It really is way to early on this monday on august 21st. Im Katty Kay On August 21st in for jonathan lemire. We begin with the Tropical Storm pummeling Southern California. Hilary is already smashing records for rainfall across california with some parts of the State Reporting nearly 3 inches of rain yesterday. In addition to the Tropical Storm, Southern California residents also experienced a 5. 1 magnitude earthquake yesterday. Officials are reporting it did not cause serious damage, but it did produce several aftershocks. In response to hilary, governor gavin newsom declared a State Of Emergency. Hilary is the first Tropical Storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, almost a century. Turning to politics and new polling shows Donald Trumps hold on the Republican Base is as strong as ever. In a yougov survey, trump leads ron desantis, 62 to 16 . In third place is entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Hes at 7 . All the other candidates at 5 or less. Among them, the poll shows they trust the former president even more than their own loved ones, yep, more than their own family members. 71 feels like what trump tells them is the truth. Ahead of friends and family only at 63 . Donald trump says he will not participate in wednesdays republican primary debate, however. He made the announcement yesterday. Trump wrote in part, quote, the public knows who i am and what a successful presidency i had. I will therefore not be doing the debates, a plural there. It only applies to the first two rnc debates. Theyre both affiliated with fox news and fox business. Some of the other Debate Contenders are now weighing in on that decision. Hes a coward. Theres no other conclusion to come to hes both afraid of me and hes afraid of defending his record, and if i had his record, i would be nervous about showing up p too. I mean, lets face it, guys. By wednesday, hes going to be out on bail in four different jurisdictions. When are we going to to stop thinking thats normal . What if we dont allow that again . Nominating someone whos out on base in four jurisdictions is not a winning formula. Whether you believe in federal prosecutions or if you dont, two things, one, theyre real and youre going to have to deal with them, and, two, his conduct is reprehensible. I think every one of us who qualify for that debate stainless ought to be on the stage, be willing to square off, answer the tough questions, and draw a bright line contrast. My differences with the former president go far beyond that tragic day in january. I have no problem with him skipping the first couple of debates. Hes been on the debate stage plenty of times and in the white house. This is my chance to introduce myself to the country, so i have no issue with whatever decision he wants to make. If hes on there, great, if not, im fine with that as well. And Asa Hutchinson has now officially qualified for the gop debate as well. Hutchinson says he has met with the commission and donor cry teer ya, thanking his donors on twitter yesterday. Hes also expected to sign the partys required pledge to support the president ial nominee despite his criticism of it and his strong opposition to donald trump. Meanwhile miami mayor Francis Suarez is also claiming to have qualified for the debate stage, but dnc has denied that. They have until tonight to certified that they have met all of those requirements. Joining us now is National Politics reporter for the hill, julia manchester. Julia, final decision. We kind of knew he was not going to be there or expected he would not be there. How does it shake up the debate . It doesnt shake up the debate in a huge way. Either way, ron desantis would really be target number one of everyone on that stage. Right now donald trump wants to essentially get rid of ron desantis in second place, solidified the nomination early on. You have Vivek Ramaswamy who wants to get into the second place spot and knock ron desantis out of it. It draws a lot of attention to ron desantis. Id ask you what the strategy is going to be, except we know what its going to be. At least it was released to us in talking points. Do you think hes going to do Something Different . Its a good question. This is sort of what he has to do right now. What we saw in the Strategy Memo and a lot of Desantis Allies were telling me last week, it was sort of predictable. It makes a lot of sense. Desantis is not wants to attack him, but at the same time, he wants to solidify his second place. Going after someone like ramaswamy allows him to go after that and chris christie, it gives him a chance. Ramaswamy is interesting. Hes been rising in the polls. Still nationally pretty low name recognition. This seems to me a very important moment for him. It is a very important thing for hip. Youve seen ron desantis at a lot of major conservative gatherings. Hes very slowly and steadily building his name it. Dchlt with the conservative base. You see him on rightleaning outlets for news chams and across the political spectrum, very much trying to build up his name i. Dchlt. That Media Strategy of going everywhere, sort of what we saw with Pete Buttigieg on the democratic side thats what i was going to ask. Well see if its on at the same time. Well have to see. Very briefly, all the rest of the pack, the number one person youre watching . I would say Vivek Ramaswamy and tim scott. Julia, thank you very much. National politics reporter for the hill. Julia manchester in the studio. So nice to have someone else. Not just myself. Still ahead, russias first lumar nation in neil 50 years crashed into the moon. What does this