indeed some of those text messages came from the chamber right now. >> chair and vice chair investigating the january 6th capitol attack make the case for why the department of justice should charge mark meadows with criminal contercht of congress. the question is could an indictment be on the way? plus, president biden is set to visit kentucky in the wake of those devastating tornadoes. the question is how will he console the families of those who perished. and the world health organization says the omicron variant is now spreading faster than any strain before. as more companies revive restrictions, the question is mr. more states do the same? it's "way too early" for this. good morning. and welcome to "way too early," the show that's got plenty to ask, one of the top spokespeople at the white house, straight ahead. i'm jonathon lemire. let's start with us. the and mark meadows being referred to the justice department for a criminal contempt charge investigating the january 6th attack on the capitol. mostly along party lines with vice chair liz cheney and congressman adam kinzinger, joining democrats to vote in favor of contempt. the top democrat and republican on the committee say the measure had nothing to do with executive privilege or immunity, but it's all about meadows' refusal to questioned about the material he handed over. on monday night, lawmakers read aloud text messages from members of fox news, and donald trump jr. pleading with lawmakers to stop the attack. and this time about efforts to overturn the election. >> on november 4th, a member of this body wrote to meadows, here's an aggressive strategy. one day art election. why can't the states of georgia, north carolina, pennsylvania and other republican-controlled state houses declare this is b.s.? where conflicts in election not called that night. and just send their -- just send their own electors to vote and have it go to the scotus? the supreme court. united states. how did this text influence the planning of mark meadows and donald trump to try to destroy the lawful electoral college majority that has been established by the people of the united states and the states for joe biden? those are the kinds of questions that we have a right to ask mark meadows. >> we need also to ask him about text messages which he provided to our committee, that show an official in georgia texting mr. meadows, during the trump/raffensperger call, saying we don't think it's much more productive. end quote. >> on january 3rd, mr. meadows was exchanging text messages with a law enforcement to get state legislatures to overturn the results of the election. in one question to a lawmaker, mr. meadows wrote, he, he presumably being president trump, quote, he thinks the legislatures have the power, but the v.p. has power, too. end quote. the power to do what? we could guess the power to overcurrent election results. the power to reject the will of the voters. and days later, a violent mob tried to get vice president pence to do just that. we'd like to ask mr. meadows about that. >> president joe biden is set to visit kentucky today, just days after a series of tornadoes killed 74 people there. and 14 other people across four additional states. nbc news national correspondent gabe gutierrez has the latest from hard-hit mayfield, kentucky. >> reporter: days after tornadoes sliced through multiple states there are still more than 100 people unaccounted for in kentucky alone. >> we have people missing. i still expect that we will find at least some more bodies. >> reporter: in bowlen green, 11 people, from two families, died on one street. >> items you can replace, family you cannot. >> reporter: the gut you wrenching picture, 9-year-old anna seen clutching a doll. 15 minutes after her parents posted this photo, aniston died in the tornado that ripped through her home. >> she was a wonderful, wonderful little girl. i'm going to miss her so much. i already do. >> reporter: in kentucky, we met survivor mikaela emery in her hospital room, the 25-year-old said she worked in that candle factory on and off for three years when the monster tornado hit during the night shift. >> all i can remember, i hear all kind of voices, the next thing i do, i open my eyes and i can't move my legs. >> reporter: so all of this concrete was -- >> literally, a concrete wall. >> reporter: did you think you were going to make it out alive? >> i honestly don't think they were going to find me. under that concrete slab, she spoke to a pregnant friend. i said we're going to be dead. i'm not going to be able to breathe, we're losing oxygen. >> reporter: they were trapped for six hours. first responders eventually pulled her and her pregnant friend. >> only thing i could think about was getting her and her baby out. >> reporter: and they did get out. >> another co-worker she spoke to right before the storm did not. >> i hurt so bad. there's nothing i could do. that was my friend. >> reporter: our thanks to nbc's gabe gutierrez for that heartbreaking report. later this hour, i'll be joined by white house press secretary karine jean-pierre traveling with the presidentlater today. secretary of state blinken is speaking at the university of the capital of indonesia, blinken said that the u.s. will strain our relationships with other allies in asia to push back against assertiveness. he reiterated that the biden administration is committed to the maintaining peace and prosperity in the region. joining us now, our friend john hudson in malaysia. john, good morning. whatever time it is where you are. what can you say about secretary blinken's comment to these other asian nations to unite them towards beijing? tell us why this is such an important step about that? >> reporter: yeah, it's an absolutely critical trip in the biden administration's goal of countering the influence of china. they are here in the indo pacific region which counts for about 60% of the global economy. here, you have countries making very difficult decisions about to side with china or whether to side with the united states. you have countries like cambodia and laos for aligned with