leader. >> always the charmer. there is news. >> we're not going to lose this. >> will you commit to making sure there is a peaceful transfer of power after the election? >> we have to see what happens. >> oh, a cliffhanger. will the president of the united states let democracy run its course? we'll find out on the next depressing episode of "this week in covid history." >> seems like last year. good morning. welcome to "morning joe." wednesday, september 22nd. things look different. history being made this morning. this is the first -- well, this is the second time that we've been in this studio since willie, i guess -- >> moon landing. >> it looks a little -- >> well, third time. the suez crisis, number one. >> yeah. >> the moon landing, number two. then we were allowed back into this studio when news broke that bianca jagger rode the horse through studio 54. that was the third event. >> right. >> we put it above the moon landing and the suez crisis, right? >> we rushed into the bureau. with word at that -- >> i was in wyoming shooting whatever you shoot in wyoming. what do they shoot out there, buffalo, elk? >> whales? >> i don't know. >> clay pigeons. >> luckily, richard was at studio 54 that night. he and eliza were updates, saw bianca riding the horse. >> i didn't want to drop names. >> but you were there. >> i'm of that generation. >> of that generation. >> one problem with this studio. >> what? >> it's a big problem. >> oh, no. >> seriously, guys. can't you see it? >> no. >> joe has to wear pants now. >> oh. >> that's not a problem. >> i don't know, does he? >> all of you do. >> oh. >> i think i agree with alex. i don't know that's a problem. >> you'll have to fully dress, head to toe. >> let's just talk about other things right now. >> the studio is beautiful by the way. >> remember the last time we had studio here, we had michael bloomberg come. >> that's right. >> eric adams is going to be here today. guy who has a 50/50 chance of being -- >> slight favorite. >> 50.1. >> yup. >> "the new york times" meter has him at, you know, what, 99.999%. yeah, what's that? okay. carol meryl or something is walking out of that door. oh, t.j., you're showing the studio. it is certainly vibrant. >> let's get back. >> 5:00 a.m., i did a walkaround. >> oh. >> i did hits from a variety of the studio, showing it off, getting my steps in. >> that's really good. you're versatile. very versatile. >> can i walk and talk right now? i'm not going to. i'm too old to do that. let's talk about baseball. do you have the first pitch? first, i want to show willie. >> oh, conner. >> conner's first pitch? >> oh. >> this was 50 cent, conner, barack obama. >> wee! >> oh, be nice. >> it's hard to figure out. >> over the top. >> again, you want -- okay, here we go. >> oh, he's a lefty. >> oh. >> wow. >> that's a velocity. >> i guess. >> wow, geez. >> he does have a broken leg. that's a defense that was offered. >> it's not a broken arm. >> that's not a good defense. >> 50's is worse. he threw it at a 90 degree angle to the dugout. >> look -- >> kids, kids, come over the top, okay? just like that. >> that's it. >> slide, like that. you have to go back, and you have to come over the top. willie -- >> schedule your tommy john surgery. >> yeah. let's talk baseball for a second. >> yeah. >> first of all -- >> red sox are on fire. >> doing all right. the toronto bluejay thing, it is the scene out of butch cassidy and the sundance kid. they're looking back, who are those guys? bluejays keep coming, willie. they just keep winning. >> they're a really, really good team. the red sox are so hot, the jays are in second place. the wild card would be at fenway if it were played today. ian yankees have a tough schedule. to fenway for three. to toronto for three. they end the season at home against the first place rays. the yankees have, by far, the most difficult schedule. it'll be tough for them to catch up. >> the red sox, jonathan, have been blessed with an easy schedule going in. we had three with baltimore, a day off, two against the mets who were cold, a day off, three with the yankees. we don't know how that'll go. a day off. three more with the orioles in the american league. then a day off. then we have three with the nats who are also cold. we apparently played all our tough games early. we're lined up pretty well, but that means absolutely nothing in boston. >> probably means the collapse will be that much more heartbreaking. yeah, the bluejays have gone 16-4 this month. >> fair in saying. >> yeah, the red sox are playing better. they've got their guys back from the covid list. they came back against the mets last night. important win. the yankees, i'll say the schedule is tougher but rays may not have anything to play for in the last couple games. may have locked everything up. the series at fenway looks as gigantic. bluejays, maybe they'll be playing for the wild card. >> you have the yankees and the red sox playing to get into the playoffs, to stay alive at fenway. >> played in the playoffs in 2018. >> yeah. >> this is the biggest regular season series in a number of years. >> i can't think exactly, but it is going to swing one way or the other. red sox, two out of three, and the series is probably over for the yankees. they have to go to toronto after that for a chance. a little bit of trouble. >> we had a chance against the weaker teams and didn't take advantage of it. >> yeah. anything out of the world of tennis since you're -- >> it's golf actually. ryder cup this weekend. it's not tennis, it is golf. smaller ball. >> uh-huh, yeah. >> they use this other thing. >> same thing, guys. it's always the follow through, okay? it's just throwing, swinging. it's the follow through. >> this is a chance to repair alliance relations. this is a big weekend. >> are you saying we throw it? >> definitely not. no, this is big. this is big. this is one of the premier weekends of the year for those of us who follow this sport. >> those of you who set up at the club. >> tea sandwiches. i know you like those, joe. >> in the south, it'd be cheese sandwiches. >> exactly. >> paisley smoking jacket in the club. i want to talk about relations. we had the french ambassador of the united states in the u.s. yesterday. i had disagreements with a lot of people on this one. they said it's just business. the australians sold the french their diesel. submarines were as loud as my lobster boat. wasn't going to sneak up on anybody. >> that's pretty loud. >> it is loud. i understand that. but this whole idea that, oh, we thought the australians were going to talk to our oldest ally. oh, we thought australians were going to talk to our most important nato ally. oh -- >> they did, though, by the way. >> the australians did too late. like, this is what i don't understand, richard. how do you have one of your oldest and one of your, i would say, two, three most value allies on the planet, how do you have them on the outside of a conversation, then they just learn suddenly that they've lost a $50 billion, $60 billion deal? that seems bush league. >> do things happen that way? >> it did. bush league is too high of a compliment for the way they handled this. >> there's no reason to. >> no reason. >> look, it's not about the submarines. australia made ultimately -- it'll take long, long time for the submarines to be built and show up there. they're quieter than your lobster boat and have great range. >> not greater range than my lobster boat but greater range than what the french were building. >> you didn't just find out a week or two ago. you've known it for a long time. you talk to the french, two things. why couldn't the french be part of the new grouping? australia, united states, and the united kingdom. bring the french in. >> there are no hard set rules. that's what i don't understand. when you go into a deal, your goal is to make everybody a winner. there is no reason why the united states and australia, who, by the way, a remarkable ally, this is all on us. there's no reason why australia, the united states, even great britain couldn't sit down with france and say, listen, they don't want your subs. let's figure something else out together. because what we're facing with china is so important. we can't have any space between any of us. >> exactly right. you find some other defense sale, a consolation prize. that's what diplomacy is all about. also, consultations is not when you inform somebody after it's begun to leak. consultations are what you do weeks, months in avance. you say, let's see if we can find a plan b. it may not be your preference. >> there has to be a make good. we have money. >> exactly. right now, it also comes against the backdrop of other things, and we need the europeans on the same page of china. this is driving us further apart. >> while we're on the topic, in washington, we have white house reporter for the "washington post." anne, is there anything we're missing? this seems rather lurchy, to say the least. was there more prep than the french are giving into? they seem completely gob smacked. >> reporter: one, the french sub deal was troubled quite some long time ago, stuck in court. none of these subs have actually been delivered. so one thing that you hear from u.s. officials sort of whispering is the french should not have been in any way surprised that this deal was going to go sideways and australia would pick something else. that said, every part of your previous conversation with richard is right. there was a failure here to inform the french early enough on, bring them on board in some other capacity. prevent what really is an amazing breach. the ambassador has never been recalled from the united states until now. i mean, it didn't happen under donald trump, right, when relations objectively were much worse. the fact that the french felt they needed to do that as a real warning sign to joe biden is something that this administration is really reeling from. i asked the french foreign minister how it got this bad the other day. his basic answer was, you know, alliances -- in an alliance, you talk to one another. allies talk to one another. they didn't talk to us. a whole lot of this could have been avoided if they'd simply done that. >> it didn't happen during the trump administration. my god, it didn't even happen when de gaulle was running france. a man who decided at times to be neutral in the cold war. >> right. >> tell me, jonathan, what is the make-good? the white house has to do a make-good for france. >> yeah. >> is anybody talking that way over there? is anybody talking that way at the state department? because let me get to the end of this for them, if they don't know, they've got to do a make-good. obviously, washington has money. let's figure out how to do a make-good because we screwed up. we went behind their back. if this was so obvious, we should have been able to say, "you know you're not getting the australian deals." they didn't do that. >> they did not do that. to this point, they've been defensive of how it went down. the make-good, if one is to come, is not on the horizon. biden is expected to speak with french president maron later in the week. his speeches were with the ministers of australia and the united kingdom, aukus. some said just add france there, faukus. easy enough. >> careful. >> the french are angry how they're kept in the dark and almost fragrantly. >> that's what is unforgivable. biden is talking to macron, and on that same day, they're talking in person and he's letting macron say, "thank god you're here. thank god this alliance is back where it needs to be. thank god you give a damn about what your european allies think." on that very day, they're stabbing them in the back. >> i was there. it was in cornwall for the g-7. macron and biden are sitting on beach chairs with the sea behind them, expressing their friendship and everlasting alliance. macron saying, "look, we can count on the u.s. again." later that day is exactly when biden met with morrison and johnson, australia, uk, and u.s. started hammering out that deal. the same day. french are going to be angry. there needs to be fence mending. this will not be a permanent splintering of the alliance, but it didn't go down well. there is recognition that is the case. >> willie, it's got to be egregious to recall an ambassador. this is a real sign they are incredibly angry and put off. what i don't understand is that, on one side, i'm hearing experts say the french should have known, and the on the other side, i'm hearing experts say, the administration, reporters say that they were completely blindsided. which one is it? >> yeah. the white house says it is surprised by how surprised france is. you don't hear allies this close, richard, saying things in public like, "this is a knife in the back. this is a betrayal. this is a fraying of our alliance." sometimes the conversations happen privately, but these weren't leaked or reported. it was public comments from the minister of france, saying, our long-time friends stuck a knife in our back. >> the issue came up, and american officials kind of played blind, deaf, and dumb. never said, "oh, by the way, we're going to crash on this." there was no heads-up. secondly, you have an election in france coming up next year. this is the last thing macron, who is very closely tied in the polls to the far right, he doesn't need for the right to be able to stand up, "look how france is now getting on in the world." that explains the theater of the french reaction. they have a domestic problem. i'd go to macron, "look, we screwed up. how do we help you now? what would help you, given your domestic political thing? we do not want the far right to be the next government of france. whatever we've had now is a tea party compared to what u.s.-french relations would be, what it would mean for nato." the united states needs to help macron. >> do we want le pen's party, you know, running france and nato? you know, willie, let's just play the game we seem to play every four and a half years. the old, imagine if this happened with the last administration. can you imagine the outcry if donald trump had blundered this badly in dealing with an ally, stabbed them in the back like this, and broke off relations? i can't. i mean, there would be howling from the mountaintops for six months. for good reason. >> yup. >> for good reason. there is no explaining this away. you don't treat allies this way. you don't stab them in the back. really, the most offensive thing is, they had meetings beforehand. they didn't bring it up. they played dumb. then, my god, the fact that he's at a summit with macron, and then he comes off after macron. >> okay. we do know the reality of the subs, right? there were some issues. >> mika. >> the french knew that. they weren't completely blind to that, were they? >> mika -- >> it's not black and white. >> it is black and white. talk to your ally. i know you're doing your best, but this is -- >> i just -- >> this is just -- >> i feel there is more to the story. that's all. >> it's not about the subs. it's about how you simply manage the fact that there's good reason the deal ended up the way it did. >> yeah. >> question was, since you knew it'd cause major problems, how do you manage it? >> yeah. >> it was ironic, it happens right after afghanistan, which was another trumpian sort of mis-handling of allies. and really funny, what did biden talk about at the u.n.? relentless diplomacy. the contrast between the words yesterday and these problems with our oldest allies can hardly be more stark. >> again, willie, you don't talk to macron at a summit and then go behind his back and steal a $50 billion, $60 billion deal. by the way, as i said before, if it is so obvious, let's get everybody around the table. we're all here. why don't we get around the table and talk? listen, you guys have a problem with australia. they want our subs. we understand this is going to cause domestic problems at home. this deal is going to go through. they're going to buy our subs. only question is, before we get out of this room, how do we do a make-good for you, so you're part of this deal? you're so important to us, we want you to be part of this deal. it wasn't hard to do. >> the question is why, why