let's go to willie geist now in new york first. willie? >> all right, mika. thanks a lot.and the political director at nbc news, chuck todd. good morning, chuck. >> good morning, willie. >> let's talk about what the president's up to today. he's going to be down on wall street. what's the message, and who's his audience? is he talking to us, or is he talking to the guys down there? >> economy, economy, economy. i think this is the first day of why i think it's going to be an interesting two-week period for the president and for the issue of health care. first of all, the speech today. it marks the one-year anniversary of the fall of lehman brothers. who knew this would become a national holiday, lehman brothers. apparently, we'll get the day off school someday for the fall of lehman brothers. in seriousness, the an attempt -- i think the president wants to highlight, look, we pulled the economy back from the brank. it was really bad. a little bit of a reminder that it was really bad. he's going to make a little bit of a push for his massive overhaul of the financial regula

>> willie geist?in 1987 on television. >> donkey kong. >> i am so with you. i'd put a $1 surcharge on a can of soda. >> we've got to -- while we're teaching reading and writing and arithmetic, we've got to engage kids, get them exercise. >> our children are fat. >> remember when we grew up, the presidential fitness award. that's a small part of it. >> that's right. i had one. >> nationwide, kids need to start getting outside and exercising more. >> back when we were kids, there would be one child who was a little bit overweight. i'm sorry. there's five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten overweight kids in every classroom. it's unacceptable, and it's our fault. >> they come home after sitting in school all the time. >> and it's the crap they sell in grocery stores. >> and they sit there -- they come home, sit, play their sega, genesis, asteroids. then they watch tv. then they go on the computers. they're facebooking it. >> they eat garbage, and they drink poison. >> here's the deal, though, mika. here's

and also sports with willie geist, including highlights from the u.s. open.cinderella story it was. >> i know people have already forgotten how bad it was seven months ago, selective amnesia. home sales are up. we're seeing signs of life in the auto industry. business investment is starting to stabilize. for the first time in 18 months, we're seeing growth in manufacturing. when was the last time you heard that here in the united states of america? does your mouthwash work in six different ways? introducing listerine total care. everything you need... to strengthen teeth, help prevent cavities, and kill germs. introducing 6 in 1 listerine total care. the most complete mouthwash. what? with unbeatable prices on aveeno daily moisturizing lotion, beauty costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. [ engine powers down ] gentlemen, you booked your hotels on orbitz. well, the price went down, so you're all getting a check thanks. for the difference. except for you -- you didn't book with orbitz, so you're not getting a check. well, i think we've all le

mike barnicle with us, along with willie geist and joe scarborough. us from washington as well. talking about bumper stickers. >> first, a quick look at some of the nation's top stories, the nation will pause this morning to honor the thousands of lives lost eight years ago when the nation came under terrorist attack. moments of silence will be held throughout the country. we'll have live coverage throughout the day here on msnbc. >>> although south carolina congressman joe wilson is apologizing for causing president obama a liar on wednesday, he's not backing down on the issues that triggered the outburst. posting this message on his website last night. >> i will not be muzzled. i will speak up and speak loudly against this risky plan. the supporters of the government takeover of health care and the liberal who is want to give health care to illegals are using my opposition, as an excuse to distract from the critical questions being raised about this poorly-conceived plan. they want to silence anyone who speaks out against it. i need your help now. i

willie geist is scampering in from his show "way too early." mike barn icle and pat buick annan at the table with us. joe still recovering from surgery. >> it's remotely possible and it's possible that obama is going over there to make sure and push them over the top. i heard from joe warren, who said he didn't think -- thought chicago was in the number two position and obama would be badly -- in bad position if he did not go. >> right. >> and make the case. >> me thinks it's time for some happy news. >> you better get it. he's going to be one angry guy. second place. >> man, i would not -- >> i've got to run. >> if he comes home without it. >> exactly. okay. >> i'll show those guys who's important. >> that's about what encapsulates -- >> his hometown. >>> madeline albright will be joining us, to talk about iran, afghanistan and these issues. chuck todd will be here, david fromm, the man behind the axis of evil line, and aria in. in a huffington is going to join us. >> axis of evil today. >> i'm sorry. and straight ahead in the next half hour,

