and deceive the american people about his mental acuity for years. >> all right, guys. great conversation. thanks for being here, keir. we ash appreciate it. as a reminder, to help those who have been impacted by the fires in california please consider giving to organizations like these on your screen. that is all for today. thank you so much for watching. we'll be back next week because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." ♪♪ ♪♪ >> in your opinion, is this or will it be the worst natural disaster in the history of the united states? >> i think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope. >> california governor gavin newsom, speaking exclusively to nbc's jacob soboroff yesterday

on meet the press. it comes as the raging wildfires have claimed more lives in southern california. and the question is, what kind of progress did firefighters make over the weekend? we'll have a live report from the ground straight ahead. plus, vice president elect jd vance seemingly breaks with donald trump on pardons for some of the january 6th rioters. the question is, will the president elect use his clemency power on day one like he promised during the campaign? and a ban on tiktok is set to take effect in just a matter of days. the question is, will the platform, with 170 million american users really go away for good? it's way too early for this. good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that's kicking off a very busy week in washington. i'm ali vitali on this monday, january 13th. and we'll start, of course, with the news. we begin this morning with the devastating wildfires in southern california. as the

death toll rises to 24, the eaton fire is now one of the deadliest in the state. officials say it's currently 27% contained. while its spread has slowed, the fire has burned through more than 14,000 acres. the palisades fire is only about 13% contained and has burned nearly 24,000 acres. it's still threatening residential areas. the hurst fire is 89% contained, and the other two fires that broke out last week are thankfully 100% contained. but now officials are bracing for what could be, quote, explosive fire growth. strong santa ana winds once again have returned to the area with gusts of up to 70 miles an hour. they're expected to last through wednesday, prompting red flag warnings from the ventura county coastline all the way to the mexican border. california governor gavin newsom says he thinks these wildfires will be one of the worst in state history. newsom made the comment in an exclusive interview with nbc's meet the press, and it comes as firefighters complain some hydrants ran dry in the

first several hours after the fires began, which newsom says he's calling for an independent investigation to get to the bottom of that. >> what the hell happened? what happened to the water system? was it? and by the way, was it just overwhelm that you had so much that was used? we drew it down. was it pipes? was it electricity? it was a combination of pipes, electricity and pumps. what was that drawdown. impossible. because you lost seven plus thousand structures right here anyway. and every single structure we lost had a pipe that was leaking, and we would have lost that water pressure anyway. did it contribute in any way to our inability to fight the fire, or were 99 mile an hour winds determinative and there was really no fire fight that could have been more meaningful? so i want to all of us want to know those answers, and i just don't want to wait because people are asking me. i want to know those facts. i want them objectively determined and that the chips fall where they may. this is not about finger pointing. >> a lot of important questions

still to be answered. joining us now live from pacific palisades is nbc's jay gray. jay, what are you seeing out there today? >> hey, ali. yeah. and really, you can't get the answer to those questions until you finish fighting this fire. >> and that's still a ways away. >> what we are seeing is utter devastation. some things that are just unimaginable. look at this. this is one of the areas where it looks like there was a bombing here. it literally looks like a bomb went off in other areas. there's just nothing left, no clue of what stood before the flames. and as you talk about, there's that growing potential now and concern about another firestorm here. the worst of the winds expected to kick up, according to forecasters sometime this afternoon and continue through wednesday. and that brings with it the potential to again fan some of the flames that are burning to stoke these embers and spread these embers as well into other areas. and so there's

a lot of worry, a lot of concern about that and a lot of fear about what's going to happen as a result of those winds. look, they've closed off this area. the palisades, obviously locked down will continue to be. and others that are hardest hit, just not safe in many of these areas. according to law enforcement, they had initially allowed people to come in, perhaps find something they could pull from some of the rubble. but now saying we can't do that with these winds beginning to swirl again, and we're not even going to consider it until sometime thursday at the earliest. so that's the situation on the ground. we know that the national guard is staked out here and across the region. we've seen troops moving in a thousand more deployed overnight, and then you've got law enforcement and firefighters constantly patrolling this area looking for hotspots, dousing them where they find them, and again, preparing what could for what could be another severe