did it happen this way? was it incompetence? there are experienced people in the state department, inside the biden administration. was it arrogance? was it taking an ally for granted, saying they'll be fine, it's france? we're always going to be close allies. we can plow forward? it just doesn't make sense that a group of experiencd diplomats would let it go down this way. >> i bet you wish we were talking about baseball. there has to be a make-good. they have to help macron get out of his domestic corner so this partnership can be back. again, we're moving forward together. we have a much bigger problem here. >> i think there is a bigger story. >> it's china. >> i'm not making a defense for it, and china is the focus, but i think there might be more to this. i'll go to the white house and ask. who knows? i just don't understand how this seems so ham-fisted. maybe it is. maybe it is. it just seems like there's more. >> china is the priority for this administration's foreign policy. my sense is they wanted to announce this new arrangement, and they basically said, the french aren't going to do it and we're just going to do it. >> yeah. >> the priority is to get the u.s., aaustralia, uk on one place. we're paying a price worth paying. i think it was an unnecessary price. >> this is how the rest of the week is going to go. willie is going to be reporting from new york. mika in a very, i think, eisenhower type declaration, said, "i shall go to the white house." >> i know. >> i shall go to finley. enjoy the white house. >> we'll have the show in three cities. what else is new? let's move on to other news now. in an infamous post-election news conference, the trump campaign allowed its lawyers to claim voting machine company dominion voting systems conspired with the software company smartmatic to rig the election outcome, even though the trump campaign knew six days before the news conference the claim was false. "the new york times" is reporting -- >> hold on a second. hold on, hold on. >> okay. >> let's stop for a second. >> i got through one line. >> hold on. >> it was hot in there that day. >> here's the deal. >> it was very hot. >> at one time, at one time, at one time, he was america's mayor. >> he was. >> so because of that, i'm going to ask you, when we're reading about rudy, we don't show -- what was the -- >> it was the hair dye. >> the hair dye? >> the comb-in stuff. >> by the grace of god. let's not show that for rudy's sake. >> try it again? >> yeah. let's see. you don't have to show him standing on top of rubble on anything like that. let's see if we can do that without the hair dye. >> taking it from the top? >> that'll be me soon. that'll be me in months. i want putin tight shots. do we have shirtless on a pony? >> no. i don't want to see that. in a now infamous post-election news conference, the trump campaign allowed its lawyers to claim voting machine company dominion voting systems conspired with the software company smartmatic to rig the election outcome, even though the trump campaign knew six days before the news conference the claim was false. >> they obviously don't have good pictures of rudy. go ahead. >> "new york times" is reporting on court documents released yesterday in a defamation lawsuit by former dominion executive which reveal, zach parkinson, then the campaign's deputy director of communications reached out to subordinates on the 13th, asking them to substantiate or debunk several matters concerning dominion. the "times" continues, the next day, the emails show mr. parkinson received a copy of a memo cobbled together by his staff from what largely appears to be news articles and public fact-checking services. the memo said, dominion did not use smartmatic software in the 2020 election and had no connections to venezuela or george soros, rebutting allegations sidney powell and others were making in public. >> oh, my. >> it is unclear if the former president, you know, trump knew about or saw the memo. >> jonathan, again -- >> wow. >> yeah. you talk about -- >> different times. >> -- legal liability, civil liability here. i mean, dominion, they have everybody dead to center there. >> billions. >> billions. they're going to make billions off of certain news networks, off of certain private -- certain trump people. >> yeah. i mean, these are the claims. it is now documented. they knew they were false. they knew they were lies. rudy giuliani and sidney powell, mostly in the courtroom, including where the image we shall not show took place in days after the election, made these claims knowing they were not true. it also speaks to how precarious the situation was in the white house just then. in the days after the election day, and then when biden was awarded the presidency a few days later, when networks called it, people from the campaign staff left, the white house left, there was a hollowing out. the gatekeepers who kept trump in line for much of his administration were gone. there was a vacuum, filled by the likes of rudy giuliani and sidney powell, who got in his ear, who got him to believe himself the election had been stolen. he ramped up his rhetoric. that led to january 6th and everything we've seen beyond. it was all based on things they, of course, knew were untrue. >> this wasn't in january. this was days after the election in november. >> right. >> this memo goes out november 13th, where the campaign is saying explicitly and documented why everything sidney powell and rudy giuliani and the rest of the clown car were saying was objectively untrue. that's coming from inside the campaign. yet, six days later, they go out and have the sweaty press conference with the hair dye running down giuliani's face. so this just cements what we all know, which is that not only is it a big lie, but it's a big lie that everyone involved in perpetuating it knew to be a lie from the get-go, from days after the election. >> by the way, speaking of rudy giuliani, there's a reason why he would say things out in press conferences and then walk into a courtroom, and a federal judge would say, are you telling me there is widespread voter fraud? no, your honor. this case is not about widespread voter fraud. something that, for some reason, the conspiracy theorists, for some reason, the chinese religious cult websites never mentioned. it's crazy. willie, speaking of sidney powell, you hate to say it is a new low, but i would say this is in the seth rich category of using the death of a young volunteer for grotesque political purposes. >> yeah. this is sidney powell, the attorney for donald trump that we were talking about, who has a false claim. democrats, she says, murdered someone in an attempt to prevent georgia, specifically governor brian kemp, from carrying out an audit of joe biden's victory in that state. >> what we are dealing with here is pervasive and very, very dark. it's organized. it's well funded. it's pure evil. they are willing to kill people, kelly leffler's aide in georgia who was suddenly blown up in his car on his way to a rally for her. he happened to be dating governor kemp's daughter. governor kemp was considering, i think at that point, a signature audit. then the georgia bureau of investigation agent, who was investigating that, he was the lead investigate, was suddenly dead within a week. suddenly, we don't hear anything else about any of that. we are talking about trillions of dollars of global wealth at issue here. the leadership and control -- >> okay, we got it. >> that's enough. what is wrong? >> oh, my gosh. >> that is -- what is wrong with her? harrison deal was a campaign staffer for former senator kelly loeffler. tragically, he died in a three-vehicle accident last december. a human being. an atlanta man was later charged with second-degree homicide by a vehicle. just like some did with seth rich, and put seth rich's family through hell for months, maybe a year or so, now she wants to do to this poor young man's family. it's just grotesque. >> i'm speechless. i mean, anne, you want to move forward, but these stories coming out of the former guy's administration, now these attorneys that are still at it, saying that this man was blown up, what more can you add to the context of this story and these people who keep doing this? >> reporter: well, i guess i would point out that we don't hear that kind of wild claim from trump himself. he's still letting other people go out there. remember, he had at one point disavowed sidney powell, said she didn't work for him anymore. he's apparently perfectly willing to have people go out and say, you know, crazy things, untrue things, on various conserative media outlets that are on his behalf. as long as it keeps the churn going, the basic argument out there in the political bloodstream that there was something amiss with the election and that he has some grounds for continuing to fight that. it is basically his narrative for why he might run again. he never says 100% he is going to, but many indications are that he will. in the meantime, to keep the energy going, keep money coming in, and keep people talking about him, you have things like this happening. i wonder whether there will be calls for trump to disavow this. if so, i guess we'll see whether he feels that this was a bridge too far. >> well, yeah. knowing his past, jonathan lemire, it would be quite a deviation for him to do that. i don't need to remind anybody around this table that he actually accused me of murdering somebody just because he was mad of what we were saying the beginning of covid. did not care that the young woman's husband wrote him and begged him to stop. the family begged. he doesn't care. it's the same thing with seth rich and that family. they allowed that to go out. donald trump could have stopped that in a second, but he didn't stop it in a second. he wanted his allies to spread any conspiracy theories. let's see if he'll do it now. if he is, it'll be a first because he loves other people throwing stuff up against the wall, spreading conspiracies. doesn't matter where the conspiracies come from, they all join together in this toxic mess that hangs like a toxic cloud over american democracy, and actually convinces tens of millions of poor souls to believe that american democracy is rigged and that donald trump somehow won the election. >> there were some who told him to stop pedaling the untruths about you, joe, and he continued to do it. that is something, you hit it, where he is a person who wants to throw things at the wall. no sensibility. it is just about getting attention. it would be unlikely for him to publicly disavow that. there were moments during the transition, the run-ups where he was contesting the election, where he told aides he thought sidney powell was nuts. he didn't kick her out of the circle. suddenly, she'd be in the oval office with rudy giuliani talking to her. every day, again, the conspiracy theory the election was rigged is floated because -- and aides close to him say -- he is indeed leaning towards running again. >> i mean, he's never called up mr. pillow, has he? >> no. by the way, bringing this full circle, rudy giuliani -- >> mr. pillow just keeps going on. >> giuliani doing infomercials for my pillow. >> slippers. he says they're fuzzy. >> taking it to the next level, he likes the towels mr. pillow makes, too. >> he's a perfect guy to do mr. pillow commercials. earlier this year, didn't we see him lying on a bed in a movie? >> oh, my gosh. >> mr. pillow. >> he gets sweaty. a towel could be useful, too. >> if you had doubt that donald trump was on board with this, last week, he sent a letter to the secretary of state in georgia, who said overturn the election that took place a year ago. he said no. donald trump is very much on board with this. as you both have said, he is happy to have lunatics like sidney powell out saying things like she's saying. >> people will believe it. >> some people will. still ahead on "morning joe," former secretary of state john kerry joins the table to weigh in on president biden's u.n. address. plus, we'll speak to the likely next mayor of new york city. >> 50.1%. >> eric adams is our break. as we go to break, 50 cent's -- >> that's still the worst. >> that's mean. >> come on. >> his attempt at ceremonial first pitch. >> kids, come over the top with us, okay? >> aw. >> in fairness, he has been shot nine times. >> has he really? >> could be an injury in there, yeah. >> let's let it go. we'll be right back. guys. >> tommy john surgery. >> please end it. shot nine times. six of one, half dozen the other. >> we'll be right back. >> give him a break. >> nine times? discover card i just got my cashback match is this for real? yup! we match all the cash back new card members earn at the end of their first year automatically woo! i got my mo-ney! it's hard to contain yourself isn't it? uh- huh! well let it go! woooo! get a dollar for dollar match at the end of your first year. only from discover. oh! are you using liberty mutual's gecoverage customizer tool?ch at the end of your first year. so you only pay for what you need. sorry? limu, you're an animal! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ before you go there, ♪ or fist bump there. ♪ or... oh! i can't wait to go there! ♪ or reunite there, ♪ start here. walgreens makes it easy to stay protected wherever you go. schedule your free flu shot and covid-19 vaccine today. pool floaties are like whooping cough. amusement parks are like whooping cough. even ice cream is like whooping cough, it's not just for kids. whooping cough is highly contagious for people of any age. and it can cause violent uncontrollable coughing fits. sometimes followed by vomiting and exhaustion. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination because whooping cough isn't just for kids. vo: just getting by, it's an ongoing struggle. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination that's why president biden and democrats in congress have a plan to lower costs for america's working families. lower costs of healthcare premiums and the price of prescription drugs. pay less for electric bills by moving to clean energy. and do it all by making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. it'd be a win for the everyday american family. right when they could really use one. congress, let's get this done. welcome back to "morning joe." 39 past the hour. beautiful shot this morning. >> wow. >> for the first time since early march, covid-19 deaths in the u.s. are averaging more than 1900 a day. health experts say the vast majority of the hospitalized and dead have been unvaccinated. according to data from johns hopkins university, nearly 64% of the u.s. population has received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine. the average deaths per day has climbed 40% over the past two weeks. the house unanimously passed a bill tuesday to help those suffering from what has come to be known as havana syndrome. a mysterious brain condition thought to be caused by an invisible yet directed energy attack. there are at least 200 cases under investigation dating back to 2017. half of them involve intelligence personnel as well as diplomats. nbc news reports that earlier this month, affected diplomats in cuba and china met with secretary of state antony blinken. the meeting was tense with blinken speaking for more than an hour, offering reassurances and fielding questions. top diplomats say they still aren't getting proper medical care and face skepticism about their injuries from those even in high levels of the government. >> jonathan lemire -- >> that makes me nervous. >> -- is there still skepticism about havana syndrome? i know there was in the last administration, but i thought we were past that. >> there's still pockets of it, yeah. the biden administration largely believes this has happened. the cases are only growing. there's one in india reported this past week. the first time there has been a report in that nation. it's something the diplomats are faced with. some are career officials who may have taken out of frustration with the previous administration on this one, but it is something that remains unexplained. >> frightening. >> as much as russia is believed in some quarters to be behind this, they've denied it, of course, there is no evidence, no proof, no ability to address what is happening. more now on president biden's address to the u.n. yesterday, in a speech calling for global unity. nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander has the details. >> reporter: facing growing doubts about his promise to unite america's allies, president biden delivering his debut speech to the united nations, calling for global cooperation to combat climate change and covid. >> bombs and bullets cannot defend against covid-19. we need a collective act of science and political will. >> reporter: declaring the world is at an inflection point. >> deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world. >> reporter: the speech a key credibility test for the president who came into office saying he would restore america's relationships that were frayed under former president trump. >> i'm sending a clear message to the world, america is back. >> reporter: but in recent weeks, president biden has been criticized by prominent allies, most notably for america's chaotic troop withdrawal from afghanistan. the president trying to turn the page. >> we've ended 20 years of conflict in afghanistan. as we close this period of relentless war, we're opening a new era of relentless diplomacy. >> reporter: that message comes after a stunningly sharp rebuke from france, accusing the biden administration of a, quote, stab in the back. france recalling its ambassador for the first time ever after a dispute over the u.s. sale of nuclear-powered submarines to australia. then there is the u.s.'s rivalry with china. the president never mentioning the country by name. >> we are not seeking a new cold war. the united states is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges. >> reporter: topping that list, climate change. ahead of a crucial summit this fall, president biden vowing to double american aid to poorer nations tackling the climate crisis. >> whether we choose to fight for our shared future or not will reverberate for generations to come. >> peter alexander reporting. what jumped out at you about the remarks? the word "china" was never mentioned by the president. he eluded to it, obviously delivering this in the middle of a global pandemic, with the scandal with the french as a backdrop, as well. what'd you take away from it? >> not what they want. he pushed for relentless dmoek diplomacy, and the united states hasn't been pushing for that. he reassured people we're not looking for a cold war with china, but there is continuity between trump's foreign policy and biden's. it's tough toward china. the issue was rallying the world to unite against climate and vaccines. the world isn't where they need to be, and we aren't either. meeting the global challenges should be the focus, he is right, but the problem is the gap, where we are and where the challenges are. there is a vagueness about how we're going to close the gap, to get where we want on climate change. i know john kerry will be here later. we provided 150 million vaccines for the world. sounds great. it is more than anyone else. here's the problem, there's 8 billion people in the world. that's 16 billion doses of vaccine we need. it's the gap between, you know, where all the challenges stand and where the world is. at the moment, that gap ain't closing. >> anne, the president holding a global meeting over zoom, of course, on vaccines and the state of covid around the world today and through the week. what did you take out of the speech yesterday? what was your headline? >> reporter: well, our headline was really that this was a speech about china without china being in it. >> right. >> reporter: when the president talks about this is not a new cold war, we do not seek a world divided by blocks, he's really referring there both to the future and to the past. the idea which is very much present in the entire way the united nations is structured, of the old block system, the soviet block and the western block. that still runs through a lot of the way that the u.n. thinks. it certainly is very present in the minds of many of the smaller nations at the u.n. the idea that we could be heading for that again with a western block and a chinese communist-led block is something many nations feared, including u.s. allies. they don't want to be in the middle of a fight between the united states and china. we're seeing that play out in the french situation. we're seeing it play out in the case of other european nations who have been quite reluctant to jump in the boat with joe biden, as he, you know, tries to make a new run at china. that is what the submarine deal is about at its heart. these ships, boats would be much more capable. they are a frontal challenge to chinese naval supremacy. china knows it. the united states knows it. france knows it. but france doesn't want to be in the middle of that might, and that's another subtext to what's happening here. >> jonathan, while looking atd the biden package, you said something interesting about china's leader, xi. >> yeah. the chinese, of course, are the forefront of the biden foreign policy. there had been hopes to have a meeting on the sidelines of the g-20 in italy next month. that's not happening. xi jinping not going. xi jinping hasn't left china in two years. a lot is colored by the pandemic, but they have rebuffed. biden extend and invitation, saying "we should meet," when they spoke a week or so back. the answer was a polite no. it is not clear when that will happen. there is still some hope, though, from top biden administration officials to schedule a summit, perhaps more of a one like they did in geneva with putin, a one-on-one, sometime next year. there has been no commitment from the chinese. >> interesting, in the speech yesterday, biden said, we're prepared to work with countries on global issues, climate change, even if we disagree on other things. xi jinping is basically saying, no, link it. you want to do climate change, do what we want on something like taiwan. chinese are playing hardball. >> he hasn't left in years. i guess the chocolate cake wasn't so good after all. >> all right. white house reporter for the "washington post," anne, thank you for being on this morning, for your context. coming up, the fbi's search for a major suspect in the death of gabby petito, now being investigated as a homicide after her body was found in the woods of wyoming. we'll have the latest on the case next on "morning joe." (st) think premium can't be capable? think again. ♪ (energetic music) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing the first ever at4 lineup. premium and capable. that's professional gfinally yasso! a ridiculously creamy, crunchy, chocolatey dipped ice cream experience with 25% less calories because it's made with greek yogurt. so, thanks for everything ice cream, but we'll take it from here. yasso audaciously delicious thecoroner announced it'd found the remains of gabby petito's body. while the search resumes in florida for her fiance, who is a person of interest in the case, nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: gabby petito's body was officially identified. the coroner ruling her death a homicide. discovered in this remote stretch of wyoming's teton mountain range, authorities have not yet said how she died. they named her missing fiance, brian laundrie, a person of interest. >> from minute one, brian laundrie has done absolutely nothing other than to help himself and bide time so that he could cover his tracks and his actions. >> reporter: 2,400 miles away in florida, the intensifying search for laundrie in this alligator infected swampland. his parents saying he came to the reserve for a hike a day before he was named as a person of interest in his fiance's disappearance. >> it is very difficult. essentially 75% of it is underwater. >> reporter: after an fbi raid at their family home, laundrie's parents telling nbc news through their attorney, he left their house with a backpack and hasn't been seen in a week. >> we've been lucky so far. >> reporter: last spotted together in utah, laundrie and gabby petito had been documenting their cross-country trip. her disappearance and his refusal to speak to investigators. >> he was very kind of awkward and confused. >> reporter: resulting in a flood of tips from those who say they saw laundrie alone or the couple's van. >> we came across a white van. >> reporter: with millions following the case, every encounter, including this run-in with police during a domestic dispute, has now been analyzed on social media. petito's family fears she may have been killed weeks ago. this affidavit shows her family received a text from her cell phone in late august, which they believe may not have come from her. >> our plan for today -- >> reporter: those with answers to this deepening mystery are gone. now as one search ends, another intensifies. >> our thanks to miguel almaguer for that report. joining us now is washington reporter kim belware, who is covering the story. also, dave aronberg. kim, is there any more context or information you can add to the report we just heard? you know, this boyfriend, fiance, who disappeared, disappeared in florida. it seems like there is a long gap of time where investigators had a chance to talk to him and he's gone now. >> that's right. he returned alone from their cross-country trip on september 1st. gabby petito's family reported her missing on the 11th. there was that long gap of time. but you're going to see, i think, a lot of questions now for the law enforcement that interacted with the couple in those videos and from those 911 calls. because there are questions that, given the domestic nature of the conflict, you know, is that the right way it should have been handled? should they have intervened more? we do know that some police officers in utah separated the couple for one night, but that's where a lot of the questions are stemming from right now. >> yeah. dave aronberg, let me ask you a couple of questions that are being raised right now. obviously, law enforcement officers often get involved in domestic disturbances. they are not immediately going to throw one or two of the people in those fights into jail. usually, they do separate them. is that what you saw on that video, does that look like, basically, that's par for the course? unless there are more indications of somebody being in immediate danger. >> good morning, joe. there was a 911 call that said that this witness saw brian laundrie slapping gabby. i'm not sure if that ever got to the police on the scene. because they didn't really pursue that. they noted there were scratches on brian's face. the question for them is whether they were going to arrest gabby. so i'm not sure that all the procedures were followed. they didn't call an expert on domestic violence to join them at the scene. look, law enforcement, they have a tough job. it's a rural part of utah. so to make those split more second decisions when they may not have experts at the ready, you know, people who are experiencing these types of cases, that's why you need better training. make sure they can identify situations like this. because after the fact, you know, a tragedy occurred, and you wish you could roll the tape back and change the outcome. remember, at the time of this, they only based decisions based on what they knew. they had a very calm brian, and they had gabby who had admitted that she had mental health issues. like many victims of domestic violence, she blamed herself for what happened. >> yeah. actually, dave, to your point about whether they knew whether she had been seen being slapped and hit by him, i'm not sure, willie. because i watched the entire police tape, and they were concerned about the scratches on his face. there was no indication they had any idea that anybody had seen her being hit repeatedly. i think had they, they might have -- they were trying very hard to figure out what was going on here between these two. >> yeah. i think the 911 call reported seeing mr. laundrie strike her, and that's why they called 911. kim, you can correct me on that if i'm wrong. also, what is the operating theory right now for law enforcement down in florida as they look through the swamp area? do they believe that brian laundrie is alive? do they believe he is the only suspect? what are they looking at? >> right now, he is still, you know, just a person of interest. he is the person that they believe most likely last saw her alive. he is a very important witness to them. obviously, it's been frustrating to officials that he's refused to cooperate with them. so after this raid where they, you know, went and took some hard drives, they were looking for journals, really anything that would give insight into maybe messages or thoughts that he had about the final days when he saw her. so it seems as if the presumption right now is that they're hoping to find him alive, but he did have, you know, several day head start, you know, off in the woods. this is someone who seems to be somewhat experienced with the outdoors. he left with a backpack, and now police are left to find him. investigators are looking through difficult terrain. >> dave, let me ask you the second question about what the police did, what investigators did. a lot of people asking, why in the world didn't they take him to the station and sit down and question him at length? it seems to me he comes back alone with a van, she's gone, the parents are concerned. if your lawyer doesn't want to talk to the police, too bad. why don't the police just take him in and ask the questions? >> well, he refused to cooperate with police, joe. he has the fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. his silence cannot be used against him in court. but there are some circumstances where his actions can come back to haunt him. because if this goes to trial and he tries to claim that gabby committed suicide or there was an accident or she walked away and someone else killed her, then his refusal to report her missing, his silence, his hiding in the forest will come back to haunt him and hurt any defense at trial. >> the "washington post" kim bellware and attorney aronberg, thank you very much. we'll be in touch about this for sure. just ahead, congress has days left to raise the nation's borrowing limit or risk a government shutdown. and all the damage that goes with it. we'll run through several new developments on that front. also ahead on "morning joe," facebook is under new pressure for turning a blind eye to its platform's dangers. it's a topic joe discusses on his latest episode of his new podcast. plus, he sits down with a music icon, be gees legend barry gibb. he talks about his remarkable career. i love the bee gees. you know that, right? >> i know. >> we show you dancing later, i think. >> you know what? i get so into it. we the start right now if you want. >> no. >> that's fine. you can find the joe scarborough podcast. joe doesn't think i can dance. >> i disagree. >> apple music or wherever you get your podcasts. we've got to go. i always wanted to know more about my grandfather. he...was a hardworking man who came to new york from puerto rico when he was 17. with ancestry, being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together... ...it's amazing. it's honestly amazing. i can make an indoorsy person, outdoorsy. being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together... i can turn anyone into a beach bum. i make memories for people i don't even know yet. i am a vrbo host. ♪ ♪ and there you have it— -woah. wireless on the most reliable network nationwide. wow! -big deal! ...we get unlimited for just $30 bucks. sweet, but mine has 5g included. relax people, my wireless is crushing it. that's because you all have xfinity mobile with your internet. it's wireless so good, it keeps one upping itself. switch to xfinity mobile and save hundreds on your wireless bill. plus, save up to $400 when you purchase a new samsung phone or upgrade your existing phone. learn more at your local xfinity store today. ladies and gentlemen, this is the clear and urgent choice that we face here at the dawning of what must be a decisive decade for our