australian open? it's "way too early" for this. ♪♪ good morning and welcome to "way too early," the show that has always been and is now more than ever team federer. i'm jonathan lemire on this monday, january 10th. we'll start with the news. at least 19 people are dead including nine children after fire and smoke filled the inside of an apartment building in the bronx here in new york city. fire officials say it started yesterday morning with most likely a malfunctioning space heater in an apartment where the door was left open, allowing smoke to rise to every floor. many were rescued, but some people were trapped in the stairwells. nbc news correspondent kathy park has more on this story. >> reporter: flames shooting out windows on the second and thirty floors. karen was making breakfast when she heard it all started >> i heard people screaming help, help, help. >> reporter: the smoke quickly spreading throughout all the floors in this building of more than 100 apartments. >> this smoke expended to the height of the building. they found victims on floors in stairwells. they were taking them out in respiratory and cardiac arrest. >> reporter: more than 200 firefighter, some pulling residents down ladders, some tending to the injured. >> i'm looking out my window, and there's flaming coming out of the window. >> reporter: the city's mayor eric adams calling it one of the worst fires in america's history. >> the impact of this fire is going to really bring a level of just pain and despair in our city. the numbers are horrific. >> reporter: dozens were injured and transferred to five different city hospitals. it's the second fire with major fatalities in a week. just days ago 12 perished in a fire in this philadelphia row house. an investigation is getting under way. a painful and horrific day for a community now in mourning. >> we're going to be here for this community to help them navigate through this. during a tragedy, we are going to be here for each other. >> just an unspeakable tragedy. turning to the pandemic now where the u.s. is averaging 700,000 new cases of covid a day for the very first time. according to data from johns hopkins university, the country reported just shy of 5 million cases in a week that ended this past saturday. that equates to eight americans testing positive every second, and it's more cases in seven days than in april, may, june, and july of 2021 combined. in new york, the state dealing with the most cases of omicron, at least 40 hospitals have stopped nonessential surgery once again. >> i would not be surprised at all if we go over a million cases per day. i would hope by the time we get to the fourth week in january, the end of the third week, beginning of the fourth week, that we will start to see this coming down. on the heels of the january 6th anniversary, the house select committee investigating the capitol attack is ramping up its probe. congressman jamie raskin has invited former white house press secretary stephanie grisham to appear before the committee. he said the two had a candid phone call where she mentioned a lot of names during a conversation about january 6th. chairman bennie thompson says the committee will also ask former vice president mike pence to voluntarily appear before the panel. former white house chief of staff mark meadows who's currently facing contempt charges for not appearing before the committee is asking the supreme court to weigh in to shield his testimony from lawmakers. meanwhile there's an objection to the mass voter fraud in the 2020 election. >> as a part of our due diligence, we looked it over, 60 accusations made in multiple states. while there were some irregularities, there were none of the irregularities that would have changed the vote outcome in a single state. the election was fair, as fair as we've seen. we simply did not win the election as republicans for the presidency. >> where we are now, it's news when a republican senator says the truth and that there wasn't widespread voter fraud in november 2020's election. the georgia's secretary of state, meanwhile, he defied former president donald trump. he's come out in the measures against the voting rights package. republican ben raffensperger is speaking out. >> you can use a bank statement a utility bill. i want to -- why do you think republicans -- >> it does not have photo i.d. photo i.d. is the most secure way of making sure you can identify who the voter is, and i think that's very important. they also want same-day registration. that's very difficult for any election official to manage. that undermines trust and elections. right now we need to restore trust where we can. with the anniversary of january 6th a few days ago and mlk day on the horizon, there's a push on the freedom to vote act. the john lewis voting rights act includes measures such as restoring federal government oversight of state election laws and preventing discrimination against minority voters. president biden and vice president harris will make their way tomorrow to speak on this. joining us now, congressional reporter for "politico," nicholas wu. good morning. i hope you had a nice weekend. it's always great to see you. let's start with the january 6th investigation and the progress it is or is not making. if stephanie grisham and former vice president pence do voluntarily appear before the committee, what signal