Good morning. And welcome to way too early. The show that is marking national Wine Day just not quite yet. I am Kasie Hunt on this tuesday, may 25th. Well start with the news. Today marks the Oneyear Anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, under the knee of former Police Officer Derek chauvin. Floyd Family Attorney Ben Crump tells Nbc News The Family will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi And Congresswoman Karen Bass this morning as well as several senators from both parties before their meeting at the White House with President Biden. Crump told Nbc News he views the white House Visit as, quote, an opportunity to pay proper respect to George Floyd with a president who has been in continuous communication with The Family. Crump said he hopes the visit will keep momentum going toward a passage of the George Floyd justice in policing act. Today also marks the deadline set by President Biden for congress to present that Police Reform package. And while they are going to miss the date, senators on both sides of the aisle are optimistic that a deal is within reach. So we continue to work on the process. We have good progress over the weekend, i thought. And we can see at The End of the tunnel. Were starting to see a frame. We made a lot of progress over the weekend. We still have a lot of work to do im going to be pulling long days all this week in hopes that we by the time we come out of the weekend we have more and more of this Frame Work being put together now. The lawmakers working on the bill said the anniversary of George Floyds murder is driving their work. Writing in a statement, quote, this anniversary serves as a painful reminder of why we must make meaningful change. While we are still working through our differences on key issues, we continue to make progress toward a compromise and remain optimistic about the prospects of achieving that goal. Joining us now, leann caldwell. Leann, good morning. Great to see you. When you spoke with senator Tim Scott yesterday, he said he wasnt sure whether he was going to meet with the Floyd Family today. Who do you think the Floyd Family is going to meet with . And what kind of progress are we looking at in terms of this Police Reform Bill . Hey, kasie. So the Floyd Family is definitely meeting with Speaker Pelosi later this morning and late last week we learned that theyre also meeting with senator cory booker. When i talked to Senator Scott Last Night, he just wasnt sure. He wasnt against it. He wasnt for it. He didnt know if it was going to be put on his calendar. I would be surprised if that meeting does not happen. As far as progress is concerned, when i talked to Senator Scott, it was the most optimistic i have actually seen him throughout these negotiations that have lasted really quite some time, especially if you take into consideration the negotiations last year as well. He had the same timeline as Senator Booker who said separately they wont have anything before this week, but past the weekend, we could really start to see this be released and come together. So, you know, its on the anniversary they dont have the deal, but this is the best that ive seen these negotiations at this point, kasie. Some reason for optimism. Leigh ann, Qualified Immunity, the legal what were talking about when we say Qualified Immunity whether Police Officers are held individually responsible for the actions they take on the job. Its been one of the big sticking points. Where do things stand on that . And are there any other critical issues that you think will need to be resolved here before theyre able to announce a deal . So, one thing about these negotiations is that a lot of things are not being leaked. That is a very good sign that negotiations are progressing. When we start to see leaks, that means things are falling apart. But theres a lot of questions about where Qualified Immunity stands, especially since representative clyburn a few weeks ago who is not part of these negotiations sent a signal to the negotiators saying that if you need to leave Qualified Immunity aside for the time being we can come back to it later. But that has sparked a lot of outrage among some of the progressives who have written a Letter Urging them to keep Qualified Immunity as part of these negotiations to really get rid of it. But kasie, one thing im also going to be watching is this bill could cost money, especially if theres going to be more requirement on these Police Officers, more requirements on these police departments. And that is in direct contrast to what some in the progressive left believe should happen because they still believe in defunding the police. And so im really going to be watching that tension between these negotiators and what the progressives say about this legislation because and if the negotiators are going to try to keep them on board. So, its going to be a really interesting dynamic moving forward. But this gigantic puzzle trying to put all these pieces together and some people are going to get not going no one is going to get everything they want, but well be following, kasie. Well see. No, its a sharp point about progressives. Nbcs Leigh