wind event coming up really starting this afternoon, ali j. >> the people who are trying to get back in their homes, even if it just means being able to grab 1 or 2 things. what are they saying to you? i mean, we've seen just some really emotional interviews. can you talk about those conversations that you're having? >> so, so difficult? and, and a lot of people who have come in, we saw one man earlier who had worked at his dad's gas station. that gas station was burned to the ground he was rummaging through, found a handful of quarters. and it reminded him of the times when, as a kid, he and his brother had worked at that gas station. so it's the smallest of things, the things that may seem insignificant, that people are pulling from just what is really just ash and twisted metal, and just finding something that triggers those memories. it's a blessing for many, but also a curse because it makes them realize just how

devastating this damage is and how difficult it's going to be to come back. >> nbc's jay gray, thank you for your reporting. and meanwhile, with the death toll rising, we're learning new details about some of the victims of the devastating fires burning across los angeles. nbc news correspondent dana griffin has more. >> these are the faces of neighbors, family and friends forever tied to the most destructive wildfire in los angeles county history. anthony mitchell, a father who stayed behind with his disabled son, justin, refusing to let him die alone. >> so before he hung up the phone, he said, baby, i got to go. >> the fire made it to my yard. a sweet but stern 83 year old arlene louise kelly. >> we didn't expect to lose her so tragically. and that's that's what hurts most. >> tell him it's not what happens to you in life. >> it's what you do after that counts. >> it was my baby and he died needlessly. >> former child actor roy sykes,

born blind, also had cerebral palsy. >> he said, mom, leave me and i know mom can leave the kid and i've got a broken arm. i couldn't lift him. i couldn't move him. >> his mom, shelly, telling an australian news organization she drove to get help from firefighters. >> when the fire department brought me back. his cottage was burnt to the ground. >> at least two victims tried to protect their homes from flames, where they raised families and lived for decades. like victor shaw and rodney kent nickerson. >> great person. funny the life of the party and love people. very intelligent man. loved to read. >> and there's randy millard. a malibu surfer who lived along the pacific coast highway and is well known red crab shack. he was found there, according to his mom, who also told nbc news his last words to her were pray for the palisades and pray for malibu. i love you.

>> that was nbc's dana griffin reporting, and we're all praying for the people in this area. coming back to washington now, president elect donald trump has formally been sentenced in his hush money criminal case. on friday, judge juan merchan handed down the sentence of unconditional discharge in new york state criminal court as trump appeared virtually for that. the sentence means trump will see no formal punishment for his crime. judge merchan noted that trump was spared only because he's due to take the oath of office next week, and that his impending immunity does not mitigate any of his criminal convictions. audio of the proceedings was released shortly after the sentencing. >> to be clear, the protections afforded the office of the president are not a mitigating factor. they do not reduce the seriousness, seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way. the protections are, however, a legal mandate which,

pursuant to the rule of law, this court must respect and follow. >> trump has, of course, vowed to appeal. he now becomes the first u.s. president to ever take office as a convicted felon. and sticking with trump legal news, special counsel jack smith has officially resigned from his position at the department of justice. his resignation was effective as of friday. no formal announcement was made, but it was noted in a footnote of a doj filing on litigation surrounding the release of smith's report on his investigations. the move was expected, though, ahead of president elect trump's inauguration on january 20th. at the same time, smith's report on trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election could be released as soon as today. trump reacted to the resignation by going after smith on social media. still coming up this morning, vice president elect jd vance weighs in on donald trump's plans to issue pardons for january 6th rioters. we'll show you his new comments. plus, what we're learning about president biden's upcoming farewell address to the nation later this week. those stories,

plus a check on sports and weather when we come right back. >> a very busy day of news. >> we have never seen anything like it. >> we're going to report the facts out together. >> there are several stories breaking what protects the country? >> what protects the constitution? >> do you still believe that the collapse of the regime is inevitable? >> what's your level of concern and fear for your own future? >> america is dealing with many issues, from grocery prices to gun violence. >> it has been over 400 days since the war in gaza started. >> you're watching trump hire a (vo) oof, stuck paying for that old phone? don't be. ♪ you know, at verizon, we'll pay off your phone. and you'll get iphone 16 with apple intelligence, on us.

