just four days away, but ted cruz is worried about 2016. why he thinks moderate republicans will lose to hillary clinton. and record treat. this super friendly scarecrow terrifies everybody he comes in contact with. boo, this is "way too early." ♪ he did the monster mash we made it. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. it is friday, october 31st. welcome to this halloween edition of "way too early." yeah. we have the spirits here in the studio. i have a costume. i won't show it to you until monday, but i do have one. yeah. all right. boo, i know. so we want to begin with some very serious news this morning and it takes us to pennsylvania where after 48 day manhunt suspected cop killer and survivalist eric frein surrendered to authorities near an abandoned hanger at the

pocono mountain municipal airport. frein, accused of killing one state trooper and seriously injuring another, will now face the death penalty. he was handcuffed in the cuffs belonging to the late trooper and was taken away in the officer's squad car. last night authorities described the effort that went into his capture. >> the reason this took so long is that it is such a big wooded area that he was totally familiar with, that he had a lot of places to hide in, and we had to be very careful in how we searched it. eric frein had a mission, and that was to attack law enforcement. if he got out of those woods, we were very concerned that he would then kill other law enforcement and if not them, civilians. that's why we had to keep the pressure on him. >> frein will be arraigned later this morning, the charges first degree murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, and possession of

weapons of mass destruction. now, officials thanked the community for their support and cooperation through this time and they noted that halloween will be on tonight for local children. earlier it had been canceled out of cautionary warnings for safety of the kids, but now they're going to be able to trick-or-treat. republicans are starting to open up leads in some of the key races that will decide which party controls the senate. want to start for you in kentucky where mitch mcconnell has a five-point lead against allisonison lungergan grimes. among very likely voters in arkansas, republican congressman tom cotton has a commanding 13 point lead against democratic senator mark prior. but senator kay hagan appears to be hanging on in north carolina. the democrat there, a four-point lead over republican tom tillis. michelle nun and david purdue tied at 47% in georgia. there will be a runoff in january if neither candidate receives more than 50% of the

vote there. we want to look at the latest polls in the top gubernatorial races across the country. down south in florida, charlie crist has a slim three-point lead against rick scott, within the margin of error. pat quinn leads republican bruce rolner. and mike michaud is tied with paul lepage. we look at rick snyder, has a two-point edge over democrat mark shower in michigan. that's within the margin of error. republican charlie baker has opened up a seven point lead against democrat martha coakley to be the next governor of massachusetts. and undecided voters in new hampshire are weighing their options after the final debate between democratic senator jeanne shaheen and republican scott brown. the latest poll shows senator shaheen has an eight-point lead against the former republican from massachusetts.

they clashed on the response to ebola, obamacare and imabrais n immigration. >> what do you see going right in the economy in sullivan county and what is going wrong and please be specific? >> you're right, geography plays a role along the southern border we have more jobs, more opportunity. infrastructure and other opportunities up north are difficult. one of the biggest opportunities is tourism. one of the biggest opportunities is ski areas and trails store snowmobiles. i support those efforts. >> we're talking about sullivan county. you're talking about the north, i think. >> anyplace past concord are the challenge of the state. i'm referring to the challenges. we have the challenges of high electric costs. if you go to any business, in any county in our state, those are the very real challenges. >> sullivan county is west of

concord, not north of concord. what do you see going well and not going well there. >> i answered the question. the challenges are the same in every county in the state. >> after the debate, that panelist apologized and said he was right about his geography. both say the candidates will visit sullivan county coming up later today. ted cruz is dismissing the notion his party needs to nominate a more moderate candidate to win back the white house. when asked about jeb bush's position, cruz said he was a fan of the florida governor before offering his take on the primary process. >> we need to learn from history. we need to look to history and what works and what doesn't. the one thing is clear is that if republicans run another candidate in the mold of a bob dole, or a john mccain or mitt romney, let me be clear, all three are good, honorable men, decent men, they're patriots, but if we run another candidate in the mold of a bob dole or

john mccain or mitt romney, we will end up with the same result, millions of people will stay home on election day which is what happened for all three of them. if we run another candidate like that, hillary clinton will be the next president. >> meanwhile, wisconsin congressman paul ryan is opening up about a possible run at the white house. in an interview with the washington post, ryan rejected the notion that he's a capitol hill lifer, but said any decision on the presidential run will have to wait. he said, quote, i don't have this insatiable political ambition, but i know how to flip the switch. if you flip the switch, you flip the switch. and right now the switch has tape over it until 2015. i don't feel the need to be out there. putting my toe in the water. i don't see the point in it. it is not fun. and i don't think i need to. i already know a lot of people in the key states well. they call me up, so i don't feel the need to have to chum. ryan said mitt romney encouraged him to run saying the former republican nominee believes it is somebody else's turn and that he won't be running again. new jersey republican governor chris christie is not backing down from criticism about this

