Holds a crowded campaign rally. The question is, how long will the president continue to foster environments that cause the virus to spread . Plus, dueling town Hall Meetings tonight in place of the scheduled debate. President trump in miami, joe biden in philadelphia. The question is, whose message will rise above the noise . And democrats grill Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for a third day over health care. The question is, did her testimony yesterday about a key legal doctrine provide them any reassurance . Its way too early for this. Good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that cant seem to recall a male nominee being asked about keeping up with the laundry. Im kasie hunt on this thursday, october 15th. We will start with the news. Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are surging at an alarming rate in parts of the country. On average, over 50,000 new covid19 cases are being reported in the u. S. Every day, a mark that the nation hasnt seen since midaugust. Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 8 million cases have been reported in the u. S. And over 218,000 deaths have been confirmed. The most outbreaks are being reported in the midwest and the Northern Plains states. As we head into the colder months, the nations Top Public Health expert, dr. Anthony fauci, is warning that americans should double down on their efforts to contain the virus. What were seeing, unfortunately, is upticks in case positivities, test positivities. Thats going to translate, as it already is, into additional hospitalizations, which ultimately are going to translate into additional deaths. And now were starting to see, as you said correctly, an uptick in cases, you know, in 37 states. I mean, that is a substantial proportion of the United States of america. That is not a good sign as youre entering into the cooler weather. So, what we really have to do is double down on the things that i talk about every single day the five issues universal wearing of masks, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds in congregate settings, trying to do things outdoors, preferentially, over indoors, and washing your hands frequently. They sound very simple, but people are not doing that. And thats the reason why were seeing the uptick in cases. Meanwhile, President Trump is now on day four of his postcovid tour to battleground states. Last night, he campaigned in iowa, another packed rally with no social distancing and very few masks. He once again used his own recovery to downplay the severity of the virus and continued to promote the eli lilly version of the antibody cocktail he was given. Despite the drugmaker halting trials the day before over safety concerns. The president also appeared to reveal details about his fever that doctors had not. Most of you dont know this, but i had a tube. I didnt love it. But you know, its a little tough and you have a temperature and you dont feel good. And the scarier part is, you know, where is it going . Its fine. Youre at 101 or 102, and then you say, i dont love this. You havent had a temperature in years. And then all of a sudden, you have it. But you see what happens to people. Earlier in the day, the first lady revealed that their youngest son, 14yearold barron tru trump, had also tested positive for the virus, showed no symptoms, and he has since tested negative. Last night, the president used that news as an example for why he believes schools should reopen. And if you look at whats happening with these lockdowns to children get the children back to school. [ cheers and applause ] like, ill give you an example, the children. 99. 9 . Barron trump. You know, he had the corona19, the china virus. Its got 21 different names. I could go over it, but to me, corona means italy. China is china. And it came from china. So, he had the china virus, right . And he had it for such a short period of time. I dont even think he knew he had it, because theyre young and their immune systems are strong and they fight it off. 99. 9 . And barron is beautiful, and hes free. Free. Meanwhile, amid Trumps Campaign rally in iowa last night, the state is seeing an uptick in hospitalizations, reporting a new high for the second straight day. The latest report confirms nearly 1,200 new cases. And yesterday, 11 people with covid19 were confirmed dead, bringing the iowa death toll above 1,500. Meanwhile, White House Coronavirus experts have urged iowa social gatherings to be limited to 25 people, and that was advice that President Trump did not heed at his rally last night, as thousands of people packed shoulder to shoulder on that tarmac in the airport in des moines. Meanwhile, as democrats and republicans are still deadlocked over a deal for a covid stimulus package, treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said yesterday theyre unlikely to get a deal before the election. We will continue to simultaneously try to reach a comprehensive package. The clock will not stop. Id say at this point, getting something done before the election and executing on that would be difficult, just given where we are and the level of details, but were going to try to continue to work through these issues. Mnuchin also said trump is very focused on when he wins that more relief needs to be given to the American People. Meanwhile, President