impeached? it's "way too early" for this. good morning! and welcome to "way too early," the show that sends big props to all the tech folks behind the scenes here who had a very busy start to their day at 30 rock. thank you, guys, for getting us on the air this morning. i am kasie hunt on this thursday, march 11th. we will start with the news. in a major legislative win for president biden, the house passed the massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill. the final vote was 220-211, mostly along party lines. one democrat, congressman jared golden of maine, joined all republicans in voting against the bill. democrats erupted in applause after the roll call. >> on this vote, the yeas are 220, the nays are 211. the motion is adopted. >> the white house also posted this video of president biden and vice president kamala harris applauding as the bill was passed. president biden said he'll sign it tomorrow. >> this bill represents an historic, historic victory for the american people. everything in the american rescue plan addresses a real need. together we're going to get through this pandemic and usher in a healthier and more hopeful future, so there is real reason for hope, folks. there is real reason for hope, i promise you. >> and later today, president biden will give his first prime time address to mark one year since the world health organization declared covid-19 a pandemic. it has been a long and devastating year. and even though the covid relief bill passed without a single republican voting in support of the measure, democrats warned yesterday that the gop would try to take credit for any positive results. here's what house budget committee chairman, congressman john yarmuth said yesterday on the floor. >> what we're concerned about on our side is that republicans are all going to vote against this, then they're going to show up at every ribbon-cutting, every project that's funded out of this bill, and they're going to puff up their chest and take credit for all of these great benefits that are coming to their citizens. >> that, it's already happening. despite voting no on the covid relief package, republican senator roger wicker yesterday touted funding in the bill that would help independent restaurants. hours, literally hours after the bill passed, he tweeted, quote, independent restaurant operators have won $28.6 billion worth of targeted relief. senator wicker was later pressed about why he voted no. >> one good provision in a $1.9 trillion bill doesn't mean i have to vote for the whole thing. >> but -- >> it goes without saying. i issued a statement, but i think it's a stupid question. >> stupid question? >> absolutely! i'm not going to vote for $1.9 trillion just because it has a couple of good provisions in it. >> oh, boy. okay. president biden, meanwhile, announced plans to purchase an additional 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson vaccine. the additional doses will give the u.s. more than enough to supply vaccines to the entire u.s. population. and while it was previously announced that the u.s. had purchased enough for every single american adult, this additional purchase will serve as a reserve. biden had this to say about the need for additional doses during a meeting with pharmaceutical executives yesterday. >> and today, i'm directing jeff and my hhs team to produce another 100 million doses and purchase another 100 million doses of the johnson & johnson vaccine. i'm doing this because in this wartime efforts, we need maximum flexibility. there is always a chance that we will encounter unexpected challenges, or there will be a new need for a vaccine effort or vaccination effort. a lot can happen. a lot can change. and we need to be prepared. and of course, we need to match the miracle of science and the skill of manufacturing with the massive logistical undertaking of vaccinating over 300 million americans. >> president biden also said that, if the country ends up not needing the surplus vaccine, he would, quote, share it with the rest of the world. joining us now, white house correspondent for politico and co-author of "the playbook," eugene daniels. eugene, great to see you. thank you for getting up early with us. this is a big win for president biden, getting this bill across the finish line. there is a lot in it, including versions of -- temporary versions, i should say, of programs that a lot of democrats have been focused on over the long term, including child care help, the extension of unemployment insurance, et cetera. what does this mean in terms of setting a precedent going forward for how we're dealing with these things? i think democrats are betting that republicans aren't going to want to yank that, for example, child credit away from people once the temporary program expires. >> exactly. something about people that live in this country, and americans, once you give us something, we get used to it and we don't want you to take it away from us, right? and so, you have kind of this expansion of benefits in a way that a lot of democrats, people on the left have been wanting for years, right? they were able to use this covid relief bill in order to do it. and it's been hit by republicans as that, right? like, you're just expanding the social safety net, and democrats will tell you, yeah, that's exactly what we're doing. i think one of the things that's most interesting is, you have this, another stimulus check coming. i covered andrew yang during the 2020 primary for democrats, and that is something that he talked about. and so, it is kind of wild to see that now being a part of all of this. and moving forward, are americans just used to government doing more, right? when democrats are in charge, that's always going to be the case. but now republicans love getting these checks, independents love getting these checks. so, that and the child tax credit, like you said. how can republicans, after