All posts tagged "msnbc"

Chicago mayor snaps back at MSNBC's Joe Scarborough in tense argument over more cops

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was not having it on MSNBC on Tuesday morning, when host Joe Scarborough insisted he agree with him that more police on the streets of his city would solve what Johnson maintained was a much more complex problem.

In an interview that grew increasingly combative, with the ”Morning Joe” host continually talking over his guest, Scarborough hectored Johnson to give him a simple yes or no answer if thousands more police would help — a prescription Scarborough believes would keep President Donald Trump from sending in troops like he has threatened.

The MSNBC host lectured his guest, “I’m asking would 5,000 more police officers on the street in Chicago be helpful to go along with all of those social programs that a lot of cities are engaging in and having success with?”

“Here's the best way I can put it, Joe, is that in the '90s, when I was in high school, we had 3,000 more police officers, and we had 900 people being murdered every single year in Chicago. It's just not policing alone. Of course, we want more detectives," Johnson explained.

“Of course, I know policing alone, but of course it's not policing alone,” Scarborough interrupted. “You've told me everything else you want. I'm curious, and this does come down to an ideological difference between people. Do you believe that the streets of Chicago would be safer if there were more uniformed police officers on the streets of Chicago?”

“I believe the city of Chicago and cities across America would be safer if we actually had, you know, affordable housing. Look, I'm not saying–” Johnson attempted, as the MSNBC host cut him off again.

“That's not the question I asked!" Scarborough insisted. “My question is, and I just need a yes or no, do you believe the streets of Chicago would be safer if you got all of those other extraordinary programs put back into place, which do have a history of being successful, if that's if that's complemented by having 5,000 more cops on the streets of Chicago?”

“I don't believe that we should narrow it down to just police officers,” the mayor parried. “What I'm saying, that is an antiquated approach. I'm saying we've invested in detectives —”

“Are you hearing what I'm saying?” Scarborough once again interrupted. “I'm agreeing with you that all of these other social programs are extraordinarily important. I just need a yes or a no and then this will be the last time I ask if you get all of those other social programs that that $800 million that, that New York City does, Los Angeles, other people do with great success? Would an additional 5,000 cops on the streets in Chicago help complement those programs to make Chicago safer?”

“Look, we are working hard to make sure that our police department is fully supported,” the mayor shot back. “I don't believe that just simply putting out an arbitrary number around police officers is the answer. What I'm saying is policing and affordable housing. It's policing and mental and behavioral health care services. It's policing and youth employment. It's a full package. Of course, we want to make sure that our police department is fully supported. That's why I've invested in our detectives bureau, because what we have seen in the city of Chicago, when we solve crime, it acts and serves as a deterrent. It's policing and all of the other efforts that we're doing.”

You can watch below or at the link.

- YouTube youtu.be

Trump lashes out moments after White House insider vows Jerome Powell won't be fired

President Donald Trump lashed out at Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Truth Social Wednesday moments after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on MSNBC to claim Powell's job is safe.

Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire asked Bessent, "Should the president just simply say, 'I'm going to let the Fed Chair finish his term? Wouldn't that supply a bit of comfort and stability to the markets that seem to rattle every time the president suggests that Powell should go?"

"Well, I'm not sure where that question comes from because President Trump has repeatedly said that he's not going to fire Chair Powell," Bessent said. "He might like for him to resign but he's not going to fire him. He's said that on numerous occasions, I think he may have even said it again yesterday."

Lemire then asked if Trump's "fairly incessant pressure campaign" against Powell was "a good thing for the nation's economy."

"I think anyone who goes into public service should expect pressure," Bessent answered. "I get pressure from the president, from the Congress, from constituents. I put pressure on myself. So, I think everyone's used to that. And, Chair Powell's been around a long time."

Shortly after Bessent's comments, Trump used his go-to nickname to blast Powell once again on Truth Social.

"Housing in our Country is lagging because Jerome “Too Late” Powell refuses to lower Interest Rates. Families are being hurt because Interest Rates are too high, and even our Country is having to pay a higher Rate than it should be because of “Too Late," the president wrote.

"Our Rate should be three points lower than they are, saving us $1 Trillion per year (as a Country). This stubborn guy at the Fed just doesn’t get it — Never did, and never will. The Board should act, but they don’t have the Courage to do so!"

Watch the MSNBC clip below.

'Never seen numbers this bad!' MSNBC host stunned by new Trump ratings

New polling showing Black voter sentiment toward Donald Trump caused MSNBC's Chris Jansing to sit up and take notice Thursday.

