the question is do the new threads boldly go where captain kirk already was? it's "way too early" for this. ♪♪ good morning. and welcome to "way too early," the show that has a fancy new set. i'm jonathan lemire on this wednesday, september 22nd. we'll start with the news. facing crises at home and abroad, president biden used his first speech before the united nations general assembly yesterday to call for global unity. >> as we look ahead, we will lead. we will lead on all of the greatest challenges of our time from covid to climate, peace and security. human dignity and human rights. but we will not go it alone. we'll lead together with our allies and partners in cooperation with all those who believe, as we do, that this is in our power to meet these challenges. to build the future. to lift all of our people that preserves this planet. but none of this is inevitable. it's a choice. and i can tell you where south america stands. we will choose to build a better future. we, you and i, we have the will and capacity to make it better. ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford to waste any more time. let's get to work. let's make our better future now. we can do this. it's within our power and capacity. >> in a speech, the president looked to repair many of the alliances strained by the trump presidency, even as the current administration deals with issues of its own. in addition to the pandemic still raging at home, a deal to sell nuclear submarines to australia was harshly received by french leaders last week who said it undercut an agreement of their own. and the white house is still dealing with the fallout of the fallout of last week. the pentagon announced a drone strike which initially thought to kill two isis-k fighters include killed ten civilians. for the first time in the u.s., covid deaths averaging 1900 a day. the vast majority of the hospitalized and dead are unvaccinated. according to data from johns hopkins university, nearly 60% of the population has received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine. meanwhile, the average deaths per day has climbed 40% over the past two weeks. in an effort to help curb the latest deadly wave, president biden is doubling down on testing. bloomberg reports that according to an official at the department of health and human services, the federal government is spending nearly $1.2 billion to purchase 1887 million rapid covid-19 tests from abbott laboratories. it's part of an investment of $2 billion announced by the biden administration earlier this month, to make the rapid tests more wildly available. joining us now, reuters white house correspondent jeff mason. jeff, thank you so much for getting up so early with us this morning. >> my pleasure, jonathan. >> let's start with what happened yesterday in new york with the united nations. what have you heard, in terms of people you talked to, in and around the administration as to how the white house thinks the speech went over and what's been the perception abroad? >> well, i think the white house is pleased with how the speech went over. i think they were trying to send out a message that you saw, with what he said, he is ending this 20-year period of war and focusing on diplomacy. i thought it was interesting that he did not actually mention the word china or beijing, but that certainly hung over his remarks, as it does over really all of his foreign policy. in terms of reaction, you know, there was instant, or pretty quick criticism from republicans, domestic critics, that the president has not lived up to what he said in that speech, with regard to diplomacy. and of course, you have the issue of the french which you mentioned already which is one of the united states' oldest allies, and they are not viewing what the administration did with that submarine deal with australia and britain as a sign of re-establishing or cementing ties. >> it's an interesting, jeff, that the president, his two meetings yesterday were with the prime ministers of australia and united kingdom, those in that submarine deal. but aides have said he'll be speaking to french president macron in coming days. he'll have some fences to mendz. jeff, you also have a piece out on the upcoming ask of the president about donating war covid dose as broad. tell us what you know. the u.s., of course, has received some criticism for not being enough of a selfless international partner for doses and prioritizing boosters here in the u.s. before even a lot of the world even has had one shot. tell us what you know about this. >> that's exactly right, jonathan. it's that last piece that has gotten criticism recently that the united states is moving to give boosters to americans who are already fully vaccinated. when there are millions and millions of people around the world who haven't had even one shot. i think what the president and what the white house want to do today, at a virtual covid summit that he is hosting is say, look, united states is setting an example. yes, we are vaccinating our own people, but we're also donating lots and lots of vaccine to the rest of the world. and doing that now, with having an additional 500 million doses to the already 500, 600 million doses that he had