now, and it could be upgraded to an extremely dangerous category 4 storm. residents now bracing for strong winds and a life threatening storm surge. officials are warning folks to get out, stressing that the high waters could prove deadly. we have team coverage at this hour. meteorologist angie lassman is tracking the storm's path plus live reports from tampa and gainesville where evacuations are underway. plus, special counsel jack smith's team is looking into rudy giuliani's drinking. we'll explain how that issue could play a role in one of donald trump's key legal defenses. plus a new fund-raising goal for the former president. a very specific number he wants to earn by the end of the month that looks eerily familiar. good morning and welcome to "way too early" on this wednesday, august 30th. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for starting your day with us. and we, of course, begin rng this morning with hurricane idalia which is now a category 4 storm and is forecasted to make landfall along florida's big bend where the peninsula merges into the panhandle as a category 4 hurricane between 6:00 and 9:00 this morning, eastern time. that's just a few hours from now. if idalia does make landfall as a category 4, the national hurricane center says it'll have sustained winds of 130 to 156 miles per hour with a very high risk of injury or death, and it would likely produce catastrophic damage. another major concern is an expected record breaking storm surge of 12 to 16 feet in the landfall zone. florida officials warn the surge could impact areas up to 200 miles south into the tampa area and may leave portions of of that region uninhabitable for an extended period of time. several areas of idalia storm surge are expected to be higher than hurricane ian's last year, which you'll recall devastated the fort myers, florida, area and killed 149 people. in addition, hurricane force winds will extend 25 miles outward from wherever the storm makes landfall. the tallahassee national weather service says that the wind will likely cause significant damage, which also could leave the areas hit uninhabitable for several weeks or maybe even multiple months. as idalia tracks inland, officials are also warning of major coastal flooding between savannah, georgia, and charleston, south carolina, due to a high tide, which is already expected to be higher than normal due to the occurrence of a rare blue super moon. we have complete coverage all morning long. and starting us off, joining us now live from gainesville, florida, nbc's jake gray and also our friend angie lassman at 30 rock. jay, i'll start with you. you've covered a number of these storms. how are things looking now? we can see the rain is coming down as the storm is just a few hours from landfall. >> reporter: yeah, and jonathan, no question we're seeing the bands get a little tighter. we've had the outer bands bringing rain like this and some stepped up winds over the last several hours. we know that's going to change dramatically as we move closer to landfall, and we won't get that break in the bands. it will be one steady rain here in gainesville. we're going to see hurricane force winds. a big concern obviously with the university of florida campus located here, those students don't have class. i mean that's pretty clear, but they're also being told to either get out of the area, and if you haven't done that at this point to shelter in place and make sure to ride this thing out. what will we see when it happens, this is an area heavily populated with trees. we'll see trees pulled down, power lines pulled down as well. national guard troops have been deployed and they're ready to move in when this storm clears and all the power teams stay just outside the strike zone, and they'll have quite a task once this thing clears and gets out of the way. right now everything focused on the coastline and seeing this storm make landfall in the next couple of hours and bringing with it you talked about really an unprecedented storm surge as the forecast holds 12 to 16 feet, water taller than a first story building. that's something catastrophic as the hurricane center says of damage in areas that are hit. right now a bit of a spinning rain. we've seen it harder at times, but we expect that's going to pick up dramatically over the next several hours. >> jay, one last quick one for you. is there a sense people have listened to these requests from officials to evacuate the area as the storm bears down? >> reporter: you know, jonathan, i hesitate to say many haven't. it was crowded yesterday. we made the trip from tampa into gainesville where the storm is also making the trip, and there were a lot of people out. a lot of people preparing but preparing to stay, getting supplies, getting into place. so it looks like a lot of people in this area have decided to ride this thing out. it is a bit inland, so that surge won't be an issue. but they best be prepared, jonathan, to go for weeks if not longer without power and with problems to the infrastructure across this city because it looks like they're going to take a tough hit here. >> nbc's jay gray live for us from gainesville, florida, thank you and please stay safe. now let's turn to meteorologist angie lassman for the very latest on the storm's path. angie, tell us what we're looking at. >> so we're looking alt a category 4 