it's "way too early" for this. . good morning and welcome to "way too early." the show that wonders just what exactly happened to january. i'm jonathan le mire on this tuesday, february 1st. let's start with the news. there's new reporting on just how personally involved donald trump was in trying to use federal agencies to seize voting machines in key swing states in the weeks after losing the 2020 election. first was the justice department. two sources familiar with the matter tell "the new york times" that during an oval office meeting in mid to late november, trump told then attorney general bill barr that he received legal counsel that the d.o.j. could take control of the machines as evidence of fraud. according to the times, barr replied telling the president, the d.o.j. has no basis to do that, because there was no probable cause to believe a crime had been committed. sources also tell the times that around that time, trump also tried to persuade state lawmakers in michigan and pennsylvania to use local law enforcement to take control of the voting machining in those states, and they also refused to do so. trump then moved on to the military. the times reports that in a december 18th meeting, michael flynn and sidney powell handed trump a draft executive order that would have authorized the pentagon to seize the voting machines. trump reportedly sought rudy giuliani's counsel but two sources tell the times that giuliani was vehemently opposed to the idea. trump then moved to the department of homeland security. according to sources, trump asked giuliani to call ken cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary at the time to see if he could help. cuccinelli said he could not. nbc news has not independently confirmed this report. and has reached out overnight to the former president for comment. congresswoman liz cheney is adding her voice to the handful of republicans criticizing the former president's suggestion that he might pardon some of the january 6th rioters. take a look. >> some of those people have been charged with things like seditious conspiracy and he says that at the same time that he also says that he acknowledges that he was attempting to quote overturn the election, he threatens prosecutors, he uses the same language that he knows caused the january 6th violence, and i think that it tells us that he clearly would do this all again if he were given the chance. >> congressman adam kinzinger, the only other republican serving on the house select committee investigating the capitol attack also tweeted his crist six. he writes in part this. it is time for every republican leader to pick a side, trump or the constitution. there is no middle on defending our nation anymore. meanwhile, one of former president trump's closest allies is pushing the republican party to formally expel both cheney and kinzinger. according to the "washington post," david, the former deputy campaign manager of trump has submitted a resolution to party leadership calling on the rnc to endorse their ouster. the resolution is expected to be debated by republican national committee members in salt lake city this week. this comes as congresswoman cheney just broke her own fundraising record. she pulled in just over $2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, more than she has in any previous quarter. "politico" notes that part of that funding came from former president george w. bush, in october, donated the maximum individual contribution of $5800 to cheney's re-election campaign. on the form, when you're asked to fill out occupation, he wrote former president of the united states. that's true. new polling suggests that former president trump may be using his grip on the gop. in the latest a. p. poll, 44% of republicans say they don't want the former president to run again in 2024, compared to 56% who do. and in a separate poll from nbc news, 56% of gop voters define themselves as supporters of the party, compared to 36% who define themselves as supporters of trump. that's a major reversal from a poll taken right before the 2020 election. where 54% define themselves as supporters of trump rather than the republican party itself. despite that the former president is still raising a ton of money. he ended the year with $122 million cash on hand. we will take a deeper look at his political war chest later in the show. meanwhile it was a tense meeting at the u.n. security council, as the u.s. and russia engaged in a bitter diplomatic exchange over the crisis in ukraine. american diplomats say russia is endangering peace by amassing hundreds of thousands of troops on ukraine's borders while the kremlin accused the u.s. of what it called fear mongering. >> the discussions about a threat of war is provocative in and of itself. you are almost calling for this. you want it to happen, you're waiting for it to happen as if you want to make your words become a reality. >> this is the largest, this is the largest clearly, mobilization of troops in europe in decades. and as we speak, russia is sending even more forces and arms to join them. if russia further invades ukraine, none of us will be able to say we didn't see it coming. and the consequences will be horrific. >> the verbal confrontation yesterday with one of the sharpest between the two countries