upside down american flag today. buy ten or more and receive an under-down bible absolutely free. give me cash. just give me money! >> good morning. welcome to "morning joe." it is wednesday, june 5th. along with joe, willie, and me, we have the host of "way too early" jonathan lemire and mike barnicle is with you also off the top. u.s. correspondent for bbc news, katie kay. and richard hause is joining us as well for the conversation. >> when people see richard, they think we immediately -- why they come here and drives you crazy. >> right. >> i'll talk about it. you know? it will break. >> what? >> sometimes things get a little -- >> yeah. >> let's talk about india's elections. >> what? >> not what you're expecting! i got to say, whoa! you know? very few election results where you are surprised. i think poland was one of them last year, despite the fact that he had all of the disadvantages and none of the advantages. the only justice department basically controlled all of the levers of government and were using them to defeat tusk in poland. what happened in india? maybe more shocking. all we have heard for the past couple of years is how modi is this growing autocrat and he is one of the most popular and beloved figures in the world, he has complete control over india. he is like a grandfather. you've heard it all on and on and on. a shocker yesterday. he's got to, like, grub around, like, an actual politician and have alliance. >> correct. the largest have gone to the polls. everyone was predicting a landslide and it was anything but. the pleurality party got the most votes but not the outright majority. the prime minister gets a third term for only the second time in india history but it's a disappointment as you say to cobble together a coalition with parties that don't share hindu naturalist cultural dreams for india. i think it's a pushback on inflation and pushback on inequality in india and you're right. i think it's actually a good thing, joe, for india democracy. it was becoming too top heavy democracy and i think it's a good development, honestly. >> all right. so there is our comic relief for the morning. >> all right. let's go to our top story. "the wall street journal" is out with a new piece entitled "behind closed doors." biden shows signs of slipping. the journal says it spoke with both republicans and democrats who had their participated in meetings with biden or briefed on them but essentially only on the record, republican critics in the article, the one is former speaker kevin mccarthy. the journal writes, quote. >> by the way, they also quoted mike johnson. people around mike johnson and admit that this is basically house republicans whacking -- >> why didn't they ask marjorie taylor greene and lauren -- >> it's shocking especially when you see what kevin mccarthy has said repeatedly publicly and behind the scenes about biden on those same days when they were negotiating. >> the strong feelings you're seeing about this article comes also because the context of this race and these two candidates, it's interesting. that's all i'll say. anyhow. that flies in the pace face of what mccarthy said about biden's effectiveness in the past. from politico, last year, quote. >> in public. like he did in this article. >> while privately telling allies that he found the president sharp and substantive in their conversations. a contradiction that left a deep impression on the white house. this from "the new york times." privately, mr. mccarthy has told allies that he has found mr. biden to be mentally sharp in meetings. this from "the hill." very professional. very smart. very tough at the same time. mccarthy told reporters at the capitol of his talks with biden. >> willie, i could go on and on with things that kevin mccarthy and others have said about negotiating with joe biden. i could also talk about what the french delegation said when they were negotiating with him and what they told me. and friends that i have in that french delegation were a part of those negotiations who said that macron came out like, wow. okay. he's a lot tougher than what we expected. actually, i think macron sort of got his backup because biden was pressing so hard. i can tell you the same thing about middle eastern people i talked to. some people are suggesting that he, you know, a bit too tough in negotiations, that the united states throws their weight around a little bit too much. but what is so shocking about this article is they go to kevin mccarthy as their main source and other house republicans. the same house republicans mike johnson, who just there lied through his teeth repeatedly and mike johnson who got to power based on the big lie. they are using people around johnson and kevin mccarthy to do this trump hit piece on joe biden. but, again, here is the quote. kevin mccarthy mocked biden's age and mental acuity in public. this is from politico last year. while privately telling allies that, in private, he found the president to be sharp and substantive. i've talked to you about my meetings with the president over the past year, willie, and i talked to mike and mika about it. i said in real-time, the guy -- you see both of those guys right there? i've spent time with both of those guys privately. i've spent time with biden and trump privately. i've spent time with every house speaker over the past 30 years and joe biden. i'm not just -- it's just not close. if you want to talk about international affairs, if you want to talk about how to get bipartisan legislation, joe biden is light years ahead of all of them and the fact that "the wall street journal" knew those quotes were out there, the editors. i'm not looking at the reporter. people outlines blame the reporter. there are a line of editors that is behind every story is done. the editors saw that kevin mccarthy had a habit of saying one thing in public, lying in public, and then privately telling his aides just the opposite. that biden was sharp, that he was cogent and substantive. in the same meeting that kevin mccarthy is now telling "the wall street journal" biden was out of it, he went out and he told reporters after the meeting that the meeting was, quote, the best yet, we are making progress and i'm going to be talking to joe biden every day. very professional. very smart. very tough. i just don't know what to say. i really don't know what to say here. >> let's begin with the fact that joe biden is 81 years old and donald trump, by the way, will be 78 next week. so he is not much younger. so, yes, does he move a little slower and speak a little softer than he did 15 years