Get to languish, which military families are able to settle in their new posts and which must remain in limbo. Thats Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer calling on his republican colleagues to put pressure on senator Tommy Tuberville to end his months long blockade of Military Promotions it comes as the chamber finally confirmed a top officer yesterday. Also on capitol hill House SpeakerKevin Mccarthy will again try to pass a defense spending bill, a measure that typically sails through easily after far right members blocked it from moving forward and ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy who will also be on capitol hill today hoping to secure more military aid from congress. Hell also meet with President Biden at the White House Well have much more on all that straight ahead good morning, and welcome to Way Too Early on this thursday, september 21st im jonathan lemire, and thanks for starting your day with us. We have a very busy morning and a lot of news to get to. Lets start here the senate has voted to confirm the First Military nominee in months yesterday lawmakers voted to confirm general charles q. Brown as chairman of the joint Chief Of Staff, the nations top military position. President biden nominated brown four months ago, but republican senator Tommy Tuberville has been blocking him and hundreds of other Military Promotions in protest of the department of defenses Abortion Policy. The pentagon provides time off and reimbursements for Service Members who need to travel outofstate for the Reproductive Health care yesterdays decision to hold a vote on an individual nomination circumvented tubervilles block. The alabama senator had threatened to call for the vote himself in an effort to show hes not endangering national security, but Majority LeaderChuck Schumer beat him to it still, tuberville, the alabama republican says hell continue his protest. Ive called for individual votes on these nominees for almost six months. Instead of voting democrats have spent months complaining about having to vote they want us to use floor time for things like liberal judges like the one we confirmed a couple hours ago senator schumer could have confirmed these nominees a long, long time ago. Democrats still have never shown me one fact to show that we were behind on readiness. Its just not true so to be clear, my hold is still in place the hold will remain in place as long as the pentagons illegal Abortion Policy remains in place. If the pentagon lifts the policy, then i will lift my hold its as easy as that senator tuberville is essentially trying to make himself the gatekeeper of which officers are promoted and who sits and waits instead of just getting out of the way and allowing the senate to approve the promotions that these decorated Military Officers deserve, the senator from alabama, unfortunately and wrongly, is using them as pawns. Now, the senate will hold confirmation votes today for the new army Chief Of Staff and the new marine corps commandant. Now, its not clear yet, though, whether therell be individual votes for the rest of the delayed promotions joining us now congressional reporter for the hill, one of the busiest people on the beat right now. We have to lot to get to, so lets start with this. First of all, what changed snd how did we finally get here that we have this promotion mark milley, the current Chief Of Staff, hes term limited out and has to leave office and theres real urgency to get this done is there any sense tuberville is going to drop his objections jonathan, huge yesterday. Tuberville has had this hold on the military nominations and promotions since march, unrelenting despite a lot of criticism coming towards him just this week he said he intended to try to force cloture a vote on cloture over his own hold, and then Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer came in and said tuberville went ahead and filed cloture and an initial procedural vote, and we saw that go through why did this happen earlier . Senate democrats would be concerned, a, it set a bad precedent. You can do a couple of them in one. They were afraid that doing individual votes on these promotions would set a bad precedent, and b, the sheer timing aspect of it. There are more than 300 holds tubervilles hold has held up more than 300 of these Military PromotionsSenate Democrats were concerned if they did each one individually it could take more than 100 days to do them all theres no sign up to r tuberville is going to abandon his blockade we saw him right there hes aokay with doing them traditionally. But he doesnt want to go back to the tradition of doing them en bloc. Certainly the response lies solely with him, and i know frustration has built among his fellow republicans, too. Its a busy day on capitol hill. Another major story there as House Speaker mccarthy will try for a third time to push forward a bill to fund the military. It comes after two hard right republicans drop their opposition after they won a promise for spending cuts elsewhere. Still, the gop majority faces a huge challenge in uniting the caucus and preventing a Government Shutdown at the end of the month as the a. P. Reports the house floor is essentially at a standstill even as Mccarthy Cobbles together a coalition