that does it for us tonight. thank you so much for watching. we'll see you tomorrow. i'll see you tomorrow as well. "way too early" is up next. hospitalizations are surging in covid hot spots. florida just set a new record, and a growing number of them are children. the question is will governor ron desantis stick with his decision to ban mask mandates in schools. plus, a historic town in northern california is devastated by a massive wildfire. the question is when will crews be able to contain the dixie fire? and president biden gets behind the wheel of an electric jeep wrangler after signing an executive order that will boost production of electric vehicles. the question is will americans be able to ditch the gasoline for electricity? it's "way too early" for this. ♪♪

good morning and welcome to "way too early," the show that would drag race against president biden and probably lose. i'm jonathan lemire on this friday, august 6th. let's start with the news. as the delta variant rages across the country, hospitalization rates are surging. according to the cdc, the number of people in the hospital with covid has almost quadrupled in the past month to over 45,000. florida has a new record for the sunshine state. over 2,500 of them are in intensive care. florida has also seen a rise in pediatric cases. texas is the only other state to conform more pediatric cases than florida. there, 142 children are

hospitalized. a war of words between governor ron desantis and president biden continue. yesterday desantis was asked about the criticism of him when it comes to covid. here's how it played out. >> just two states. florida and texas account for one third of all new covid cases in the entire country. i say to these governors, please help. if you're not going to help, at least get out of the way. >> joe biden has taken to himself to try to single out florida over covid. what is his big solution? what is he so upset about florida? his solution is he wants to have the government force kindergartners to wear masks in school. he thinks that should be a decision for the government. i can tell you in florida, the parents are going to be the ones in charge of that decision. >> so why don't you do your job. why don't you get this border

secure. and until you do that, i don't want to hear a blip about covid from you. >> what is your response to governor desantis who is using your words about saying don't be in the way. and he says i am in the way to block too much decisions being made by the government. your response to governor desantis? >> good stuff. with schools across the country opening soon, education secretary miguel cardona is looking at two u.s. governors. >> what is your message to governors like governor desantis of florida and governor abbott of texas who have banned mask mandates. >> don't be the reason why schools are interrupted. our kids have suffered enough. our decisions are being made where students are not put at

the center and that may be why schools are disrupted. we know what to do. don't let that be a disrupter. we have to keep our students safe. we have to keep our educators safe. >> secretary of state cardona will be a guest on "morning joe." the cdc released new data yesterday showing cases in nursing homes are up 38% among nursing home residents while there was a 72% increase of residents who died from the virus. the number of cases due to death is still lower since the pandemic thanks to vaccines, but the rise in numbers are leading to calls for mandatory vaccines among the staff. 82% of residents are fully vaccinated. while there has been a hesitancy to require staff vaccinations for fear large numbers of staff will leave in protest, this

latest rice has some requiring it regardless. meanwhile, secretary of state antony blinken says he will meet with those affected by the hashanah syndrome. blinken called the health incident as top priority writing in part, quote, employees going abroad are anxious about whether they or their families are at risk. that's completely understandable. and i wish we had more answers for you. what i can tell you is that this is a top priority for me, the state department, and leaders across the u.s. government. this is about the health security and we're concerned about that. over 200 americans have reported possible symptoms of the havana syndrome. the u.s. suspected russia is behind it but lack hard evidence pointing to the kremlin. joining us now is josh

liebermann. you've done a lot of reporting on this. thanks for getting up so early. president biden hasn't mentioned at all the havana syndrome. why do you think that is? do you think that will change? will it be a new priority for the administration? >> well the biden administration is clearly signaling they're trying to make this a priority. they've created a new task force and the cia as well as the national security council are trying to get to the bottom of this. i think the fact that biden isn't speaking about it publicly is a good indication they don't have a whole lot to say at this point in time, jonathan. you hear this message from blinken, this letter saying, guys, we're on this, we'll figure this out, we won't let this go. but, look. this has been going on since 2017 when you and i were working alongside each other at the