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powerful fat incinerator ever. absolutely free. >> welcome back. vice president elect jd vance is taking a stance on who he thinks should and should not receive presidential pardons for their actions during the capitol riot on january 6th of 2021. vance made the comments during an interview on fox news sunday, breaking slightly from what president elect donald trump has laid out in his own pardon plans. >> i think it's very simple. look, if you protested peacefully on january the 6th and you had merrick garland's department of justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. if you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned. and there's a little bit of a gray area there, but we're very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law. and there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of january the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly, we need to rectify that. >> here's where the difference

comes. in a december interview with nbc news, trump said on his first day in office he would pardon his supporters who joined the riot, adding they have been prosecuted in a, quote, very nasty system. unlike vance, trump did not rule out pardoning those who pleaded guilty to violent crimes such as assaulting police officers. the associated press this morning is reporting significant progress has been made overnight between u.s. and arab negotiators towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal in gaza, while a finalized agreement has not been reached, the ap cites three officials as saying progress has been made in the coming days will be critical. the news follows incoming middle east envoy steve whitcomb's visit to the region on friday and saturday, where he met with qatari officials as well as israeli prime minister netanyahu. separately yesterday, netanyahu and president biden also spoke by phone to discuss the cease fire efforts and the shifting regional dynamics following recent events. president biden emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in gaza and increased humanitarian aid. and back here at home, the

supreme court signaled that it could uphold a law that would effectively ban tiktok in the u.s. after oral arguments took place on friday, the law in question, enacted with broad bipartisan support on capitol hill, requires the china based tiktok owner bytedance, to divest itself of the company if no sale takes place. a lawyer for tiktok stated that the platform would go dark. the social media platform claims it has 170 million american users. maybe you viewers are one of them. tiktok and some of its users have sued to block the measure, saying it violates their free speech rights under the constitution's first amendment. however, the department of justice is defending the law on national security grounds over concerns the chinese government could exert influence over the platform. as of now, there remains some uncertainty over how the court will handle the case, especially with donald trump taking office just one day after the january 19th deadline for the law to take effect. when we come back, we'll turn to sports with a recap of wild card weekend across the nfl and a wild one it was. we'll tell you

who's in, who's out, and the state of the playoff race. those highlights, plus a check on the weather forecast when way too early returns. but first we want to know why are you awake? email your reasons to way too early at msnbc.com or tell me on social media at ali vitali using the hashtag way too early. we're going to read our favorite answers later in the show. >> thanks for calling. >> consumer cellular ranked number one in network coverage and customer satisfaction. >> hi. >> my friend linda has you guys. >> it gets way better coverage than i do. >> sounds like linda has you beat. >> not at bowling. >> you're breaking up a little. >> are you really ranked number one in coverage? >> yep. >> and plans start at just $20. >> oh, we could afford lessons for linda. you're embarrassing yourself. at least my phone works. switch to the carrier. works. switch to the carrier. >> ranked number one in network [coughing] hi susan, honey? yea. i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey.

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round, and the kansas city chiefs, who also had a bye, will host the texans after houston intercepted chargers quarterback justin herbert a career high four times on saturday in a 32 to 12 victory over los angeles. and in baltimore, qb lamar jackson threw for two touchdowns as running back derrick henry led a punishing ground game in the ravens 28 to 14 win over the pittsburgh steelers. the ravens will play on the road next weekend against buffalo, after the bills took care of the denver broncos 31 to 7 yesterday. and in philadelphia, quarterback jalen hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his return from a three week layoff after a concussion, and the eagles beat the green bay packers 22 to 10. the eagles will host the winner of tonight's nfc wild card matchup between the minnesota vikings and the los angeles rams, which was moved from southern california to arizona because of wildfire danger. for the latest on those fires, let's go now to meteorologist michelle grossman. michelle, what's the latest from you? >> hi there ali. >> well, after a bit of a break

over the weekend, we're going to start to see those fires really ramping up. i know jay touched upon this and did a really good job explaining what's going to happen, but we're going to see those fires ramping up. >> the fires, excuse me. >> the winds ramping up to 50, 60, even 70mph or so. as a result, 10 million people at risk for red flag warnings from santa clarita to san bernardino, temecula, escondido. we're seeing those winds gusting as we go throughout, especially the later part of today, tuesday and also wednesday. it is bone dry. still, we're looking at relative humidity levels 8 to 15%. now, this was just added by the national weather service. an extreme risk for fire where we're looking at this bright pink color here. places like santa clarita, santa paula, thousand oaks could see that extreme fire risk. we do have a critical fire risk as well. that's in the red. that extends all the way from riverside to temecula down to escondido, and also an elevated risk. this is not only today but also tuesday and wednesday. these are the fires burning right now. we have the eton fire 27% contained. 13% contained for the palisades