confrontation with a heckler at an event marking two year since super storm sandy. >> yeah. good. there has been 23 months since then when all you've been doing is flapping your mouth and not doing anything. so, listen, you want to have the conversation later? i'm happy to have it, buddy. but until then, sit down and shut up. >> a reminder, that's an abbreviated portion of the back and forth, but christie tells msnbc's casey hunt in an exclusive interview that he has no regrets and no plans to change his blunt style of talk. >> you give it, you're getting it back. if you give respect, you get back. if you don't give respect, i'm going to take you out on it. that's just the way it goes. i don't calculate this politically. this is who i am. i think most people understand that. someone stands up and is yelling and screaming, you know, it is just not appropriate to do and i'm not going to sit there and be a heavy bag. >> would you encourage your kids to behave like that towards other people? >> no, i tell you what, i would

not encourage my kids to go to an event like that, a public skree event and scream at a public official and treat the audience with disrespect. i would hope my kids wouldn't do that. if they didn't do that, there would be no reason for somebody to react the way i did yesterday. >> chuck todd asked senator mary landrieu why the president has such a hard time in her state, louisiana. landrieu blamed the administration's energy policies, noting how voters in the state were enraged when the white house issued a moratorium on offshore drilling after the bp oil spill. the senator touted her record of working across the aisle before bringing another reason into the mix. listen. >> let me be very, very honest with you. in the south, it has not always been the friendliest place for african americans. it has been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader. it is not always been a good place for women to be able to present ourselves. it is more of a conservative

place. so we have had to work a little bit harder on that. but, you know, the people trust me, i believe, really they do, to trust me to do the right thing for the state. >> so recent poll finds that senator landrieu trailing by seven points from bill cassidy. want to bring you the latest information on the nurse who row fuses to stay home in maine after returning from treating ebola patients in west africa. this is video of kaci hickox on a bike ride with her boyfriend defying her state officials saying she must be quarantined at home. after this hour long trip, governor paul lepage announced the talks broke down with her and he would do whatever is necessary to enforce this quarantine. he said he's willing to let her go for walks, runs, or even bicycle rides if she agrees not to come within three feet of others. governor lepage also says he was willing to lift the quarantine if hickox agreed to submit to a blood test. boston is remembering its

longest serving mayor this morning. thomas menino passed away thursday after a battle with cancer. the democrat took over the city hall in 1993. and would stay there for the next two decades. he's credited with helping to bring high tech companies to boston and overseeing the response to last year's marathon bombing. he was in office when the 2004 red sox squad ended an 86 year dry spell to win the first of three recent world series. he was 71 years old. certainly a lot of respect for that man. usually private apple ceo on thursday made a very public admission. tim cook, in a column in bloomberg business week said he's, quote, proud to be gay. becoming first fortune 500 ceo to come out. cook said he hoped his admission would help others who might be struggling and wrote in part, when i arrive in my office each morning, i'm greeted by framed photos of dr. king and robert f. kennedy. i don't pretend that writing this puts me in their league. all it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know i'm doing my part. however small, to help others.

we pave the path toward justice together brick by brick. this is my brick. interesting. the stock was down by pennies yesterday, but remained ultimately flat for apple. $107 a share. so we are thrilled to bring you this announcement. we have joined the world of twitter, gang. did you hear about this? yeah. i love that reaction. yeah. we have been working under the #the the #waytooearly. we would love to hear from you. that brings us to our twitter question. what are your best costume ideas this halloween? the most creative answers using the hash tag, jen is over here dressed. we'll put the best pictures if you can tweet us later in the show. and mike g. let me borrow his hat. this is his eyes wide shut hat and mask he brought to work today after a night on the town.

so, still ahead on "way too early," lebron goes home and not all sunshine and rainbows for cleveland. why cavs fans are waking up disappointed but james is still the king. and later, these guys may be harmless, but don't be fooled because one college student decides to go as lala for halloween and the results aren't pretty. let's just say they might end up for the mug shot. that story and a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. an investigation is under way into the sudden death of one of hollywood's brightest young stars, 23-year-old river phoenix collapsed outside a los angeles nightclub early this morning. an autopsy is planned tomorrow.

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st. mary high school, ohio, number 23, lebron james! >> royal entrance, right? that was lebron james making his return to cleveland with the cavaliers in the home opener against the new york knicks. well, the struggles, they started out early for james scoring only four points in first half. so he ends up with 17 on five of 15 shooting, committing eight turnovers in this game. it was new york's carmelo anthony leading all the scores with 25 points and the knicks spoil the kings' homecoming with a 95-90 victory. colleen going boo, big cavs fan. to los angeles, the clippers hosting the thunder in their home opener. okc point guard russell westbrook left with a slight fracture in his right hand. he seems to have hurt it while going up for a rebound. see it right there.

