it's "way too early" for this. ♪♪ good morning and welcome to "way too early," the show that notes that the former president has never been known for his policy chops. i'm jonathan lemire on this tuesday, january 18th. we'll start with the news. the senate will begin voting onnen a pair of voting rights bills today despite strong backing from the white house that will likely fail to pass. the senate will convene this afternoon to begin debating but is not expected to hold a vote today. after debate on the bills begin, senate majority leader chuck schumer will move to end debate. that requires a filibuster-proof 60-vote margin, and that's when republicans are expected to block the bills. senator schumer said he'll put forward a bill on the filibuster change after it's used to block the voting rights legislation. >> the only path forward on this important issue is to change the rules to bypass the filibuster, and right now there are two democrats who don't want to make that happen, but the fight is not over. far from it. >> that vote is also likely to fail. democratic senators joe manchin and kyrsten sinema have publicly affirmed their opposition to changing the filibuster, acknowledging they do not have the votes, some democrats are changing course. they have floetd implementing a talking filibuster that would allow opponents to delay a bill for as long as they can hold the floor, but after that, well, it would be able to pass by a simple majority. democrats missed their self-imposed deadline to vote on the bills by martin luther king jr. day, yesterday, but the white house and dr. king's family marked the holiday by calling on the senate to act. the king family marched with activists in washington, d.c., to pressure lawmakers to end the filibuster and allow voting rights to pass. meanwhile, house speaker nancy pelosi made her case for changing the filibuster in a forceful speech yesterday. >> so i ask our colleagues in the senate respectfully for what they think the filibuster means, to compare that, to weigh the equities against our democracy because nothing less is at stake than our democracy. if you really truly want to honor dr. king, don't dishonor him by using a congressional custom as an excuse for protecting our democracy. >> senator bernie sanders tweeted directly at the two moderate democrats holding up the legislation, writing part, quote, will 50 democrats vote to override the filibuster, protect american democracy, and pass the bill, or will manchin and sinema vote with the gop and let the bill die? the white house didn't spare the senators either. when asked about manchin and sinema, vice president harris had this to say. >> as i've said before, there are 100 members in the united states senate, and i'm not going to absolve nor should any of us absolve any member of the united states senate from taking on a responsibility to follow through on the oath that they all took to support and defend the constitution of the united states. >> in his address at the national action network, president biden on vote the legacy of dr. king. >> it's no longer about just who gets to vote. it's about who gets to count the vote and whether your vote counts at all. it's about voter suppression and election subversion. in his time through his courage, his conviction, and his commitment, dr. king held a mirror up to america and forced us to answer the question, where do we stand? whose side are we on? we're in another moment right now where the mirror's being held up to america, being held up again. the question being asked again, where do we stand? >> the president of the national action network, the reverend al sharpton will be my guest a little later in the show. we'll ask him about the democratic push for voting rights. joining us now is congressional reporter for "politico," nicholas wu. thank you so much for being here. with manchin and sinema both saying they're not going to back changes to the filibuster, the strategy appears doomed if for democrats. so talk to us as to why senator schumer is still calling for these proceedings today on the senate, and how do you see it playing out? >> right. so, yes, the -- changing the rules in the senate just requires a simple majority. but remember in a 50/50 senate, you know, if you lose one democrat or in this case two, you know, this is going to doom any attempt at a rules change. when this comes up as soon as today, yes, that is a doomed vote. but the bigger picture here for democrats is that, you know, progress irv activists have been waiting for a long time to try to take a vote on the filibuster and really put what they see as this kind of archaic relic out of its misery, but, you know, that's not going to happen today. so the question for democrats is whether they've set expectation taos high about changing the filibuster and for trying to achieve some kind of election reform compared to what they're actually going to be able to deliver here, which for now seems like nothing. >> yeah. really been mounting pressure on democrats from members of their base, from civil rights groups to be able to show action, not just rhetoric. and at least to this point, it's just the words. nicholas, hang tight for a second because i also want to get your take on this story. in an interview with newsmax yesterday former president donald trump was asked what they would do first if they took over at the midterms. well, he didn't seem to have any specific answers. take a look. >> sounds like the republicans are going to take back control of the congress. what would you like them to do first? >> number one, take back. we have to take it back. these are radicalized, horrible people that hate our country what they're doing with the open borders and the judges and all of the things they've been doing is so sad. and then you look at after indian stan as a topper, the way they came out. we were coming out and we were coming out strong, with dignity. there's never been a lower point than what happened with afghanistan in my opinion. so, number one, we've got to win the house, and i think we can win the senate also. we should win the house maybe handily, and i think we should win the senate. >> i'm not going to ask you to weigh in on the