mean for russias future Space Exploration . And as hawaii Wildfire Survivors question the governors response to the maui fires, President Biden will be arriving there today to speak with first officials on the ground. Those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. E weather when we come right back. Businesses need 5g solutions today. Thats why they choose tmobile for business. Mlb partners with tmobile to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. Aaa relies on tmobiles network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. And were helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. Nows the time to see what americas largest 5g network can do for your business. [city ambience sounds] [car screech] [car door slam] [camera shutter sfx] introducing neds plaque psoriasis. [camera shutter sfx] he thinks his flaky, red patches are all people see. Otezla is the 1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. [ned . ] it can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. With no routine blood tests required. Doctors have been prescribing it for nearly a decade. 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Right now a Training Program for ukrainian pilots is scheduled to begin in denmark this month, but officials warn the training does take time. In the meantime the dutch Prime Minister called the move to provide jets a longterm commitment while numbers were not publicly discussed. Zelenskyy posted on social media theyre going to send 42 jets to ukraine. Russias first lumar mission in decades has ended in failure with its lunar 25 crashing into the moons surface, the understand accident a employee to russias bid to reach the south pole happened after communication with the russian spacecraft. It lost touch on saturday around 3 00 p. M. Moscow time. The agencys preliminary analysis showed it spun into an uncontrolled orbit before the collision. The news comes a day after the space kraflt reported an Emergency Situation as it was trying to enter a prelanding orbit. A full commission is expected to investigate what caused the crash. President biden will visit mawy today in the wake of the devastating wildfires that have claimed over 100 lives, this as biden faces mounting criticism over his response so far to the disaster. Nbc News National correspondent Miguel Almaguer has more. Reporter the Recovery Teams here in lahaina nearly complete their grim search for the missing. For some, grief is turning to anger amid this mountain of loss. I cannot do anything. We never see nothing. Nothing at all. Reporter bracing for a death toll still expected to rise, at least 2,200 buildings are gone, most of them homes. The president expected in maui, but not welcomed by all. We dont need you. Dont come here. Reporter facing criticism for what some call a tepid response in the days after the fires. Any response from the rising death toll in maui . Reporter white house staff says the president has been working behind the scenes to provide support and relief to those most in need. I was in complete communication with him throughout this event, helping him understand what i was seeing. Reporter fema offering meals, housing, and an initial 700 payment to survivors who say its not nearly enough to start rebuilding their homes and lives. Stay out of our way. Get rid of the red tape. Reporter planning to meet with victims and response teams, the president s visit comes three days after mauis top Emergency Management official resigned when he stood by the decision not to run a siren. He offered this suddenly stark rebuke. Do i wish those sirens went off . Of course, i do. Reporter in maui, the demand for accountability, the plea for president ial help, and the endless sea of heartbreak. So awful. Hundreds and hundreds still missing in hawaii. Nbcs Mig H Gel Almaguer with that report. Still ahead in the program, in sports, a bit of a sweet victory for a spanish player who helped her team win the first ever womens world cup. Well have that and highlights around Major League Baseball coming up next on Way Too Early. make the switch. Its your business. Its your verizon. And were done. Hm, what about these . Looks right. [sfx spilling sound] nooo. Nooo. Nooo. Quick, the quicker picker upper bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. And bounty is 2x more absorbent so you can use less and get the job done with one. This works. Kind of. Bounty, the quicker picker upper. Age is just a number, and mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. Boost® high protein. Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv that might be enough. It is. Spain wins the world cup. Okay. Not happy about this story, of course. I did get up to watch the lion iss. Congratulations to spain. Theyre the fifa world cup champion for the first time. They played amazingly, edging england, 10. Olga carmona sealed spains victory in the 29th minute. She also scoring a stunning late goal in spains 21 win against sweden and is now the first player since America Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a world cup semifinal. And in the final, not even a striker. What a woman. Sadly, this personal story, carmona learned after the match of her fathers death. The spanish Southerner Federation says he had been ill and died while the family came to watch the final. They decided to wait until after the Title Celebrations to give her the news. We wish her the best. Well done, honestly. I mean it. Well done for the lionesss. My favorite too. Swept in consecutive series by the Atlanta Braves and boston red sox, the yankees have lost. The red sox beat