world. a decade that will quite literally determine our futures. as a global community, we're channelled by urgent and looming crises, wherein lie enormous opportunities if, if we can summon the will and resolve to seize these opportunities. we work together to save lives, defeat covid-19 everywhere, and take the necessary steps to prepare ourselves for the next pandemic, for there will be another one. or will we fail to harness the tools at our disposal as the more virulent and dangerous variants take hold? all right. welcome back to "morning joe." it is wednesday, september 22nd. joining us on set, the host of msnbc's "politics nation" and president of the national action network, reverend al sharpton joins us. nbc news and msnbc national affairs analyst, host, executive producer of showtime's" the circus," and "the recount," john helman. >> crazy. >> this is crazy being here, right? >> exhausting. it is sometimes when you get on a roll. >> he wants to celebrate. >> i'm here. could you be nice for once? >> just for once. >> oh. >> give me a hug. >> not too close. >> not too close. >> host of "on brand," donny deutsch. donny is here. you look good. >> i feel good. >> how good is it to be back here? >> i mean, first of all, what a palace they've constructed for you. look at this studio. >> it's big. >> i mean, it's epic. >> it's not as nice as the basement. >> we're not just here in new york. we're also in washington. white house correspondent for pbs news hour, yamiche alcindor joins us. >> look at her set. >> i'm not done yet. in texas, professor at the lyndon b. johnson school of public affairs at the great university of texas, victoria defrancesco soto joins us. great to have you all. >> yeah, first time in 18 months you've been here, huh? >> i think i was here in the summer of '20, like for a couple days to guest host a show. first time i've been on this show in studio since march 2020. we were all on the road during the campaign. >> yeah. >> it's been a long time. >> look who is talking. you have dungeons all around the country. >> all around the country. >> you hang out and i don't know where you are. >> shut-ins. >> we don't see the sunlight. >> the only consistent theme is dungeons. basement studios in various locations around america. >> undisclosed locations. tunnels all over the place. >> we need to get out the next couple of months. >> we're trying to get out a little bit more. >> yeah. >> can't do it. i'm ready to go home. >> want to go to dinner? yeah, what's open at 4:30? >> exactly. >> early bird special time. >> within two blocks from the hotel. >> we eat at 4:30. >> donnie isn't familiar with the sizzler locations in manhattan. >> i'm an olive garden guy. >> love olive garden. so, rev, you helped get the mayor -- well, he's got, we've been saying, 50.1% chance of being the next mayor, right? it is going to be tight. >> close. >> eric adams coming in to help us christen this place. >> well, the only tight thing will be whether they call the race when the polls close or a minute after. but he will be the mayor, and he will be here. i called and told him that when we went in the new studio before, mayor bloomberg went in. he was already mayor. >> right. >> so this would be a great omen for him because he is the nominee. this will make him the mayor. he said, will mika be there? i said, yeah. he said, i'll be there. >> i don't know if he said that, rev. that's nice. >> how it usually goes. >> eric adams will be on the show today. >> a big night for you. >> yes. as a matter of fact, joe, we were going to try to have dinner tonight but it is my daughter's 18th birthday. we're going to celebrate. >> wow, that happened fast, huh? >> it did. >> donnie. >> man. >> boyfriends, college, it just goes, man. >> poof. >> great news is she invited you. when my daughter went, she didn't invite me. >> it happens. they come back. >> they did. >> good. >> there are people there, people watching the show right now, and you're feeding your baby. you know, you just think that's going to last forever. it doesn't. >> no. >> it moves so fast. so fast. >> you start to become their parent, it's like the old parent. it just -- you just get old, man. >> donnie, you don't look a day over 65. >> exactly. >> i'll swing over and give you a hug in the break. >> how long have you been feeling this way, donnie? >> you know, it started when i try to talk to women and they call me sir. >> well. >> mister or gramps. >> get the hell away from me, things like that. >> it happens. it's in a blink. i'm turning 64. that's sad, tragic. >> my mom, even when she was getting into her early 70s, said she felt like she was 18 years old. she was very healthy. very strong. do you think still of yourself as -- >> i do. >> -- 18? >> i'm just out of college. i look in the mirror, and it is not the case. >> i saw you trying to walk in from the green room. dude, that's not the walk of a man in college. the halting thing. like locomotion is a problem for donnie at this point. >> how do you work on that? >> supplements? >> i work out hard. all you can do is this. to my aging brethren, you can only be the best you can for your age. i can't be 40 again. i can be the best 64 i can be. >> that sucks. >> do you obsess over your age? >> no, not at all. >> come on! >> i'm dead serious, do you think about your age? >> i find that when i talk with my friends now, we talk a lot about aging and health and portions at restaurants and things like that. that starts to creep up on you. it does. >> you're on set, and the first thing you talked about is how old you felt. >> it is a game we play. >> are you going to be okay, donnie? >> i have issues. i have issues. >> i'm 66. i work out every morning. >> right. >> i feel like i'm 18. i go outside, and a young lady says, "my mother admires you." then it comes back, that you really are of a certain age. >> see, my grandparents love you, joe. that's what i get. >> i haven't got the grandparents yet. >> i get the grandparents. i'll tell you this, it's a number. age is a number. i was blessed enough to interview one of my heros, ringo. ringo is, like, 80, right? >> peace and love, baby. >> the guy, like, moves like he is 35. he's sharp as he was when he was 18. you know, that's a guy, just like jagger, lived rough for a while. you know, that's a guy, you know, he meditates, probably does yoga all the time. it's like mccartney does yoga every day. i'm sure they meditate. all these things, oh, hippies. >> sting. >> it's helped them sustain. >> what's your secret? you're, like, aging very well. >> well, i'm with her. >> no, listen. >> my guess is -- >> guys. >> i'm with her. >> there is another key to the ringo and jagger thing. they don't get every morning at 3:00 a.m. for a morning show. that's the other thing that keeps the years off. >> there is a positivity to all of this. that's what you all have to realize. you, you, you, you, you, we've all been doing this show together for 14 years. >> that's it. >> we're all still here. which is amazing. do you remember there was the little baby in florida that i held? i met her, and she was 10. >> i think you stole that baby. >> i was like, what? i didn't. i tried. but no, i love holding babies. when i met her again at another event in florida, the book event we did with daniela. >> yeah. >> she came up to me and was walking. she was 10 years old. i thought, my god, how old we've gotten, and then how amazing. what a gift. what a blessing this is. come on. >> it is a blessing. one thing i have done, i don't know about you, but i -- the past year and a half, just had horrific tinnitus. >> the ear thing, yeah. >> just screaming. >> it's really bad. >> test pattern, turn it on, eek, right? so i just completely slowed down. i mean, slowed my mind down. forget the thousand projects. i'm not going to look ahead to try to figure out what to do next. started slowing down. you know, i always said, people say, when do you go to sleep? usually 9:00. i'm still watching the red sox at 10:45. after that, i'm seeing, you know -- so got very little sleep. i'm now really forcing myself to be disciplined. i told my kids, i said, i know this is weird. i'm going to be in bed at 8:00. i may not get to sleep until 10:00, but i'm going to have the tv off. >> sleep hygiene. >> one other thing i'll throw in there, geratol. >> what? >> just like my grandmom, you have your milk of magnesia. >> 1972. >> when you're watching "wheel of fortune," warm milk and crackers. donnie loves that. >> poor donnie. >> really does. >> donnie just cited geratol. >> i know. >> what did we do? >> going sideways here. >> this is a guy that watched lawrence with his grandmother. he saw the commercials. >> seriously. >> let's talk about -- since we don't want to get to the news. >> we should get to the news. >> let's talk about the emmys for a second. >> "ted lasso." >> willie is so happy that shows that i watched and loved were there. what made me the happiest was "ted lasso." unabashedly optimistic. >> sweet. >> sweet, nice. mika never tears up watching anything. we tear it, it seems like, every episode. couple weeks ago when they started playing george harrison's classic, "beware of darkness," mika and i were turning away from each other, going like this. nice guys finish first in this case. >> it is completely devoid of cynicism. something you don't see anymore. >> yeah. >> you don't see it on tv. the actors were talking about why this show works, it's because of that. in this moment that feels so heavy, dark, and can be cynical, this goes completely against the grain. they also say this was based -- people don't realize it -- on a character jason sudeikis created for promos for soccer on nbc. >> so great. >> they thought, i don't know if this is going to be a show, a good show. i don't know if anyone will watch this show. yet, it has struck such a chord. jason won for best actor. show wins best comedy. >> goldstein. it shows you can do a show that is holisitc and also profane. he drops the f-bombs everywhere. >> i don't know if anybody hasn't seen it. if you haven't, it lifts you p up. feels good in this moment. >> "the crown" won big. >> beautifully done. >> the "queen's gambit" won big. >> it's streaming. >> that's it. >> it's the first time they won every award, basically. it was kind of the official anointment of -- >> that's another thing about us, we're dying to source. >> you're a "crown" fan from early, right? you watched it throughout. i was late on "the crown." over the course of the pandemic, we actually went back and binged the whole thing. man, it is definitely pantheon material. >> it is. >> that's a show that now is in the kind of top five, six shows ever made. it's just so good. so good. >> tell me what you think. i mean, what i find so fascinating about "the crown" is, of course, we grow up and see the kings and the queens. we remember prince charles marrying lady di. >> yeah. >> it seems that the longer you get into it and the more you see the lives they live, the more you go, i would never do that in a billion years. far from them having a great life -- >> nightmare. >> -- they have a life that is a living nightmare, especially if you have the tabloids trying to rip you and your family apart every day. they sell papers by destroying your life, by destroying the lives of your loved ones. i know people out there going, oh, wait, wait. no, it looks absolutely miserable. which makes me think that what elizabeth has done, what the queen has done over, my god, 70, 75 years, and the fact that she has never broken character. >> extraordinary. >> nothing short of remarkable. >> extraordinary woman. having lived in london four years, getting to see what it is like for them in the tabloid culture that exists there, no one in america understands what it is. we have page 6 in the "new york post." nothing like a competitive tabloid. used to be six or seven papers and now there's less, but competitive gossip with royals beats, right? each one of the tabloids has a team of people just assigned to try to embarrass and destroy the royals. i'm anti-monarchist, so i'm not anti-institution or sentimental. but on the human level, and what the show demonstrates, the series of amazing actresses who played her throughout the show, and an incredible thing to see the actresses take her on at different times in her life, but it demonstrates what a nightmare it would be. >> it also gives you the human side. you know, i'm anti-monarchy, as well, and, you know, i've been to london many times protesting. you never think about goes on on the other side of that gate. these are real human beings, the prime ministers trying to play a certain role in all of this. you're sitting there as one who has protested and say, oh, that's how they make decisions. the queen wasn't with this or that. you never think about that looking at this huge palace. >> right. >> i think it made us have a peek on the other side. may not agree with it, but i understand there is a heartbeat inside. maybe we can deal with that in a way that's effective by knowing that there are heartbeats on both sides. and the tabloids are scandalizing both of us. >> my gosh, i know. >> there you go. >> donnie, what did you watch this past year? >> i'll pull a mika and say i did not see "the crown" or "ted lasso." >> and i did. i did. >> focus on the geratol. >> "queen's gambit" i loved. brilliant, brilliant. what else have i watched? >> she won, too, at the emmys. >> spectacular. >> i'm not up to speed on the shows. i'm a sports guy. >> can we give you a list? can it start with a show not on this list. >> okay. >> you have to watch it from the beginning. >> okay. >> "geeky blinders." >> what about "succession." >> brilliant. love it. >> he is -- >> "kaminsky method," also, i love. >> great show. >> when is "peeky blinders" coming out? >> january. the rumor is that season six is january. >> so interesting. >> "white lotus" on hbo? >> great show. >> i'm in a slog, but i'm told if you make it to the finale, it is worth it. >> so they have five episodes or something? >> six total. >> they say, listen, it's slow. the first four or five are slow, but you'll get into it later. i go, there's only six episodes. >> it's not bad. they're incredible individual acting performances. it is a good show. >> yes. >> it's just with each passing scene, you go, oh, my gosh, this one. i'm hanging in for the finale. >> it's a satire. >> no one to root for. >> it is not "ted lasso." >> that's like "succession." >> "morning show," no likable characters. the first was good. i watched that. then it is done. >> really good show. >> crazy about the "morning show," everybody at least in television, television news that talked about "morning show," talked about how the first two, three episodes and they go, oh, that's the worst show ever. the most horrible show ever. >> it was a hard start. >> worst acting ever. they're all overacting, all this. by the end of the season, everybody is going, did you see the end? it's one of those shows that just, you know, every show takes a while to get moving. man, that grew. >> except "peeky blinders." >> every scene. >> from the opening keen, it's like nolan ryan goes out and the first pitch, 103 mile an hour fastball right there. >> joe, here's the thing. shh. this has never happened before. >> what's that? >> we've literally blown through the entire first block of the show, and i was not able to get control to do news because i was having so much fun being with you guys. >> wow. >> this is so nice. even if we are so damn old. >> 21 minutes without any news. >> i can say one final tv show. >> okay. >> we haven't all been together to congratulate the rev for a decade of -- >> oh, my gosh, yes! [ applause ] >> reverend al, congratulations. >> a decade of brilliance, rev. >> we love you. >> as you said, everybody was like, you know, they were making fun of you on "saturday night live" early on. >> that's right. >> like you were terrible on tv, this, that, the other. your show -- >> now, donnie's 18-year-old daughter tells me, you can't call when i'm on television. apologies. >> there you go. now 18 years old. happy birthday, london. >> congratulations. >> we'll get to yamiche and victoria. actually the news. >> and the show. >> that we do here every morning at the top of the hour. 25 minutes late after a break. pool floaties are like whooping cough. amusement parks are like whooping cough. even ice cream is like whooping cough, it's not just for kids. whooping cough is highly contagious for people of any age. and it can cause violent uncontrollable coughing fits. sometimes followed by vomiting and exhaustion. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination because whooping cough isn't just for kids. if you have this... consider adding this. an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan from unitedhealthcare. medicare supplement plans help by paying some of what medicare doesn't... and let you see any doctor. any specialist. anywhere in the u.s. who accepts medicare patients. so if you have this... consider adding this. call unitedhealthcare today for your free decision guide. ♪ in 2016, i was working at the amazon warehouse when my brother passed away. and a couple of years later, my mother passed away. after taking care of them, i knew that i really wanted to become a nurse. amazon helped me with training and tuition. today, i'm a medical assistant and i'm studying to become a registered nurse. in filipino: you'll always be in my heart. vo: just getting by, it's an ongoing struggle. that's why president biden and democrats in congress have a plan to lower costs for america's working families. lower costs of healthcare premiums and the price of prescription drugs. pay less for electric bills by moving to clean energy. and do it all by making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. it'd be a win for the everyday american family. right when they could really use one. congress, let's get this done. (struggling vehicle sounds) think premium can't be capable? think again. ♪ (energetic music) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing the first ever at4 lineup. premium and capable. that's professional grade from gmc. at usaa, we've been called too exclusive. because we were created for officers. but as we've evolved with the military, we've grown to serve all who've honorably served. no matter their rank, or when they were in. a marine just out of basic, or a petty officer from '73. and even his kids. and their kids. usaa is made for all who've honorably served and their families. are we still exclusive? absolutely. and that's exactly why you should join. are we still exclusive? absolutely. i d d so my y quesonons eouout hicacase.y y son, and that's exactly why you should join. cacalledhehe bars s fi are we still exclusive? absolutely. i d d soit was the best call eouout hii could've made. call the barnes firm are we still exclusive? absolutely. and find out what your case all could be worth.uld've made. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ finally yasso! a ridiculously creamy, crunchy, chocolatey dipped ice cream experience with 25% less calories because it's made with greek yogurt. so, thanks for everything ice cream, but we'll take it from here. yasso audaciously delicious when a truck hit my car, but we'll take it from here. the insurance company wasn't fair. yasso audaciously delicious i didid't t kn whahatmy c caswa, so i called the barnes firm. i'm rich barnes. it's hard for people to k how much their accident case is worth.h barnes. t ouour juryry aorneneys hehelpou this one is not being negotiated on a bipartisan basis because, obviously, we're not involved in any bipartisan discussion regarding the reckless taxing and spending legislation they have having apparently some challenges in putting together because of its comprehensive reach and because of its devastating impact on the american economy. so the debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the democrats. >> republican minority leader senator mitch mcconnell continuing to vow no republicans will vote to increase the debt limit this time. the house just sent the senate that senate bill that raises the debt ceiling and funds the government through december 3rd. congress has eight days left to pass a spending bill or risk a government shutdown. the measure passed yesterday by democrats in a party line vote includes more than $28 billion in disaster relief and nearly $7 billion to support after dpan afghan refugees. the continuing resolution was stripped of $1 billion in funding for israel's iron dome defense system after pushback from progressives. axios reports there has never been a situation where a military aid for israel was held up because of objections from members of congress. that funding will likely be in the defense bill. >> john, first of all, we've got to first address, mitch mcconnell talking about reckless spending. under donald trump, we had the largest deficits ever. >> i believe he was there, mitch. >> largest federal debt ever. we had the four largest federal budgets ever. the biggest budgets ever. there were no complaints. in fact, republicans said, of course we're going to pass, you know, and raise the debt limit. it would be irresponsible for us not to. so, of course, that's ridiculous on one side. then for democrats, i mean, how hard are they trying to make this on themselves? strip out funding for israel defending itself against rockets coming in from hamas. i don't really -- you -- not you, but they can have whatever views they want to have on israel and the palestinians, right? >> right. >> i may agree with them more than they would think i would agree with them, but there is no doubt that hamas fires hundreds of rockets, trying purposefully to kill civilians in israel. >> right. >> it is purposefully. >> yeah. >> they're not targeted. >> yeah. >> the israeli military screws up, and they kill civilians. that's considered a tragedy, and they're called on the carpet for doing it. let's make no mistake, hamas is deliberately trying to kill women and children. this is what the democrats decide they're going to strip out of the bill, funding for an iron dome to stop the rockets from hitting israeli settlements? >> well, i think there are some democrats who would say that they agree with you on everything, but they're not totally convinced that america needs to pay for it, given that this is a question of -- i mean, i don't think the legitimate si isn't a question for some democrats isn't the thing. it is, why does america need to contribute to israel's defense, given they're one of the richest countries on the earth? that is a separate issue. then this mcconnell position which is not just ludicrous for the reasons you said, but to have mcconnell -- the debt ceiling is not raised for future spending. it is raised to accommodate spending that's already happened. mcconnell is complicit in every dollar that has been spent that the debt ceiling needs to be raised to accommodate, right? a, as outrageous on that level. then truly one of the most extraordinary things i ever heard him say, which is the debt ceiling will be raised. it must be raised. it has to be raised. america will not default on its debts, but we want nothing to do with it. democrats control the house and the senate. it is purely political. we have no responsibility for america's -- the full faith and credit of the american -- >> it just -- >> we want nothing to do with this. i think even people who are used to mcconnell behaving in a certain way were like, it's not my problem, so we're sticking this with democrats to pear the -- bear the burden of it? it is a craven political position to take. >> yamiche, what's going to happen? >> well, that's a great question we could ask about a number of things. i want to also just say that i love the fact that you blew through the first 25 minutes of this. i think it warmed my heart to see all of you interacting. it took me back to the before times in 2019. what's going to happen with this, of course, is a key question on a number of fronts for president biden. he's facing foreign and domestic challenges here. he's going to be having a meeting with house speaker nancy pelosi as well as the senate majority leader schumer. how to fund the government is top line, but there will be other lawmakers from the senate and house coming to the white house. they'll have to deal with the fact that democrats are not on the same page when it comes to infrastructure and the two-track system. it was already going to be a hard thing with republicans, in some ways, having to wait when there is a bipartisan bill that's in congress that could be signed tomorrow if democrats wanted to put it through. now there's going to be this conversation about what to do about that. also, i should add that i think all of this comes when the president is really facing some intense backlash. the aftermath of those photos of haitians being whipped or ropes being used on them, with agents that are on horseback. i've been talking to human rights activists. they're using words like despicable, inhumane, cruel. they're also comparing the president, president biden, to former president trump, and that comes, of course, in the wake of the french comparing president biden to president trump because of the issue with the defense deal with australia and the uk. so these are really tough times. when you think about the political things that need to happen and the political challenges ahead, all of that needs to be factored in. president biden is in a tough spot, and the optics of all of this are not lost on moderates and progressives who are tuc -- trying to get power here. >> president biden addressed for the first time the current crisis at the southern border. nbc news correspondent morgan chesky has more. >> reporter: on the texas border, 8,500 mostly haitian migrants still inside this city, where questions outnumber answers. who stays? who goes? how much longer can they wait? many beneath this bridge for more than a week, surviving on food and water handouts. some swimming back to mexico to buy more. president biden addressing the crisis for the first time. >> we will get it under control. >> reporter: texas governor abbott blaming the surge on president biden's relaxed border policies. >> when you have an administration that abandoned pretense of secuing the border and our sovereignty, you see the onrush of people like what we saw walking across this dam. >> reporter: now, new warnings of more massive groups of haitian migrants possibly on the way to the u.s. internal documents obtained by nbc news show dhs officials tracking 20,000 gathering in colombia. 3,000 others in peru. another 1,500 people in panama. while the vice president weighing in on the images of border patrol agents blocking on horseback. >> human beings shouldn't be treat thad way. >> reporter: we met a young couple expecting their first child, coming from here south america. they've spent the last week beneath the rio bridge. >> i have to feed my baby and wife and family. >> reporter: planning to be a brooklyn barber, where his family lives. how is haiti right now? >> terrible. >> reporter: if you were sent back, what would happen? >> i'd probably die. you'll receive a gunshot. it's very, very terrible. >> there's been a crisis at the border for quite some time. rev, you go to the border. one thing i do want to clarify here, there was the story that got out was that they were on the horses and using whips. the border patrol says those were actually reins for the horses that were going out there. that's not to justify anything that people saw in the images, it's just to tell you the truth. if you're interested in it. don't show the rev when i said if you're interested in -- look at me. i'm talking to the viewers. >> so many cameras. >> yeah, so many cameras. i'm telling you the truth, it wasn't whips according to border patrol. we can talk about what's going on down there, but let's get the facts straight. rev, this is obviously, for the haitians, this is a crisis. it's a human tragedy. we've had human suffering at the border now for quite some time. but the numbers just are staggering. we have to get control of the southern border. you're going down there to see what's going on. tell us about it. >> i've organize add delegation of ministers, and we're going tomorrow morning to del rio. i've talked to melazano, and he'll bring us to where the people from haiti, the refugees, those seeking asylum are, and let us see for ourselves. we want to know the truth of what happened. those pictures reminded me of days when you would look at movies. we have the civil war movie coming on this station, of going after a runaway slave. we want to know if that's really what happened or if it didn't happen. then what we did see, why are they on horses? why are they treating people this way? this is the difference between how others have come in this country and haitians coming to the country? so we're going with a delegation tomorrow, then we want to go to washington and see dhs to see what is the policy. why is it different strokes for different folks? what is going to be the level of asylum given to people? how are you going to return people to a country that now is in total chaos? the president was assassinated. the chief prosecutor there has accused the prime minister of being involved. they've had a hurricane and tropical storm. you're going to force them back into that? and the hostile terrain that they have going across central america. so it is a humanitarian concern that some of the activists and ministers and i are going to go down and see tomorrow. >> another huge earthquake, as well. victoria, what is the distinction here with the haitian migrants that we're told now the biden administration is going to deport en masse, fly them by the plane load back to port-au-prince, and some of the other migrants we've seen coming in record numbers at the border? how is homeland security, how is border patrol, how is the biden administration managing all this? >> right. at this point, willie, it is really an issue of magnitude, right? we have seen record numbers at the border of central american migrants coming over. what we've seen in the last five days is like nothing we've seen before. at its peak on friday, we saw about 15,000 haitian migrants in the del rio camp. you know, i wanted to echo, before going any further, the words of texas representative escobar. no matter how challenging the situation, because it is a very challenging situation, nothing, absolutely nothing justifies the treatment of these immigrants or, rather, refugees seeking asylum, and also understanding the root causes. whenever i talk about immigration, i take a lot of steps back. because it is not just what happened in the past three months, which as y'all highlighted, was an earthquake, a hurricane, a political turmoil based on the murder of the president. let's go back ten years ago, to the earthquake of 2010. let's go back to the incivility as a result of a bruta dictatorship. all these forces have been pushing haitians out. when we're talking about haiti, we're talking about the poorest country in the western hemisphere and a country that is regularly lobbed with afghanistan and somalia, in terms of political unrest and lack of institutions. so we need to understand the root causes and better address those to understand what's going on in del rio. >> well put. >> it is a country where the people of haiti have been suffering so long. >> they have. >> it's just been one disaster after another. one crisis after another. earthquakes, hurricane, political unrest. it's just a tragedy. we have a human tragedy now on the southern border. >> victoria and yamiche, thank you both for being on this morning. john heilemann and donnie deutsch, thank you both, as well. donnie, it is going to be okay. >> you promise? >> i promise. time to celebrate. >> this has been a good session for me. >> stop it. >> i mean, in the long run -- >> stop it. heilemann, no. former secretary of state john kerry is standing by. he joins the table next on "morning joe." 