins us later this morning. and good morning and welcome to morning joe. it is tuesday, march 7th. we are live in abu dhabi, the crossroads of the world. it truly is, with our 30/50
behind you. unbelievable. they weren t here when we were here six months ago. this is an extraordinary again, we talked about crossroads of the world. i can t believe the growth. even from when i saw you here six months ago. literally month to month. when you talk about boom town, this is it. it s a boom town. obviously, it s a boomtown because of oil, but it is becoming a boomtown because of trade. this is a country that figured out that, long term, having low taxes, free trade, is a recipe for growth. that s why this is a great place to come here. a, logistically, you can get here, nonstop flight from anywhere in the world, but spirituality, this is a place where the whole world comes through, passes through, right around there. one other quick thing about oil. you brought up oil. they understand. they project maybe they have two decades, 25 years worth of oil
that s coming up. sandra: also times square, one of the busiest places on earth. crowds are tourists were not enough to keep a gunman from opening fire in the crossroads of the world. one of the violent crimes now commonplace in the nation s largest city. john: and just one of the millions of reasons lady gaga s father says the big apple is rotten to the core. he owns a restaurant in new york city and says the place is going to pot. lady gaga s father coming up, to explain.
the buildings remind you of how unimportant you are, because you re so tiny. in this big, incredible city, when you see it, it makes you want to come and see it. it makes you curious about it. it makes it something bigger than life. i have strong feelings about new york, everything that makes up new york. we re the crossroads of the world. this is the center of the universe. i mean, there is no place that gets more people from more different places. you sort of get, like, a view of the whole world by just standing there and walking around. it s really my deep passion, the love for the people of this city, and the love of this city.
sixth avenue. the crossroads of the world. we re currently in new york city according to my apple watch, it is 41 degrees. and we re going to go for a high of 46. ainsley: crazy, it s january! usually this month and next month are so cold, we haven t even had snow yet. steve: i was just looking. you know who orlando is named after? orlando reeves. i thought tony orlando when i was a kid. orlando reeves was an army century killed during the war. that s why they call it orlando. brian: one thing about orlando, people say it s so new and there s not much history there. go to orange park. that s great little town with a lot of rich history. if disney doesn t float your boat and universal doesn t get you excited. ainsley: great little surroundings, little neighborhoods outside of orlando. steve: and you know what? as we look at this live picture, nobody there pays state tax. ainsley: i know. steve: jackpot, ladies and gentlemen! ainsley: they re the smart ones.