>>> joe scarborough with you, along with mike barnicle and the great willie geist, known also, of courset of "way too early." and also with us, harold ford jr., professor emeritus at vanderbilt. >> such a depressing introduction after listening to the one that you gave willie, but i embrace it. >> we have an awful lot to talk about, front page of "the new york times." the president being interviewed by a lot of people. "the wall street journal" couldn't believe we could be going to 10,000 here. and also, i think the big news, of course talking about mcchrystal saying give me more troops or we are going to lose in afghanistan. and, of course, i don't know about you, willie geist, but if you spend three hours on a saturday watching tim tebow play, your life will be forever changed. that was the light over my head this weekend. seriously, bloomquist and gary danielson, it is just teen anal boy love. >> they're not the first. every announcer has a weird tim tebow thing. >> okay. let's go to news stuff. it is time for a look at the day's top stories. >>> according to this morning's "washingto

i'm willie geist joined by a very, very special guest, cnbc's erin burnett. >> i'm very excited to be here. we are awake. >> are you very excited to be here? >> i love "morning joe." let's put it that way. >> somebody got a late night call. we're glad you're here. joe and mika will be here shortly from san francisco. and we have the great pat buchanan from washington, d.c. good morning, pat. >> good morning, willie. holding down the southern front. >> that's right. they'll be out west. >> where is the west? >> the west is tired. >> the west is sleepy. they had a long week. they'll be here eventually. we'll hold it down until they get here. pat, i want to talk health care in just a moment. but we'll read through some news. time forred today's top stories. >>> in his push to overhaul the nation's health care system, president obama is making his appeal to younger voters, the same group that helped propel him into office. speaking of thousands of students at the university of maryland, the president defineded the issue as "the defining struggle of this generation." >> there are still tho

plus sports with willie geist.llpark with the los angeles dodgers, including a "morning joe" first pitch. you're watching a special west coast edition of "morning joe" live from seattle. national car rental knows i'm picky. so, at national, i go right past the counter... and you get to choose any car in the aisle. choose any car? you cannot be serious! okay. seriously, you choose. go national. go like a pro. but we can control sagging, dulling skin. (announcer) now l'oreal's age perfect serum, our first for menopausal skin. it rebuilds skin substance to treat sagging and boost luminosity. age perfect serum by l'oreal. playing a game of monopoly and caitlin's already snapped up half the hotels. - thank you. - her little brother has nothing. but then just like that, caitlin helps him out. i don't need a wall and a piece of chalk to mark the growth of my kids. we can just play monopoly. family moments cost less at walmart. monopoly championship edition and other hasbro games at unbeatable prices. save money. live bett

carole what did you learn. >> never take anything serious that you hear from you or willie geist.t emmys, won an emmy for election coverage. >> and richard engel, wonderful reporting from afghanistan. >> thank you. savannah, you are so tall. >> yeah. >> we're little. >> and don't -- i don't feel awkward at all. is there anything else that we can get into, personality defects? >> almost elephantitis. >> come on! >> if it's way too early, joe -- this is my line. it's "morning joe," but it's time right now for the "morning meeting" with our good friend dylan ratigan. >>> topping our agenda today, the senate's most prominent health care bill going under the knife life in washington. they are beginning the down and dirty process of deciding what stays in and what goes out and which, if any, of course, the amendments will make it into the bill. >>> and then barack obama bringing both sides together for a face-to-face meeting at the u.n. >>> a former white house speechwriter's boss lashes out after a juicy tell-all was released. we have a speechless mat lat amyrrh. >>> and then a note to