announced before. but the criticism is not going to go away. i mean, this will certainly help the world to deal with the pandemic. but it's -- you know, it's september of 2021 now. these doses aren't go together get out until january at the earliest. and as we both have said, a lot of people in other countries, poor countries, middle income countries, would like to get shots right now. >> jeff, this feels like a pretty important week for this white house. the backdrop here, of course, is what's happening here at home, with the agenda on capitol hill, democrats not able to agree on that reconciliation package with the deal, the fate of those things, both hang in the balance, as progressives and moderates jockey for what they want in there. but this week, centrally, as you've been covering so closely is about foreign policy. tell us about the vaccines and other meetings that the president has this week including with the quad allies and how so much of that is about china. >> sure. so, first today will kick off with that covid summit. and they're planning to have -- it's a virtual summit but on the margins of the u.n. general assembly with leaders the world tuning into that and now the senate. the united states wants to challenge to do more. the u.s. is encouraging the rest of the world to set a goal of having 70% of the nations' populations vaccinated by this time next year. roughly by the time that the u.n. general assembly meets again in 2022. so that's where it kicks off in terms of foreign policy today. he dr. the meeting with the quad. the white house filling in the first in-person meeting of that group at the white house. that, of course, comes in on the backdrop of what's going on with france and the submarine deal. domestically, jonathan, they also have a meeting today, he's chewing gum and walking at the same time with nancy pelosi and chuck schumer to deal with those huge, huge domestic deals and priorities that are facing challenges within the democratic party. >> so much going on. we'll be following it closely. reuters white house reporter jeff mason, thank you, my friend, come back season. representative sean casten joins us regarding the topic highlighted by president biden yesterday. climate change. plus, where teams stand with the push to the playoffs with less than two months remaining in the season? is that a home run at the green monster by the boston red sox? yes. those stories when we come right back. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can. downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh waaaay longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load. and enjoy fresher smelling laundry. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. shop online for downy unstopables, including our new, lighter scent. the best things america makes are the things america makes out here. the history she writes in her clear blue skies. the legends she births on home town fields. and the future she promises. when we made grand wagoneer, proudly assembled in america, we knew no object would ever rank with the best things in this country. but we believed we could make something worthy of their spirit. if you're 55 and up, t-mobile has plans built just for you whether you need a single line or lines for family members, you'll get great value on america's most reliable 5g network. like 2 lines of unlimited for just $27.50 a line. that's our everyday price. plus, our plans always come with unlimited talk, text and data included. so, switch to t-mobile and get 2 lines of unlimited for only $27.50 a line. that's half the price of verizon or at&t. only at t-mobile. the leader in 5g. and there you have it— -woah. wireless on the most reliable network nationwide. wow! -big deal! ...we get unlimited for just $30 bucks. sweet, but mine has 5g included. relax people, my wireless is crushing it. that's because you all have xfinity mobile with your internet. it's wireless so good, it keeps one upping itself. switch to xfinity mobile and save hundreds on your wireless bill. plus, save up to $400 when you purchase a new samsung phone or upgrade your existing phone. learn more at your local xfinity store today. ohtani deep and high and gone! i was crushed, the star ohtani going deep. the show was stopped with ohtani's 45th of the season bringing a tie between kansas city salvador perez. it's not enough to put them against the a.l. leading houston astros with a 10-5 victory and reduced the number to clinching another division title down to four. no denver, a tied game between the giants and rockies. the dodgers hold on to win it by four. in san diego, lamont green jr. drives in a home run top of the ninth to lift san francisco to a win over the padres. the giants have a one-game league in the national league west. meanwhile, the cardinals notched tenth win in a row, the club's longest streak since 2001 by beating the brewers 2-1. the win keeps a firm grasp on a wildcard spot for st. louis. and the lead by four games. cincinnati lost to pittsburgh earlier in the night. standings in the three team rates for the two a.l. wildcard spots, a two-run homer in the fifth and for my man bogaerts. that's boston's sixth win in a row. in st. petersburg, florida, the blue