the yankees 65 yesterday for the eighth time in nine tries to complete bostons second sweep of new york this season. The yankees chances of qualifying for the playoffs are bleak as they sit nine games out of the American League wildcard chase and the franchises winning streak sits in serious jeopardy. Meanwhile in oakland, the. A l. Eastleading Baltimore Orioles i like them. 121 over the as yesterday. Henderson who had four hits in the game came up, needing a single, to become the first rocky in franchise history to hit for a cycle but chose to run past first base for a double. And turning to texas. The rangers righthander max scherzer moved into 11th space on the career strikeout list, but in the same inning he threw 42 pitches and forced two runs as the mauks brewers beat the rangers, 62. And in houston, the Seattle Mariners completed a threegame sweep of the Houston Astros that moved them within one half game of the defending champions in the a. L. West standings. If you dont follow baseball, thats like in scientific language. We got through it. Time now for the weather. Mesh Shell Grossman has the forecast. Poor california has it worse than the rest of us. Poor california. It was a historic day yesterday. We saw so much rainfall. A years worth of rainfall. Landslides, mudslides, debris flows. Look at these imagesle were going to see it once again today. So much water. 2 to 4 inches may not sound like a lot to the middle of the country, but the desert cant handle that much rain. Were looking at posttropical hilary. That happened 25 minutes ago with the latest advisory, but still bringing lots of rain. You see the Bright Colorsle thats where were seeing the heaviest rain falling. There is a flood theft. 27 Million People are impacted. Where you see the red, Flash Flooding is happening now or imminent. Were concerned about that. Were concerned about it because were looking at rainfall rates of an inch per hour. That is a lot. Where you see the red, the oranges, the yellows, thats in the intermountain west. Were watching two additional systems thats going to bring some rain to portions of the u. S. , especially the one near texas could see some heavy rain. Were soaring in terms of the temperatures in the middle of the country. 87 Million People impacted. The heat warning is stretching from texas to portions of the midwest and ohio valley and were going to see temperatures into the 90s and triple digits. We could see nearly 150 records falling in the next two days. 102 in jackson and springfield. Back to you, katty. 106 in dallas. This summer has been difficult and hot. Still ahead, donald trump is expected to surrender to authorities in Fulton County this week. Well have the latest on the former president s indictment straight ahead on Way Too Early. Indictment straight ahead on Way Too Early. christina with Verizon Business unlimited, i get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. So, no matter what, im running this kitchen. vo make the switch. Its your business. 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If youre still partying, stay up and watch. Why not. Im katty kay in for jonathan lemire. Former white house Chief Of Staff mark meadows named in last weeks georgia indictment is now asking for the charges to be dismissed. In a court filing, meadows Attorney Says he should be shielded. Hes also charged in connection with a now infamous phone call to georgias Secretary Of State where he asked them to find the exact number of votes needed to overturn the loss there. He asked to have his case moved from Superior Court To Federal court. Former president donald trump, meanwhile, is expected to surrender in atlanta at the end of this week. That timeline, according to officials familiar with the plan, say they do not expect him to appear behalf thursday, but plans are still being finalized. That is, of course, one day before the deadline set by Fulton CountyDistrict Attorney fani willis. She gave donald trump and the others until friday to voluntarily surrender to authorities. An attorney for trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former President Trump has continued to push the false Conspiracy Theory that he won the 2020 election and now some prominent republicans are pushing back at a conservative political conference in than on friday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said its time for the former president to move on. Its important for the process and for everybody to be important in the process. For people out there complaining, look, you can believe whatever you want about the 2020 election. That is your right. I understand that. I have no problem with that. But the thing is, that was three years ago, and if youre still mad about that, quit complaining about that and sign up to be a poll worker, be a poll watcher, get involved in the process. Door knock, phone call, do something that will help us win in 2024. Complaining is not going to help us win. That Governor Kemp there. One of the republican senators going even further saying donald trump should drop out of the race because of the criminal charges he faces. Bill cassidy made the announcement during his interview on cnn. Heres what he had to say about the former president s legal problems. There are 91 charges, i think. The charges most likely that seem a slam dunk are the ones, which is the mishandling of the legal documents. It seems again a very strong case. They have a taperecording of his speaking of it. If it is prove p, we may have a candidate for president whos been convicted of a crime. I think joe biden needs to be replaced, but i dont Think