right now on first look. a daredevil defies. without a harness or a net. it's a high wire heart stopper. then an awe inspiring 19-year-old college basketball player whose personal story goes well beyond the court. hours before millions head to the polls for election day. >> good morning. thank you for joining us on this monday. after public sharing plans to end her life because of a fatal brain tumor 29-year-old brittany maynard was confirmed sunday night though she reportedly died on saturday. she fought for death with dignity. some of her friends say maynard

was devastated in the last few days because she felt her most recent video had misinterpreted. some thought it was a sign she changed her mind. her friends and family say show had not. an obituary was posted sunday night. it ended with a quote from brittany saying, it is people to pause to appreciate life and give thanks to our happiest. if we change our thoughts we change our world. love and peace to you all. shifting gears now. nik wallenda completed two more heart stopping stunts. this 35-year-old walked from chicago skyscraper to another on sunday without a harness or a net below. the wire was strung and he was able to talk to his dad and to "today" show anchors who hosted the skyscraper walk.

>> how are you doing, willie and natalie? >> nik, you look amazing. i can hardly hear you. i'm so blessed for these opportunities. god is so good. you guys watching think i'm crazy but this is what i was made for. >> scary! and he did not stop there. he turned around and did it a second time. this time he was blindfolded. in an interview he said he was shaking. he said he would have walked a little slower had the wind not been blowing in his face. >> this morning we're a little closer to finding out what caused the deadly accident. federal officials are starting to put together a timeline. the ntsb acting chairman said a device called the feathering system was activated before the

experiment experimental reached the speed. they used one of the camerased in the cockpit to make the determination. >> in review of the camera it is consistent with the data and shows that the feather lock unlock lever was moved by the co-pilot from the lock position to the unlock position. >> the co-pilot was killed and the pilot is recovering from serious injuries. friday's accident was the second space disaster in a week. now to decision 2014 and will the country take a right turn on tuesday? according to an nbc news wall street journal poll it might. 46% of voters want a gop controlled congress. at the polls we have some positive news to report. more people have voted early in at least ten states than in 2010. but in iowa big problems for democrats. ernst leads braley by receive points and tom harkin is catching some heat for this.

ernst is attractive and sounds nice. i don't care if she's as good looking as taylor swift or nice as mr. rogers. >> the gop is so confident they're already thinking strategy. let's get more from tracy pots in washington. >> betty, good morning. it's possible that republicans could win this. we're seeing they have some momentum in our polls especially in key states. >> you have to ask yourself who is going to be fighting for you? >> he's not on the ballot but republicans insist tomorrow's election is a referendum on president obama. >> a vote for greg orrman is a vote for obama. >> his failed policies go by the

name of michelle nunn. 46% of likely voters want republicans in charge. 45% want democrats. >> our ground game is whipping their ground game. >> the economy is usually what turns voters directions. we're feeling good. >> in key battleground states georgia, kentucky, louisiana. our polls show republicans ahead or gaining. they need six seats to win control of the senate. 3/4 of voters said they're more concerned about the economy and health care than ukraine, isis, or ebola. >> the most important things that voters will be asking themselves is who has my back. >> republicans do face some challenges. >> we have a wall or barrier between us and african-american voters. >> hold on. hold on! >> so do democrats. in connecticut the president was heckled three times by immigration protesters. >> you need to protest the republicans. i'm not the one blocking them. >> now at this point, the key is getting out the vote.

we've already seen more early voters this time around than we did during the last midterm in 2010. betty? >> all right. tracy, thank you very much. a celebration of courage. a 19-year-old with just weeks to live is not going down without a fight. lauren hill's dream was to play college hoops. knowing the freshman had an inoperable brain tumor. they moved up the date of the opening game up. they had to switch stadiums. lauren scored the first and last buckets of the game. after her team won she had this to say. >> i'm so happy that people know about it now and that we can get some research going and hopefully find that home run cure for cancer. even though i might not, like, i'm probably not going to be around to see it, but it's going to help a lot of people. i just feel so blessed that this is all happening.

i'm truly happy. this is a really good day. >> lauren vowed to fight pediatric cancer and honored by legendary ncaa coach. steelers versus ravens. he does again. roethlisberger throws for 340 yards and 6 touchdowns leading the steelers to a 43-23 win. he becomes the first quarterback in nfl history to throw six td in back to back games. ended in a lopsided win. peyton manning set another nfl record by throwing two touchdowns in the 14th consecutive game. that's the only positive note. tom brady threw four td in the 24-34 victory. >> it's pretty simple, you know, quarterback stinks usually you're not going win many games.

