His firsthand account of what happened that dark day. Plus, well take you through the latest testimony released by the january 6 committee. Including what the wife of Clarence Thomas had to say about her texts with the former chief of staff. And well take a look at what is ahead for President Biden in the new year and his looming decision on whether to run again in 2024. 2024. Good morning. Welcome to Way Too Early on this monday, january 2nd. Happy new year. Thank you for starting your day and 2023 with us. The u. S. Capitol police chief during the january 6 insurrection is sharing new details about the alleged Government Failures he says allowed the attack to happen. In a new book that is out tomorrow which has already been reviewed by the Washington Post, stephen son give his firsthand account. In the book, he writes that top leaders from the fbi, dhs and even the capitol polices own Intelligence Division were tipped off about the attack weeks before it happened. Those warnings were never shared with him. They also detail failures to respond to the violence in real time including a Conference Call shortly after rioters breached the capital and they refused to Deploy National Guard troops to the scene. He writes that Lieutenant General walter pyatt told him he didnt like the optics of sending uniformed guard troops to the capital but to ko allow them to replace Police Officers at roadside checkpoints. Sun says elater learned that at the same Time Pentagon leaders were rushing to send Security Teams to protect the homes of military officials, none of which were under any sort of attack. Many National Guard troops returned to their Command Center and clocked out of the shifts as fit were a normal day. At the request of nancy pelosi, sun also warns that manufacture the same internal failures that allowed the insurrection to take place have not been fixed today. Meanwhile, George Santos background and finances will become a member of Congress Tomorrow when lawmakers return to capitol hill. Calls for him not to take the seat are growing louder. Even from some fellow republicans. Congressman kevin brady of texas who is retiring said yesterday the embattled congressman elect should step down. Take a watch. So, look, i think this is troubling in so many ways, certainly he lied repeatedly. At the end of the day though, this is the decision whether he resigns or stays that needs to be made between he and voters who elected him. He certainly going to have to consider resigning. I dont know this young man. He doesnt need my advice. But he can try to politically ride it out. Weve seen that happen in washington, d. C. Or he can take the tougher choice which is i think, look, own every lie. Secondly, you have to change your life here. There is a real problem here. Were a country of second chances. And when people are willing to turn their life around and own up to this, then do what it takes. Nbc news reached out to santos but we have not heard back. Santos has admitted to, quote, embellishing his resume and apologized for that. More newly released january 6 Committee Transcripts reveal wife of Clarence Thomas expressed regret for her texts around the 2020 election. They obtained 29 texts between her and mark meadows. In the messages, thomas urged meadows to do what he could to keep donald trump in power despite joe bidens win. Theyre attempting the greatest heist in our history. In another, thomas wrote, Biden Crime Family and ballot fraud coconspirators, elected officials, bureaucrats, social Media Censorship mongerers are being arrested right now and over coming days and living in gitmo to face Military Tribunals for seditious. Lets be clear, none of that was true. One of thomas stated goals is for lawyer Sidney Powell who promoted incendiary and false claims about the election to be, quote, the lead and the face of trumps legal team. When interviewed about the communications, thomas told the committee i regret all of these texts. It was an emotional time. I was probably just demoting. I clearly was with mark meadows somewhat. Thomas also told the committee she was hopeful that State Legislators could identify fraud in the 2020 election allowing the election to be overturned in favor of donald trump. Additionally, she told the panel that her actions regarding the election were, quote, minimal and mainstream. And that she was, quote, involved in things that were trying to get to the truth. Russias assault on ukraine entered the third month and reached 2023. Russia fired missiles saturday and sunday. Ukrainian counter offenses in the russian controlled regions. Ukrainian military Officials Say yesterday that over the weekend russia launched 31 missile and 12 air strikes throughout the country. Attacks on saturday killed at least one person in kyiv as russia continues to fire missiles and drones indiscriminantly. On new years eve there was a lights out curfew at 11 00 p. M. And fireworks were banned as ukraine continues the fight. Instead of celebrations at midnight this is what the ukrainian capital sounded like. [ Sirens Sounding ] joining us now, Executive Editor of newyorker. Com, david roe. Thank you for being here this morning. A bleak new