to pass his newest bill to fund the gornment, and anything passed out of the house would be seen as just a Starting Point for negotiations with the senate, which is likely to reject it and make a counter proposal. Democrats would never accept conservative goal of slashing many Government Services members on both sides are placing the blame on the hard Line Republicans were disfunctional, its just that simple that simple we are so dysfunctional. What weve seen since day one as far as dysfunction is concerned on the left side of the aisle, from the time they elected mccarthy to speaker after 15 votes and dysfunction, its the house where you just see individuals who are dysfunctional. And thats the only way to put it i mean, look, we had 8 cuts the nondefense, nonveteran spending with hard core Strong BorderSecurity Division that, oh, by the way, a defense bill that had enormously important writers eliminating social engineering. And i all due respect to my certain colleagues, let them go and explain why they dont support that its completely inexplicable explain the situation for us here is mccarthy going to find the votes, and is there a sense they can fund the government through october . Essentially they landed on a new partisan plan to extend funding through october 31st it would include a commitment to go through Appropriations Bills at 1. 5 trillion number and also include a commission on studying the debt, and also included in that Cr Is Border Policies whether or not it has the votes, right now it doesnt look like it will. And, look, Congressman Matt Gaetz ft aside the Conference Meeting yesterday saying there are more than seven republicans who said theyll not support congressman tim birchett says he believes there are about seven republicans right now hardnosed on this proposal or any cr of course if he doesnt have the vote even if he gets the votes we dont know whats going to happen in the senate and he could face a real challenge to his leadership you are going to be busy the next few days. We appreciate you visiting us this morning still ahead here on Way Too Early, a star witness in the January 6th Hearings accuses Rudy Giuliani of groping her on the very day of the Capitol Attack plus the Writers Guild of america and Hollywood Studios returns to the Negotiation Table in hopes of finalizing a deal to end the months long strike well bring you those stories and many more as well as a check on sports and weather when we come right back. Group Singing for Kids Birthday toooo youuuuu sean i wish for the amazing new iphone 15 pro jason sean do you mean this one the one with titanium . sean no way i can trade this busted up thing for one. jason maybe stealing wishes from the birthday boy is not your best plan switch to verizon and trade in any iphone and get the new iphone 15 pro on them. sean what . jason yup, and on an amazing network. sean and i dont have to ruin anymore Birthday Parties jason yeah, that ship has sailed. Lets go get you the iphone. Here we go, come on hon. vo trade in any iphone in any condition for a new iphone 15 pro on us. Only on verizon. Theres challenges, and i love overcoming challenges. When better money habits® content first started coming out, it expanded what i could do for Special Olympics athletes with developmental needs. Thousands of Bank Of America employees like scott spend countless hours volunteering to teach people how to reach their financial goals. It felt good. 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According to the guardian which obtained an early copy of the book, hutchinson alleges she was approached by giuliani while standing backstage during the approach of the ellipse. Hutchinson wrote this. Rudy wraps o arm around My Body Clo Space Tt was separating us. I feel the stack of documents press into the small of my back. I lower my eyes and watch his free hand reach for the head of my blazer. By the way, he says, fingering the fabric, im loving this Leather Jacket on you. His hand slips under my blanket, then my skirt. Nbc news has not obtained a copy of hutchinsons book, though a person familiar with it confirmed the quotes published by the guardian are accurate responding on a rightwing Cable Network last night the man once known as americas mayor called the allegations, quote, absolutely false and totally absurd giuliani, of course, has been indicted in georgia for his efforts to overturn the election elsewhere, there may may be an end in sight to the hollywood Writers Strike. People close to the negotiations are telling our friends at cnbc the Writers Guild of america and Hollywood Studios are hoping to finalize a deal like today. But the stakes are high. If that doesnt happen the strike could last through the end of the year. Last night the groups released a short statement saying they meant for bargaining and those talks will continue today. Actors also joined the picket line in july leaving the production of movies and tv shows at a standstill. The writers are calling for higher pay as well as changes to Staffing Requirements and protections when it comes to the use of Artificial Intelligence and lastly an urgent manhunt is now under way for a Murder Suspect who got out of jail not by escaping but by being mistakenly let go. Nbc news correspondent emilie