>> and leaping line backer. he hurdles the line toward the 49ers kicker a little too soon to draw a pretty funny offside penalty. the game ended in a dramatic fashion. colin kaepernick fumbles the ball to give the rams a 13-10 win. thousand of people marched on sunday to protest the washington red skin's name. they walked the streets and rallied where the redskins were playing the vikings. the chase for the sprint cup continues. jimmie johnson takes first at texas motor speedway. earlier in this the race this move by brad keselowski causes gordon to spin out. it ended in a fight after the race. they held nothing back. >> he's a dip [ expletive ]. the way he races.

i don't know how he's run a championship. >> i've been through a lot of rivalries. i've got a little blood on me right now. i've been roughed up and done that stuff. i'm here fighting. >> coming up joining the fight against isis canada in a big way. a wintery blast. >> two nor easters over the past weekend. we have another storm in the country. by friday we could be dealing with another one. you're watching first look on msnbc. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans.

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all right. check it out a wintery storm blasted new england on sunday. it dumped nearly two feet of snow in parts of maine. the governor declared a limited emergency after about 120 homes and businesses lost power. in massachusetts there were blizzard like conditions ahead of the patriot's bronco's game. let's get the latest on this and why it's happen soggy early! >> it's too early. they played at 4:00. the game turned out not to be

that bad. we don't want this to continue. >> make it stop! >> it's too early. everyone has the memories of last winter on our mind. we had two nor easters. the one big one is exiting. it's a little blustery. the snow is over with. recover here. it's the last cold morning of this week. 32 in raleigh. 38 in jacksonville, florida. it's warmer in new york city than northern florida this morning. it's one of those rarities. the story this week is going to be rain including election day rain. oklahoma, especially texas, lubbock, dallas to amarillo next 48 hours will be getting rain. the election day forecast looks pretty decent. >> no ice no snow. it's a go. >> it could be our logo. some stories making news this morning. there's another u.s. ally in the

fight to defeat isis militants just hours ago canada launched the first air strike in iraq. it comes on the heels of reports that isis militants lined up and actually executed at least 50 men and women in iraq's an bar province. seven in ten people feel those returns to the u.s. after being in africa should be quarantined for 21 days. it comes after a legal victory for kaci hickox. ordered her to self-monitor. hickox spoke via skype to chuck todd. >> i understand that the community has been through a lot in the past week and i do, you know, apologize to them for that. i will not go into town into crowded public places. you know, if i have had a few friends come visit me in my home. that's absolutely fantastic.

>> and the reunion 21 days in the making. dallas nurse nina pham finally able to hold her dog bentley after he was put in quarantine. >> i truly horrible. >> suddenly the power just turned off. >> i was sleeping and boom. and that was it. >> passengers explaining how a festive halloween cruise turned into a nightmare. the cruise ship hit something in the water shortly after leaving bahamas. passengers were told to put on the life vests but they were never in any danger. all right. a combative ted cruz the gop image problem, and ripe new nbc news political polls. scrambled politics is next. yeah. we need to sell it.

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to take their medications regularly. introducing cvs health. a new purpose. a new promise... to help all those wishes come true. cvs health. because health is everything. msnbc special election coverage tuesday night begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern. join rachel maddow, chris matthews, and a team with best political coverage. 6:00 p.m. only on msnbc. right now time for election eve dish of scrambled politics. polls in key battleground states are giving republicans reason to be optimistic. in kentucky democrat al slison lundergan grimes puts her nine points mitch mcconnell. in georgia david purdue

leads michelle nunn by four points. mary landrieu is ahead for now but likely will not have enough votes to avoid a runoff. that's bad for her. she trails both of her potential opponents those head. it could be an indication of the gop's civil war. the group hasn't aired a single athd in battleground state finance could mean they're not satisfied with the candidates. as for tea partier ted cruz he tells the washington post he'll urge a republican led conservative to be as conservative and confrontational as the republican lead house. another republican looking to shake things up kentucky senator rand paul. he said the gop has a branding problem on nbc's meet the press he told chuck todd about his efforts to change that starting with his conversation about african-americans. >> they say this to me time after time. we're being taken for granted.

the democrats don't show up. haven't seen my congressman lately. i think there's a huge opportunity for us. not everybody said they're ready to become a republican. many people say they're glad i'm there and want us to compete for their vote. >> do you remember that turn out for what ad by rock the vote? well, the washington post reports at least five of the stars in the ad did not vote in the last midterm election. lena dunham, e.j. johnson, and darrin krist all sat out. good morning, jane. it's an exciting morning. we're looking a the numbers out there in some states. early voting is higher than it was in 2010. does this mean people are ready for a change? >> ting means that the campaigns are recognizing that every vote really does count. spend as much money as you want. if you get the voters out that's how you win.