Trump was up and tweeting after midnight, saying, nancy pelosi couldnt care less about the American People or the Great American worker. She should approve needed stimulus now. Most other dems agree. Republicans are ready to go. I am ready to sign joining us now, reporter for the washington post, eugene scott. Gene, good morning. Id like to start right there with that tweet. Republicans are ready to go. Because the reality here in these negotiations is that Senate Republicans are not at this point ready to go. Its a big part of why we dont think that this is going to happen before the election. But there is building frustration across the board from americans who cant really understand why help has not been able to be on the way. That is true. And one of the things that has really frustrated most americans is the priority of congress, or should i say the priorities. There was a Yahoo News Yougov poll that found that far more americans believe that passing this stimulus bill was more important than confirming a new Supreme Court justice. However, thats what the senate is focused on right now. Its really important to know that we are currently in the worst economy heading into a president ial election in recent history. Many voters, regardless of what has been said in terms of peoples 401 k or recovery at the top level of our society, are really struggling to pay bills and to make it through to the next day. And theyve been pressing their lawmakers to move forward with this stimulus package, but that has not been what theyve focused on. Instead, theyve decided to focus on other issues related to the court because the president and his base deemed that the most important. But we must know and must remember that the majority of americans are not in the base or republicans in general, and therefore, we should expect that frustration on how the economy is responded to, to be one of the main issues that voters focus on when headed to the polls in november or these weeks before. Yeah, i do think its also important to point out that the negotiations were on a relatively good track until President Trump tweeted, blew them up, and then tried to put them back together again. Gene, lets talk a little bit about that rally in iowa that we just saw some of. The president s clearly trying to send a message that everythings fine. Hes, you know, from his words on the stage to the way they pulled this event together. But the reality is, we know some of this is other events have led to spread of the virus, and the midwest is a critical election battleground and also now the site of some of our worst coronavirus outbreaks. How does this help him in his reelection bid . I mean, is it just a chance for him to get what he needs, which is that crowd cheering for him, or is he actually concerned about those voters that showed up . Well, it is an effective strategy at motivating the base. I was speaking to seniors yesterday about how they felt regarding the white houses response to the coronavirus, especially since the days following the president s own diagnosis, and they believe the president. They listen to conservative media overwhelmingly. And they are encouraged based on what they hear. And so, that messaging lands where the president wants it to land. Very early in his reelection campaign, he made it very clear that his primary strategy was to turn out his base. The challenge with that, as i mentioned before, is that most voters arent in his base. And the percentage of republicans that exist in 2020 has actually decreased from 2016, so this is going to be a real challenge for him moving forward. Its hard to remember a time when we had a president who spent four years appealing only to the base of his party, not trying to expand the electorate at all. The washington posts eugene scott, thank you so much for getting up early with us, my friend. Hope to see you again soon. Still ahead here, we are breaking down Amy Coney Barretts final day of questioning in front of the Senate Judiciary committee and what she had to say about the future of the Affordable Care act. Plus, alabama football Coach Nick Saban tests positive for coronavirus. What it means for the crimson tides upcoming game this weekend. Those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. E weather when we come right back. My nunormal fewer asthma attacks. Less oral steroids. Taking my treatment at home. Nucala is a oncemonthly addon injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your doctor about nucala at home. Find your nunormal with nucala. However, there is one thing you can be certain of. The men and woman of the United States postal service. We are here to deliver your cards, packages and prescriptions. And also deliver the peace of mind knowing that whats important to youlike your ballotis on its way. Every day, all across america, we deliver for you. And we always will. We live with at t and we are well past the honeocupado tom. At t, whats this i hear about you advertising a 100 Fiber Network . Only like a fraction of my customers can get that. Thats it . . You have such a glass halfempty attitude. The glass is more than halfempty you need to relax tom. Oh tom, you need a little tom time. A little tt. Stop living with at t. Xfinity delivers gig speeds to more homes than anyone. Welcome back. Time now for sports. University of