Americans will vote for someone who has been convicted. Do you think donald trump should drop out of the race . I think so, but obvious hi thats up to him. I mean youre asking me my opinion, but he will lose to joe biden if you look at the current polls. Im a republican. I think any republican on that stage in milwaukee will do a better job than joe biden. Joining us now, cofounder of Punchbowl News anna palmer and msnbc contributor. Georgia, anna, one of the red states has them fighting against trumps big lie. Do you think Governor Kemp is right that the gops Focus In Georgia specifically is hurting them with the past . What youre starting to see is you have Governor Kemp whos been at odds with the former president for a long time. [ technical difficulty ] theyre going to be on display for the next several months. Hes trying to get republicans behind him to say we need to move forward because if we dont [ technical difficulty ] senator cassidy going further saying trump shouldnt run. How much are you starting to hear na from other republicans you speak to on the hill . I know some have agreed privately. Is cassidy going to be the canary in the coal mines . Any chance of that . He certainly gives voice to what a lot of Senate Republicans do believe. I think a lot has to do with they want to win. They want to win the majority in 2024. We havent seen them have the same language particularly when it comes to the documents case, right . You heard them say slamdunk. I dont know if hes the first thats going to go in that direction as aggressively as he is, but he certainly is a sober voice when it comes to where the Republican Party could move, when it comes to that case, which most legal experts believe that it is the strongest of all cases. When you speak to republicans on the hill, what do they say about the timetable, anna . Whats their thinking on which of these cases goes to try before the election if any of them, and could any be wrapped up by election day next year . Weve heard a lot of positing. You see the former president trying to delay the start until after the 2024 election. I do think the question is going to be how long do the republicans how long [ technical difficulty ] Senate Republicans much more circumspect. I think a lot of frustration among Senate Republicans with the fact that trump is still leading the polls when it comes to the gop primary. They dont think trump can actually win. Okay. Cofounder of Punchbowl News, anna palmer. Coming up, a live look at cnbc and a look at the markets. Thats all ahead, coming straight up. All ahead, coming straight up. christina with Verizon Business unlimited, i get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. So, no matter what, im running this kitchen. vo make the switch. Its your business. Its your verizon. Mr. Clean magic eraser powers through tough messes. So it makes it look like i spent hours cleaning, and you know i didnt. It makes my running shoe look like new its amazing. Its so good. It makes it look like i have magical powers. Magic eraser and sheets make cleaning look easy. Age is just a number, and mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. 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A lot going on that could affect the markets this week. Tell us about that. Yeah, good morning, katty. So ultimately its a week in which theres going to try to be some sort of reconnaissance or recovery. We saw the market dip for a fourth day in a row. By the time we got to friday, wall street recording its longest weekly decline. That was significant. Manufacturing and Services Data will likely top the headlines for some parts of this week in the form of pmi numbers, of course, but that will only last until thursday when the Jackson Hole Economics Symposium is expected to kick off. Fed chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak on friday. Investors in the economy as well as the markets will be keenly watching out for his Economic Outlook as well as his outlook on Interest Rates, of course. Those are anticipated to perhaps edge higher from here perhaps one more time, but that slated reasoning could be something to look out for, so that will really take up a bulk of what the markets then anticipate and will look out for for the remainder of this week. Chinas central bankers cut one of its key Interest Rates for the second time in three months. Why . What prompted that . Yeah. Well that country is in the midst of an economic slowdown. Theyre cutting their oneyear loan prime rate and then keeping the fiveyear loan prime rate unchanged though. That was a surprise decision because a lot of economists had anticipated they would cut both. In an attempt to give out economic stimulus that was a sluggish economy, not growing as much as theyd like, but they have to balance the economic stimulus theyd like to add to that with the advance of doing too well either. On the other side you have the properties of evergrand. Theyre going to try to make sure that entities are still flourishing. Its going to be a difficult challenge for them. Lets get the latest on elon musk, more machinations. X, formerly known as twitter, whats the latest behind his changes there . Well, according to him, it makes no sense. What hes decided to do is block people from blocking other people. So you may no longer be allowed to block somebody on twitter unless its from a direct message that youre trying to do. This is a really interesting one because it used to be seen as a safety net against badgering, interpretations of people having been a little more unnuanced and unhelpful with the worst kind of badgering