Happening especially now its so late in the season for the hurricanes. That was donald Trump Yesterday in georgia, but not only did forecasters indeed know about the Size And Strength of Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Season still has several more weeks remaining. Well bring you an update on Recovery Efforts and show you President Bidens fiery response to trumps false claims. Also ahead, well bring you the latest from the Middle East as israel launches a Ground Offensive into Southern Lebanon after weeks of deadly Air Strikes targeting hezbollah militants. And, of course, well preview what could be the final debate of the 2024 president ial race with the Running Mates set to square off Tonight Right here in new York City. Good morning, and welcome to Way Too Early on this tuesday, october 1st. We are in october now. Im jonathan lemire. Thanks for starting your day with us. And we have a lot to get to this morning, but well begin with breaking news. The israeli military has started a Ground Offensive in lebanon. Overnight idf officials announced the troops crossed the border for a targeted operation, posting this video on Social Media. The israeli military notified the u. S. About itS Plan and says the goal is to push hezbollah further away from the border. This comes just days after israel killed the terrorist groups leader, Hassan Nasrallah. We will have full analysis what the incursion means for the wider region and hear what President Biden had to say yesterday. Thats straight ahead on Way Too Early. And Foreign Policy including whats happening in the Middle East will likely be a key Topic Tonight as minnesota governor Tim Walz and ohio senator j. D. Vance face off in the first and only Vice President ial debate. Cbs news will host the event here in new york. It will be moderated by Cbs Evening News anchor norra odonnell, and face the nation moderator, margaret brennen. Cbs says there will be no live Fact Checking by the moderators, but the broadcast will feature a Qr Code on the screen, which will link to a realtime Fact Check being done by cbs journalists. There will not be a live audience inside the Debate Hall for the 90minute debate. But unlike the two president ial debates so far this year, the microphones will not be muted while the other candidate is speaking. We, of course, will have much, much more on the debate throughout the morning. Meanwhile, the Death Toll from Hurricane Helene continues to rise across six states after the devastating storm ripped through the southeast. As of now at least 125 people are dead florida, georgia, south carolina, tennessee, and virginia. A third of those deaths were reported in North Carolina, where at least 40 people died as a result of catastrophic flooding, leaving entire communities under several feet of water. About 2 Million customers still remain in the dark across those six states. Rescue operations are currently underway as families desperately wait to hear back from missing loved ones. Tomorrow president Joe Biden will take part in an Aerial Tour of asheville, ncaa, to survey the damage there. The survivors, i want you to know the administration is going to be there. And we just talked about this, well finish the job. Its going to take a hell of a long time and a serious amount of assets. Were making sure the hospitals are up and running and they have the capacity to deal with the concerns of people and the means. So there is a lot to do and this is just beginning. And weve been through this before but not like this. This is the worst ever. Additionally, Vice President Kamala Harris canceled several planned campaign Events Yesterday to instead visit Fema Headquarters for an Inperson Briefing on the storm. The White House says harris has been in contact with governors Brian Kemp of georgia and Roy Cooper of North Carolina. The vp has also been in touch with several mayors from that region. She said that she will be on the ground in the impacted area as soon as her Visit Wouldnt disrupt ongoing emergency operations. Lets take a listen to some of harris remarks. To everyone who has been impacted by this storm and to all of those of you who are rightly feeling overwhelmed by the destruction and the loss, our nation is with you. And President Biden and i and all of the folks behind me are with you. We will continue to do everything we can to help you recover and to help you rebuild no matter how long it takes. And i do believe the true character of a nation is revealed in moments of hardship. Over the past few days our nation has endured some of the worst Destruction And Devastation that we have seen in quite some time. And we have responded with our best. Meanwhile, President Biden laid into donald Trump Yesterday after the former president falsely claimed that the White House was ignoring Storm Aid requests from georgias republican governor. While visiting the peach state yesterday, trump claimed multiple times that biden wasnt responding to calls from Georgia Governor kemp. But earlier in the Day Kemp told reporters that he did speak with biden and that the president offered his assistance. Take a look. The president just called me yesterday afternoon. I missed him and i called him right back. And he just said, hey, what do you need. And i told him we got we need, well work through the federal process. He offered if theres other things we need just to