good morning and welcome to "way too early," the show that really should get started on its christmas shopping. i'm jonathan lemire on this thursday, december 23rd. we'll start with the news. president biden is defending his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. here he is in a new interview with abc news. we're nearly two years in into the pandemic, presidency, empty shelves, no test kits in some places three days before christmas when it's so important. is that good enough? >> no, nothing's been good enough, but, look, look where we are. when last christmas we were in a situation where we were, we had significantly fewer people vaccinated, emergency rooms were filled, hospitals had backups, causing great difficulties. we're in a situation now where we have 200 million people fully vaccinated. 200 million people fully vaccinated. we have more than that that have had at least one shot, and they're getting these booster shots as well. >> the president also reportedly told abc news, quote, i wish i would have thought about ordering 500 at-home tests two months ago. here's what scott gottlieb said about that on cnbc yesterday. >> we should have been doing this all along. we should have been getting more at-home tests available and give them away at consumers, buy four tests for $5, some small price, and limiting the number of sales they could get, but getting into the hands of consumers. that's what other countries are doing, subsidizing the tests. meanwhile new research is adding to the body of evidence that the new strain of omicron results in milder illness than previous strains. the research from scotland, england, and south africa shows that. it may be due to the fact there were previous infections or vaccinations. omicron is sending fewer people to hospital, good news for example, if omicron behaved like the delta variant, they expected 47 would have gone to the hospital. meanwhile, only 15 have gone. cases skyrocketed a week ago but have since dropped off sharply. south africa's top scientist says he expects over countries to follow that same trajectory. in a very, very early look, joe biden says he plans to rerun in the next election. he told abc he would run if in good health and the prospect of a rematch with donald trump would only encourage him to seek another term. meanwhile donald trump has repeatedly said he would run but has yet to announce the news. meanwhile ted cruz seems to be eyeing the position as well. >> that's been true going back to nixon or reagan or mccain or romney that has played out repeatedly. you come in with just enormous basis support. >> while cruz may be correct about the history within the gop, one factor not taken into account is when one former president runs again. they had a run before. trump called -- cruz called then candidate trump a coward and pathological liar among other lovely things. >> new polling shows momentum for republicans in two key senate races. according to numbers distributed by the national republican committee, democrats are at risk of losing seats in nevada and georgia. in nevada, polling shows the state's former attorney general leading his opponent by four points and things are even closer in georgia where republican candidate and former football star hershel walker reportedly leads raphael warnock by one point. they have both been endorsed by donald trump and states won by joe biden in last year's elections. let's remember who's conducting the polling. joining us now, grace panetta. great to see you. there's been so much talk about the house and political analysts across the country suggest that republicans have a very, very good chance of regaining the majority, thanks to historical trends. democrats, of course, say, hey, too early to say that for sure. there's been less talk about the senate. it's a hard one to picture. talk about these two races, though, and how beyond this poll, what each party is thinking about. >> absolutely. so in nevada, it's a very, very fascinating case study. it was very close both in 2016 and in 20. trump won -- biden won by pretty slim margins. i think what's interesting is it could be much tighter than a lot of people think it is right now. georgia is another fascinating case where democrats have done really, really well with the presidency and the two senate seats. again, it was superclose elections. within the margin of error, hershel walker is in the lead. it's about trying to maximize the base as much as possible. >> good choice about how close georgia was. in fact, there's a school of thought if then president trump had spent more time campaigning there as opposed to complaining about his own defeat, they could have won. it was those defeats that handed the democrats the majority. hershel walker, a household name, has really not been vetted enough. that's the 2022 talk. let's talk about 2024. president biden is talking about his re-election bid. we hear about his age and the vice president or pete buttigieg or any of the democrats who might step up if biden doesn't run. what's the latest in terms of the beltway chatter if president biden, indeed, runs. he doesn't want to say he's not going to run. he doesn't want to be a lame duck already. what happens if trump runs too? >> it's not surprising that biden will run. remember, he first rack in 1988. it's an office he's been seeking for over 30 years before he finally attained it in 2020. it's really something he sought his whole life. it's not surprising he would genuinely want the second term. i believe that. he said in his abc interview, i'm a great respecter of fate. fate has intervened many times in high life and i'm going to respect fate it. was interesting understanding his insight and how he views the world and himself. i absolutely think if he was -- if he does have some private doubts about a second term, trump getting in the race, and, you know, becoming a nominee, that would seal the deal. biden got in, ran, and restored the nation after trump. it's why he got back in the political arena. >> yeah, that's a great point. biden had told people he thought he was done when he passed on the 