willie geist joins us tonight in, of all places, iowa. ie, my first job making no money, i was in neighboring kansas. and the article made me remember a lot of things including friday night church bean suppers, without which i wouldn't have survived, along with the kindness of strangers in the midwest, which is unlike anywhere else. and they all come in for a kind of glancing criticism. so it will be real interesting to see how this plays out. anyway, i've got to remember that we're also here to talk politics. whether the professor likes it or not, iowa plays a crucial role. and tell us on the ground as of tonight what does it look like things are shaping out with on the gop front? >> we should point out professor bloom does not deny that the people here are nice. he just says that it's a place that can be improved. by all accounts he's an active member of the community, goes to the hawkeye football games, lived here 20 years, raised his family. he said he loves the place, just wants to make it better. we had our first debate among these r

i'm willie geist. this is a special edition of

i'm willie geist.tion of "way too early," live again this morning from the new hampshire primary. glad you're up with us watching on msnbc or

i'm willie geist live from the new hampshire primaries, setting the stage in today's voting.recent polling from the university of new hampshire and wmur. mitt romney sitting pretty followed by ron paul and rick

i'm willie geist live from the new hampshire primaries, setting the stage in today's voting.recent polling from the university of new hampshire and

i'm willie geist.is a special edition of "way too early" live at the historic mills house in south carolina. thanks to the horse for getting up so early with us. the new hampshire primary was a foregone conclusion, the vote here on saturday is anything but. we'll show you new polls in a

i'm willie geist. this is a special edition of "way too early" live at the historic mills house in

thank you, willie geist, for joining us, as always.rget to catch "way too early," at a way too early hour at 5:30 every morning to get more willie geist. >>> after the break, mind the gap. tavis smiley and dr. cornel west will join in on income inequality in america when they join our conversation, next. important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... w

and the great willie geist is up in new york. >> adorable. >> i don't know if you knew this or not, willie was once a ship captain. >> well -- >> and hit a wave and he just jumped off the ship. >> that's just -- we're not going to make light of this. >> i'm not making light of it. i'm talking about this candidate. >> joe, check out the -- >> i mean, willie geist, what this captain what a -- >> there you go right there. >> always count on the "new york post" calling him the chicken of the sea. we're going to play these later. we have audio recordings of the coast guard screaming at this guy as he made off in a lifeboat to get back with the ship to help the coast guard figure out how many people were onboard, how many needed help as he floated away in his lifeboat. it's remarkable. we'll play it later. >> he ran out of there. and by the way, that sarah palin news is pretty big. sarah palin has come out and looks like she's endorsing newt. there's some chatter among conservatives online. red state this morning, that rick perry should get out of the race before south carolina. and if he doesn'

i'm willie geist. this is a special edition of "way too early" at the iowa caucuses.me to shake off the hangover and get serious about this presidential campaign. i'm glad you, along with brave souls are up this morning. shoot me an e-mail.

let's go to willie geist. what's coming up next?south carolina. the gop chairman here in the state and one of the rising stars, baraki sellers. also tomorrow, you don't want to miss stephen colbert. he'll be with us here. first, we're going to send it to new york city for a check of the forecast. >> good morning you to. south carolina getting ready for the primary on saturday. just happens to be a storm system moving through. it's not going to be an all day rain. there are periods of rain on and off throughout the upstate of south carolina. a little better down there towards the coast. so we'll keep an eye on that as we head towards saturday. as far as the forecast goes, it is brutally cold this morning in the northern plains. wind chill is still minus 32 in mi minneapolis. all that cold air is pouring across the northern great lakes and into the middle of the country. we have snow on the way. a snowstorm tomorrow, chicago, milwaukee, areas eventually friday night, detroit and cleveland. and then by saturday, i think we're going to

i'm willie geist this is "way too early." the show that woke up and thought it was still in des moines. glad you're watching us on msnbc or listening live on sirius xm radio. tweet me or e-mail me and let me know what you're doing up at this hour. or do what rocking rick perry still does and text the word awake followed by your response to 622639. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this thursday, january 5th. a lot going on today, including reports of chapter 11 bankruptcy for a truly iconic american company. and steven colbert warns romney that he's made one dangerous mistake, leaving newt gingrich alive, angrier than ever. the news live at 5:30 a.m., after a photo finish at the iowa caucuses, the republican presidential field is hitting the ground in new hampshire. mitt romney looking to lock up back-to-back victories with state polling suggesting he should win new hampshire going away. the latest cnn poll shows romney leading the pack in new hampshire with an overwhelming 47% support among likely republican

