to a facility housing unaccompanied migrant children as the president taps vice president harris to head up the effort to fix the crisis. the question is whether the right policies and messaging are in place to get it done. plus, president biden set to give his first official news conference this afternoon. the question this morning, will he break any news? and a massive ship runs aground in the suez canal, blocking one of the busiest waterways. the question is, how much longer before the ship is floating and things get moving again? yikes! it's "way too early" for this. ♪♪ >> good morning! and welcome to "way too early," the show that has never seen a traffic jam quite like that one. pretty remarkable. i am kasie hunt on this thursday, march 25th. we'll start with the news. vice president harris is now the biden administration's point person to manage the crisis on the southern border. president biden made the announcement during a meeting on immigration yesterday. he said the vice president would focus on two tracks -- stemming the current flow of migrants and addressing the root causes of their migration. biden coordinated similar efforts in central america as president barack obama's vp. while announcing the appointment, biden highlighted harris' experience as attorney general of california, saying she's upheld human rights while also fighting organized crime. >> so, it's not her full responsibility or job but she's leading the effort, because i think the best thing to do is to put someone who, when he or she speaks, they don't have to wonder about, is that where the president is? when she speaks, she speaks for me, doesn't have to check with me. she knows what she's doing, and i hope we can move this along. so, madam vice president, thank you. i gave you a tough job, and you're smiling, but there's no better person to try to organize this. >> thank you, mr. president, and for having the confidence in me. and there's no question that this is a challenging situation. as the president has said, there are many factors that lead precedent to leave these countries. and while we are clear that people should not come to the border now, we also understand that we will enforce the law and that we also, because we can chew gum and walk at the same time, must address the root causes that cause people to make the trek. >> a challenging assignment, indeed. a delegation of white house officials and members of congress traveled to the southern border yesterday to tour a health and human services facility being used to house migrant children. an nbc news crew accompanied the delegation and toured a facility in carrizo springs, texas. officials say there are just over 766 migrants at the facility, which has a capacity of 952. 108 of the children had tested positive for the coronavirus when they entered the facility, and those who do test positive are kept in negative air pressure dormitories. and no minors are released from the facility until they've had at least two negative covid-19 tests. the facility has classrooms for the teenagers and dormitories that hold four children to a room. unlike reports from other facilities, there was no indication of overcrowding there. and a new nbc news report highlights how in early december the biden transition team and career government officials began sounding an alarm on the need to increase shelter space for the large number of migrant children expected to soon be crossing the border. but the trump administration didn't take action until just days before the inauguration, according to two biden transition officials and a u.s. official with knowledge of the discussions. according to one of those transition officials, quote, they were sitting on their hands. the biden transition team made its concerns about the lack of shelter space known to trump officials both at the department of health and human services and at the department of homeland security. a u.s. government official who served under both the trump and the biden administrations said nonpolitical staff also brought up the need to open more space. the official said it was, quote, irresponsible of the trump administration not to listen to us when we were throwing up red flags. and it wasn't until days before president biden's inauguration, when then-hhs secretary alex azar finally issued a request for assistance. blame game playing out there. and now to colorado, where the man accused of killing ten people after opening fire inside a boulder grocery store is expected to make his first court appearance later this morning. the 21-year-old will be formally charged with the mass shooting and is expected to face ten counts of first-degree murder. if convicted, he could face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. last year, colorado eliminated the death penalty. meanwhile, hundreds of people lined the streets yesterday during a procession to honor one of the victims, fallen officer eric talley, as his body was transported from the coroner's office to a funeral home. and last night, the first of several planned candlelight vigils were held to remember the ten lives lost in the supermarket shooting. just an incredibly difficult day. and in emotional remarks yesterday, senator michael bennet of colorado paid tribute to the victims of the colorado shooting and called on congress to