Political strategist Cornell Belcher said the polling done by his organization, Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies, shows Donald Trump's job approval and favorability are at an all-time low with the Black community.

"I've been around doing polling for 30 years; I've never seen an official's numbers as bad as they are among Black voters, as Donald Trump's is right now," Belcher said, causing Jansing to interrupt.

"Really? So, you just broke some news here! What's behind it?" Jansing asked.

"What's behind it is a lot of the economic angst, but also, quite frankly, look the racism, right? What Donald Trump has done in the first moves in office is go after DEI, go after affirmative action programs...take Civil Rights leaders' names off of ships, right? If he was as focused on bringing down prices as he is focused on on diversity and equity, and stripping away diversity and equity in our government, we'd have really low, low prices right now. "

Jansing asked if that poll included young Black men, "many of whom voted in higher numbers for Donald Trump because of economic issues?"

"Of course it does," Belcher said, before clarifying, "If you look at the aggregate percentage of Black voters overall who voted for Donald Trump, it's nothing historic."

Belcher added, "I'm less worried about the number of Blacks who voted for Donald Trump and more worried about the horrendous turnout among among younger voters of both Black and Brown that we saw in the last election, and it means death for the Democrats and progressive movement moving forward if we cannot...find a better way to engage and meet these younger voters."

Watch the clip below via MSNBC.

'A white supremacist's opinion': Stephen Miller skewered over new crime claims

Top White House aide Stephen Miller's claims of exploding crime across the country came as a surprise to residents of Minneapolis after he held up that city as a cautionary tale, according to Steve Benen with MSNBC.

Miller told Fox News this week, "We have communities all across this nation that, 20 years ago, before the era of open borders, were completely peaceful, completely stable, thriving middle classes."

He added, "Look at a place like Minneapolis. Post-mass migration, they are unsafe, they are violent, you cannot use the public parks."

Benen wrote that Miller's comments "did not go unnoticed, especially among people in Minneapolis who enjoy visiting local parks...What’s more, plenty of observers were quick to note that crime rates across Minnesota have improved considerably in recent years, and Minneapolis, in particular, has seen a significant decrease in violent crime in the first half of 2025."

Perhaps the most "memorable reaction," according to Benen, came from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty who said in a statement, “If we wanted a white supremacist’s opinion, we’d ask. But we don’t. So we won’t.”

Miller and Transportation secretary Sean Duffy have both pushed the narrative this week that "Biden's open border policies" created a cesspool of crime that only President Donald Trump's efforts are starting to drain.

"There’s no great mystery here: The Trump administration wants people to be afraid, because the more Americans are scared, the more they’re likely to endorse a mass-deportation campaign," Benen wrote. "For the White House, in other words, the politics of fear is overriding every other consideration, including the temptation to brag about — and perhaps even try to take credit for — a heartening national trend."

Benen added that "a better example of people steering clear of public parks" would be MacArthur Park in Los Angeles "where local residents were recently forced to flee when federal officers and National Guard troops arrived for reasons that are still unclear."

Read the MSNBC piece here.

Top ally displeased after 'zombie visit' with Trump: journalist

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't quite get the warm reception from President Donald Trump that he hoped for following U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, according to reporting on MSNBC.

Journalist Noga Tarnopolsky told host Katie Tur on Tuesday that Netanyahu "expected a lot more pomp and circumstance" to celebrate the bombing campaign during his White House visit and to boost his flagging popularity back in Israel.

"I think his goal, his stated goal, basically for this trip to Washington, which is his third since President Trump returned to office, was a victory lap," Tarnopolsky said. "And I think he really expected to meet the press on the White House lawn, to shake hands, to raise, you know, high fives, maybe from the White House balcony....and instead, President Trump did receive him, did eventually accede to inviting him, but really toned the visit down."

MAGA supporters have called Trump's airstrikes "hypocritical," because he campaigned on his ability to bring peace to the Middle East.

Tarnopolsky added that "from the point of view of the media, it's been virtually a zombie visit thus far."

The White House did agree to a one-on-one with Netanyahu, "but it's going to be held when it's after 11 p.m. Israel time," Tarnopolsky said, "and my understanding is that the discussion is going to be firm...and about Gaza."

Tarnopolsky called the visit "a discreet tussle between Prime Minister Netanyahu, who hoped for a victory lap without having to pay a price, and President Trump, who really wants to see a deliverable regarding Gaza."

At a dinner on Monday night, Netanyahu presented Trump with a nomination for the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, saying, "President Trump is 'forging peace as we speak, in one country and one region after the other. So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It's nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well-deserved.'"

Watch the clip below via MSNBC.