2016 run, but once he saw the trump presidency unfold, he felt like it was his duty to do so again. no decisions have been made. he certainly plans to run. but if trump runs, you can bet h will, if his health holds up. two days before the holiday, roads and runways across the country are packed. despite omicron fears, americans are traveling at record levels. nbc news correspondent tom costello has a look behind the scenes of what it takes to keep a single plane on time. >> reporter: for the airlines, it all comes down to the final christmas push. every single hour, thousands are passing through airports nationwide. coming out of washington, trucks under the wheels and the countdown begins. they have 30 minutes to turn this plane around to head toward orlando. at two minutes the cabin door opens, at three minutes, the cargo door pops. within minutes, bags are coming down. money is time, a top priority. >> our number one job is to turn the airplane. speed is of the essence. it's so important. everything we do is time. >> reporter: the job here, sorting bags, connecting bags, and those staying here, getting them to the carousel within 20 minutes. onboard the passengers step off and the ground crew steps on. indicators and cleaning staff moving fast. while underneath the fuel truck is hook up. in the cockpit, arriving pilots are rotating out. american turns eight flights a day at each gate here at reagan national, more than any other personnel. 20 minutes after arrival, the next flight's passengers are already boarding as the next first officer does his inspection walk around. >> i'm that last check to make sure everything is the way it should be. >> reporter: ten minutes before departure, the cabin door closes again. blue skies helping the flight to orlando to leave on time. >> our thanks to nbc's tom costello for that fascinating report. all those traveling this weekend, good luck and be safe. still ahead, the strict vaccine requirements that will soon go into effect in washington, d.c. plus, the number three democrat in the house, jim clyburn, is now the latest lawmaker to test positive for a breakthrough covid infection. what he's saying about his diagnosis. and five people arrested after a pennsylvania congresswoman was carjacked in broad daylight. those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. . ♪ [laughing and giggling] (woman) hey dad. miss us? 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back. the ap reports the league discussed canceling those games but that was met with opposition from the players union. the cleveland browns suffered the worst outbreak that led to 22 players including baker mayfield missing out. head coach kevyn stefanik cleared covid protocols and will be back on the sidelines. the jets and eagles have lost theirs, salma and serianni boast texting positive yesterday. also, there may not be a full slate of college bowl games this season. texas a&m announced it's unable to play in its new year's eve game due to covid cases. members will meet this morning to discuss allowing another team potentially take the aggies' place. meanwhile an updated set of policies outlined for the college football playoff means the national championship could be decided by a forfeit. the cfp announced yesterday if a team is unable to play in a semifinal because of covid cases, that game will be forfeited. if two teamed from the same semifinal can't play, the winner of the other semifinal will be declared champion. if three teams can't play, the team available to play on new year's eve is simply crowned champion. let's hope that does not happen. the title game could be moved from january 10th to as late as january 14th if needed. in the nba, nearly 100 players are in the virus proceed kol. that including dallas star luca don schickler who was due to return from an injury tonight and now might not be able to play in the mavericks' matchup with the utah jazz on saturday. the covid concerns have pushed the league to postpone two more games. last night's between the raptors and bulls and tonight's game in portland between the trail blue topazers and brooklyn nets because they don't have enough players. in some cases the league is requiring teams to assign replacement players because of the spike in cases. with seven boston celtics in croat kols, the team turned to a player who started his career there 20 years ago. they now assigned the 40-year-old joe johnson. he was drafted tenth overall in 2001 returned to the court in boston last night, bringing him back to the nba after he was cut in training camp by the detroit pistons in 2019. he received a warm welcome from the fans. he scored one basket right there. i will just note, that was a sports seg mnlt with exactly one sports highlight because of the damage the covid pandemic has wreaked upon the sports weather. let's go to the weather and meteorologist janessa webb. janessa, tell us how it looks for the holiday travel. >> you know, jonathan, i wish i could bring you better news. if you're on the east coast, a wonderful day, looking clear, a little bit of cloud coverage and chilly conditions. really the west coast from l.a. to washington state, we're going to be watching a series of storm systems that will provide rain and snow across this area. that's why we see winter weather alerts expanding across the rockies all the way into northern california. look at some of these rain totals as people hit the highways and major interstates today. we're going to be watching burn-scarred areas and hydroplaning across california today into tomorrow. the snow totals, we've dealt with two serious falls, and now we're talking to an additional 24 to 36 inches. some hubs today, jonathan, if you're leaving out of los angeles to vegas, phoenix, expect major to minor delays. >> janessa webb, we appreciate you keeping an eye on the travel forecast and weather as we head into christmas weekend. still ahead, the committee investigating the january 6th attack on the capitol now wants an interview with one of the former president's closest allies. congressman jim jordan of ohio. is there any chance he'll