Weekend and its the worst of all networks. When i look adat the hostility of that, i said lets do it with another network. I want to do it, so were thinking about it. They also want to change the rules. The deal is we keep the same rules and they want to change the rules because she cant answer questions. As donald trump casting doubt about whether hell participate in the president ial debate scheduled from two weeks from today, well have the latest on the rift over the rules from the two campaigns. Also ahead, an update on the classified documents case against former President Trump as jack smith works to reverse judge Aileen Cannons dismissal. And well go through the growing list of republicans who are now supporting Vice President Harris Campaign. Good morning and welcome to way too early on this tuesday, august 27th. Im ali vitali in for jonathan lemire. We begin with the fight between the harris and Trump Campaigns over the rules for the president ial debate. The main issue is whether microphones should be muted when the other candidate is speaking. The Harris Campaign now wants microphones to be live all the time, which would be different from the june debate between President Biden and donald trump. But Trumps Campaign says it wants the same rules as that june debate. The former president was actually asked about this preference during a Campaign Stop yesterday in virginia. We agreed to the same rules. I dont know, doesnt matter to me, but the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time. In that case, it was muted. I didnt like it the last time, but it worked out fine. Ask biden how it worked out. It was fine. And i think it should be the same. We agreed to the same rules, same rules and same specifications. And i think thats probably what it should be. But theyre trying to change it. The truth is theyre trying to get out of it because she doesnt want a debate. Shes not a good debater. Shes not a smart person. She doesnt want a debate. Doesnt sound like theyre trying to get out of it, at least the Harris Campaign is not. During a rally the former president suggested the debate might not happen, telling the crowd, quote, if there is a debate. This follows his post on social media where he criticized abc whos hosting the event and questioned whether he should participate at all. Yesterday marked three years since a deadly terror attack during the final days of the u. S. Withdrawal from afghanistan. On august 26, 2021, 13 American Service members and more than 100 afghans were killed by isis suicide bombers. In separate statements both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris paid tribute to the lives lost. Today and every day, they wrote, i mourn and honor them, harris said in part. She added, quote, on this solemn day let us come together as one nation to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice three years ago on behalf of the United States and our cherished freedoms. Former president donald trump, meanwhile, mixed commemoration with criticism yesterday after participating in a Wreath Laying Ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier, trump then took part in a photoop in front of some of the Service Members graves at Arlington National cemetery. Later on an at a National Guard conference in detroit he criticized biden and harris for the chaotic withdrawal, as he often does on the Campaign Trail. Caused by Kamala Harris, joe biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan Setoff the collapse of american credibility and respect all around the world. You have to fire people when they do a bad job. You have to fire anybody youve got to fire them like on the apprentice. Youre fired, you did a lousy job. Elsewhere in his speech in detroit yesterday, trump continued to lob accusations and personal insults at the democratic president ial ticket. He also suggested once again that he may back out of next months debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, again, to which he had previously agreed. You know, i always look for good words. Highly sophisticated. And im highly educated. I like sophisticated words, but theres only one word theyre stupid. Theyre stupid people. Kamalas running mate, his nickname is tampon tim, but i wouldnt say that because this group is a little lowkey than the ones im used to speaking before. Tampon tim walz, think of this. He signed a bill mandating that every boys bathroom has tampons in it. We found out that they flew almost a Million People over the border. They flew. That stops all of their i should say this because if theres a debate it would be a nasty surprise with that one. They flew theyll have an answer to everything. Meanwhile, special counsel jack smiths office has asked an Appeals Court to restore the classified documents case against former President Trump. Youll remember u. S. District judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the indictment last month claiming smiths appointment as special counsel violated the constitution. But an 81page brief filed yesterday the special counsels office argues Attorney General Merrick Garland had Clear Authority to appoint smith to lead the prosecution and that cannon ignored decades of pres dependent when she decided to toss out the case. Trump has been charged with 40 Felony Counts pertaping to allegations he willfully detained initial Defense Information at his palm beach estate after he left office. He has pleaded not guilty. Amid trumps legal troubles and his Vice President s campaign for the white house, President Biden has largely stayed behind the scenes in recent weeks. But as he outlined in this address last month, there is still plenty left on his agenda from the oval office to the Campaign Trail. For the next six months ill be focused on doing my job as president. That means ill continue to lower costs