no organization particularly a newsroom can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. over the last few days it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal. for the last few days we have been given license to say what we felt was wrong with this call, and so i also think it's important to speak up when we feel like the right thing was done. companies make mistakes, sometimes very big ones, sometimes very publicly. what matters especially in the end is how they correct them. and from what we can see right now at this hour it looks like our company listened to us, to you, and did what was right. that is our show for tonight. "way too early" with jonathan lemire is coming up next. we're incredibly grateful for the brave rescuers who immediately rushed to the scene and to the people of baltimore,

we want to say we're with you, we're going to stay with you as long as it takes. around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year and we're going to get it up and running as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend obthat port and we're going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers. >> that was president joe biden yesterday at the white house addressing the bridge disaster in baltimore. we'll get the latest on the collapse with a live report from the scene in just a moment. also ahead, an effort to ban a popular abortion drug went before the supreme court yesterday. we'll go through all the arguments and tell you how the justices responded. plus, we'll bring you an update on donald trump's legal issues. the former president under a new gag order this morning even as he's hawking a new product to his supporters.

good morning and welcome to "way too early" on this wednesday, march 27th. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for starting your day with us. we will begin in baltimore where the urgent search and rescue mission has shifted to recovery efforts following yesterday's tragic bridge collapse. last night the united states coast guard called off the search for six missing people who were on the francis scott key bridge when it was struck by a containership after that vessel had lost power. those individuals all part of a construction crew who were filling potholes on the bridge directly above where the ship hit, they're all presumed dead. though none of the victims have been publicly identified, they are all believed to be immigrants from el salvador, guatemala, honduras, and mexico. we're also learning that moments before the collision the ship's crew issued a mayday call that allowed authorities to stop traffic before impact. likely saving many lives with

just seconds to spare. >> hold all traffic on the key bridge. there's a ship approaching that just lost their steering, so until we get that under control, we've got to stop all traffic. >> c13 dispatch the whole bridge just fell down. everybody, the whole bridge just collapsed. >> that mayday allowed authorities to stop cars from crossing the span undoubtedly saving many lives. president biden addressed the nation yesterday saying he wants the federal government to bear the full cost of rebuilding this key bridge. >> it's going to take some time. the people of baltimore can count on us, so stick with them every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt. you know, we're not leaving until this job gets done. >> joining us now live from baltimore is alice barr, a washington correspondent for nbc news.

alice, good morning. still a couple hours of darkness there at the scene where you are. please giveulse the very latest as to the search and recovery operation and what sort of updates we might be getting from authorities later in term of the timeline to sort of clear the port and maybe even start working on rebuilding. >> reporter: jonathan, and you're right to point out first and foremost the very sad news this shifted from an urgent search and rescue mission to a recovery mission. that's what we heard last night. and i do think that it's important to keep that central, and everyone out here has been doing that. we know there have been family members of those six missing construction workers that have been nearby the scene. they are waiting for word about their loves ones. and what we heard from coast guard members and other rescue crews here on scene last night they're going to do everything possible to keep searching to bring some kind of closure to those family members.

we're right now down the road where you should be able to see this key bridge behind me, but of course it's now in the river. at the same time those recovery efforts are going to be under way and we anticipate beginning in about an hour from now is when the crews could go back out there. they're using sonar equipment to search under the water, on the surface, from the air. and they're going to keep that up, while at the same time there are a whole lot of efforts under way to try to figure out exactly what did happen here. the national transportation safety board has sent a number of people to the scene. they're interviewing witnesses, they're looking through the debris. they're looking for data recorders. they're also looking through past safety data to try to figure out all the elements that could have been in play here up leading to that moment when we know that apparently this massive cargo ship, the length of the empire state building, lost power and propulsion, unable to steer away from the key bridge had it collapsed, and

right now we're at this moment for questions. >> and human life paramount, but there will be widespread ramifications on this accident in terms of traffic to the region, of course that very, very busy port there. washington correspondent for nbc news, alice barr, thank you. we'll talk to you again a little later this morning and we'll continue to provide updates all day long here on msnbc in the hafr math of that bridge collapse in baltimore. we turn now to another significant new story yesterday. the supreme court heard arguments in a case that could threaten the widespread use of the popular abortion pill, mifepristone. the case centers around the food and drug administration's approval and expansion and access to the pill by mail. in 2016 the fda said research showed that the drug was safe enough that rules around its use could be relaxed. a lower court later disagreed and reimposed restrictions on the pill including requiring