ikeda explains reporter the search is ramping up for a Murder Suspect who authorities mistakenly let walk free from an indianapolis Detention Center just two days after he was arrested. This was an error this should not have happened. Reporter Law Enforcement now making a plea for the publics help in finding 28yearold kevin mason. They waited six days to alert the community of his release a tactic they say contacting his girlfriend last week mason was arrested in indiana on three warrants out of minnesota related to homicide, a parole violation, and Firearms Possession the county Sheriffs Office said one of their clerks thought she was correcting bookings and lifted two holds in the inmates file the mistake was not caught until in minnesota they lifted extradition there. It upsets me it puts the community in danger and i can only hope hes found soon. I think they have a responsibility to keep us Safe Reporter the search comes on the heels of a massive manhunt that blanketed philadelphia suburbs. Convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante evaded nearly 100 officers for two weeks after crab walking out of jail now in Indianapolis Another Multiagency manhunt as it vows to tighten its protocols and announces the termination of two clerks thats nbcs emilie ikeda reporting. Still ahead well turn to sports and even an early season trade in the nfl plus well show you a cup of strange montmes that delayed last nights dodgers came in los angeles. Thats all straight ahead. Foh versus 16 grams in ensure® high protein. 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. Listen, your deodorant just has to work. I use secret aluminum free. Just swipe and it lasts all day. Secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. And hours later, i still smell fresh. Secret works ohhh yesss. Welcome back and time now for sports well begin in the nfl where the vikings have made a move in an effort to bolster their lead worst rushing attack this season minnesota acquired running back cam akers from the Los Angeles Rams theyre hoping the fourth year player can help turn things around the akers and lambs coach have been clashing. We turn now to Major League Baseball well begin in Oakland Seattle mariners star Julio Rodriguez tallied his 100th rbi with a solo shot he hit in the fifth inning hes just the third player age 22 younger remember back in may when people thought he was slumping, nope the helpedhe mariners hold ground in the tight race ahead of a huge threegame series against the texas rangers. That begins tomorrow the as only 38 1 2 games out. Meanwhile the Toronto Blue Jays what started as a pitchers dual in the bronx tossing six Shutout Frames to lift the jays out of the new york yankees, blue jays hang onto a slim lead for the second wild card spot. You can see the standings there. To the National Lead and st. Louis. Josh donaldson avert your eyes yankee fans, Josh Donaldson is leading and Playing Taylor Aed a pair of solo shots and milwaukee inched closer to the Nl Central Crown with an 82 win over the cardinals. To arizona now the diamondbacks Corbin Carroll is the first to hit 50 home runs lets try that again i believe hes the first rookie ever to hit 25 home runs and steal 50 bases we had that backwards in the writing there. He accomplished the feat with two steals and a solo homer. The diamondbacks now sit 1 1 2 games ahead of the chicago cubs in the second wld wild card spot in the National League and they go to the bronx this weekend. Finally in los angeles there was s something strange going on in the sky over Dodger Stadium last night. Take a look. Fly down the line whoa, almost hit a giant bird. What is that is that a duck . Not a duck, a goose and that foul ball narrowly missed that goose. There it is, majestic. But that wasnt the only incident during the game we got something hovering over the field whoa is that a giant bubble . Thats right, a giant floating bubble briefly paused play in the third inning first a goose, now a bubble. They really got to get this Writers Strike fixed because this stuff is just weird as for the game the tigers beat the dodgers 42. Time now for the weather and meteorologist Angie Lassman is here for the forecast assuming a giant bubble or goose doesnt interrupt her at 30 rock we do have strong storms across parts of the plains we could see this happening in the afternoon and evening hours tonight. Just a heads up, hail, gusty winds, maybe even a tornado possible and then weve got low pressure going to develop off the southeast coast and this is going to be problematic through the weekend across much of the east coast the system may be developing some tropical characteristics. Either way it means heavy rain for the carolinas specifically as we get into tomorrow and also bring an issue for high surf, rip current risk, gusty winds, too, but that rain will move up into portions of of the midatlantic and northeast as we get into the weekend unfortunately, a very soggy and annoying weekend for weather across much of this area rainfall totals localized up to 3 inches and gusty winds up to 40 miles an hour across the carolinas. Angie lassman, we appreciate it as always up next on Way Too Early ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy after appearing at the unite nations, hell be at the nations capitol today hell break down his visit including his trip to the pentagon, white house, and a meeting with lawmakers as he tries to rally support including with republicans in his support in holding off russias Invasion Plus democratic congresswoman will give her take on the five hour testimony yesterday from Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland. All that and more coming up on Way Too Early. Enough was enough. I talked to an Asthma Specialist and found out my severe asthma is driven by eosinophils, a type of asthma nucala can help control. Now, fewer Asthma Attacks and less oral steroids thats my nunormal with nucala. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. Nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. 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Welcome back to Way Too Early. It is just a touch before 5 30 a. M. On the east coast 2 30 out west on this thursday morning here in washington im jonathan lemire. Thanks for being with us yesterday in new york ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the u. N. Security council in person, attending the meeting on the side lines of this weeks u. N. General assembly zelenskyys speech focused on operational procedure between the Security Council and the rest of the u. N. As the five permanent members of the council each hold the power to veto any decision they dont agree with zelenskyy proposed the possibility of a Veto Override made possible by a twothirds vote taken by the entirety of the u. N. General assembly. Zelenskyy also questioned why russia sits on the council at all. The New York Times reports that zelenskyys proposal itself would, of course, be subject to a veto effectively making it a nonstarter notably Russian Foreign minister sergey lavrov, whos been in new york all week, he did not enter the meeting room until zelenskyy finished speaking or left. The two men did not speak at any point. The Russian Ambassador was present during zelenskyys speech hell meet with President Biden at the white house with military leaders at the pentagon and will also meet privately with republican and Democratic Leaders of both the house and senate the a. P. Reports that top intel ofcials briefed lawmakers on the latest out of the war yesterday and that some Senate Republicans walked out of the deal including missouri senator josh hawley. Mccarthy said today he intends to ask him about his, quote, strategy to win. It provides a new opportunity for zelenskyy to claw back some support from republicans in congress as doubts there have grown. Joining us now is retired u. S. Marine corps colonel, a senior adviseder for the center of strategic and international studies. Colonel, thanks so much for being here the u. N. Idea from zelenskyy sees a bit of a nonstarter as noted but an interesting one all the same since 1992 russia has accounted for nearly half of all the vetoes his Security Council has ever issued. Lets get your take to the case zelenskyy made over his few days in new york and do you think some nations including members of the global south that have stayed on the side lines of this war, do you think they heard him . We certainly hope so. Hes consistently made the argument ukraine is fighting a struggle for everyone, fighting back against aggression, fighting for democracy, and he made that argument again in the u. N. I think his intention is to try to firm up support, maintain support not only of his allies who have been providing a lot of military humanitarian aid but also in the global south maybe encouraging them to participate in sanctions i think the proposal on russia was just to emphasize his point that russia has committed many crimes in this war and is the Aggressive Party zelenskyy will be in washington today, albeit the white house this afternoon we know hell get a warm welcome there. The president has been consist in his language about supporting kyiv and certainly the two leaders will use that moment to call for the Funding Biden has asked for to get through congress thats the tricky part really the main event for zelenskyy is meeting on the hill and certainly republicans have said they want to curtail funding to kyiv or stop it entirely how worried are you that eventually congress will say no more i think the personal will help its important to keep in mind support for ukrainian aid is very bipartisan. If it went to the floor of the house, it would win overwhelmingly the problem is there is a group of popialists on the right and also progressives on the left who are very skeptical, and getting past them is going to be an important effort in the next couple of weeks. And very briefly turning to a story we opened the show with, senator tubervilles blockade, the next chairman of the joint Chief Of Staffs will get through but the blockade remains in place. How damaging is this to americas Military Personnel over time it becomes increasingly a problem want to keep in mind it effects first of all the people involved there are 300 general officers and many behind them with plans on hold and many people being dualhatted. I wouldnt go too far to say, though, were vulnerable to foreign enemies because we still have competent Military Leadership in place. Thank you for joining us this morning. Really appreciate it next here on Way Too Early well turn to the latest Business Headlines from Cnbc Including why the market took a Hit Yesterday and looks to open down today even though the fed decided not to raise Interest Rates. For now. Also Auto Makers Layoff Thousands as the uaw warns that more workers could walk off the job starting tomorrow. Well have the latest on those negotiations just ahead. And were done. Hm, what about these . Looks right. [sfx spilling sound] nooo. Nooo. Nooo. 