people have gotten this money, it's helped them during a time of need, how do you then go and say, you don't get to have it anymore? it's going to be difficult for them to do that, especially with the midterm coming right up. >> yeah, you know, it's funny. i spent a lot of time thinking about this, because you know, i covered the 2009 stimulus as well, and that, obviously, back fired on president obama and other democrats. but it was also in the context of a recession that required a lot of help to very powerful institutions, and a lot of americans looked around and saw their government helping big banks, big corporations, and didn't like it very much. but in this particular case, the money is going to help them. and while you're starting to hear people talk about the debt and the deficit, the classic kind of republican approach to that, i'm wondering, what's your take on -- i just -- i feel like americans are going to view this differently because they know it's directed at them. they've gotten a check in the mail. >> no, i think you're right. you know, there are a lot of comparisons to be made to that stimulus bill that president obama signed. but this idea of people getting money in their pockets, right? this $1,400 if you, you know, meet the right requirements and a little bit down up until 80, the administration says that's 85% of americans. that's a huge swath of people. and so, that's going to be a little bit different than when you see a bank getting bailed out or you see the auto industries getting bailed out in this country. and the other difference is that president biden is going on a kind of victory lap, a victory tour, him and vice president kamala harris are going to take to the road. she's going to denver. she's going to las vegas on tuesday, monday and tuesday, excuse me. and they're going to sell this to the american people. that's something that president biden said that his old boss should have done and did not do. and another aspect of this is president obama faced a pretty cohesive republican party, right? the opposition to what he was doing was very clear. republicans don't have that right now, right? there's no civil war. it's very clear what side they've chosen, the side of president trump. but they don't have a message that's really working against this bill, right? they're focusing on things like dr. seuss and mr. potato head, and they haven't found a way to attack this, other than saying it is a wish list for democrats. >> yeah, i mean, it's pretty tough to attack it when your republican president was in there just months ago and wanted to put his name on the checks because he was so supportive, and you were willing to go along with that. you turn around, you say no. it's a very, very difficult place to be cognitively, i think. politico's eugene daniels, thank you so much for getting up early with us. appreciate your reporting and insights. and still ahead here, with governor greg abbott lifting coronavirus restrictions, the texas rangers are going to become the first team in major league baseball to gear up for a full stadium of fans. plus, the senate confirms merrick garland as attorney general. we'll have that update and a look at where the rest of president biden's cabinet stands. those stories and a check on your weather when we come right back. your weather when we come right back it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. lease the 2021 is 300 for $359 a month for 36 month's, and we'll make you're first month's payment. experience amazing. to be a thriver with metastatic breast cancer means asking for what we want, and need... and we need more time. so, we want kisqali. living longer is possible and proven with kisqali when taken with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor in premenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor alone. kisqali can cause lung problems or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills, or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. avoid grapefruit during treatment. kisqali is not approved for use with tamoxifen. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. - oh. - what's going on? - oh, darn! - let me help. kisqali is not approved for use with tamoxifen. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them before they start with downy wrinkleguard. welcome back! time for sports. the mlb's texas rangers are set to become the first major u.s. sports franchise to make full, unrestricted seating available to fans since the pandemic began, altering the sport's landscape one year ago. coming off the heels of texas governor greg abbott's order to fully reopen the state, the rangers' plan for globe life field -- it seats more than 40,000 people -- to operate at full capacity for their final two exhibition games at the end of the month and the team's home opener against the blue jays on april 5th. some mitigation protocols like cashless transactions and social distancing for fans entering and exiting the ballpark will still take effect. fans will also be required to wear masks, unless eating or drinking at their seats, as was the case for limited capacity postseason games played at the arlington stadium in october. there's no official word yet on whether the houston astros will follow suit. the team announced in january that it will allow fans to attend games at 25% capacity this season. meanwhile, dallas cowboys owner jerry jones told reporters yesterday that his nfl team will return to california for training camp this year and expects it to play in front of a full house at at&t stadium when the regular season kicks off. i have a question, would you feel safe going to a stadium that was full? i'm not sure. all right, the ncaa selection committee has begun meeting to hash out a 68-team bracket for the march madness tournament kicking off next week. while the usually reveal takes place on selection sunday, it could