person, but you'd see wounds all over me. i've taken a lot of wounds, i can tell you, more than i suspect any president ever. >> one of several bizarre moments from donald trump this weekend. the former president's strange tangent on saturday in philadelphia, which even had fox news cutting away from it. we'll have more of that in just a moment. also ahead, we'll have the latest on the debate strategies and preparations for both sides as we with now just days away from the first meeting between president biden and donald trump in 3 1/2 years. plus we'll preview a high-station meeting between israel's defense chief and the biden administration. ♪♪ good morning and welcome to "way too early" on this monday, june 24th. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for starting your day and week with us. and we have a lot to get to this morning, and we'll begin here. the biden campaign is going all out by gearing up for more than 1,000 events leading up to this thursday's much anticipated debate between the president and his republican challenger donald trump. in a memo that was shared first with nbc news over the weekend, the biden camp revealed that it will host more than 300 watch parties on debate night alone. over 1,600 additional events will take place across key battleground states including community events, trainings, canvasses, and more. additionally the campaign is running a new slate of tv and digital advertisements ahead of the thursday night showdown. it will also conduct targets outreach initiatives to mobilize chemo beal blocks including young college groups, women, latino groups, and the lgbtq plus community and others. the campaign said it will keep its foot on the gas with president biden heading directly to north carolina to rally voters there whoo vice president harris heads to nevada to meet with latino voters. at the same time, nbc news who is playing the role of donald trump in president biden's preparations. a source tells nbc news his personal lawyer bob bougher is portraying donald trump in those sessions. he's a former white house counsel and played the role of trump during biden's 2020 debate preparations. he hinted this time around during an interview on "morning joe" last week. >> unfortunately, you know, as you can imagine, i can't actually speak to debate preparations. that wouldn't be promote for me to talk about. i've done over debate preps before and played over roles like that. that's, again, part of the process, people coming together to hear candidates debate with each other, put themselves before the american public, lay their views out, their competing visions out, and i thought it was a high privilege to have an opportunity in 2020 to participate. i know that sounds a bit evasive, but that's the constraint i'm operating under. >> i understand why. >> a bit evasive? come on. >> i think i understand why. the debate will hit on trump's legal troubles. biden slammed trump as a convicted criminal who's only out for himself. trump has been found guilty on all counts and has been charged in other multiple federal and state cases. biden/harris campaign co-chair mitch landrieu was asked about this yesterday. he did have this to say about trump's troubles. >> i'll let the president say what he's going about to say. the fact of the matter is the sky is blue and donald trump is in trouble. i'll let you sit with that for a second. the former prut has to sit with his probation officer before he sits for the debate. it's just a fact. it goes to his behavior and it goes to his character. remember, he's actually filed bankruptcy six times. that means he's not just a bad business guy. it means he screwed all the small people who actually relied on him for a living, and so the american people are going to see that. when you have 17 former cabinet members saying, i witnessed this guy. the people who know donald trump the best like him the least, that should give you a moment to think about that. >> biden is mocking trump ahead of thursday's debate. speaking at a rally in philadelphia, he attacked biden while adding a wild unchecked claim. take a listen. >> as you know, crooked joe has gone to a log cabin to study, prepare -- no, he didn't -- no, he's sleeping now. because they want to get him good and strong so a little before debate time he gets a shot in the [ bleep ]. they want to strengthen him up. >> joining us now, politics reporter for semafor, shelby talcott. shelby, good morning. we know biden and his team have indeed convened up in camp david. they arrived at the end of last week. they're going to be there through thursday morning. tell us a little how the trump campaign is preparing for this debate and what are some of the most important things we should be looking for? >> donald trump's campaign has argued that he doesn't need to do the traditional debate prep that we we're seeing the president do because he's been out on the campaign trail. he's been through the rallies including the one he's had this last weekend. he's been doing informal policy sessions. that's really what the trump campaign has been doing is honing in on the policies ahead of thursday's debate. he's been doing them with his advisers and bringing in some of the vp hopefuls, which has been really interesting to see. with up of the things i'll be looking for on the debate stage this week is how donald trump responds to the probably inevitable attack lines about joe biden about his league issues, january 6th, and about the democracy. on the flip side i'll be interested to see how joe biden handles the questions which as we ooesh heard for the last several months the argument that the country was better under trump than joe biden. >> certainly trump has been out doing rallies, but usually the challenger comes in sharpened bus they've been doing the debates. so it's possible he'll be rusty. this is the first time these two men have met since the capitol riot. it also looks like