MS NOW (formerly MSNBC)

Wow! That was Mika Brzezinski's repeated reaction to Robert Gates' amazingly frank take on the presidential field. Appearing on today's Morning Joe, the former Defense Secretary shot down all contenders mentioned, dumped on two who have not yet entered the race, and retroactively knocked President Obama for always thinking he was the smartest guy in the room.  Here was Gates' rap on various…

Discussing the fallout of Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate on the Monday edition of MSNBC’s All In, host Chris Hayes and Vox Editor-in-Chief Ezra Klein lamented that Clinton’s “tremendous command and mastery” of subject material when working with colleagues hasn’t exactly shown through to voters as she’s “seemed paralyzed by her knowledge of how many ways a straightforward position can get…

Mark Levin is American media's most knowledgeable, passionate proponent of constitutional conservatism. No wonder Chris Matthews hates him. On his MSNBC show Monday evening, Matthews slurred Levin as "one of the most distasteful human beings out there." Matthews' attack came in the context of commenting on the defense that Levin and Rush Limbaugh have mounted against Donald Trump's claim that Ted…

"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." That's how Harry Truman downplayed the importance of friendships in politics. But at a certain point, do poor personal relations impede a president's ability to get things done?  On today's Morning Joe, after rolling a clip in which Donald Trump called Ted Cruz a disliked and "very nasty guy" who can't make deals, a discussion ensued as to whether…

In the pre-Democratic debate show on MSNBC Sunday night, Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd brought on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and asked her if, as “a student of American politics” and someone who “broke a marble ceiling as first woman Speaker of the House,” how significant it would be “for the Democratic Party to elect the first woman president.”

Five years ago this month, a great many Tea Party Republicans took office in Congress. For some on the left, however, that may not have been the worst political development of January, 2011. This coming Thursday, notes The Washington Monthly's D.R. Tucker, “marks the fifth anniversary of the bitter night…when progressive Americans, and indeed Americans of all political persuasions who value honor…

Longtime NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell will join Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in moderating tonight’s debate among the three Democratic candidates for President. If history is a guide, Mitchell’s participation is a good omen for Hillary Clinton, since NBC’s “Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent” (who, despite her title, seems to spend most of her time covering U.S. politics) has a long…

On today's Melissa Harris-Perry show, the perpetually outraged Nina Turner of Ohio ripped Ted Cruz and Chris Christie for their language during this past week's debate: "to call the president a boy, those of us who understand African-American history—cause that's exactly what they called him was a boy—and you don't do that to anybody, and especially to an African-American man." Republican…

As the media are beating their breasts about Ted Cruz's hit on Donald Trump for exhibiting "New York values" and hence proving he's an ill fit for Iowa Republicans, I noticed something the other night on MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell which seems to illustrate the New York-based liberal media's mockery and disdain for conservative rural America.

MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews teamed with guests April Ryan and Steve McMahon early Friday morning to lambaste Republican presidential candidates Chris Christie for supposedly being disrespectful to President Obama during Thursday’s GOP debate and Carly Fiorina for arguing that she likes to spend time with her husband compared to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Speaking to Ben Carson Press Secretary Deanna Bass on Thursday’s 7:00 p.m. Eastern edition of MSNBC’s Hardball, host Chris Matthews wondered if her candidate “will talk faster” in the upcoming Fox Business debate after being largely known for having a soft-spoken temperament. 

After testing out his latest loony Cruz-birtherism talking point on Wednesday night's Hardball, Chris Matthews appeared as a guest on the January 14 edition of MSNBC Live with Kate Snow to repeat it for a different audience. You could paraphrase it as, "Hey conservatives, it's either the Constitution or Ted Cruz, you can't have both!"

Discussing Iran’s seizure of 10 U.S. Sailors (and release) on Wednesday’s edition of MSNBC’s The Last Word, former UK Ministry of Defense official and foreign affairs correspondent Michael Kay declared that there was “nothing alarming” and instead “standard protocol” taking place in the video released by Iranian state TV of the nine men and one woman being boarded and held for one day.

GOP political strategist Steve Schmidt has taken considerable flak from conservatives for occasional Republican-In-Name-Only tendencies, but he held his ground well after taking a gratuitous shot across the bow from Chris Matthews. With Matthews and Rachel Maddow acting as anchors in covering last night's State of the Union address, Schmidt was one of three MSNBC commentators, along with Chris…