women to make three in-person visits to a doctor to receive the medication abortion. a group of seven doctors and anti-abortion groups challenged the fald's decision to lift restrictions and said the agency did not adequately consider potential safety risks, but the justices yesterday seem skeptical the doctors had legal standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place. the group does not perform abortions or prescribe mifepristone. they're also not legally required to do so. nbc news reports that under well-established precedent when people file a lawsuit they have to show that they have been injured and that their injury case can be re-dressed by the person or entity that they are suing. justices from both ideological extremes of the court question why existing laws that allow doctors to object to treatments are not enough. >> well, under federal law no doctors can be forced against

their consciences to perform or assist in an abortion, correct? >> yes, we think federal conscience protections provide here. the obvious would be to provide them with an exemption, that they don't have to participate in this procedure. and you say and you said here several times that federal law already gives them that. so i guess then what they're asking for in this lawsuit is more than that. they're saying because we object to be forced to participate in this procedure, we're seeking an order prevenlting anyone from having access to these drugs at all. and i guess i'm just trying to understand how they could possibly be entitled to that given the injury that they have alleged. >> the case is the first major abortion issue that the high court is considering since it overturned roe v. wade nearly two years ago. joining us now health care reporter on capitol hill for politico, alice miranda

holstein. alice, good to see you this morning. so those of us listening to these arguments yesterday and legal experts all had the same perception it seemed the majority of justices were not leaning towards restricting the pill. give us the sense as to as you talk to people on both sides of the issue, how did they think yesterday went? >> yes, and being in the courtroom myself, it was really striking how not only the court's three liberal justices but also at least three of the conservative justices as well were really skeptical of two core pieces of the anti-abortion group's arguments against the pills. both that they've proven that they've experienced some real harm that gives them standing to sue, there was real skepticism on that. and as in the clip you just played, the remedy they're seeking, these sbeeping national restrictions on the pill that apply to everyone may be an overbroad response when something more narrowed and

tailored like claiming a consciousness objection could be more appropriate. >> alice, give us a sense what the time line is to get a decision from the supreme court. and also we are in an election year. if you will let's talk some more about the politics surrounding abortion, which since the dobbs decision has really pushed a lot of elections democrats way. >> well, exactly like the dobbs decision coming down in the summer of 2022 had a massive effect on the mid-terms later that year and on basically every election since including just last night in alabama, that it has really pushed abortion rights to the forefront of voters minds, and that has largely helped democrats. it's helped in a bunch of states over the past couple of years. and so the expectation is if this case comes down this summer, it could really do the same thing again, have a big effect, put people in the mind-set of voting on abortion rights than maybe some other

issue. now, the court did seem skeptical of these restrictions that these groups are asking for, but we really don't know based on the tea leaves we read and the oral arguments exactly how they will rule. >> yeah, between this abortion pill and ivf and of course it's the first presidential election since roe v. wade was overturned, abortion rights may be front and center this morning. terrific reporting in the courtroom yesterday. thank you, alice. we'll talk to you again soon. still ahead here on "way too early," former president trump gets hit with a gag order in his upcoming hush money trial. we'll take a deep look at the judge's new ruling. plus we'll bring you the latest from israel where a potential hostage deal with hamas appears to have hit yet another snag. those stories and a check on sports and weather when we come right back. a check on sports and weather when we come right back