jays improve to a league best 16-4 in september. they won 4-2 over the a.l. east leading tampa bay rays. and at yankee stadium in the bronx, three home runs power new york to a 7-1 win over the texas rangers. the red sox remain the a.l. wildcard leader, 1 1/2 games over the blue jays. while the yankees sit a half game behind toronto. and finally mma star conor mcgregor may be a knockout on ring but yesterday proved he's mortifying. he threw out the pitch, my god, you could say that toss was a bit outside. while the power was there, mcgregor blamed an inaccurate throw on an injured left leg. to be fair, it's broken. time for the weather, bill karins, i trust you can throw a better pitch than that. what do you think of the new set. tell us what you got for the forecast for today. >> yeah, i like that. looking spiffy this morning. sometimes, i wonder if they throw the pitches out purposely bad so they get the headlines. if they just throw it normal, no one's going to know about it, right? it's get to the forecast. humid in the east. i hope you enjoyed your nice dry spring of fall weather. the ohio valley got soaked. it's a slow moving rainstorm that's going to pour. indianapolis, cincinnati, nashville, umbrella weather, d.c., make sure you have the umbrella, roanoke, pittsburgh, all the way through new york, too. because it's obviously a very wet summer heading into fall this afternoon, 15 million people are in flash flood watches including state college to philadelphia, harrisburg to roanoke. we have flash flood watches. and myrtle beach to wilmington where it poured over the last two days. how much rain for the next three days? today it's going to rain hard from indianapolis to columbus. and then for the next two days, really hard in central pennsylvania, four to five inches of rain. we're concerned about flash flooding from higher terrain from charlottesville and central pennsylvania. and the wind damage is the biggest threat. with the timing, heavy rain around pittsburgh, roanoke. by the time we get to thursday, slow moving over the top of d.c. notice it doesn't get to new york city late thursday into friday morning. it's going to take a while to move through this region. today's forecast, slow moving heavy rain threat, choi valley to mid-atlantic. notice that the middle of the country is nearly perfect. no problem in areas of the west. umbrella weather has rendered, and more on that dreaded humidity for the east coast. >> bill karins for the forecast and calling me spiffy. i appreciate it. still ahead, where is brian laundrie, the fbi asking for help finding him after the body of gabby petito was found. that search, next on "way too early." early. with home instead, you too can become a caregiver to older adults. apply today. 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(woman) yeah, y-you did. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ (vo) unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. that's how we've become the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. you don't get much time for yourself. so when you do, make it count with crest pro-health. it protects the 8 areas dentists check for a healthier mouth. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. crest. this is a gamechanger, who dares to be fearless even when her bladder leaks. our softest, smoothest fabric keeping her comfortable, protected, and undeniably sleek. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. a new report claims the fbi held back a decorruption key for almost three weeks earlier this summer which could have helped hundreds of businesses targeted by a major ransomware attack. according to officials who spoke with "the washington post" the fbi held on to the key in part because it did not want to tip off hackers about a takedown operation. and a miami-based i.t. company affecting hundreds of businesses. an lifts estimate millions of dollars could have been saved had the fbi provided businesses with encryption key sooner. meanwhile, they are saying they will sanction the indiana corruption companies for the role. christopher wray is opening new counterintelligence operations into china as often as every 12 hours. >> there's no shortage of dangers to defend against. on the cyberfront, we're now investigating over 100 different types of ransomware. each with scores of victims. and that's on top of hundreds of other national security and criminal cyberthreats we're working against every day. >> protecting our nation's innovation. we're opening a new china counterintelligence investigation every 12 hours. there is no doubt about it, today's threat is different from what it was 20 years ago. and it almost certainly will continue to change. >> wray testified before the senate homeland security committee yesterday about the threats to the u.s. this was not the first time he sounded at alarm on chinese espionage. on a speech last year, wray said the threat from china was, quote, the greatest long-term threat to our nation's. the biden administration is facing growing criticism over the border. republican lawmakers have repeatedly slammed the white house saying it isn't doing enough to stop what will they call a crisis at the border. and democrat citing the