As Democrats, we actually believe in merit.

Merit that should be based on what you know, not who you know.

And understand, this whole Trump administration is filled with lackeys and incompetent cronies.

I'm not talking about any particular individual, though I will note that the Secretary of

Defense, who was on that chain, has got to be the most unqualified person ever to lead

the Pentagon in American history.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responding to the bombshell report that top officials

in the Trump administration texted war plans to a journalist in a group chat.

We'll bring you more reaction from Capitol Hill,

where Republicans mostly downplayed the seriousness of sharing classified information with a reporter

and the journalist at the center of the story, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic. Jeffrey Goldberg

will be our guest this morning. Also ahead, a federal appeals

judge condemns in the harshest terms the Trump administration for its use of the Alien Enemies

Act to deport Venezuelan migrants without due process. We're going to go through that hearing

as the DOJ continues to Stonewall,

another court on the basic facts of the flights. Plus, we will have an update on the diplomatic

talks between the U.S. and Russian officials about a ceasefire proposal in the Black Sea. Good

morning. And welcome to morning, Joe. It is Tuesday, March 25th. With us,

we have the co-host of our fourth hour, Jonathan Lemire. He's a contributing writer at the

Atlantic covering the White House and national politics. The host of way too early, Allie Vitale,

is with us. Columnist and Associate Editor for the Washington Post. David Ignatius joins us this morning.

MSNBC political analyst and associate editor of the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson, is here.

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