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welcome back. we'll have more on the baltimore bridge collapse throughout the morn, but now we turn to some of the day's other top headlines. the judge overseeing donald trump's hush money trial has issued a new limited gag order on the former president. under the new ruling the presumptive gop nominee is barred from making public statements about likely witnesses and jurors. he must also refrain from discussing lawyers, his staff, employees in the manhattan district attorney's office and their family members. in his order the judge said the move was necessary because trump's prior statements established a, quote, sufficient risk to the administration of justice. we know there have been threats of violence against some of those involved in these cases. it's a dark reflection of where our politics are in the year of 2024. and here's another dark reflection where our politics are in 2024 is with his legal bills piling up, trump is turning to religion for some

help, though not in the traditional way. in a social media post yesterday the presumptive 2024 republican nominee announced he is hawking his own version of the bible. take a look. >> i'm proud to be partnering with my very good friend lee greenwood, who doesn't love his song "god bless the usa" in connection with promoting the god bless the usa bible. this includes our founding father documents, yes, the constitution, which i'm fighting for every single day. christians are under siege. we must protect content that is pro-god. we love god. i'm proud to endorse and encourage you to get this bible. we must make america pray again. i think you all should get a copy of god bless the usa bible now and help spread our christian values with others. >> i guess the only surprise is

that it took him this long to do this. trump's version of the good book is selling for $60, and that's before shipping costs. this, of course, follows his other business ventures such as trump steaks, trump water, and trump university, all failures. last month he also unveiled trump branded sneakers going for $400 a pair. and in december he even started selling pieces of the suit he was wearing when he got indicted last summer. the trump bible website states that none of the profits will go towards his 2024 campaign, but there's no mention about whether any of that money might go towards his rising legal fees. and lastly before the break, israel and hamas are no closer to securing a cease-fire and hostage release deal. yesterday israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu announced hamas had rejected the latest proposal, calling their demands extreme. over the weekend israel agreed to a deal that would free about

800 palestinian prisoners some of whom who are serving life sentences in exchange for the release of 40 hostages. hamas, however, is still demanding israel withdraw entirely from the gaza strip, which netanyahu says he will not do. the prime minister blamed the deadlock talks on america's decision to allow the united nations to pass a cease-fire resolution. in a statement the prime minister wrote, "hamas' stance clearly demonstrates its utter disinterest in a negotiated deal and attests to the damage done by the u.n. security council's resolution." the united states strenuously denied that claim, calling it inaccurate in almost every respect. a senior israeli official told reuters israel's negotiating team has left qatar, which is the site of these cease-fire talks. netanyahu declined to comment on that, the u.s. still pushing for a deal, but real frusztration in the biden administration.

next up we'll take a break and turn to sports. no lebron, no problem for the lakers in milwaukee. we'll bring you the highlights from that big comeback win for l.a. and we'll explain the major rule changes for the upcoming nfl season. all of that and a check on the forecast as we look at midtown manhattan before the sun rises. we'll be right back. nhattan befs we'll be right back. it ain't my dad's razor, dad. ay watch it! it's from gillettelabs. this green bar releases trapped hairs from my face... gamechanga! ...while the flexdisc contours to it. so the five blades can get virtually every hair in one stroke. for the ultimate gillette shaving experience. the best a man can get is gillettelabs.

i know this has been all guard dominated here down the stretch, but let a.g. get a touch here. deep shot for the lakers. >> austin reave is with a dagger in double over time. that tie breaking three-pointer was part of reaves second career triple-double as the lakers without rulebron james who was out outlasted the milwaukee bucks in two extra periods.

lakers beat the bucks 120-124. l.a. playing better of late. i don't like it. nfl kick offs will look a lot different this season after league owners yesterday approved new rules that take a page from the. the other ten players on the kicking team will now line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line across midfield. at least nine members of the return team will line up in a setup zone between the 35 and 30-yard lines and up to two runners can line up in the so-called landing zone. that's between the 20 and the goal line. only the kicker and the returners can move until the ball hits the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone. touch backs will be marked at the 30-yard line. no fair catches allowed. additionally, on-side kicks can no longer be a surprise. the new rules are designed to reverse declining return rates

and minimize high-speed collisions. the players aren't going to be running nearly as far or as fast. the change represents the most significant on field adjustments for the nfl in years. they will be in play for one season on a trial basis and then be subject to renewal. on monday nfl owners approved the renewal of other changes including the regulation of the hip drop tackle technique, although that's going to be a hard one to enforce. the blue shirts becoming the first team to clench a post-season berth in a victory against the philadelphia flyers. securing a game winner just 30 seconds into the extra period following a wild third period that saw the teams trade seven goals. rangers beat the flyers 6-5. bruins got a much needed win against the panthers as well. quick baseball note. the last significant free agent jordan montgomery, a significant deal with the arizona diamondbacks. it went okay. most importantly opening day