i'm willie geist, this is "way too early," the show going back to texas to reassess its campaign. glad you are up watching on msnbc or listening live on sirius/xm radio. send me an e-mail or tweet me at williegeist1 and let me know what you're doing up this early on a friday. we'll read the best responses at the end of the show. a lot going on again today, including another terribly violent day in iraq, less than a month after u.s. combat troops left for good. we will update you there. >>> plus steven colbert gives rick santorum a second look after his big showing in iowa, yes, it involves a drinking game. that clip later in the show. first the news live at 5:30 a.m. at 30 rock in new york city. with only four days to go until the voting in new hampshire, the republican presidential field is gearing up for two debates this weekend. the focus likely to be on mitt romney. it's the latest suffolk poll that shows the former massachusetts governor carrying 41% support in the state. ron paul has 18%. coming off a strong finish in iowa, rick santorum is up two points, still with just 8%

i'm willie geist. after two incredible missions in nine months we should just identify the members of s.e.a.l. team six so we can get them some endorsement deals. i'm glad you're up with us on msnbc or listening on sirius xm radio. e-mail me or tweet me and let me know what you're doing at this hour. or what chad ochocinco does. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this thursday, january the 26th. a lot to tell you about, including gabby giffords heart-tugging good-bye to congress. we'll show you that in just a minute. >>> plus, jon stewart and stephen colbert take the president to task for his uncharacteristically lame spilled milk joke in the state of the union agrees. first the news at 5:30 at "30 rock" in new york city. president obama starts his day in nevada thorg, part of a five-state tour to battle ground territory for the 2012 election. he will speak in las vegas this afternoon to lay out his plans for energy policy and job creation. yesterday the president visited a manufacturing

willie geist. >> hey, mika, i've got a big story here in the state iowa.irst. that created a firestorm inside the state. we are the only network he would talk to. our interview with professor bloom coming up next on "morning joe." >>> welcome back to "morning joe" live again this morning inside java joe's here in des moines, iowa. one thing you learn pretty quickly is that iowans are proud of their state and particularly of this tradition every four years of the iowa caucuses. so when a university of iowa professor wrote a vicious piece explaining why iowa should not have so much impact on the presidential nomination, they didn't take kindly. professor stephen bloom of the university of iowa is walking the streets of new york city, hoping to blend into a crowd. we flew him to manhattan from an undisclosed location where he'd been hiding, all because of something he wrote. >> gosh, i raised some unspeakable truths. in my mind. they're opinions. and there's a firestorm. >> that firestorm is the reaction to his article "observations from 20 years of iowa life

"way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> speaker gingrich has painfully revealed himselfs and it's sad to watch. i think unfortunately we're seeing some of the qualities that got him into so much trouble when he was speaker of the house. >> he has a basic policy of carpet bombing his opponent. he doesn't try to build up mitt romney. he tries to tear down whoever he's running against. it has an effect. i give his campaign for the sheer amount of money they raise on wall street. >> gingrich and romney, fighting for votes coincidentally so

. >>> stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >> i think what republicans havelikely in the long run to survive against the kind of billion dollar campaign the obama team is going to run. and i think that a bold reagan conservative with a very strong economic plan is a lot more likely to succeed in that campaign than a relatively timid massachusetts moderate who even "the wall street journal" said had an economic plan so timid it resembled obama. >>> good morning and welcome to manchester, new hampshire where they are proud to host the country's first primary every four years. we are live from jd tavern in

way too early with willie geist starts right now. >>> the speaker was given an opportunity to be the our party in 1994 and at the end of four years, he had to resign in disgrace. in the 15 years after he left the speaker ship, the speaker has been working as an influence pedaler in washington. >> mitt romney comes out of south carolina swinging in florida. going after newt gingrich on his claims of being a washington outsider despite a career inside washington. the question is, has romney started to build a more forceful argument against the former speaker of the house? we'll talk thrive john heilemann. and president obama will deliver his state of the union address tonight with a focus on jobs and what he calls economic fairness. the question is, will he be there delivering the state of the union at this time next year? >>> and a

"way too early" with willy geist starts right now. >>> it is caucus day in iowa.omney after months of playing coy about the state is going all in. the question is will anything other than a win be a blow to his campaign? rick santorum made a push to the top tier in the last week or so. the question is, will he rise to his not romney status to an upset win? and ron paul believes his you are supporters are undersurveyed and he'll surprise the pundits tonight. quet is, what would a paul win in iowa mean to the race for the nomination? it is "way too early" for this.