does that send to the country and the rest of the gop? >> well, jonathan, it would signal the committee is able to penetrate donald trump's inner circle with the investigation and what's happened so far. stephanie grisham did somewhat appear quietly with the committee last week for about an hour when she took questions from them, names and such. they continue with a roadblock. it came out last night jim jordan objected the request to voluntarily come in for an interview, so even as they're getting compliance from some folks, they're met with those who will not. >> is there a sense that former vice president pence would volunteer tearily come in? >> kellogg, for example, came before the committee. this could be a sign pence himself may be okay with doing so. there's still no guarantee that the former vice president would really do so and in doing so would be turning against president trump. >> certainly the relationship is strained after january 6th. we'll keep an eye on that. indeed, on voting rights, it's turning to center stage. you have the president and vice president heading to atlanta to deliver a major speech on this. we know there's a battle being waged to state legislators across the country. give us an update to where that stands and how this might all impact the midterm elections later this year. >> well, all along, a lot of democrats and black democrats in particular have pushed for getting these voting rights legislation passed as soon as possible. as a lot of democrats saw it, it was to risk having all of these voting rights chipped away. the problem is the democratic senate, you still have a 50/50 body, which would require ten republican senators to get aboard with any piece of legislation unless you abolish the flub. that brings us back to square one. you have republicans almost eun very sally in opposition to that. you can get all the democrats on board you want, but that won't get you all the way to signing a bill into law. >> that's right. the white house will be onus on them that can actually show something here. politico's nicholas wu, we really appreciate it as always. stale head, we look back at the career and comedy history of bob saget. we're going to go live to geneva. those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. weather when we comeig rht back. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ ♪ heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach... ♪ ♪ diarrheaaaa.♪ try pepto bismol with a powerful coating action. for fast and soothing relief. pepto bismol for fast relief when you need it most. if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture, now might not be the best time to ask yourself... 'are my bones strong?' life is full of make or break moments. that's why it's so important to help reduce your risk of fracture with prolia®. only prolia® is proven to help strengthen and protect bones from fracture with 1 shot every 6 months. do not take prolia® if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva®. serious allergic reactions like low blood pressure, trouble breathing, throat tightness, face, lip, or tongue swelling, rash, itching, or hives have happened. tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen, or new or unusual pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as unusual thigh bone fractures have occurred. speak to your doctor before stopping, skipping, or delaying prolia®, as spine and other bone fractures have occurred. prolia® can cause serious side effects, like low blood calcium, serious infections, which could need hospitalization, skin problems and severe bone, joint, or muscle pain. don't wait for a break. call your doctor now and ask how prolia® can help you. tide pods ultra oxi one ups the cleaning power of liquid. can it one up whatever they're doing? for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi. was on "the full house" has died. he was found unresponsible in a hotel room hours after he performed a standup comedy tour. he became known to millions when he secured his breakout role on "full house" in 1987 playing the recently widowed father of three, danny tanner. >> i know that feeling, jesse, and i don't think it ever completely goes away. sometimes it's easier, but on days like this, it's real hard. but you don't have to go through this alone. >> i miss her, man. it's so hard for me to talk about it. >> talking about it, that's what helps me. talking about the memories. that's what keeps her in your heart. >> following the show's eight-year run and a simultaneous turn as the original host of "america's funniest home videos," saget worked to shake his squeaky clean dad. there were no signs of drugs or foul play found inside his hotel room, but the cause of death remains under investigation. legendary film legend sidney poitier has died. he passed away last thursday. he was the first black performer to win the academy award which he won in 1964 if his famed role "lilys in the field." he received an oscar and performed in "guess who's coming to dinner," and "in the heat of the night." sidney poitier was 94 years old. in other news, a judge in georgia gave life sentences to the three men convicted of killing ahmaud arbery. gregory and his son travis mick michael and their neighbor will spend life in prison. ahmaud arbery was shot and killed while jogging through his neighborhood. the judge found that