year there in ukraine. We now entered 2023, there is no sign that the war is abating. Russia really shifted to this terror campaign. What do you anticipate the next few months of conflict . More grinding conflict. I think the russians are desperate. There is, as you said, lobbying shells. It remind me of many years the Siege Of Sarajevo which is defenseless people being, you know, having shells rain down on them. I think if you look back at last year at least, a huge setback for putin. We all thought that it would be, you know, days before kyiv would fall and instead, be stuck in this quagmire. And, you know, many, many of russias top sort of people younger people have left the country. So i think hes been wounded. There is a sense that the thugacrats that President Putin and president xi were getting stronger. It was interrogatory see they both showed weakness. In china, you have the protests against the covid restriction theres and, you know, xi blinked and pulled back on those. So then lastly, you know, President Bidens credit, nato is more united than ever. Sweden and finland are joining nato. So again, this invasion of ukraine backfired for putin. Is there any sense though, despite It Backfiring that putin is going to blink . Is there any i you mean his grip on power still seems firm. Russia economy afloat enough because of help from places like india and china buying their fuel at cheap prices. How long can he he is able to just keep this going . You know, for the foreseeable future . I think for the foreseeable future, yeah. I think he is growing weaker. I think the economic sanctions are taking a toll. The winter is the har muchest time just staying warm and harshest time just staying warm and alive. It is really important for the u. S. To remain, you know, resolute and to continue to support ukraine. Its President Biden talks about the struggle between autocrats and democracies, the autocrat in moscow is losing. And this is a symbol i think worldwide to what happens when you try this count of aggression. Give us your quick sense of the challenges ahead in 2023. Republicans have control of the house. May not be as easy to get funding to kyiv for this white house. Europe is blessed with a mild winter so far. But, you know at certain points, were hearing rumblings. They say that war is too draining on us. Its economic, too. Part of the wars impact is inflation. President biden needs to sell this war to the american people. Republicans are going to challenge him. It is sort of the biggest strategic issue of this year and maybe this decade. Lastly, we want to shift gears. You cover situation in afghanista the taliban in recent days banned women from all university from schooling. They ban women from working in local ngos, humanitarian organizations. Was this inevitable . Is there anything once the u. S. Left, is there anything that can change . Anything the outside world can do . It was inevitable. But the ultimate hardliners have taken control. This is the only country in the entire world that does this. Its absolutely ridiculous. No women allowed in this study. No women allowed to work in the aid organizations. Aid organizations say they cant function because of half of their workforce are women. So its dooming afghanistan and afghans. I think this does i was kidnapped for seven months by the taliban, it shows why the United States went there. Yes, it lost and withdrew. But this is, you know, one of the most hard line islamic regimes in the world. This is unacceptable. Heartbreaking and so deeply frustrating. New yorkers david roe, thank you for joining us this morning. Well talk to you again soon. Still ahead on Way Too Early, the latest on Kevin Mccarthys fwoid become the next speaker. The election is tomorrow and i may not have enough votes. Plus, what were learning this morning about the suspect arrested in connection to the deaths of four University Of Idaho students back in november. Those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. E weather when we come right back. Shes feeling the power of listerine. Hes feeling it. Yep, them too. Its an invigorating rush. 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Yes, this is how, this is how we work now. Well, we fell in love through gaming. But now the Internet Lags and it throws the whole thing off. When did you first discover this lag . I signed us up for tmobile home internet. Ugh but, we found other interests. I guess we have. [both] finch lets go oh yeah its not the same. What could you do to solve the problem . We could get xfinity . Thats actually super adult of you to suggest. I cant wait to squad up. I love it when you talk nerdy to me. Guy, guys, guys, were still in session. And i dont know what the heck youre talking about. Welcome back. Kevin mccarthy is short of the votes needed for him to become the next House Speaker n a new letter obtained by nbc news, nine House Republicans write the current Minority Leader has not done enough to win their support even after he made a Key Concession to them last week. The letter reads in part this way, despite progress achieved, mr. Mccarthys statement becomes late to address continued deficiencies ahead of the