storm. this is the latest update we've gotten from the national hurricane center as of 5:00 this morning. hundredestly it doesn't matter a strong category 3 or a weak category 4, the impacts are going to be the same. yes, we've seen the system continue to intensify now with the winds at 130 miles per hour, still a little time before it makes landfall, still time as it spins over the warm waters to strengthen even further. either way the impacts and devastation that could occur from them is not going to change. it's right now moving at 18 miles per hour. at least we're not going to get in those likely double digit areas for a widespread area. when you have a system moving fast like that, it limits that. but it doesn't limit the destruction when it comes to the storm surge and we've got those very strong winds, hurricane force winds we're expecting near the center of the storm. one other important update we got at 5:00 a.m. is it looks like it'll stay fairly strong a little longer than expected. we have seen hurricane watches and warnings issued for other parts. look as it crosses that florida, georgia line. we're talking a category 4 storm still, and as it moves further towards parts of the carolinas it does become a tropical storm by tomorrow morning at 2:00 a.m. either way talking about heavy rain, storm surge for all the same areas. the impacts, again, have not changed. we've got the hurricane warnings extended into parts of georgia, that's one of the updates i mentioned. we've of course got the outer bands working into the western part of florida. you saw where jay was getting a bit of a brief break from the rain but remember how the circulation of a system like this works. we get a couple of breaks and rain wrapping back in. that's going to be a key player, too, and spin ups for tornados. we'll talk about that in a moment. let's focus on the biggest issue which i think is the storm surge. we've got historic storm surge conditions possible especially around the big bend area. steinhatchee, cedar key. when we're talking about 12 feet that's the first floor of a house. hopefully people heeded those warnings in this region because especially closer to the coast you go, the worse those conditions are going to be. and remember water is destructive. it washes away anything in its path when we're talking about not just a wall of water but it could be accompanied by those very strong winds and large, destructive waves. this is what we're watching right now as far as folks on the west coast of florida. when we look to the east coast including parts of georgia and carolinas, fairly good surge as well. 2 to 4 feet. that's pretty impressive in this area especially when we're talking about high tide and we have that full moon you're expecting. so your tides are going to be elevated just as the time we're looking at the worst of the surge coming in especially places like charleston, savannah, stretching down to fernanda beach anywhere from 2 to 4 feet. don't take that lightly. of course the worst of it on tap in the short-term is going to be for the state of florida on the west coast. through today that's where we're going to watch. the storm surge right now, jonathan, coming in frump tampa, that is above that ground level. so along with the strong winds, along with the heavy rain, up to a foot, it's going to be a couple hours of really difficult conditions for folks in this area. >> storm surge of 10, 12, 15 feet, truly, truly lethal stuff. hopefully people have heeded the orders to evacuate. angie, thank you for that. we'll check in with you in just a few minutes. coming up on "way too early" we'll have much, much more on the massive hurricane pounding the gulf coast. we'll have a live report from tampa straight ahead. we'll also look some of the days other headlines including a new reporting on special counsel jack smith's team questioning witnesses about rudy giuliani's drinking. plus we'll bring you the latest from fulton county, georgia, where district attorney fani willis is looking to expedite the trial for all 19 defendants in that state's sprawling election interference case. those stories and much, much more when we come right back. wk oh, hello! hi! do you know that every load of laundry could be worth as much as $300? really? and your clothes just keep getting more damaged the more times you wash them. downy protects fibers, doing more than detergent alone. see? this one looks brand new. saves me money? i'm starting to like downy. downy saves loads. 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governor -- and the mayor that we're going to make sure they have everything they need. >> that was president joe biden at the white house yesterday on the federal response to hurricane idalia. we'll speak with the mayors of st. petersburg, tampa, and tallahassee. all cities in the storm's path coming up a little later on "morning joe." plus we'll have a live report from florida's gulf coast in just a few minutes as we have continuing coverage of this approaching storm. but first we want to turn to a few other headlines now including the legal problems for donald trump where special counsel jack smith's team is now reportedly grilling witnesses about the drinking habits of the former president's ex-personal attorney as a way to undercut one of trump's likely defenses. so according to three sources who spoke with rolling