alabama football Coach Nick Saban has tested positive for the coronavirus. Saban and the universitys Athletic Director, greg burn, announced yesterday that they both received positive tests. The school said that the pair immediately left campus to selfisolate at their homes and that no one else has tested positive so far. Contact tracing efforts are now under way. The crimson tide scheduled to play the university of georgia on saturday. Thats a big game. Both Southeastern Conference teams have a 30 record. Saban said in a statement that while hes not experiencing any covid symptoms, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will oversee preparations while saban works from home. So, that seems like a tougher job to do from home than many of ours. The s. E. C. , meanwhile, has postponed saturdays matchup between number ten florida and lsu after the gators program was placed on hold tuesday because of a coronavirus outbreak. Florida Athletic Director Scott Strickland said yesterday that 21 football players, including 18 who are on scholarship, had tested positive. The s. E. C. s coronavirus guidelines for the season require teams to have at least 53 scholarship players available in order to play. Factoring in injured players, strickland said the gators wouldnt have enough for saturdays game. Meanwhile, florida coach dan mullen has apologized for stirring controversy with his call to, quote, pack the swamp with 90,000 fans against lsu, after Governor Ron Desantis approved opening stadiums to full capacity late last month. On monday, the s. E. C. Postponed saturdays matchup between vanderbilt and missouri because of positive tests and quarantines on the commodores roster. Yikes. Lets turn now to Major League Baseball playoffs and the alcs, where the astros avoided being swept by the rays after a 43 win in game four last night. While tampa rookie randy aro arozarena, they came out on top by jose altuve, who hallied an rbi double and a goahead tworun homer in the fifth. The rays will get another chance to wrap up the series in game five, playing tonight. To arlington, texas, for game three of the nlcs between the dodgers and the braves, where Los Angeles Set an mlb postseason record, wow scoring 11 runs in the first inning yesterday. The dodgers go on to win it, 153, cutting atlantas lead in the series two games to one. L. A. s going to try to even things up in game four, coming up tonight. Time now for the weather. Lets go to meteorologist bill karins for the check on the forecast. Bill, how are you . Good morning. Pretty good. Yesterday we had some significant climate news that came in, so ill start with that. We found out from our noaa scientists those are our government scientists that our tax money pays for they told us that september 2020 on the globe was the warmest ever recorded, and they have their records that go back to 1880. You can see on the map here, i mean, were in orange and the dark red, areas that were warmer than normal. And you notice, its a global thing. Even some areas of the u. S. Were cooler than normal. But as a whole, it was the hottest september ever recorded. And we are on pace for the second warmest year ever recorded. And the ten warmest septembers have all occurred since 2005. So, the trends continue across the globe. And today were still very warm in areas of southern california. 29 Million People under heat advisories from San Francisco to san jose, all the way down through Santa Barbara and in through los angeles and san diego. We could have possible record highs today. Temperatures are going to run about 10 to 20 degrees above normal. Los angeles at 94 degrees, phoenix at about 99. And of course, the fire danger remains very high throughout this area, and that will be the case until it begins to rain, whenever that is. So, todays forecast, chilly air in the plains today, only 48 in minneapolis. Definitely jacket weather. Maybe even hat and gloves for some people. Very nice on the eastern seaboard. And as we take a look at the weekend forecast, be prepared for a chilly rain on friday along the east coast. That includes d. C. , new york, philadelphia, up to boston. And then as we head through the weekend, well get rid of that rain on saturday in new england. And look at the blue on that map, kasie. That is snow in areas of north dakota and northern portions of minnesota saturday. And on sunday, that will be a chilly rain for our friends right around chicago. So, yeah, enjoy today on the eastern seaboard. Its not a pretty friday coming your way tomorrow. All right, bill karins. Thank you very much, my friend. Well see you tomorrow, which will finally be friday. But still ahead here on this thursday, an unmasking probe commission by attorney general bill barr comes up empty and President Trump says hes not too happy about it. Were back in a moment. Too happy about it were back in a moment honey . New nyquil severe honey is maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honeylicious taste. Nyquil honey. The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever best sleep with a cold medicine. Hi jen hi. So youre the scientist here. Does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day . Its true jen. Really . this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. Impressive aveeno® healthy. Its our nature. Who trust in our performance