Ann caldwell, thank you for getting up early with us and good to see you and have your reporting to start us off. Lets go overseas. Secretary of state Antony Blinken is meeting with leaders in israel following the deadly conflict with hamas. Blinken arrived earlier this morning for the first stop for a trip around the region in addition to visiting israel, the State Department says hell have discussions with leaders in the west bank, jordan and egypt. As for whats on the agenda, the White House says blinken will affirm our, quote, ironclad commitment to israels security. Hell also take part in efforts to get humanitarian aid to gaza in a way that, quote, benefits the people there and not hamas. Blinken will not be meeting with hamas leaders since the u. S. Labels the group a terrorist organization. This trip comes five days into a ceasefire between israel and hamas after an 11day Conflict where more than 250 people were killed. Meanwhile the journalist whose flight was essentially hijacked Mid Air at the demand of the president of belarus has been seen for the first time since the international incident. Roman protosevich was seen in this video taken by belorussian authorities. He claims he is in good health and says the police are treating him well and that hes confessing to organizing protests. It appears the protosevich has marks on his forehead. In a statement, President Biden said the video of the 26yearold Dissident appears to have been made under duress. He called it shameful and said the u. S. Joins other countries in calling for his release as well as an independent investigation. The European Union reacted quickly to the diverting of the flight between two eu countries on sunday. The Ryanair Flight carrying protosevich was flying from greece to lithuania before belarus called in a bomb threat. European Leaders Yesterday called on all eubased airlines to stop flying over belarus as well as a ban on belorussian airlines flying through their Air Space and pledged new economic sanctions against belarus and its authoritarian Leader President lukashenko. Sanctions had been imposed on the country following the governments violent crackdown on protesters who questioned the legitimacy of lukashenkos reelection. Still ahead here, with less than two months to go before the summer olympics, the u. S. State department issues a new warning about traveling to japan. Plus, the Justice Department releases part of a memo on why former President Trump Wasnt charged with bstruction after the russia probe. Well have those stories and a check of the weather when we come back. If you have moderate to severe psoriasis. Or psoriatic arthritis, little things, can become your big moment. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable. With reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. For psoriatic arthritis,. Otezla is proven. To reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla Prescribing Information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It May Cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an. Increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts. 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Breyers is always so delicious. I can tell that they used your milk, matilda. Great job [moo] youre welcome. Breyers natural vanilla is made with 100 grade a Milk And Cream and only sustainably farmed vanilla. Better starts with breyers. Fans were going so crazy for mickelson i guess he needed a Security Escort on the greens in the final hole. Watch this. Kiawah erupts. Actually they lost control of the scene. Looked like the annual running of the khakis. [ laughter ]. Im just glad to see a mob of White People who arent storming the capitol. Arent you . In more serious news, the pga has apologized after organizers lost control of that crowd at the 18th Hole of the Pga Championship on sunday. A statement on twitter Last Night, pga of America Ceo said in part, quote, while we welcome enthusiastic fan engagement, we regret pent up emotion by spectators briefly overwhelmed security and made two players and their caddies feel vulnerable. We put Player Safety at the top of your list and grateful that order was restored. Pga Champion Phil Mickelson said the scene was a Little Unnerving and exceptionally awesome, too. Brooks koepka said his surgically repaired right knee was hit by Swarming Fans as he tried to breakthrough the crowd. Here is hoping he is okay. And less than two months before the start of the olympic games in tokyo, u. S. Health officials and the State Department yesterday warned against travel to japan because of a surge of coronavirus cases in that country. According to the a. P. , the twin alerts dont ban u. S. Citizens from visiting japan but could have an impact on insurance rates for travelers and may factor into decisions by athletes and spectators on whether to compete in or attend the games. The japanese government this morning denied the Travel Warning will have an impact on olympians and the u. S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it still anticipates american athletes will be able to compete safely. Meanwhile, as japan aims to inoculate its 36 Million elderly people by The End of july, two mass Vaxz Nation sites opened yesterday in Tokyo And Osaka remain provinces under a State Of Emergency until at least The End of this month. Only about 2 to 4 of japans total population has been vaccinated so far. Lets go to the nfl now. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was absent on the first day of voluntary Organized Team Activities Yesterday amid reports that the reigning Nfl Mvp wants out of green bay. And for the first time Last Night, rodgers detailed some of his frustrations during an interview on espn. Watch. I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization. And you know, history is important legacy of so many people who have come before you, but the people, thats the most important thing, the people make an organization. People make a business. And sometimes that gets forgotten. A lot of this was put in motion last year. The wrench was thrown into it when i won mvp and played the way i played last year. This is kind of just the spillout of all of that. Rodgers longtime future on The Field has been the subject of much speculation since the packers traded up four spots in the draft to select utah State Quarterback Jordan love. Rodgers said the Teams Decision to draft a quarterback in the first round surprised him and complicated his hopes of finishing his career in green bay. His first mandatory Reporting Date will be june 8th. If rodgers doesnt show up, hell technically be considered a holdout. Lets go now to major League Baseball and the Blue Jays hosting the ray at their temporary home in florida where the rays built a Fiverun Lead before the jays took a swing thanks in part to a Grand Slam by tampas Joey Wendell in the first inning. But toronto responded with big swings of their own including a pair of gametying tworun homers. The first in the eighth, the other from mark in the 10th. The pair of blown leads gave way to offensive explosion for the rays in the top of the next frame, they scored seven runs to sweep the Blue Jays, 148 and extend their league best Win Streak to 11 games. Something going on there. The rays, man, quite a team this year. Time now for the weather. Lets go to Meteorologist Bill karins for a check on the forecast. Bill, good morning. Good to see you. Hey, good morning, kasie. So yesterday was a pretty tame day around the country. Now were going to start getting a little active and a little hot, too, in a few spots. So lets start with where were having problems right now. Youre up early in areas of north texas, we have numerous thunderstorm areas, even some drifting now into oklahoma and heading for mcalister. So far dallas ft. Worth will remain dry. For today, if were going to get any severe storms, those areas in yellow, wisconsin and also some sections of Western Texas and oklahoma could get a few storms. So todays forecast, absolutely beautiful day in the northeast. Enjoy it while it lasts. Still hot in the southeast. You can see all the storms on and off the middle of the country during the afternoon today. Still kind of cool in the northwest. Then things turn for the worst. Looks like wednesday and thursday severe weather to deal with and couple outbreak. We have two areas. One will be from pittsburgh to buffalo to Albany North of new York City into new england. So wednesday is one of those days in the northeast that will be hot, it will be humid and then there will be some thunderstorms even some strong thunderstorms late in the day, cooling things off. Then back into the central plains. I think well get a couple tornadoes out of that especially watch out areas of kansas and into nebraska. Here is that forecast for wednesday, 92 in d. C. , 92 in new York City. So very warm up the eastern Sea Board with that severe weather threat. So, very summerlike feel to it the middle of the week, kasie. Then you know, we have that Holiday Weekend coming up. Tomorrow ill start talking about that. That sounds great. Bill karins, thank you very much. We really appreciate it. We will see you tomorrow. Coming up here ahead of the 2022 midterms, former President Trump made it clear he will welcome primary challengers against republicans he views as disloyal. But one Party Leader is hoping Hell Voice some support for gop incumbents. Well explain that coming up next. Incumbents well explain that coming up next ugh, these balls are moist. Or is that the damp weight of selfawareness you now hold in your hands . Yeah laugh keep your downstairs dry with Gold Bond Body powder. Are you managing your diabetes. Using fingersticks . 