boarding of haitian migrants said the president needs to stop. >> right now, i'm told there are four flights set to deport these asylum seekers back to a country that cannot receive them. such a decision defies common sense and also common decency. and what america is all about. the policies being enacted now and the horrible treatment of these innocent people who have come to the border must stop immediately. >> administration officials are speaking out against viral images reporting to show agents on horseback. vice president kamala harris said she was, quote, deeply troubled by it and homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas called it unacceptable. and a group of pilots injured three. the coroner has announced it has identified the human remains found in wyoming as gabby petito. while a search resumes in florida for the fiance, a person of interest in the case, nbc news international correspondent miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: gabby petito's body was officially identified, the coroner now ruling her death a homicide, discovers in the remote stretch of teton mountain range, authorities have not yet said how she died, but named her missing fiance brian laundrie has a person of interest. >> from day one, brian laundrie has done nothing other than help himself and buy time so he can cover his tracks and his actions. >> reporter: 2500 miles away in florida, the intensified search for laundrie in the alligator-infested swampland. laundrie's parents told investigators he came to the 2500 acre reserve for a hike, the day before he was named a person of interest in his fiancee disappearance. >> terrain very difficult, essentially 75% of it under water. >> reporter: laundrie's parents telling nbc news through their attorney, he left with a backpack and hasn't been seen for a week. >> we've been lucky so far. >> reporter: last spotted, gabby and laundrie documenting their cross-country trip. her disappearance and refusal to speak to investigators. >> he was awkward. >> reporter: resulting in a flood of pics from those who said they saw laundrie alone and a white van. >> we came across a white van. >> reporter: every encounter, including this run-in with police during a domestic deputy has been analyzed on social media. petito's family fears she may have been killed weeks ago. this affidavit shows a text from the cell phone in late august which they believe may not have come from her. >> the plan for today is -- >> reporter: those with answers to this deepening mystery are gone. and now as one search ends, another intensifies. our thanks to miguel almaguer for that report. coming up, congress has just days left to raise the nation's debt limit or risk the damage and all that goes with it. there are several new developments on that front. we'll run through them. before we go to break, we want to know, why are you awake? email your answers to "way too early". we'll read the answers later on in the show. nswers later on in the show. downy unstopables with voltaren arthritis pain gel my husband's got his moves back. an alternative to pain pills voltaren is the first full prescription strength gel for powerful arthritis pain relief... voltaren the joy of movement better shouldn't have to cost more. which is why at verizon, plans start at just $35. and if you're not a customer, we'll help cover the costs to switch. just ask wanda, she's been with us since... now. everyone gets $500 when they join. because everyone deserves 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assistance act passed by a party line vote of 1220 to 211. no republicans voted for it. it will provide funding through december 3rd. congress has eight days to pass a bill for face a government shutdown. it raises nearly $7 billion to support afghan refugees but the continuing resolution was stripped of $1 million for israel's iron dome defense system after pushback from progressives. axios reports there has never been a situation where military aid was held up because of objections from members of congress. the bill now goes to the senate where minority leader mitch mcconnell says republicans will not vote for it. >> this one is not being negotiated on a bipartisan basis, because, obviously, we're not involved in any bipartisan discussion, regarding the reckless taxing and spending legislation that they're having apparently some challenges in putting together. because of its comprehensive reach. and because of its devastating impact on the american economy. so, the debt ceiling will be raised as it always should be, but it will be raised by the democrats. >> mcconnell is pushing for democrats to include the debt ceiling extension in the reconciliation bill. but the path to passing democrats the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill remains uncertain. president biden will hold several meetings today. the meetings are an effort from the white house to break a stalemate from house progressives and centrists that threaten to derail. that was on display yesterday when house democrats doubled down that it pass both chambers of congress before the house votes on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. senate majority leader chuck schumer says he did