none of them showed lack of remorse. still ahead, the tennis star isn't in the clear quite just yet. plus the last two nfl playoff spots are decided in the finals of the regular season. we'll have a look at the playoff season next. you're watching "way too early." you're watching "way too early." that's why i use the freestyle libre 2 system. with a painless, one-second scan i know my glucose numbers without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. take the mystery out of managing your diabetes and lower your a1c. now you know. try it for free at freestylelibre.us well, would you look at that? jerry, you gotta see this. seen it. trust me, after 15 walks... gets a little old. i really should be retired by now. wish i'd invested when i had the chance... to the moon! ugh. unbelievable. nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. hi, i'm steve and i live in austin, texas. i work as a personal assistant to the owner of a large manufacturing firm. i've got anywhere from 10 to 50 projects going at any given time. i absolutely have to be sharp. let me tell ya, i was struggling with my memory. it was going downhill. my friend recommended that i try prevagen and over time, it made a very significant difference in my memory and in my cognitive ability. i started to feel a much better sense of well-being. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. we hit the bike trails every weekend shinges doesn't care. i grow all my own vegetables shingles doesn't care. we've still got the best moves you've ever seen good for you, but shingles doesn't care. because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. but, no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age increasing your risk for getting shingles. so, what can protect you? shingrix protects. you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your pharmacist or doctor about shingrix. shingles doesn't care. but you should. (vo) america's most reliable network is going ultra! with verizon 5g ultra wideband now in many more cities. hey, it's mindy! downloading a movie up to 10 times faster than before. whoa! is that done? (mindy) yep! (vo) verizon is going ultra, so you can too. an australia judge has cleared the way for novak djokovic to defend his title. he's been ordered to be released from a hotel in melbourne where the player has been under guard since thursday when his visa was canceled. his visa was canceled shortly after he arrived last week because he did not meet the criteria for a covid exemption. he argued he did not need proof of vaccination because he was infected with covid-19 last month. australian medical authorities have ruled a temporary exemption can be provided to people who have beenen affected within six months. it follows fresh controversy over his efforts to enter australia after pictures emerged on social media of his unmasked appearance at a public event one day after he tested positive. this was back in mid-december. djokovic, however, could still face deportation and miss the major tournament. a government lawyer told the judge after the ruling that australia's minister will, quote, consider whether to exercise a personal power of cancellation. the top ranked joke veeck is seeking hi record 21st grand slam title and tenth at the australian open. turning now to the nfl playoff picture at the end of the first-ever 18-week regular season, we'll start with the afc in las vegas with "sunday night football." time expired in overtime against the chargers and lifts the raiders into the final spot in the conference. the 35-32 win eliminates the chargers from the postseason and gives the raiders their first playoff berth since 2016. but the intrigue is had it ended in a tie, they both would have made the playoffs. they should have taken knees all game and done zero-zero. in the end the game was tied. there was a time-out called. raiders go in, chargers go home. we'll be talking about this game for a long time. las vegas will meet the bengals on saturday in cincinnati. the raiders' victory along with the indianapolis colts surprise loss to the jacksonville jaguars helped the stealers into the postseason after they beat the ravens on the kick you just saw. this delays ben roethlisberger's expected retirement for at least one more game. the steelers now get a date with the afc champion kansas city chiefs sunday night. in buffalo the bills clenched their second straight game with a 27-10 victory over the new york jets. buffalo, which has now won four in a row will host your new england patriots who stumbled yesterday in miami. they'll play saturday in the second-ever postseason man-up between those two teams. and in the nfc, the san francisco 49ers, they snuck into the playoffs with a 27-24 overtime comeback win against the los angeles rams. that victory coupled with a seattle seahawks win over the arizona cardinals bumps the dallas cowboys up to the number three seed and sets up the first playoff matchup between the cowboys and 49ers since 1994. that will be a fun one. the seahawks help the rams hang onto their nfc title despite yesterday's loss. they'll face the cardinals next monday. meanwhile tom brady and the tampa bay buccaneers, they'll begin their title defense against the seventh seeded philadelphia eagles sunday at 1:00 p.m. the green bay packers have the first round bye as the nfc's top seed. the titans