opening of the 118th congress. There are missing commitments with respect to virtually every component of our treaties. Thus, no means to pressure whether promises are kept or broken. For forcing a vote to oust the speaker. Making matters more difficult for him, the group of nine lawmakers who pen the new letter does not include five other republicans who have already firmly voiced their opposition to mccarthys speakership bid n total, mccarthy is only afford to lose just four republican votes and still be elected speaker. That number right now stands well north of that. Three New York City Police Officers meanwhile are out of the hospital and thankfully recovering after they were tacked during celebrations in times square on new years eve. Investigators say the suspect in the attack was wielding a machete and approached officers shortly after 10 00 p. M. And swung at their heads before he was shot in the shoulder and then apprehended. They say federal agents interviewed him last month after a relate af lerted him to his jihadist writings online. Investigators say they found a diary with notes which believed he was on suicide mission. It is unclear if hell face federal or state charges or both. He remains at custody in a local hospital for being treated for the Gunshot Wound to his shoulder. The man arrested on the suspicion of killing four University Of Idaho students nearly two months ago is expected to face charges of firstdegree murder. Police in pennsylvania announce ond friday that they had arrested 28yearold brian kohberger, youre looking at him there, as a doctoral student studying criminology just miles from the crime seen in moscow, idaho. Investigators say he has knowledge about forensics and the evidence prosecutors look for to win cases as well as the mind sets of criminals. Lawmakers have not yet released Key Information in the case including a motive or his possible relationship with any of the four victims. The four students were killed on November 13th at a house near campus. The you is inspects family is cooperating with the authorities and in a Statement Released by the familys lawyer, the kohbergers say they will, quote, let the Legal Process unfold and promote the presumption of innocence. Of we, of course, will have more on this story as it develops this week. Still ahead, were going to shift to sports. Were getting a better idea of the nfl playoff picture after this weekends games. Plus, the matchup for the 2023 College Football National Championship game set. National chpiamonship game set. 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Hes got it mccaffrey in for the touchdown. Nine plays, only 12 yards total for both teams combined. No first downs. Hes taking it the distance. You watched the biggest touchdowns scored binning teams across the nfl over the weekend including an absolute blowout win for the Green Bay Packers. It has been one victory away from the playoffs. The steelers have a chance to a postseason thanks to a last minute come back win last night on Sunday Night Football over the ravens. Flushed, pressure. Touchdown oh, what a play. And the steelers take the lead the steelers can get in but they need to beat the browns next week and get losses by the dolphins and the patriots. Another pats are still alive. Dont bet on them. Here is afc playoff picture as it stands this morning. The Kansas City Chiefs are number one for now. That depends on what happens between the bills and cincinnati bengals. That game tonight, by the way, also will determine whether im a Fantasy Football Champion or not. I know you care. Secondly, the jaguars and Tennessee Titans square off to see who is the afc south winner and the number four seed. The last playoff spot is up for grabs. Pats, dolphins, steelers all alive. As for the nfc, eagles are slumping but still have the top seed for now. Tom brady, vintage performance yesterday are back in the postseason after they rallied to defeat the carolina panthers. They win the nfc south. For now, the Seattle Seahawks have the last playoff spot. But the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers are both still alive with green bay controlling their own destiny. Meanwhile, the matchup for College Footballs National Championship is set following two spectacular playoff games on new years eve. The third seeded Tcu Horn Frogs face the Georgia Bulldogs one week from tonight. There were 179 points scored in the two games on new years eve. Tcu put up 51 and held on to defeat michigan while ohio state missed a last second very lengthy field goal that would have knocked off georgia. That should be a fun one. Its time now for the weather. And meteorologist Angie Lastman is here with the first forecast of 2023. Good morning. I dont know if i can concentrate on the weather when im on the edge of my seat with your fantasy football picture. You and all the viewers. I knew it. Hey, heres whats going on travel wise today. I know its going to be a busy day. Lets talk about the airports that can you see trouble at. Kansas city, dallas, houston, extending out west to places like san francisco. Why . Because we have one system that is working across the midsection of the country. Plenty