tomorrow. time now for the weather and let's bring in angie lassman for the forecast. how's it look something. >> are you saying it's not going to be a repeat this year? >> i'm saying i have some work to do. >> we'll let you go on that. jonathan, we've got a system on the east coast, a system on the west coast. let's start on the east coast. from the big bend area to portions of of the carolinas showers and thunderstorms today. and we've got some flood watches up in both of those regions. we're likely going to see some of this heavy rain specifically from virginia to florida through the day today. so no surprise if you see some of that localized flooding in those regions. it's all thank tuesday the system going to eventually move offshore tomorrow, but not before it brings heavy rain especially from boston to philadelphia for the morning hours, it'll be a soggy commute. lots of ponding on the roadways, something you'll want to watch for tomorrow. between now and friday, though, we could pick up maybe an inch to 2 inches on the high side of things up to 3 inches. again, the flooding concern will be there. out west we've got another system leaving us with winter alerts. you can see mostly we're talking about low elevation rain, the

high elevations of course the mountain snow we'll pick up. and out towards the coast we'll see really gusty winds for oregon and washington for today. by tomorrow that moves out over parts of the rockies. we'll see additional snow for folks there. and the north west coast is still going to pick up some of that rain. this will be something we deal with through the next couple of days. between now and then, an inch to 3 inches possible especially closer to the coast, and on top of that of course that snow up to 2 feet likely in some of those mountains. >> angie lassman, thank you so very much. up next on "way too early" we're going to follow new roreporting about nikki haley's role after she dropped out of the presidential race and pointedly refused to endorse donald trump. we'll be right back with politics next. donald trump we'll be right back with politics next. spray flonase sensimist daily for non-drowsy long lasting relief in a scent free, gentle mist. flonase all good. also, try our allergy headache and nighttime pills. with powerful, easy-to-use tools, power e*trade makes complex trading easier.

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welcome back to "way too early." it is just before 5:30 a.m. here on the east coast, 2:30 out west on this wednesday morning. i'm jonathan lemire. thanks for being with us. and we want to turn back to our top story of the morning, the recovery efforts following yesterday's bridge collapse in baltimore. the u.s. coast guard has called off the search for six missing people who were on the francis scott key bridge when it was struck by a container ship. those individuals are all presumed to be dead. we're also learning moments before the collision the ship's crew issued a mayday call that did allow authorities to stop traffic on the bridge before impact, likely saving many lives with just moments to spare. we will continue to cover this

story throughout the morning. and coming up on "morning joe," maryland governor wes moore and u.s. transportation secretary pete buttigieg will both be guests. we'll have live reports from the scene. turning to politics now. a new report reveals growing concern among republicans regarding nikki haley. the hill is highlighting how the former gop presidential candidate is facing increasing questions about what role she'll play in the 2024 general election. you'll remember, of course, haley refused to endorse donald trump after she exited the race earlier this month. "the hill" reports this has fueled talk about haley's intentions, sparking questions about whether she might sit out the election entirely or how that might affect her political future. joining us now the author of that report, national politics reporter for "the hill, julia manchester. julia, good morning. so let's talk about nikki haley and her future. there's a lot of speculation

about third party bids, independent bids. is that something she's looking that? if she doesn't do that, what sort of role does she herself playing in the general election, and is she going to come to the aid of donald trump? >> jonathan, i think there's a number of different avenues nikki haley could take here. i mean, yes, she could absolutely bury the hatchet and go campaign with donald trump, but at this moment in time it seems like neither of them are really ready for that possibility. and then, of course, there's the avenue of campaigning for down ballot republicans, and we talk about how this is very much still the party of trump, but there are still nikki haley-esque candidates or candidates that might be in nikki haley's fold of the republican party that are running. you don't have to go far from here in maryland to see former republican governor larry hogan is running for that seat. we know that he and haley are allies, so that could be an example of something that she can do. but, you know, jonathan, it's interesting watching i think all