not believe it will be ready by the democrats' self-imposed deadline. moderates say the infrastructure vote must be held on monday as promised joining us punchbowl news anna palmer, an msnbc contributor. we're thrilled she's on set today. let's start with the debate limit. what will it take for this to pass the senate? >> i mean, right now, this package is not going to pass the senate as it is. basically, what we expect to happen is democrats are going to be forced to move on their own. they already have another package teed up. they're going to do this government funding both potentially later this week. otherwise, they could stumble seriously into a shutdown, into the debt ceiling in the middle of october. probably another reconciliation package is what is likely. it's complicated, there's a lot of things that need to happen procedurally, but there is a way out for democrats that don't seem to want to take it. >> what will happen if congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling. >> i think you'll have the credit default, the stock market crisis. when they didn't do it the last time, it was everything into free fall. you cannot -- i think, overestimate how big the issue is. >> it feels like this would be a particularly bad time for that to happen during a global pandemic. as we talked about, the president is hosting a bunch of democrats at the white house today. walk us through the meetings. where is this going? white house aides told me repeatedly, at the end of the day, lawmakers and we know how the margins are in the house and senate, that they wouldn't want to be the vote to submarine the president of their own party? >> yeah, i think that's probably a safe bet, that they don't want to be that vote, but, nancy pelosi is the person to watch here. she has such a difficult decision to make. does she move to appease the moderates, the josh gottheimers of the world on the vote that she promised and risk it being tanked. nancy pelosi hates to put up bills and have them fail. so she is kind of -- trying to have shade that big meeting with both sites and figure out the strategy. >> what's the calendar here? there's so much going on at once. everything at the same time. and how can they do all of this? and how long is it going to take? >> the sequencing is going to be very complicated. it really depens what happens on government funding. reconciliation and debt ceiling package don't have to get done in the next couple of weeks. in fact, it's going to be end of year when that happens. >> so for the moderates, is there a chance for common ground, the reconciliation package probably won't end up at $3.5 trillion. it will shrink to some degree. >> democrats are holding hostage here, like the freedom caucus did when they were in control. the question is going certainly in terms of funding do they cut everything? does everything get a hair cut? or real programs whether that's funding with other progressives what's coming up in punchbowl news today? >> we have a packed issue as always. we have a cheat sheet which is really fun in terms of what are all of the little things that members want to keep in the reconciliation package. what the politics are for the biden administration. who are they are meeting for exactly today, you should check it out. >> it's a must read, anna palmer, thank you for being here. still ahead, a totally different contraband that a gang in new zealand is accused of smuggling. 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>> we may be having trouble with the congressman. so, we -- so, we will get him back. we'll work to re-establish his connection in just a moment. this is live television, folks and it's 5:45 in the morning. in the meantime, we're going to go to answering that immortal question because earlier we asked why are you awake? one viewer writings, i'm retired so i have no business being up this early but i need to get in some scrabble practice because the ladies in their 80s are beating me every week. yes, pick it up. another viewer tweeted this, i love "way too early" because i'm that crazy morning person everyone loves to hate. i'm surrounded by a room of them. marlin is up because of those nerve-racking tree nuts hitting my roof. they sound like boulders. and patricia writes to ask do you have an identical twin who is out at 4:30 p.m. or do you just sleep on the weekends? you know, patricia, that's a great question. i truthfully don't sleep nearly enough. but i'm here for you, the viewer. up next, a look at the axios "one big thing." and coming up on "morning joe," we'll hear from former secretary of state john kerry about the tone set by president biden in his address to the u.n. assembly yesterday. plus, the next likely mayor of new york city eric adams will join the conversation. can't miss "morning joe" is just minutes away. ile for business, unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. whether it's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs. being first on the scene, when every second counts. or teaching biology without a lab. we are the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. without trade-offs. unconventional thinking. it's better for business. with downy infusions, let the scent set the mood. feel the difference with downy. to be a thriver with metastatic breast cancer means... grabbing a hold of what matters. asking for what we want. and need. and we need more time. so, we want kisqali. living longer is possible and proven with kisqali when taken with fulvestrant or a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor in hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is approved for both pre- and postmenopausal women, and has extended lives in multiple clinical trials. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant alone. kisqali can cause lung problems, or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills, or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. avoid grapefruit during treatment. kisqali is not approved for use with tamoxifen. it's our time. for more time. we asked for kisqali. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. instantly clear everyday congestion we asked for kisqali. with vicks sinex saline. for fast drug free relief vicks sinex. instantly clear everyday congestion. and try vicks sinex children's saline. safe and gentle relief for children's noses. joining us now, member of the house select committee on the climate crisis, democratic congressman sean casten. we have you back. thank you so much for being here. as a leader in fighting climate change, you obviously listened to the president's speech yesterday at the united nations. do you think he went far enough on the issue? >> i think the president is setting exactly the right tone, emphasizing the ambition. i think the important thing now is will he twist the arms in congress to get it done? the president made this line in his speech, that, what'd he say, we will lead the world through the example of our power and, god willing, with the power of our example. that describes far too much divinity to members of congress whose arms need to be twisted. we need to lead with our feet, not our words. >> he made this a run-up to the climate summit in scotland in the coming weeks. you also, though, are on another issue, the so-called ferkolicios campaign. that's meant to put the regulatory commission in the spotlight. >> we had some fun. i should let your back office know we'll be on c-span at 10:00. if your ratings drop, you'll know what is going on in a few hours. no, we've been trying to draw some attention to the federal regulatory commission because climate action has been held back by one thing, the united states senate. as an independent agency that regulates access to electricity, how we're going to electrify the country, they're really important. yeah, we've done it with references to good hip hop songs, and i dare say i did good rapping on the floor to up their profile a bit and draw national attention to an important agency. >> c-span plugs are allowed. the second thing, you are not allowed to rap on air. i'm sorry. no one is. let's pivot and talk about all the stuff that's consuming congress at the moment. debt ceiling, obviously the reconciliation package. we'll debate between the progressives and moderates. how are you going to get this all done? >> it is going to be very complicated over the next couple of weeks. i think what's important to understand about where we are right now is that the president took a decision that we would prioritize the first infrastructure bill in a bipartisan package. so we got done as much as we could on a bipartisan basis. if you are prioritizing bipartisanship, that means you're not prioritizing children's health. it means you're not prioritizing making sure everybody has access to health care. most importantly to me, it means you're not prioritizing climate change. we are now trying to make sure in this framework that we're doing through this weird senate parliamentary procedure, you know, that the filibuster, the reconciliation process, we are trying to make sureioriies in. a lot of members of congress, democrats, are up on the issues, and it is going to a close fought thing to make sure we address them. from my view, we are out of time on climate. this is not something we can punt down the road, notwithstanding the fact that for 30 years, that's been the approach of the united states congress. we have to act now. the west is on fire. people don't know where they'll live because their house is gone. one in three americans has had an extreme weather event this summer. we have to act. this is our play. we have to push hard to get it done and recognize that that will involve some high-stakes conversations with our colleagues. >> congressman sean casten, thank you so much for being here this morning. please come back soon. you won't be allowed to rap that time either. joining us now with a look at axios a.m., congress mall reporter at axios, alenaalena. what is the axios 1 big thing for today? >> good morning, jonathan. happy to be with you today. our one big thing is a scoop from my colleague, lockland marquee. he has found out that the u.s. government and federal agencies have been purchasing chinese-based drones that the government has deemed national security threats. this comes just really as there has been a ton of bureaucratic tape that some of the agencies are trying to get through. they're still