"associated press" and we were pointing it out to the state department. four years later, you can see from the email and lack of concrete evidence, they still can't say what's going on, can't say definitively what's going on behind it, and they can't say what they can do to try to stop it or protect american personnel serve all over the world, and that's the reason why we see this growing frustration from u.s. diplomats and other workers who are at risk along with their families and want the government to do something about it. >> josh, we know that for years now russia has been circled as the prime suspect. what's your sense? have there been back-channel discussions between the two countries? what are the warnings that have been issued at a time when u.s. has been warning of safe harbor against ransomware and safe harbor attacks? >> part of the problem is the u.s. basically pointed the finger at cuba when it first

started because the first incidents were in cuba. so i think the fact that the government has kind of changed their tune, nobody is saying cuba is behind this anymore, has complicated the messaging and has given other countries such as russia a little more ammunition to say, you guys don't know what you're talking about, you clearly haven't figured this out, so don't be pointing fingers at us. we know the u.s. government has sent very clear signals to russia as well as to other countries that they won't tolerate this kind of invisible attacks, harm on their troops, but at the same time, you know, this is the kind of thing that has been going on in one form or another for a long time, not necessarily in terms of brain injuries that are debilitating people permanently, but in terms of, you know, microwaves that have been beamed at the u.s. embassy in moscow for decades now, other types of weaponry that we know russia and other countries have been developing

that they used advanced technologies. part of this is kind of the wild west of surveillance and spy craft that the u.s. government has been pretty flatfooted at this point in lee responding to. >> nbc's josh lederman. thank you. we've got a live report from tokyo on team usa's fight for the gold. plus, governor andrew cuomo refuses to go despied the allegations against him. will the political standoff in new york impact that state's battle against the pandemic? those stories and much more when we come right back. back

finding new routes to reach your customers, and new ways for them to reach you... is what business is all about. it's what the united states postal service has always been about. so as your business changes, we're changing with it. with e-commerce that runs at the speed of now. next day and two-day shipping nationwide. same day shipping across town. returns right from the doorstep, and deliveries seven days a week. it's a whole new world out there. let's not keep it waiting. (customer) hi? (burke) happy anniversary. it's a whole new world out there. (customer) for what? (burke) every year you're with us, you get fifty dollars toward your home deductible. it's a policy perk for being a farmers customer. (customer) do i have to do anything? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) hmm, that is really something. (burke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. see ya. (kid) may i have a balloon, too? (burke) sure. your parents have maintained

a farmers home policy for twelve consecutive months, right? ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ (burke) start with a quote at 1-800-farmers. ♪all by yourself.♪ you look a little lost. i can't find my hotel. oh. oh! ♪♪ this is not normal. no. ♪♪ so? ♪♪ right? go with us and find millions of flexible options, all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with.

time for sports from tokyo.

we begin with volleyball on the sand. april ross, a three-time olympian has a complete medal set while klineman helps for the first time since 2012. meanwhile on the indoor court, the u.s. women's volleyball team is set to play for its gold medal after this morning's victory against serbia. it's now 54 in a row. the 79-59 victory over serbia earns them a chance to play for a seveneth straight gold medal. nelly korda still leads the women's golf tournament. she's three strokes ahead of the field going into this evening's final round. as track events come to a close, with nine olympic medals,

felix is the most decorated female runner in u.s. history. nbc's lester holt sat down with the five-time olympian ahead of this morning's race. >> reporter: it's a lot more than about medals. she's running for progress, equality, and her daughter. >> i feel like mothering changed me in every possible way. it showed me how strong i was. >> reporter: in 2018, felix at 32 weeks pregnant was admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication. her daughter was born at 3 pounds, 7 ounces. >> nothing else mattered. >> i was sitting there watching her fight every single day. running was the furthest thing from my mind. all my energy was going into making sure she was okay. >> kameron spent a month in the

nicu. >> now she's out watching you run. >> i can't believe it. >> competition wasn't easy. she could hardly walk. 30 minutes on the treadmill left her in tears. >> you expect yourself to be superwoman. >> you expect to be superwoman as well and you go through a real-life experience and you're grateful for your life. >> that led felix to activism, testifying before congress about black maternal mortality. >> we need to provide women of color with more support during pregnancies. >> and penning an op-ed with nike. i asked nike to contractually guarantee that i wouldn't be punished if i didn't perform at my best in the months surrounding childbirth. if i, one of nike's most widely marketed athletes, couldn't secure these protections, who could. nike declined. >> the way you stood up for women, women of color, mothers,

that was a big risk. >> it was terrifying, you know. there had been silence around the culture of pregnancy and sport for too long, and what i was experiencing, i just couldn't sit back and let it go. >> reporter: soon after she and others spoke out, nike announced expanded protections for pregnant women. and this year felix started her own shoe company on her terms, now admired as much for her advocacy as for her athleticism. >> this is so much bigger than just running fast. it's showing women that we can be present at home and we can also thrive in our profession. it's showing my daughter, can you stay the course and can you keep doing things the right way with character and integrity. >> our thanks to lester holt. and joining us now live from tokyo, nbc correspondent stephanie gosk. good morning. thanks for being here. we'll see felix go for gold.