remain influx until games begin on tuesday, and teams who make the field can no longer be replaced if they get sick. the rule was part of the ncaa's gradual rollout of coronavirus protocols for the tournament, which will see all teams play all games in and around just the city of indianapolis. and in the latest from the committee, teams will now only need a minimum of five healthy players to suit up for a tournament game. it's unclear whether teams will also need a coach. tough times. all right, on the nba court, the brooklyn nets are going to start the second half of the season without a lot of its star power. kevin durant, who hasn't played in about a month, is going to remain sidelined indefinitely as he undergoes further imaging on a strained left hamstring. brooklyn's newly acquired blake griffin also is ruled out against the celtics as he manages a left knee injury. but on the pro tennis court, second-seeded roger federer made his return to the atp tour after more than a year of recovery from a pair of knee surgeries. the 20-time grand slam champ recorded 13 aces in yesterday's second-round victory at the qatar open. the 39-year-old told reporters after nearly 2 1/2-hour match that his return to the court has been, quote, a huge challenge, saying, quote, to come back at my age, not something very simple. indeed. it's great for him. congrats. i'm going to have a lot of fun watching him continue to play. all right, time now for the weather. let's go to meteorologist bill karins for a check on the forecast. bill, good morning! >> reporter: hey, good morning, kasie. yeah, roger so easy to root for. then, you know, that first five-setter's going to be tough on those, you know, repaired knees. we'll have to wait and see how that plays out. so, let's get into this forecast, head into the weekend. we have a huge storm in the west. it's been great news for areas that need the wet weather, but this is going to be an epic snowstorm in areas of colorado. on monday, i'm going to show you pictures from, like, the denver area and the foothills that are going to be just eye-opening. so, here's how it plays out. saturday is when the snow should be really flying. it starts friday night. but saturday it will snow all day long. and then this is such a slow-moving storm system that all day sunday, that snow is going to set up over the front range areas of wyoming will get nailed, too, even a portion of nebraska and south dakota. ahead of it, we will deal with severe weather. how much snow are we talking? right now the forecast for denver is up to 24 inches of snow. it's very -- they get snowstorms, but it's rare for them to get a 2-foot snowstorm. there will be isolated spots in the mountains that could get up to 5 feet of snow this upcoming weekend. out ahead of this storm system, we will have some severe weather, we'll have a lot of rain, some flooding. so we have to watch out for our friends in kansas and also missouri, especially in areas of northern, especially -- well, northern oklahoma and as we go into areas of arkansas through the ozarks. so, the forecast for today. how about the warmth in the northeast? just enjoy it, soak it up. 77 in d.c. today, 71 in new york, and 69 in boston. that's as warm as it's going to be for a while. it will cool off a little bit this weekend. but friday's still pretty nice. and there's that big storm just, you know, it just jumps off the map in the middle of the country. we get a break on the west coast saturday. the east coast is nice on saturday. and still pretty good on the east coast on sunday. all of the nasty weather, kasie, will be in the heartland with our major march winter storm. >> all right, well, our thoughts with all those who are going to be grappling with that snow, but i love it when you've got "nice day" written atop of right where i live! so, that sounds great to me. bill karins, thank you very much, my friend. we'll see you tomorrow. still ahead here, the biden administration is preparing for a high-level meeting with chinese officials next week. nbc's janis mackey frayer joins us with her reporting. s janis mn us with her reporting. tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? what if your clothes could stay fresh for weeks? now they can! this towel has already been used and it still smells fresh. pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry for up to 12-weeks. ♪ and a little bit of chicken fried ♪ ♪ cold beer on a friday night ♪ ♪ a pair of jeans that fit just right ♪ ♪ and the radio up ♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's. my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 14 day system. with a painless, onesecond scan i can check my glucose without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. you can do it without fingersticks, too. ask your doctor for a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. and visit freestyle libre.us to try it for free. want to brain better? for the freestyle libre 14 day system. unlike ordinary memory supplements— neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. trelegy for copd. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good ♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. do you need help finding an apartment? with old spice clinical you can say boost® high protein also has key nutrients “goodbye musty sweat, goodbye more sweat, and goodbye parents basement.” [old spice whistle] did you know that some aluminum free deodorants only mask odor? secret aluminum free helps eliminate odor instead of just masking it. and is made with 3x more odor fighters. with secret, keep it fresh every day. secret. judge merrick garland has been confirmed by the senate to be the next attorney general. garland passed by a vote of 70-30 and received wide bipartisan support with backing from senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and several other republican members. of course, garland has beco