call him directly, which i appreciate that. The governors doing a very good job. Hes having a hard time getting the president on the phone. I guess theyre not being responsive. The federal government is not being responsive, but theyre having a very hard time getting the president on the phone. He wont get on it. And of course, the Vice President , shes out Someplace Campaigning looking for money. The governor needs to hes been trying to get them, and im sure theyre going to come through, but hes been calling the president , hasnt been able to get him. Of course, none of that true. Later in the Day Biden was asked about trumps claims while the president was taking questions from reporters in the oval office. Heres what he had to say. Hes lying. Let me get it straight, hes lying. And the governor told him he was lying. Ive spoken to the governor, spent time with him, and he told me hes lying. I dont know why he does this. The reason i get so angry about it, i dont care what he says about me, but i care what he communicates to the people in need. He implies were not doing anything. We are. We are. Joining us now white House Correspondent for the hill. Alex, good morning. Thank you for starting us off today. Lets be clear, you heard it in President Bidens fiery response there. Trump is lying, and the consequence of those lies could be to convince people of North Carolina to not seek federal aid because they think it wouldnt be coming. It is. So lets talk about the politics of this storm. Trump rushed to georgia, rushed to the disaster zone. Biden does an Aerial Tour tomorrow. Harris will get there in the coming days. Talk to us about how the federal government can help but also how this is suddenly going to be an issue here in the 2024 race. Yeah, i think its been politicized as soon as trump hit the ground in georgia, as soon as he started criticizing the federal Governments Response, President Bidens response to this effort, it became a political issue. We know that the president got so angry, as you showed in that clip, because of like you said the consequences of, you know, somebody in North Carolina, somebody in georgia, somebody in florida not thinking that federal assistance is on the way because of the former President Trumps claims. Earlier in the day yesterday President Biden made clear that he doesnt want to go to some of these damaged areas until its hes not interfering with any Disaster Relief efforts. You know, Thats Something we hear from him during all of these times of crisis during hiS Presidency of hes really aware of i dont want to get there too early and mess up some of the response. He stressed that, meanwhile, the former president was already on the ground. They kind of had this unspoken Back And Forth already going on yesterday, and it really came to a head when the president said that in the oval office. And Vice President harris has said that she plans to go as soon as she can, doesnt want to be disruptive either. So ive sure this isnt going to end soon with the former president continuing to bash them for not supposedly moving quickly enough. Youve been writing about how biden told Reporters Yesterday hes considering asking congress to return from recess to get some Storm Relief Funding bill passed. How likely is it that will happen . Yeah, so theyre on thiS Pretty long recess until election day, not coming back until midnovember. And the president said its likely im going to need a supplemental funding package, and that would require them to come home or come back to washington and leave home. I do think the odds of that arent too far off considering this also could be seen as a Messaging Package for some folks in an election cycle. They can say we stepped up, we helped people in need, we gave up our recess to get this done. And considering how catastrophic this event is, i think congress might want to come back. Of course this is very busy time for congress. Everybody in the house is campaigning. The senators are up for reelection. But at the same time this is an unprecedented crisis, as the president has made clear. What were seeing in a state like North Carolina is historic. So if they can come back for a day or two and get this done, it would definitely be an interruption, but i think it might look good for everybody in washington if they can take a break from campaigning. Alex, very briefly. North carolina is a battleground state. Quick thought, how do you think itll play into Tonights Debate . Yeah, its definitely coming up in the debate because North Carolina, like you mentioned, is such a critical state both campaigns are focused on, georgia as well. So the fact this is impacting these critical swing states, i think were just going to hear the moderators say what else can be done . What would be your Response Effort if you were in these positions . And im sure that some of this criticism at the Bidenharris Administration or at trump going yesterday is going to come up from the candidates. White House Correspondent for the hill, alex, thank you for starting us off. Well talk to you again soon. Next up here a lot to get to. The man accused of plotting to assassinate former President Trump at his Florida Golf Course appears before a judge. Plus thousands of Dock Workers across the country are now going on strike. What it could mean for the u. S. Economy and concerns over inflation. Those stories, a