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Earlier this month, a federal judge ordered the full release of the memo arguing that barr was disingenuous about the process behind his decision to clear trump. In Court Filings the doj released a portion of the memo that signaled it would fight to keep the rest of the document under seal. Justice department lawyers wrote this, in retrospect, the government acknowledges that its briefs could have been clearer and deeply regrets the confusion that caused. But the Governments Counsel and deck larnts did not intend to mislead the court. According to the washington post, the portions of the memo released Last Night offer a deeper glimpse into why the judge was angry and indicate that the decision not to accuse trump of a crime had been the subject of previous conversations among Justice Department leaders. Were going to keep our eye on that. Meanwhile, former white House Counsel Don Mcgahn has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee sometime next week about former president Donald Trumps efforts to obstruct the russia information. According to two people familiar with the matter. The New York times reports an Nbc News confirmed that the mcgahn testimony will take place Behind Closed Doors under a deal he struck with lawyers for House Democrats and the Justice Department. According to a Court Filing there will be strict limits on the Testimony Mcgahn will provide and only asked about information attributed to him or events involving him in the publicly available portions of the mueller report. Scheduling was delayed for weeks while the parties waited to see whether trump would issue a legal challenge. After initially indicating he would intervene, late last week a lawyer for the former president said he would not, providing no reason for the about face. In 2019, the House Judiciary Committee wanted to question mcgahn over his role as a key witness in the Mueller Information of russian interference in the 2016 election but he refused under trumps instructions. And former ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland you may remember from all of this, is seeing the u. S. Government and former Secretary Of State mike pompeo. Sondland is asking for 1. 8 million in legal fees he accrued during the first impeachment of President Trump. Pompeo failed to follow through on a legally binding promise in which the federal government would reimburse sondland for the legal fees he incurred during the 2019 House Impeachment Investigation against trump. But as the suit alleged, once pompeo learned of sondlands testimony, which the former ambassadors lawyers described as entirely candid and truthful about trumps quid pro quo, the ukrainian leader, Pompeo Reanythinged on his promise. A spokesman for pompeo called the lawsuit ludicrous and confident the court will agree. Well see. Still ahead here. Well take a look at where things stand after two republicans express possible support for the legislation. But, before we go to break, we want to know why are you awake . Email us your reasons for being up and watching to way too early at msnbc. Com or drop me a tweet and well read some of your favorite answers coming up later on in the show. Later on in the show to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. Now no fruit is forbidden. Nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for allday, allnight protection. Can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn . Front desk. Yes, hello. Im so. Please hold. I got you. All by yourself. Go with us and get millions of flexible booking options. Expedia. It matters who you travel with. Ahhh get out of here mouse. Ahhh dont flex your pecs. Terminix. 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Senate Majority Leader Chuck schumer vowed yesterday to bring a bipartisan bill on the January 6th Riot Commission to the floor for a vote. Despite continued republican resistance. I will bring the bill forward for a vote very soon. The prevailing view among republicans seems to be that we should sweep the Big Lie and all of January 6th under the rug. Im sorry that some republicans believe that a bipartisan investigation of the attack on our democracy is inconvenient for their mid term campaigns. Were going to vote on the January 6th commission in the senate. And the american people will see where every member stands on the side of truth or on the side of Donald Trumps Big Lie. Republican Senator Mitt Romney meanwhile supports creating a commission to probe the January 6th attack on the capitol. Speaking to reporters yesterday, romney said hell not vote to block debate on the current housebacked commissioned bill. This doesnt mean he will ultimate Hi Vote for the commission as it stands right now. Meanwhile, Senator Susan collins has spoken to House Leadership and some Senate Democrats about changes she would like to see made to the current bill, including Staff Hiring and carety on the commissions deadline. In an effort to win back the majority, meanwhile, Florida Senator Rick Scott is pleading with former President Trump to support republican senate incumbents in the 2022 elections. Scott who chairs the senatorial committee held a meeting with trump in new York Yesterday where he pressed for his help in the general election. Scott says he thought trump was receptive to his message and pointed that the former president thrown his support behind Florida Senator Marco Rubio And Trump publicly urged senator Ron Johnson who is undecided on running again to make a bid for a third term coming as the former president welcomed primary challenges to republicans he views as disloyal. Recently trumps threatened to support primary challenges to two Senate Republicans on the ballot next year. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senate Minority whip john thune. Joinings now the cofounder of Bunch Bowl News jake sherman, an msnbc political contributor. Jake, good morning to you. We are apparently already firmly in mid Term Season even though were sitting here in May Of 2021 between the decisions that republicans are making around the January 6th commission, which is all focussed on the election as well as scott making this another pilgrimage to go see the former president who is now, of course, in New York. Hes come Up To Bed Minister for the season. What is your latest reporting on how they are trying to manage the former president in this context . It seems like they are trying to figure out how to make sure that the bomb that President Trump could be doesnt go off, but frankly there have been mixed results on those kinds of efforts. Yeah, thats right. Happy belated birthday, kasie. Thanks, jake. Listen, Rick Scott he has a tough task because Donald Trump seems completely consumed with the with primary challenges and with getting primary challenges started. He has said also that he wants to launch a primary to liz cheney, the republican from wyoming who the National Republican Congressional Committee doesnt seem eager to defend. So listen, i mean, theres two things to do here. Donald trump really wants to be wants to be coddled in a sense. He doesnt want to be criticized. And Mitch Mcconnell has criticized him. And i think that i just dont know how this Freight Train is going to stop, kasie. I dont. I think Donald Trump is Hell Bent in a certain respect on launching some of these primary challenges and it will be tough for him to stop that. Its pretty remarkable considering the way Mitch Mcconnell dedicated himself over the last decade and a half to make sure these primary challenges dont happen this way or his preferred more preferable candidate ultimately wins. Can we talk briefly about Police Reform. This is the one Year Anniversary of the murder of George Floyd and this bill currently bears his name. Theyre not going to meet the deadline, but we do seem to think theres a little more optimism than perhaps there was before in the bipartisan effort to actually get something done. Whats your latest reporting on where that stands . Yeah. We talk about this in Punch Bowl News this morning. Tim scott, the republican from South Carolina leading the efforts for Senate Republicans told us among other reporters in a vote Last Night that he sees light at The End of the tunnel. Were not exactly sure what that means, but there seems to be some sort of positive ending in the offing for this. Now, Karen Bass, democrat of california, stayed in town. The house had a session. Thats a sign that at least inperson talks are going to happen this week. Were going to report that inperson talks are scheduled to happen. Some people will join virtually. I think, kasey, i get the sense you and i have been through enough of these things you get the sense sometimes that a negotiation is going well and its going to come to some sort of positive conclusion. Its going to come to some sort of deal. I do feel like that with this effort here. I just feel like its inevitable. The right people are in the room in the sense that the people who are trusted by their leadership and trusted by their Rank And File are in the room with the space to cut the deal. That just seems to me like its the right stew of dynamics for Police Reform deal. I know its an important point. And if they can come to an agreement, seems like theres a lot of ways they could potentially deal with any pushback from various constituencies in a way that could still get this signed into law. Punch Bowl News Jake sherman, thank you for being with us. We appreciate having you. Still ahead here, a glimpse of life inside a totally different White House, including the new snacks stocked to satisfy the president s Sweet Tooth. Way too early back in just a moment. Oo early back in just a moment did you know that your toughest Cleaning Problems can be caused by Hard Water Metals . They lock in residues like a glue, on your hard surfaces and fabrics. Try 9 elements. Its vinegar powered deep clean dissolves hard Water Buildup and releases Trapped Residues and odors like detoxifying your clothes. Made with never more than 9 ingredients. 9 elements more than a clean, a cleanse. People everywhere living with Type 2 Diabetes are waking Up To whats possible with rybelsus®. 