purchasing some of these risky drones or dangerous drones as the u.s. government has deemed them. we found through different procurement records that my colleague lockland obtained that, essentially, the secret service july 26th, just three days after the government said that these drones were, you know, deemed potential security threats, that they had been purchasing several of these drones. they're from a company dgi in china, which is the most widely seen and widely purchased commercial drones, both in the u.s. and abroad. so it's something that i think, you know, we have to continue to ask our government, why are you purchasing these, if these are expected to be dangerous and potentially risky security threats? push them on if they're going to continue using them in the future. >> yeah. that raises all sorts of questions, certainly an underreported angle. thank you for bringing it to us this morning. you're also reporting on the dilemma facing democratic lawmakers over the debt ceiling. what roadblocks are they up against from senate minority leader mitch mcconnell? >> several. i think it's becoming very clear. i mean, mitch mcconnell has been saying this since july now, so it's been several months of the minority leader insisting that he would not support any efforts by the democrats to raise the debt ceiling. of course, you know, democrats are technically right. it is not usual. raising the debt ceiling a bipartisan exercise. democrats helped republicans do this three times during the trump administration, including after his push to raise the $2 trillion tax cuts, which added a lot of debt, as well. but the issue for democrats here is regardless of whether their arguments are technically right, republicans are not going to falter. i spent time last week pushing republicans and asking them, are they going to balk? this is something, i think, a lot of democrats had been hoping for. they'd hoped that, you know, senator chris coons is fuss, fuss, and then last minute, fold. allowing the government to default would be potentially kas -- catastrophic for the markets. republicans say if democrats default on the debt, they should own this. in the house, a cr will be sent to the senate that attaches the debt ceiling, raising the debt ceiling. once it gets to the senate, it is going to fail. so i think really the only option that they're going to have is trying to do this through the partisan reconciliation process, which is going to take a lot of time and really bring us up right to the deadline, which is risky, to say the least. >> default particularly during a global pandemic. we briefly mentioned earlier in the show about how house democrats are holding up military aid for israel after p. what is the state of play, and what could it mean for relations with israel moving forward? >> well, i worked on, you know -- after this news, i worked on this story covering this with my colleague who is based in israel. it really sent shock waves through the country. because never before has there been any threat to helping fund military operations and military aid to israel via -- because of congress. of course, they are going to get their funding. house appropriations spokesperson told me and several other outlets they plan to attach the $1 billion to the defense bill that they're going to be passing this week. taking it out of the government funding bill. still, i think just seeing this clash, this happened after progressives showed a lot of backlash to including this funding in the government spending bill, it's just the latest example of how democrats are really divided on how to approach israel. it's something that we've seen happen many times in the past. i don't think that we're going to see the end of some of these political clashes over military aid and just approaching israel in general. so it is, i think, damaging to how israel looks at the u.s. of course, we were a massive ally under the trump administration. joe biden has continued to say that we are allies of israel, but the in-fighting within congress and really in the house democratic party is an issue that's going to continue. >> yeah. certainly a story to follow going forward. it is rare to have a congress to that this much on its plate all at once. thank you so much for being here this morning. thanks to all of you for getting up way too early with us this wednesday morning. "morning joe," the gang is all here, starts right now. this week in covid history. it's late september 2020. school is back. how is the president doing? >> to fight the china virus, we did an a-plus job. we take an a-plus. >> he is the loud mouth. meanwhile, hundreds gather to remember justice ruth bader ginsburg. potus maximus is greeted by an adoring crowd. >> vote him out! vote him out! >> ruth bader ginsburg, my most fervent wish is that i will not be replaced until a new president is installed. >> a wish that surely will be honored, for here is a woman whose legacy cannot -- >> let's make a t-shirt. here's what we're going to do, fill the seat. a woman would be in first place, yes. >> wait a minute, in 2016, mitch mcconnell blocked obama's nominee because of an election year. what say you this, election year senator? >> mr. president, majority