for hardworking families, grow our economy. Ill keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights from the right to vote to the right to choose. Joining us now former Press Secretary to thenVice President joe biden kendra barkof lammy. I think this is a period before the official kick off to press pause and sort of think about what weve seen over the last month, which has been insanely tumultuous. You know the president so well. How do you think hell toggle between this official capacity very much the president with an official agenda he wants to enact and ensure and supporting the Vice President. His legacy is very important to him. There are still some issues he wants to work on. The gaza situation, whaez going on in the ceasefire, trying to bring all those hostages home is extremely important to him. At the same time the reason he dropped out of being president is because he wanted to put his country first, and he knew that he wanted to unify the party and move forward. And so i think hes going to do everything he possibly can to get vp harris elected, and that i think that means going to Battleground States. I think that means looking at where the polling is and where he can do best. I think it means hitting certain places like union halls, which we all know are sort of his specialty, to get out there and talk about the bidenharris policies that he implemented and she will continue to put in place. I think another place well probably see him icecream cone in hand. We all know his love of dairy queens. Im sure hell do a lot of otr where is, which means offtherecord stops because he loves people and thrives in the same way. One of the things ive been thinking about the ways in theres power in having both your former running mate and current running mate on the Campaign Trail while youre in the white house and could present awkwardness potentially when you think about harris having to speak for gaza and israel more than the president does. Do you think well see moments of daylight between them . It feelinize evitable in some ways. I think in some points, yes. But what shes touting lowering health care costs, Prescription Drug pricing, dproesryes for american families, housing costs, those are all things that he has worked on his presidency as well. Shes obviously going to be taking about them in a different way than he has been, but i do think there are some policies shes going to continue talking about in the same way he will, but inevitably i do think at some point there will be a split. When hes thinking about his legacy, how much of that legacy do you think is tied to whether or not trump makes it back to this white house . I think about that 2020 campaign, and everything was battle for the soul of the nation. Here is the second battle, if you want to carry his metaphor. The role of 2024 hes not on the ballot, but it plays so huge in the way we will remember him. It does. And i think the timing, too, is inevitable. I think when you look at when he got out, i think history will judge the pieces. At the end of day he did everything he can to get her elected going to these Battleground States because he knows that a big piece of his legacy. Kendra, thank you for waking up with us, bringing your deep knowledge of this man as we try to chart what his legacy will look like. Thank you for joining us. Still ahead a Bipartisan Group of lawmakers visits the site of the attempted assassination against donald trump. What leaders are saying about that trip. Plus democrats in Battleground Georgia are suing the state over controversial new Election Rules. We take a look at the legal challenge and why its significant ahead of november. Those stories and a check on sports and the weather when we come right back. Heres to Getting Better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. So, heres to now. Now available boost max ok yall we got ten orders coming in. Big orders starting a business is never easy, but starting it eight months pregnant. Thats a different story. I couldnt slow down. We were starting a business from the ground up. People were showing up left and right. And so did our business needs. The chase ink card made it easy. When you go for Something Big like this, your kids see that. And they believe they can do the same. Earn unlimited 1. 5 cash back on every purchase with the chase Ink Business Unlimited Card from chase for business. Make more of whats yours. The virus that causes shingles is sleeping. In 99 of people over 50. Its lying dormant, waiting. And could reactivate. Shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. And it could wake at any time. Think youre not at risk for shingles . Its time to wake up. Because shingles could wake up in you. If youre over 50, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about shingles prevention. Did you know your skin barrier is more receptive to skincare at night . Olay super serum night repair. Delivers five benefits in one. Visibly renewing Surface Skin Cells while you sleep. Youll see visible results in 7 nights. Olay. Craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. So he sublet half his real estate office. In 7 nights. [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. Megs moving company uses tmobile. So she scaled down her fleet to save money. And dons paying so much for at t, hes been waiting to update his equipment theres a smarter way to save. Comcast business mobile. You could save up to 70 on your wireless bill. So you dont have to compromise. Powering smarter savings. Powering possibilities. The Democratic Party of georgia, the dnc, and a group of voters are suing the Georgia State Election Board. The new lawsuit has the backing of the harriswalz campaign and focuses on two newly enacted Election Rules passed earlier this month. The new measures, again, passed just months