former president's fashion sense, no tie, certainly one button too low. he didn't dive into policy. he told one group, hey, bring me anything to sign and i'll sign it. outside of a couple of statements about the border and taxes, not much there. he's still, of course, gop king maker. give us a sense of congressional candidates. what sort of agenda are they going to push forward to make them say, hey, we're aligned with that guy? >> well, for now, you know, like you said, the former president is not necessarily known for putting forward some kind of affirmative declaration policy. you know, that hasn't necessarily been the major focus from congressional republicans either. they're just -- you know, they're running a simple campaign message now of not being biden and not being democrats some of far at least based on polling, that might be enough to get them the majority. but it still seems the former president has a fair amount of influence in american republican politics especially on the hillside. look at the number of republicans in the house who voted to impeach the president who have now announced they're retiring from the office, whereas the senate in pennsylvania, for example, are duking it out, trying to win the former president's endorsement. he still looms very large over all of this. >> yeah. certainly, though, i think a lot of republicans, congressional candidates, would love to be talking about 2022 during this campaign and not about 2020. we'll have to see if the former president will do the same. i kind of doubt it. "politico's" nicholas wu, we appreciate it as always. we'll see you soon. still ahead s the omicron variant the last wave of the covid pandemic? the latest outlook from dr. fauci. we'll get into that. plus, new details in the tense hostage standoff inside a synagogue. how the rabbi helped the hostages escape. those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. weather when we come right back. my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? 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"way too early" is coming right back with that answer. 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it's too windy. but with a huge selection of wellness support products for nutrition, sleep, immune systems and energy, cvs can help them happen a little less. and he wants to finally win a playoff game and have people stop talking about that. here's al beckham jr. he wants to throw it. got a man on the sideline. it's cam akers. and the rams aren't done yet. razzle-dazzle hollywood style. he'll get a first down at the one. no turning around. off the turf and into the end zone, touchdown, rams. >> already up 21-0 at the half the rams extend their lead on the first drive of the quarter after al beckham jr.'s trick play. nice throw. that set up a play in the end zone a couple of plays later. that was the second of a pair of touchdowns thrown by los angeles quarterback matthew stafford who also ran one in over last night's dominant win over the arizona cardinals. kyler murray played very poorly. it's the first postseason win in stafford's 13-year career. he spent most of his time with detroit. let's go to cleveland. in their first game without kevin durant since his knee injury, it's expected to sideline him for the next six week. the brooklyn nets fell to the cleveland cavaliers despite the 17 points scored by kyrie irving in his 14th game in the season. there was some hope he would have a change of heart and get vaccinated so he could play in home games with kevin durant out. >> he's going to be okay. we're going to have to deal with that as his teammates, but in terms of where i am with my life outside of this, i stay rooted in my decision, and that's just what it is. i love being with my teammates, i love playing on the nets, but i've already been away enough times to think about this, to process it, to be able to make this decision, stand strong. i understand that people are going to agree and some people are going to disagree. >> kyrie irving undeniably letting his teammates down. now to a historic performance on the ice with san jose sharks. timo meier with five goals. the last time, seven in 1920. the australian open is under way in melbourne, but it no not include u.s.'sfernandez. that's the thirst year in a row he's failed to progress to the second round in the first tennis major of the season. meanwhile garbine kept everything intact for the tenth straight time. on the men's side following his breakthrough major tight alt the u.s. open last fall, denying novak djokovic grand slam, he made history yesterday. he's aiming to become the first man to win his second major tight his next grand slam appearance. and it took five sets, but andy murray, he's back. he knocks his first one back in five years. he advanced to the second round. time now for the weather. let's go meteorologist michelle grossman for the forecast. michelle, how are you, and how's it looking out there? >> i'm good. i hope you are good too. it's cold. we saw the snow move away. the storm is out of here, and we're left with some cold weather and also really windy conditions. let's take a look at the number this morning because we're waking up and walking out the door. the temperatures in the northeast in the 20s. it's feeling like the teens in a lot of spots. it ooh going to be cold all day long. you see the areas in purple and pink. in buffalo it feels like 12. 13 in newburgh and 16 in portland. temperatures not going very far this afternoon. 10 degrees in watertown and 10 in bangor, maine. we have winter weather alerts for snowe this morning in the upper great lakes. that clipper is going to move across the great lakes bringing snow later tomorrow into new england and then we're going to be cold, cold. jonathan, we're looking at the potential -- a slight tease -- a potential for a storm in the northeast. we could see a coastal swell move up. >> all right. michelle grossman, i trufts you'll keep an eye on that for us. still ahead, republican senator ron johnson announced last week that he's running for a third term despite a previous pledge to retire. i'll be joined by wisconsin's governor, a democrat hoping to unseat him. but before we go to break, we want to know why you're awake. email us your reasons to [email protected] or tweet me @jonlemire or tweet me at #waytooearly. we'll read our favorite answers later in the show. jooic jooi 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 (burke) with farmers auto multi-policy discount, the more policies you now you know. have with us, the more you could save on your auto insurance. 