take action. >> boulder will heal, but this scar will always be there. my daughter's generation will always bear the burden of a national government that did nothing to protect. i'm not asking anybody here to show the courage that officer talley showed or the other men and women of law enforcement who constantly have to deal with the inability of this place's capacity to deal with these issues. i'm just asking us to show an ounce of their courage by doing whatever we can to keep weapons of war out of our communities. >> joining us now, the co-founder of punch bowl news, john bresnahan. brez, good morning. always good to see you. that pretty emotional address there from michael bennet. colorado has had far too many of these incidents. but let's do a little bit of a reality check here. what did you make? earlier this week, mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, said he seemed open to doing some gun reform. this has happened so many times. the politics of this, especially in the suburbs, is something that's shifted a little bit since we've had so many of these debates, but again, how many times have we sat and said, okay, something horrible just happened, what are they going to do about it, and the answer's nothing. what's the answer this time? >> i don't see much happening. i mean, the biden administration's already talking about doing some executive orders on ghost guns and stiffening background checks, but there's not going to be -- right now there's nothing that's going to really move in congress, except around the edges. there's talk about doing some red flag legislation. lindsey graham from south carolina, republican, and richard blumenthal of connecticut, democrat, they've pushed this legislation before. this would be someone who's come to the attention of law enforcement or other authorities and is considered a threat. they could go in, possibly, and take weapons away from this person. that's been talked about. but it's only on the edges. there's not going to be a big background checks bill. there's not -- that's not going to pass. there's not going to be, you know, any other dramatic legislation on guns or, you know, banning assault weapons, high-capacity magazines. that's just not going to move through congress. >> so, brez, i think what you just outlined -- i'm not arguing with any of it, but it is the kind of thing that is why progressives are now pushing so hard to get rid of the filibuster. they say, okay, congress has shown they can't do anything without 60 votes. there's no way we're going to get 60 votes in the senate. do away with it, use the 50 democrats we have to try and pass some of these kinds of measures. but at this point, they don't even have 50 votes to end the filibuster. is there any single issue that's going to cause joe manchin, for example, to switch on this, or do you think it's a compilation? we've talked this morning about immigration, guns, there's voting rights as well. >> you know, i think you're right. i do think there could be -- if enough issues become critical mass -- voting rights, gun legislation -- and joe manchin has pushed a background checks bill on commercial gun sales, not on personal transactions, but on commercial gun sales -- on infrastructure or, you know, which he's talked about he wants to do -- if enough critical mass comes together on this, maybe manchin will do something. actually, we're going to lay out the arguments for and against this in punch bowl news today. but i think right now there's not the votes to do it. but again, you know, we're just a couple months into the biden administration, you know. schumer has talked about everything will be on the table. he said this again this week, senate majority leader chuck schumer, about the issue of gun control. and you know, he's going to have a press conference today. he'll be asked about this issue, about whether they should get rid of the filibuster because of gun control. i think this is, you know, this is going to be a challenge. and the unfortunate history of the united states is there will be more of these. we all know there's going to be more of these, and we're going to be talking about this again, and it's the tragedy of our times. i've been writing gun control stories for 25 years, and nothing has really changed. >> that is such a depressing, and yet, true statement. john bresnahan of punch bowl news, thank you very much for being here. i guess we'll see. i am not looking forward to having that conversation yet again over and over and over and over again. all right, still ahead here, the top two senate leaders, chuck schumer and mitch mcconnell, clash over election reform. what they each had to say about voting rights yesterday. plus, we're four months away from the tokyo games, but the olympic torch relay is officially under way. we're going to have those stories and a check on your weather when we come right back. . welcome to this family meeting. i'm here because you guys need some serious together time... the good kind. mom's alone at the office... dad's hiding out in the van... and the kids are virtually teaching each other. y'all need to let yourselves woah... at universallllll. good job, jonesesess... jones'. jones'? 