stone, smith's office is looking into how intoxicated rudy giuliani was when giuliani, the former new york city mayor, gave trump legal advice on election night in 2020 and in the weeks that followed. this in connection with the charges against trump for allegedly trying to stay in power after losing that november to joe biden. those sources are reportedly someone who has been in the room with smith's team. an attorney for the witness and a third person familiar with the matter. giuliani's alleged drinking after the election could potentially wipeout what seems to be trump's likely defense in the case he was simply following the advice of his lawyers when he spread lies about the election. the sources telling rolling stone smith is asking if trump knew giuliani had been drinking too much, was under the influence of alcohol when he was giving that advice. in a statement to rolling stone a giuliani spokesperson denied theal aigations saying, quote, one should always question a story that is completely reliant on anonymous sources. nbc news cannot independently verify rolling stone's reporting. we've also reached out to giuliani team for a response but have not heard back yet at this time. to note there have been reporting over the years over trump's time in office he had expressed some concerns about giuliani's alcohol use. two years since the u.s. military's chaotic and deadly withdrawal from afghanistan, the families of service members killed in a bombing there are still demanding answers. nbc news correspondent ryan nobles has more. >> reporter: two years ago herman and alicia lopez lost their son hunter. >> it's something that no one thinks will ever happen to their family. >> reporter: he was one of 13 u.s. service members killed in the isis bombing near abby gate atika boule airport in afghanistan. he planned to join his hometown sheriff's office. >> he didn't get that chance and we'd like people to give us the truth of what happened and be honest with us. >> reporter: the lopezes one of several gold star families demanding accountability. >> i don't want to hear lies, i don't want to hear excuses from president biden. >> reporter: many blaming president biden. >> several presidents preceded mr. biden in this 20-year ward but none of it them are going to be held accountable for the withdrawal. that is he and he alone. >> reporter: the chaotic withdrawal began as the taliban quickly took over the country. president biden argued leaving afghanistan was the right choice. >> i was not going to extend this forever war, and i was not extending a forever exit. >> reporter: the pentagon defending its response. >> u.s. military commanders on the ground in afghanistan made decisions that they could with the information that they had at the time. >> that's nbc's ryan nobles with that report. coming up here on "way too early" we'll have much, much more on the hurricane barrelling towards the florida coast. we'll speak to a member of congress about whether the partisan fights in washington could impact disaster relief funding. we'll have that live report on the ground, much more on the storm's path when we come 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areas to evacuate. 49 of the state's 67 counties are under a state emergency, and at least 30 of those counties have issued evacuation orders. governor ron desantis says resources are being made available throughout the state to help restore power and respond to threats of life if needed. and the state is d texas and pennsylvania have also sent personnel to help with rescue and recovery efforts. desantis has warned that this hurricane could be one of the biggest storms to hit florida's big bend area in more than a century. >> this is going to be something that will leave significant impacts, and particular in this part of the state really got to go back to the late 1,800s to find a storm of this magnitude to enter where this one looks like it's going to enter tomorrow. we don't really have historical analog in anyone's memory it's likely to cause a lot of damage, and that's just the reality so be prepared for that, be prepared to lose power and just know there's a lot of folks that are going to be there to help you get back on your feet. >> and that's the message so many officials are really underscoring, there's never been a storm quite like this before. please, please, everyone in its path should listen to those warnings. the white house is reiterating calls for florida residents to indeed take all those storm warnings seriously. officials say the storm surge will likely have the most damaging effect. forecasters predict it could reach up to 16 feet in that big bend region of florida. >> this storm surge, this is one of the highest risk parts of a hurricane and is especially problematic along the west coast of florida due to the underwater geography. the coastal shelf gets shallow very quickly which increases the amount of the storm surge, putting more people at risk. very few people can survive being in the path of major storm surge, and this storm will be deadly if we don't get out of harms way and take it seriously. >> that's the head of fema briefing reporters at the white house yesterday. president biden says that he's been in constant communication with governor desantis and other florida state officials. the president is expected to deliver remarks on the federal government's response to the hurricane as well as the wildfires in maui. that will be a little later today. still ahead here on "way too early," we'll bring you another check on the path of hurricane idalia. we'll also get a live report from tampa, florida, when we come right back. tampa, floridae meco right back. ♪ on your period, sudden gushes happen. say goodbye gush fears! thanks to always ultra thins... with rapiddry technology... that absorbs two times faster. hellooo clean and comfortable. always. fear no gush. since my citi custom cash® card automatically adjusts to earn me more cash back in my top eligible category... suddenly life's feeling a little more automatic. like doors opening wherever i go... 