in years. president biden says the security council meeting was a quote critical step in rallying the world to speak out in one voice, and reiterated that russia would face swift and severe consequences if they invade ukraine again. >> we continue to urge diplomacy, as the best way forward. but with russia's continuing its buildup of its forces, around ukraine, we are ready no matter what happens. >> meanwhile, a u.s. state department official says russia has sent a written response to u.s. proposals aimed at de-escalating the situation. the official did not give details on moscow's replay saying quote it would be unproductive to negotiate in public so we'll leave it up to russia if they want to discuss their response. this, as secretary of state antony blinken is set to speak with his russian counterpart over the phone later this morning. joining us now, news director for magazine michael weiss, joining us live from ukraine, and thank you again for being with us today. let's talk about what you're hearing there in keev regarding yesterday's developments. there was obviously the heated exchange with the u.n. security council and heard it again from president biden warning of swift consequences if russia invades ukraine but ukraine's posture has been far more calm, skeptical that russia would invade. why the differing posturing from the two capitals? >> reporter: well, zelensky has been very consistent in his messaging because he doesn't want to show panic in the streets of ukraine, they're looking to avoid the trap in reference to the former president of georgia, who in 2008 was basically provoked into engaging russian forces, giving the reason for putin's invasion of georgia. the zelensky administration is very keen to avoid that scenario and there is no real daylight in the military assessment, the ukrainians are well aware of the posture of rush, of the mobilization, 72 tactical groups all over ukraine's borders and counting and belarus now is seen as another flash point, where there are going to be military exercises beginning upon february 10th, and concluding on february 20th. now that date is important, because it's around the time that the olympics are going to end, you know, another speculative kind of point here is that putin does not want to invade during the olympics, to upset beijing, his partner and ally. but also, defender of the fatherland day is a major russian military anniversary, and that's on february 23rd. so the symbolism of possibly mounting some kind of provocation invasion, incursion, whatever you want to call it, it is very pregnant at the end of this coming month. >> so give us a sense, if you will, as to why the west, and washington in particular, feels so confident that an invasion could be imminent and how ready are the ukrainians if it does happen? >> reporter: so i spoke to a senior european official who told me look, the reason that the united states in particular is so exercised about this and has been so adamant trying to prepare the ukrainians for an imminent if not inevitable invasion is that last summer, they obtained very credible, unasalable i was told, intelligence suggesting the order in moscow had been given to prepare for an invasion. so this is very high level intelligence that's been shared by the united states, with its nato allies and european partner, obviously the united kingdom and conveyed broadly to the ukrainians. the ukrainians think they understand the russian mind set a little bit better. as i mentioned yesterday, jonathan, they have been on war footing for eight years and 100,000 people of the population have served in capacity on the front lines engaging pro russian separatists if not conventional russian forces. so the ukrainians say look, this is our neighbor, this is our aggressor that we've been at war with already, we think we understand what mr. putin is doing which is kind of a combination of coercive diplomacy, threats of cyber warfare, threats of invasion, leaving troops at the border, but let's not panic, let's not get ahead of ourselves, bought if we do that for instance if they were to mobilize, if they were to start digging trenches, again pute couldn't see that as a pretext and basically push the button. so that's the ukrainian perspective. so really a difference of assessments of what the actual intentionality is of the kremlin. >> unasalable intelligence to prepare for invasion. striking reporting from michaels we. our man in kyiv the last couple of day, we appreciate your time us with. travel safely. thanks for being with us. still ahead, important news on covid vaccines for the youngest americans. a new time line for when the shots could be approved for kids under five. plus, the goat is not officially done yet. tom brady gives an update on his nfl future. those stories and a check on the weather when we come back. e st on e weather when we come back. 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(naj) one that we don't take lightly. it's why our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. fisher investments is clearly different. ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. a covid vaccine for children younger than five could be available far sooner than expected. according to reports, pfizer is expected to ask the fda to grant its vaccine emergency use authorization as soon as today. the request for a two dose regimen while the drug maker continues to research how well three doses work. according to multiple people familiar with discussions, if approved, this could potentially allow for the vaccine to be available by the end of the month. what a relief for parents if that's the case. so far, children under the age of five have been the only age group in the u.s. ineligible to receive a covid-19 vaccine. meanwhile, the fda has granted full approval of the moderna covid-19 vaccine for people ages 18 and older. the approval was based on data showing high efficacy and favorable safety, approximately six months after the second dose. the vaccine has been available since december 2020 under the emergency use authorization. pfizer's vaccine already referred full approval back in august. new polling shows that most middle easterns think it's time to accept -- most americans think that it's time that covid is here to stay and we should all get on with our lives. in the latest mon mouth university poll say 70% agree with that statement compared with 28% who disagree. among republicans, 89% agree. and among independents, 71%. democrats though are more divided, a slim majority saying they disagree with that sentiment. and in another health story, a clinical trial is now under way to study the safety and efficacy and the mrna based hiv vaccine. moderna said last week, it has administered the first doses of this experimental vaccine. the clinical trial will include a series of shots among 56 healthy hiv negative adults. moderna will be using the same mrna technology that has proven successful in the development of the aforementioned covid-19 vaccine. still ahead, the washington football team unveils their new team tomorrow, but a franchise great may have already given it away. and kids in cincinnati have another reason to celebrate, the bengals super bowl appearance in 33 years. we'll explain next in sports. 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>> you know, jonathan, excited about the news for cincinnati, and a lot of kids today are going to be seeing some snow, causing some major delays as we go into tomorrow. so potential snow days across a good section of the country. this is a very dangerous storm that we're watching, it's going to stretch 2,000 miles impacting about 10 states and that's why 78 million people currently under some kind of winter weather alert, for at least the next three days. today, the development of this storm really starts to happen across the central u.s. this morning, pretty much all good. across little rock, to oklahoma city, and you won't start to notice the changes until later on this afternoon, into your evening hours, where we did start to deal with widespread ice accumulation, and snow. and now, the problem is, this will be impacting some states that are just not used to winter weather. really going to be focused on the dallas/fort worth area, where they could be dealing with at least a quarter of an inch of ice, and this will continue to expand into little rock, all the way into the ohio valley. look at some of these totals that we're talking about, a quarter of an inch, for memphis, this will cause widespread power outages, across this area, and on top of this, to the north, st. louis, the portions of kansas city, could see at least 12 inches of snow. >> we're certainly all remembering what happened last year in texas when they got a winter storm they weren't ready for. power outages for days. please keep an eye on it for us. coming up, the very latest on president's search for a supreme court nominee. plus, i'll be joined by iowa democrat hoping to unseat republican senator chuck grassley in the upcoming midterms. before we go to break, we want to know why are you awake? 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[announcer] there he goes. old spice works harder for longer. hey derrick man, you gonna be much longer? it's gonna be a minute, minute. hey derrick, quit playin'. derrick! the new ww personalpoints program. it's particular to you. what's your favorite food? avocado. you can fill a bathtub. i love it. with guacamole. all over. helps the skin, helps the body. join today for 60% off at ww.com hurry, offer ends february 1st! moving is a handful. join today for 60% off at ww.com no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. welcome back to "way too early." it's a little before 5:30 a.m. on the east coast, 2:30 out west. i'm jonathan le mire. president joe biden is slated to meet with senate judiciary committee leaders today to discuss the upcoming supreme court vacancy and the potential candidates to fill the prestigious slot. dick durbin and chuck grassley will meet with the president to go over potential nominees to replace justice stephen breyer who announced his retirement last week. biden has promised he will nominate a black woman to the high court. the white house is pushing back on the idea that the president choosing a certain candidate just to get bipartisan support, noting ronald reagan pledged to take a woman in 1980, and did so. white house reporter for bloomberg news, the man, the myth, the legend, josh, great to see you this morning. let's talk a little bit about where we see this meeting going, obviously this