fire. also the hurst fire doing much better, 89%. but as we go throughout the day, we're going to see those winds really gusting, gusting and it's going to be sustained for a while as well. so right now we're looking at winds anywhere from ten, even 20mph. we have a 30 mile per hour wind gusts. but look what happens as we go throughout the later part of today into tuesday and wednesday. so by 8:00 tomorrow, we're looking at winds gusting once again near 50, 60mph. and it is not out of the question that we're going to see a 70 mile per hour wind gusts. that's the big story today. that will continue to be the big story over the next several days. also, looking at a dangerous chill in portions of the northern plains, the upper midwest, we're looking at temperatures below zero as the air temperature you factor in the winds, it's going to feel colder than that. we're dry throughout the central and southern plains, looking at a soggy start in portions of the southeast. then as we go throughout wednesday, still dry and windy in the southern parts of california, that will remain a big story throughout the middle of the week. plenty of sunshine in the southern plains, and also looking at freezing cold temperatures in the ohio

valley and also the great lakes valley. >> yeah, michelle, out in california, you talk about the kicked up winds, you talk about the dry conditions, all of that so impactful on the fires. thank you for the update. and coming up. still ahead, the confirmation hearing for pete hegseth, president elect trump's pick to lead the defense department is set to take place tomorrow. we'll have a preview of what to expect and the frustration from some democrats about his fbi background check being delayed way too early. being delayed way too early. coming back in just a (♪♪) (♪♪) voltaren... for long lasting arthritis pain relief. (♪♪) we lose 1% of our collagen every year, starting in our 20s, which means we must start banking collagen for plumper, glowing skin. do it with neutrogena collagen bank. trust me, i'm a banker. shouldn't they trust me, the dermatologist? it's not a competition. (♪♪) here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday.

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>> welcome back to way too early. it's just before 530 on the east coast, about 230 out west. i'm ali vitali. pete hegseth, who is president elect trump's pick to head the department of defense, will face senators at a confirmation hearing tomorrow, kicking off a week of action on confirmations on capitol hill. senators roger wicker of mississippi and jack reed of rhode island. the two head lawmakers on the senate armed services committee received texas fbi background check on friday. two sources tell nbc news the 25 member committee does not necessarily need to review his background check to proceed with the nomination hearing, but two committee sources familiar with the process said it was unprecedented that the report took this long to get to the panel's members. democrats on the panel have been frustrated by the delay and suggest the report may not be thorough, but they say they'd prefer to see it before this hearing tomorrow regardless. a spokesperson for the fbi declined to comment. hegseth, a veteran and former fox news host, has faced multiple controversies and allegations since he was announced as trump's defense

secretary pick. he's met with multiple republican members of the committee, but his team has told most democratic senators that he would only be available to meet with them after the hearing. joining us now is senior investigative producer and story editor for nbc news, sarah fitzpatrick. sarah, let's dig into your latest story, because it lays out a lot about a what's typical to the background check process, and b, why democratic senators are frustrated about this. so take them in order. what is actually the norm for this. >> so typically the transition team, the presidential transition team can ask the fbi to conduct a background check. and it sounds exactly kind of like what we do here. you go back and discuss, look through people's finances, talk to their spouses. >> it's kind of a wide range. >> and typically it's a very exhaustive process. but the key point here is that the client, the person who orders this background check is the transition team. it is not congress. so they can lay out what they what the parameters are in terms of which witnesses

they can speak to, how thorough they want it to be. and i think that's where we're going to see some really potentially explosive conversations on capitol hill, because our indications from our reporting is that this background check has not contacted everyone, that we would typically expect the fbi to contact. >> yeah. you've been doing a lot of reporting in this space, both on the allegations of misuse of funds when hegseth was at various veterans organizations. there are people who have said to you, i haven't heard from the fbi. >> absolutely. in fact, as of this morning, people who worked closely with pete hegseth or have been contacted by congress about this behavior, they have not heard from the fbi. and so it's an indication that, you know, even the very surface level of this has not those conversations have not taken place. and those are people with really critical and important information about this nominee. >> there have also been not just republican, not just democratic senators who say, i want to see the background checks, but republican senators as well. susan collins, lisa murkowski, they have all said to me in the