of rain and even the potential for some Severe Weather in places like texas, arkansas, and youll notice this in places like memphis as well through the afternoon hours. We also have heavy snow and Ice Accumulations up to a quarter inch in the high plains. Thats going to be something well deal with through the day today. Could create slick spots. Even on the roadways that will be difficult. This is continuing to shift to the east. Well watch it shift severe potential into the later in the day tomorrow. Heres that bulls eye for exactly where well see the potential for several tornadoes through the afternoon hours. The damaging hail and the destructive winds will be over 60 miles per hour. Just watch for that. And, of course that, ice accumulation, jonathan, will be a bit of an issue as well through the day. Angie, thank you very much. Still ahead, President Biden is weighing a critical question, should he run for a second term . Well get to my latest reporting on that next on Way Too Early. G on that next own ay too early. Y just ordinary eggs when they can enjoy the best . Egglands best. The only eggs with more fresh and delicious taste. 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Right now the biggest decision is about 2024. Whether or not he will seek reelection all signs point to go and if so, when . In my report and new story that it may be sooner, may get an announcement sooner anticipated. Right now joining Us White House reporter for the Washington Post, tyler pager. Happy new year. You and i heard the same chatter for a while. At this point, all signs within the white house are pointing to go. The biden family is seemingly signed off on another bid. There are concerns, of course, about the president s age. Hes 80. But his polls are on the upswing. What are the reasons that he might not run . What possibly could dissuade him from making a reelection bid . As you note in your story, all signs do point to go. There are plans underway for what that campaign would look like. Where it may be based, who might run it and what the messaging around it might be. But, of course, its not official until the president declares hes running for reelection. He files the paperwork to do so. And what might cause him no the to do it i think are the same concerns that we heard when he thought about launching a bid just before the 2020 cycle. His age, family, and just the grueling nature of a modern day president ial campaign. He could sort of pass the leadership baton to the next generation as he frames himself as a candidate for 2020 as, you know, this bridge to the next generation of political leaders. I dont think were going to see that. I think all signs do point to him running again. And the wind is sort of at his back after a very successful last quarter of 2022. But as you know, until we get that official announcement, there is always the chance that he decides not to go through with it. No question. Until it is official, its not official. And certainly those close to biden acknowledge he was spared the rigors of a campaign. He was able to campaign from home for a large portion of that year because of the pandemic. That wouldnt be this case this time around. He would have the power of incumbency. Republicans take control of the house. As of right now, they seen tomorrow. There are worries about the economy potentially slowing down in the first stretch of 2023. What are some other things that worry the Biden White House . Where do they see opportunities to get some things done despite the divided congress . Yeah, look, 2023 is going to be a vastly different year in terms of president s agenda than what we saw for the first years. Obviously, the president took office under crisis with the coronavirus pandemic raging and economy suffering as a result and a lot of focus is getting the pandemic under control and then they were able to shift into some more forward looking legislation. That is not the case as you note with house with the house changing hands to republicans. So i think what were going to see in 2023 is a lot of the executing of the agenda he passed in 2022 Eastern Selling that to the person people trying to get credit for it. Well see this week the president heading out to kentucky to appear in a rare appearance with Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell to tout some of the benefits of the Infrastructure Law that they passed in a bipartisan manner earlier in his tenure. And so i think were going to see a lot of that sort of travel, biden getting out into the country talking about the benefits. Obviously leadership in terms of rallying the west to help ukraine in its war against russia will be another big focus foreign policy. Think well see him take action on issues he doesnt see a Pathway Forward in a divided congress. And then campaign vote. We expect him to announce early this year his bid for another run for president. I think well see him shift into the overtly political opportunities he has to take as he runs likely runs for reelection. That certainly a great point. Even if theres not much space to pass new legislation this year, some of the benefits from stuff that is already passed will go