Mike Barnicle on TV

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On Election Day 2026, Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist, Mika Brzezinski and Mike Barnicle are joined by The New York Times’ Carolyn Ryan to examine Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ remarkable political staying power in Maine and the challenges she faces in her Senate race against Democrat Troy Jackson. What makes Collins such a resilient political figure, and can she hold on to her seat? Tune in for the conversation.

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Maine politics: Collins vs. Jackson

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/trumps-politics-of-distraction.html[/postlink][starttext]
“He is getting right now exactly what he wants. His narcissism is so explosive that he only wants to dominate the airwaves. He only wants people talking about him, not any other Republican, not the Republican Party….It's all about him. It always has been all about him. He doesn't care about the cost of hamburgers, or the cost of gas, or fuel oil, or this winter in New England—doesn't care about it at all,” said veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and Donny Deutsch about President Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric at campaign rallies with the midterm elections only days away, including allegations about Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico's religious beliefs and comments on transgender children, while mocking affordability concerns.

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Trump’s politics of distraction

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With the 2026 midterm elections coming up, veteran columnist Mike Barnicle reflects on the lessons of past midterms and the growing political exhaustion, economic uncertainty and concerns about the future facing Americans today with this historical look back on pivotal midterm elections in American history, exploring how voters have repeatedly defied political predictions. “Elections aren't forecasts. They're verdicts. And the jury hasn't come back,” says Barnicle, noting that he believes the country is on the edge of uncertainty—“not a good place to be.” What are your top concerns today and how will these issues impact your midterm voting?

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Midterms: The story is still being written

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“He's the victim of a huge self-inflicted wound. He went from being a charming maître d’—that's who he was, whomever he met, wherever he met them….He always had a compliment for you. No matter who you were, he'd make it up. He'd make you feel better. Smiling, seemingly always happy; but underneath that—pssshhew! This what we have today,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and Donny Deutsch about President Donald Trump's claim that he doesn't call people names or mock people, despite his long history of using insulting nicknames for political opponents, members of the media, and others. Watch this discussion of the two contrasting sides of Trump's personality—from the delightful, personable figure they knew before politics to the combative persona he has embraced as president.

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Trump's “self-inflicted wound"

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/the-happiness-disconnect.html[/postlink][starttext]
Social psychologist and bestselling author Jonathan Haidt joins Morning Joe to revisit his influential book “The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom,” which explores what ancient philosophical teachings and modern psychology reveal about happiness, human relationships and living a meaningful life. The conversation turns to how technology is reshaping human connection and what we risk losing as face-to-face interactions give way to digital communication. “One of the losses that you never hear talked about is eye contact, and eye contact leads to conversation, and it seems to have been a disappearing facet of our behavior,” observes veteran columnist Mike Barnicle. Hear Haidt break down the importance of real-world interactions and why meaningful human connection matters more than ever.

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The happiness disconnect

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With the midterm elections just weeks away, are your elected officials paying attention to the issues that matter most to you? “You have no frame of reference for how the average person in your district or your state lives,” says Mike Barnicle on Morning Joe, questioning whether lawmakers understand the everyday challenges facing their constituents. The conversation comes as new Fox News polling shows President Donald Trump's approval rating at 36%, with just 18% of voters saying their families are better off financially than two years ago.

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Are You Better Off?

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/potus-press-secretary-history.html[/postlink][starttext]
With President Donald Trump naming Katie Zacharia as his new White House press secretary, tune in to this Morning Joe conversation as Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, Jonathan Lemire and Mike Barnicle reflect on some of the most memorable people to hold the job—from Bill Moyers and Tony Snow to Jen Psaki, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Karoline Leavitt. Watch the conversation and join the discussion.

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POTUS press secretary history

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Tune in as Jonathan Lemire wishes Mike Barnicle a very happy birthday from his Morning Joe family!

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Happy Birthday Mike!

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/rahm-emanuel-i-kicked-myself-in-butt.html[/postlink][starttext]
Tune in to this Morning Joe conversation as former Chicago mayor and U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel shares what he learned during a recent visit to Louisiana, where he toured schools to examine the state's nationally recognized gains in student achievement. “One thing that is not mentioned a whole lot in any of the campaigns—that you sort of half listened to—is a very important issue to many people: Their children and their education,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle. Hear Emanuel explain how consistency in teacher training, curriculum and accountability has contributed to Louisiana's educational progress—and why he “kicked myself in the butt for not having done this in Chicago.”

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Rahm Emanuel: I kicked myself in the butt

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/michael-douglas-breaks-free.html[/postlink][starttext]
“Reading the book, it struck me it's not a Hollywood memoir. You know, it's a story about several different lives, yours principally, and all of the things that you went through with your father, the relationship with your father, the difficulties with your son, and straightening that out to a certain point; and your cancer, where you thought you were going to die. In writing this book, was there an element of ‘I'm free now, I'm free to do this?’” asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle of Academy Award-winning actor Michael Douglas, who joined Morning Joe to discuss his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride.” Hear Douglas talk about that freedom he was afforded.