china. and then vietnam who wants the united states to be here pushing back against the sort of bullying things that the chinese do when it comes to territorial claims in the south china sea. military exercises that are seen as throwing its weight around. that's a lot of why secretary of state tony blinken is here having discussions in malaysia, as you mentioned at the top, and kuala lumpur who wants to have relations with the united states and cementing those ties is a very important aspect of the meetings he's having here. >> so, john, give us a second of secretary blinken's agenda today? this is an administration, sidetracked by the pandemic, putin, iran, and at times a slippy slope in timings of rising tensions. give us your analysis so far of this trip and what's next? >> reporter: well, you're absolutely right that this administration has juggled many things. before the secretary and the traveling press here arrive in southeast asia, we were in liverpool for the g7 summit. at that time, he was really pushing against russia. and in the main goal at the time was trying to get russian forces to back off the border with ukraine. then he came right here in indonesia for his next stop, who did he find? president vladimir putin's top aid who also was having meetings here. so there is sort of a global game of influence that happens around the world. southeast asia is so critical for that, given all of the developing economies that are expected to just explode in the coming years. technology, economically. and populationwise, so that is a key element. you know, another very important part about everything that's happening here is, you know, pushing back against china taiwan as well. obviously, northeast asia, there are a number of more planes, military operations for the chinese carry-out that are destabilizing in many way. so blinken is here to say that the united states is a indo-pacific nation, even though that's not the way that all countries think about that. he's trying to re-emphasize that message and deal with what's happening in eastern europe as well. so, it is a total juggle of different things but that's what happens when you're the secretary of state relating the united states, the world's largest military power. you've got to juggle a lot of things. that's what he's trying to do. >> that's what happens when you're the secretary of state. thank you. still ahead, a trump-appoint judge strikes down a trump official trying to keep the tax files secret. 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>> jonathan, unfortunately, is going to be an extremely dangerous day. today is one of the more dynamic and explosive storms we've ever seen in december in the middle of the country. i mean, this is just going to be a wild day. just wait till i show you the pictures tomorrow what happens today. the storm is moving through utah. this is unlike any december storm we've ever had in the northern plains. we have a moderate risk of severe weather. yes, another severe weather outbreak in december. and this time, we're talking iowa and minnesota. ten days before christmas. that area of red most at risk. we expect severe wind gusts throughout that area, with widespread damage, even the possibility of a few more tornadoes. so, again, we're really talking to areas of omaha, to south of minneapolis, des moines, mesa city, up towards lacrosse. make sure you have a weather plan and safe area to be later tonight. this will be a whether event like kentucky. minnesota has never had a confirmed event in december ever before. so, if we get one tonight it will be extremely, extremely rare. on top of that, these winds are going to be indiana sane with 83 million in wind alerts. we expect the winds in denver and boulder to be 80 to 100 miles per hour. jonathan, that's like a category 1 hurricane hitting. it's going to be insane is storm. not to mention widespread eye. an incredibly eye-opening mind-boggling storm for december. >> everyone out there in the storm's path please stay safe. bill karins, i know you'll be following this all day, thank you so much. still ahead, just hours before a crucial deadline congress votes to increase the debt ceiling. white house, produces press secretary karine jean-pierre will be my guest a little later. but before we go to break, we want to know this, why are you a wake, email to msnbc. or tweet me @jon lemire. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. ♪♪ welcome back to "way too early." it's just before 5:30 on the east coast. 2:30 out west. i'm jonathan lemire. congress has approved a measure to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion avoiding a catastrophic default. >> full faith and credit of the united states should never be questioned. the health of our economy should never be threatened. the financial security of our families must never be gambled. this has a direct impact on the pockets of the american people. >> the house passed legislation early this morning, hours after the senate approved the bill in the other chamber. just one republican, congressman adam kinzinger in the middle voted with democrats to lift the ceiling. this comes after a bipartisan agreement last week to allow democrats to raise the debt limit with a simple majority, instead of the typical 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. the bill now heads to the white house for president biden's signature. joining us now, political writer for axios sarah. what should we expect next, we know the president is going to sign this. what strat eye? s might be used to pass this when it comes up next in 2023? >> well, 2023, we're looking at possibly a new congress. republicans are going to be in the majority. we're going to seat same thing. this is obviously a political issue. it was made into a political issue. this time, you see minority leader in the senate mitch mcconnell saying, you know, we're going to make democrats do this on their own. this is part of a political strategy to make democrats to paint them as a party that is taking out money while also trying to increase spending, of course, the reality is the debt