before election day allow a County Board Member to conduct a, quote, reasonable inquiry into Election Results before theyre certified. But the Election Board doesnt provide a definition of whats considered reasonable, meaning any member can theoreticically block the certification of an election for any reason they deem fit. Also yesterday a group including democratic lawmakers call on Governor Brian Kemp to remove three republican members of States Election board. The group says the members acted illegally when they voted to approve this new Election Rules because the vote was outside of their authority. But kemps office has confirmed hes reached out to the states Attorney General forrance on whether he even has the power to remove those members at all. The three Board Members in question are the same three that were praised by name by donald trump at his rally in atlanta earlier this month. Now we have two things we have to do. We have to vote, and we have to make sure that we stop them from cheating because they cheat like dogs. I dont know if youve heard, but the Georgia State Election Board is in a very positive way this is a very positive thing, marjory. Theyre on fire. Theyre doing a great job. Three members. Janice johnson, rick jeffries, and janelle king. Three people are pit bulls fighting for honestly and transparency. Theyre fight. Lets remember those same three Board Members trump just called out, theyre also responsible for stripping Secretary Of State Brad Raffenberingering of his power to chair the elections board. Raffensperger, youll remember rejected trumps efforts to overturn georgias election in 2020. He is, again, openly critical of the new elections rules changes. In arizona at least a dozen defendants in the arizona fake electors case are pushing to get their charges dismished. A hearing on the issue continues today as lawyers for the accused claims the charge should be dropped citing arizona law that uses baseless action in a bid to silence critics. They claim chris mays is trying to use the charges to, quote, silence their constitutionally protected speech about the 2020 election. The prosecutors say they crossed the line from speech to fraud that when they claimed falsely trump won the election. In all 18 electors were initially charged. Jenna ellis signed a Cooperation Agreement resulting in her charges being dropped while republican activist Loreen Pelegrino pleaded guilty. Lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman Kaurged their case in the first day of the hearing. While the judge did not make any decisions monday, he did set a trial date. Buckle in its going to be a long one, january 6, 2026. And the newly formed congressional Bipartisan Task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Trump toured the location of the shooting yesterday. The group walked the rally site and climbed onto the roof where the shooter was. It was led by the chairman congressman mike kelly of pennsylvania and Ranking Member democrat jason crow of colorado. Crow, a veteran of the wars in iraq and afghanistan, said this of the gunmans location. Before congress i was an army ranger. I served in iraq and afghanistan, and one of the fundamental principles you operate is you always secure the high grund or you have eyes on the high ground, so i definitely took note today that there were a lot of lines of sight that appeared to have been unsecured that day that didnt have eyes on or werent secure. And certainly at this point a lot more questions than answers. Certainly a lot of eyes on that investigation especially as Congress Comes back in two weeks. Still ahead, well turn to sports with a round up from Major League Baseball including the player who made history by competing for two teams in the same game. Well explain that scenario and get a check on the forecast when way too early returns. Heres to Getting Better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. So, heres to now. Now available boost max ah, these bills are crazy. 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Deep left center. Against the wall. The latest yankee to rob the nats and that is a double play at first base. Another big day for New York Yankees captain aaron judge to take away a would be homer from the Washington Nationals and doubling up the runner at first base to end the fourth rinning. The mlb later added his 1,000 career hit in the ninth and the yankees beat the nats 52 in six games. They move ahead to the Baltimore Orioles in the lead for the al east. Meanwhile in boston danny jansen becomes the first player in Major League History to appear on the field for both teams when he took the field yesterday for the game he started against the toronto blue jays. He was up at bat in the second inning when the original game was suspended in june. The blue jays beat the red sox. Boston sits five games behind the Minnesota Twins for the als third and final wild card spot. Lets go to the match up of Division Leaders in philadelphia. Well pick things up with the philly and Houston Astros tied in the bottom of the 10th, the phillies with runners on first and second. Here we go. On the ground, base hit right side. Here comes schwarber around third. Hes done it yet again Bryce Harpers 12th Durear Walk Off Hit gives philadelphia a 32 victory. And turning now to protennis and the opening day of the u. S. Open tournament. Novack djokovic competing for the First Time Since claiming an olympic gold medal in paris began his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title with His 89th Match Win at flushing meadows. Yoke vchs straight set victory ties the mark set by Roger Federer who retired with a 8914 record in new york. Third seated american coco gauff got off to a strong start in her u. S. Open title defense. Gauff dropped the first game of the match and would only surrender one more before securing a straight set win to advance to the second round. And well be watching a 19yearold who became the youngest to win a match at the u. S. Open since the turn of the century. After eeliminating a semifinalist in straight sets yesterday. And time for a check on the weather. For that we go to meteorologist angie lassman. What do you have in store for us, my friend. Nice to see you this morning. No heat. The heat alerts are up for 7 Million People and continue to be added this morning. Thats where were going to be watching for the most extreme of the heat through the day today. 