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>> absolutely true. >> you know, the white house has just -- >> all in the eyes. >> -- has very few special envoys, special presidential envoys. joining us now, special presidential envoy for climate, john kerry. it's so good to have you, mr. secretary. >> good morning. great to be here in this incredible new studio. >> yes. >> i'm honored to be here. >> happy. >> also at the table, special "morning joe" envoy for the red sox. >> thank you. >> mike barnicle. >> mike, a good win last night. very good win. we lined up our schedule pretty well for the end of the season. >> big weekend. >> heading to the games? >> i think so. >> yes, you will. >> the most important sox/yankees regular season series in a long time. >> long, long time. i can't remember a regular season series this close to the end of the season that's so pivotal. >> here is xander last night. hitting an important home run, then knocking in a couple rbis. not only my favorite red sock -- i heard this said the other day -- this is my favorite player in major league baseball. i love xander bogaerts. everything about the guy. kiké is not bad either. >> kiké hernandez is surprisingly, i think, in contention for being the red sox mvp. >> are you kidding me? >> yeah. given the number of positions he plays for that team, the skill with which he plays them, and the year he's having. >> he was supposed to play second base, willie. now, some people are saying he may be the best center fielder in baseball. >> it's happening. >> such an athlete. >> a great year. you're in the driver's seat for the wild card. >> mike, you can go this weekend, but you have to be at work every day this week. you can't leave your jacket. >> huh, what? >> you have to be at work. >> i already wore pants for you. >> nice. >> this is a big change. mr. secretary, also a sox fan, i think. >> glad i could catch up. >> we sat together. >> i have not had time to be as close as i should be. i know they're 1 1/2 up in the wild card. >> you've been saving the world. >> which we need. >> so some big news yesterday with china. >> yeah. >> tell us about it. >> well, china is the largest producer of emissions in the world. they've been building coal-fired power plants the last five years. they have some online now for the next five years. it's a challenge to all of us, and i think this is a recognition china is being serious about it. president xi is personally seeing this issue. he's calling the shots. he clearly is invested in trying to make china a positive player as we go to glasgow for this world meeting. we've been talking about the effects of funding coal in other countries, which doesn't make sense today. we've had eight months of discussions. yesterday, china made the decision, and thank you, president xi, because it is an important contribution to building momentum to make the meeting in glasgow a success. we'll have 190 plus countries coming together again in what will be the most important negotiation we've had in five years anyway. maybe ever on the subject of climate. because now, nobody has an excuse. you can't say, i didn't know it was happening. you know, mother nature has sent us enough messages this summer. >> sure has. >> it's time to get it done. it's genuinely at crisis level. >> so a point that we brought up several times at this table, i'd like you to underline it for us. we can be angry at china for economic issues. we can be upset about hong kong. we can be upset about the uighurs. we can be upset about all the things that we as americans are upset about. rightly so. and outraged about. we have a long list of things that china is doing that we disagree with. at the same time, if you care about the climate, if you care about climate change, if you want to do something about it, i know a lot of people were listening to you saying nice things about president xi. can you explain why there can be no improvement in the global climate without china being a part of it? because they're such a big player in global emissions. >> that's the simple equation, joe. i think you have truth. if china makes a move and does something positive and constructive, it's important to recognize that. doesn't mean you're turning away from the host of other issues that you just listed but president xi and president biden about ten days ago had a very good phone call and they both agreed that it is important to try to understand exactly where the differences are and where they may be able to be bridged. maybe some can't why that's traditional. but you've got to work at it. president biden frequently said, his father told him there's not -- only thing worse than a conflict is an unintended conflict and said that publicly and yesterday reaffirmed in his speech at the u.n. he won't be a hairtrigger president but works to work to make diplomacy work and he understands what it means to send a loved one off to war and i think he wants to open up all the possibilities and exhaust them why that's what we should always do. you always exhaust the remedies of diplomacy before you go to war. war is the failure of diplomacy. i think president biden is determined to explore that. that's his responsibility. i'm confident they'll meet at some point. i don't know when but i will be going back to champion somewhere in the next weeks to follow up on the conversation that president xi and president biden had with hope that china, that produces 28% of all the world's emissions. we are 11%. china's at 28. we can't get to where we need to go to be net zero by 2050 if china doesn't join in that effort. we can't get where we need to go if the 20 countries that equal 80% of the emissions. we now have 55% of global gdp committed to keep the 1.5-degree limit alife. that's incredit jbl that's canada, japan, united states and eu. what we need is the other 45% and that's a group of countries that always meet in the g20. they know who they are and not trying to point fingers or create scapegoats but to say we're all in this together. we can't do it without everybody. >> mike, whether republicans and democrats want to admit it or not, the americans or not, the united states and china are going to share the world stage as in a bipolar world for the next half century. we have to figure out how to work together. >> that is the two dominant powers in the world now and will remain so for at least half a century. 80% of the fossil fuels in the world produce -- 80% of the energy. >> of the emissions yeah. >> everybody's talking about electric power, teslas and everything like that. how do we catch up? what's the timetable to catch up? 80% is a daunting number to knock down. >> 80%, actually the fact it's concentrated in 20 countries gives you an opportunity to really work together to concentrate the effort to do so. india, for example, had to rely on coal significantly withouteer sources of energy and building the economy with coal but india, prime minister modi, understands he's got to change the power structure so he has committed to deploy 450 gig watts which is about a third of our total power grid, a fourth, he will deploy that in solar and wind over the next ten years and we entered a partnership to help india to deploy them with finance and technology to the table while india will help provide accelerated decision making internally in their government and collect the revenue from the users so there's a commercially viable deal to be made. i worked with the six largest banks in our country and they have made a decision on their own that they're going to commit $4.16 trillion to this transition over the course of the next ten years, that's without bringing together larry fink and blackrock and other aset managers around the world. there are trillions of dollars lining up. there's a bank alliance going to glascow. net zero alliance. and these folks are all looking for the investments where you put solar and wind in, where you put hydro in or green hydrogen in, battery storage. this is going to be the greatest -- it is exciting because there are going to be jobs created. we don't have a grid in america, folks. we can send a rover to the moon and direct it around. we can send people to the moon. to mars even. we invent the internet but we can't send an electron from california to new york because we have never built a grid to connect america. that's what president biden wants to do. and in the doing of that we'll create unbelievable economic transformation. fastest growing job in america last year is wind power technician. >> my question you anticipated which this sounds like huh oh you are taking the jobs away that have been in the community for a long time. taking the oil around. what do you say to the people that acknowledge that climate change is happening and dangerous and worry about the impacts of the turnover? >> sure. willie, we have always transitioned in our economy. look at the 1990s. i used to live in lowell, massachusetts. we had countless number of people in textile and shoe industry and then moved away and the technology industry is filled by transformational the technology. i'm not saying there won't be changes in the work available but part of president biden's approach is to say we're going to make absolutely certain, not rhetorically, but in the substance of what we do that people don't get left behind and the new jobs are coming on really rapidly. the bureau of labor statistics has three jobs that will grow this year. wind turbin technician. solar panel installer. you know what the third is? nurse praking thor because of covid. this is a great option for the united states. by the way, countries all over the world are chasing this now. i eerl going to saudi arabia on friday to meet with their officials who are laying out a massive solar field for the energy, the green hydrogen and pipe it to europe, to africa. this is what is happening. if you tap in to technology and what's going on, massive amounts of money are trying to get battery storage that will last longer than four epa six hours. if you get storage of a week we have won the battle. it is over because then you can make up for the times when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining and we already have new technologies coming online to help do that. i think the job possibilities here are enormous and the benefits. i remember in public life we weigh a vote. what's the cost of this. joe, you remember that. this is the greatest accrual of benefits i have ever seen measured against losses, unbelievable money spent in the hundreds of billions to clean up after a storm but if we do this right we're going to see an amazing northbound of jobs created around our country and the world and transform the way people do business. supply chains will change. the entire world is really excited about this change. >> special presidential envoy for climate john kerry, thank you so much for everything you are doing. >> thank you. >> we absolutely appreciate it. must come back soon. coming up, the nest mayor of new york city will need to tackle the growing issue of homelessness and eric adams, the democratic candidate likely to fill that role already has a plan and he joins us ahead. we're back in 90 seconds. i became a sofi member because i needed to consolidate my credit card debt. i needed just one simple way to pay it all off. it was an easy decision to apply with sofi loans, just based on the interest rate and how much i would be saving. there was only one that stood out and one that actually made sense and that was sofi personal loans. it felt so freeing. i felt like i was finally out of this neverending trap of interest and payments and debt. ♪♪ in business, setbacks change everything. interest and so get comcastebt. business internet and add securityedge. it helps keep your network safe by scanning for threats every 10 minutes. and unlike some cybersecurity options, this helps protect every connected device. yours, your employees' and even your customers'. so you can stay ahead. get started with a great offer and ask how you can add comcast business securityedge. plus for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today. this week in covid history, it is like september 2020. school is back and how's the president doing? >> to fight the china virus we did an a-plus job. >> we take an a-plus. >> he's the -- hundreds gather to remember ruth bader ginsburg. he is greeted by a crowd. >> the dying wish, my most fervent wish is that i will not be replaced until a new president is installed. >> a simple wish. one that will surely be honored because -- >> let's make a t-shirt and that's what we're going to do. fill the seat. a woman would be in would be first, yes. >> what a bod. but wait a bit. in 2016 mcconnell's blocked obama's candidate. what say you this election year? >> mr. president? >> the majority leader. >> whoa! >> always the charmer. president trump can't lose. literally. >> we are not going to lose this except if they cheat. >> will you commit to making sure that there's a peaceful transfer of power after the election? >> well'll have to see what happens. >> a cliffhanger. will the president of the united states let democracy run its course? we'll find out on the next depressing episode of "this week in covid history." >> boy. seems look last year. good morning. welcome to "morning joe." it is wednesday, september 22. if things look different there's a reason. history being made this morning. a second time that we've been in this studio since willie i guess -- >> moon landing. >> third time. the suez crisis. >> good morning. >> moon landing. and then allowed back into the studio when news broke that jagger rode the horse through studio 54. >> third event. >> put above the moon landing and the suez crisis. >> rushed into the bureau. >> we had to. i was -- i was in wyoming shooting whatever you shoot in wyoming. buffalo? elk? >> whales? >> i don't know. i don't know. >> clay pigeons. >> i was shooting clay pigeons. >> richard was at studio 54 that night. he and liza and mick upstairs. >> i don't want to drop names. >> but you were there. >> i'm of that generation. >> of that generation. >> a problem with this studio. >> what are you hitting me about? >> a being problem. seriously, guys. can't you see it? joe has to wear pants now. >> that's not a problem. does he? >> yep. all of you do. >> yeah. i think i agree with alex. i don't know that that's a problem. >> you have to fully dress head to toe. >> let's talk about other things right now. >> studio's beautiful by the way. >> gorgeous. >> great. >> new studio. >> you remember the last time the studio opened up here we had michael bloomberg. eric adams will be here today. with a 50/50 chance of being -- >> slight favorite. >> 50.1. "the new york times" meter probably has him at, you know, like 99.999. he is doomed. but yeah. what's that? okay. carol will walk out 0 of that door. showing the studio. it's certainly vibrant. >> come back. >> 5:00 a.m. i did walk around. >> walk out? >> hits from a variety of different places in the studio getting the steps in. >> that's good. you are versatile. >> very good. do a little dance. >> walk and talk right now? i'm not going to. i'm too old. do you have the first pitch? >> connor? >> connor's first pitch. >> 50 cent? connor? barack obama? >> whee! >> oh. be nice. >> so hard to figure out. >> over the top. >> you want to -- here we go. >> he's a lefty. >> that's a velocity release. >> i guess. >> but geez. >> come on, man. >> he does have a broken leg. >> that was a defense. >> broken arm? >> 50 is still worse. >> much worse. >> threw it at a 90-degree angle into the dugout. >> you come -- look, kids. kids, kids, over the top. just like that. slide. but you have to go back and you have to come over the top. >> right here. >> willie? >> schedule the tommy john surgery first. >> let's talk basketball for a second. first of all -- >> red sox are on fire. >> doing all right. blue jays thing is the scene out of butch cassidy and the sundance kid where they look back and who were those guys? the blue jays just keep coming, willie. they just keep winning. >> they're a really good team and the red sox so hot the jays in second place and the wild card game right now would be played at fenway if played today. yankees getting some wins here and there but they go to fenway for three and then toronto for three and then end the season against the first place rays and they have the most difficult schedule and difficult to catch -- >> the red sox, jonathan, have been blessed with an easy schedule going in. three with baltimore. a day