it's going to play a role at the national republican convention. what have you found? >> it's interesting. i did reporting earlier this year about the january 6th riot and how donald trump has begun to sort of embrace the movement, which is to free these people who have been charged in the riot, and i spoke to one of the lawyers the other day who said that he really hoped that the january 6th movement would have a role to play at the upcoming convention, and it's unclear if there is going to be a role. they're hopeful that there will be. regardless, i think what's notable is people close to trump have told me, even if there's not at a specific speaker highlighting the january 6th movement and the prisoners, it's likely donald trump himself will bring it up during his speech, as we've seen him do during almost every real ya over the past few months. >> how will that play out on thursday? it's one thing to turn the january 6th rioters into martyrs in some ways, but a lot of the rest of the country doesn't feel that way. >> that's what donald trump's has been grappling with because it's certainly something joe biden's campaign wants to bring out and highlight. they've seen the poll numbers. they rerecognize beyond the republican base, there are a lot of voters who are unsure who to vote for and are uncomfortable with happened on january 6th and don't see it in the same light as the other base does. >> shelby talcott, thank you for starting with us. we appreciate you being here. i want to note nbc and msnbc will have full coverage of the debate thursday night. and i'll be live from atlanta broadcasting "way too early" thursday and friday. we'll be there again thursday as former president trump and president biden will debate over what's a significant moment in this campaign. still ahead here today on "way too early," former president trump once again brags about overturning roe v. wade ahead of the second anniversary of the dobbs decision. we'll bring you the latest remarks. plus, the latest from israel as prime minister netanyahu suggests the intense fighting in gaza may end soon. we'll see. those stories and a check on sports and weather when we come right back. sports and weather when we come right back ♪ ♪ [ grunts ] [ laughs ] ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't 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? 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you've got to get out and vote. just this time. i don't care. in four years you don't have to vote, okay? in four years, i don't care. but we'll have it all straightened out. >> trump also over the weekend suggested a ufc-style fighting league for migrants. meanwhile also ahead of the anniversary of the dobbs decision, mika sat down with vice president kamala harris and reproductive rights advocate hadley duvall. here's an important part of that conversation. >> what's at stake in this election? >> so much. if you have a woman in your life that means something to you, her life is at stake. it does not matter if she is 12, 9, 34, you know. it really does not matter. if there is a woman who is in that reproductive age, then, you know, her life is at stake during this election, and it does not matter if you've never voted democrat in your life, you know, it's get off your high horse because women, we don't get to choose, you know, a whole lot, and you at least can choose who you vote for, a tlnld is a lot of things that need to be worked on, and we can't get it all done, but at the very least, we could get out of women's business when it involves health care. i always say i'm pro-minding your own business. live it. live it proudly. but don't expect management to make the laws. >> madam president, two days from the day roe was overturned, what's your feeling on this election? >> i agree with hadley. everything is at stake. fundamentally on this issue, it's about freedom, and every person of whatever gender should understand that if such a fundamental freedom such as the right to make decisions about your own body can be taken, be aware of what other freedoms may be at stake. >> the small percentage of the country that is pro-life because predominantly the numbers show people support abortion across the board nationally. can you explain that abortion is not just for people who are pregnant, that this is health care? >> it is health care. >> dr. harris. >> yes, yes, exactly. yes, correct, and you are right -- you are right that this issue really does present a health care crisis in america, including the fact that i am, as it turns out, the first vb -- and no president biden has visited a reproduketive care carolina eric, and one of the reasons i went to that clinic was to highlight that in those clinics that are trusted in the community, you can get a pap, breast cancer screening, hiv screening. the things where people want to be able to walk into a health care facility and be treated with dignity and without judgment so they can address their health care concerns. that's what these clinics do. in states where they pass these trump abortion bans, these clinics are closing, which means there is a reduction of very essential health care across the board for a lot of people. >> mika's full interview with vice president harris is ahead today on "morning joe." you will not want to miss that. next up here, we'll turn to sports, and we'll show you the moment that climate protesters cree a yated chaos in the final moments of a golf tournament. plus, a big name for track & field punches his ticket to paris and we'll bring you a preview of the stanley cup finals tonight. a check on all that and a look at your forecast for the week straight ahead. at your forecast for the week straight ahead ultra strong. ahhh! my bottom's been saved! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. enjoy the go with charmin. if you have chronic kidney disease you can reduce the risk of kidney failure with farxiga. because there are places you'd like to be. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract, or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid for twice as long as pepcid. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. 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(♪♪) and enxtra for focus and clarity. centrum, powered by clinically studied ingredients. i'll be honest. by the end of the day, my floors...yeesh. but who has the time to clean? that's why i love my swiffer wetjet. it's a quick and easy way to get my floors clean. wetjet absorbs and locks grime deep inside. look at that! swiffer wetjet. welcome back to "way too early." it's exactly 5:30 a.m. here on the east coast, 2:30 out west on this monday morning. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for being with us. israel's defense minister will be in washington today where he's set to meet with top officials for critical talks as tensions ramp up on israel's northern border. in an interview on israeli tv last night, prime minister benjamin netanyahu said that israel is close to shifting to a less intensive phase of the fighting inside gaza, but, he added, that the fighting will continue until hamas is fully uprooted. his comments on israeli tv came hours after he said in a cabinet meeting that there ha been a, quote, dramatic drop in weapons transfers from the united states beginning four months ago. the biden administration denied netanyahu's claims of withholding weapons on a large scale when he first made that allegation last week. joining us now is marc polymeropoulos. congrats on the podcast. let's start with prime minister minister netanyahu's allegations. the weapons had been flowing. the white house has reported over the weekend they're deeply concerned what he's going to say next month, to say he's really going to use that to attack the biden administration. what do you make of what netanyahu is doing? >> well, good morning, jonathan. i think defense minister ga lapt arrives in washington. he's the leader the u.s. hoped they would have to deal with, but, of course, that's not the case. prime minister netanyahu is still in office. u.s. officials were absolutely flabbergasted, as you know, with netanyahu's cries in eningly. netanyahu chooses probably for his own political benefit as he tries to rally the right in his country but to attack the united states. the allegations, i think, are unfounded. there was a weapons shipment that was withheld, but that was a 2,000-bomb shipment. of course, gallant might be talking about this now. one of the theories is if gallant manages to fix this issue, netanyahu wants to take credit for it. you're right. i think the biden administration is worried about what in the world netanyahu will say. the establishment is furious for netanyahu doing this. this is a time you need u.s. europety and netanyahu has thrown a wrench in that. >> we should note there's not been a formal invitation for netanyahu to meet with biden while in washington. there's still plenty of time for that to come, but we'll continue to follow that. marc, give us an update in terms of the state of fighting which includes netanyahu and suggesting that ta the operation could wind down. he's said that before. but also to the north, where hezbollah has ramped up the attacks. >> formal officials i talked to do indicate the shift is toward the north. the major fighting in gaza is coming to an end. of course, there's still no hostage deal. this is hamas's responsibility, not israel's, but it's sad. the report is there may be about 50 hostages left alive right now and that causes a lot of trauma for the israelis. 70,000 israelis cannot return to their homes. the idf is under enormous pressure to do something about it, get the united neighs to do something. this is more of an existential threat to israel than hamas was, even after the tragedy on october 7th. so the security is surprisingly shifting to the north. this is going to be quite the battle. both are climbing the escalatory ladder. you're worried if you're either side because israel could actually preempt and this could kick things off. iran could get involved and the united states as well. >> tell me what things would look like if things escalate to the north. who else jump in and what u.s. support could that mean? >> there's a concern for the united states the israeli political establishment. there are hundreds of thousands of longer-range missiles. the larger concern is the iron dome. this is israel's main defense mechanism. will they be able to thwart the attacks? this is not going to be the borders getting hit but tel aviv. the war could be much more bloody. israel has threatened to turn parts of beirut and lebanon into gaza. it could end up being quite significant. iran, this is their absolute key ally, if they see them getting damaged significantly, will they jump in? and, of course, the u.s. with an aircraft carrier in the region will almost be forced to jump to israel's aid. it's kicking off and tensions are climbing. it's concerning for israel and the united states as well what this will look like. >> covering a lot of ground this morning on his birthday, mark p happy birthday. we'll tell you about the home prices and how they hit a new record high and what that could mean for home buyers. we'll be right back. e buyers we'll be right back. i'm jonathan lawson, here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? 