ago when he was vice president? >> yes. >> as former speaker mccarthy said in the piece? sure does. i think most 81-year-olds do or most people are different than they were 15 years ago. this does have the feeling of trump laundering their attacks in the "the wall street journal." the important note about notes. president use notes in meetings. that is not unusual. they might have a sheet, they might have a card in front of them with some points they want to make. i would also point out donald trump has a person who follows him with a printer to print things out for him so he can have hard copies so he can read his notes and facts and lies often that he rattles off. and the other point to make is will "the wall street journal" have a piece about donald trump in his mental acuity? all you have to do is watch the 90 minutes of that fox news interview over the weekend and you could go through and do an entire series of articles on someone who doesn't seem to have it altogether. mike barnicle, you're very plugged into the white house. what is the early reaction to this piece? >> i can't say it on the air. you can't just say it on the air what the reaction is, actually. i am sort of actually embarrassed for "the wall street journal" with this piece and there is one, at least to me and others, richard, anyone who has spent any time at all, joe, mika, you. anybody who spent any time at all with joe biden knows one thing about joe biden above all else, he is a talker, he's a talker. so here is the tell in this piece. with ukraine running out of munitions, the white house called together top lawmakers and discussed what it would take to get congressional funding along with the scope of border security changes demanded by republicans. the president moved so slowly around the cabinet room to greet the nearly two dozen congressional leaders that it took about ten minutes for the meeting to begin. some people who attended recalled. two dozen people around a table and it took him ten minutes to go around. i'm amazed it didn't take him an hour. everyone he meets, he has ten minutes to talk to them about, everyone. so this was a classic, classic hit piece. probably ordered up by the 93-year-old fifth-time married rupert murdoch over the weekend -- probably, you know? but, i mean, this piece is so tilted, so off the mark. is he 81 years old? he is a bit slower in terms of his reaction to some things? probably. that, i don't know. we don't know. i do know, richard, and you've talked to people, i'm sure, who have been with him in national security meetings. i've been with people who have been with him in the situation room where he literally goes around the globe on the chart in the situation room. i've never been in there but electronically and he points out the weakness and strengths with the united states with other countries with no notes. he is an 81-year-old president of the united states who gets up every day and has to deal with b.b. netanyahu and his son is on trial and an addict and on his mind all the time. this piece is outrageous. >> but mike, it's not that complicated. it's just not. you know -- >> look who they quote. >> we don't have to talk to anybody but the person they quote, kevin mccarthy, who is the source. again, kevin mccarthy who is on actually a sort of a p.r. tour right now to clean up the fact, and politico written a story about this, the fact he lies and the fact he bounces back and forth. he is trying to go on a basically p.r. tour but we don't have to ask world leaders but please feel free to jump in. let's just talk to the guy that was the source of this story and quoted. mccarthy mocked biden's age and mental acute in public while privately telling allies in private he found him sharp and substantive and called him very professional and very smart and very tough and this same meeting, again, "the wall street journal" is basing this story on, on kevin mccarthy's lies? kevin mccarthy's lies, which it's in the press. there is a mountain of quotes from kevin mccarthy and people around kevin mccarthy saying that biden is sharp. he is mentally sharp privately. i mean, yeah. so go ahead and talk about what i talked about and talking to world leaders. but, again, it's just not complicated. >> no, it's not. >> they went to a guy who has admitted that he lies in public and that privately biden is very sharp. >> joe, two republican speakers is up to recall in the recent past. kevin mccarthy and mike johnson. democrats saved mike johnson with their croats. they refuse to save kevin mccarthy when he was up and he is out. why? because it was universal. even from republicans and democrats. kevin mccarthy is a liar. that is why he didn't get the support. >> also really odd the story comes out now. think about the last week. joe biden has come forward with three major new policies. a cease-fire initiative in the middle east and new weapons pathology for ukraine and different policy on the border. three enormous issues and three new policies. you know, you may like the policies, you may not, but this is clearly a president who is driving an agenda. >> so we can quote some of the white house response. white house communication director tweet last night complete and editorial fail. andrew bates is quoted denying a lot of it and note one of the examples cited in the piece was about energy policy and then other reporters have already been fact checking on twitter today saying actually what the president said represented what the biden administration's policy was. so it was perhaps speaker johnson, republicans in the room who got it wrong. may have disagreed with the policy. >> maybe got confused? >> right. but the president did say accurately what the administration wanted. the story line, of course, deeply upsets the white house. they understand privately it is a real one that polls suggest that americans are concerned about the president's age. that is simply true. they do feel, of course, and think point to the white house position and the physical the president receives every year saying he is very much up for the job. it is a story line that had faded some in recent months after the president's state of the union where he delivered a vigorous performance. some of the other moments since he is seen as doing well. he sits for fewer interviews than his predecessors but did a big run for "time" magazine that was printed yesterday. it's true we don't hear from him as much as other president and all of that is accurate but a lot of this still applies to donald trump as well and we have gone through on the show repeatedly how he has slipped as