102 for the high in saint lewis, feeling like 109. Oppressive in chicago too with a feels like temperature of 102. Not much relief across much of the region. Still high 90s if not triple digits for most folks including washington, d. C. And new york who will feel like 100 plus into the afternoon hours. By the time we get to the workweek and end of the weekend some spots start to see some relief. Philadelphia upper 90s and chicago typical temperatures with mid80s. Since natty andnish vail, not so much. You stay above normal at least through the end of the weekend. Youll start to see a little bit of a change. Now, some of that change is because we have a cold front going to work through the midwest and eventually the north east, but today were going to be concerned about the potential for heavy rain i flash flooding and the chance we could see strong wind gusts as well as hail. A tornado or two not out of the question either. It does include all of michigan, parts of indiana, ohio, illinois, and wisconsin. So well be watching for that for chicago, green bay, and detroit as well as cleveland through the day today. Now, tomorrow well see that work into parts of the north east. The good news is itll be cooler and start to see that change with the temperatures. But across the north east itll be unsettled, see those showers and thunderstorms and see strong storms for new york to washington, d. C. Back over to you. Angie, my friend, thank you so much. Still ahead what do hundreds of former aides to george w. Bush, mit romney and mccain have in common, their support for Kamala Harris. What theyre saying about the 2024 president ial race next. Ink, gray patches are all people see. Otezla is the 1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. Over here otezla can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. With no routine blood tests required. Doctors have been prescribing otezla for over a decade. Otezla is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. Dont use otezla if youre allergic to it. Serious allergic reactions can happen. Otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Some people taking otezla had depression, suicidal thoughts or weight loss. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. [announcer] with clearer skin girls day out is a good day out. Live in the moment. Ask your doctor about otezla. Welcome back to way too early. Its 5 30 on the east coast, 2 30 out west. Im ali vitali in for jonathan lemire. More than 200 republicans who worked for gop nominees have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. They urged more roderate republicans and independents to, quote, Take A Brave Stand once more. The group builds on a smaller set of about 150 republicans who pledged to support thencandidate biden in 2020. And it comes after a Democratic Convention that included conservative voices like former congressman Adam Kinzinger speaking to common values that Transcend Party lines. The new letter from the group further states, quote, of course we have plenty of honest ideological disagreements with Vice President harris and governor walz. The alternative, however, is simply untenable. At home another four years of Donald Trumps cay altic leadership this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of project 2025 will hurt real everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions. Joining us now is congressional reporter for the hill. Will this letter move the needle at all for Vice President harris . And think about it in terms of the way weve seen republican elected or in the place of kinzinger, former elected come out and say this is a form of patriotism that does not have a red or blue tilt to it, this is about america. Ali, whether or not it moves the needle and effects where the fray stands well have to see. It absolutely going to be helpful for the Harris Campaign. They have been trying to frame this race as one that transcends partisanship, one that is about democracy and about restoring democracy and protecting democracy in the country, something that does not have a political lean to it. We heard that message. When you mentioned Adam Kinzinger spoke during a prime time slot at the Convention Just a few people before Kamala Harris took it stage. I actually think were going to hear much more of this message from democrats, have democrats point to this letter of people like kinzinger and such to hammer home their message but also hear more republicans come out of the fray if they really are concerned about another donald trump presidency. Kinzingers prime time placement also struck me especially you and i covered him so much during the January 6th Committee watching the ways hes gone through this evolution according to small d democratic principles has i think been fascinating. The other thing ive been thinking about a lot, though, is the ways in which the last month and a half of shakeup now leaves Congressional Democrats in a very different landscape and a very different place. What are you hearing from democrats who might have been nervous before . Are republicans now nervous . Im hearing a little bit of jitters myself. Yeah, democrats right now are giddy. They are excited about where the Current Situation stands. They