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you know, sometimes the big storms and the big tornadoes go through towns. other times, they're in farmers' fields, but we know we're going to have them today. when you get that high risk, that pink color, it's very rare, two or three times a year. that red is a moderate risk around it. so, the areas of greatest concern, where we're going to see not just tornadoes, but we expect violent tornadoes, that will be long-track tornadoes. so, these are going to be violent tornadoes on the ground for maybe 30 miles, maybe 50 miles, in that area from -- they'll form near memphis, greenwood and jackson, kasie, then they'll go through areas like columbus and tupelo and head up to nashville, decatur and birmingham later tonight. so, anyone that lives in those areas, if you have family and friends, make sure that they're weather aware and have a plan, in case, unfortunately, one of those storms heads for, you know, for their homes. >> all right. well, here's hoping for some more good luck. bill karins, thank you, as always. good to see you. we'll see you tomorrow, my friend. all right, still ahead here, president biden has hit his goal of administering 100 million coronavirus vaccinations within 100 days. so, what's next? 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(ding)... you got paid! that means... best burger ever. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, banking and live bookkeeping. good afternoon. >> would you mind putting a mask on for us? >> yeah, when i'm talking to the tv camera, i'm not going to wear a mask. and all of us have been immunized, so -- >> it'd make us feel better. >> you're welcome to step away, if you'd like. the whole point of a vaccine, cdc guidance is what we're following. >> okay. welcome back. that was senator ted cruz, refusing to wear a mask while speaking to the press yesterday, citing the fact that he's been immunized. official guidance from the cdc actually advises everyone to continue regular precautions in public places, even when you're fully vaccinated. that, of course, would include wearing a mask. all right, after surpassing his goal of 100 million shots within 100 days, president biden is expected to announce a new vaccination goal during his upcoming news conference today. one white house official tells nbc news that the president's new goal is, quote, ambitious, while declining to give details. last week, the president suggested he'd be doubling the previous one. nice to have a little good news this morning. and the nation's leading infectious disease expert, dr. anthony fauci, would not yet characterize the united states covid recovery as turning the corner. he says we're still at the corner. watch. >> when i'm often asked, are we turning the corner, my response is really more like we are at the corner. whether or not we're going to be turning that corner still remains to be seen. we do have a lot of challenges in front of us with regard to the high level of daily infections, yesterday being 54,974. when you are at that level, i don't think you can declare victory and say you've turned the corner. you've got to continue to do what we're doing. more vaccinations and continue to do public health measures until we actually do turn the corner. >> we're almost there, folks. we can do it! all right. still ahead here, president biden has vowed to work with republicans, but minority leader mitch mcconnell said yesterday they've barely spoken to each other since the inauguration. what the white house is saying about that, up next. but before we go to break, we want to know, as always, why are you awake? email us your reasons for being up and watching this thursday to waytooearly@msnbc.com or drop me a tweet @kasie. use #waytooearly, and we will read our favorite answers coming up later on in the show. ite ansg up later on in the show. for skin that never holds you back don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief* gold bond champion your skin our kids are bad at hiding things. but we found out their clothes hide a lot. which concerned us, especially with their sensitive skin. that's why we always look for new tide hygienic clean free. it removes the 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think i've spoken to him since he was sworn in. we had a couple conversations before then. >> he's had a number of meetings, bipartisan meetings, in the oval office. he will continue to do those. those have often been constructed with committee chairs or members with specific jurisdiction. he has a long friendship with leader mcconnell. he has spoken with him. he speaks with him regularly. >> close the loop on a leader mcconnell question. you said they speak regularly. he says he's only spoken one time, he corrected the statement saying they've spoken one time on burma. >> i don't have any more calls to read out for you, which we will not make a case of doing, as you know. so, i don't have more to read out for you. >> very interesting. if republicans had held on to control of the senate, i think that would be a significantly different story. meanwhile, the senate majority and minority leaders faced off yesterday at a hearing on democrats' sweeping voting reform bill. the proposal, which passed the house with no republican support, is aimed at countering the more than 250 bills that restrict voting at the state level. the hearing got heated with majority leader schumer saying