of the developments with, you know, the divide within the republican party or maybe i should say the trump takeover of the republican party with the rnc and so forth. it was interesting watching earlier this week alaska senator lisa murkowski sort of float the idea or not exactly say no to the idea of potentially leaving the republican party. she didn't say she would, but she did say she was very concerned it was becoming or had become the party of trump. lisa murkowski endorsed in a case wrae, so i think it just goes to show this brand of republican, isn't exactly, i don't want to say not welcome, but there does seem to be some frostiness between that part of the party and the trump wing. >> julie, when haley did bow out of the race, she basically made a -- she implored donald trump saying try to woo my supporters, talk to these republicans who to this point they won't support and change their minds. it seems trump has done none of

that, there's been no effort whatsoever to grow his base of support, which the biden campaign we should note has commented on and said to republicans why don't you take a look on our side. what is the trump team telling you? is their tactic ever going to change? because if it doesn't they're going to leave votes at the door. >> yeah, the trump team is saying, look, it's very early and once we see these nominees, trump and biden, set in stone and after we see the campaign pick up again after that summer lull we normally see with presidential campaigns and then voters and these republican voters who might have voted against trump in the primary would be presented with this choice of trump versus biden, and the conventional wisdom on the pro-trump side is once they're presented with that choice of course they're going to go for former president trump. but there clearly does seem to be a bit of an effort on the biden side to try to appeal to some of these republicans or

right leaning independents. in south carolina that republican primary haley campaign and haley allies point to that 40% number that did not vote for donald trump. so he does not have that support in the bag, so they could really go either way, and they're almost seen as a bit of a semiswing constituency at this point. >> julia, lastly and briefly about third party candidates robert f. kennedy jr. named a vp pick yesterday. nicole shanahan not a politician but an entrepreneur. which campaign right now is more worried about the threat rfk jr. poses, biden or trump >> it's hard to say because talking with both republicans and democrats they both seem very concerned. i think with rfk jr. potentially more democrats. we see the dnc starting to target this third party effort. it seems to be worry on both sides, but i think feel the democratic targeting of this and the work they're putting behind is certainly interesting. >> terrific reporting.

julia manchester, check out her new piece in the hill. thank you very much. next up here we'll go live to cnbc for an early look what's driving the day on wall street. plus, there's a new partnership between mcdonald's and krispe creme. we'll explain what that means for all the other donut lovers, too, when we come right back. r too, when we come right back - bye, bye cough. - later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season. now try mucinex instasoothe

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time now for business, and for that let's bring in cnbc's charlotte reed who joins uzlive from london. good morning, charlotte. stock futures up in the early morning hours following what was a losing session on wall street yesterday. what should we expect today? >> good morning, john. the s&p 500 closed lower yesterday for the third session in a row, and the nasdaq and dow jones industrial average also closed lower after all three indices broke some fresh records last week. trading volumes expected to be

lower this week. today the market will be listening to the federal reserve governor who will speaking on the economic outlook later this evening, but no major economic data expected today. there's a bit of a wait and see on final gdp numbers and consumer sentiment data coming in later this week. >> so as we tease before the break, the fast food giant mcdonald's and krispe creme, the donut chain, are teaming up. tell us more. >> yes, absolutely. they announced this partnership just yesterday so you'll be able to buy the original glazed, the chocolate iced with sprinkles, and the chocolate cream filled individual in packs of six at all mcdonald's restaurants. that will start in the second half of this year and eventually be nationwide by the end of 2026. it will take 2 1/2 years around that time for krispe creme to actually update and scaleup the production and network in order to be able to distribute to all these locations nationwide. so mcdonald's and krispe creme

already had a pilot scheme that started back in 2022 at just a few restaurants and it was so successful they decided to make it nationwide. the krispe creme shares shoot-up almost 40% yesterday on the back of the news. >> and lastly, we've been following the surging cocoa prices as the world faces the worst supply deficit in decades, chocolate costing a lot more. is there any sign of hope on the horizon? >> it's looking very tricky because cocoa prices hitting $10,000 per metric ton for the first time ever. so that's an increase of around 140% since the beginning of the year alone. so this increase is due to supply constraints due to bad weather and diseases that have affected production in west africa. and just to give you an idea, in ghana and the rivery coast that produce together about two-thirds of cocoa production worldwide. the arrivals at that port in two