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[exhales] easy to apply for the whole family. vicks vapostick and try vaposhower for steamy vicks vapors. welcome back to "way too early." it is 5:28 a.m. here on the east coast, 2:28 out west. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for being with us as we continue to track the path of hurricane idalia, which is now an extremely dangerous category 4 storm. it is churning off the coast of florida where it is expected to make landfall later this morning bringing a catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds to that state's gulf coast. joining us now from tampa, florida, nbc news correspondent marissa parra. marissa, we can see the water coming over the barricades there. give us a sense of the latest conditions there in tampa and how much worse things could get. >> yeah, so just to give you a lay of the land right now, as you mentioned we are in the tampa area, now this specifically called davis island and people in the tampa area are used to seeing flooding. we're talking about a very vulnerable area to surges, but the interesting thing about where i am right now if we were to pan the camera over there, you'll see we're outside tampa general hospital. this is tampa bay's only level one trauma center. you'll see over there those are called aqua fences. that is the barrier. that is the last line of defense for this hospital. they're supposed to be remaining operational throughout hurricane idalia, and this is something important to remember because what we're on is an island. the only way on or off if we turn the camera back around, the only way on or off here is through these bridges. as you can tell from where i'm standing right now this water quickly filling up here. i did have a chance to talk to some employees and i ask them how often do you see this? is this normal. because we know in the tampa bay area they see flooding all the time, but they said this is not something they're used to seeing. this they've only seen a handful of times while working here. that's interesting. we know police have been keeping a close eye on this, and so i did ask around what happens if you can't access the hospital here, what happens if someone is in need of level one trauma center attention, and they can't get to this hospital for some reason. and my understanding from what i've heard and asking around they would be diverted. i think this really underscores why authorities say if you are in those zone "a" areas, that is mandatory evacuation, low-lying areas vulnerable to flooding and surges like where we are right now, this is why authorities say please leave and evacuate, because if you do need help, it might get to a point where it's too late or we are not able to get to you or get you this help and the service you need. so around the area we were talking about tampa bay -- around the area we've seen flooding on streets in saint petersburg, clear water beach. we know the skyway bridge that is a key connection between lower tampa bay and st. petersburg. that bridge is closed right now because they're seeing winds over 50 miles per hour. not a total surprise because that is something that often happens. it's a very high bridge. a lot of space between the bridge and the ocean, but still this is kind of what we're seeing in tampa. we knew from the start -- not from the start necessarily but we've known for a while tampa wasn't going to be in the direct path of idalia, but the biggest concerns has been and remains this right here. tampabear we were seeing already higher than usual water levels here. and we know with more rain this is only going to continue to flood out here. back to you. >> and certainly the fate of that hospital and hospital like it front of mind and everyone in that region. please stay safe there. thank you for your reporting. we, of course, will have more coverage of the storm throughout our show. we want to turn to a couple other headlines now. former president trump and his 18 codefendants in a fulton county election interference case could go to trial as early as october. in a new court filing district attorney fani willis argued all defendants should be tried together and asked the judge to schedule every defendant's trial for the same date that's been set for kenneth chesebro whose request for a speedy trial has been granted. former trump lawyer sydney powell has also requested a speedy trial. georgia law dictates if a defendant calls for a speedy trial it you must be held after two court terms after their arraignment. the defendants in this case are all scheduled to be arraigned september 6th. the fulton county case will become the first