ceiling is a measure that's used to raise the debt on spending that congress has already approved. >> right. >> both partied have approved the debt, it's not necessarily an accurate portrayal but a way of political cudgel. we could see this historic typically passed as a bipartisan issue. who knows, maybe democrats will vote on an issue where they need to address this one more time, or maybe, maybe, they'll come together and abolish the debt ceiling altogether. >> certainly, this is not been a good faith argument made by republicans in opposition to this. take a step back and tell us how it got to be a political issue and touch upon what you just hit, are the idea that there are some people who want it to be abolished altogether? >> yeah, absolutely. i spoke a little bit about this, right. is this a very simple way for republicans to paint democrats especially ahead of the midterms as the party that's spending money when americans are feeling the effect of inflation and supply chain issues, you know, right in their pocketbooks. so this is a pretty salient argument for republicans to make, at least one that will touch the american people pretty well. that being said, you know, will it be abolished? unclear. but there are a lot of people calling for the debt ceiling's abolishment, including "the new york times" editorial board. they're saying this becomes a game of political brinksmanship. it rattles the markets unnecessarily. it creates the sort of political drama that destabilizes everything else. and makes it seems like congress just works on the issue that's the closest cliff to them, that's what they're going to address. they don't have a great approval rating. people see that, they don't like the idea that politics is being played with their pocketbooks or possibly with their own student debt or taxes, whatnot. they don't like to see politics being played with it. >> jen psaki was asked yesterday whether or not the president supported the diz solution of this. you mentioned that congress works well around deadline, congressman schumer has said a christmas deadline to try to get the bill through. what's the latest reporting about the state of negotiations between white house and congress on the agenda? >> absolutely. senator schumer, we've heard him say even as recently as this week, we're still on track for a christmas deadline. i think that's very optimistic. what we saw, senator manchin has been in talks with the president and he's a little less optimistic about that kind of deadline, because he's worried about inflation and a lot of other issues, and he's the senator that they need to get over the deadline because they need that extra vote. >> sarah mucha, great to see you. and we'll get a live report from cnbc on what to expect from the central bank. 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>> so, amtrak has changed course. as you said, they have announced that they will be temporarily suspending a vaccine mandate for employees. this decision comes after a recent u.s. district court decision that halteded enforcement of president biden's executive order which mandated vaccines for federal contractors by january. amtrak has come out and said that the majority majority of their employees are vaccinated. they are in compliance with the previous mandate. for those not in compliance, they're going to be given the option to test, instead. >> you're in london, of course, following the twitter updates about the surge in coronavirus cases. the prime minister boris johnson is umping people to get their booster shots to fight this tidal wave of virus cases. give us a sense on the ground there, just how bad are things? >> well, tidal wave say perfect way to describe the current sentiment. it feels like left and right you are hearing of cases of coronavirus. of course, we don't know, at this stage, how many of those will actually be omicron. but it is expected that we are moving toward a situation where the majority of cases are omicron. and that it's becomes the dominant variant. just this morning, the top uk health expert has warned that omicron is probably the most significant threat to public health since the pandemic began. and covid is now more likely than a cold in london. new rules come into effect this week, including covid passes being necessary to enter certain venues. also in terms of how people should act if they do come in contact with a covid case. previously, the guidance had been you should self-isolate. now, the guidance from the government, you should do daily covid tests instead. already, this is causing huge disruption, the number of cases as people race to get their boosters. the strategy right now, get boosters into people's arms as quickly as possible. >> a pandemic truism is what happens in europe comes to the united states soon enough. cnbc's julianna tatelbaum, stay safe. still ahead, white house press secretary karine jean-pierre, she joined me ahead of the president's trip to tornado-ravaged kentucky. 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(vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future. season's greetings from audi. unleash the freshness... still fresh. in wash-scent booster. ♪ downy unstopables mom, hurry! our show's gonna start soon! i promised i wouldn't miss the show and mommy always keeps her promises. oh, no! seriously? hmm! it's not the same if she's not here. oh. -what the. oh my goodness! i don't suppose you can sing, can you? ♪ the snow's comin' down ♪ -mommy? ♪ i'm watching it fall ♪ watch the full story at www.xfinity.com/sing2 president biden is heading to kentucky to tour the damage left by last week's devastating tornadoes. the president will visit two the hardest hitle cities of the state, mayfield and dayson springs. in mayfield, eight people were killed while working in a candle factory during the storm on friday night. in total, 88 people have been confirmed dead across five states. including 74 in kentucky alone. a number that may rise. the state's governor says that many more people remain missing. joining us now, white house principal white house press secretary karine