saw that jolt of enthusiasm and momentum on the ground after harris took the nomination following President Biden stepping down. They saw that continue with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz being selected as her running mate, and theyve seen that continue to grow after their convention. Now, the big challenge for democrats up and down the ballot and the Harris Campaign is going to be keeping up this momentum and keeping up this excitement. I will tell you, though, republicans are betting this will quickly subside and the race will be quickly recalibrated. Speaker mike johnson recently saying this sugar high democrats are on. He called it a sugar high will eventually come to an endch ive heard the same thing from republicans who say this Honeymoon Period will subside once we hit labor day and recalibrate to less of this New Territory and period following Biden Stepping Down and harris still atop the ticket. But nonetheless theres still 2 1 2 months until election day, which doesnt sound like a lot of time in the grand scheme of things. As you know, ali, In Washington thats an eternity and a lot can happen. Lets remember just about a month and a half ago it was the Trump Campaign receding high and a lot of momentum and rally around the flag after that assassination attempt. He had that positive ruling at the Supreme Court for president ial immunity. This election goes back and forth week by week. You may feel youve been covering it for four years, i feel like ive been doing it since 2015. It feels like a continuation. The thing ive been thinking about a lot is specifically control of the house. I watched a lot of those front line members, both front liners on the democratic side and front liners on the democratic side. We heard a lot of consternation from those democrats. Theyre giddy now. You said two months doesnt sound like that long, but an eternity in politics. Is there anything happening on capitol hill that could impact whats going on in the 2024 landscape or is it, all right, pass a government funding bill, which is sometimes easier said than done and get back and campaign for your seats . Thats going to be a big thing in september with that shutdown deadline looming at the end of the month. Its also possible a democrat would force a vote on impeaching President Biden. Its impossible one member has the ability to force that vote. But ill tell you right now where things stand. Decision hq came out with its new numbers yesterday. Right now for the House Republicans have a 56 chance of winning the chamber bhch its a significant number and not too large of an edge, but that was sort of good news for democrats. Because before biden dropped out, right before he left the race, republicans had a 61 chance of winning the house. That edge is narrowing and its going to be interesting to see how those numbers shakeout over the next 2 1 2 months. But right now republicans with a slight edge for the house. It feels well for it to be narrow or slight given how this particular congress has operated on those raze thin margins. I will see you back on the hill, my friend. Still ahead well go to cnbc for an early look whats driving the day on wall street including apples Upcoming Event where the company is expected to debut the latest iphone. Way too early is coming right back. aaron i own a lot of businesses. So wear a lot of hats. My restaurants, my tattoo shop. And i also have a nonprofit. But no matter what business im in. My network and my tech need to keep up. Thank you, verizon business. kevin now our businesses get fast and reliable internet from the same network that powers our phones. woman all with the security features we need. aaron because my businesses are my life. kevin man, the fish tacos are blowing up aaron so whatevers next were cooking with fire. Lets make it happen vo switch to the partner businesses rely on. For that lets bring in cnbcs dan murphy live from london. Dan, Stock Futures are up slightly this morning after the dow closed yesterday at a record high. Whats driving the market . Thats right, ali. Good morning to you. When you look at Wall Street Futures right here, right now trading is mixed after all and that comes after we saw the dow hitting a fresh record high in mondays session. But the s p 500 and nasdaq really being pressured by tech stocks, and that is going to be crucial to watch through the trading day today and through the rest of the week as we count down to the big one. This is nvidia earnings. Its really seen as a bellwether for the tech and a. I. Industries, so we could be on track for a marked disappointment if those numbers dont come in line or above expectations. So traders are really watching to see what happens with nvidia for future clues on Market Sentiment and direction moving forward. Certainly a lot to watch in the coming hours and days. Meanwhile, shares of amyl fell less than 1 in exteblded trading, that after the iphone maker announced the exit of its chief Financial Officer. Whats the latest there . Let me walk you through this because this is really fascinating. Right now wall streets still trying to decode exactly what this means and whether or not were going to see some kind of Strategy Shift from apple as a result. What weve seen being announced here is the long time chief Financial Officer, moving out of the role effective january 1st ninetysix year. Hes going to be replaced by apples Vice President of Financial Planning and analysis, hes going to be working under ceo tim cook. Remember apple stock up more than 800 under him. So wall street is watching this reelry, really closely and comes as apple flags september 9 for its next major event. Of course all eyes are on that september 9 event because apple is likely to announce its iphone 16. Embedded Artificial Intelligence is the Name Of The Game here. Its