stay tuned because "way too early" with willie geist begins right now. >>> mitt romney so confident aboutre and rightfully so, if you believe the polls, he spent the day in south carolina, site of next week's primaries. the rest of the field going after him as a mushy moderate. if mitt rolls through new hampshire, how will he play in south carolina where newt, santorum and company hope to do damage? >>> president obama announces sweeping cuts to defense to the ire of some, the question is what does the focus on iran and china tell us about the next decade

stay tuned, a special edition of "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >>> why would anybodytablishment think that a massachusetts moderate, which is a liberal by republican standards, pro abortion, pro gun control, pro tax increase, pro gay rights, why would they think that he's going to be able to debate barack obama some. >> i know the speaker is not real happy. he's knowledge feeling very excited these days. i know are i it's sad. he's been going after me for one thing or the other and you watch it and you shake your head. it's been kind of pain any full revealing. >> we're about to find out if mitt romney's overwhelm

stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> the state of our union is gettingnd we've come too far to turn back now. as long as i'm president, i will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. but i intend to fight obstruction with action and i will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. >> president obama with a strong rhetorical speech calling for economic fairness in the country. proposing, among other things that no one making over a million dollars a year pay less than 30% taxes. question is, given the three-year history of republican pushback on this president, on the big issues, will there be any action behind last night's rhetoric? mitt romney and newt gingrich both responde

i'm willie geist and this is primary day in the state of florida. i'll be joined in a moment by mike allen and john heilemann. the headline in this morning's miami "herald" online reads this way, newt looks like a goner in florida. but by how much? the practice times union said it's that's turn to pick a republican. the paper points out that more than 600,000 republicans have already voted through early and absentee voting. a look at five key counties to watch. the sarasota herald tribune declares decision day and can gingrich catch romney? we'll know for sure around 7:00 tonight, but it sure sounds unlikely. just about every poll suggesting a tough climb for the former speaker of the house. mitt roy in that has a 15 point lead over newt gingrich and a new suffolk poll extends romney's lead to 20 points. i went out yesterday to a cuban diner to hear republicans make their cases for romney and gingrich. you'll hear that later. give you an idea of what some people are thinking as they head into thing booth today. but first the pifinal arguments florid

. >>> good morning, i'm willie geist and this is "way too early." the show whose response to the state of the union was delivered last night to its four cats and a her mitt crab named crabby. i'm glad you're up with us this morning watching live on msnbc or listening at xm satellite radio. do what prince fielder does, text awake followed by response to 622639. we'll read the best responses later in the show. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this wednesday, january 25th. a lot to tell you about today, including navy s.e.a.l.s with another daring raid, this time rescuing relief workers held for months deep inside somalia. we'll have details on that. >>> plus, the republican responses to the president's state of the union addresses have often been more memorable than the big speech itself. we'll look back fondly at bobby and michelle a bill later in the show. >>> president obama off to cedar rapids, iowa, where he will continue to hit the theme of economic inequality that he laid out last night in his third state of the union address.

way too early with willie geist starts now. >>> president obama is out traveling the country to driveeconomic message he laid out in his state of the union address. but during a stop in phoenix, it was the governor of arizona driving a finger into the president's grill during a heated exchange on the tarmac. the question is, what were these two fighting back? >>> the guys fighting to take president obama's job in the state of florida. he's proposing an american base on the moon. the question is, why did

stay tuned because willie geist is up next. >>> on to new hampshire.sh off his eight-vote win in iowa, mitt romney picks up the support of the last republican nominee and attracts a concentrated fire of his opponents who call him among other things, liberal, boring and a chameleon. the question is, is there any possibility that romney loses new hampshire? rick santorum, after his close second place finish in iowa makes the case to voters and donors that he is the conservative alternative to romney in the race. the question is was the iowa vote an isolated incident or does santorum have the legs to push romney for the nomination? while president obama's campaign was calling romney a weak front-runner

"way too early with willy geist" starts right now. >>> game on. >> thank you so much, iowa.tanding up and not compromising, by standing up and being bold and leading, leading with that burden and responsibility you have to be first, you have taken the first step of taking back this country. >> thank you, iowa, for the great sendoff you're giving us to and the others in this campaign. look, this is a -- this is

i'm willie geist. this is way too early, the show that in the spirit of newt gingrich's bold idea believes all the other morning shows should drop out and fall in line behind us. i'm glad you're up with us this morning, watching on msnbc or listening live on sirius xm radio. shoot me an e-mail this morning or tweet me. let me know what you're doing up at this hour. or do what tony la russa does and text the word awake followed by response to 622639. the next 30 minutes will be your cram session for this wednesday, january 18th, a lot going on today including nancy pelosi's assessment of the b-team republicans she says are running for president. plus, more fun with super pacs from stewart and colbert. that clip later in the show. first, let's get to the news live at 5:30 a.m. here at 30 rock in new york city. with the south carolina primary three days away, mitt romney is trying to hold on to his front-runner status in the state amid sharpening attacks over his wealth and tax records. after days of prod

stay tuned, "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> the state of our union is gettingnd we've come too far to turn back now. as long as i'm president, i will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. but i intend to fight obstruction with action and i will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. >> president obama with a strong rhetorical speech calling for economic fairness in the country. proposing, among other