that injury set to be re-evaluated today. the thunder missing two of their best players with kevin durant already sidelined. l.a. wins it 93-90. steve ballmer notching his first victory as owner of the clippers. what's so funny? >> he's wearing the press pass. >> yeah. >> does steve ballmer have to wear the press pass? the owner of the team. >> he's a regular guy. >> put the owner sign on. >> i know. to the nfl and we'll talk about that with carolina hosting the saints on thursday night football. drew brees threw for 297 yards and a touchdown. he also ran for another score. running back mark ingraham had a 100 yard rushing game with two touchdowns as the saints beat the panthers, 28-10. new orleans record is good for first place in the nfc south. it is hard to read with jen dressed like a cat. >> that's your excuse. >> giving me cues and i can't -- it is hard not to laugh anyway.

we have basketball legend michael jordan having choice words about president obama's performance and he wasn't talking about the hard wood or the oval office, the response was prompted by a question on who jordan would pick in a fantasy foursome for golf. >> i never played with obama, but i would, but, no, that's okay, i take him out. he's a hack. that would be all day playing with him. >> you want to say that to the president of the united states? >> don't worry about it. i didn't say he wasn't a great politician. i'm just saying he's a [ bleep ] golfer. >> let's get a check on the weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. can you imagine being thrown under the bus by michael jordan like that. >> i was talking about the intro to the story. >> moving on, weatherwise, halloween. >> this is not a treat in the great lakes. we're talking about chicago, kansas city, st. louis, the windchill is 7 right now in fargo. 6 in bismarck.

this is cold midwinter type stuff coming down. it is snowing right now in central portions of wisconsin. milwaukee could have snow showers for your morning commute, so this is all heading for chicago later today. chicago could gust to 40. windchills in the 20s for the kids. apologies to you. later tonight, the big trick will be in the mountains of north carolina, 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected. winter storm warnings. here is the halloween spooky forecast. good news for everyone in new england, mid-atlantic, southeast. no problems whatsoever. but back there in the middle of the country is where all the problems will be. freeze tonight as far south as little rock and jackson. and this weekend, big events going on, thomas, one of the bigger -- a little much. but one of the bigger -- >> zombies as your theme music. >> you're not running in the new york city marathon, are you? >> i'm not. cheering them on. >> windchills in the 20s to start the race. >> wow. that's pretty cold. >> one of the coldest ever. >> we wish them all good luck this weekend and fun night for

all the kids who will be out there tonight. >> fun regardless. >> it is. >> it is free candy. bill, thank you, sir. at the top of the hour on morning joe, chris christie says he has no regrets. more on his interview with casey hunt where he talks about the heckler in the crowd. and we'll hudded around the water cooler for trick and a little threat for you. for the golf. for the golf. yes, we're back after this.

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welcome back. time for the cooler and a little lesson in what not to do this holiday weekend. last sunday, a lehigh university stunt in full costume as the yellow teletubby lala from the children's show on the bbc allegedly broke into a friend's house and took chinese food. what is crazier, he reportedly dumped the food into his man purse, damaged a door and left the student has been charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. i thought it was the purple teletubby that carried a purse. not the yellow one. now another good scare this halloween, one scarecrow managed to spook all kinds of people on the street. fair warning, he's not as innocent as he first looks.

>> oh, my god! >> just puts me in a good mood. reminds me of demon baby. that brings us to your responses to our twitter

question. earlier in the show we asked you for your best halloween costume ideas for the special halloween. our producer justine has some of the greatest responses ever at "way too early," now on twitter. >> we are taking jen's costume to another level. we have a crazy cat lady. she has all cats pinned to her robe, which is really cute. that's courtney's daughter. >> that's sweet. >> our friend barbara makes -- she's a hot babe, which is awesome. >> she is. she has a diamond encrusted logo on the back of her onsie there. >> okay. and next one we have is roller coaster enthusiast, which is pretty awesome. >> that is cool. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> what are you going to be? >> tippy hendron from "the birds." >> "morning joe" moments away.

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joe." the giants will be welcomed in a celebratory parade head down market street in the city by the bay and is set to begin around noon pacific time. president obama arrived in providence late last night, expected to deliver a speech on the economy at rhode island college later this morning. good news for everybody, a little reminder, don't forget to move your clocks back an hour this weekend, when you gain an extra hour of sleep. that's going to do it for "way too early." what day is it, everybody? >> friday. >> halloween. >> and halloween. best costume to brenda as maleficent, yes. that's not electrical tape. that's a real head dress. "morning joe" starts right now. >> three, two, one, music. ♪ st. mary high school, ohio, number 23, lebron james!

>> lebron james, last night, the big homecoming, against the new york homecoming against the new york knicks after a few seasons away, a few titles in miami, comes home, throws the powder in the air, everybody is excited except they lose the new york knicks. 95-90. lebron may be a little amped up, had 17 points amidst a bunch of shots. eight turnovers. he was happy to get this one out of the way. >> i read on twitter he was 1 for 9 happen somebody said they neilded to get michael j. fox delorean. >> college football, fsu went down 21-0 last night.