and comfortable, longlasting protection. Because your strength is supported by ours. Depend. The only thing stronger than us, is you. I only see one price on my phone bill. Depend. Youre on tmobile, taxes and fees are included. Why cant all my bills be like this . I dont know mama. Umph at tmobile, taxes and fees are included. Get 4 free 5g Samsung Galaxy s20 fes with 4 new lines. Welcome back. Nbc news is reporting that the federal prosecutor appointed by attorney general bill barr to probe the unmasking of former Trump Campaign official Michael Flynn has not found any wrongdoing, according to a source with direct knowledge of the probe. One of the key figures in the investigation, former cia director john brennan, told nbc news that he was never interviewed in the, quote, politically motivated probe, as he put it. U. S. Attorney john bash was tapped by barr to investigate whether exobama officials improperly requested the name of an individual redacted in classified documents. These requests ended up revealing the identity of former Trump Campaign adviser Michael Flynn, who later fled guilty that he lied to the fbi agents about his discussions with the Russian Ambassador to the u. S. Flynn later withdrew his guilty plea. President trump yesterday declined to say whether he would keep barr, should he win a second term. Bill barr, will he be around in a second term . I have no comment. Cant comment on that. Its too early. Too early. Im not happy with all of the evidence that i had, i can tell you that im not happy. President trump claimed yesterday his administration, meanwhile, has made progress on reducing the federal debt prior to the pandemic. We have 27 trillion of federal debt now. If we have another stimulus bill out of congress, are you worried that the entire amount of federal debt will be too large for us to pay off in a sensible way . Well, you and i talk about federal debt a lot. I know its on your mind. Its certainly on my mind, david. The one thing i will say is, we were starting to, prior to the plague, we were starting to get that number down. You know, we were getting that number the Interest Rates were so low and we were seeing things on such a positive scale, and then we had a really, we had no choice but to put money in. You had to put money in. You had to force money in because of the pandemic. But we were starting to focus on that very, very deeply. We were making it long term. We were getting ready to pay off interest. We were getting ready to pay off debt. And a lot of good things were happening. Yeah, no. Even back in january, the Congressional Budget Office was projecting that the debt and sustained federal deficits in the next decade would reach the highest levels since world war ii. Still ahead here, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett signals that obamacare might be able to survive a challenge from the trump administration. Former deputy secretary of labor under president obama, chris lu joins me to discuss yesterdays Senate Hearing and what happens next. And before we go to break, we want to know, why are you awake . Email us your reasons at waytooearly msnbc. Com or send me a tweet kasie. Use waytooearly, and we will read some of the best ones coming up later on in the show. The show vicks vapopatch. Easy to wear with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. Trusted soothing vapors, from vicks if your gums bleed when you brush, the answer is yes. The clock may be ticking towards worse. Parodontax is 3x more effective at removing plaque, the main cause of bleeding gums parodontax [sfx typing sound] [sfx typing sound] [sfx typing sound] welcome back to way too early. Its 5 30 on the east coast, 2 30 out west. Im kasie hunt. Were learning more this morning about the trump administrations efforts to publicly downplay the coronavirus while privately warning wall street elites of its impending wrath. On february 24th, trump tweeted about the worsening pandemic, claiming that the virus was, quote, very much under control, while touting the strength of the stock market. But on that very day, Senior Members of the president s Economic Team were less confident when they were speaking privately to Board Members of the conservative hoover institution. According to the New York Times, a senior economic adviser to the president told the group he could not yet estimate the effects of the virus on the american economy. Meanwhile, National Economic Council Director larry kudlow echoed that sentiment, according to a document describing the meetings that was obtained by the times. Kudlow asserted that the virus was, quote, contained in the u. S. To date, but now we just dont know. The document, which was written by a Hedge Fund Consultant at the event, was widely distributed across wall street as markets began to tank. Nbc news has not obtained or reviewed the document in question. The reaction of one investor who read it was, quote, short everything. Thats a term that means they should bet against the stock market, essentially, bet that stock prices of companies would soon fall. And that is exactly what happened. So, they were telling you one thing in public and wall street elites Something Else in private. Meanwhile, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett faced her final round of questioning by the Senate Judiciary committee