'Last of a disappearing breed?' Analyst shreds notion GOP lawmaker was moderate

In a new article for MSNBC, political analyst Steve Benen advised that it may finally be time to "come to terms" with the fact that the "moderate" wing of the Republican Party "simply doesn’t exist."

Benen cited the case of Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who was touted recently by The New York Times as somewhat of a unicorn in a Republican Party not afraid to tell the president, "no."

"Mr. Bacon’s willingness to publicly disagree with the president makes him an anomaly in the tribal House Republican Conference, where members tend to fall in line behind Mr. Trump’s agenda and actively seek out ways to demonstrate their loyalty to him," The Times piece read. "In a Republican-led Congress that has been reluctant to challenge Mr. Trump on almost anything, the Nebraskan is among the last of a disappearing breed in his party."

But if the Times expected Bacon to vote against Donald Trump's "regressive" megabill — even after he announced his retirement and was beholden to no one — they were sadly mistaken.

According to Benen, "Bacon linked arms with his right-wing brethren and supported his party’s domestic policy megabill, the inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In fact, the Nebraskan wasn’t even one of the GOP holdouts who needed some arm-twisting ahead of the final vote."

Benen continued, "He could simply vote his conscience. Indeed, he could’ve voted against it, knowing that it would’ve passed anyway, even without his support."

The situation caused Benen to ask, "If 'moderates' effectively always vote the same way as their far-right colleagues, then are they actually 'moderates'" at all?

It would seem not, Benen said; in 2025 America, a "moderate" Republican is a mere pipe dream.

So much for Bacon — or any Republican, for that matter — being "among the last of a disappearing breed in his party," Benen acquiesced.

Read the MSNBC article here.

'Downhill from here': Writer claims Trump's pride and joy will take down the GOP

American voters dislike the provisions of President Donald Trump's "one big beautiful bill" so much that it will be the undoing of both Trump and congressional Republicans, according to a new opinion piece on MSNBC.com.

"A recent Washington Post poll showed a plurality of Americans oppose the version of the Republican megabill that narrowly passed the House of Representatives in May, and that’s at a time when two-thirds said that they have heard little or nothing about the legislation," wrote Editor Ryan Teague Beckwith, adding, "It's only downhill from here."

Trump is betting his presidential legacy on the megabill, but "voters said they dislike most of the major provisions, such as cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy, and spending billions to build new migrant detention centers," Beckwith wrote. "The few things they like, such as tax breaks for parents and on tipped income, are so paltry they aren't likely to give Trump or the GOP much of a boost."

Beckwith cited the reasons the House version of Trump's bill will leave Americans worse off than they were before his second term, writing, "It would cause 16 million Americans to lose health insurance, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; It would lead to 4 million fewer Americans getting food stamps, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office; and it would increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to the CBO."

GOP senators are currently hashing out their challenges to the bill on life-altering issues like tax cuts and Medicaid. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the Senate Finance cuts to the health care entitlement "deeper and more devastating than even the Republican House's disaster of a bill."

Beckwith predicted that the bill will be the death of the GOP in its current form if it's signed into law. They'll be voted out of office as millions more Americans are unable to "see a doctor or feed their children and fruit is rotting in the fields while immigration officers swarm farms, factories, churches, schools and courthouses around the country to deport hard-working immigrants without criminal records."

"That will be Trump's legacy," Beckwith concluded, as well as "the legacy of every Republican who votes for it."

Read the MSNBC opinion piece here.

'Speaks volumes': Reporter flags 'most telling thing' about Hegseth Senate fight

MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire claimed Thursday that what Defense secretary Pete Hegseth didn't say during a testy exchange with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) told him everything he needed to know.

Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee Wednesday where he sparred with Slotkin when she asked if he has given the order for the military to shoot unarmed protesters.

The question came in the wake of President Donald Trump federalizing National Guard troops and sending active-duty Marines to quell the deportation protests in Los Angeles.

"I love the military. I served alongside my whole life, so I'm worried about you tainting it," Slotkin said. "Have you given the order? Have you given the order that they can use lethal force against — I want the answer to be no. Please tell me it's no. Have you given the order?"

Rather than answer, Hegseth shot back, "Senator, I'd be careful what you read in books and believing it. Except for the Bible."

"Morning Joe's" Joe Scarborough seized on Hegseth's non-answer, saying, "Yeah, throwing Jesus under the bus! It's what they do. And they use Jesus as a shield. Like, this administration of all administrations. It's quite something. But, I suppose, he who doesn't deny, admits...the fact that he couldn't simply say 'no' speaks volumes."