cooperate? before we go to break, we want to ask you this question. why are you awake? email your reasons to waytooearly@msnbc.com or send me a tweet #jonlemire. we'll read some of our favorite answers later in the show. e of answers later in the show. the only detergent with oxiboost and 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every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. welcome back to "way too early." it's 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. i'm jonathan lemire. the supreme court has scheduled a special session for two cases challenging biden's co-individual 19 mandates. the court announced it will hear both cases on january. one involves the rules requiring employers with 100 or more to be tested on a regular basis, and the other has to do with medicaid and med cared funding. it reads in part this. we are bent it's legal for both policies. both policies have been at least partially blocked from going into effect by lower courts after challenges from republican-led states and businesses. joining us now, whoufs reporter tyler pager. good morning, tyler, glad to see you. the biden administration has viewed the mandates for some time as a key weapon in their arsenal to try to get this pandemic under control. we hear about boosters. but they do want employees to become vaccinated. how are they viewing this and what's your sense? is it likely these mandates will get struck down? >> as we've seen the omicron variant ravage the country, as we saw from white house press secretary jen psaki, they are within their power to institute these mandates either for the health care workers or the mandate or test for employers -- with more than00 employees. i think it's skeptical that the supreme court will allow these to go through. the supreme court has allowed states to institute their own mandate. this is coming from the federal government, and there's reason to believe, as you said, with the conservative majority, that they're not going to let the federal government institute these broad man date. we saw them strike down the eviction moratorium, and there are some analysts, i think, that this is going to fall in line with the justice's thinking on that, that congress has not authorized the federal government to institute these broad mandates. >> they seem to be entering an aggressive new phase. also it's turned inward and gone after members of house representatives itself, jim jordan recently, being about the closest ally of president trump as he can come. we heard him stammering on whether trump plans to run for re-election. how do you see this playing out? could congress hold its own member in contempt? >> it's possible. you see a pattern. where the committee is getting into the phase of who had contact with the president and his aides on the day of january 6th, and jim jordan is the latest member of cob to be called in front of the committee. we heard scott perry say he's not going to cooperate. jim jordan said on fox news he's taking a look at the letter but has concerns about the committee. i expect most will follow his talking points and say this committee is illegitimate, we're not going to participate in this process. i think this is, again, another example of the committee ratcheting up its work and trying to get to the bottom of what happened on january 6th. there are those actively involved in planning and communicating with trump and his aides on that day but have no interest in wanting to help the committee understand what happened. >> a true friend of the show, "washington post" tyler pager. have a great holiday weekend. still ahead, signs the administration has delivered on promises to address the lagging supply chain, the business news you need to start your day when "way too early" comes right back as we take a look predawn times square. no traffic at all. sorry, joe and mika. and mika. do i need to pretreat my laundry? nope! with tide pods, you don't need to worry. the pre-treaters are built in. tide pods dissolve even when the water is freezing. nice! if it's got to be clean, it's got to be tide. 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it shortens colds! sore throat pain? ♪honey lemon♪ try vicks vapocool drops. in honey lemon chill. for fast-acting sore throat relief. wooo vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops. earlier this fall we heard a lot of dire problems about supply chain issues leading around the holidays. the much predicted pry cy sis didn't occur. packages are moving, packages are being delivered, shelves are not empty. >> new data shows the majority of americans will have their presents under the christmas tree this weekend, yay. according to a data shipping company ship pay trix, u.s. and usps delivered close to 99% of their packages on time between november 14th and december 11th. fedex wasn't far behind, delivering 97% of packages on time during that same time frame, this after the white house formed a task force to address bottlenecks at some of the nation's ports. biden took a victory lap over this. it looks like everyone will have those presents under the tree. time now for more on the business. there she is. let's bring in cnbc's julianna tatelbaum who joins us live from london. good morning. investigators are going off covid. this year has been filled with volatility. do youly's a sign of more stability going forward? >> well, investors certainly seem to be breathing a sigh of relief this week. the s&p 500, the dow jones, nasdaq all locking back-to-back gains of the s&p 500 now within 1% of its all-time high. now, it has been a volatile year as you say, but i think it's worth putting these moves into perspective. for the year, all sectors in the u.s. are positive, led by energy, which is up 46%. those energy stocks up nearly 50% on the year. the laggard has been the utility sector, but even then, that basket of stocks is up about 11%. it's been an incredibly strong year even though the last weeks have been marked by significant volatility. now bringing it back to a recent trading session, european stocks are trading higher, following strong gains on wall