off. two against the mets who were cold. a day off. three with the yankees. we don't how that will go. a day off. three more with orioles. played the tough games early. we are lined up pretty well but that means absolutely nothing, boston. >> the collapse will be that much more heartbreaking. blue jays 16-4 this month. >> insane. >> the red sox playing better. they have gotten the gios back from the covid list. came back against the mets last night. the yankees, that schedule is tougher but rays may not have anything to play for. this series this weekend at fenway looms. the blue jays will keep winning. >> what's the last yankees/red sox series this big? this is unbelievable. you've got the yankees and the red sox playing to get into the playoffs to stay alive at fenway. >> played the playoffs in 2018 but this is the biggest regular season series in a number years. >> i can't remember. and then they have to go to toronto after that. we're in trouble. >> look. when we had a chance against the weaker teams and didn't take advantage of it. >> anything out of the world of tennis? >> it's golf. ryder cup this weekend. not tennis. golf. smaller ball. >> yeah. >> use this other thing. >> same thing, guys. same thing. it's always -- it's the follow through. okay? just like -- throwing. swinging. it's the follow through. >> maybe this is a chance to repair alliances. this is a big weekend. >> what do you mean? are you saying we throw it again? >> definitely not. this is big. this is big. this is a premier weekend of the year for those that follow this. >> for those that set pins up at the club. >> number 9. >> number 9 by the club. >> tea sandwiches. cucumber. >> cheese sandwiches. >> exactly. >> paisley smoking jacket and the club. i want to talk quickly about relations. we had the french ambassador to the u.s. yesterday. so i've had disagreements with a lot of people on this one who said it's just business. the australians hold the french that their diesel submarines as loud as my lobster boat. wasn't going to sneak up on anybody. >> that's pretty loud. >> it is loud. i understand that. but this whole idea that, oh, we thought the australians were going to talk to the oldest ally. oh, we thought australians were going to talk to our most important nato -- >> they did, by the way. >> the australians did -- >> in june. >> too late. this is what i don't understand, richard. how do you have one of the oldest -- your oldest and one of your i would say two, three most valuable allies on the planet, how do you have them on the outside of a conversation and then they just learn suddenly that they have lost a $50 billion deal? that seems to say bush league -- >> did it happen that way. >> to be bush league -- it did. i think bush league is too high of a compliment for the way they handled this. >> there's no reason to. >> no reason. >> not about the submarines. australia made what ultimately though it takes a long, long, long time for the submarines to show up but they are quieter than the lobster boat and greater range. >> not than my lobster boat but than what the french were building. >> you didn't just find out a week or two ago. you knew for a long time and talk to the french saying we have a problem. why couldn't the french be part of the grouping? there's not going to be -- bring the french in. >> that's what i don't understand. when you go into a deal the goal is to make everybody a winner. no reason why the united states and australia who, by the way, a remarkable ally. this is all on us. no reason why australia, the united states even great brit ten couldn't sit down with france saying they don't want your subs. let's figure something else out together because what we are facing with china is so important. we can't have any space between any of us. >> exactly right. find another defense sale as a consolation price. that's what diplomacy's all about and consultations is not when you inform somebody after it's begun to leak. consultations are what you do in advance and say if we can't find the plan b that may not be a preference -- >> make good. we have money. >> exactly. right now it also comes against a backdrop of other things and we need the europeans on the same page with china. this is driving us apart. >> on the topic in washington we have white house reporter for "the washington post" ann guerran. this does seem rather lurchy to say the least. >> bush league. >> was there more prep than the french are giving in to? because they seem completely gobsmacked and blindsided. >> a couple things have happened here. one is that the french sub deal was troubled quite some long time ago. stuck in court. none of the subs have been delivered. so one thing that you hear from u.s. officials sort of whispering is the french should not have been surprised that this deal world go sideways and australia would pick something else. every part of the previous conversation with richard is right. there was a failure here to inform the french early enough on and bring them on in another capacity and prevent what is an amazing breach. the ambassador has never been recalled from the united states until now. it didn't happen under donald trump. right? when relations objectively were much worse. the fact that the french felt the need to do that as a real warning sign to joe biden is something that this administration is really reeling from. i asked the french foreign minister how it got this bad the other day and his basic answer was alliances, in an alliance you talk to one another. allies talk to one another. a lot of this could have been avoided if they had done that. still ahead, new reporting from "the new york times" before a team of lawyers spread false claims about voting machines last year. the trump campaign knew the allegationings were bogus. we'll show you the memo straight ahead on "morning joe." the new sensodyne repair and protect with deep repair has the science to show that the toothpaste goes deep inside the exposed dentin to help repair sensitive teeth. my patients are able to have that quality of life back. i recommend sensodyne repair and protect with deep repair. vo: just getting by, it's an ongoing struggle. that's why president biden and democrats in congress have a plan to lower costs for america's working families. lower costs of healthcare premiums and the price of prescription drugs. pay less for electric bills by moving to clean energy. and do it all by making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. it'd be a win for the everyday american family. right when they could really use one. congress, let's get this done. discover card i just got my cashback match is this for real? 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>> yeah. this is the claims. now documented that they knew were false, they knew were lies and rudy giuliani and powell outside of the courthouse and in the news conference made these claims knowing they were not true. it also speaks to just how precarious the situation was in the white house then. days after the white house and then when biden was awarded the presidency began defections. it was a hollowing out and those gatekeepers who kept trump in line for much of the administration were gone and all that were left, the vacuum filled by rudy giuliani and powell who got him to believe himself that the election had been stolen and ramped up the rhetoric and that led to january 6 and everything we have seen beyond and all based on things they knew were untrue. coming up, what do nike, fedex and duke energy have in common? each paid no taxes last year on billions of dollars in profits. we'll talk about the system that enables that straight ahead on "morning joe." ning joe." trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. as someone who resembles someone else... i appreciate that liberty mutualour doctor about once-daily trelegy. knows everyone's unique. that's why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. 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i know there was. in the last administration but i thought we were passed there. >> there's pocks of it. the biden administration largely believes this has happened. one in india reported this past week. first time a report in that nation but it's something that diplomats are faced with and there's tension. some career officials who maybe take out the frustration of the previous administration on this one but it is unexplained and there was much -- russia is believed by some quarters toe behind this and denied it of course. no evidence, no proof to address what's happening. >> more now on president biden's address to the u.n. general assembly yesterday. in a spreech calling for global unity. nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander has the details. >> facing problems about the need to unite president biden with the debut speech to the united nations calling for global cooperation. to combat climate change and covid. >> bombs and bullets cannot defend against covid-19. we need science and political will. >> reporter: declaring the world is at an inflection point. >> to deliver for our own people we must engage deeply with the rest of the world. >> reporter: the speech a key test for the president who came into office saying he would restore america' relationships frayed under former president trump. >> i'm sending a clear message to the world. america is back. >> reporter: but in recent books president biden's been criticized by prom innocent allies most notely for chaotic troop withdrawal from afghanistan. >> we have ended 20 years of conflict in afghanistan. and as we close this period of relentless war we are opening a new era of diplomacy. >> reporter: after a sharp rebuke of france accusing of a stab in the back. france for the first time ever recalling its ambassador after a dispute over the u.s. sale of nuclear powered submarines to australia and then the rivalry with china. the president never mentioning the country by name. >> we are not seeking a new cold war. the united states is ready to work with any nation that steps up. and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges. >> reporter: topping that list climate change ahead of a crucial summit this fall. president biden vowing to double american aid to poorer nations tackling the climate crisis. >> whether we choose to fight for our shared future or not will reverberate for generations yet to come. >> peter alexander reporting for us there. what jumped out to you about those remarks? china was never mentioned by the president and delivering this in the global pandemic with the scandal with the french as a backdrop. >> the backdrop is not what they want as i think we discussed before. the united states isn't practicing relentless diplomacy. tried to reassure people we are not looking for a cold war with china but there's -- it's tough to china. the big issue is trying to rally the world on climate to some extent on vaccines and the world isn't there. coming up, eric adams is on track to be the next mayor of new york city and he joins us right here on set straight ahead on "morning joe." vo: taking on climate change. this is our moment to get it right and here's how we do it- by putting the american auto worker on the job. building the electric cars and trucks that take us where we need to go without the pollution that's warming the planet. the cars we love, the trucks we depend on, all made right here in america by union auto workers. more electric vehicles, that's how we build a clean energy future, that's how we take on climate change. hearing is important to living life to the fullest. that's why inside every miracle-ear store, you'll find a better life. it all starts with the most innovative technology. like the new miracle-earmini, available exclusively at miracle-ear. so small that no one will see it, but you'll notice the difference. and now, miracle-ear is offering a thirty-day risk-free trial. you can experience better hearing with no obligation. call 1-800-miracle right now and experience a better life. welcome to allstate. where you can pay a little less and enjoy the ride a little more. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ now, get new lower auto rates with allstate. because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today. people were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections —some serious— and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. learn more at cosentyx.com. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss, so the national eye institute did 20 years of clinical studies on a formula found in preservision. if it were my vision, i'd ask my doctor about preservision. it's the most studied eye vitamin brand. if it were my vision, i'd look into preservision preservision areds 2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the nei to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. i have amd, it is my vision, so my plan includes preservision. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now. it's the most comfortable, dually-adjustable, foot-warming, temperature-balancing, proven quality night sleep we've ever made. save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 24 months. ends monday. ♪♪ it is big. just telling you. willie -- >> kind of rainy out. >> i know you do. >> had bloomberg here years ago to open the studio. >> a ribbon cutting. >> four years after the suez crisis. who's here today as we open up the studio to -- this is big. >> very likely next mayor of new york city. >> very, very likely. >> "the new york times" likely meter at 50.1%. we are excited. >> eric adams joins us. reverend sharpton and mike barnacle is back with us. thank you for coming back to work. >> wow. >> this guy is a troublemaker. >> will be back. >> you said he was going to make you cry if he endorsed somebody else. >> that's right. >> he did what a great politician did. said my daughter is endorsing him but i'm not. hands clean. >> i just remember the days when i watched the beautiful young girls grow up to be adults. real leaders among themselves. people talk about reverend sharpton but his daughters are leaders among themselves. >> smarter than him because they endorsed you. >> in 1991, 30 years ago this year when i started national action network we needed five people to sign incorporation papers. one was a policeman named eric adams. >> you signed it? >> when i was doing that -- >> all these years later? >> he was in the police. comes out of the movement. the reverend said we need to go in the department. he did. he took flack for being in the department. i took flack because i said i'm not excludeing whites from the march. we don't want whites with us. we kind of bonded so at least 40 years we've been tight. >> you know my favorite story when they threatened your life. on the radio they said reverend sharpton said shoot him on the radio. >> i was in the meeting a little worried. we were in the meeting where intel came because we were giving him security at the time and intel came in and said, listen, we'll take over your security force for him. we are in the meeting and reverend sharpton said, no, i'll stick with eric adams and 100 black guys. >> i'm good. >> now he is going to be the mayor. i'll stick with him. >> so one of the things that we love to talk about here about your win because i think it's a message to democrats nationwide. of course republicans talked about how democrat say defund the police. every democrat on here especially jim clyburn said, no, that's a stupid bumper sticker. but to show rank and file democrats think. what i love about your win in new york city, supposed to be the liberal icon of america, you won brooklyn. you won the bronx. you won even staten island. i mean, you won queens. the only borough -- >> south of 96 street. >> exactly. >> my gosh. >> all the apartment buildings that barnacle lives in. so talk about why that happened. and why people of color want cops in their neighborhoods and in their schools as much as or more than anybody. >> i was two months into the campaign that i noticed something. the candidates that were running, they wanted to be heard. i wanted to be felt. i wanted new yorkers to feel that eric lived the life that we are living right now and