jean-pierre. i know you'll be on the trip with the president. give us a sense of what the message will be? >> so, the president, as you know, is going to go there and survey first hand the damage that's been done by the storms over the weekend. and just making sure that the people are kentucky are getting the relief as quickly as possible. making sure that the people of kentucky understand that the federal government is there for them. you know, the president has this role that he plays that is a comfort, a role of like understanding and being there and talking directly to the american people. especially as we're in kentucky today. so, that's going to be really important for folks to see that. he's going to be traveling with the secretary mayorkas, the homeland security secretary. fema administrator, he'll be there with governor beshear. and fema has been on the ground. they've been providing assistance. there's search and rescue on the ground. just to give you an idea of what fema has been doing, 135,000 liters of water, 75,000 meals that have been delivered to folks on the ground. and cots, you know, things you that need for your infants, toddler kits, all of these things, blankets that are so critical as people are getting through this really -- this really devastating moment. >> and i'm sure the president is one who speaks so powerfully on grief, with his loss himself. >> yeah. >> let's turn to the agenda, the build back better act, senator schumer wants it done by christmas. >> yes. >> give us your time line. the senator spoke saying not so fast? >> well, the president uses this word all the time. and senator schumer has said that christmas is the deadline. we're going to continue to fight to do that, you have committee members who are fighting to do that, the parliament mentarian is working really hard to get through the process that she's playing. so we're going to work really hard. look, senator manchin spoke to the president recently. he said it was productive, right, they're talking about different iterations, if you will, those are his words. so, we'll continue to have those conversations and get there, look, build back better is so critical to the american people. we're talking about lowering costs. 60% of families' income goes to child care, goes to transportation. goes to things that the build back better plan is actually going to address. and it's so critical. it's so important. and that's what we keep saying. folks are worried about inflation, this is going to lower inflation. it's going to ease inflation, as we've heard from leading rating agencies on wall street. as we've heard from 56 economists who wrote a public letter on friday. >> sure. >> so, this is so critical and needed for the american people, as we try to move forward in this pandemic, in this economic crisis that we're getting out of. >> a lot of tea leaves being read in the word productive. senator manchin is a key leader on another topic voting rights. >> right. >> he's a lawmaker resistant to changing the filibuster which is seen as essential to have sweeping federal voting rights reformed. there's been some talk, though, that perhaps there could be a onetime carveout for this topic. where does the president stand? does he support filibuster reform or carve-outs? >> look, he talked about this in a town hall. he was asked about filibuster from someone in the audience. and he said, you know, he's open to it. but, look, a lot of this is what the republicans are doing. right? they are continuing to hold us back on getting something done. that voting rights should -- is the cornerstone, of a free and fair election. the cornerstone of our democracy. it is so critical and important we should not be making it harder for people to vote, we should make it easier. i'm not going to get ahead of the president. when he has something to say, he will. he did talk about it a couple months ago. and he will talk about that process going forward. look, he has done speeches on this, he's talked to civil rights organizations, organizations that work on voting rights, he's talked to congressional members. and this is a priority for him so he'll continue to make it so. >> some of those same civil rights groups have said that the president should be doing more on vote rights, i was there when he gave that fiery speech in philadelphia. but there hasn't been a lot of heft. will voting rights move to the center of the agenda? >> it's always been a priority. i would have to say, look, we have done, the president has done everything that he can from the white house. on the anniversary of salma, bloody sunday, back in march, he actually put out an executive order, instead of making a speech, he actually took action. and did everything that he could at the time to really address the accessibility of voting, as the federal government plays a role. and so, that was important. and he's going to continue -- it's going to continue to have conversations, continue to make sure that this is a priority. again, voting should be made easier. not harder. it is the cornerstone of our democracy free and fair elections. >> white house deputy secretary karine jean-pierre, thank you. >> thank you. earlier in the show, we asked the question, why are you awake? rhonda writes, it's my 60th birthday and i'm can't sleep. counting down the days until a two-week vacation. can i get one of those? what do you have back there? >> we'll talk about that. given your weather report, our flights could be canceled as we change planes at o'hare. >> one of the many services we provide at "way too early." travel plan coordinator. donna says anxiously up anticipating the delivery of cookies for my brother. yes, brother. spoiled sister here. one more. ruben gomez, i'm awake because i'm 64 years old and just found out my 32-year-old girlfriend is pregnant. i guess i'll have to change my retirement plan. ruben, good luck with that. the district of columbia is suing far right groups over the attack on the capitol. we'll report the details on "way too early" straight ahead. then we'll talk to d.c.'s attorney general on "morning joe" a little later on. also on "morning joe," former state department spokesman john kirby will join joe, mika, and willie in new york. a lot to discuss, including russia's potential invasion of ukraine. 