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Okay. Whats your favorite Subway Station . Its my stop so times square. Your favorite Subway Station is times square. Its big. Its cavernous. There are entertainers there. Sure, whats not to like . Yangs answer quickly went viral and twitter was quick to roast the candidate for praising a station that most New Yorkers actively avoid and, in fact, view as a tourist jammed nightmare. Some compared the answer to a scene from the office, Michael Scott says his favorite New York pizza is from the restaurant chain sbaro. Others defended yang saying it might be the closest stop to his home in the hells kitchen neighborhood. Yang is currently tied for the top spot with Brooklyn Bureau President Eric Adams in recent polling. The democratic primary is scheduled for june 22nd. All right. Now this, President Bidens typical schedule and tastes are explored in a new story out in the washington post. Its never been a secret that the president has a Sweet Tooth and a strong affinity for ice cream. Since occupying the White House, biden ditched obamas famous apples and trumps diet coke button. And stocked with Taffy Frnd Chocolate chip cookies individually wrapped with a gold White House seal. The president is also partial to Orange Gatorade and coke zero with one longtime Biden Adviser saying, quote, he has the tastes of a 5yearold. As the article notes, biden starts his day working out by Lifting Weights or meeting with a trainer while sometimes watching morning joe. And here . Business news, amazon is near and deal to purchase mgm studios. People familiar with the matter tell the wall street journal, the almost 9 Billion deal is expected to by a nounss as early as today to mark the largest acquisition for amazon since it acquired whole foods for nearly 14 Billion back in 2017. Amazon is trying to build its Media Portfolio to bolster his Video Service and mgg is looking for a buyer for several years. The studio is a coowner of the James Bond Franchise as well as other series, rocky, legally blonde and survivor. Still ahead here, a recount of 2020 reelection ballots in arizona resumes as republicans look for voter fraud. As we go to break, lets look at this date in history, 0 years ago president john f. Kennedy gave a speech before a Joint Session Of Congress that set the united states on course to go to the moon. I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a Man On The Moon and returning him safely to the earth. M safely to the earth. Asthma attacks ive had. But my nunormal with nucala . Fewer asthma attacks. 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, injectionsite reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask your doctor about nucala. Find your nunormal with nucala. Welcome back. A new Reuters Poll finds a majority of republicans still believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election. 53 believe trump is the, quote, true president. 56 of republicans say the election was the result of illegal Voting Or Rigging and 61 believe the election was stolen from the former president. Despite these dubious beliefs about the results 58 of republicans still say they trust their local Election Officials to do their jobs honestly. However, a republicanled Hand Recount of ballots cast in Maricopa County in arizona resumed yesterday after a weeklong hiatus caused by High School Graduations in the arena where the socalled audit is taking place. The Associatd Press reports more tables and counters were added this week but they have not reached its full capacity and the, quote unquote, recount is taking far longer than expected. It was supposed to be done by may 14th. Senate republicans issued a subpoena to take control of 2. 1 million ballots, Voting Machines and election data from the states largest county after the former president claimed without evidence that his loss in arizona and other Battleground States was marked by fraud. Again, there is no evidence supporting the claim that there was enough fraud to overturn the election results. Joining us now, executive Director And Founder of the center for Election Innovation and research, david becker. David, good morning. Thank you so much for joining us here on way too early. We really appreciate it. This, quote unquote, audit now has volunteers working on it, theres paid staff. Were now weeks past when it was supposed to be done. What in this process i know youve been reporting about some of the errors that are going were going to see out of this. How is that going to impact what we learn, learn at The End of this . Yeah. Thanks for having me on, kasie. To call this a Dumpster Fire is a this was most secure, verified election in american history. Certainly true in arizona where they had very few Election Law changes. Theyre used to mail ballots and have all paper ballots. The republicandominated Maricopa County board oversaw an audit of the ballots. They had two certified, federal Election Technology labs come in and certify and analyze the technology. So we know that the election was secure. We know who won the election in arizona. And now seven months later we have an inexperienced firm run by a stop the steal Conspiracy Theorist running this socalled audit. Its not going to lead to any answers. Its not going to help us assess arizona elections which were very, very well run confirmed by bipartisan observes. Meanwhile these socalled Awe Tors are destroying the chain of custody of the ballots. Most of us fear, those who watch elections, is that this is only going to harden the belief in the minds of disappointed trump supporters that he lost. They are going to continue to be preyed on by scammers and grifters who are trying to raise money off of them. Even worse, this is really cutting at the legitimacy of democratic Self Governance in this country. If we no longer live in a society where the loser has to prove that there was some