yesterday. She was asked about climate change, abortion, the upcoming election and more, but the most talkedabout issue of the day was health care. Barrett stopped short of answering how she might rule when the court hears a challenge to the Affordable Care act next month, but she seemed to suggest that portions of obamacare might be able to remain intact. She told lawmakers that a judges presumption should always be that a law can still stand, even when a portion of it is repealed. Thats a legal term thats known as severability. I want to stress, i have no animus to or agenda for the Affordable Care act. So, the doctrine of severability is a doctrine, essentially, of statutory interpretation. And what it means is, if you have a statute and the Affordable Care act is obviously a very long statute if there is one provision within the statute thats unconstitutional, the question is whether that one section can simply be rendered null and excised from the statute, severed, so the rest of the law stands. The presumption is always in favor of severability. Its a question of your intent. The court looks sorry, go ahead. The main thing is, the doctrine of severability has a presumption to save the statute, if possible, is that correct . That is correct. So, i want every conservative in the nation to listen to what she just said. From a conservative point of view, generally speaking, we want legislative bodies to make laws, not judges. Is that correct . That is correct. And would it be further true that, if you can preserve a statute, you try to, to the extent possible . That is true. Okay. Thats the law, folks. And joining us now, former deputy secretary of labor under president obama, chris lu. He served in the white house during the nominations of justices Sonia Sotomayor and elena kagan. Sir, welcome to way too early. Thank you so much for being here. Lets talk about what you made of the hearings over the course of this week. I mean, my takeaway has been that the only real question mark was how Amy Coney Barrett was going to perform in terms of putting her nomination at risk, and it seems like everyone on both sides is in agreement that she has performed pretty well, and this nomination is still on track to move through quickly. What were your Key Takeaways from the hearing . You know, kasie, in recent years, these Supreme Court hearings have become increasingly less useful. And i think, you know, and thats certainly the case here. Although im hard pressed to remember one where we learned so little basic information from a nominee. And im also hard pressed to remember hearing where the nominee professed to have no opinions about so many Critical Issues that shes actually written on. And what sort of struck me was, other than saying that she agreed with brown versus board of education, which i think everyone in the country agrees with, on sort of civics 101 issues whether voter intimidation is okay, whether a president can delay an election, whether we should have a peaceful transfer of power, she professed to have no opinions. So, i think she wants you to think that she is blank slate, and i think in the absence of that, we have to go back to why this president nominated her. This is a president going back to the campaign trail in 2015 who said that he would appoint a justice who would strike down the Affordable Care act, who was opposed to roe versus wade, and even recently has said he wants another justice on the court to help him in case there is a contested election. So, in the absence of her providing information, all we can do is assume these are the reasons that she was nominated. Chris, do you think, you know, the theater of these hearings is very much oriented around the idea that the court is above politics, that this is not a situation where she should get dragged into any of the political disputes of the day, and in fact, shes mentioned that when shes been asked about a couple of these legal issues, like when she was asked about the possible peaceful transfer of power or lack thereof. And she said, well, i think youre trying to get me to weigh in on something thats a political dispute. Do you buy this idea that the Supreme Court is fully removed from the politics of the day or not . Absolutely not. I mean, this exchange that you played on severability, i mean, that is a basic firstyear law school concept. We always assume that we try to find ways to make law stand. So, what she was saying there wasnt as remarkable as Lindsey Graham would have you think it was. And frankly, whats notable about it is, while that is a core legal doctrine, youve got an administration in the trump administration, backed by republican senators, who have filed a friend of the court brief that have said, notwithstanding, the basic principle, the entire Affordable Care act should fall. But the broader question you raise is an important one, because for most people in this country, the Supreme Court seems like a really abstract thing. And what democrats have been trying to do is say, no, this is not just about, you know, a bunch of cases that no one understands. Its about things like health care, gay rights, abortion, voting rights, and what it would mean to have a rightward shift to the court and how the opinions or the beliefs of judge barrett and her supporters is out of odds with the mainstream of the American