we saw volleyball and now there's a chance for gold for team usa in basketball. just how dom continental have women been at these games? >> reporter: you know, you've seen it. alix felix going for the medal tonight is going to be a tremendous highlight to this track and field event. she's got a good chance. she qualified very easily for the finals. sometimes it can be a challenge. so she looks fast. she also has the 4x400 as well. i had the opportunity to go and watch the women's beach volleyball, the final and the semifinal, and, you know, this is a team that is so dominant. they trounced their opponents both days in a row. april ross won her first olympic medal back in london. she got a silver. in rio, she got a bronze. today was a trifecta winning that gold. women have shown up in this profound way. you have to talk about gymnastics. even with simone biles pulling out, you saw the other gymnasts

on that team, many names we hadn't even spent that much time talking about before these olympics. suni lee getting the medal was a terrific medal. and also in the pool, jacoby winning a gold medal as well was a surprise. it's definitely a win for all of the women in olympics who have come here. >> we continue to see cases rise in tokyo, but the covid outbreak has yet to appear to have affected many athletics. i'm not trying to jinx anything. the games aren't over yet. to this point the fact that there hasn't been a major covid outbreak, would that count toward success of these games? >> reporter: they're really starting to talk about this bubble of success. it's really two stories. it's really outside the olympics, what's happening in tokyo and the greater tokyo area. and what's happened here, while there have been over 300 cases in the olympic bubble among the

people who are here, there haven't been these outbreaks, and organizers of the events say really largely that has to do with the percentage of people in the bubble who are vaccinated. those numbers are between 70% and 80%. that includes athletes, organizers, media, all of it. it ends up being in an interesting kind of way this case study of how a highly vaccinated population deals with the delta variant or, you know, any kind of virus spreading rapidly. so it will be a success, i think, viewed by organizers and something that they take with them to beijing for the winter olympics, jonathan. >> stephanie, you led me to my last question. it's hard to believe sunday is closing ceremonies, but it's even harder to believe in six months we'll be doing it again for the winter games in beijing. quickly, what lessons do you think the olympics takes from tokyo? >> reporter: one of the big issues back to the topic of vaccination, there wasn't a

mandate for anyone who was here for the olympics to be vaccinated. it was something that raised some questions, and you have to wonder whether the ioc and chinese government come up with perhaps a mandate or perhaps a more forceful kind of suggestion that people get vaccinated. but otherwise, i think what tokyo has done is set up a model for what the games can be during a pandemic, and i think they will point to the successes here and some of the strict regulations including no spectators, which, to be honest, is sad, jonathan. >> nbc's stephanie gosk live in tokyo. thank you. still ahead, a terrifying wildfire tears through a california community. we'll have an update on what if anything withstood the wall of flames. we're back in just a minute. e b. if you're 55 and up, t-mobile has plans built just for you. switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. and now get netflix on us.

it's all included with 2 lines for only $70 bucks! only at t-mobile. >> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple was on a camping trip... ...when their windshield got a chip. they drove to safelite for a same-day repair. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ did you know that your toughest cleaning problems can be caused by hard water metals? they lock in residues like a glue, on your hard surfaces and fabrics. try 9 elements. its vinegar powered deep clean dissolves hard water buildup and releases trapped residues and odors like detoxifying your clothes. made with never more than 9 ingredients. 9 elements - more than a clean, a cleanse.