kind of Fraud Or Something wrong with the election where theres been zero evidence of but rather the winner has to prove there wasnt fraud, were in a really bad situation. We right now are in a position where, for instance, the Arizona Senate authorized this audit 20 members of the 30 members in the Arizona Senate were actually elected on the same ballots in Maricopa County. Theyre in some ways raising questions about their own legitimacy during this process. Yeah. Its pretty remarkable. You mentioned that the chain of custody is being destroyed here in terms of these ballots. And we do have rules that govern the secrecy of our elections in theory the integrity of them. Is this audit breaking the law in any way . Is that company to they face any repercussions for simply doing this . Its possible. The Justice Department wrote a letter several weeks ago pointing out that there is a portion of federal law that requires Election Officials to retain all records of an election including the Ball Los themselves for 22 months. Im a former Justice Department attorney in the Voting Section of civil Rights Division and we take that protection of evidence of voting records very, very seriously. Well have to see what the doj does about this. Meanwhile, i have never seen a circumstance where some Third Party, some inexperienced Third Party in this case, out of state firm, has actually seized ballots from Election Officials who are required under law to protect them. And theyve been moving them back and forth. They moved them from the Maricopa County Storage Facility where Election Officials keep them in a controlled environment, they moved them to this coliseum, they moved them over the last week to a different facility thats not climate controlled, next to the crazy times carnival, and moved them back this weekend to start the count again. The chain of custody has been very seriously damaged. And also, theres been some question about contamination of the ballots themselves, exposing them to uv light, having blue and black pens around the ballots, which can create marks that are indistinguishable from the marks that voters have made. Those kind of things youd never see in an actual audit of elections that are done all over the country. As you said, you put it very well, you cant make it up. David becker, thanks very much for being up early with us. We really appreciate it and im sure well be talking to you about this story again down the line. And earlier this morning, we asked all of you, why are you awake . One viewer is up early celebrating national Wine Day, asking, did i do it right . You absolutely did it right. Have a lovely day. Another viewer tweets, up for my son mateos ninth birthday and watching way too early. Happy birthday, mateo. Mariah shares this photo, i watch you every day because these two are up at 5 45 and then they fall back asleep. Dont worry, i watch you with my eyes open. Coming up next, well take a look at the axios one big thing. And coming up on morning joe, well hear from former national Security Adviser Susan rice in her new capacity at the White House as the director at the u. S. Domestic policy council. Plus, Governor Phil Murphy will join the conversation as New Jersey prepares to lift its indoor Mask Mandate for the fully vaccinated ahead of the Holiday Weekend. Dont go anywhere. Morning joe, just moments away. Morning joe, just moments away i had the nightmare again maxine. The world was out of wonka bars. Relax. You just need digital workflows. They help keep everyone supplied and happy, proactively. Lets workflow it. Then you can stop having those nightmares. No, i would miss them too much. Whatever You Business is facing. Lets workflow it. Servicenow. Up at 2 00am again . Tonight, Try Pure Zzzs all night. Unlike other sleep aids, our extended Release Melatonin helps you sleep longer. And longer. Zzzquil pure zzzs all night. Fall asleep. Stay asleep. With Voltaren Arthritis Pain gel my husband would have been on the sidelines. But not anymore. An alternative to pills, voltaren is the first full prescription strength, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory gel to Target Pain directly at the source. For powerful arthritis pain relief. Voltaren. The joy of movement. vo i am living with cll and i am living longer. Thanks to imbruvica. Imbruvica is a Prescription Medicine for adults with cll or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It will not work for everyone. Imbruvica is the 1 prescribed oral therapy for cll, and its proven to help people live longer. Imbruvica is not chemotherapy. Imbruvica can cause serious Side Effects, which may lead to death. Bleeding problems are common and may increase with blood thinners. Serious infections with symptoms like fevers, chills, Weakness Or Confusion and severe decrease in Blood Counts can happen. Heart rhythm problems and Heart Failure may occur especially in people with increased risk of heart disease, infection, or past Heart Rhythm problems. New or worsening high blood pressure, new cancers, and Tumor Lysis that can result in kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, and seizure can occur. Diarrhea commonly