is a significant moment for this white house, one that may change the conversation and they are certainly looking to, if possible, gain some republican votes even though they can do it with just the a democrats. give us a sense as to where things stand with the scote us search. >> this is in some ways, it kicked off, you know, february is a month where joe biden is going to make his selection, and so this meeting really tees that up, and they've been offering hints bit by bit, of where his thinking is on this, of course, the first announcement we all know that it will be a black woj and jen psaki said yesterday the list is more than a few and pushing back on narratives that have come out and including early support from one of the candidates from south carolina, saying this is not focused on doing something just because lindsey graham will vote for a particular candidate. one nug athlete kind of jumped out that was interesting for this dick durbin saying he got a call from the chief of staff from president biden ron klain to tell about justice breyer's retirement and the first time that there was a call to dick durbin. so that gives you an idea of how significant this. is and big names floated around, a couple of front-runners in particular, but we think joe biden will move pretty quickly and given as you say that, they don't have to have republican votes. this might have less temperature than the previous nominations we've seen certainly. >> president biden not one known for always moving quickly, and they do seem to roll this out if they get it out by the end of february, the state of the union is march 1st, that seems like a nice moment to trum et the pick.that were to happen. and your take on the next couple of stories as well donald trump's latest statement that mike pence could have overturned the election is giving lawmakers new urgency to clarify the vice president's role in certifying elections and a bipartisan group of 16 senators met last night to discuss strategy as they worked to reform the electoral counteract. the bill is currently in the early stages. senator joe manchin who is leading the effort with republican senator susan collins said the legislation is quote on a hot track. okay, so records handed over to the january 6th select committee meanwhile, that came from the national archives, well, get this, they were previously torn up by then president trump, and taped back together by staffers. "politico" reported back in 2018 you will recall that the former president was in the habit of tearing up reports and the national archives confirmed it in response to a question by the waun. the presidential records act that the preservation of all written communication related to the president's official duties. some of the taped pieces were reportedly as small as confetti. so josh, i know you, when you tear up a document, you tend to eat the pieces, too so no one can get their hands on them, but switching gears, to a more serious matter, president biden when it comes to these investigations has been very hands-off, he said look i'm not involved, it's congress, department of justice, there are fire walls here. but there's been increasing pressure from democrats who are listening, particularly in recent days to some of the incendiary rhetoric from the former president, and saying look, we can't take any chances. is there any chance the white house will change their posture here and try to be a little more involved even in terms of just the rhetoric about these probes into trump and january 6th? >> i think there is, i think we're seeing jen psaki kind of leaned into it a yesterday a little bit highlights that remark from trump, where he said the pardon and mic mike pence could have overturned the election quote-unquote. talking to officials, one of the mistakes they think they have made, they find themselves in a bit of a doldrum situation right now, they don't think they have drawn enough contrast with trump specifically in republicans more in general, and we will see them do that, they also seem to be leaning into some of the more partisan media sites, jen perform -- jen pka k i can her talking and joe biden does not like the idea of, you know, a d.o.j. having the president mucking about in what it's doing and habitually wants to try to stay above the fray and the fray might come and get him one way or another and he may lean in a little bit more as the committee works lieu this. >> and as the committee talks more and more about january 6th, i think it might compel this white house to feel like it needs to weigh in as well. josh, thank you pal. we will talk to you again soon. and coming up, we're live with cnbc, for a look at what's driving the markets ahead of the opening bell. >> plus, the news keeps getting worse for u.k. prime minister boris johnson. the new report that has members of parliament fired up. 