countries have declined around 30% compared today last year. this is the worst cocoa supply shortage in more than 60 years and that would feed through into chocolate prices later this year and into 2025. john, enjoy your easter chocolate because it's about to get much pricier. >> all right, thank you for that. we appreciate it. still ahead, donald trump is returning to the campaign trail finally. we'll tell you about the presumptive gop nominee's upcoming event in wisconsin and what the biden camp had to say about it. we'll be right back. about it we'll be right back. dracula, let's fight back against discomfort. with new poligrip power max hold & comfort. it has superior hold plus keeps us comfy all day with it's pressure absording layer. time for a bite! if your mouth could talk it would ask for... poligrip. eggs make all our family moments better. especially when they're eggland's best. taste so fresh and amazing. deliciously superior nutrition, too. for us, it's eggs any style.

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welcome back. we turn now to the campaign trail. former president trump is set to hold a rally in wisconsin next week. according to the trump campaign, he'll address supporters in green bay next tuesday. this marks only the second rally trump has held in recent weeks following an event in ohio last

month. campaign light schedule with financial trouble having to pulled down a tentative event planned for arizona. so a spokesperson for president biden's campaign in wisconsin is calling out trump in a new statement writing this. "after many visits to wisconsin from president biden, vice president harris, and democratic leaders, donald trump finally decided to make time to visit our state in between his busy schedule of hiding out in his country club, calling for cuts to social security, and calling in to white supremacists radio shows to spew anti-semitism." we should note, of course, biden won wisconsin in the last election by less than 1%. trump captured it in 2016. joining us now conservative commentator and msnbc contributor charlie sykes, mr. wisconsin himself. charlie, donald trump will be in your home state next week. give us the lay of the land there in wisconsin, which is traditionally considered that sort of ultimate battleground state. the margin of victory is usually

the slimmest just about every cycle as just mentioned. it's gone back and forth between red and blue the last two elections. talk to us about what you're seeing so far this year. >> yeah, it's going to be close again. almost all the elections seem to be decided by about 20,000 votes or less. and i don't expect this year is going to be that much different, and wisconsin really is a microcosm. you have suburbs, traditional republican suburbs that have been tending away from republicans. one of the reasons why donald trump lost in 2020, lost wisconsin was because his vote margins were declining among suburban voters including suburban women. of course the big questions in wisconsin are as they are everywhere else is what is the level of enthusiasm for democrats and for the trump ticket. but right now wisconsin is going to be posed right on the razor's edge and of course going to green bay is the choice because

that's the congressional district represented by mike gallagher, the young republican rising star who just recently said you know what, i am out of here, i don't want to be part of this anymore. he is retiring from congress and leaving next month. >> charlie, we should note republicans of course are having their convention this summer in milwaukee. that shows an awareness of just how vital that state is going to be. but there's a huge gap in resources. not only is this trump's first visit to wisconsin, he doesn't have a single office there. biden when he was in town just a week or so back, they announced they had more than three dozen. talk to us about what the difference that could make in a state that's going to be this close. >> well, this is very interesting because when reince preibus was the chairman of the wisconsin republican party, the republicans here had a very, very effective ground game. they were very, very well-organized. but that script has been flipped. the democrats have been notoriously kind of disorganized here in wisconsin, but they've

gotten their act together. they have a new chairman, wen wickler, actually one of the most effective, you know, state party chairs i think anywhere in it country. now, the question is does that make a difference? and i do think the grass roots organizing could be decisive here because it is going to turn out because the race is so close here. will you be able to identify the voters and turn them out in the key areas? one of the problems democrats have had in the last two-cycles has been lower than expected turnout in milwaukee county, which is one of the major democratic counties here. democrats are trying not to make that mistake again. >> and charlie, we want to turn back now to a story we mentioned earlier in the show, which trump hawking bibles. he is selling bibles that also have america's founding documents inside. we saw this caught your attention yesterday. what do you say to your friends on the right, your friends who still support donald trump and believe he actually cares about

the words in the constitution and the bible? >> well, you can't be serious? i mean look at this. it is holy week and what does donald trump do? he decides to grift off the sale of a trump-endorsed bible. he's raising money off it. if you want to load irony upon irony, he's raising money off it to help pay his legal bills in part for a criminal trial related to his -- of a porn star while his wife was raising a baby. we understand evangelical christians have been willing to swallow an awful lot, literally xhod mying the bible a few days before the holiest day of the year. again it's so much on brand for donald trump. everything is a con. everything is a grift. to be holding the trump-endorsed