halls, i want to see this before i make any decisions. how abnormal or normal is it for wide ranging members of the committee, not just the chairman and the ranking member, to not have seen these background checks? it is unprecedented. >> generally, you would share it's kind of a standard process. you would be briefed on what's in there. it would be kind of a pro forma thing. in this case, it's being kept very limited just to those two members. and again, they're just receiving a briefing from the trump transition team. they're not hearing it directly from the fbi. that's also a key point. it's not required to be. it's the transition team that presents it to congress. i imagine that it is possible that democrats could suggest that they would like to hear from the fbi, but i don't know what the what the process would be or if there's a precedent for that. >> and then there's the reality that they're requesting, and there's no real teeth behind the demand to force someone into actually giving that kind of a briefing. >> no, not at all. it's really up to what they choose to let you know. let those two members of congress see not even the

full committee. >> then when you think about democrats and i have a sense from my sources of where they're going to be going in some of these confirmation hearings, you know, i think the way that one democratic aide put it to me is they want to sort of begin signposting where the problems and the resumes are for these people so that when mistakes come, if these folks are concerned, which it sounds like many of them likely will be, democrats are able to turn around and say to the american people, we told you that would happen. what are some of the things specifically with hegseth that you expect democrats to bring up during this hearing? >> i think one of the major things that we're going to hear about is, of course, his drinking. we reported back in the fall that he was known for being publicly intoxicated at work events, to the point that he needed to be carried out. and our reporting indicated that although he has claimed that that is no longer an issue, that he had been drinking, that sources had smelled alcohol on him as recently as the fall that was at fox. so he was at fox that he had been drinking on the job, but at the veterans organizations as well, and in other kind of professional

capacities. so that's going to be a real concern because for secretary of defense, there is no more critical. it is a 24 over seven job, and it is a job of judgment constantly. most secretaries of defense never drink alcohol during their term at all. i think most critically, where we're going to see the more explosive things is around allegations of sexual assault. there's this very well documented report of an accused, a alleged sexual assault in monterey, california. >> there's an exhaustive police report that has been made public, but we have not heard from the accuser or others that would corroborate that. >> and i think that signposting, that's where we're going to see the potential, because it is such an explosive allegation and we just have so little information. >> senators on the hill were also trying to make the point. i think senator lindsey graham was one of them who said, if this allegation is out there, which it certainly is, and that police report is exhaustive, you and i both have read it. graham is saying they should come forward. they should testify. do you have any sense that that's something that would happen? >> as of right now, we don't

have that sense that has been suggested, but based on the sources that we've been able to contact and get kind of some indications, it doesn't seem like there is a huge list of people that are planning to come forward, if at all. hegseth attorney told us that he has not heard from the committee that there were plans for any additional witnesses. so i think at this point that looks unlikely unless there's a big surprise. >> and even without that, it's going to be a bruising, bruising hearing one of the senators on the hill saying they're in for a train wreck this week, which i think is probably the right way to put it. absolutely. senior investigative producer and story editor for nbc news, sarah fitzpatrick, my friend, thank you so much for joining us. and still coming up ahead, we'll go over the star studded list of celebrities now chipping in to support wildfire relief efforts in los angeles. plus, we'll show you the totally different attire for two riders in london yesterday. this was a baron at all. we'll be right back on way too early. on.

>> it's monday, it's monday everyone, we're happy to have you here on this monday night. how concerned are you about how we could use this proximity to power to benefit himself financially? is there room to do some oversight over the trump announced nominees? what would you do as dnc chair to better communicate with this generation? you feel like the u.s. government is starting to figure out how to do this. everything matters. lots to get everything matters. lots to get to is every monday here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! >> that's sedentary. >> inactivity is terrible for your health. it's time to add some extra steps to your day.