occurs. Drink plenty of fluids. Tell your doctor if you have signs of bleeding, infection, heart problems, persistent diarrhea or any other Side Effects. I am living with cll and living proof that imbruvica is right for me. Ask your doctor if its right for you. Welcome back. Joining us now with a look at Axios A. M. , political reporter for axios, hans nichols. Hans, what is the axios one big Thing Today . Good morning, kasie. The one big thing were looking at is a new Super Pac, a national Super Pac going after schoolboards. Weve seen a lot of politics, weve seen a lot of emotion around this idea of school boards, but my colleague is reporting this idea of a national Super Pac. That means youll have debates about political race theory, a great deal of political interesting on whos running school boards. Thats one of the things were looking at. A new front in the culture wars. You also have some new reporter on joe crowley. Whats Up To lately . Joe crowley will register to lobby. And hes going to be registered to lobby on behalf after a group called music first. Its interesting because theyre making sure theyre fighting the artists or performers get paid for the songs that theres some on a. M. f. M. Radio. It will be a big fight, a big Lobbying Battle on capitol hill. The analogy that best explains the current system, the hit song, crazy, when thats played on the radio, Patsy Kline doesnt get a scent, but willie nelson, the writer, does. So they want to make sure both the artist and the performer get paid and are working to ensure that you get a big audience doesnt really work anymore, because the old idea of having everyone come in and do a concert, with covid, there are no concerts. Thats what crowleys Up To. Pretty strong sign if youre registered to lobby that youre not going into the administration. This is also something thats pretty close to crowleys art, if youve seen his athome zoom shot. Hes got his own guitars and instruments hanging up on the wall. Why not do something here for yourself . Hans, were heading quickly towards the memorial day deadline. And this was the sort of selfimposed deadline that the biden administration put on bipartisan talks for an infrastructure deal. Democrats are like, well at least talk to you until memorial day. If we dont get anywhere, well figure out how to go it alone. Is this still the line in the sand here . It looks like Senate Democrats are maybe going to jump the track a little bit sooner. When you look at Senate Democrats, theyre already thinking about going down that reconciliation route, which is 50 . My colleague, Alayna Treene that has some good reporting on this, theyre preparing to go down that route. The White House seems like theyll give this until memorial day. Thats the rest of this week. When you talk to White House officials, they do seem interested in a bipartisan deal. And we know the deadline sometimes slip with Joe Biden. So suspect well see a little divergence between whats happening on the Senate Side among Senate Democrats and the White House. Kasie . So in terms of the White House, though, do you think is there any divide between where the president is and where his staffers are . The president came out of the White House saying, we want a greet meeting, but we keep meeting with white House Staff and its not working. Whats the disconnect . Look, all White Houses play good cops, bad cops, and they all have someone whos there who say, maybe we can make this work. And we have other people in the room who say, here are our red lines, or here what were prepared toll give them on. But Senate Republicans would rather have conversations with Joe Biden, because they think they can pull him closer to their view and to their position. But is there a huge split inside the White House . Maybe a minor. Yes, Joe Biden wants a deal, but his staff are trying to make things work as well, and at The End of the day, they negotiate on his behalf. They sure do. Hans nichols, thank you very much. Really appreciate it. As we are heading into this weekend, the White House, according to my reporting and my reporting from democrats on The Hill seem to be talking to an audience of one. And that is Senator Joe Manchin who may hold the fate of all of this on his shoulders because they cant move it forward with 50 votes without him. Thank you all for getting up way too early with us on this tuesday morning. Dont go anywhere. Morning joe starts right now. Good Morning And Welcome to morning joe. It is tuesday, may 25th. Along with joe, willie and me, we have member of the New York times editorial board, mara gay, and president of the council on foreign relations, richard haas. Good to have you all onboard this morning. Today marks the Oneyear Anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by former Police Officer Derek chauvin. Attorney for the Floyd Family, Ben Crump, tells Nbc News The Family will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi And Congresswoman Karen Bass this morning as well as several senators from both parties and then they will meet with President Biden at the White House. Crump told Nbc News he views the white House Visit as an opportunity to pay proper