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Michael Douglas breaks free

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/postseason-predictions.html[/postlink][starttext]
Watch this Morning Joe conversation as Willie Geist, Jonathan Lemire, John Heilemann and Mike Barnicle break down the latest MLB postseason action—from the San Diego Padres staving off elimination against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers taking control of their series against the Atlanta Braves to the New York Yankees' uphill battle against the Tampa Bay Rays to keep their season alive. “I think Tampa Bay comes out of the American League as the American League champions, and it's Brewers versus Tampa Bay,” says Barnicle as he predicts the 2026 World Series matchup. What’s your prediction?

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Postseason Predictions

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Watch this Morning Joe conversation with TIME senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa who joins the panel to discuss his wide-ranging, 75-minute interview with President Donald Trump at the White House. “Eric, did he speak at all about the issue of this ongoing war with Iran and the negotiators—Witkoff and Kushner—and the fact that nothing seems to ever get done here?” asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle. Hear Cortellessa breakdown Trump's comment that there isn't “any rush” to end the war with Iran.

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Trump: No Rush on Iran

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/10/its-economy-stupid.html[/postlink][starttext]
Join the Morning Joe panel conversation about a new AP-NORC poll showing that just 17 percent of Americans approve of President Donald Trump's handling of the cost of living and only 26 percent approve of his handling of the economy overall, with the midterm elections one month away. “The big driver in this election is anger—anger at what's going on around them, anger because they know what's going on around them. Gas and groceries are their existence and every time you see the president of the United States, more often than not, he's surrounded by billionaires. That's his crowd. That’s where he goes," says Mike Barnicle.

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It’s the economy, stupid

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“We live in a country now where there are millions of people…who are afraid to leave their homes, people who are afraid to send their children to public schools, people who have left hospital jobs, restaurant jobs, all kinds of jobs, all kinds of employment that have made them thrive here in this country since they arrived within the last 5 or 10 years, because of the fear of what—the federal government of the United States of America pursuing them as if they are convicted criminals already….They came here because of one word: freedom—linked to another word, America. That's being slowly destroyed,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist as they discuss Republican Sen. Jim Justice urging the Trump administration to reconsider parts of its immigration enforcement strategy and the impact immigration enforcement is having on communities and businesses.

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What kind of country do you want to live in?

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/09/ai-promise-and-perils.html[/postlink][starttext]
Watch this Morning Joe conversation with House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) discussing the need for immediate congressional oversight of artificial intelligence to balance the opportunities, risks, and urgent questions surrounding the rapidly evolving technology. “If the Democrats win the House and you become speaker next January, what are the possibilities that you will hold hearings on artificial intelligence, both its promise and its peril? Because people just simply don't know about the peril aspect of it, even though people have said, you know, ‘going to end civilization by the end of the month,’ but nobody really knows. When are those questions going to be asked?” asks veteran columnist Mike Barnicle. Hear Jeffries explain why lawmakers should address AI safety concerns now.

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AI: the promise and the perils

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“I think people started putting away pennies last May for their home heating bills this fall and this winter. It's going to be horrific, horrific. There’s going to be a lot of cold homes,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist as they react to House Speaker Mike Johnson's defense of the Trump administration's economic and energy agendas and discuss the rising fuel and home heating costs facing Americans with fall just beginning.

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Bracing for cold temperatures

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“This is a man who clearly values his friendship and his closeness to Vladimir Putin more than he regards having a convivial or collaborative relationship with—the aforementioned Mark Carney—our Canadian neighbor. This is a man who has exhausted this country. He has certainly exhausted me; he's exhausted all of us. All we do every single day is look at the absurd things that he does each and every day of his presidency. And there is no way right now, I would submit, that anyone can measure the damage that he has done to the United States of America, nor can we predict how long it's going to take to repair that damage—if it can be repaired,” says veteran columnist Mike Barnicle during this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire about President Donald Trump bragging about his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the state of U.S. relationships with longtime allies under Trump, and the GOP’s unwillingness to reprimand POTUS.

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America exhausted by Trump

[postlink]https://www.mikebarnicle.tv/2026/09/the-breakup-of-gop.html[/postlink][starttext]
Tune in to this Morning Joe conversation with Joe Scarborough, John Heilemann, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Mike Barnicle as they unpack new polling on President Donald Trump and shifting political coalitions ahead of the midterm elections. Hear Heilemann discuss why he sees “so much bad news in this poll for regular Republicans who finally seem to be really done with Trump,” and Emanuel explain why he believes the biggest story of 2026 is the “breakup of the Republican Party.”

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The breakup of the GOP

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"My thoughts right now are about all the phone calls that were placed by people who never made it out of the buildings or never made it off of the airplanes that were flying in the sky. All the last phone calls to their children, to their wives that ended with the phrase ‘I love you,’” says Morning Joe contributor Mike Barnicle on this 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

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9/11: Final words

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Watch this Morning Joe conversation marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks as Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Mike Barnicle reflect on the courage and sacrifice shown on 9/11, the unity that followed, and why those stories should be passed on to future generations. “We ought to be telling the stories of those lost and the survivors, their survivors….We have to tell their stories. Everybody loves to hear a story. This is a tragic story, but...part of it is a wonderful story. The children who are succeeding in this country. This country that was attacked that day. Forget about what happened that day in terms of, you know, who the enemies are; we have enough enemies in this life of ours. We should concentrate on the heroes who died and their surviving children and grandparents,” says Barnicle.

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