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>> thanks for having me. i'll say people are frustrated with people getting elected to elevate themselves. he's doubled his wealth because of the tax breaks he was given while we're doing the work to provide for middle-class families to expand the middle class in wisconsin, protect our family farmers, all of our working families, in fact, also our small businesses, especially as we try to rebounding from the impacts of the pandemic, which senator johnson has constantly downplayed the impact like the insurrection and climate change, which is devastating our family farms and industry and vulnerable communities. the difference couldn't be more clear. we're fighting to deliver more opportunity for working families, and ron johnson is delivering opportunities for himself and others. >> one of the reasons why is about the response to the pandemic. senator johnson as you said has downplayed the severity of the virus at times and certainly taken at times a skeptical stance on the covid-19 vaccinations. talk to us about why that's important, particularly since wisconsin is one of those states right now that's really seeing a surge in cases and hospitalizations? >> it's important because of how dangerous senator johnson's rhetoric has been. it's literally costing lives. we elect leaders in situations like this, in times like this, in times of crisis, and ron johnson has failed to answer the call every single step of the way. spent much of 20 going around the state making sure there was testing infrastructure, making sure we had vaccine clinics ready and available to people, but at the same time we had people like ron johnson who made not just our jobs difficult, but he made life difficult for a lot of people, people who unnecessarily had to struggle and deal with the impacts of the pandemic, people who endeded up on respirators and in icu beds because they believed with one of their senators was saying, and that's not the way to -- that's not what you were elected to do. if he's not going to do the job he was elected to do, i'm going do it for him. that's exactly why i'm running torque keep people safe in the state of wisconsin, keep people safe across the entire country, especially as the pandemic continues to rage. >> mr. lieutenant governor, you said you have favored getting rid of the filibuster in the senate. they'll be debating on voting rights today. give us a message for fellow democrats manchin and sinema who have an opportunity to change the filibuster, and also are you not concerned if the filibuster is implemented, what the republicans could do with that if they were to take control of the senate? >> it's certainly disappointing in a moment like this as we just celebrated the life and legacy of dr. martin luther king. we know the one thing that is in the way of voting rights right now in this country, but, look, it's more than just one or two senators because people like ron johnson have been no partner in this court to help save our democracy. that's why one of his first plans was a call for ending the filibuster, that calls for an end to election subversion and bans members of congress from trading individual stocks. now people are looking for these sorts of reforms. that's why there's such a frustration because, again, politicians have been incredibly self-serving in washington, d.c., leave working families in the dust. it's a body that's failing to deliver. that's exactly why i'm running. now, of course, getting rid of the filibuster will help advance the cause, help us moving forward as a country. there's not even a question at this moment about getting rid of the filibuster. and to your point about republicans, if we could get rid of the filibuster, i think about all the incredible things we could do for families in this country. that would be of no concern to republicans. there would be little argument what direction the country is moving if we got rid of the filibuster. yes, of course. you can join the team, www.mandelabarnes.com. >> democratic candidate for u.s. senate in wisconsin. good luck to you out there. we hope to talk with downtown the road. still ahead, we'll go live to cnbc for an early look at what's driving the day on wall street. plus, blame it on inflation. peloton is adding hundreds of dollars in fees to its bike and treadmill. 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>> all the elected tweeters throughout tweeting, posting, and celebrating my grandfather dr. king today, my message to you is simple. do not celebrate. legislate. the senate must do the right thing when this legislation comes to a vote tomorrow. senator sinema, senator manchin, our future hinges on your decision, and history will remember what choice you make. >> we're very pleased to say joining us now is the host of msnbc's "politicsnation" and the president of the national action network, the reverend al sharpton. great to see you this morning. you're, of course, the author of a new book, "right out troublemakers." i'll get to your book in a moment but i want to respond to tim scott's comment who said president biden's voting rights speech last week in atlanta was misleading. what's your take on that? >> i was at the speech and i not only did not feel it was misleading, i felt it was right on point. president biden said in his speech what many of us in civil rights leadership have been saying all along, and that is that you must choose what side you're on in america, and he laid out the sides. and i think that what senator scott, in all due respect, and many in the republican party have done is tried to avoid saying which side they're on. they're trying to say they're for voting rights, but they're not for the voting rights bill. they're trying to say that they want to see equal access to the ballot box, but