the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now. it's the most comfortable, dually-adjustable, foot-warming, temperature-balancing... proven quality night sleep we've ever made. save up to $1,000 on select sleep number 360 smart bed and adjustable bases. plus, no interest until january 2024. ends monday. my nunormal? fewer asthma attacks with nucala. a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. nucala reduces eosinophils, a key cause of severe asthma. nucala is not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about nucala. find your nunormal with nucala. this summer, out-of-control

wildfires out west has taken a tragic turn write the fires have burned almost an entire town down to the ground. >> reporter: a wildfire's wrath leaving another california town in ash, greenville, california, destroyed, a town of about 800 that has stood since the gold rush. >> it was scary, like one of those apocalyptic movies you see with fire and wind and people going everywhere. >> reporter: the powerful winds sent the fire tearing through town. residents were told to evacuate, but not everyone did. >> we had firefighters getting guns pulled on them because people don't want to evacuate. >> reporter: the fire is now the size of los angeles and the sixth largest fire in california's history. more than 60 structures burned with the number expected to rise. >> there were towers of flames

twice as tall as the trees. >> reporter: and firefighters on the front line of a new threat. the growing river fire is burning in an area that hasn't seen flames in 100 years with drought-brittle brush ready to ignite and pleas to evacuate should the time come. >> when allowed to go back in there, it's either standing or a pile of ash. that's when it will hit us. >> reporter: at the doorstep of another community, another tense night lies ahead. >> our thanks to steve patterson for that report. president biden is setting a national goal for zero emission vehicles to make up half of the new cars and trucks sold by 2030. he signed the order. the order will kick off the process to replace former president trump's relaxed plan with restricted ones. the president took a spin in a

rubicon. he joked with g.m ceo mary barra. >> i want to be the first to say publicly when they make the first electric corvette, i want to be the first to drive it. the entire secret service team said, oh, my god. >> that's a car guy. the police officers who defended the capitol on jan 6th deserve to be honored, not vilified. we'll talk about the new effort to recognize their service. before we go to break, we want to know, why are you awake? please, tell us. email us at waytooearly@msnbc.com or tweet me @jonlemire or #waytooearly. we'll read our favorite answers later in the show. l read our fa later in the show. innovating, sourcing organic ingredients,

testing them and fermenting. fermenting? yeah like kombucha or yogurt. and we formulate everything so your body can really truly absorb the natural goodness. that's what we do, so you can do you. new chapter wellness, well done. (judith) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? don't you just ride the wave? (judith) no - we actively manage client portfolios based on

our forward-looking views of the market. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right? (judith) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money? only when your clients make more money? (judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different.

welcome back to "way too early." it's 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west. i'm jonathan lemire. president biden expressed immense gratitude to the police officers who responded to the january 6th capitol riot as he signed legislation to award them the congressional gold medal for their service in protecting the nation. >> my fellow americans, let's remember what this was all about. it was a violent attempt to overturn the will of the american people, to seek power at all costs, to replace the ballot with bruit force, to destroy, not to build. without democracy, nothing is

possible. with it, everything is. we cannot allow history to be rewritten. we cannot allow the heroism of these officers to be forgotten. we have to understand what happened, the honest and unvarnished truth. we have to face it. >> the bill signing comes days after two metropolitan police officers who responded to the attack recently died by suicide, bringing the total to four. a gold medal will be awarded to the capitol police and the washington, d.c., police department. the senate's goal was not to reach a unanimous agreement. this despite them working the senate floor all night to convince members. they did not convince members after working nearly two dozen over the last two days. senator big haggerty of

tennessee objected to moving forward. the report released yesterday shows infrastructure package will add more than $250 billion to the deficit over ten years. they had previously promised the bill was completely paid for. despite the setback t bill is on track for a final vote this weekend. majority leader chuck schumer said they'll move to the reconciliation package immediately after that. joining us now, cofounder of "punchbowl news," anna. we keep hearing we're close, we're close, we're close, we're close. walk us through the timeline and the package. >> the senate is just being the senate. the senators were hoping to head out this weekend for their august recess, but it shows how

power can be exercised where one single senator can really gum up the process. this time, senator haggerty, kind of a no name, first senator under the trump administration, who took over the alexander seat, somebody to watch in this process. to your point, this is going to happen. it's just a matter of when. so right now we expect the senate to come in on saturday to do the culture vote and they'll try to come to an agreement, to maybe get some of that time back, but we expect at this point probably passage into early next week monday, tuesday, depending on how those agreements go between the senate leadership. >> a quick followup on this before we move to another topic. you don't believe the score will affect republican support? >> i think this is a bill that's basically cooked. the fact that haggerty decided to object, he was really a lone