perhaps happening to some people and then deciding to block, which would then perhaps ease that situation. While we thought perhaps this was a big change on twitter, the former founder or should i say x, formerly twitter, jack dorseys has actually endorsed this move. Here he tweeted by saying 100 , mute only. Effectively saying instead of the block button, people should only be allowed to mute other people on twitter or x formerly known as twitter instead of being able to block them. So that is a very interesting development. It does come on the back of actually a whole host of photos being deleted between 2011 and 2014. X formerly known as twitter. I use the mute button a lot and i will continue to do it. Arabile gumede from cnbc in london. Thank you. Still ahead, the leaders in japan and south korea, well take a look at what was discussed at the summit in camp david when Way Too Early returns. David when Way Too Early returns. Otein. Boost® high protein. Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv businesses need 5g solutions today. Thats why they choose tmobile for business. Mlb partners with tmobile to not only enhance the fan experience, but to advance how the game is played. Aaa relies on tmobiles network to stay connected nationwide, so they can help get their members back on the road. And were helping pano ai innovate, to stop the spread of wildfires. Nows the time to see what americas largest 5g network can do for your business. When your gut is out of balance, your body gives you signs. So if youre frustrated with occasional bloating. . Gas. Or abdominal discomfort. Help stop the frustration and start taking align every day. Align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists. To help relieve your occasional digestive upsets. So you can enjoy life. when you feel the signs, its time to try align. Age is just a number, and mines unlisted. Try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for Muscle Health versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. Boost® high protein. Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv friday marked a significant day as the president hosted the president of japan and south korea. It was the First Time Since the maryland retreat in 2015. On friday it was announced moving forward south korea, japan, and the United States will hold trilateral meetings between top governments and military officials at least annually. The three nations will work with each other to respond to regional challenges and will hold joint military exercises each year. Theyll also share Missile Warning data on north korea with each other. The threat of the reclusive regime loomed over them this summer. But President Biden said the point of the summit was not about china. Take a look. Ill just say this. This summit was not about china. That was not the purpose of the meeting, but china came up. Not to say we dont want to share concerns about the economic coercion or heightened tensions caused by china, but this summit was about our relationship with each ore and deep cooperation across an entire range of issues that went well beyond the immediate issues we raised in this historic meeting. But we laid in place a longterm structure, a relationship that will last and have impact not just to asia but around the world. Someone once said in a different context about Health Care Provisions in my country a while ago. This is a big deal. This is a big deal. Thank you. Im not sure whether semantics was about china. But it was china that got the leaders there. You were at camp david where it was held, but ten years ago, it would have been hard to get the leaders of south korea and japan into the same room together, so kudos to the administration. Thats right. Japan and south korea in the last year or two have taken their own steps to thaw this frosty relationship they have. It was an opportunity to bring them together. Knowing the history of camp david, the place that camp david has played in Foreign Policy and u. S. Policy, to bring them there and help nudge this relationship forward not only japan and south korea, but as he said, all three of them. That was friday. Now its monday. The president is headed to maui. There was a period last week where the president went silent for a few days as the death toll mounted in hawaii, and he got some criticism for being silent, so theyve been trying to, i think, being very proactive in terms of showing theyre on the ball, that theyre engaged, that theyre trying to help the people of maui recover from this devastating wildfire. Hes been traveling around the country, talking about his economic agenda, bidenomics, and finally some of those projects are actually starting to be built around the country. Are they feeling like theyre starting to get some traction and theyre better reflectish the conditions in the country . That is the hope. They dont understand what bidenomics is, which is his entire economic agenda. So some of that remains to be seen, i think. And in this week of the Republican Debate when the president has been so careful about not attacking Donald Trumping do you think hes going to address that this week when there is this big moment perhaps in the campaign to do it . To have a bit of a change . There is some frustration he hasnt been taking it to Donald Trumping but if i had to bet on it, i would probably say, no, not this week. Whats your thinking . They cant win if they do and they cant win if to just keep above the fray and keep him portray him being president ial instead of getting down and in the mud and jabbing at donald trump, i think they see it as a little