they will not come out against the 19 states that have changed election laws that would impede people's right to vote. i think that what president biden said is exactly right. you can't walk on both sides of the street at the same time. he called them out to choose which side they're on. i thought it was not only appropriate. i thought it was necessary. >> sir reverend al, a number of activists and a number of civilian rights groups said mlk day yesterday was the deadline to show progress on voting rights swrechl no reason to believe that that sinema and manchin will change their positions this week. if that remains the case and there is no obvious path to legislation, have the white house and democrats done enough on voting rights? >> well, as you know and i have covered that and i have been one for months trying to push the white house to move early on fi filibuster. i was glad to see the president come out. having said that if the vote goes down today the way we feel and will and senator schumer -- he gave the indication it was going to be different in the vote of sinema and manchin. the vote goes down where the democrats can't deliver the 50 votes to try to get the rules changed. we must go to plan b and civil rights organization. determining that we are going to go to the president and to the attorney general to see if we can go with the doj and deal with some of these state laws in terms of violating voting rights and showing the district proportionate impact and what we can do with executive orders. either way, whatever way the vote goes and we hope to the last moment as the king family and all of us have worked together that sinema and manchin may change their minds. even if they don't, we are determined we are not going to stop. we are going to keep the pressure on and next stop will be the white house and if department of justice. >> very quickly if you can tell a little bit more of your new book, one of these righteous troublemakers we may not know much about. >> well, i want to write a book about many people that never got the limelights like many of us have in the civil rights and human rights movement. attorney paul murray is one who wrote in of the legal basis that democracy used, the supreme court and the board and brown verses the board of education. she never got the limelight because she did this in the 50s where women were never given the limelight and she was gay. i figured that as long as i had some limelight like doing "way too early," i want to share the limelight with those that pave the way for people. >> lights are rarely brighter than those who are way too early. reverend sharpton, we appreciate you being here. congrats on the book, we'll talk to you soon. >> earlier in the show, we ask you this question. she's up too early because her dogs kicked her out of bed. katelyn writes this, the wolf moon creating such light here in nor cal brought everybody out. and pete, that's a good shot. thank you for all of you watching. up next a look at axios one big thing. as the rev mentions all eyes are on the senate today. democrats will begin debates on new voting rights legislation. as a 22-year-old college senior, an incumbent republican who's been in office longer than he's been alive. he joins with the message with the young people looking for a seat at the table. 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[music: “you can get it if you really want” by jimmy cliff] 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. women are living longer than ever before with kisqali when taken with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant alone. kisqali can cause lung problems, or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. avoid grapefruit during treatment. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. joining us now, we'll look at axios am, our friend hans nichols. what's axios one big thing today? >> the one big thing we are looking at is where donald trump is saying about desantis. he has two damming criticisms and i think you know which one is more damming for the president. number one, he thinks, trump thinks he's telling desantis is he's ingrateful, making him win governor and gets all the national things. the other criticism is more devastating. he thinks desantis is dull. you know from covering donald trump, the one thing if you want to be in his mind if you are looking for his hort is to be dull. desantis is not concerned about this. he's going ahead of what he wants to do. he has not said whether he'll jump out of the race if donald trump decides to jump in. we have most candidates where if trump is in, i am either out or endorsing him. >> hans, there are obviously no sure things in politics. right now with the president's slow approval rating and historical trends it would indicate that the republicans would take back the house in 2022. there is a good chance of that. kevin mccarthy, well, he's imminent to be speaker. axios recently sat down with him, what did you guys learn in terms of what change we should expect if he were to take the top post? >> he's going to be much more aggressive than previous republican speaker of the house. the contrast is so stark. look at what mccarthy is signaling. he's talking about being more aggressive on immigration reform. he's talking about taking fights to traditional allies and republican party around town. you look at the sort of the probusiness sentiment of paul ryan, these are two radical speakers, yes, from the same party but probably only in name. >> mccarthy seems to be looking to channel the trump's agenda whether trump resumes another presidential campaign or not. hans nichols no one ever said you were dull. we are grateful for you being here. thanks to all of you waking up way too early with us on this tuesday morning. see you over there. this week in covid history. it's time to check in with everyone's favorite host of "the apprentice." >> all right, come with me if you want to live. let me think about that. >> news flash. america's military is on the march, the inauguration of stopping young joseph robert biden featuring hollywood of royalty, lady gaga and jennifer from the block. is it getting hot in here? no, says bernie sanders. >> former