expected to be the key feature in the iphone. And apple is under pressure from wall street to deliver on Artificial Intelligence and make sure that sales for that new device also hits the target. So that is something that the new chief Financial Officer is likely to address. Its something tim cook is going to be watching very closely, and of course something Market Investors are tracking closely as well, ali. Yeah, no pressure, right . Cnbcs dan murphy live from london, thank you. Still ahead, russia has launched a fresh wave of Missile Strikes across ukraine following a Massive Attack on the countrys energy grid. Well have the latest on how ukraines responding next on way too early. Ukraines responding next on way too early. Io. Getting a Brick And Mortar in new york is not easy. Chase ink has supported us from studio one to studio three. When you start small, you need some big help. And chase ink was that for me. Earn up to 5 cash back on Business Essentials with the chase ink business cash card from chase for business. Make more of whats yours. Heres to Getting Better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. So, heres to now. Now available boost max pete g. Writes, my tween wants a new phone. How do i not break the bank . We gotcha, pete. Xfinity mobile was designed to save you money and gives you access to wifi speeds up to a gig. So you get high speeds for low prices. Better than getting low speeds for high prices. Right, bruce . Jealous . Yeah, look at that. Honestly, someone get a helmet on this guy. Get a free unlimited line for a year when you buy one unlimited line. Plus, get up to 800 off google pixel 9 phones. Switch today the Washington Post is reporting on the fallout from this weekends escalation in the middle east. It follows israels preemptive bombing of hezbollah sites housing Rocket Launchers in lebanon, and the groups response, which involved drones launched Nih Israeli Territory shot down by the idf. Izbola said it was in response to the death of a Senior Commander in beirut last month. Citing officials and analysts it was a, quote, face saving molt, the limited warning escalation albeit the largest since the two sides began trading fire in october has allowed hezbollah to claim vengeance and israel to project confidence in its security apparatus. It comes as negotiations continue for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in gaza. Turning to europe. The latest bombardment carried out by russia. Moscow landed missiles and drones in ukraine yesterday striking 15 different regions, which accounts for more than half the country. Thats according to ukraines prime minister. At least four people were killed and 13 injured. The strikes left to wide scale blackouts in various parts of ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the barrage a, quote, vile attack. Accusing russia of deliberately targeting suivalian infrastructure. In a statement President Biden called the assault outrageous and said the u. S. Is surging equipment to ukraine to repair systems as the war drags on. Joining us now National Security reporter for the Wall Street Journal, alex ward. Alex, youve been reporting on the latest out of ukraine including its Surprise Incursion into russian territory earlier this month, so whats your assessment of where things stand right now, and how is ukraine potentially to retaliate here . Well, obviously the russians are pretty mad about this incursion, hence their increased barrages all over the country. Its killed people, damaged Energy Infrastructure ahead of what could be a brutal winter for ukraine, leading to an Energy Crisis in the country. If youre ukraine what youre doing is trying to solidify not only the gains you made in kursk but asking the Biden Administration for Greater Authority to use longrange missiles provided by the United States to hit russian targets. You heard zelenskyy make that pitch repeatedly. He said it again yesterday. But the white house just on monday continue to say, no, theres not going to be a lift on restrictions, there have been no change. If youre ukraine right now youre going, okay, weve done all right, weve gotten what weve gotten but the russians are hitting pretty hard and theres going to be no more support from the u. S. At what point if any do you see that response change . Weve seen that from the Biden Administration many times where they go were not going to change, were not going to change and then they do. But this one is little different because what the ukrainians are asking for is longrange weapons to hit really anywhere inside of russia, and theres a little bit of concern that the ukrainians might not use those longrange weapons and by that the atacms and others wisely. And there arent that many ukraine has and arent that many the u. S. Can produce at a fast clip in order to back fill those. Theres a bit of a tactical lets say mismatch leading to a difference of strategic mixture. I want to turn to the middle east which we talk about the escalation over the weekend which did not escalate into anything. That good news for people who view this as a tinderbox conflict. When you look at it and then pull back can that continue for as long as as it needs to including theres some kind of ceasefire deal. After iran launched the attack on April 13th Israel responded and then everything relatively has calmed down. Theres the hope this is going to happen again, and this time theres the added bonus, lets aul it, of the ceasefire talks ongoing. And you have the United States, you have qatar and egypt and others going to iran and saying dont do this while these ceasefire talks are ongoing because iran at least claims it cares about the palestinian cause and wants a ceasefire to happen. And so in a way the longer these talks go on even though Everyone Wants the war to end and theres still a