Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

As educators around the country hunker down for what looks like months more of social distance learning, graduations and standardized tests loom, and video-chat tools have raised some eyebrows.For insight, we turn to the issues faced by the New York City school district, the largest district in the country in the hardest-hit city in the world. On Today's Show:This marks the third week of distance learning for NYC schools. Jessica Gould, WNYC reporter, and Alex Zimmerman, education reporter at Chalkbeat New York, report on how it's going, including the news that the Department of Education will prohibit the use of Zoom after reports of insecure connections on the popular video chat site.

With some hopeful signs coming out of hard-hit Italy and Spain that social distancing measures are flattening the curve, New York, Detroit and the state of Louisiana are projected to reach peak infections in the coming week. Going into this critical moment, we look at the federal response to the pandemic. On Today's Show:White House reporter for the Associated Press and political analyst for MSNBC/NBC News, Jonathan Lemire talks about the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including guidelines and relief proposals.

Somehow, this pandemic has become partisan. We've been hearing from callers and other reporting that ardent supporters of President Trump have been making a point of breaking social distancing guidelines to try to paint the crisis as an inflation of the media and Trump's political opponents. On Today's Show:McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party's Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House (Little Brown, 2015), talks about how some Conservatives and Republicans are defying social distancing measures as a political act.

National policy conflicts with state policy conflicts with world policy on wearing masks to protect from COVID-19. Should you make your own? And if so, how? On Today's Show:As calls mount for a change in official guidelines on masks for non-healthcare workers, science journalist Roxanne Khamsi discusses the reasons for (and against) everyone wearing masks to protecting themselves and others against COVID-19 and Amy Wilson, a Jersey City-based artist who teaches in the Visual and Critical Studies department at the School of Visual Arts and maker of "political crafts," talks about some of the patterns and considerations for making them at home.

ABC's White House correspondent asked the President recently whether everyone who needs a life-saving ventilator will have access to one. The President dodged, and called it a "cutie-pie" question. On Today's Show:That very correspondent, Jonathan Karl talks about what it's like to cover a public health crisis from inside Trump's White House. His advice for those looking to understand the administration's response: Look at what Trump does, not what he says.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. congresswoman representing parts of Queens and the Bronx, talks about the federal relief package which is to include cash payments to everyone, as well as rent and mortgage relief, plus what social distancing means for the census.

New York, now the epicenter of the global pandemic, has hit a threshold of 1,200 deaths from COVID-19. That comes as a U.S. navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, docked this morning in the Hudson River. Based on epidemiological projections, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo says the worst is yet to come. On Today's Show:As the U.S. attempts to tame the exponential spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Eunice Yoon, Beijing bureau chief and senior correspondent at CNBC and NBC News, reports from China on the differences between the Chinese and American approaches, and what we can learn about containment and treatment from China's approach.

Can you catch COVID-19 from a cardboard box? What about a plastic takeout bag? Today, tips and best practices for safely getting things delivered to your home while social distancing. On Today's Show:Stephen Morse, professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, explains what we know in terms of how long COVID-19 lives on various surfaces, and best practices to stay safe.

As government officials have sparred this week over a massive $2 trillion relief package, President Trump is chomping at the bit to get the economy back up and running. With a sizable subset of healthy Americans in tenuous employment situations, and worried about how they'll pay April's rent, economic concerns have overshadowed the issue of navigating this pandemic as a public health crisis. On Today's Show:We refocus on that question. Our guest, Richard Besser, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and former acting director of the CDC, updates the latest on the COVID-19 outbreak and talks about those most at risk from the disease and the actions to prevent its spread.

As the economy crashes amid the coronavirus pandemic, Catherine Rampell, syndicated opinion columnist at The Washington Post, political and economic commentator at CNN and special correspondent at PBS Newshour, talks about the federal government's stimulus proposals, and how the Defense Production Act could address manufacturing shortages of PPE and much-needed ventilators.

The Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus and relief package yesterday, aimed at making sure the global COVID-19 pandemic doesn't send individual Americans, and the economy at large, into an inescapable financial hole. The bill goes to the House floor tomorrow, before it reaches the White House for President Trump's signature. On Today's Show: Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11) dives into the recently-released details of the bill, and talks about why enabling Americans to remain unemployed, for now, could help slow the virus and get the country back on its feet faster.