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Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv time now for business, and for that lets bring in cnbcs Arabile Gumede live from london. So were looking forward to the Federal Reserve meeting, and as expected they left its key Interest Rate unchanged, but do we get any clues as to whether the fed is done raising rates this year, and tell us briefly how the markets responded. Yeah, good morning, john. Well, we saw a negative stance to that market until actually on the back of the fed having kept Interest Rates unchanged but it wasnt the unchanged stance that was the key factor here, right . It was actually just the fact they hinted one more rate hike could certainly be on the way before the end of this year. And actually if you consider next year, theyre looking at keeping rates higher for even longer, meaning the rate cut situation could happen a bit later in the year than initially anticipated. So it doesnt mean things arent necessarily looking too good on the Interest Rate front, but Inflation Rate is anticipate today drop off so much so even growth could look a little better in terms of the forecast theyre eptying gdp will not only rise by 2. 1 this year. Thats a lot higher than initially anticipated. 1. 5 in 2024 versus the additional 1. 1 . In addition to that theyre going to continue to reduce their bond holding, so that Balance Sheet then is bound to be reduced as well the market is reacting to that news than just the hold on Interest Rates at this point in time the market will continue to take in a lot of that the assumption is another hike could be on the way this year. General motors and stellantis made some headlines this morning. Tell us about it, arabile. Yeah, so theyve decided to actually cut a number of staff and a number of workers then gm saying in a statement we have repeatedly said nobody wins in a strike, so 2,370 workers have been let go of 2,000 at gms Assembly Plant in kansas while stellantihas laid off about 370 workers at three plants that supply its parts in toledo unfortunately, getting to a stage where this is hitting the road a bit harder than anticipated. The uaw also saying they could enforce an even bigger strike as of tomorrow if no progress is brought to the floor, 13,000 gm, stellantis, and ford workers on strike right now so difficult situation indeed and looks like its getting worse. Well in the days ahead bring up this strike and whether theyve reached a deal in the strike in hollywood. Still ahead well have the big moments on a contentious capitol hill where Republicans PrseesdMerrick Garland on january 6th and hunter biden well be back to discuss in just a moment with its diamond weave, Charmin Ultra Strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. Enjoy the go with charmin. Oh what a good time we will have you can make it happen yeah oh now, try new Dietary Supplements from voltaren for healthy joints. ella fashion moves fast. Setting trends is our business. Now, try new Dietary Supplements from voltaren we need to scale with customer demand. In real time. jen so we partner with verizon to take our operations to the next level. marquis with a custom private 5g network. ella with verizon business, we get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. marquis so our customers get what they want, when they want it. jen its not just a network. Its enterprise intelligence. vo learn more. Its your vision, its your verizon. 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 look at this skin, baby. She is glowing. She is 1 of 1. With new olay hyaluronic body wash 95 of women had visiblybetter skin. My skin is so much more moisturized. See the difference with olay. Welcome back tensions ran high on capitol hill yesterday as Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee for more than five hours. Republican lawmakers grilled garland on doj decisions in a range of high profile cases including, of course, the investigation of President Bidens son, hunted spial counsel indictments into former President Donald Trump in his Opening Statement garland reminded congress his job is to remain nonpartisan our job is to pursue Justice Without fear or favor. Our job is not to do what is politically convenient our job is not to take orders from the president , from congress, or from anyone else about who or what we criminally investigate. What the president himself has said and i reaffirm today, i am not the president s lawyer i will add, i am not congress prosecutor the Justice Department works for the american people. But that did not stop the accusations from flying both inside and outside the hearing room the a. G. Also disputed a frequent claim by donald trump that garland was directed to indict him personally by President