bit too early for him to be going into that node. Not weigh in on any judicial issues. Absolutely. They feel thats working for them . I think so. In the white house a sense theyd like to donald trump to be the candidate ahead of all the others . I think so. You see that in the rhetoric and just the way everything is positioned. Its positioned to be a Joe Biden Donald trump rematch. Playing with fire or wishing for something they cant control. Theres always that fear but its not manifested yet. Thank you for coming on. Up next, a preview of Florida Governor ron desantis game plan for this weeks Republican Debate. Thats coming up on morning joe. Where donald trump stands among the gop primary field. Steve kornacki will be at the big board to break down new polling out of iowa. Also ahead, well get a live report from san diego as Tropical Storm hilary batters Southern California, morning joe just moments away. Ay christina with Verizon Business unlimited, i get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. So, no matter what, im running this kitchen. vo make the switch. Its your business. Its your verizon. And were done. Hm, what about these . Looks right. [sfx spilling sound] nooo. Nooo. Nooo. Quick, the quicker picker upper bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. 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Com tv christina with Verizon Business unlimited, now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. I get 5g, truly unlimited data, and unlimited hotspot data. So, no matter what, im running this kitchen. vo make the switch. Its your business. Its your verizon. Florida Governor Ron Desantis campaign is previewing his strategy to donors and supporters ahead of the debate this week, according to a memo obtained by nbc news which argues the gop primary is a twoman race between desantis and donald trump. Trump says he will not participate, Desantis Team expects him to be at the center of attacks and is fully prepared to be on receiving end. The memo comes after the super pac never back down urging desantis to defend trump from Chris Christies attacks. He said he hasnt personally read the document. You guys can deal with it. I didnt do it. I didnt read it. Its not going to influence what i do. Were going to go and speak the truth and were looking forward to getting the job done. Joining us now is National Political correspondent for axios, alex thomas. Weve seen the memo that was leaked, whats the strategy for tuesday night. The super pac memo encouraged ron desantis to really go after a few candidates, including vivek. What you saw in this memo it basically said the super pac is not us, what were going to do, maybe well fight back if someone punches us but were going to focus on ron desantis and telling our story and our record in florida, so whats the most intriguing thing about this is the super pac and the campaign yet again are on slightly different pages which has been a theme for the last few months. So how are the other candidates on wednesday night preparing to handle this . The main plot of this debate is that ron desantis wants to keep this a twoman race, desantis is well behind donald trump, the only one even hes clearly the secondplace option, everyone else is in single digit. Every other candidate wants to disrupt this status, they dont want this to be a twoperson race anymore. Chris christie suggested that ron desantis should drop out of the race if hes going to defend Everyone Wants to be the candidate or the story thats being talked about the next day and the next day after the debate, we may not have massive ratings for this debate, donald trump wont be there, so what do you think be the unexpected stories that we hear thursday, friday . Who could we be talking about . This one will be a little bit surprising i actually think perry thomas that is. Hes a businessman. Ive seen speak at some of these big events he does have this quirky style that can really sort of resonate with the crowd, hes also completely unpredictable, i have no idea what hes going to do and he barely made the stage this week, i think, id be surprised if he got to double digits in polling, about a viral moment, he might do something quirky or unexpected. There are lots of republicans not just ron desantis who would like to become a twoman race fairly soon. The consequences of what happens on wednesday, namely, donors, donors that ive been talking to have basically said were going to be watching this debate extremely closely, because donors want to consolidate behind one candidate, one trump alternative and see if they can somehow overtake this massive lead that donald trump has gotten. Okay, well be watching. National Political Correspondent for axios, thank you very much. Morning joe starts right now. Putin never would have gone into ukraine but that was on my relationship with him, my personality over his. Youre the apple of my eye wherever you stay in my heart i feel like this is the beginning though id love you for a million years our attack on Donald Trumps claim that he was the apple of russian president putins eye, weve got a lot to get to this morning, including trumps decision on whether or not hell attend wednesdays republican president ial primary debate, well show how his gop rivals are responding. Meanwhile the former president has until friday to surrender to authorities in Fulton County, georgia, well have more on the possible time line with that. Also ahead the latest on the lifethreatening Storm HittingSouthern California, prompting a State Of Emergency from the governor and an update on the Recovery Efforts in maui ahead