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angeles, celebrities, many of whom have lost their homes or were forced to evacuate, are stepping up to help their community. from jamie lee curtis and paris hilton to prince harry and meghan markle, here's how some stars are giving back. beyonce announced that her be good charity foundation is donating $2.5 million to help families in altadena and pasadena rebuild after they suffered their losses. eva longoria made a heartfelt pledge on instagram, telling her followers that she's donating $50,000 to the organization. this is about humanity, all to support frontline workers and their families. and halle berry is also taking action. the oscar winner said she donated her entire closet to those in need of basic items. sharon stone also posted her support of a donation drive for victims. and looking now to the skies, blue origin, the rocket company founded by billionaire jeff

bezos, had to stand down on an attempt to launch its first orbital rocket overnight. the launch had been scheduled to take place from cape canaveral, florida, between 1 and 4 a.m. eastern hour kind of timing, but the company had to repeatedly reset its countdown clock before eventually postponing altogether. this was thought to be the long anticipated debut of bezos challenge to elon musk's spacex. at this point, no new launch date has been set. and one more story. now this one from across the pond. yesterday was the annual no trousers tube ride in london. yeah, it's just what it sounds like. dozens of people loaded onto the train without their pants on for fun. there's no cause. there's no cause or larger meaning behind this event, other than to liven things up during what can be a bleak winter in the uk. according to the associated press, the first instance of this event began in new york in 2002 and has since spread to cities around the world. though i'm going to be honest. there is no part of me that has ever wanted to get on the subway or public transit without my pants on. still ahead, though, we'll

turn back to the devastating wildfires in southern california and the ongoing efforts to help the thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes way too early is coming right back. >> watch this. witness what happens to this woman's bags under her eyes in an actual time lapse. in just minutes, the problem will disappear before your eyes. with a revolutionary topical formulation that works in just minutes. and the effects will last for hours. over 1 million people are using this topical technique to visually reduce puffiness and bags even fine lines and wrinkles on the face and forehead. introducing plexaderm jump on board and say plexaderm jump on board and say yes to this amazing here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! eggs make all our family moments better. especially when they're eggland's best. taste so fresh and amazing.

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included, for only $15 a month. >> something you can sign and make official. >> start your will at trusted wilcom now and make it count. >> i just hope that republicans take care with what they're inheriting. >> the fallout from meta ceo mark zuckerberg's decision to end fact checking. >> what's your message to

concerned voters about where the country may be headed after the biden administration leaves? >> actually behind closed doors? they're still asking what the hell happened? >> there's still active fires that are burning within the palisades area, making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public. there's no power, there's no water, there's broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures. >> the first responders are working as quickly as possible to ensure that it is safe for you to return into your communities. >> that was los angeles fire chief christine crowley explaining yesterday why some residents haven't been able to return to their homes amid the devastating wildfires tearing across the city. joining us now live from los angeles, is senior support adviser for the humanitarian group save the children. greta wetzel, greta, thank you for joining us. first, save the children has been on

the ground helping families throughout this disaster. can you tell us a little bit more about what your organization is doing for folks on the ground? >> yeah, absolutely. thank you so much for having me this morning. >> save the children has been working in disasters since hurricane katrina, and we are here in los angeles ensuring that the most urgent needs of children are being met, that they have the supplies and the those those tangible things that they need right now, as well as setting up for that long term support, getting them back into learning and play stations, as well as starting to think about how we can help support, address and address their mental health needs going forward. >> all of that really impactful. and i think the point you make about the short term versus the long term is really important. so in the short term, what are the tangible needs right now on the ground? >> you know those are all evolving. still we're still trying to understand where where are our children going? where are they going to be, especially those that have lost their homes or or their schools or their

childcare centers. so really making sure that we have those diapers and wipes and hygiene kits and the place for children to play, to come together, to be able to start to get back into a more normalized routine. because we know that when children are able to come together and play, then they are able to support each other in this recovery process. and so we're really thankful and happy to be working with some local organizations here on the ground to begin that process of bringing kids together so that they have have a safe and fun place to play, and making sure that all of those needs are being met. >> well, there's the physical needs that you're talking about, and then also the mental health needs of children and their caregivers once they begin trying to move forward after losing their homes, ideas of going back to school, playing all of those are physical, but also emotional. can you talk

about that? >> yeah, absolutely. you know, these especially these early days that that we're experiencing here are are difficult for everybody. and those caregivers, not only the parents but the people that are in the lives of children, teachers, educators, child care providers, just volunteers that might be be working with children, really making sure that we as adults are are okay ourselves, that we give ourselves the time to process what we're seeing and how we're experiencing this disaster, so that we're able to better help and support those children as well. you know, making sure that we are using the most simple and direct language about what is happening so that they can best understand what's going on, and really looking to those first responders that are there to help and support and understand how they can also be a part of

