in year two? my guests this morning, democrats congressman jim clyburn of south carolina and democratic strategist james plus growing fears that russia is taking steps to invade ukraine. we have been very clear with russia on costs and consequences of further military action. now the u.s. is accusing russia of sending saboteurs into ukraine to create an excuse for an invasion. i ll speak with mitt romney about that and about the state of the biden presidency. also, the covid surge. there are many hospitals in the country on their knees. they re overwhelmed. cases, hospitalizations, deaths on the rise. testing, too, but is that too late? should we have done that sooner? we are doing it. should we have done it sooner? we are doing it. are rural hospitals ready for this wave? joining me for insight and analysis are nbc news chief washington correspondent andra mitchell, eugene robinson, amna nawaz, and anthony continetti of the american enterprise institute.
the question is can we actually focus on the tennis now? it s way too early for this. good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that honors the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. today. i m jonathan lemire on this monday, january 17th. we ll start right there with the news. today the nation is remembering the civility rights leader who was as sass nated in 1968. he would have celebrated his 93rd birthday on saturday. king s day is honored as a member of civil service around the country. president joe biden and first lady jill biden volunteered at a food bank in philadelphia, highlighting the challenges facing many american families. how have you been? i m doing well. [ indiscernible ] the monthly child tax credit just mentioned there was part of the president s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, but the relief ended in december for millions of americans after senator joe manchin objected to extending it saying the money will discourage people fr