voice on this issue. in the post-donald trump era of trumpism, deficits didn't really matter. you haven't seen a lot of republicans who said they weren't going to vote for it. i think you can expect to see up to 70 senators vote on the final pack and. if that's the case, the republicans and the house are going to face pressure to support it as well. >> let's circle back to that gold medal legislation we were talking about. we know it comes in the face of a number of republicans on capitol hill downplaying what happened on january 6th. president biden talked about this should be a moment that brings a nation together and yet it's another seemingly partisan situation on capitol hill that's been tragic to so many. what have you picked up from both sides of the aisle, the decision to award these gold medals? >> a lot of democrats in particular, they were very supportive of it. i think there's clearly distrust

among members and what happened to the capitol police. they're trying to uncover exactly what happened. clearly republicans don't want to be talking about this, and there is some support for this among the rank and file. but there has certainly been as you noticed, the gaslighting, rewriting of history among many republicans who as someone who works up in the capitol, our entire team does, it's pretty scary for the future of america. hopefully we'll be able to have these medals go forward. the fact that these people, these police -- i mean they risked their lives for the safety of these members of congress, and it's something that i don't think should be forgot snoon speaking of january 6th, what's the latest in terms of the select committee? what do they plan to do, and have we learned more about what the republican response might

be? >> it's really been a democratic proposition. we've had kind of the beginnings of hearings -- hearing from the police that were there on the ground. but we're going into august recess, so i wouldn't expect for the next couple of weeks we're going to hear more details, but certainly the work continues. they're staffing up. i expect in september we're going to hear more. they're going to have a regular drumbeat in the investigation of what happened, and the real question, what's going to happen with the calling of former trump officials, will the former trump administration say there's white house executive privilege or not? these things are still being debated and something we're still covering closely. >> anna palmer of punch bowl, thank you so much. still ahead, the accomplishment of a diver. "way too early" is back on this friday in a moment. "way too early" is back on this friday in a moment

did you know that your toughest cleaning problems can be caused by hard water metals? they lock in residues like a glue, on your hard surfaces and fabrics. try 9 elements. its vinegar powered deep clean dissolves hard water buildup and releases trapped residues and odors like detoxifying your clothes. made with never more than 9 ingredients. 9 elements - more than a clean, a cleanse. hi, i'm debra.

i'm from colorado. i've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years. i'm a mother of four-- always busy. i was starting to feel a little foggy. just didn't feel like things were as sharp as i knew they once were. i heard about prevagen and then i started taking it about two years now. started noticing things a little sharper, a little clearer. i feel like it's kept me on my game. i'm able to remember things. i'd say give it a try. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. call coventry direct to learn more. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. our friends sold their policy to help pay for their medical bills and that got me thinking. maybe selling our policy could help with our retirement. i'm skeptical, so i did some research and called coventry direct. they explained life insurance is a valuable asset that can be sold. we learned

that we can sell all of our policy or keep part of it with no future payments, who knew? we sold our policy. now we can relax and enjoy our retirement as we had planned. if you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of life insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit conventrydirect.com to find out if you policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. (vo) at t-mobile for business, unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. whether it's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs. being first on the scene, when every second counts. or teaching biology without a lab. we are the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. without trade-offs. unconventional thinking. it's better for business.

time now for something totally different. "south park" has been on the air for a remarkable 24 seasons an it's going to stick around for at least another six years. the creators have signed a renewal deal that will keep the show on comedy central until 2027. it also includes the creation of 14 movies for its streaming platform, paramount plus. levar barton has revealed mike richards is in serious talks. richards on the search committee may have ended up on himself dic cheyney style. more than 260,000 fans have signed an online petition for him to replace alex trebek.

he graciously responded, i have won. i'm truly blessed beyond measure. now to an olympic update. we saw british diver tom daley has finished knitting his sweater. >> so i finished the jumper, and here we are. very bright right now. this says tokyo. you've got gbr, you've got this and that. thoughts and opinions, please, but be nice. >> looks great. still ahead, new york governor andrew cuomo has been given until next week to give his defense regarding sexual

harassment. but have they made up their minds about drafting articles of impeachment? "way too early" when we come right back. peachment? "way too early" when we come right back front desk. yes, hello... i'm so... please hold. ♪ those days are done. ♪ i got you. ♪ all by yourself. ♪ go with us and find millions of flexible options. all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with. feeling sluggish or weighed down? expedia. it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins.