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ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®. time now for business, and for that let's bring in cnbc's silvia amaro who joins us live from london. good morning. stocks are kick off a new trending week on a high note. what's driving the market? >> on a slightly higher note for the time being, though, but it does seem we're going to see a positive start to the trading session on wall street, this after we saw a bit of a mixed session on friday, however. by looking at what's in store today, we're going to get new manufacturing figures from the dow and fed. on top of that, we're going to hear from two members of the fed. of course, this is very important because investors are very keen to understand what the fed is going to do this year in terms of rate cuts, however, i have to say the big market event this week is likely to be the pce data release that's due on friday exactly because that number is also closely followed by the fed, and as i was saying earlier, investors are trying to piece together, trying to understand whether we're going to get that rate cut from the fed at some point this year. >> so a tough headline here. homes in the united states are the most expensive that they've ever been. talk to us as to why the impact on homeowners, particularly first-time buyers, and do we see any relief in sight? >> so basically we are seeing that it is very hard for people to get into housing. that's not just the u.s. it's something we're noticing here in the uk. looking at the latest figures from the united states, existing home sales came in basically flat in the month of may and down about 0.7% from april. and this is at a time when we are seeing house prices at record highs and perhaps even more importantly mortgage rates still remain very high. just to give you an idea the very popular, the average rate on the 30-year fixed loan is at about 7% at this stage. now, some experts are suggesting that new inventory in the coming months could alleviate things. ultimately let's see how big of an impact that could have. we're talking about some of the highest prices we've seen in history and some of the highest mortgage rates as well. still quite a lot of pressure when it comes to getting on the housing line. >> certainly an important story we'll be following. the brewing company carlsberg is weighing its next steps after a uk soft drinks maker talks about a takeover bid. >> britvic has cleared a new hurdle that could see carlsberg acquiring the company. we know carlsberg has made two proposals to take over. these propoals were rejected. however, it could pave the way for a deal in this space. ultimately, jon, what this story tells us is there's a very strong interest at this stage in uk companies. first in the mining sector, now the food and beverage sector. it's likely we'll not just stay here. we could see further activity in the uk for the rest of the year. >> thank you. we'll talk to you again tomorrow. next, the race is heating up as there are demands for a new leader. we'll discuss when we come right back. leader we'll discuss when we come right back (♪♪) (♪♪) try dietary supplements from voltaren, for healthy joints. ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't 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? 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[ cooing ] ♪ sweet child of mine ♪ [ gasps ] welcome back. in the race to replace mitch mcconnell as the senate's top republican, "politico" is reporting that conservatives are pushing a new list of demands for anyone looking to take on the leadership post. that i include a commitment to term limits on the top spot, revamping internal committee assignments, and the candidate must not bend to democrats even on must-pass legislation. according to "politico," the pressure has turned willingness to work across the aisle into a wedge for candidates looking to replace mcconnell. joining us now, one of the reporters for the congressional report for "politico," ursula. good morning. let's talk about some of these demands. including to never work across the aisle seems so deeply cynical and, frankly, unpopular for most of the country. tell us a little more about the thinking? >> the conservatives say they feel the current leadership being money continue and his leadership team has too frequently given away support for the majority. it's a 60% threshold for passing, and that means at most times things like debt funding, republicans have been required to support legislation and democrats to avoid catastrophic default or shutdowns. these republicans feel mcconnell gave away the support too easily. he didn't demand things in exchange. mcconnell is warning this is a very tricky slope to go down. he said if he were required to get the majority of his requirements, majority, nothing would get passed. it's very difficult to get something corralled whether they're the majority or minority. even things that went down in the house this past term when republicans were trying to do do or die and get a ton of conservative wins on every policy bill, that that doesn't always go as planned. >> can he cap the race for us? who are the favorites, and what do the "insider"s think is going to emerge on top? >> right now it's thune, cornyn, and dick scott. thune is thought to be the quickest success to mcconnell, and he's served as mcconnell's number two. john cornyn is somewhere in the middle. he's done sort of bipartisan deals in the past few years, but he's particularly more cozy with conservatives. and when you look at rick he's really the dark horse. he's gotten a handful of votes, but nothing to disrupt the current leader. scott seems to be thwarting the same votes and this november. >> senate reporter for politico, ursula, thank you for your reporting. up next on "way too early." the biden campaign is set to mark the second anniversary of the supreme court's decision to overturn roe v wade just as reproductive rights heat up on the campaign trail. coming up on "morning joe," we will bring you mika's exclusive sit-down interview with vice president kamala harris who warns that abortion bans are now creating a health care crisis. we will get to that, as well as harris' thoughts on the upcoming presidential debate. "morning joe" is just a few moments away. debate. 