Biden. Was the president telling the truth or was he lying when he said that President Biden told you to indict him . No one has told me to indict, and in this Case A Decision to indict was made by the special counsel. So that statement the president Made On Sunday was false . Im just going to say again that no one has told me who should be indicted in any matter like this. And the decision about indictment was made by mr. Smith. And then there was this moment when garland became noticeably angry after a republican lawmaker accused him of attacking a religion. Attorney general through the chair i ask you do agree that traditional catholics are violent extremists i have no idea what traditional means here may i answer your question, the idea that someone with my family background would discriminate against any religion is so outrageous, is so absurd mr. Attorney general, it was your fbi that garland is jewish and a descendant of holocaust survivors. Joining us now democratic congresswoman Becca Ballant of vermont. Thank you, congresswoman, for being here this morning. We really appreciate it. You were there for a lot of this just give us your impressions of these attacks against the Attorney General who time and time again said hes not serving the president , hes not serving congress, hes simply trying to serve the people what i saw in the hearing room was a Public Servant doing his level best to answer questions that were designed to to inflame they were not based in fact or details, a lot of misinformation and disinformation, and the challenge that we always have in those hearings is, you know, how do you correct the record in realtime while also giving the witness an opportunity to answer the question and so one of the most powerful moments for me yesterday for me in that hearing was, of course, the clip that you showed of garland talking about his experience i also i have my grandfather was killed in the holocaust. When, you know, i heard garland speaking in that way from the heart, and what he essentially was saying to the room was this is outrageous. What i am being put through here is despicable and its not actually about the rule of law the second incident that i thought was incredible was when ken buck was bucking jim jordan. He threw the a. G. A lifeline essentially and said i know that if you had tried to replace weiss, you know, the person that trump put in place, you would be accused of partisanship. And it was an interesting moment in the committee because he is one of the few saying that impeachment of the president is outrageous because theres no facts to support it. David weiss being the u. S. Attorney appointed to donald trump now investigating hunter biden. You made the point yesterday and weve been talking about it all morning were days away from a possible Government Shutdown as you surveil what happened here last week with your republican colleagues do you see any path out of this its very difficult to see one because the republican conference is in a civil war thats whats going on here, and i want to make it really clear this is not house dysfunction because we as democrats did work across the aisleor the deal to avoid the default, and it was 80 of democrats, 67 of republicans came together on that agreement we are willing to work on Bipartisan Legislation the problem is that mccarthy has cut so many deals and has gone back on his word so many times within his own conference, that its very hard for us to know who were going to be dealing with and i fear that they are at the point, and bay they i mean i mean leadership in the republican conference is not willing yet to work with us to pass a bipartisan deal. With that going on, the backdrop of this, of course, is there are members of mccarthys conference, the far right, who say, we put you in power and we can take you out of it do queueyou sense there is goin be anything that can be done to appease them is mccarthys time in office short . They cannot be appeased they cannot be appeased, and it has been so clear from the very first week of this congress, right, 15 votes for speaker, deals being handed out everywhere so the problem is, and i know it is difficult for us to wrap our heads around this, the problem is this socalled moderate will not stand up to the extremists that is the problem. There are too many apologists and people who know better, but they are afraid. They are fearful that the next tweet is going to be about them. Thats what is going on here yeah, certainly, former President Trump is putting pressure on all of this. Its a key part to underscore. Yes. We really appreciate you being here this morning. Busy couple days ahead democratic congresswoman becca blaint, thank you. Donald trump is not afraid to go to prison, but theres new reporting that says trump has serious concerns about doing time the burning questions he is asking his lawyers behind the scenes. Coming up on morning joe, the senate has finally confirmed a top military officer, sidestepping senator Tommy Tubervilles blockade. Who is set to be promoted today, and what tuberville is saying about featured nominees. Plus, mike lawler, who called out his gop colleagues over potential shutdown, hell join the conversation. Well ask him about what he calls a clown show among member of his own party. Also ahead, Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken will join us live in studio. Morning joe just a few short moments away 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. 