into effect by white house hoping voters reward them for that. The Washington Post tyler pager, well speak to you again for sure. Thank you for joining us. Sad news now. Legendary journalist and tv host Barbara Walters is being remembered after she died on friday at the age of 93. Dur her career spanning five decades, walters became known for her Ground Breaking interviews with celebrities and world leaders. Walters was also the first woman to cohost the today show as well as the first to anchor an evening news program. Her success kicked open the door for women in journalism all over the country. Also, retired Pope Benedict xvi who led the Catholic Church died. He resigned rather than hold office for life. His funeral will be held on thursday in st. Peters square at the vatican. The current pope, pope francis, will preside at that ceremony. Still ahead, 2022 was not a great year for wall street. Well take a look at whats in store for the stock market as we head into 2023. Well be right back. Well be right back. This isnt charmin no wonder i dont feel as clean. Hurry up dad youve been in there forever im trying this cheap stuff is too thin i told you not to get the other toilet paper. Heres the new Charmin Ultra Strong. Ahhh my bottoms been saved woooo with its diamond weave texture, new Charmin Ultra Strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. Whats everybody waiting for . This . Ok hon, we know youre clean. We all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. 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. 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But every time the box comes, we get the Peanut Butter. Yes, because mom takes the meds Out Of The Box and puts them in the Peanut Butter. Sounds like were getting Peanut Butter. Yes, but that is the chewy pharmacy box. The Peanut Butter box is here. The Peanut Butter box is here alright, im out. Pet prescriptions delivered to your door. Chewy. Welcome back. Wall street was down on friday. Rising inflation and rate hikes from the Federal Reserve hampered growth and weighed down Investor Sentment for much of the year. Joining us now, economic reporter for the Washington Post rachael siegel. Great to see you. 2022 as just documented, a painful one on wall street. But what are the expectations on the markets as to how this year might look . So much depends on how much more aggressively the Federal Reserve has to keep up its fight against inflation. Wall street is obviously very anxious the fed has to keep moving and cause a recession in order to get prices under control. Obviously, there are plenty of reasons theyre having to do that. Inflation itself is painful. But as far as whether or not the stock market can improve in 2023, it really depends on what the fed still has in store. And what do we think that might be . Boy, people love to read the tea leaves when it comes to jerome powell. What do we anticipate hearing from him in the next few months . Well, what we know of the tea leaves so far is that the fed is not done raising interest rates. They made that very clear. What remains to be seen is whether they will hike two more times in 2023 or three more times. There is a little still remains to be seen about the scale of the rate hikes and whether they take place over two or three meetings. It is all under the umbrella of them saying we have a long way to go. Theyre nowhere near seeing the progress we need to see on inflation. Even once they finish raising rates, theyll then keep them high until they see the kind of progress they need. There is this risk of recession, obviously. The economists you talk, to analysts you talk to, what do they think the likelihood of a recession here in the u. S. . And if we get one, how severe might it be . Anyone who has a forecast with any sort of certainty hasnt learned anything from the last couple of years. And thats really where economists are right now. On the one hand, it seems like the economy ought to be barrelling to a recession. Thats what happens when you have rates that stay so high to quash the highest inflation in 40 years. That hasnt materialized yet. What you need to see in order for that to happen is for consumers to pull back on their spending for the job market to seize up. None those things happened. In the meantime, if inflation starts to tick down, maybe, maybe there is some narrow path for the fed to avoid a recession. But, of course, things can go the other way too. They certainly could. Well be watching in the months ahead. Washington post rachael siegel, thank you for joining us. Still ahead on Way Too Early, six years worth of former president trumps tax returns have finally been released to the public. Were taking a look at the biggest take aways including huge writeoffs and tax cut perks. Well be right back with that. T perks. ll be right back with that. Ton, 43 43 we won yes noooo. Noooo. Nooooo. Quick, the quicker picker upper when you gotta get it done, just one sheet is all you need. Because one sheet of bounty absorbs more than theirs, so you can use less. Ill hold onto that. Get the job done with one. Bounty, the quicker picker upper. Your brain is an amazing thing. But as you get older, it naturally begins to change, causing a lack of sharpness, or even trouble with recall. Thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. The secret is an ingredient originally discovered. In jellyfish. 