republicans should be ashamed of their actions. watch. >> instead of doing what you should be doing when you lose an election in a democracy, attempting to win over those voters in the next election, republicans, instead, are trying to disenfranchise those voters. shame on them. this is one of the most despicable things i have seen in all my years. shame, shame, shame. some of these voter suppression laws in georgia and other republican states smack of jim crow rearing its ugly head once again. >> states are not engaging in trying to suppress voters whatsoever. this is clearly an effort by one party to rewrite the rules of our political system. talk about shame. if anybody ought to be feeling any shame around here, it's turning the ftc into a partisan prosecutor, the majority controlled by the president's party, to harass and intimidate the other side. that's what you ought to be ashamed about. >> joining us now, republican strategist and msnbc political analyst susan del percio. susan, it's always good to see you. so incredibly rare to have those two leaders face off in that kind of a situation. and the reality is, of course, that democrats view this as perhaps the litmus test issue, the seminole issue in front of them, but the reality is also that they're probably not -- they're definitely not going to be able to get anything along these lines passed unless they get rid of the filibuster. what are the pros and cons, in your view? >> i actually think they should get rid of the filibuster, which is a huge change in my opinion over the last 30 years, because i value the fact that you needed 60 votes because 60 votes in the senate meant consensus, it meant they were working together, both sides, to really come up with important legislation. now, it's just a way of stopping everything. and the thing is, kasie, even if they got some republican support, what are we going to see most, five, six, maybe seven senators come over? it's not enough to move. and when you listen to mitch mcconnell, all he wants to do is stop things. i wouldn't blame president biden inviting mitch mcconnell over. why would he? all he's going to do is say no. >> certainly during the obama administration, president obama cracked that joke about, okay, you go have a drink with mitch mcconnell. biden seemed to be more willing to do it certainly, than his former boss, but i do take your point. so, here's -- i mean, the one challenge that i have here is that, in the course of the last 10, 15 years that i've been covering congress, we have seen control swing back and forth. when i first started, it was all democrats. they had, basically, 60 votes in the senate, which was incredibly remarkable at the time. just a few years later, the house flipped, then the senate flipped. the danger in getting rid of the filibuster is that, especially, i think republicans point to things like abortion policy that could change in the event that power shifts. do you see any risks to changing the filibuster now that could potentially come back to hurt democrats later? >> no, because then let people take votes on it. if they don't think they're voting in the right way to represent their district or state, so be it, but at least we'll now at least have some real movement on policy, which is what we need. we are stuck, kasie. we are stuck as a country. we are simply moving from one crisis to another. that's maybe how we get something done, even on covid relief. 550,000 americans have died and not one republican would support helping the american public? it's crazy. and you know what, it's worth the democrats taking the risk. plus, maybe, just maybe, it will force more consensus to the middle. so, you have the fringes on each party, the more left or the more right. and maybe the middle works together because they can actually get it done. right now there's no incentive, because if you can't get to 60, really, what's the point? >> so, basically, you're saying, okay, if we get rid of this, then perhaps joe manchin and a handful of other republicans become a power center. >> potentially. i mean, it's there. and you also are able to, again, pass something on immigration. we need real immigration policy. we can't have presidents leading by executive order. it's basically an admission of failure. we need legislative solutions. and if it forces the democrats to lose the senate and then down the road it forces the republicans, so be it. >> all right. susan del percio, thanks very much for your perspective this morning. we really appreciate it. i'll see you again soon, i'm sure. all right, still ahead here, the totally different reason why some of your shipping orders might get delayed. "way too early" back in just a moment. yed. 