check on a wild day in sports, and well bring you your Weather Forecast when we come right back. U your weathn we come right back when a tough cough finds you on the go, a syrup would be. Silly woo hey try new robitussin soft chews. Packed with the power of robitussin. In every bite. Easy to take cough relief, anywhere. Chew on relief, Chew On A Robitussin heres to getting better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help Fuel Today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. So, heres to now. Now available Boost Max Craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. So he sublet half his real Estate Office to a pet shop. Theres a smarter way to save. Comcast business mobile. You could save up to an incredible 70 on your wireless bill. So you dont have to compromise. Powering smarter savings. Powering possibilities. Switch to comcast Busines Internet and mobie and find out how to get te latest 5g Phone on s with a qualifying tradei. Dont wait call, click or visit an xfinity store today. Welcome back. The man accused of plotting to kill former President Trump at his Florida Golf Course last month haS Pleaded not guilty to all charges. Ryan routh appeared in court yesterday. His attorneys waived an official reading of the fivecount indictment against him and simply entered the not guilty plea. They also officially requested a jury trial. The hearing lasted less than five minutes. Elsewhere, the caroline giuliani, the daughter of disgraced former new York City mayor, rudy giuliani, has now thrown her support behind Kamala Harris for president. The younger giuliani explained her decision in a piece for Vanity Fair which had the headline, rudy giulianis daughter, trump took my dad from me, please dont let him take our country, too. In it she writeS Pone instantly adding she believes a Harris Administration will be better for womens rights and the country overall. Giuliani also urged others to support harris writing it in part this way. Take it from me, trump destroys everything he touches. I saw it happen to my family. Dont let it happen to yours or to our country. Kamala harris will guide us into a brighter future, but only if we unite behind her. New Morning Consul Polling shows the Vice President leading former President Trump by 5 points. In the latest survey conducted over the Weekend Harris leads trump 51 to 46 among likely voters nationwide. A national poll. That makes it three weekends in a row that thiS Poll has found harris up by 5 points with at least 50 support. Meanwhile, former president Jimmy Carter turns 100 years old today. Making him the first former president to ever live a full century. In celebration of the milestone a starstudded Benefit Concert was held back in September Raising over A Million dollars for the carter centers international programs. In addition, thousands of Habitat For Humanity volunteers are in st. Paul, minnesota, right now to help build 30 homes in just five days in an effort to honor the former president. The carters work with the organization spanned over 40 years, helping build over 4,000 homes. Helping lead the st. Paul project is the first couple of Country Music, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. The duo will be joining Morning Joe later today to discuss Carters Legacy and their work in st. Paul. Happy birthday, president carter. Next up here well switch to sports and bring you the highlight from two Blow Outs in Monday Night football and a wild Doubleheader Yesterday that decided the postseasons final Wild Card spots. Well be right back with that. Wild card spots. Well be right back with that. Here is a completion to jamison williams. He is gone. Touchdown lions. That 70yard Touchdown was a part of a perfect game last night for detroit Lions Quarterback Jarrett goff. He completed all 18 of hiS Passes and caught a pass on this Touchdown Play to lead them to a win. There were two Monday Night football games last night and the other one in miami. Backup Quarterback Mason Rudolf led seven scoring drives for the titans. He also hit five field goals, Running Backs each rushed for a score, and the titans beat the pretty hapless dolphins 2112. To baseball now and the playoffs are set following Yesterdays Makeup Doubleheader in atlanta between the braves and new york mets, that extended the regular season by one day. And lindor gets under one to center field. Harris going back, back near the wall. And its out of here . Francisco lindor flips the script with a two Run Homer and the mets go in front 87. You just saw it, franciscos lindors two Run Homer in the ninth caps a wild Back And Forth in Game One and sends the mets to the postseason with an 87 victory. Spectacular game. Mets win and go to the playoffs, but the braves would also win a Wild Card berth, winning game two 30, which pushes the Arizona Diamondbacks out of the playoffs. The mets and braves will each play in a best of three national wild Card Series that starts later today. The mets traveling to milwaukee for Game One against the Nl Central Champion Brewers while atlantic goes to San Diego to take on the padres. In the American League the Al West Champion Houston Astros open the postseason against the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles will host the Kansas City royals. But we also have some sad news to report this morning from the sports world. Pete rose