clenched a first round bye and they're the top in the afc when they got a 28-25 win over the houston texass. but as the nfl ramps up t college teams are set to play for the championship tonight. the top ranked alabama crimson tide will take on the number three georgia bulldogs in the national title game tonight. one assumes joe scarborough will be watching closely. time now for the weather with meteorologist bill karins. bill, what's it look like out there? >> the forecast is going to be all about this really, really intense cold that's coming down into new england. in some cases it's going to be the coldest in three years. remember in 2019 we had the winter where we talked a lot about the polar vortex? a little piece is going to come down. that's what makes it so cold. international falls with a negative 38 windchill. there's cold air coming down. that's going to swing through the great lakes and northeast over the next 48 hours. this afternoon as that cold air moves in, temperatures will be dropping in green bay, detroit, buffalo. it's going to get colder as the day goes on throughout all of the northeast especially new england. it's not that bad yet, but by this afternoon you'll feel it. upstate new york, negative 38. caribou, negative 38. washington, d.c., you haven't been below 20 degrees in almost three years. have a chance tuesday morning bchl i far t coldest day of the winter will be tuesday. teen daytime highs will be brutal. new york is going to get into the teens on tuesday. not 20s. this will be truly cold. the good news about this cold outbreak is it doesn't last long. by the time we get to wednesday, thursday, friday, things are kind of back to normal. as far as rain and snow goes, not a lot. a little lake-effect stuff. in the pacific northwest, rain to deal with. it's a cold dry week throughout much of the northeast and the great lakes. the rest of the country, jonathan, not bad at all. not till we get to friday do we start tracking our next snowstorm in the northern plains. on saturday we'll get more snow in the northeast. we have a couple of days to get there. >> bill karins, i know you'll be watching for us. you make a good point. all of this football playing at night, not good for folks. still ahead, u.s. and russian officials are beginning a series of high-stakes talks this week. we'll go live to geneva for the very latest. we want to know why you're awake. email your reasons to [email protected] or tweet m @jonlemire or #waytooearly. we'll read our favorite answers later in the show. #waytooearly. we'll read our favorite answers later in the show. power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. trelegy for copd. [coughing] ♪ birds flyin' high, you know how i feel. ♪ ♪ breeze driftin' on by... ♪ if you've been playing down your copd,... ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day,... ♪ ...it's time to make a stand. start a new day with trelegy. ♪...and i'm feelin' good. ♪ no once-daily copd medicine... has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy, and save at trelegy.com. mount everest, the tallest mountain on the face of the earth. keep dreaming. [music: “you can get it if you really want” by jimmy cliff] unleash the freshness... ♪♪ still fresh keep dreaming. ♪♪ in wash-scent booster ♪♪ downy unstopables welcome back to "way too early." it's 5:30 a.m. on the east coast, 2:30 out west. as we discussed at the top of the show, millions of americans are expected to stay home sick this week due to a surge in covid cases. now hospitals across the country, already overwhelmed with patients, are facing staffing shortages. nbc news correspondent sam brock has the latest. >> reporter: the omicron variant may be spreading at the speed of light, but its grip on american workers is slowing down critical services. >> we have over 500 employees throughout this town that have come down with covid. >> reporter: at baptist health in miami, some emergency care centers have closed due to a strain on staff. >> is this a function of not enough people? is that why you're making this choice? >> yes. we have plenty of equipment. we have plenty of medication. it is the staff. >> reporter: the crunch prompting change in cal. >> it's a major disaster waiting to happen. >> reporter: the hyperinfectious variant leading to new state rules, health care workers who test positive and are asymptomatic returning to work immediately without testing. >> i think it's very callous, and, you know, it's putting our patients and ourselves in grave danger. >> reporter: portland, atlanta, and washington, d.c., have all pulled back on routes with d.c.'s heavily used transit authority shifting weekday bus service to a weekend schedule to ensure customers have a more reliable schedule. experts say the ripple effect is enormous. >> the fact that the transportation chain is so disruptive on the economy. we rely on it to get us to work, get us to school. >> reporter: parents and students are suffering too. philadelphia has 400 schools shifting to remote learning and establishing others on a case-by-case basis. as the state of georgia just issued a protocol for more closings. you see signs like these, temporarily closed. millions are expected to call out. high-stakes discussions between u.s. and russian officials amid growing concerns that moscow plans to invade the country again. ahead of formal talks today, the