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Just 30 per line there are millions of happy campers out there. And this is the perfect time to join them. Save hundreds a year over tmobile, verizon, and at t with Xfinity Mobile, and for a limited time get 400 off a new eligible 5g phone. Switch today. Welcome back. After years of legal wrangling and a Supreme Court case in their favor, the house ways and Means Committee released five years of Donald Trumps taxes on friday. The report reveals that trump reported financial losses of over 30 million in 2015 and 2016, 13 million in 2017 and 5 million in 2020. He did report positive incomes worth millions in both 2018 and 2019. We also learned that trump paid very little in federal taxes while he was president. Over the course of the five years, trump six years, trump paid 2 million in taxes. In 2020, he claim major loss in the u. S. Which resulted in a zero dollar tax bill as well as a tax return of 5 million. The trumps did earn 78 million from Foreign Countries in 2020. Over the course of trumps presidency, he received payments from at least 22 foreign nations including china, brazil, uk and the philippines. In response to the long awaited release of the taxes, trump criticized the process and democrats. The radical Democrat Congress illegally obtained and leaked my personal tax returns which show only that ive had tremendous success. Its been an amazing period of time. The seizure of the confident records was unconstitutional. There is no legitimate legislative purpose for their action. Its nothing but another deranged political witchunt which has been going on from the day i came down the escalator in trump tower. Most of that is not true. Joining us now, reporter from bloomberg, laura davison. Thank you for joining us. I know youve been looking over the documents. What your big take aways from going through the files . These are thousands of page thats really just highlight how complex our tax system is if you are wealthy enough to be able to take the reductions and credits. There is a real, basically, a two tiered tax system we have. One simpler tax system but that offers fewer benefits for, you know, regular people that may work a job have a Small Business and a separate tax code for those who, you know, earn millions of dollars and have a complex financial arrangement. Lots of business ownerships, et cetera. This is showing stark divide. Thats what democrats highlighted here. Certainly we see in most years trump paid very little or no taxes whatsoever. What can we read into in terms of how what the tax returns show us in terms of whether or not donald trump who of course ran in 2016 as a successful businessman, a tight industry, was he actually that . It shows he lost millions of dollars while in the white house. That wouldnt indicate, you know, that businesses were successful. There are quirks that make, you know, especially for real estate that owners can claim these big deductions even for assets that are appreciating in value. So there is a little disconnect there what may be paper losses and what is happening economically. So laura, we also know, the report shows, the former president received payments from Foreign Countries and also had Bank Accounts in certain other countries including china. We know he and his allies rally behind Hunter Bidens business dealings. Seems like he was doing the same. So there is dozens of countries listed. Some are place thats are friendly countries, the uk, for example. But other countries like china, qatar, the uae that maybe have a little more fraught relations with the u. S. Also listed. The joint committee on taxation, congresss in house tax experts reviewed the documents and said that there were dozens potential Audit Triggers that the irs should have looked into while trump was president and didnt. There is only one year they started an audit of the president even though the policy is to audit the president every year. Bloombergs laura davidson, thank you so much for helping us understand those tax returns. What chinas president is saying about the covid restrictions amid a new surge of cases there. On morning joe, why trumps reign of republican terror is ending matt lewis joins the latest from ukraine amid a series of Russian Missile strikesf including an attack o new years eve thatg left thre civilians dead. David ignatius and admiral James Stavridis will offer their expert o analysis. Morning joe is just a few moments away. Pert analysis. Morning joe is just a few moments away is he looking at my hairline . My joint pain isnt too bad. Well, it wasnt this morning. I hope i can get through this. Is Plaque Psoriasis or Psoriatic Arthritis making you rethink your everyday choices . 