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(judith) our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. want to brain better? unlike ordinary memory supplements— neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. a massive cargo ship got spun around and stuck in the suez canal, blocking more than 100 ships. look at this thing. it's giant. look at that. if you look closely, the ship is a tiny bumper sticker that says "student driver." come on. traffic is backed up for miles and hundreds of ships are delayed. do you know how stressful it is to parallel park when there's someone behind you? imagine blocking a whole hemisphere. you know what i'm saying? >> funny but really very serious. time now for something totally different. that massive container ship that ran aground in the suez canal, halting traffic in one of the busiest waterways is still stuck and it's been more than 48 hours. the ship is operated by a shipping company evergreen, and it became horizontally wedged in the waterway after heavy winds. multiple tugboats were sent to the scene to start a refloat operation to try and dislodge the 1,300-foot vessel. it could apparently take several days to get it unstuck. none of the 25 crew members or any of the cargo has been harmed. preliminary investigations have ruled out mechanical failure as the reason for this grounding. the ship has completely halted traffic on the canal, which in 2020 saw over 19,000 ships pass through on an average of 51 ships per day. everything from consumer goods to oil passes through, and the blockage comes as the global supply chain is already struggling to keep up with demand. yikes! all right, now to this. each year, the library of congress adds 25 audio recordings to the national recording registry that are, quote, treasures worth preservation. and they're chosen for their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the country's sound heritage. this year's inductees include the first ever frog, kermit the frog, for his 1979 performance of the song "rainbow connection." oh, i love that! the 2008 podcast "this american life" is the first ever podcast inducted. and this year's list also includes a wide-ranging group of 11 black artists, including janet jackson, louis armstrong, new york rapper nas and kool and the gang for their 1980 hit "celebration." and this april marks the fifth anniversary of prince's death. to honor the occasion, the legendary singer's ashes will be on display at the suburban minnesota compound paisley park. the custom-made ceramic urn shaped like paisley park with prince's symbol on top will sit once again in the compound's atrium after being formally removed from public view by prince's family. paisley park officials are offering fans free admission to pay their respects, but space is limited to 1,400 people for 30-minute time slots for one day only. as of now, every time slot is sold out, but you can get on the ongoing wait list. all right, still ahead here, we're going to dig into what our next guest calls the real reason republicans couldn't kill obamacare on a week marking the 11th anniversary of its signing. "way too early" coming right back. ry of its signing. 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introducing self protection from xfinity. designed to put you in control. with real-time notifications and a week of uninterrupted recording. all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determination. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. welcome back. amid a global pandemic and so many other challenges, health care is arguably a leading issue for so many americans, and this week marked the 11th anniversary of the signing of the affordable care act. that is, of course, the landmark law that rewrote the u.s. health care system. a new article in "the atlantic" titled "the real reason republicans couldn't kill obamacare" gives a peek into the fight to pass it. it argues, quote, democrats had that sense of mission and went through all of those exercises because they'd spent nearly a century crusading for universal coverage. it was a big reason they were able to pass their once-in-a-generation health care legislation. republicans didn't undertake the same sorts of efforts, nor did they develop a clear sense of what they were trying to achieve, except to hack away at the welfare state and destroy obama's legacy. those are big reasons their legislation failed. the story is adapted from the new back "the ten-year war: obamacare and the unfinished crusade for universal coverage," which was written by our next guest, senior national correspondent at "the huffington post," jonathan kohn. jonathan, it's good to see you. you and i actually covered the passage of obamacare, and it's really been unbelievable to see the evolution because there was so much opposition. and frankly, democrats lost elections, initially, in part because of the way they handled this issue at the time. but opinion has shifted in the decade since then, in the 11 years since then. why do you think it shifted and why have republicans, as you point out, failed to figure out what they want to even replace it with? i mean, how many times have we heard repeal and replace? we could never figure out what replace meant. >> yeah. we keep hearing it, and they don't have a replacement plan. you know, they passed it in 2010. and as you remember, in the 2010 midterms, democrats got what president obama called a shellacking at the polls. there was that huge backlash. then you fast-forward to 2018, and the process plays out in reverse. and that's when the republicans lost their house majority. and a big reason they lost the house majority was because people were so upset that republicans had tried to take away obamacare. and you know, part of that is just that change, necessary kind of change to the health care system is hard to do. people get skittish, they get angry. and so, democrats suffered a backlash when