this recovery as well. what are those those small things that they can do to help their neighbors and their community? >> yeah, we were talking earlier in the show with jay gray about how it is the little things right now for people on the ground. and so for anyone wanting to support save the children and the work that you're doing at this critical point, how do they do that? what can people do to help? >> yeah. ■so a great way to go.a great way to do it is to go to our website, save the children.org/wildfires. there you can find our page to donate. and every donation is so critical and so thankful. and this will enable us to get those resources directly into these communities to help children and their caregivers. >> senior support advisor for save the children, greta wetzel, thank you for taking care of the people on the ground there. and please take care of yourself too. >> thank you. thanks for having us. yeah. >> earlier in the show, we asked you, why are you awake? jim writes from arizona. i've been up way too early since willie

geist in 2009. you might notice some of the themes we brought back from those days. we love it. and this one's from penny. at 77, i finally figured out i'm a morning person. hey, better late than never. and another viewer emails i had a nightmare that the washington commanders won. well, i've got some bad news for you. a lot of people happy here in d.c. coming up next, ahead of a farewell address later this week, president biden talks about his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and whether he's considering more preemptive pardons. we'll show you those new remarks. and coming up on morning joe live reporting from the ground in southern california, where los angeles is bracing once again for winds to pick back up, posing more fire threats and dangerous conditions. fema administrator deanne criswell will update on the current state of emergency in the region and what the federal government is doing to help. plus, pasadena's fire chief will join the conversation as crews scramble to contain those massive fires. all of that coming up when

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e*trade from morgan stanley. >> my friend linda has you guys. it gets way better coverage than i do. >> sounds like linda has you beat. >> not at bowling. >> you're breaking up a little. >> are you really ranked number one in coverage? yep. >> and plans start at just $20. >> oh, we could afford lessons for linda. you're embarrassing yourself. at least my phone works. switch to the carrier. >> ranked number one in network coverage satisfaction. and right now, get your second month free. call consumer cellular today. >> stay up to date on the biggest issues of the day with the msnbc daily newsletter. each morning, you'll get analysis by experts you trust, video highlights from your favorite shows, previews of our podcasts and documentaries, plus written perspectives from the newsmakers themselves. sign up for msnbc daily at msnbc. com. >> welcome back. president biden

will deliver a farewell address to the country on wednesday. the white house says he'll give the speech from the oval office, but didn't release details about what the president plans to talk about. earlier this month, though, sources told nbc news that biden's farewell final address would reflect on his time in various political offices and will include a message to americans about the country's future. president biden spoke to reporters on friday following a strong jobs report and the final one of his presidency. he was asked if he regrets dropping out of the presidential race and whether he's still considering pardons for himself and others close to him who have criticized donald trump. >> i think i would have beaten trump, could have beaten trump, and i think that kamala could have beaten trump, would have beaten trump. it wasn't about. i thought it was important to unify the party. and when the party was worried about whether or not i was going to be able to move, i thought it was even though i thought i could win again. i thought it was better

to unify the party. and i had it was the greatest honor in my life to be president of united states. but i didn't want to be one who caused a party that wasn't unified to lose an election. and that's why i stepped aside. but i was confident she could win. >> have you ruled out a pardon for yourself or any other additional members of the family? >> for myself, yes, sir. would i pardon myself for. >> that's what i'm asking. >> no, i have no contemplation of pardoning myself or anything. i didn't do anything wrong. it depends on some of the language and expectations that trump broadcast in the last couple of days here as to what he's going to do. the idea that he would punish people for not adhering

to what he thinks should be policy is related to his well-being is outrageous, but there's still consideration of some folks that nothing but no decision. >> joining us now is white house correspondent for politico and coauthor of the playbook, eugene daniels. eugene, let's first start with the farewell address, and then we'll dig into some of the things that the president was talking about there. what are you anticipating hearing? >> yeah, i mean, first of all, this is going to be kind of a legacy defining moment for him, right? how does he want to be remembered? it is the big is this the final time he will have a big audience, right? former presidents don't get the big crowds like a current president does. i talked to a senior administration official yesterday, and it's coming out in playbook a little bit, but they said it will be very rooted in the moment and where we're in and will where we go from here. so it's both kind of a defense and looking at the last four years, but then kind of moving forward and they wouldn't get into details because if you know