two sides met for a working dinner last night where the u.s. made clear to russia that washington, quote, would welcome genuine progress to diplomacy. however, secretary of state antony blinken said he's not hopeful. russia offered a tough stance. the two sides will hold talks again later this week in brussels and here in swizzerland. there's been heightened tensions this week as russia has moved nearly 100,000 troops to ukraine's border. the u.s. has warned of severe consequences if it moves ahead with an invasion. moscow for its part denies it plans to attack and wants to ensure nato does not include ukraine. still ahead, no jab, no job. the big bank ready to fire employees who are not vaccinated. that story and some of the other business news you need to start your day when "way too early" comes right back. when "way too comes right back i recommend nature made vitamins, because i trust their quality. they were the first to be verified by usp, an independent organization that sets strict quality and purity standards. nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? once-weekly ozempic® can help. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ 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. (burke) with farmers auto multi-policy discount, the more policies you have with us, the more you could save on your auto insurance. (man) hey, hon! (wife) hi, honey! (man) like what? (burke) well, you'd get a discount for insuring your jet skis... and boat...rv...life... ...home and more. you could save up to forty-five percent. (man) that's a whole lot of discounts. (burke) well, we offer coverage for a whole lot of things, and you could save a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. (kid) sup, dad! (burke) seventeen-car garage you got there? ♪we are farmers♪ ♪bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum♪ when our daughter and her kids moved in with us... our bargain detergent couldn't keep up. turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. [daughter] slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm surprising my team with a preview of the latest sneaker drop. because i can answer any question about any shoe. but i'm stumped when it comes to payroll. intuit quickbooks helps you easily run payroll in less than 5 minutes... ...so you can stay... one step ahead. time now for business, and for that let's bring in cnbc's julianna tatelbaum who joins us live from london. good to see you. they finished the trading year in the red with health care and big tech stocks dragging the markets. what's the reason for that and what can we expect this week? >> a very good morning for you. we saw tech stocks, real estate, health care, in particular we saw losses there dragging the markets overall lower, and all of this was on the back of the rise in bond yields. investors began to solidify expectations around federal hiking rates this year. in terms of this week and what we can expect, we're going to get an inflection rate on wednesday. we're going to hear directly from the fed chair himself. he's going to be speaking before the senate banking committee in his second nomination hearing. so a lot for investors to watch out for stateside. >> yeah, we'll certainly be watching that. also u.s. mortgage rates last week rose to their highest level since may 2020. could this further drive up the costs associated with home buying? >> we're seeing a massive rise in prices of homes for those purchasing homes but also in rent prices. to give you a sense of the numbers, home prices are up nearly 40% from the end of 2020. rent for single-family homes were up 10% year on year from october. if you're deciding where to move, the interest rate isn't clear. renting is becoming more financially appealing for many, but a lot will depend on where you live with homeownership more affordable in suburban areas, but in the city, renting remains pretty preferable. citigroup may be the first to enforce the vaccine mandate. it's going to terminate noncompliant workers by the end of the month. should we expect other banking institutions to follow suit? >> we're hearing from other wall street banks. citi is the first to announce this. they reminded employees last week it will be coming into effect january 31st. the ceo said the decision was made because as a government contractor, it needed to comply with president biden's order and lit make it safer for people to return to the work in the office. jon? >> cnbc's julianna tatelbaum. we always appreciate it. she joined us live from london. let's stay overseas with hadley gamble as we dive more into these talks between russia and the u.s. that we discussed earlier in the show. hadley, great to see you. certainly looks like a nice day there in switzerland. both russia and the u.s. have said a deal seems unlikely. if that's the case, what would be the best scenario to come out of these talks? >> honestly, it's about talking and keeping on the talking because at this point as you say both sides essentially are casting a shadow over the next couple of days from geneva to brussels. basically president putin's demands are something the united states can't off the bat commit to. the u.s. nato allies say that's a nonstarter for them, something anthony blinken said was a nontaucing point. it seems like the u.s. is willing to talk. they'd also be willing to talk about military