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Its always comeback season. Sweet pillows of softness its not cough season. This is soft holy charmin oh excuse me roll it back, everybody charmin ultra soft is so cushiony soft, youll want more but its so absorbent, you can use less. Enjoy the go with charmin. Amid a surge in new covid cases, chinese president xi jinping says his country has entered a new phase in the fight against the virus and warns that real challenges are read. Last month, china took steps to finally ease its strict zero covid strategy that had required Mass Testings and lockdowns. In a new years eve address, he acknowledged it has not been easy for anyone. He called on the public to have patience. The outbreak there, massive. Joining us now, founder and ceo of advancing health equity. Dr. Uche blackstock, great to see you here, happy new year. Theres a new omicron sub variant quickly becoming the most dominant mutation on the east coast as the winner reaches its peak. How concerned are you about seeing covid in this country . We have this new variant, xbb 1. 5. It is specific to the u. S. , and specific to the northeast. The issue is that it is immune evasive and may be the most immune evasive variant meaning it can avoid a prior immunity from infection and even vaccines. So far we have good lab data that the vaccines can hold up. We need to see what happens in the next few weeks. Given that this variant is behaving the way it is. Were seeing an increase in cases and hospitalizations, we are really asking the public and our officials to be more cautious over these next few weeks. This new sub variant, you said it evades immunity. Are people more likely to get sick, what about the severity of the illness. We know that the boosters, especially the boosters, if you are vaxxed and boosted, recommending if you get the primary vaccine, get the updated booster. Preventing the worst outcomes of covid, hospitalizations and death. We came in with news out of china, and the u. S. Has joined a list of countries with a negative test of travelers from china. You tweeted that you were not satisfied with cdc directors walenskys take on that. Explain. We have a home grown variant in the u. S. We should be focusing our efforts and policies on decreasing transmission in the u. S. We have Data Showing Travel Bans and travel requirements targeting one or two countries are really ineffective. By the time theyre instituted, variants have spread by weeks. We are weeks late. Again, this looks more like political posturing, than something that has a Public Health interest at hand. Obviously its the early stages with this outbreak in china. Fears that it could really be huge and i know a worry is that a new variant could emerge there. Perhaps one even more worrisome than the one currently in the u. S. Are there any early signs of that or too early to say. We should be concerned about the variant we have here. As for china, they dont have population immunity, they have been locked down for the last few years. They have a vaccine that isnt as effective as our mrna vaccines. They are in possibly a lot of trouble. I dont think their officials will allow their hospitals to reach capacity like they have here in the u. S. I think theyll put policies in place to contain the spread before that happens to that degree. Here in the United States, we have been talking for weeks now about the tripledemic and we established covid cases definitely going up. Give us an update as to where things stand with flu and rsv. Though the rsv and flu season started early, those cases are down trending. Were hoping that even after the holiday gatherings, those cases will continue to go down. Flu sometimes can be a little bit unpredictable and go back up towards the end of the season. Right now, primarily were seeing covid cases heading up. The question is how much higher. Especially given the gatherings that people have been having around the holidays. Thats been the fear. Cases starting to spike. So many people spending time together indoors, and holidays. Lets talk about masks, i know you have been a proponent for people to wear them. The cdc is recommending indoor masking in areas of high level infection. Do you think that would be a prudent step to get us through this peak. I want people to understand, masks are part of a multilayered strategy. We know masks are not perfect. If there is a surge at a time when cases are increasing or when we have a more immune evasive experience. We recommend that people mask indoors. We know that Boston Public Schools are recommending that students and teachers masking for two weeks after the holiday break. I dont think thats unreasonable. I think that actually makes a lot of sense. Certainly a shortterm measure to protect themselves but others, thats the point. Masking has become so political. People have lost that part of it. Dr. Uche blackstock, we appreciate you coming in this morning with the updates you provide. Thanks to all of you also for getting up Way Too Early with us on this monday morning. Theres a lot going on. Morning joe starts right now. Good morning, and welcome to morning joe. It is monday, january 2nd. Happy new year, everyone. With us to kick off the new year, we have author and nbc news president ial historian, michael beschloss, columnist and Associate Editor for the Washington Post, david ignatius. Retired four star navy admiral, james stap