joe biden, you know, he's he and his team are still working through it until like that teleprompter goes. but that tells me that they're also going to it's going to be kind of a call to action in some way, right. talking about how important democracy is. will there be warnings for from him about donald trump, whether they're veiled or not, implicit or explicit? that's unclear, but it feels like it's going to be in there. that's what i'm going to be looking for. >> it's a man who ran against donald trump, citing the battle for the soul of the nation. i feel like it. it has to be central. it's something you have to say something. but then there's also the piece of it where biden is laying out how he wants to be remembered, and washington is grappling with the other pieces of the legacy that maybe the biden team wishes were minimized. specifically, when biden is talking there about, i think i could have won. i thought kamala could have won. how are those comments being received within the white house, within the vp's orbit? >> yeah, i mean, look, she didn't win. so whether she thought she could win too. but history runs for president. yeah, exactly. but i think, you know, i talked to and sent those

quotes to multiple people within, both in her office, outside of her office on the campaign. and i got a lot of eye roll emojis. right. when he said that, he thought he could win. the reason that kamala harris became the presidential nominee was because joe biden and his team looked at the numbers and saw that he could not win, right. those that's the reason that that happened where he sent us that tweet on that sunday afternoon. and so i think this is someone who is still grappling with the fact that he backed out, that his vp went, she lost. and now that's a part of his legacy as well. >> yeah. and i was so struck in the interview that he did the only exit interview he did with susan page where he said, i think i could have won. and she asked, well, do you think you could have governed for the next term? and he said, who the hell knows? i think was the direct quote on that. the other thing i want to pivot to, too, is the incoming administration. they're coming in against the backdrop of, of course, these wildfires in los angeles. one of the things that the governor of california talked about in an exclusive interview on meet the

press this weekend was the idea of potential retribution in regards to the way that resources will be allocated. you've got president biden in one corner saying the federal government will cover 100% of the costs associated with it, and then you've got donald trump lashing out at newsom on social media. where do you think this goes next, when the trump administration actually comes in? >> it's hard to know with with trump where things are going to go. there's a world in which they come in and things move forward, as joe biden has already laid out. but there is a world in which that donald trump figures out a way, or tries to figure out a way to pull some of those things back, to punish gavin newsom, not just not the citizens of california, per se, but gavin newsom. that is something he has talked about. gavin. i think new scum is the name that he has given him. we know he loves the nickname. he loves the nickname. they're coming back. and i think when you look at how gavin newsom responded to jacob soboroff in that interview, he is trying to figure out a way, okay, are there things i can do as governor to make sure that the retribution doesn't hit the

folks in my in my state? can he just call me names? can we just have beef? but at the same time, we get what we need from the federal government. james lankford was on meet the press this weekend, and he kind of said, kind of pooh poohed the idea that trump would do retribution against california after these wildfires. but again, we don't know. and donald trump has said things like this before, and it worked out. >> and you're watching other democrats also try to navigate this space. it's not just newsom. congresswoman judy chu, who represents parts of this area, have also been clear. they want trump to come and survey the damage. he's not someone who has shied away from going to these kinds of areas. last week we were talking about the infamous puerto rico paper towels incident. but do you think that one of the opening salvos of his administration could be some kind of a trip here? yeah. >> i mean, gavin newsom invited him. you have to say that she wants him to come. these moments look presidential like. the most presidential moments are those where presidents are walking around with other elected officials looking at damage,

whether that be a terrorist attack, a natural disaster. and donald trump loves those kind of kind of moments. i do think it is very much on the table whether or not he goes and it also he he is feeling emboldened. right. and going to california, a blue state that didn't vote for you or they're asking you for money also is going to speak to him. >> yeah. plus, newsom also or one of the california officials had referenced, like when he found out that orange county was a pretty republican hub, that that sort of changes the tune, right? just a little bit. it does. it does matter, even though i think many would agree it shouldn't. >> right, exactly. >> white house correspondent for politico, eugene daniels. thank you, as always for joining us. that was way too early for this monday morning. stick around. morning joe starts right now. >> i grabbed him by the hand. >> he couldn't even barely get dressed as he was trying to drag himself in the car. he had his phone, a charger around his cable and his walking cane and i dragged him in the car. the ambers were coming in the car at the same time. >> it's li