street yesterday. >> this is something worth watching, especially with the winter olympics months away. a major city in china is under a major lockdown. mainland china has only reported a handful of omicron cases so far, but chinese authorities have instituted a zero tolerance policy about the virus. what's the sense? are they going to extend this lockdown to other cities over there? >> well, it's a great question, and china's policy when it comes to controlling covid-19 is very different to what we see in the west. in the latest outbreak, just over 200 cases have been reported in the last week around the city of sheehan, which is a city of 13 residents, and still they locked down the city. they put curbs on outbound travel, so mayor restrictions being posed there. there's a big question mark as to whether they'll be able to maintain their zero tolerance policy with the omicron which spreads so rapidly. i should note in xiang there are no cases. good news. the omicron variant may be less severe than the delta. tell us about that. >> new studies have emerged here in the uk and south africa that the omicron may be causing more mild disease. estimates range in a 30% to 70% reduction in hospitalization compared to earlier variants. of course, it is still early stage, but this is the first real-world data that lends to this notion that this variant could cause less severe disease. still, even if that's the case, the sheer number of people being infected means the number of hospitalizations will swell. to put it in context, the uk recorded 100,000 new covid cases yesterday. that's a record since the pandemic began. meanwhile in spain, we're seeing more restrings imposed. face masks being required outside. we're seeing more and more measures being put into place to control the spread in the uk and across europe. >> the sheer volume of cases is still going to be a problem, and we're going to have a doctor on in just a few minutes to talk about this. cnbc ice julianna tatelbaum, have a great weekend. she was joined to us from london. thanks to her. still ahead, the cdc clears the pill for covid. look at this date in history. the national broadcasting company set up a permanent coast-to-coast network paving the way for golden age radio. y o are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? 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(carolers) ♪better♪ (kate) this year, holiday better, with verizon. because everyone deserves better. new vicks vapostick. strong soothing vapors... help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess just soothing comfort. try new vicks vapostick. it's another day. and anything could happen. it could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. or it could be the day there's a cyberthreat. only comcast business' secure network solutions give you the power of sd-wan and advanced security integrated on our activecore platform so you can control your network from anywhere, anytime. it's network management redefined. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. now to a potentially major milestone in the fight against covid-19. the fda has granted emergency use authorization to pfizer's covid treatment pill. the first pill to be cleared during the pandemic. it will be spriebed for use in adults and children ages 12 and up with mild to moderate symptoms with a risk of severe disease or hospitalization. it should be prescribed as soon as possible after diagnosis, ideally within five days of symptoms. joining us now, dr. uché blackstock. we appreciate when she joins us. how significant is the approval of this pill in the fight against covid? >> good morning, jonathan. thanks for having me. i would say pack slow individual is a game-changer. it would be the first medication to treat covid that you can take orally, but we have a few barriers to get through. one, it takes about six months to manufacture this pill. so initiallily we're going to have a limited supply. only tens of thousands of doses this year going to hundreds of thousands of doses starting in 2022. that was important to keep in mind. however, it decreases hospitalization and death by about 90%. it's performed much better than the merck tablet that is very similar. some of the challenges will be that people need to get tested first. we see there are major problems with getting tested here in the u.s. as well as getting a prescription from a health care provider. so you're going to need to have access. those are some of the things we're going to have to think about once this pill gets authorized. >> dr. blackstock, i'm hoping you can weigh in on this. is there enough data that this new variant is producing milder illness than delta or its predecessors? >> i would say it looks promising. it's still too early. we're seeing a range of 40% to 65% decrease in hospitalization with omicron compared to the delta variant. there could be several different factors that account for that. in south africa, there's 75% of immunity. that would produce a milder course. in the uk and denmark, they have high rates of vac nachlgts that would also produce a mierld course. we'll see have to see how omicron works in the u.s. we're seeing a decoupling of cases and hospitalizations which is promising. >> perhaps milder, omicron very transmissible and still a real concern. we don't want to say otherwise. a real concern here in the united states. >> absolutely. >> the president outlined his new plan to tackle the variants. i pressed jen psaki on the show yesterday, why vaccination is not being required for domestic transportation. do you think that should be part of the biden plan and how do they face it? >> i would say i was disappointed that i didn't hear about a travel vaccine mandate by president biden for beating omicron. that was very surprisinging to me. i would think that would cause a definite increase in vaccination rates. as it relates to the entire strategy, i think it's a first step but inadequate. i think 500 rapid tests will be done in about a month. each person has to take one or two rapid tests for it to be accurate. we have 330 million americans. i