i knew from the days of being on the ground of covid, patrolling the streets i knew in the kree viss of our communities that the conversation was hijacked. there is nothing wrong with saying i want my officer here. i don't want him to be abusive but public safety is a prewe can sit to prosperity and you hear that more than ever in communities dealing with crime. i knew it and others did not. >> willie? >> so their there are quality of life questions at the center of the campaign. when you won the primary it was crime, homelessness, the questions. so what do you say to new yorkers who walk through the streets of the bronx, queens, even manhattan saying the city feels different. seeing more homeless people on the street. strange violent crimes around the subways in particular. how do you change that trajectory on crime and homelessness? >> public safety is not only actual but per seavered. if you read about someone being hatcheted at the atm then you relive that. if you read about somebody shoved on the tracks you will relive that. we have to deal with the perception of fear that engulfed the city and it is out of control. the level of disorder, everything from graffiti everywhere, people homeless, not receiving the care. atvs driving up and down the sidewalks. the shooters. there's a perception the city is not in control. we can bring the control without being heavy handed. the average new york wants to go to the place of employment on the subway, live in a safe city and we must move right away to change the ecosystem of public safety, not just police but the other community groups, organization, clergy groups to be part of this new form and trust to build in the city. >> what led us to this point? how do you think we got to this moment where as you say that's in chaos in many ways? what happened? >> my mother used to say the same things that brought you to success you have to continue and we didn't. we allowed our parks -- i was in the park the other day with my son. someone was injecting themselves with heroin inside the parks. we moved away from that really quality of lifer that new yorkers expect and i think we need to return to those important initiatives and again it is not heavy handed policing. the police officers want to build that trust and bond with the community. the bad guys are watching us squabble with each other while they're taking control of our streets and that has to stop. >> i think that what is critical and resonated for eric in the campaign is that there is a misnomer because many of us are felt with police reform or questioned the overbearing of quality of life that we did not want life to be a certain star standard law and order. i did the eulogy of a 1-year-old kid killed by a gang fire in brooklyn. the only candidate that came was he and ray mcguire. we are the ones that are disproportionately harassed by police and living with crime. you need the balance. not only good for eric going in as mayor but something the democratic party needs to understand nationwide. you can't have purist on the police side saying the police are always right or on the other side to get rid of it. we need the balance. >> well said. >> there's no doubt. you're maligned if you're a police officer before you get in the car for the 4:00 to midnight shift. i'm of the belief that people leave cities only because of threats to the two "s"s. school and safety. >> well said. well said. >> you're in a car with your partner. you get a call. you don't know -- it is a domestic disturbance and don't know what will be there when you get there. you are always thinking as a cop i hope nobody has a gun but you know for sure that the odds are that everyone will have one of these. a camera. there's a reluctance now among police departments, among police officers about what happens at that call. how do you put more spine in the police department on calls in new york where there's such an attack on police departments? >> that's so true. you're right. who would have thought that steve jobs would have such a major impact on public safety with these cameras? so several things. you can go to the average dwayne reed and the owners of the stores tell you that people are walking into the stores with garbage bags and taking things off the shelves and the security guards are told to stand down. police officers don't respond why that's unacceptable. we are eroding the foundation of public safety when we allow things like that to happen. what i must do is say to the police officers. i have your back. you are going to be allowed to do the job but, darn it, if you don't understand the nobility of public protection you can't serve our department. the police department is a safe haven for those not qualified to wear the uniform and when you weed them out you will see that officers can do the jobs in an effective way. what people don't realize, i talk about law enforcement often because that's the foundation. we're not getting in the city if 3-year-olds are shot in times square. our largest tourist comes from china and can't have anti-asian violence and expect the tourists to come back to the city. what business will stay here if the employees can't get on the subway safely? that is the foundation. no matter how prosperous we are and make. if our children can't go to nyu safely we find a school outside. >> you can't solve a problem without understanding it and i think in this conversation you've shown a real connection with the chaos, the violence, sense of concern of police and the safety of citizens and for students and homelessness, understanding of what's happening there. but what's the plan? on any of these, a plan perhaps for the homeless population that seems to have grown. what will you do? >> we have in the city, we have a homeless plan that means shelters. i rolled out yesterday with a group of housing advocates, the hotels that are boarded up. we can turn those into permanent housing. we can have a moderned version where you have real skills on the ground teaching people employment, life skills, those dealing with mental health illnesses and cheaper. retro fit the hotels in a third of the time. we have approximately 25,000 available rooms that we can fill right now. and then we need to stop people from going into homelessness. children and families. those who are two to $300 back in the rents is cheaper to help them to get over this period of time, allow them to stay in the apartments than placing them in a shelter and the biggest challenge are single adults. we have to zero in on single adults to put them in the smaller units. my first apartment was a kitchenette. it was small but mine. >> how maddening is it that for some reason people think allowing homeless populations to grow in the street is somehow more humane? there's nothing humane about somebody with a mental health problem sleeping on a grate when it's 15 degrees outside. that's insanity. >> it is. >> it is bad for quality of life of the city, but it is even worse for those suffering outside. >> a human being. >> the pooh 'em that romanticize homelessness and poverty have never been homeless or poor. these are the latte liberals that look at this through the lenses of people that never had to suffer that. those of us like eric and i that come out of single parents that had to scuffle understand there's nothing romantic about being poor or homeless. if it's yours it is a step up for some of us. >> without a doubt. we made a big mistake when willow brook a few employees harmed those who were patients in willow brook on staten island. a reaction from the advocates to close down. deinstitutionalize those that need around the clock services and didn't balance that with real programs to give it to them. there's a great institution of fountain house with an 85% stability rate of taking people out of street homelessness, building trust and putting them in permanent housing. that's where we need to invest our dollars. >> we could talk to you forever. >> come back! thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> good luck with the trip. up next, from calls for regulation over the spread of misinformation to allegations of price fixing, last week's "the wall street journal" investigation into facebook and the harms it knows its and the its platforms perpetuate. has a reckoning for big tech finally arrived? that conversation is next on "morning joe," back in two minutes. ♪♪ i bring families together for a living. i make memories for people i don't know yet. i know this view is too good not to be shared. i am a vrbo host. ♪ ♪ i became a sofi member because i needed to consolidate my credit card debt. i needed just one simple way to pay it all off. it was an easy decision to apply with sofi loans, just based on the interest rate and how much i would be saving. there was only one that stood out and one that actually made sense and that was sofi personal loans. it felt so freeing. i felt like i was finally out of this neverending trap of interest and payments and debt. ♪♪ can you be free of hair breakage worries? we invited mahault to see for herself that new dove breakage remedy gives damaged hair the strength it needs. even with repeated combing hair treated with dove shows 97% less breakage. strong hair with new dove breakage remedy. . let's bring in curt anderson, let's just jump right into it. "the wall street journal" had an extraordinary in-depth investigation of facebook. it showed that they knew that drug cartels were using their pages. they knew that sex traffickers, human traffickers were using their pages. they knew that some of the worst human rights offenders were using their pages, and the employees basically said they didn't do much at all about it. and then of course something that's close to all of us, teenage girls. they have internal documents -- >> their platform instagram. >> -- that their platform leads to suicidal ideations, leads to depression, leads to anxiety. it reminds me so much of big tobacco in the 1950s. why won't congress do anything about it? >> i think -- i'm a little hopeful that congress is about to do something about it. i have been following this for a while, and there is a kind of rising wave on all different kinds of fronts, reasons like the ones you just mentioned of antipathy towards facebook and google for that matter, youtube, and you know, from the antitrust, they're too big and too powerful level to the they're just a badly governed company that knows all these bad things they're doing and just have made the decision, made the decision from mark zuckerberg on down, nope, we're not going to deal with this because it would hurt our business model. it would hurt our profits. >> if you read the "new york times," they have made the calculation now, hey, just the hell with our critics. we're now going to start putting propaganda, facebook propaganda in our news feeds. >> it's extraordinary. as i say, you know, liberals and progressives are -- when they see josh hawley is against facebook, like, ooh, do i want to be in bed with them? yes, hold your nose and be in bed because there is a real bipartisan on all these fronts, on the antitrust fronts, on the price fixing, on these just bad actions that they do across the board, and i think it's a real opportunity to have a meaningful effort to regulate these guys. >> so it's not a publisher. >> but it is. >> let's just play their game, willie, it's not a publisher. is it a product people are consuming? i mean, is there a basis for a class action lawsuit? i don't know. i mean, what -- there's got to be some recourse here if now a platform that facebook is behind instagram is causing damage to teenage girls, that's according to their own studies. >> and that's the central question. what is, quote, doing something mean specifically? let's take the instagram example. if we know it's causing harm to teenage girls, what does congress doing something look like? they're going to shut down the company? what is the piece of legislation that could remedy some of this. >> there is lots of pieces of legislation. it is a new thing. we don't have this existing body of antitrust law from 100, 140 years ago isn't suited to this information, set of information monopolies. an fba model is one thing. you can't put out drugs, you can't put out food without it being safe and without it being at least safe. that kind of approach to the enormous power of these companies because facebook and also say among other things, we're not a monopoly. there are other social media. come on, they are certainly -- >> come on. >> in the advertising business, they and google are effective monopo monopolies. there's another whole antitrust action you could take. there are means to regulate, but we need to invent new ones because they don't -- >> apply. >> in the last 20 years, we've got this new unprecedented set of powerful corporations like we've never had before. >> you know, i'm probably in the minority here. i read the series, five-press series wall street journal, shocking, stunning, marvelous journalism. the question for me at the conclusion of reading all of parts of the series is we're talking about, you know, things like antitrust legislation, more hearings and everything. the question to me was the who of it, who is mark zuckerberg? how? how did one guy along with sheryl sandberg, who's only in it for the billions she's putting in her pocket, but how does this one guy achieve such power that he is able to basically tell the united states congress -- >> can i ask a follow-up to that question? >> yeah. >> i can't figure out, who's been the last person that has been so powerful that he's accountable to no one? >> globally? >> globally? >> do we want to go there? >> who's been the first person. you said the last person, i can't think of the first person. >> i mean, jpmorgan 100 years ago? >> i'm actually thinking jpmorgan, you could look at rock rockfeller. you have to go back 120 years to find one person who basically is accountable to no one. >> he's especially accountable to no one because of the way they've set up the governance of facebook. we would like to say be shareholder s in facebook and start a shareholder activist movement. well, that's impossible because he and his captured board absolutely can ignore whatever shareholders want to do. so he is unaccountable and the power as we've said is also unprecedented. >> it's unbelievable. so really quickly, how much time do we have, alex? 90 seconds, so answer this in 90 seconds. >> oh, good luck. >> why did the house democrats put out a bill that did absolutely nothing to go after a tax code that allows nike to pay 0% in tax codes, that allows amazon in the past to pay 0% in taxes, but don't go after the super rich? >> well, because -- >> and tax capital instead of just income? >> because that's the habit the democrats got into for 40 years and have only in the last very few years and the very few months kind of remembered that, oh, yeah, we were the party of labor once, weren't we? and we weren't the party of capital, and we had disagreements with republicans, and so they have not yet fully embraced going back to the future and becoming the democratic party of yore. >> are you a friend of the super rich? >> the donor class is the donor class and big wall street people give a lot of money to the democrats which inevitably has a moderating effect on their willingness to take on that giant issue. >> curt anderson thank you so much, the book "evil geniuses" is now out in paperback. great to have you, great conversation. thanks, mike, for staying all the way to 9:00 on the east coast. >> still wearing my pants. >> every day pants on. >> prove it. >> we expect you here. that does it for us this morning, stephanie ruhle picks up the coverage right now. ♪♪ hi there, i'm stephanie ruhle live at msnbc headquarters here in new york city. it is wednesday, september 22nd, let's get smarter. today we could get a clear answer on who should get a booster shot. a cdc panel is meeting in less than an hour and hopefully we will get an answer soon. while many parents want to know when their kids could be eligible for the vaccine as we approach the dangerous winter months. we'll be speaking with one father who put his 9-year-old son in the pfizer trial. and