they made changes. republicans suffered a backlash when they tried to make changes. but i think more fundamentally, that for all of the messiness and all of the inadequaies of obamacare, it provided something that people really wanted. it gave them security. it helped 20 million people to get health insurance. and you know, while the debate was going on, it was still very unpopular, but then when republicans finally got to the point where they were ready to repeal it, for the first time, they had to say something, you know, they had been saying, oh, obamacare's terrible! it's a disaster! we're going to get rid of it. well, they get power. trump gets elected. and finally, for the first time, they have to say, oh, hey, here's what we're going to do instead. and that's when everybody else discovers -- and frankly, a lot of republicans discover -- they don't really have an idea. >> yep. >> they've never done their homework. they don't have a clear sense of what they want to do. and fundamentally, despite all their promises, they do not have a plan that will get more people health insurance or make their health care more secure. and at the end of the day, that's why they suffered the backlash, and they couldn't pass a repeal bill. >> right. and president trump would repeatedly say, oh, in two weeks, we're going to have our health care plan, and it literally never materialized. jonathan, one thing i also want to ask you about is what's going on right now with this, because democrats were trying to make some important fixes to obamacare for a long time, because there were some problems with it. they never could because opening it up risked putting the entire thing on the line, until now. and they did make some significant changes to it in the covid relief package, one that has some very red states suddenly considering expanding medicaid, really entrenching the law further. what stood out to you in terms of the changes that were made in the covid relief bill that actually are going to expand obamacare? >> well, the medicaid provision is one of them. and actually, we're seeing right now in the state of wyoming some action on it, which is remarkable. you know, originally, they had hoped every state would expand medicaid, said it was open to anybody who was at or just above the poverty level, in part because of a supreme court decision. it became very easy for states to say no. and all these republican-led states have said no. even though, you know, it's almost free money from the federal government, and you have states like florida and texas where literally millions of people could get insurance, if the governors and the state legislatures would just say the states even more money. it gives them even an extra incentive to expand. and it looks like in at least one state, wyoming is thinking about that. and eventually, several million people could get insurance if more states take up the medicaid expansion. >> and jonathan, how do you think the broader trends are affecting this, as well. you mentioned florida. they, while electing republicans voting for donald trump, also voted to raise the minimum wage in the state of florida. how does health care fit into the way our parties are shifting? >> people need health care. it's a fundamental fact. for years and and decades and decades, republicans would say, we think universal health care is something that's okay, we support that, too, we just have different ideas about how to get there. one of the things that happened with the affordable care act is that democrats, they were so desperate for decades and decade, they've been trying to do universal health care, basically, the obamacare is an idea to coopt the republican ideas for how to get there, that's how they got it through. and republicans, rather than saying, oh, great, now you've met us halfway, we'll join you, they've retreated to a position of, we don't believe in universal health care anymore, that's not something we're going to provide. that's fine, you can make that argument. there's a conservative, coherent argument for that. but it's not what people want. people need health care. and of course, we're in the middle of a pandemic. it's like a giant advertisement for the fact that, hey, we need universal health care, we've gotten closer, we should be moving further in that direction. and right now, the republican party just does not have an answer on that. >> and of course, the country is becoming in some ways more populist to your overall point. your new book is the ten-year war. obamacare and the unfinished crusade for universal coverage. jonathan cohn, thank you so much for getting up way too early to be on with us. jonie writes, it's way too early for us, but thought we would check in, now we're going back to sleep. from your friends, mr. bud and figaro. thank you for getting up even briefly. shauna c. tweeted, i'm a newly retired air force veteran, not quite over a 21-year-old habit. congratulations on your retirement and thank you for your service. richard e-mails, my 9-year-old son is going back to school for the first time in over a year. we are so excited to finally be able to return in person. i can't even imagine. very happy for you and your son. and, another viewer shares this photo with us. i'm up early enjoying my granddaughter, carmen rose. she is beautiful. congratulations. coming up next here, we're going to take a look at the axios one big thing. and coming up on "morning joe," two members of the house armed services committee, adam smith and elissa slatkin will join the conversation. plus, we'll hear from congresswoman veronica escobar about a surge of migrants at the mexico border. don't go anywhere. "morning joe" just moments away. . 