deployments. we see military deployments led by nato multiple times of the year. they always raise the hackles of russians and vice versa. one thing antony blinken was suggesting over the weekend they would potentially be more transparent about the exercises, the when, the where, and the how. they're essentially saying european security is off the table at this point. they're willing to listen to the concerns of the russians, but they're not willing to give much, not at least yet. we'll hear from wendy sherman later in a press conference to hear the readout of the conversations taking place. and also there will be a talk with the deputy prime minister. if there's a conflict in europe, the alliance is ready to respond. it's difficult to understate -- or rather overstate how tense the situation. certainly a cold wind blowing from the east at this point and a lot of concerns about the russian expansion. >> obviously geneva where you are now is the site where president putin and president biden met. is there any sense on the talks coming up later in the week and coming months? >> reporter: they've been speaking by phone as well. the bigger question, why would president putin sent a deputy foreign minister if he could have come himself. he has over 100,000 troops on the border of ukraine. they've been there for weeks. it's been suggested if there were to be an incursion, it would happen in mid-january or end of the month, survivorly before the ground gets too soggy for it to work for the russians. a big question on whether president putin wants to move on this. this is a man who's 69 years old, it's about his leg circumstance the security of russia, its territorial integrity, and he's very angry about the fact when it comes to ukraine and eastern europe, nato has refused to back down. >> cnbc's hadley ggamble. we really appreciate it. still ahead, i'll check in with a leading health expert on the coronavirus and staffing shortages pushing the nation's hospitals to a brink. "way too early" is coming right back. s to a brink "way too early" is coming right "way too early" is coming right back versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. yo is at the heart of everything you do. and if you have heart failure, entrust your heart to entresto. it's the number one heart failure brand prescribed by cardiologists. entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. heart failure can change the structure of your heart, so it may not work as well. entresto helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. and with a healthier heart, there's no telling where life may take you. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto for heart failure. entrust your heart to entresto. super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. a researcher has reportedly discovered a possible new coronavirus strain, and it may be a combination of two current variants. come on. a university research team is calling the strain deltakron because it appears to be a combination of the delta and omicron variants. there have been 25 variants of the new strain. it's too early to tell. that's great news to start our monday. joining us now, pediatric airways surgeon and assistant professor at the medical center in new york city, dr. susannah hills. thank you for being here. let's talk about hospitals. they're getting pushed to the brink right now. we have soaring cases from this new variant and staffing shortages. give us a sense what's happening at hospitals and what do they need? >> right now we're just seeing so many cases that it's spilling over and causing a real crunch on our hospitals. we're topping now 700,000 new cases a day in this country. the number is staggering. it's twice the number where we were at this moment last year. we're seeing that reflected in our hospitalizations. in the state of new york, 40 hospitals were asked over the weekend to stop election active surgeries because of the critical staffing and bed shortages in hospitals across my state in new york, and we're seeing the same thing in other states across the country right now. oregon as well reported they have only 42 hospital beds in their icus, and they put out guidelines should that need arise. so we're seeing it here in new york certainly and now we're seeing it across the state and other states as well. >> it isn't so much that people are as sick as they were from previous strains, at least those who were vaccinated, but there's so many people sick it's straining resources. let's get your take on this new variant that seems to combine delta and omicron. that's not great. but more than that, it seems to be further proof that the pandemic itself isn't going away any time soon. there seems to be the possibility of new strains continuing emerge particularly if there are huge swaths of the country and the world not vaccinated. so how are we going to handle this? are you going to anticipate we're going to need vaccines and boosters, a regular routine we all get every six months or so? >> shift right now in thinking has to be from you know how we are going to get past the surge to get beyond the virus and how we are going to live with the virus for the long-term. that's where we are. the answer primarily is vaccination. in our country and our developing world, vaccination rates are going reasonable well. when there are country's vaccination rate