of former president trump's four indictments to go to trial. joining us now former federal prosecutor and certainly a regular for us of late. let's start there with that request from the d.a. is there a sense that could be approved? has there been early chatter when this case was first brought this would be pretty slow moving because of how sprawling and expansive it is. do you think it could go to trial as early as october? >> reporter: i think it's extremely unlikely the request is going to be granted. it's one thing for a request like that to be granted at the defendant's insistence, but when you're talking about a group of people going to include a group of people that don't want to go to trial that quickly for significant legal reasons, they need to be able to defend themselves, and they could argue we need time to mount a defense, we shouldn't be tied to just this one guy who wants to go earlier than everyone else. i think it's a pretty, pretty high bar for her to clear to keep them all together. and it's one of the sort of consequences of bringing a case this large. i'm sure that, you know, the d.a. and her colleagues foresaw this possibility and sort of prepared a contingency scenario around it. it's not the only adjacent court fight going on right now, and there's going to be more of this as the defendant's lawyers proceed through the case. >> already we're hearing from those in trump camp, they're pointing to this without evidence. pointing to it as the latest example of the politicization of this trial, they're trying to speed it up quicker than the defense can get ready. let's ask then if you have expressed skepticism this could happen in october, what do you think is a realistic timetable for this trial? and as part of that will this because it's a state matter sort of be deferential to the federal case we already know is scheduled to begin next march? >> i would expect this case to fall behind the federal case. we brought later the state court proceeding rather than a federal proceeding. and in ordinary courts honestly i think for a case like this it would not be surprising to me for a year or two to go by before we see a trial. obviously a lot of folks have pointed to the case currently pending against the rap artist young thug and a bunch of other folks in the area. that case has proceeded very slowly. it was also brought by fani willis. it still hasn't gone to trial. and there's a lot of these -- it seems sort of arcane procedural issues like mark meadows removal proceeding to federal court. i mean that's a challenging issue that needs to be resolved correctly and in whatever sort of time it takes, and it's going to be the first and not the last of those motions. i know some other folks who have already sort of raised their hands on that front and presumably trump has come in and making a similar case and that stuff has to be resolved in a fair way before people are forced to go to trial if they don't want to. so that's one of the reasons why people said when this came out of the gate with all these defendants and sort of legal complexities, that it was likely to slow things down. maybe the trial will happen in october with chesebro and be sort of a stream lined trial in that scenario, i would imagine. but it's a risk for the d.a. to have to take any version of this trial to case sooner rather than the others because people have to testify more than once. they can present testimony that's inconsist and so on and so forth. it can get harder, not easier. >> terrific analysis there from former federal prosecutor. thank you for being with us this morning. still ahead we'll go live to cnbc for a look what's driving wall street, plus new signs the labor market is cooling in a way that might reduce inflation. and continuing our live coverage of the impending landfall of hurricane idalia. we're seeing there the storm surge already beginning in tampa, florida. we'll be right back with that. we'll be right back with that. just between us, you know what's better than mopping? 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"way too early" will be right back. landfall "way too early" will be right back (fan #1) there ya go! that's what i'm talkin' about! (josh allen) is this your plan to watch the game today? (hero fan) uh, yea. i have to watch my neighbors' nfl sunday ticket. (josh allen) it's not your best plan. but you know what is? myplan from verizon. switch now and they'll give you nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv, on them. (hero fan) this plan is amazing! (josh allen) another amazing plan, backing away from here very slowly. (fan #1) that was josh allen. (fan #2) mmhm. (vo) football season is here. get nfl sunday ticket from youtubetv on us. a $449 value. plus, get a free samsung galaxy z flip5. only on verizon. trying vapes to quit smoking might feel like progress, but with 3x more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes - vapes increase cravings - trapping you in an endless craving loop. nicorette reduces cravings until they're gone for good. ♪ on your period, sudden gushes happen. say goodbye gush fears! thanks to always ultra thins... with rapiddry technology... that absorbs two times faster. hellooo clean and comfortable. always. fear no gush. somebody would ask her something and she would just walk right past them. she didn't know they were talking to her. i