willie geist has a following among the same-sex. >> hey, that's good with me. >> live and let live. >> if it's way too early? >> it's "morning joe." dylan ratigan will take it from here. >>> good morning. you know at stake his ambition and goals on health care reform, what does he want? not want? forget the public option, can he get the public back on his side. >>> and sarah palin using facebook to have a virtual stage. >>> and then a glimpse at what may be the real republican strategy. and do republicans object to health care reform or is it an opportunity to make him a one-term president. >>> and then lush gardens, and an 8,000 square foot escape, and a penthouse in new york, a trip inside the lifestyle of madoff before being shipped off to prison. it's 9:00 a.m. pull up a chair and join the "morning meeting." >>> rubber starting to meet the road. that's what the finance city committee is saying about the plan before the president's big address this evening. savannah guthrie to start things off. >> the president is involved in writing the speech. i can tell you as recently as monday

. >> willie geist? >> david, why are we even talking about nation building right now?u look at what happened over the last ten years or so, we're talking about going in a country, and we say bring them democracy. dexter says bring them some running water and then maybe we can talk about democracy. why are we having the nation building conversation? >> the reason is dex is exactly right. you've got to start with running water. let's set the democracy building problem aside. our biggest problem for eight years in afghanistan has been that we have come into towns, pretended we're nation building, left immediately, and guess who comes in right behind us? the taliban. so in march of 2002, george bush went down to the virginia military institute where george marshall had been, and gave a fabulous speech promising we would move in with real nation building, and then he never did it. he went back to the white house, and it never got delivered. had it been delivered, we might not be reading general mcchrystal this week asking us, where's the nation building? this should have st

and nicole wallace along with me and willie geist and "time" magazine's mark halprin.ow, this president, given some of the critique he got along the way on the campaign trail on his approach to foreign policy? >> i think it's important for the world and the other countries who are the audience to perceive the united states as the leader of the group. up until now president obama has not spent a lot of capital trying to be the acknowledged leader between merkel and sarcozy. brown tended to focus on other issues in other parts of the world. the idea of the united states leading the european allies is a traditional role that an american president has played. it's extremely important to the credibility of the united states and other parts of the world. i think that sarcozy makes it difficult, because he has his own views of who the biggest guy in the room ought to be. and he obviously has been around a little longer than president obama on the international stage. i think it's very important for the president to be seen as leading the western alliance. >> there is a six-mi

. >> it's willie geist. >> no, it's mike allen. got to ask you about a story i first read on politico yesterday about harry reid with, let's call it an unfortunate response to a question from a reporter. tell us about it. >> a reporter from the las vegas review journal, a local paper, asked harry reid an obvious question, and that is how will the death of senator kennedy affect healthcare? senator reid, every once in a while, you're like you know you just said that out loud? he sort of verbalized what it's fine to think, and that is he was thinking in strategic rather than human terms. and he said, well, i think that the death will help us. he used that phrase, it will help us. >> you don't say that. >> the quote is "i think it's going to help us." >> no, he didn't. yes, he did. >> that's unfortunate. >> speaking of unfortunate, have you seen these pictures from the embassy in kabul? >> i can't figure this. >> i took them. >> mike allen, seriously, what is going on in the pictures? these are the tame ones. there are much worse ones

got mark halperin here along with willie geist. >> why are the chairs so high?it's his high chair. >> joe is not here this morning. if you would just trust me, he would rather be here. that's all i'm going to say at this point. very cryptic. a couple of big stories we've got to get right to. iran has told the u.n. nuclear watchdog that it does have a second

i'm mika brzezinski along with willie geist and mike barnicle.d. >> so there might be a little shift in the strategy toward afghanistan. we're going to talk about that. front page of "the new york times," also the front page of "the washington post." we've got a lot of good guests to talk about that topic today. also, chuck todd is going to join us to break down the latest poll just out last night. nbc news/"wall street journal" poll. and later david axelrod will join us for quite some time to break down the afghanistan situation as well as the poll results and the administration's continued efforts in health care. really good show today, covering all the bases. >> it's a good thing we're talking about afghanistan. >> something we kind of