well and he has shown signs of age, katty. it feels like a moment here with crump reeling after the verdict and we will wait to see that is going to play out that it's republicans trying revive what they think could be an effective story line. >> yeah. andrew bates hinteding in the piece the degree we haven't seen very much of the unscripted joe biden and will we start seeing that pick up as the campaign gets hotter. i think a lot of us would like to see joe biden out in public more. we would like to see him doing more interviews certainly with us journalists he didn't many of. the state of the union as you're saying did a lot to put these stories to rest for a little while. when he is out there he has performed well when he has got the big moments. some sense that his campaign has tried very much to try to corral joe biden and keep him out of the public eye and not give him much interaction with journalists. maybe that needs to change. actually maybe more joe biden is better and we will certainly see him at the debate but when he is out performing and talking about policy and doing the kinds of policies and implementing them, you know, as we have been hearing, then that seems to his benefit. more joe biden, not less, maybe a strategy that helps them. >> by the way, that is a legitimate story. that is a story. he is not as available as past presidents or whatever it may be. he has passed more bipartisan legislation than any generation and you look the past week how busy the past week has been. i want to say, first of all, i am loathed to attack "the new york times," "the wall street journal," "the washington post," these papers, katty, that do such remarkable work day in and day out. they do. "the wall street journal" editorial page i read it every day and disagree with it maybe half the time but half the time i'm glad somebody is saying this, right? i think "the wall street journal" editorial page when it makes me angry reading what they say, it's really necessary. it's important for our democracy. but, you know, as you know, "the wall street journal" news side of things is always -- had an extraordinary reputation inside and outside of washington but democrats and republicans alike. i do not want to paint with a broad brush here, especially considering the new editor emmitt tucker. i'm a big fan. i don't understand this story. i think it's unfair. but it's pretty remarkable, i think, what emmitt tucker has done in her short time at "the wall street journal" and i wish her and whatever is happening at "the washington post," although i have no idea what is happening at "the washington post." i wish them all of the best of luck. but this is, again, deeply troubling that they would base a story at this time in a campaign on house republicans who have a record -- record of lying. that is not opinion. that is fact. and we have the specific lies in front of us about kevin mccarthy saying one thing publicly and another thing behind closed doors that undermine this story. >> i agree with you on "the wall street journal." i like the fact when i read it i don't know what to expect from the opinion pages and it's interesting to find media outlets that people are saying counterintuitive with their party line and i think the journal does a good job and around the world they have great reporters in ukraine and middle east and africa so they have done a very good job. in this piece, i think they fell short in not pointing out that mccarthy is being quoted on the record on previous occasions as saying one thing and meaning another thing. and to rely on him as your one quoted source when he has a track record of speaking, let's say, duplicitously on some of this, it doesn't quite hold the credibility it could do if they had taken the time to point that out. we work also with the british takeover of the british newsroom at the moment. just move on from that, richard hause. >> it is happening. you have "the wall street journal,". >> cnn. >> "the washington post." >> yeah. >> cnn. and now the british are coming. the british are coming! prepare! >> all right. a lot more to cover this morning. ahead on "morning joe," former president trump once again floats the idea of jail time for his political opponents. we are going to play for you those new comments from the former president. president biden signs an executive order to tighten security at the southern border. members of his own party are divided on the policy. we will have the latest from capitol hill. former capitol police officer harry dunn defended democracy during the january 6th attack on the capitol. now he is launching a new effort to hold mega-extremists accountable. he joins us next with more on that. you're watching "morning joe." we are back in 90 seconds. new centrum menopause supplements help unpause life when symptoms pause it. with a multivitamin plus hot flash support. 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(♪♪) and enxtra for focus and clarity. centrum, powered by clinically studied ingredients. welcome back to "morning joe." 23 past the hour. president biden issued appear executive order yesterday that will shut down asylum requests at the southern border when crossings spike. the shutdown will go into effect immediately as department of homeland security official say encounters have reached 4,000 migrants daily. the border will only reopen once the number falls to 1500 migrants. speaking at the white house, the president said he would prefer to do this with congress but republicans blocked that effort. take a listen. >> republicans in congress not all of them walked away from. why? because donald trump told them to. he told the republicans and published widely by many of you he didn't want to fix the issue but use it to attack me. today, i'm moving past republican obstruction and using executive authorities available to me as president to do what i can on my own to address the border. frankly, i would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation because that is the only way to actually get the kind of system we have now that is broken fixed. for those who say the steps i've taken are too strict, i say to you to be patient and goodwill of the american people are going to be wearing thin right now. don't go nothing is not an option. we have to act. we must act consistent with both of our laws and our issues. >> he is hammered by both sides and these are the republicans who had the best deal they possibly could have gotten with one of the most conservative republicans in the senate putting it forward. but republicans, of course, have no credibility on thi