Jonathan Lemire added, "I think that was the most telling thing, is what he didn't say there. He just sort of pushed back. The original claim that the senator is referring to was from former Defense secretary Mark Esper, who in his book said that Trump floated the idea of shooting protesters in the legs during the 2020 George Floyd-related protests. And when asked...how he would respond to that order this time around, just decided to obfuscate as opposed to answer the question."

Watch the clip below on MSNBC or click here.

'Not a real riot?' Dr. Phil trashes media over 'manufactured' LA coverage

TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, who came to prominence after being promoted by Oprah Winfrey, trashed the media's response to unrest in Los Angeles on his podcast, "The Real Story With Dr. Phil."

"Your eyes don't deceive you, but the media does," McGraw said over video of burning cars.

McGraw first took aim at CNN's Dana Bash, who "compares this madness to what happened in L.A. in 1992."

On video, Bash said, "What happened in 1992 is so different from what we're seeing now. I mean, that was a real riot."

"Guess this isn't a real riot," McGraw said, pausing for effect.

He then moved on to MSNBC and an interview the network did with Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), "a Democrat, who calls this, quote, 'a manufactured crisis.' What does that even mean?" McGraw asked. "This crisis isn't manufactured; MSNBC's news coverage is manufactured. That's what's manufactured."

While playing the clip of Chu calling the violent protesters "outliers," McGraw interjected, "She apparently had no idea that on her split screen were burning cars set ablaze by 'outliers.' So, while she's talking, well, it just didn't seem to go with her rhetoric at the time."

McGraw then castigated an MSNBC reporter for saying the protesters were settling into a "celebratory atmosphere."

"The third one is the charm for MSNBC," McGraw said, playing a clip of a reporter claiming, "These are peaceful people that want to get their message across. They've got signs, they're out with families in some places."

"Great place to take kids! I don't think so," McGraw quipped while chuckling in disbelief.

McGraw then read through headlines from outlets like The L.A. Times that said, "Trump wants L.A. to set itself on fire. Let's rebel smarter."

"Well, little too late to rebel smarter. L.A. is already on fire," McGraw said. "And, for what reason?"

He then recounted the bios of some of the "charmers" recently arrested by ICE who had criminal records, insinuating that the Los Angelenos were upset that criminals were being deported.

"Look, this was not a witch hunt to round up 'Abuela Maria,'" McGraw said. "It's law enforcement getting criminals off the street. So, what does the left do? Encourages everyone to become criminals by blocking freeways, setting fires, throwing rocks, destroying city property, and attacking federal agents."

Mayor Karen Bass refuted McGraw's claims that the Trump administration was only targeting criminals.

"When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you deploy troops to our streets, you’re not trying to keep anyone safe – you’re trying to cause fear and panic. These raids must stop," Bass said.

Watch the video below via "The Real Story" podcast.

'Hasn't gotten it together': Analyst details dumpster fire of Hegseth's Pentagon

MSNBC political contributor Steve Benen argued in a new article that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "still hasn't gotten it together," despite President Donald Trump's assertion that he eventually would.

In April, Trump told The Atlantic, "I think he’s gonna get it together,” after editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg listed Hegseth's failings: "he’s fired three top advisers in recent weeks, he rotated out his chief of staff, he installed a makeup studio at the Pentagon, he put attack plans in two different Signal chats, including one with his wife and personal attorney."

Benen wrote that Trump's prediction might prove true in the future, "but the hapless Pentagon chief apparently hasn’t gotten it together just yet."

As evidence, Benen cited an NBC report saying, "The White House is looking for a new chief of staff and several senior advisers to support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a series of missteps that have shaken confidence in his leadership, but it has so far found no suitable takers."

Benen wrote that the "complexity of the challenge" of finding qualified people to work for Hegseth is that they must be "both MAGA friendly and willing to work with an unqualified and scandal-plagued television personality who was elevated to one of the world’s most difficult administrative positions."

"Finding people who check one of the boxes is easy; finding people who check all of the boxes is apparently not going well," Benen asserted.

The columnist also cited The Atlantic's latest report on the Department of Defense that “Hegseth oversees a workforce of more than 3 million, and a budget of close to $1 trillion, without a chief of staff. His shrunken circle of close aides lacks extensive Pentagon experience. Key military commanders are preparing to retire without replacements in sight. Sidelined aides have aired details of unseemly feuds at the department’s senior levels, and a series of unflattering media reports have fueled what numerous officials describe as Hegseth’s fixation on stopping leaks.”

As for Hegseth proving to Trump that he's gotten it together, Benen wrote, there may come a day, "but that day has not yet arrived."

Read the MSNBC piece here.