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(man) no health questions. -physical exam? -don't need one. it's colonial penn guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. if you're between the ages of 50 and 85, your acceptance is guaranteed in most states, even if you're not in the best health. options start at $9.95 a month, 35 cents a day. once insured, your rate will never increase. a lifetime rate lock guarantees it. keep in mind, this is lifetime protection. as long as you pay your premiums, it's yours to keep. call for more information and the simple form you need to apply today. there's no obligation, and you'll receive a free beneficiary planner just for calling. welcome back. president biden is commemorating today's second anniversary of the supreme court's dobbs which overturned the right to a federal abortion and sent the issue back to the states. the biden campaign issued this warning. donald trump is the sole person responsible for this nightmare. for him, these cruel state bands are a beautiful thing to wash and they are just beginning. this is a man who drags about overturning roe v. wade. had called for women who access for reproductive health care to be punished for women and said he would rule as dictator on day one. if given the chance, there is no question he will ban abortion nationwide with or without the help of congress. you don't have to take my word for it, biden wrote, his advisers have already laid out the plans to do it. joining us now is republican strategist susan. good to see you. >> good morning. >> today is the anniversary. speak to us a little bit about the moment in america right now with reproductive rights under assault and how you think it fuels this campaign. >> oh, i think it will add a tremendous amount of energized independent women out to the polls as it did in 2022, is it's done when it's won state wyatt referendum across ohio and kansas and other states. but it's going to be interesting politically how we see it play out also in the senate races because in swing states of arizona and nevada, it's very likely to be on the ballot come this november, which will drive turnout. but the biden team is absolutely right to release that kind of statement. and i hope we hear a lot of the personal stories of women who have suffered since dobbs has gone into effect. >> we should note. because, i mean, the news cyclist is so relentless, we are on to the next thing. the abortion rights is still front and center to for many americans. for many, many people many, men and women alike that is the desk issue. if that is the defining issue it's one undefeated at ballot box since dobbs. >> yeah. let's not forget that this is health care. the reason it's front and center, it leads to decisions about a woman's body and her reproductive health care. so, yes, it affects a lot of people all over the country. it will provide to be a telling moment because i think often we get lost in the polls when we see the most important issue facing the country right now. you see the economy way up there, maybe iminebriation. -- iminebriation. abortion seems to be lower. when you ask the question would you support a candidate strong on the economy or one who will protect rape, the women's rights of rape, incest and the women's health, that question prevails in many cases. so given a binary choice, people will fight for reproductive health care. >> how do you think the biden campaign will address this topic on thursday, the night of the first debate, such a pivotal moment in this campaign? >> i think joe biden will bring it directly to donald trump and donald trump will try to fight back. don't forget the mikes will be muted unless it's your turn to speak. more importantly, that conversation may happen with the backdrop of immunity being settled in supreme court. why is that important? imagine donald trump with the ability to do whatever he wants. we have seen what he has done with women's reproductive health care. what would be next? >> yes. supreme court is next. decisions to be announced on wednesday the day before the debate but they could come thursday morning as well. let's talk about the show down thursday in atlanta. the earliest general election debate we have seen in some time. tell us what the biden campaign need to accomplish that night? >> biden needs to bring the same energy as he did to the state of the union. if he does that he has exceeded expectations. he has to be aware not to take trump chumming the waters, if you will, even though trump's mike will be off, i think that you'll still hear donald trump yelling all the time when biden is speaking. it may be muted, but biden needs to play straight to the camera, straight to the moderators and tell the american people where is he, because donald trump will also pick a fight. moderators and looking at the camera and meandering the way he does. >> we should know the biden and trump campaigns agreed to the rules which included the muted microphones. it does seem like trump is rusty, too. he has not done a debate since 2020. what are the potential pitfalls for him? >> what i call i got this itis. not that donald trump is the current president but he seems i've done before and i got this. i think that is a risk for joe biden too. although he seems to be spending the time studying. donald trump is saying i'm practicing on the campaign trail but when donald trump practices on the campaign trail, he waits for the audience to give him the feedback and he won't have that in this debate because there is no audience. >> democrats are setting it so low for biden and may backfire as the president to this point has always cleared those bars. we should note we will be hosting msnbc coverage thursday morning and friday morning from atlanta and i'll be down there for "way too early" and "morning joe." a significant moment in this campaign. susan, thank you for joining us. thanks to all of you for getting you will "way too early" for us on this monday morning. 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