People. And i think theyve largely succeeded on that. But as youve said, i think at the end of the day, this hearing hasnt really changed anyones opinion one way or another. All right, chris lu, thank you very much for your time this morning. We really appreciate you getting up way too early. Hope to see you again soon here. Absolutely. And still ahead, the cast of the broadway hit hamilton dives into the modern political arena. Those details, next in the cooler. Way too early back in just a moment. Cooler. Way too early back in just a moment go go go go go go go on a real vacation. Visit go rving. Com or your nearest rv dealer. Sprinting past every leak in our softest, smoothest fabric. Shes confident, protected, her strength respected. Depend. The only thing stronger than us, is you. Depend. Ithe first full prescriptionis pstrength nonsteroidal antiinflammatory gel. Available over the counter. Voltaren is powerful arthritis pain relief in a gel. Voltaren. The joy of movement. d burke i Nothing Happened. Appened. driver Nothing Happened . burke Nothing Happened. driver sure looks like something happened. burke well, youve been with farmers for three years with zero auto claims. driver yeah . burke so you earned your policy perk accident forgiveness. Now instead of this being something, it s driver its nothing burke get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. They should really turn this ride off. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum burke vo start with a quote at 1800farmers welcome back. Time now to gather around the water cooler for some of the things that are going to have people talking today. The cast of hamilton is not letting joe biden throw away his shot. The original cast of the hit musical is coming together for a virtual fundraiser to support the biden harris ticket on friday night, sponsored hosted by hamilton stars rene goldsbury and leslie odom jr. The event will reunite Linmanuel Miranda and the entire cast for a live q a session and special performance. The biden harris fundraiser will be the first time the cast has taken it upon themselves to put together their own political benefit. Meanwhile, republican senator john kennedy used his last question during yesterdays Senate Confirmation hearing to ask nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a mother of seven, who does the laundry in her house . Watch. Ive got one last question. Hope its an easy one. It is. Its a sincere question. Im genuinely curious, who does the laundry in your house . [ laughter ] we increasingly have been trying to get our children to take responsibility for their own, but those efforts are not always successful. We run a lot of loads of laundry. Well, youre very impressive, judge. Thank you, senator. I yield back, mr. Chairman. You do a lot of laundry, so youre very impressive. Are we serious right now . Are we actually serious . I cannot. Still ahead, a look at new polling that shows joe biden widening his lead over President Trump in several battleground states. And as we go to break, a look at this date in history. Back in 1991, when the senate narrowly confirmed the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the u. S. Supreme court, 5248, despite Sexual Harassment allegations from anita hill. The senates 5248 vote to confirm thomas was the closest in this century and came after a day of often heated debate. Last night, thomas told reporters outside his Virginia Home that hes grateful to america and its people and he said its time now for the healing to begin. Now for the healing to begin when youre through with powering through, its time for theraflu hot liquid medicine. Powerful relief so you can restore and recover. Theraflu hot beats cold. As a barber, nothings especially for guys who tend to get razor bumps with ordinary razors. But now theres gillette skinguard. It flattens the skin and lifts the blades for a shave thats close, but not too close for comfort. A good education takes you many different horizons and that sticked to my mind. So, when 1 a day came out, i said, why not . Why not just utilize that resource. And walmart made that path open for me. Without the 1 a day program, i definitely dont think id be in school right now. Each week for me in school is just an accomplishment. I feel proud every step of the way. Welcome back. New battleground state polling shows joe bidens lead widening over President Trump in some key states that have been red states in the past. In new hampshire, the latest Boston Globe Suffolk University poll shows biden with a tenpoint lead, 51 41 . In georgia, the latest quinnipiac poll shows bidens lead widening to a sevenpoint margin since september, 51 44 . In north carolina, the latest the New York Times Sienna College poll shows the two in a statistical tie, biden 46 trump 42 . In ohio, the q poll shows another statistical tie, biden 48 , trump 47 . And as for some key senate races, in new hampshire, democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen is cruising with a 15point lead over republican corky messner, 51 36 . Down in georgia, democrat jon ossoff now holds a sixpoint lead over incumbent david perdue, 51 45 . And in the Georgia Special senate rate, democratic Raphael Warnock holds a substantial lead over doug collins and Kelly Loeffler after gaining ten points since september. A