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do you think, how is it going to set, what will they see ahead for the year? >> well, jonathan yesterday's performance on wall street was pretty stunning. we saw the tech-heavy nasdaq, which as you and i have discussed many times has plummeted in recent weeks, we saw it rise more than 3% yesterday. tesla had the most positive impact on that index. so investors, despite increasing their expectations for rate rises in the year ahead, they are continuing to put money back into the market. and it wasn't just the nasdaq that rallied yesterday. we also saw the s&p 500 close nearly 2% higher. so closing out the month of january, on a high note. now, this week, attention is turning to the tech sector, alphabet reporting their quarterly results, also meta, coming up on wednesday, and amazon on thursday. so a big week for not only nonfarm payrolls but tech earnings. >> sony has agreed to buy video game developer bungee for $3.6 billion, it comes on the heels of microsoft with a huge video game purchase so it seems like that industry, the video game industry is booming. should investors be getting in or out right now? >> well, jonathan, investors and analysts have long been saying that the video game industry was ripe for consolidation. in other words, there were a lot of potential targets out there. and now, what seems to be driving this latest wave of m&a is the big tech players want to get involved. and why is that? well, number one, they want to expand their audiences, but number two, we're hearing from a lot of the tech giants, they want to prepare for the so-called meta verse, the world of the future where we use augmented virtual reality devices, so this push into the video gaming, and m&a and the video game sector plays right into that trend. >> a deal for mario kart would be priceless i'm sure. let's get you though on something else, which of course is the developments there in london where you are, and you've been providing us updates throughout, boris johnson's rather tough stretch, and it seemed yesterday that his grip on power has been weakened that much further by a highly anticipated report alleging his administration defied restrictions, their own restrictions that they him posed on the country and we had a pretty remarkable scene in parliament yesterday, too, give us the latest, do you think he will be able to hang on? >> well, that is the question everybody is asking, jonathan, and indeed, yesterday in the house of commons there were some pretty electric exchanges between the prime minister and the opposition, but also between the prime minister and members of his own party. now, this report that came out yesterday, we have all been waiting for this report, from sue gray, independent inquiry into these allegations of parties taking place through lockdown that were against the rules, the report pointed to a quote lack of, a serious lack of leadership in the office and behavior difficult to justify and excessive alcohol consumption. now the prime minister apologized yesterday in parliament, and is facing calls to resign. so far, he's defied these calls and reports today suggest that he may have won the backing of his conservative party peers. but this is clearly not the end of the road for the prime minister, the end of road for this scandal, we're now awaiting the police investigation results, that investigation is ongoing, and of course, no matter what happens from here, there is the question of what this whole scandal has done to public trust in the prime minister and public trust in the party. jonathan? >> yes, it is certainly a story to watch. and we appreciate your updates. please stay on it for us. live from london, thank you so much. and one other business story, "the new york times" has purchased the explosivively popular word game wordle for an undisclosed seven figure sum, the times announced the purchase yesterday, and will be adding the puzzle to its portfolio of games. wordle will initially remain free to both new and existing players. the times said. the popular game was released in october and quickly took the world by storm. now, with millions of people playing every day, and most, and many of them posting unnecessarily their results on twitter. the game gives players six chances to guess a five letter word daily. usually you start with one word as your go to and guess from there. this show's early, or maybe tiring. still ahead former president trump is fundraising like he wants to run for the white house again but there are some signs that the money isn't flowing like it once was. we'll get into that next. moneyg like it once was we'lgel t into that next now they can. downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh waaaay longer than detergent alone. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load. and enjoy fresher smelling laundry. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. shop online for downy unstopables, including our new, lighter scent. this is a warrior. midnight to morning, she's in command. all-day comfort. all-night shift. head nurse. heart on her sleeve. so, when leaks show up, our protection helps keep them dry. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you.™ (vo) this year, t-mobile for business is here to help you hit the ground running. when you switch to t-mobile and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $800. you can keep your phone. keep your number. and get your employees connected on the largest and fastest 5g network. plus, we give you $200 in facebook ads on us! so you can reach more customers, create more opportunities, and make this the best year for your business yet. visit your local t-mobile store today. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. new filings show donald trump has a massive war chest despite slowing down a little bit, according to a federal election report released yesterday, trump started 2022 with $122 million in political cash. while his haul was down $11 million in the second half of 2021, it still represents a major sum for an ex-president not currently running for office. filings show that trump's main political action committee doled out less than $1.5 million the second half of last year, despite raising more than $51 million in that same period. this of course comes as the former president faces an onslaught of legal problems stemming from both his personal business and his role in the capitol insurrection. joining us now, former democratic congresswoman abbey finkenauer of iowa, running for the u.s. senate seat currently held by chuck grassley. good morning. thanks for joining us. let's start with the political dynamic in your home state. how much does the former president, former president trump, loom over republican politics will? an what's your plan to help democrats win and what many observers could be, believe could be a tough midterm cycle? >> well, look, when it comes to iowa, i mean you just have to look the at the last midterm that happened here, when donald trump is not on the ballot, like in 2018, he had three out of four congressional seats, we had three out of the six statewide ranking democrats. i know that this race is one that we, not just can win, but we need to win, and very specifically, because it's chuck grassley, and because it is me. the contrast between the two of us is what this race is all about. what i did in two years in congress, i was put up against his last ten to 10, and any day of the week. and look, you do not get to side with insurrection nists, you do not get to give up on our democracy and expect to get re-elected to the united states senate in this country and that's what this race is about, and it is why we are going to beat him. >> so in your bid to unseat senator grassley, you've been very vocal about the need to institution term limits in congress. tell us why. >> yes, look, when i went to congress at the beginning of 2019, i remember thinking to myself, okay, you know, what, you can go there, you can work across the aisle, you can get things done, you can cut through this dysfunction, and honestly we did in a lot of different ways, passed a bipartisan bill which is the first two weeks of being there, and just really got things done, but i also saw really the door opening, the curtain pulled back, and i saw there were a lot of folks there, democrats and republicans, who had been there for decks, and some of them, i don't even think they know why they're still there or why they keep running. and you've got senator grassley, who's been there for 47 years. and what has he done for us lately? the guy has talked about term limits his entire career, but he's been a hypocrite when it comes to actually term limiting himself. i was the first union pipe fitter welder's daughter or any family member of a union pipe fitter or plumber, ever elected to the u.s. house of representatives. it is a system that has been designed to keep people, mike me out, and like -- like me out and like folks in iowa out of a seat at the table and that's why we have to change. it instituting term limits is a big piece of how we can do that, and again, it's about voting for them, yes, but it is also about electing people who don't want to spend their entire lives in washington, d.c. i to spend their entire lives in washington, d.c. i don't need nor do i want 47 years in d.c. to get the job done for folks in my state and that's what we're hearing on the ground as well. >> senator grassley, we should note, 88 years old, elected 1980 to that seat. also served time in the house. one more quick one for you. if you are elected to the senate you would have a vote for an upcoming supreme court confirmation. this seat likely will be done before you take office but let's get you to weigh in here. the president has said he would nominate a black woman to the supreme court and republicans say it is inappropriate to limit your choice like that. what do you think? >> i am very glad president biden is keeping his word and going to nominate a black woman to the u.s. supreme court, because we have qualified, brilliant black women in this country who are judges, lawyers, who deserve a seat on that court because they are qualified, because they are brilliant and because they have been kept out of this process the entire history of our country. it is about damn time and i'm excited to see who we are going to nominate. >> abbie finkenaur, candidate for democrat in the senate from iowa. we asked earlier why you are all a wake. chris says he is up early to get after work. infrastructure needs it, we will provide it. what do you have, dan? >> cathy tweeted, waiting for travel. my daughter went to beijing for the olympics. >> once you get to beijing you have to quarantine for a while. safe travels there and good luck with the coverage. another viewer shares this photo of their kitchen and writes, i'm up way too early to claire my best claire mccaskill kitchen backdrop. imitation is the sincerest form of flatterie. senator mccaskill often does her remotes. there it is. there's senators. that's a 10 out of 10 on room rater. i think the viewer gets a similar score. up next, a look at the "axios" "one big thing." coming up on "morning joe," how do democrats plan to hang on to the house majority in mid terms? congressman row khanna and brad schneider will be here and we'll talk on that topic. plus, we will hear from brian deese ahead of what is expected to be pretty disappointing job numbers later in the week. 