just could not hear. i was hesitant to get the hearing aids because of my short hair. but nobody even sees them. our nearly invisible hearing aids are just one reason we've been the brand leader for over 75 years. when i finally could hear for the first time, i started crying. i could hear everything. call 1-800-miracle and schedule your free hearing evaluation today. i want to repeat, we are prioritizing funding for idalia, for the maui fires, and any other extreme weather events that are coming our way without interpretation. and i want to stress that while immediate needs funding ensures we can respond to disasters, it is not a permanent solution. congress must work with us on the supplemental request that the administration has made on behalf of fema. >> that's the head of fema deanne kriswell yesterday at the white house calling on congress to step up when it comes to disaster relief. she'll join many "morning joe" in just a few minutes, but let's bring in now the congresswoman of new jersey. she's on the house select committee on china and house services committee. she's also a veteran. let's start right there. this is a bitterly divided washington right now. there are spending fights on the horizon both parties have been girding for a while. disaster relief is going to be part of it. talk to us as to how you see this playing out. what can congress do to make sure that those who have been suffering get the help they need? >> well, as you said we really do need to make sure those who are suffering get the help they need. certainly coming from the state where super storm sandy hit, i know how desperately the fema funding is needed by states as they recover. i think something we have to consider as well in congress and certainly under the bipartisan infrastructure law under the last congress we took this into account is making our communities more resilient. what is it we can do up front with different flood tunnels or gates that can make some of our cities more protected, because it's horrible to have to spend money after crisis hits to take care of all the people who have really suffered through that crisis, homes lost, property lost to the flooding really when we could have on the front end spent those millions and millions of dollars to make the community more resilient in the first place. and i think as we see the effects of climate change, that's where we need to move. >> certainly this relief money part of that spending package that also involves among other things funding for ukraine and the like. let's shift gears a little bit because this storm here and the wildfires in maui come as the administration here and the congress are juggling all sorts of issues. one of them that has gained some bipartisan support is the u.s.' relationship with china. the commerce secretary is in china as we speak. i know you sit on the committee. this is a particular focus of yours. where do you think things stand in relationship with beijing? what needs to change? >> well, i think the things that need to change are being changed. this administration has had the strongest response to economic competition and national security of any we've seen in decades. i think certainly we have a secretary of commerce in gena rumundo who is one of the most effective secretaries we've seen, and she is out on the leading edge of what this country needs to do to both compete but to also make sure that as a super power we are talking to making sure we have a relationship with them, because moving forward, while there are those key technologies for national and economic security, like high-end semiconductor chips and you saw the administration put out the new plan for reporting requirements on some of the high-end technologies to protect our ip, we are still going to need to sit down at the table with countries like china to discuss the rules of the road, if you will, in the future, so having this relationship while at the same time beginning to hold china accountable in a way this country has not for too long when it comes to dumping and illegal espionage, that's what we are doing right now. >> congresswoman, we're up against a break in a moment. you're on the house armed service committee and also a veteran. you have some hope that senator tuberville will soon drop his hold on these military promotions under pressure from members of your party and even some republicans starting to voice opposition? >> well, i don't know, because we've been voicing opposition for months. republicans have been voicing opposition for months, yet for whatever reason because of arcane senate rules there seems to be no movement. this is really damaging families across the globe, many of whom have served our country for decades, because, as we say in the military, when someone serves, the whole family serves so children aren't starting schools in their new schools right now. promotions aren't being granted so military members may not get the training they need to advance. it's really offensive that anyone who might claim to care about our national security and care about our troops would do anything like this. >> all right. important as always from democratic congresswoman mikie sherrill of new jersey, thanks for joining us this morning. up next on "way too early," donald trump's mug shot is being used against him in the republican primary. we'll show you which battleground state the attack ad first hit the airwaves and the candidate behind it. coming up on "morning joe," more live reporting from florida throughout the morning as any moment now hurricane idalia will make landfill. the powerful category 4 storm causing heavy winds and flooding and residents are told to evacuate immediately ahead of what could be a deadly storm surge. 