reminder in georgia, if any candidate doesnt receive 50 of the vote, they will face a runoff in a couple of months. And in north carolina, democrat Cal Cunningham is statistically tied with incumbent thom tillis, 41 37 . Joining us now, ohio politics reporter for the toledo blade, liz skalka. Liz, good morning thank you so much for being here. Let me start with the state that you cover day to day, which is ohio. Its not really a state any of us expected to be on the map this time around. We expected it to be relatively easy for President Trump to win there and for joe biden to not have too much of a shot. How do you explain whats going on . I mean, weve seen the entire midwest seem to break for besidebesididen, but what are you seeing in ohio specifically . Well, its very interesting. You know, we saw this q poll, which is another example of the trend weve been seeing over the last few weeks in ohio, which is a poll that shows a race essentially too close to call in a swing state that had almost been written off after Donald Trumps eightpoint win here in 2016. So, a lot of the voters that ive talked to are people who maybe did not vote in 2016 or voted third party in 2016, who are now coming back into the democratic fold. So, weve seen a lot of those people in northwest ohio, in some of our suburbs up here. So, we are seeing democratic strength. Whether or not it is enough strength to get joe biden over the finish line in ohio remains to be seen. But we are seeing that democrats are suddenly very competitive here. We are seeing a lot of attention from the candidates as well. So, how do you explain this from an issue perspective . I mean, do you think that the president s handling of coronavirus explains it . Do you think that democrats focus on health care in the context of the Supreme Court hearing, but also generally over the past few months is whats going on . I mean, what are your takeaways as to what is driving this change . I would say that a lot of it doesnt necessarily have to do with the headlines that were seeing out of washington and national politics. A lot of the people that ive spoken to in ohio who are early voting are people who are tired of the political process. Theyre tired of the backandforth from both sides. Even republicans that ive talked to are tired of the tweeting. They were sort of exhausted and disappointed after the president s coronavirus diagnosis. So, were just seeing a fatigue in people and their daily lives with politics. This is also a state where weve been hit hard by coronavirus. We just hit a near milestone of 5,000 deaths this week. Weve seen our highest case numbers ever now, past our previous highs in july. So, theres a lot on peoples minds. Unemployment is still lot of pe minds. Unemployment is relatively high. We had a big rebound of job loss and then job gains again so people are hurting here and the National Political climate doesnt really help people who are tired. Well, i think that is reflected too in the failure in getting a coronavirus bill that is badly needed. Hope to see you again soon. Earlier on in the show, we asked, why are you awake . From avis, i get up at 5 00 a. M. To either run in my neighborhood or drive to swim. I do Remote Learning with my grand kids i need that me time. I hear you. Janelle says im babysitting my great granddaughter fiona. Look at that smile. Shes an early bird but her cute smile makes it worth it. I love way too early because im a teacher. Trending in my world, trying to find an effective way to stop the kids from taking their laptops in the bathroom with them while on zoom. Oh, dear. I got this note from a writer in new york who says its way too early to be up, but im being tortured by a new york mouse in my new york city studio. Every time i turn out the lights he chews on something. Coming up a look at axios 1 big thing and Amy Coney Barrett faced her third and final day of questioning on capitol hill. But have the hearings swayed senators one way or the other . Senator dick durbin will weigh in. Plus, a checkin with a leading expert with Coronavirus Infections across the United States. Morning joe is Just Moments Away. States morning joe is Just Moments Away i logged 10,000 steps today. Shingles doesnt care. I get as much fresh air as possible. Good for you, but shingles doesnt care. Because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. But no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age, increasing your risk for getting shingles. So what can protect you . Shingrix protects. For the first time ever, you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90 effective. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. Shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. The most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about protecting yourself with shingrix. Shingles doesnt care. Shingrix protects. I do motivational speakingld. Shingles doesnt care. In addition to the substitute teaching. I honestly feel that thats my calling to give back to younger people. I think most adults will start realizing that they dont recall things as quickly as they used to or they dont remember things as vividly as they once did. Ive been taking prevagen for about three years now. People say to me periodically, man, youve got a memory like an elephant. Its really, really helped me tremendously. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Life doesnt stop for a cold. [man] honey. [woman] honey thats why theres new dayquil severe honey. Its maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honeylicious taste. Dayquil honey. The daytime coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, power through your day medicine. With the ninja foodito intelligesmart xl grill. Ing just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. With two new haunted houses, the screams are just getting started. Wear your favorite costumes and the fun never ends. Come get your halloween on, happening now at universal orlando resort. Welcome back. Joining me with a look at axios a. M. , nicholas johnston. What do you have for your 1 big thing today . Todays 1 big thing is bidens diverse cabinet. Now of course the election isnt over yet, theres still a couple of weeks to go but as the polls you reported on earlier are looking pretty good for joe biden and the quest for the presidency. So lets pick the cabinet. Reporting by my colleague hans nichols is digging through this and hes looking to create the most diverse cabinet in history. This is a promise to create thank you generation of leaders in the Democratic Party and thats drawing on a lot of his former sort of aides and colleagues over his time in the Obama Administration, of course decades in the senate. So you can run through a couple of names a long list on axios a. M. , but the department of defense, some of the top names being floated is an undersecretary of defense in the Obama Administration. Jeh johnson, africanamerican man, undersecretary in the department of Homeland Security in the Obama Administration and hes in the mix for defense. Senator Tammy Duckworth for defense. She may be an interesting part for the department of affairs. Salliuates who was an undersecretary is is on the list and Stacey Abrams who ran for governor in georgia. She is on the list for the justice department. Then another big position is a treasury department. That can be a very big role in a Biden Administration. Look at the fallout from the pandemic. And a number of women are on the short list, including janet yellin, former chairman of the federal reserve. A fed official and a Senior Member of the Economic Team is on the short list. So a number of names. The washington parlor game, who may get the call if joe biden gets the win and begins to assemble the cabinet, kasie. What about Elizabeth Warren . Oh, excellent question. Thats been on a lot of peoples list and hans says shes likely staying as a powerful member of the senate and not moving into the cabinet at all our reporting shows. You are reporting that theres been some work and this diversity frame is interesting to me because there have been some not loud, but some critics and they worked over the summer to make their staff more diverse. What did they do then that might translate into the Biden Administration . 100 . There was a lot of talk about this being the most diverse field of candidates running for president of the democratic field and of course joe biden who was an old white guy won the pick. He did pick Kamala Harris as his Vice President and he did diversify his staff in the summer. The Biden Campaign is addressing that, increased it to 46 , the campaign, including some of the most senior aides such as the press secretary that travels regularly with biden. This is a top priority for the campaign and he knows his Campaign Success to jim clyburn, thats played a big role and remember, clyburn has been consulting a lot on possible cabinet picks. Absolutely. A great point. Nicholas johnston, thank you so much. Well be reading axios a. M. In a little bit. You can sign up for the newsletter at signup. Axios. Com. One question i have for the day is a tweet overnight from joe bidens Campaign Manager and she says, theres a long way to go in this campaign and this on twitter, we think this race is far closer than folks on this website think. Something to chew over and think about today. Thanks for watching way too early on this thursday morning. Great to see you. Morning joe starts right now. Should the president stop hosting these rallies . You know, i cant advise the president about what he can do and shouldnt do with regard to political campaigns but i can reiterate my statement that when you have congregant settings of a lot of people together closely packed, when most are not wearing masks, that is a risk situation to be avoided. Dr. Anthony fauci continues to sound the alarm. President trump continues not to listen. Last night was day four of his post covid tour to Battle Ground states. Another packed rally with no social distancing and few masks. Good morning and welcome to morning joe. It is thursday, october 15th along with joe, willie and me we have from the associated press, jonathan lemire. Washington anchor for bbc world news america, katty kay. Good to have you all. I think were grabbing kasie for a bit of conversation. Yeah, kasie, i heard her say at the end of way too early about the warning from the biden camp. And it is an important warning with 19 days to go. Well show some polls that show joe biden far ahead but if you talk to the biden people, they do say its much closer and theres a great article this morning in th
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