it seems basic and elementary. the way president mobilized voters in the previous two elections showed everybody this is how you have to play the game. >> did tuesday surprise you? we've been talking about voter turnout is typically low. we weren't expecting it to do much this year. >> people are sick and tired of what washington is doing. it's not passing bills or moving forward. and everyone is fighting back and forth. i think people are ready for a change. that may be they go, you know, to the right. but i think overall there is more voter engagement around being frustrated. it may not be they're, you know, it's not hope it's more sick of this. >> if they go to the right, how will the president use, you know, a majority of house and senate that is practically against him? >> i think people are looking going to the polls to try to change this but i can't see how a republican held senate is going to do that. because the president still has veto power.

if they pass things he doesn't like. if they repeal obamacare he's going to veto it. whether or not they gain enough majority so gain some might. i think we're going to see a really continuation of this gridlock almost no matter how we go. >> that is not a good recipe for the future. okay. so a gop win isn't a blank check. let's look at this. won't they have to really get some progress going? create some real change? make something work to have a shot at the white house in 2016. is it really on them to do something with this if they win? >> yeah. if they they're voted in because voters are looking for alternatives something different. if they can't prove they are that something different, i think it's going to set people like hillary clinton up really well. the gop leaders ted cruz, rand paul, these are the people in the most far right wing of that patie party and if they're leading a

battle and get nothing where. how are people going to say i want eight more years of the. >> all right. we'll be doing this again. we have a lot to talk about next week. we have a big election day tomorrow. thank you so much for joining us. just ahead a grumpy cat's film trailer is here. she's not happy. do you have taylor swift fever? snl has the cure. entertainment is next. . . getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics. bonjour. comment ce va? bonjour. comment ce va? due cappuccini, per favore. domo... arigato? arigato

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the take a look at this. this is pure nail bite video. out of australia it starts out okay. a guy jumps out of a boat. >> it's not okay! >> he's on a dead whale.

we know. as he's sitting there. >> who am i rooting for? do i dare say? >> some may be rooting for are the sharks. they go on a feeding frenzy. after a few minutes in some camera poses by the guy, he has to get the selfie. he jumps back into the boat and he's a-okay. yeah. don't try that at home, folks. bill gates foundation boosts aid to stamp out malaria. he wants to end malaria in his lifetime, so his foundation is increasing his malaria program budget from 30% to more than $200 million per year. he's committed $50 million to fighting ebola. in the huffington post british pop star katie finds spider living in her ear. after hearing a russ thing sound in ear for a week. they found that. >> would you tell everyone if it happened to you? >> i might. >> the spider came from some old

earphones. for some entertainment news. >> for anyone that loves christmas stories about -- >> here we go. >> good will. >> i don't care. >> joy. >> no. and peace to all. >> fail. >> and you're a loser. >> are you serious? >> of course i'm serious. look at my face. >> if bill it was a cat he would be grumpy cat. >> lifetime's trailer. >> they didn't give me any money. >> and gum i's cat worst christmas ever is based on the popular internet cat. it's due out in november. doctors on snl found a new disease this weekend. >> realizing you love taylor swift has become the leading cause of vertigo. right now there's swift -- >> this beat is banging. who is it? >> taylor swift. >> what? >> when you realize you love

taylor swift. ♪ she got me! >> bill, you know that's you. >> those songs stick in your head. >> you hate that and you're like oh. >> it's taylor. this is first look on msnbc. way too early with thomas roberts starts right now. ♪ just hours away from election day. how are the dun's top battle ground races breaking as americans get ready to head to the polls for the midterms? we have the latest numbers with neck and neck surprises. life and death. remembering brittany maynard. she dies on her own terms at home in oregon. on a much lighter note. we look up and what a walk it was! knick mo less th knick mo less than data so confident he performs one walk blindfolded in the windy city! this is way too early!

hey, everybody. great to have you with me. welcome to way too early. a show that only performs with a net. can you believe that walk? it's amazing. we're going to show you. again, he was so confident he did it blindfolded. that was nik wallenda in the windy city over the weekend. the latest wave of polling shows the possibility that despite millions and millions of dollars spent the senate may be slipping out of democrat's grasp. and tightening in the states that was supposed to be safely blue. we have senator jean shaheen in northbound who was suppo new hampshire who was supposed to beat scott brown. democratic senator kay hagan up one on republican tom tillis. and the same poll has senator pat roberts catching up to glen