a great tasting and easy way to start your day. baaam. internet that keeps you ahead of the game. that's cute, but my internet streams to my ride. yeah, well mine's always got my back. okay chill, 'cuz mine's so fast, no one can catch me. speed? we'll show you speed. wow! -that's nothing... ...because my internet gives me a flex 4k streaming box for free. impressive! that's 'cuz you all have the same internet. xfinity xfi so powerful, it keeps one-upping itself. can your internet do that?

guys, as we get older, we all lose testosterone. force factor's test x180 works to boost it back. build muscle, increase energy, fuel desire, and improve performance. rush to walmart for test x180, the #1 fastest-growing testosterone brand in america.

the clock is ticking on new york governor andrew cuomo. he and his lawyers have been given until next week to provide evidence next week as they wrach up their impeachment probe over allegations he sexually harassed 11 women. in a statement cuomo's office writes in part, the governor appreciates the opportunity. we will be cooperating. but some lawmakers are ready to draft impeachment articles now. "the new york times" reports they call for the assembly to move to impeach the governor within a week to ten days according to a note taken by a participant. they're concerned if he takes more time, he would find a wade to survive the scandal. the governor disputes the allegation, denies any bronc-doing, and has said he

will not step down. joining us now, republican strategist susan del percio. the state has given governor cuomo a week to present evidence. what do you think? is that too much time for him to act? >> no. i think they gave governor cuomo a week to get his affairs in order and be ready to vacate the governor's mansion. this is probably the easiest way to let the governor take some time. he will probably want a response in the record, but this is the end of everything. the governor will not let himself be impeached. he will not go down in history that way. his ego, what it will do to the family name, he will not let it happen. it was especially kind for the assembly to give him that time. as you said, they're champing at the bit to get these articles of impeachment over to the state

senate. >> susan, you wrote about your own stint at your time. tell us about your reflection in working for governor cuomo? >> in reading the report, especially when it came to the state trooper and how she lived in fear basically for her job and afraid to tell anyone of what happened as well as some of the other victims, it made me really think about just how bad that office really was and how that culture allowed this kind of behavior to eventually fester. as i said in the piece, i was not sexually harassed by governor cuomo. i didn't see sexual harassment occur, but i did see a horrible toxic environment. and even though it was just seven or eight years ago, i think it's really important now that we have more of an environment to speak out about that kind of -- you know, not just bullying, but retribution, the threat, the fear that people

lived in because he is -- governor cuomo is not only just a powerful governor. he is someone who's very vindictive. >> so, susan, we were talking about earlier how possible the scandal and possible impeachment proceedings, how they could impact the state's ability to do its business with the governor in the spotlight like that. i asked white house press secretary jen psaki if the white house still had confidence in him leading the state in the pandemic. what do you think? is this something that's going to potentially harm the citizens of new york state and getting the government and services they need while this takes place over the coming weeks and months? >> jonathan, that's a great question. yes, governor cuomo knew how to act. he knew where all the levers of government operated. for example, one of the big

things he was able to do was network all of the state's hospitals, especially the city hospitals. get ready to hear the name governor kathy hochul. she'll be a confident woman to go into that position. yes, it will be difficult because she'll have virtually no transition time and the governor of new york is usually on the sidelines, but there is a very competent staff. and i think, actually, it will be handling the pandemic at this stage, the incoming governor will look at it as a partnership with local government, something she believes in, and it can excel in different ways. frankly you're not going to have local governments living in fear if they say the wrong thing about what would be about former governor cuomo. >> susan del percio, thank you for being with us and writing

about your personal experiences. early we asked you that immortal question, why are you up "way too early"? susan writes i'm in maine. shirley says i'm up way too early to make blueberry pie. save me a please. and sophie is pondering life's most important question. ponder question, i'm up way too early to find out who actually selects the tweets emails you select is it an elite panel of judges? we have a crack panel to discuss which emails i will lead, actually it's a team led by my social producer ally, couldn't do it without them. up next one of donald trump's biggest supporters in the senate is asking him to

promote the coronavirus vaccine. and larry hogan is one of the latest to mandate vaccines for state employees. we'll hear from miguel cardona about the debate on masks to reopen schools in the fall. "morning joe" just minutes away. e fall "morning joe" just minutes away. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them with downy wrinkleguard. feel the difference with downy. ♪ ♪ experience, hyper performance that takes you further. at the lexus golden opportunity sales event. get 0.9% apr financing on all 2021 lexus hybrid models. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger.

>> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple loves camping adventures and their suv is always there with them. so when their windshield got a chip, they wanted it fixed fast. they drove to safelite autoglass for a guaranteed, same-day, in-shop repair. we repaired the chip before it could crack. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust, when you need it most. ♪ pop rock music ♪ >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination.

are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas, or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7. try align, the pros in digestive health.

former president trump is getting pressure to endorse the vaccine from one of his staunchest supporters senator lindsey graham from south carolina who is recovering from an infection of coronavirus is speaking out in hopes that the former president will get the shot. i've urged him to be aggressive and take the vaccine graham said. first since disclosing this week that he tested positive for the virus after getting vaccinated. graham said his symptoms had been improving although monday and tuesday were, quote, tough days he believes he would have been in tough shape had he not been vaccinated. joining us is sam stein from

politico. given that more and more republican lawmakers are endorsing the vaccine do you think president trump would encourage it publicly? we've heard him say now and then you should get the vaccine. but he's never offered the full-throated endorsement of the shot. when we hear about it at all it's usually to complain that he doesn't get enough credit to develop. >> i can't see him participating in a psa around the vaccine. nor do i necessarily think it will make as big an impact as people think. a lot of it is about access, disinformation, we've spoken to people that are unvaccinated and asked if trump endorsed it would you take it, they say no. some of the stuff is cultural and it's difficult to overcome, a psa by the former president may not be the big elixir that people think it would be. >> we're seeing for the first

time since president biden took office coronavirus cases going up. and some republicans are pointing to it and questioning his leadership. and poll numbers suggest that americans, their view of how he's handled the pandemic has slipped a little. how effective do you think this could be as a campaign issue for republicans, considering it's largely republican voters in red states that are unvaccinated and leading to the rising cases? >> there has been slippage for biden on this issue but relatively stable approval ratings across the board. and there is republicans saying you inherited a situation you had the vaccine, you had to go administer it you only got so far. that was only so fair, there was a chaotic situation he inherited, the vaccine situation was a mess from the reporting we had about it. but the question is does that affect him politically that they

can use against him. if you're biden, you don't want to enter a situation where the country is locked down again, where the economic recovery is not as robust as you were hoping it to be. his people understand this, and they're working hard, and we have a lot of time. i think if we get to a point you can beat back the delta variant, you get the country open, more people vaccinated as we're seeing now. they feel pretty good that would be advantageous for them. >> there was the news of the passing of labor leader richard trumpka, they lost a close friend and ally. what does this mean? >> i had the pleasure of talking on and off with are rich trumka for a dozen years. he was a fixture from the union world.

he came from the mines and thachs reflected in his disposition and politics. for union leadership the past couple decades has been a defensive crouch and me manned the last from them. he beat back historic loss in membership, laws that would have made it harder to unionize, trade deals, pension plans, health care negotiations and it's going to be difficult to replace the work and expertise he had in those defensive crouches. i'm certain there's another union member to take the reins, obviously, but it's hard to imagine filling the void that trumka had. he was a fixture of democratic politics, he was an ally for democratic parties. >> we saw them get emotional on the floor when they announced

his death, president biden noted it as well. is this the union diminishing sway over politics, do you think? >> the import of unions comes in their numbers and their organization. what we've seen for the past couple decades, union numbers are on the decline. but big ones, for instance at amazon factories have ended up not success. so unions are struggling with how you organize in a modern economy with the restrictions that have come through the legal system and political system in various states. so if they can figure out that puzzle, they'll be better auch but it's a tough one. >> sam stein thanks for being with us. thanks to all of you for getting up way too early with us all week. enjoy your weekend. two states, florida and

texas, account for one third of cases in the country. i say to these governors, please help. if you aren't going to help, please get out of the way. >> joe biden has taken to himself to try to single out florida over covid. what is his big solution? what is he so upset about florida? his solution is he wants to have the government force kindergarteners to wear masks in school. he thinks that should be a decision for the government. i can tell you, in florida the parents are going to be the ones in if charge of that decision. so why don't you do your job, why don't you get this border secure and until you do that, i don't want to hear a blip about covid from you. >> what's your response to governor desantis who's using your words about don't be in the way he's saying i am in the way. what's