is under 10%, you can see it continues to mutate. more people in our country will get boosters right now, we are still at 30% of people who are eligible getting boosted. we need to of course continue to increase our own numbers with our boosters and with our vaccinations of young people. it's a global issue and we are not going to see a slowing down of this virus or manageable of cases until we get a vaccination level globally that protects the rest of the world. >> you have identified that. an important story there. dr. suzanne hills, we appreciate it. we hope you come back again soon. earlier in the show, we ask all of you this question, why are you awake. scott writes i am up early celebrating the news that novak djokovic been granted permission to play in austria's open. melbourne has been in a lockdown for so many times and novak gets to waltz in, very unfair. well, we don't know if he's been able to play in the tournament just yet. kate in boston is up early recovering from covid with a help of her coffee and her dog. >> we are sorry you are sick and hopefully you are feeling better. that dog is sleeping peacefully and absolutely adorable. donna writes this, waiting for my family to return from florida vacation. those of us coming back from new york city and north eastern place, coming from a warm vacation, and atlanta and laguardia, it's bad enough that you are at laguardia and cold, it's january, you want to get back on the plane. up next, a look at axios' one big thing. a live report from the bronx. the latest from austria and novak djokovic. plus, paul finebaum will join us to preview tonight's national championship games. "morning joe" is as few moment away. games i "morning joe" is as few moment "morning joe" is as few moment away to stay competitive. i discovered prevagen. i started taking it and after a period of time, my memory improved. it was a game-changer for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. people with moderate to severe psoriasis, or psoriatic arthritis, are rethinking the choices they make like the splash they create the way they exaggerate the surprises they initiate. otezla. it's a choice you can make. otezla is not an injection or a cream it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. clerk: hello, how can i? and if you're pregnant or planning to be. 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. [♪♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost® today. plaque psoriasis, the tightness, stinging... ...the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. joining us now to look at axios am, what's our one big thing today in. >> supporters of trump and his supporter of the big lie. it's not just the dynamic where you have republicans trying to make sure that donald trump's endorsement and make sure they stay in good graces of donald trump's voters. they're also raising a lot of money. you got ron hanks and aaron lasso. you will have members of the senate that campaign on really questioning the 2020 election results. that has consequences long-term and down the line. >> jonathan. >> undermining the faith of democracy. and speaking of voting, we have been talking about joe manchin and he continues to be an obstacle to pass voting rights legislation. we know president biden heads to georgia tomorrow. what's the latest from him and what are his democratic colleagues trying to do to move him? >> well, i got to give credit to my colleague alayna treene on this one. how to solve this voting rights question. sometimes they'll go to something else and will come to him a little bit here or there. the challenge for them and this told them the story is dealing with an edge sketch. this is a great deal of frustration, i am sure you and your team also picks this up. where he is on voting rights legislation and part because he has a piece of legislation that addresses some of that. so there is frustration there and we'll see what extent they can get there. there is a similar dynamic with kirsten sinema. manchin engages a lot and you don't always know where he stands after that engagement according to some of the reporting of this piece. >> there is also a real pushing from democrats. oprah also reporting over the weekend of trying to move him. we'll stay on that. hans nichols we appreciate you being here as always today. thank you all of you for getting up way too early with us on this monday morning. "morning joe" with the latest of the terrible fire in the bronx starts right now. we will, we will rock you. sing it. sorry. just keep breathing. the main thing is not the think about the pain. pain is not part of your vocabulary. pain does not exist. >> do you think you can say the word pain a few more times. >> i am trying to keep your mind off of that not so great feeling. >> this morning we are remembering actor and comedian bob saget best known for his role on "full house," he was found dead in orlando hotel room just hours after performing in a set of his comedy tour. he was 65 years old. the sheriff's office says there were no sign of foul play. the cause of death is under investigation. the philadelphia born actor became known to millions when he secured his break out role on "full house" played the widowed father of three, danny tanner. >> i used to sing to deej when she was a little girl. i hope she watches it now. ♪ ♪ i got sunshine on a cloudy day, when