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(burke) seventeen-car garage you got there? ♪we are farmers♪ ♪bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum♪ like pulsing, electric shocks, sharp, stabbing pains, or an intense burning sensation. what is this nightmare? it's how some people describe... shingles. a painful, blistering rash that could interrupt your life for weeks. forget social events and weekend getaways. if you've had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles is already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles. ♪♪ joining us now to look at "axios" a.m., congressional reporter for action yo elena. great to see you as always. what is the actionon one big thing for this morning? >> good morning, jonathan. great to be here with you. today we have news on the national republican senatorial committee, senator republican's campaign arm. they are out with a new podcast that will be hosted by the chairman, senator rick scott. the interesting thing about the podcast, i mean first of all this isn't typical campaign arms. they don't typically have podcasts. the first guest will be donald trump and that interview will be released lace this week. the thing i think is really interesting here is, of course, you know, a lot of republicans still see donald trump as their rain maker. he's a donor lure. so it is a benefit to having him on the podcast but it also comes at a time when trump's popularity is sagging. there's been multiple polls looking at that. he's obviously facing a lot of heat with the january 6th investigation and, of course, after that very controversial speech where he talked about potentially pardoning january 6th rioters. so it does offer him a little bit of legitimacy. at the same time we also know that he is not on good terms with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, and that's why i always think the choice to have donald trump on a senate republican campaign arm podcast as the first guest is quite interesting, particularly as we continue to see the feud between mcconnell and trump play out. >> yeah, you just nailed the dynamic there. not on good terms is an understatement i would say. elena, tell us about "axios's" new reporting about the democrats' push to sell the new house competition bill. >> yeah. well -- so democrats in the house, particularly front line members who are up for reelection in a lot of districts where they're really vulnerable, they want to run on a package about jobs, they want to run on a package about inflation. these are some of the key attacks republicans are going after them for, and because the biden agenda has so far stalled -- i mean build back better really not seeing a lot of progress and failing to get over the hump. the same thing with comprehensive voting rights legislation. they need a win. this bill, competes act, the america competes act which is the version of the senate bill would need to be a china bill, to compete with china for research, development and innovation and helping to bring the u.s. up to a level that could compete on the global scale. but these house democrats, these vulnerable front line members are honing in on what matters to their district, jobs, inflation, the chips industry. we are seeing that, of course, as a huge issue in rural states. in michigan, i spoke with haley stevens who said she wants to focus on the jobs aspect. it is interesting to see how the messaging is different from what we saw from people like chuck schumer in the senate proposed. >> one more for you. there are restrictions on diversity education. some states are complicating black history month. give us a brief sense. what can you tell us about that? >> look, schools across the country are marking this, right, but it comes amid a backdrop we just can't ignore. i mean tons of schools and teachers across america are still really pushing back and instituting the new laws that limit education of our racial past. of course, it is under the guise of critical race theory. i think to celebrate this month, particularly when we look at the education system, you can't ignore the fact we are seeing this fight across the country with regard to what students can learn about the past and about black history and other, you know, injustices against minorities, particularly in our history. it is very interesting to see how different schools are trying to celebrate this while also recognizing the issues that they're facing in their schools, particularly in some of the worst cases students aren't learning about the history that happened in their backyards. >> no, you are absolutely right. an important story we will definitely stay on in the weeks ahead. elena treene, thank you for being here with us. "morning joe" starts now. meanwhile, the big football story wasn't the game. on saturday espn reported that tom