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Boost® high protein. Now available in cinnabon® bakeryinspired flavor. Learn more at boost. Com tv welcome back we have some new polling from the key state of New Hampshire that shows Donald Trump Holding a big and growing lead while support for Governor Ron Desantis is plummeting in the gop primary there. According to cnn and the university of New Hampshire, the former president has the support of pres39 of likely Republican Voters followed by vivek ramaswamy, nikki haley, chris christie. Theyre all about 13 , as12 , 1 respectively lest lets talk about desantis, in fifth place, a 13point drop from july. Joining us now, politics reporter jonathan allen. Good to see you, my friend lets talk desantis. Weve his campaign has had a number of notable would be resets, but momentum has not changed. Yes, its just one poll. Yes, it is one state, but it is a trend line he continues to fall. The theme on this show is baseball. Yes. Even a Former El Baseball Player in ron desantis, this slide is impressive. Continues unabated. Oh. In New Hampshire, for the last several months, his campaign is saying, this is a twoman race what we see here, he is in fifth place. In order to get to a twoman race, at least in New Hampshire, you have to climb over three people that are in front of him. Hes much closer to the pack not just in New Hampshire but also in iowa and South Carolina than he is to donald trump. Iowa is ask the state where e bet big, where he needs to do well is there a sense that he might not even get there i think there is absolutely a sense he might not even get there. In fact, i was talking to somebody who is a supporter of his campaign, one of the early states, and they said, you know, the writing may be on the wall sooner than later. I dont get any sense of that from the campaign itself yet i dont get any sense of that from never back down, his super pac that has had so much money, its often driven the strategy compared to the campaign, but he has to make a decision, whether or not he wants to show up in iowa if it looks like he is going to lose. The next Republican Debate next week. Donald trump is, of course, saying he is going to skip it. In fact, hes going to talk to Union Workers in detroit pretty clear, General Election play what are some of the other campaigns saying, though, about what they need to do how important do they view this matchup . Absolutely, they view it as important, particularly desantis, right . He has a Fundraising Swing this week to make the end of the quarter look like hes had a good quarter after hes had a lot of Trouble Fundraising in the past nikki haley, shes in a position where she really needs to use the energy and the momentum she got from the last one to do that again, to make that next leap. I think a lot of the other candidates will be looking to take out nikki haley. Seems like haley was the winner out of that debate. Lets talk for a second about tim scott. When he entered if race, many viewed as, hey, thats the guy to keep your eye on. He could be an underdog here who surges at the right moment but it seems his campaign hasnt caught any fire just yet theres already speculation even to the idea of, is he playing for trumps vp theres no progress. What is going on there a party looking for a bar brawler, and tim scott is the opposite he is stopping the fight in the bar. Hes friends with everybody. People like him. This is a good strategy for possibly getting on somebodys ticket, laying the groundwork for a future run, but it is not a good strategy for winning a brawl that has donald trump in it, that has desantis. These are people who are fighters even vivek ramaswamy, throwing lot of elbows as a general matter its just the tenor of the campaign which is the biggest problem for him. On the matter of debates, trump skipped the first one, skipping the second, and there is reporting hell skip the third, as well he took no punishmentskipping t one. Is there a snarcenario donald tp will never participate in a primary Republican Debate . If nobody is close to him, his advisers will say, it is a bad idea to lower yourself to these people and take a chance on the debate stage, itll only have the power to pull him to the right and make him look like hes going to the right, at a time when, to your point, he is running a general Election Campaign a lot of people say he is pivoting to that i think hes been doing that all along, with the one exception he keeps punching desantis as hard as he can. Seems to take delight in that youre right, General Election moves on both with the auto workers and language on abortion, too. Jonathan allen, thank you. We appreciate it this morning. Thanks to all of you for getting up Way Too Early with us on this thursday morning. Morning joe starts right now what do you say to people back home who may not follow this closely but expect you guys to get this very basic function of your job done and fund the government were dysfunctional. That simple we are so dysfunctional you know, we have nobody at the head republican ti