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ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. with bounce pet hair & lint guard, your clothes can repel pet hair. one bounce mega sheet has 3x the hair fighting ingredients of the leading dryer sheet. simply toss into the dryer to bounce out hair & lint. look how the shirt on the left attracts pet hair like a magnet! pet hair is no match for bounce. it's available in fresh scent & unscented. with bounce, you can love your pets, and lint roll less. welcome back. joining us now with a look at axios a.m., the editor in chief for axios, nicholas johnston. nick, good morning. always good to see you. what's the one big thing today? >> the one big thing, it's questions for president biden. as everyone probably knows, today president biden is holding his first press conference, so the five things we definitely want to ask him. we want to ask him, do you take responsibility for inadvertently fueling the hopes of migrants now trying to enter the united states without permission. this is a big issue for the administration right now. the change in rhetoric between the biden administration and the trump administration may have led some of these migrants to think they have a better chance in entering the united states and are approaching the border and has led to the surge of unaccompanied minors coming into the united states. so trying to clamp down on that, to direct people to go through more legal processes, to stay in their home countries to try to get asylum in the united states, instead of heading straight for the border. already, some democrats are encouraging the president to change his rhetoric on that. another question, i've got them on my phone here so you don't forget them. you've seeked to pledge common ground for republicans and democrats. do you support ending the filibuster. democrats didn't get any republican support and used a special legislative tactic to get that special covid bill through. right on party line vote, 51-50. what people are wondering, would joe biden support changing those rules. there are a lot of big plans that democrats have in the future on voting rights, on additional rights, on infrastructure spending, on making d.c. a state. none of those things will get to the 50-vote threshold in the senate. would the president support ending the filibuster, so 50 votes could pass some of those democratic priorities. president biden is a big unknown in this debate at the moment. another question, this is a little bit from left field. how will the irs tax bitcoin if used as a medium of exchange. it will be interesting to get the president's thoughts on cryptocurrency. this is driven by the announcement that eli musk will accept bitcoin if you want to buy cars from that company. how are those taxes treated by the irs. another one, do you stand by your past comments that chinese president xi jinping is a thug and russian president vladimir putin is a killer and what is your red line in the response to taiwan. president biden has come off to a little bit of a rocky start with those presidents. in that big meeting last week with the chinese led to almost a screaming match. i wonder where biden thinks about resetting that relationship. and the last one, you've committed this week to evaluate more asian american and pacific islanders to high-level positions in the administration. why did it take the tragic shooting in atlanta and an ultimatum from asian lawmakers in america to make that commitment. under some conditions, president biden has had the most diverse cabinet in history and they've been very proud of that recognition, but he's still getting feedback it hasn't done enough. i think that would be a very fascinating question. those are my five. >> we got a lot there. >> i'm going to take a drink of water. >> our viewers are always very interested in what you guys are having for dinner, i think, is the menu behind you in your house. i don't know if you do taco thursday, but enjoy. >> today's takeout. >> nicholas johnston, thank you. >> takeout, lucky everyone in your house. thank you so much for being here with us. and speaking of joe biden's press conference today, i remember covering president trump's first press conference back in 2017 and walking the halls of congress trying to find any member of his own party that had even seen the press conference. democrats had seen it, they were perfectly willing to criticize it. i have a feeling that today, while joe biden is going to get tough questions from the press, as he should, it's likely that members in his own party will actually watch what happened and have something to say about it afterwards. so at least we've come that far. thank you for getting up way too early with us on this thursday morning. don't go anywhere. "morning joe" starts right now. >> good afternoon. >> would you mind putting us a mask on for us? >> when i'm talking to the tv cameras, i'm not going to put