would have liked to have seen some federal guidance as it relates to mask policies. i would like to see us also get all americans high-quality n95 masks as well especially since we know only krochb is much more contagious. i'd like to see more ventilation around schools and businesses since we know coronavirus is airborne, omicron is incredibly transmissible, and that's an area neglected. >> doctor, we appreciate all those thoughts. white house officials are watching. have a great holiday. earlier in the show, we ask this question, why are you awake. one viewer writes i am still up from wednesday. doing last minute prepping the house, wrapping gifts, baking treats for the kids and grand kids. a lot of holiday preps right now. there is also veronica. >> dan, what you got here. >> loading the car for a seven-hour ride. >> fighting the fake news does not take holidays off. you need to have the real thing as you gather with your relatives and christmas. we are glad you are here. maggie tells us she's mading up to the green bay christmas day game. i hope the weather is not 10 below. andrew writes this, my son alex who got his degree in broadcast journalism. congrats on the job. my one concern on this. if you are watching and working on a 5:00 a.m. local show, will you not be watching "way too early." >> welcome to the business, get too alarms. up next, of the recent roadblock on build back better bill, the argument that president biden is still winning. come up, former senior on coronavirus respond, andy slavit will join the conversation. and mayor bowser will join us. "morning joe" is a few moment away. a few moment away to be a thriver with metastatic breast cancer means 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 a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor in premenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor 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. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness. if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep. . there is a lot of hammering within the democratic party with the president's polling. the collapse of talks over his build back better bill. david from takes a new stance. he writes this. relative to its strength in congress. the biden administration has proved outstandingly successful. in 11 months, biden has done more with 50 senators thanobama did. he signed at $1.9 trillion covid relief bill in march. and infrastructure bill in november. he signed 75 executive orders. many of them advancing liberal immigration zones. biden won confirmation for some 40 federal judges more than any of the first-year president since ronald reagan and twice as many as donald trump confirmed in his first year with a 54-senate majority. joining us now is eugene daniel, he's also an msnbc contributor. eugene, we know what the white house is going to read today. let's get your reaction to the case he makes. >> i mean he's not wrong, right? they typically are. all of the things he offered, those are huge wins and not just for joe biden and kamala harris and congress but also for the american people, right? they came in but promises to try to get a handle on this pandemic. this is an administration that while they are on this campaign, they focus on this things they want to do and try not to get distracted by what they consider side shows. things that pops up. >> they have done quite a bit. you outline many of those things and the child tax credit. i have to roll in there or something. they also walked in with four huge focuses, the pandemic and climate change and racial equity. the question is also about expectations. people expecting to do huge things because those are the promises. let's look at the other side of this. this is an administration that starts a 2022 facing real challenges. the build back better bill act is in question. voting rights is supposed to be a priority, it seems to be going nowhere right now without filibuster change. we heard unhappiness from civil rights groups. inflation is still a problem. prices are up. we are improing and we have this new variant which though perhaps milder than others is still affecting americans at a record break. how does the white house maintain or regain their footing in the new year? >> i mean i think it first starts with much better messaging and clear messaging. you heard from the doctor there a moment ago. they have been talking about this quite a bit. they need clear messaging from the administration on the pandemic on testing. we saw yamiche alcindor asking the president why it takes so long to wrap it up. he says i was looking for tests all the time and i could not find it. we have had issues and others. they have to find a better way. they are also thinking they have to continue to be even more blunt with the american people on the fact that the white house do a lot on some of these issues like voting rights. that's something that congress has to do. the president can pressure them and hope to do things and trying to get joe manchin and sinema to do a voting rights. that's out of their hands for the most part and so is something of worldwide inflation and supply chain issues. all of these things are more complicated than the american people want them to be. they're looking to an administration that makes huge promises. why are you not fixing all of these things. >> they definitely would say it's not fair. >> certainly let's be clear, this administration that was -- a nation reeling from january 6th of donald trump. now we are going to be turning to an election year and midterms are come up. what's the white house's essential argument of how democrats maintain of congress? >> president biden came here and got things done. that's the argument they are making and those are the talking points and memos they center things around and talk about after a multious time. when you think of other presidency, pandemic and the racial strike that we saw in 2022 that continues and as we change the conversation about race in this country. that can be something that one e

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