lot of sticking points, the fact theyre continuing is giving iran sort of space to not have to do much. We also should remember iran even if has proxies to attack, et cetera, et cetera, doesnt want to create a larger war because it would lose it. Even though we should not minimize the fact whatever it could unleash if it grew bigger in the middle east would be horrible and generally in an al region of the world. When you look at the ceasefire negotiations which have had such a start stop momentum to them over the course of the last several months, and you look at the sticking points, whether it is controlling various corridors in the gaza strip, whether it is Prisoner Exchange capacities, i mean, do you feel like theyre on the brink of a breakthrough, just reading the tea leaves . Man, its always bad to predict these things. I know. What it sounds like is that they are closer than ever. Now, what does that mean . They are an inch away, a mile away . Its hard to know. Right. The fact the working group folks are still there in cairo, the fact theyre going over sort of the last items, including the names of prisoners that could be swapped, that indicates theyre very, very far along. But as they usually say in diplomatic negotiations, 90 done equals 0 done. Nothing is completed until the ink is dried and hands are shook. Theres always room for pessimism. Thats certainly the assessment weve heard from people like you who are so dialed into this Foreign Policy apparatus here. Thank you so much, alex ward, for joining us. Up next, Kamala Harris is promising tax cuts for middle america. Well show you a new campaign ad on her plan for the economy. And coming up on morning joe, democratic senator chris coons of delaware will join the conversation. Plus, former National Security adviser hr mcmaster. Hell be live in studio with his revealing, new book about working in the donald trump white house. Also ahead, alex gibney with his new documentary on the hbo hit, the sopranos. Morning joe is moments away. Complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. So, heres to now. Now available boost max if youre frustrated with occasional bloating or gas. Your bodys giving you signs, its time to try align. Align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional bloating and gas. 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She has no idea shes sitting on a goldmine. Well she doesnt know that if she owns a Life Insurance policy of 100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. Even a term policy. Even a term policy . Even a term policy find out if youre sitting on a goldmine. Call Coventry Direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect. Com. The Harris Campaign has an ad explaining how to cut taxes for middle class families. They also contrast the policies with that of donald trump, who she says is focused on getting tax breaks for billionaires. Every day across our nation, families talk about their plans for the future, and they talk about how theyre going to achieve them financially. Prices are still too high. When i am elected president , i will make it a top priority to bring down costs. We should be doing everything we can to make it more affordable to buy a home. Under my plan, more than 100 million americans will get a tax cut. I will help families, letting you keep more of your hardearned money. As president , i will be laser focused on creating opportunities for the middle class that advance their economic security, stability, and dignity. If you want to know who someone cares about, look who they fight for. Donald trump fights for billionaires and large corporations. I will fight to give money back to working and middle class americans. Im Kamala Harris, and i approve this message. Joining us now is Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and Associate Editor of the Washington Post, eugene robinson. He is also an msnbc political analyst. Gene, that ad is the latest in an all out push by the Harris Campaign. It, of course, continues messaging on the economy that we have heard from democrats against trump and republicans. How is this message being received so far . Well, it takes time. It takes time. Im not sure that this message has broken through in the way that the Campaign Hopes and expects it would, but you have to you know, to get a message across, you repeat it. They have all the money in the world in the harriswalz campaign to keep producing these ads and keep hammering on the economy. It is something that people care about a lot. They care about high prices. She just, i think, would be wise to emphasize again and again and again that she has plans to do something about that. Yeah. Certainly, this is one of the top issues that we hear about from voters. It makes sense why this is such a focus for the newly minted harriswalz campaign. Separately, i know youre keeping a close eye on how violence in the middle east is weighing over this president ial contest. Give us some insight there. Well, you know, it can change. Our politics can be changed overnight by events overseas. I mean, it can happen. Now, im a bit encouraged in the last day or so when it appears that both israel and hezbollah have decided to pull back a little bit and that they that its in no ones interest to have an all out war. I think thats irans view. I know thats the view of the United States. But were going to continue with this very, very high level of tension. In a position where just a single mistake, a misstep by some party could, in fact, throw us into a wider war that nobody wants. Certainly, thats the conversation that alex ward from the Wall Street Journal and i were just having right before you came on. Yeah. You know, i started one thing. Yeah . One thing, ali. Ive seen some recent polling in terms of our politics. Vice president harris has essentially