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>> i was not, but i do think we're all watching, as you are, what is unfolding on the house side. and it will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved. >> senate minority leader mitch mcconnell expressing an interest in getting to the bottom of what happened on january 6th. mcconnell did not vote to impeach trump after the riot. he gave a speech on the senate floor in february that criticized the former president as, quote, practically and morally responsible for the attack. worth watching to be sure. meanwhile, the district of columbia is suing far right groups proud boys and oathkeepers for damages incurred in the january 6th attack on the capitol. the attorney general says the group conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election in a, quote, coordinated act of domestic terrorism. he announced the action at an afternoon news conference. >> in this case, the defendant's unlawful actions caused the district to deploy unprecedented resources to repel and defeat an attack on our country's capitol. during the height of the attack, approximately 850 members of the metropolitan police department were at the capitol and the immediate area surrounding it. scores of officers required emergency medical treatment and continued to receive physical and mental health treatment today. we will, through this lawsuit, seek to impose severe financial penalties on the organizations and individuals responsible. >> again, d.c. attorney general racine will join "morning joe" in a while. joining us now, co-founder of punch bowl news, john bresnahan. let's talk about mark meadows. the house voted to hold him in contempt of congress last night, but it's all we're talking about, the revelations from his text messamessages, from consere media hosts and republican lawmakers alike. talk to us about those and what the committee is next investigating. >> yeah. meadows, that was a huge deal last night, what happened. the house voted on a criminal contempt referral to the justice department. he hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing. that'll be up to the justice department, whether to prosecute him. it'll be a grand jury, whether to indict him. meadows had turned over thousands of pages of documents to the select committee before he stopped cooperating. he refused to appear for a deposition. that's why the criminal contempt referral. they'll be looking into all the information. meadows is a critical, critical figure in the investigation into what happened january 6th, as is the president's chief of staff. he knew what trump was doing in the post-election period. he knew what was happening in the days leading up to january 6th. i mean, a critical, critical figure. so, you know, this is a big deal. the select committee hopes maybe meadows will change his mind and not, you know -- and sit down for a deposition, but, you know, trump is challenging the authority of the select committee in court. you know, we're not sure if meadows is going to do that. >> right. >> you know, the committee is going to keep pressing it, it feels like. >> before we go on another topic, briefly on this, there are some republican lawmakers who were in the text messages, including some expressing disappointment and apologizing they couldn't stop the certification of joe biden's victory. will we learn who the republican lawmakers were? >> you know, this is a very good question. we were pushing this yesterday with the select committee. in fact, i was pushing this with republican lawmakers. now, as far as i know, you know, the select committee, which is all democrats except two republicans, adam kinzinger and liz cheney, you know, they're going to keep pressing. i don't know if they're going to disclose the republicans. that's a line they haven't crossed yet. also, you know, trying to get records for these republican members, you know, phone and telecommunication records, text messages, email. that's something they have not crossed yet. they've talked about it, but it doesn't appear as if they've crossed that line yet. you know, that is a big threshold from them, when they're going to do it. they'll probably have to go there. >> give us your brief assessment, if you will, on the likelihood that the democrats will meet their self-imposed christmas deadline to pass the build back better act. it's just ten days away. >> yeah. our edition this morning was focused on this. this morning it doesn't feel like -- sitting here wednesday morning, it doesn't feel like it. our reporter talked to senator joe manchin yesterday. doesn't seem to be in a hurry to do that. there is a lot of logistical work to do. the text to the bill hasn't been finished being vetted. it has to be finished being vetted by the parliamentparliam. logistically, it is hard to see that. behind the scenes, the white house is telling us that they're not as concerned about, you know, christmas as senator schumer is. so we'll see. i mean, i think the white house is feeling like, hey, if we get this done in january, as long as we get it done, it's fine. schumer's point is, i have to keep pressure on these guys or we'll never get it done. you know congress. if you change the deadline, congress will change the deadline. you know, he has a big decision to make in the next couple days, schumer, on whether he can do this. it doesn't feel like it now, that he is going to meet the deadline. >> white house aides echoed that to me, that january would be fine. they're understanding of congress and deadlines. john bresnahan, thank you. thank you to all our guests. terrific show. thank you most of all to you for getting up "way too early" with us. "morning joe" starts now. members of congress, the press, and others wrote to mark meadows as the attack was under way. one text mr. meadows received said, quote, this attack is utterly disgraceful. what time should i go on fox news and say it was