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my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. ♪ on your period, sudden gushes happen. say goodbye gush fears! thanks to always ultra thins... with rapiddry technology... that absorbs two times faster. hellooo clean and comfortable. always. fear no gush. a super pac supporting chris christie is out with a new attack ad in new hampshire. it's part of a six-figure ad buy across that state, a state paramount to christie's white house hopes and first tv ad to use an image of donald trump's mug shot. take a look. >> tired of the drama, the distractions, the lies, it's time for conservatives to win again. chris christie, a former prosecutor who convicted child pornographers, corrupt politicians, a successful blue state governor, christie took on the teachers' union and won and turned around jersey's most violent city, a real conservative, christie tells the truth and he'll beat joe biden easily. >> and joining us now "the washington post" writer, alexi. good to see you. he carved out the lane as the most anti-trump candidate on the campaign trail but, of course, it is a tricky balance here where you want to attack trump but you don't want to alienate all of his voters. how complicated will it be for christie to take his case right to trump if trump won't show up to any debate? >> well, we've seen them fighting between fox news interviews with chris christie and trump on truth social, trump with tucker carlson before that. now they're both trading barbs about how they should each drop out of the race for different reasons so even without trump on the debate stage he's certainly paying attention. his team says he's watching to see who might be a formidable vp nominee for his ticket but, of course, he's also watching to call out folks like chris christie and others who he thinks that only should drop out but who are not qualified to represent the republican party and, of course, christie can attack trump while on the debate stage without trump there to defend himself so in some ways it gives him an opportunity to not just attack trump but further introduce himself to the american people by doing so which an ad does but not the same as hearing from the candidate themselves. >> trump, we're seeing in court appearances and nearly a weekly basis but turning back the campaign trail with a rally in south dakota next week. he's received so many warnings about not interfering in cases, so what do we think we will hear on the stage that night? >> look, trump's team says it knows as we all do that he's sort of at his best politically when he is at a rally. that's not the case when sitting at home on truth social. that's not the case when being arraigned or in a courtroom so i think what we can expect from someone famously unrestrained is to be further that way as you pointed out. he has been almost taunting judges when it comes to witness tampering or interference by the things he's sharing on social media. you'll remember that the judge said interference would even include things like resharing other people's posts on social media which is secret that trump has done in the past many times with some of the most inflammatory things and they'll simply say, well, we didn't post that. we posted it from someone else who made it or we didn't choose that photo. someone else who wrote the article chose the photo. it's not as innocent as it looks in a court of law and so i think that's what trump is going to have to contend with. he might feel good politically or in the zone politically when railing against the legal system or potentially specifics about the case at a rally, but those words will come back to bite him in a court of law. they could come back to bite him to your point even before all this gets started because he has been warned so many times and because he wants to test the court of public opinion, first is the court of law. >> another hopeful ron desantis stepped off the campaign trail for a few days in the wake of the mass shooting and now this hurricane bearing down on florida, an important moment for him as well. "the washington post" opinion editor alexi mckinnon. thanks for being with us. as we track that deadly hurricane, "morning joe" starts right now. >> this is crunch time right now. we're going to get hit with a major hurricane. if you're there while that hits, it's going to be very difficult to survive that. >> it's critical that the people that are in the path of this storm are also prepared. very few people can survive being in the path of major storm surge and this will be deadly if we don't get out of harm's way and take it seriously. >> hurricane idalia now a category 4 storm as we wake up this morning, forecast to make landfill sometime in the next couple of hours along florida's big bend where the peninsula merges into the panhandle. it will have winds of 130 to 156 miles per hour with a high risk of injury, death and will produce catastrophic damage inevitably. another major concern, expected