bible, god bless the usa bible. shocked to find out if he ever read the book, the usa is not mentioned in either the old testament or new testament. >> so glad to have your voice on this. up next, president biden is using the 14th anniversary of the affordable care act to draw a significant contrast with donald trump. we'll show you what the president had to say during his latest campaign stop in a swing state. then coming up on morning joe, more live reporting from baltimore as search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the key bridge collapse have now been suspended. plus, what we're learning about the mayday call from the cargo ship just moments before impact. maryland governor wes moore,

transportation secretary pete buttigieg and baltimore mayor brandon scott will join the conversation. and i am klobuchar will be a guest. morning joe is just moments away. just moments away [dog whimpers] [thinking] why always the couch? does he need to go to puppy school? get his little puppy diploma? how much have i been spending on this little guy? when your questions about life turn into questions about money... there's erica. the virtual financial assistant to help you spend, save, and plan smarter. only from bank of america.

lot of people lying in bed at night staring at the ceiling wondering what will happen if my spouse gets cancer or kid gets seriously ill, what will we have to do? because all of you in this room and across this country we made the affordleable care act the law of the land. >> weighing in on the affordable care act. biden's re-election campaign in full force right now with the president visiting eight swing states in over 18 days. throughout this month, biden is crisscrossed the country, the president's campaign stops have focused on border security, reproductive rights, lowering

healthcare and housing costs and celebrate chip and science acts investment. biden won three of them. wisconsin, georgia and arizona by less than 1% in 2020. joining us now white house reporter for bloomberg news our friend josh wingrove. that visit to north carolina. talk about the tar heel state, which is the one state, the biden campaign feels trump won last time around they have a chance to flip this cycle. >> jon, they're looking to expand their map, making sure the democratic activist don't lose hope or steam. democrats i've spoken to that this is heal, demographic changes in north carolina, the

governor's race there will give them a tailwind and there's chance of a pickup here, so far the polling is more mixed on it, our bloomberg poll this week shows trump leading by six points, tied the widest gap among most swing votes. we'll see them continue to go there. yesterday they talked about the affordable care act and leaning on abortion. if they win the house, senate and white house, you know, not a lot of people expecting the hat trick right now but in that scenario biden is pledging to restore roe v. wade as the law of the land. >> josh, let's talk more about that polling that bloomberg and

morning consult brought to us yesterday, as you say some legitimate trump leads in states like north carolina, georgia, arizona, but the blue wall the great lakes trio of wisconsin, pennsylvania and michigan some growth for biden. >> some momentum there, also looking bad in nevada, the sun belt is not looking great, the north is looking good. he can eke his way to 270 with the three states. up one in wisconsin, tied in michigan and pennsylvania. between now and november, those are crucial battleground states. i think we'll see biden just hammering over and over and over again, every time he's given a state of the union he's gone to one of those blue wall states.

nevada numbers are interesting to continue to watch, trump has never won that state, while biden is looking to flip north carolina which trump has both times the flip side of that is trump staring at nevada which he's never won but polls time and time again are showing him leading there. a big state to watch as well, jon. >> certainly democrats feel like biden has momentum coming out of the state of the union address and his major cash advance, significant fund-raiser tomorrow night with former presidents obama and clinton >> they've raised millions of dollars in the last month or so. lot of the cash will come from this event alone. we'll see that. they'll lean into the history of these presidents. it's been a little tense, jon, how much biden wants these other

presidents in the spotlight particularly obama, he's done some events but right now what we see there is the cash advantage has continue to build. if they can potentially expand the maps and senate races are more competitive -- hillary clinton had a cash advantage, too, and trump won that. not taking advantage. >> more confidence among democrats than perhaps a month ago. the race is going to be tight. josh, thank you as always. thanks to all of you for getting up way too early with us on this wednesday morning. "morning joe" right now. everyone needs a bible if their home. my favorite book, lot of people's favorite book. this bible is reminder that the biggest thing we have to bring back