As members of the public are asked to stay home, and keep distant from others to help stop the spread of COVID-19, what about those in jail or in prison, where inmates are most often housed in close dormitory quarters, with limited access to hygiene products like hand sanitizer? An outbreak in a jail could prove fatal for aging inmates, and could threaten the health of communities outside, who could be infected by corrections officers or recently-released former inmates. On Today's Show, we look at a notorious New York City jail on Riker's Island as a bellweather for how jails and prisons around the country will have to react to the current public health crisis. Almost forty cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed inside Rikers, a number that is expected to grow. Robert Cohen M.D., corrections health expert and member of the NYC Board of Correction, and Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, discuss how to respond respond, including releasing inmates who are most vulnerable. NOTE: Brian introduces Dr. Cohen as a commissioner of the New York City Board of Corrections, an oversight body independent from the Department of Corrections, which runs the city's jails. Dr. Cohen is a member of the Board of Corrections.

President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, which empowers the White House to order private manufacturers to produce certain goods, but has thusfar resisted using it directly, instead using it as a bargaining chip to get companies to voluntarily pivot to medical supplies like ventilators, respirator masks and other protective gear. In lieu of that, how is the federal government getting the supplies that are available to where they're needed. Plus, a federal economic stimulus has stalled in Congress, including a proposed $1,200 direct payment to each American, leaving many wondering how they'll pay April's rent as the first of the month draws nearer. On Today's Show:USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page discusses how the White House and Congress are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout.

If you work in healthcare, food distribution, delivery services, telecommunications, and other fields deemed "essential." We take calls from folks in those jobs on their safety concerns. And, to answer those questions, an occupational safety official and a workplace justice advocate. Elizabeth Joynes Jordan, supervising attorney on the Workplace Justice Team at Make the Road New York, and Charlene Obernauer, executive director at The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), talk about how essential workers, on the front lines of the pandemic, can best stay healthy, and what they can demand from their employers in terms of protective gear and paid sick leave. More resources: Frequently Asked Questions from Make the Road NY on workers' rights in this moment.

After a week of accelerating government responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Federal Government is working out how to put money in the hands of the workers and businesses whose finances are in jeopardy from the social distancing efforts we've all been asked to take part in. Part one of those efforts, a federal package that expands paid leave and promises that testing for the virus will be free, was approved by the House and Senate, and signed by President Trump yesterday. Part two is a trillion dollar stimulus package, part of which would help businesses keep workers on payroll, part of which would inject some fiscal fuel into hard-hit critical industries like airlines. A third part, according to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, will be direct payments (monthly, for the duration of the federal "national emergency" designation) of $1,000 to every American adult, plus an additional $500 per child. The House and Senate are still hammering out details, but this stimulus package is expected to be passed and signed in the coming days. On Today's Show:Rep. Tom Suozzi, U.S. Representative for NY's 3rd District, an area that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, NY, and member of the House Committee on Ways and Means talks about the Trump Administration's financial aid package to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 and how his district is responding to the pandemic.

With election officials weighing the importance of their role in democracy against the massive public health threat posed by COVID-19, should primaries be called off? Should early voting and vote-by-mail systems be expanded? If today's primary elections are postponed, does that set a precedent for potentially putting the general election on hold? This is just one of the places where pandemic meets politics. On Today's Show:Vanita Gupta, current president and CEO of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights coalition, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), former Acting Assistant Attorney General and head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration and former Deputy Legal Director of the ACLU, explains how the pandemic is eroding election integrity, and how to fortify voter rights and voter protections during this crisis.

Experts have told us to keep "social distance." But what does that mean? Is dog walking OK? Can I have dinner with a friend at their apartment? And how does social distancing work? There are a lot of questions about the most responsible way to behave right now. We've got answers to some of those questions, and on the questions we can't answer, some clarity on why that is. On Today's Show:James Hamblin, doctor of preventive medicine, staff writer at The Atlantic and the co-host of The Atlantic's new podcast "Social Distance," lecturer at Yale School of Public Health and the author of the forthcoming book Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less (Riverhead Books, 2020), talks about how and why to practice social distancing, what to do if you start feeling sick and more as the COVID-19 pandemic upends life around the world.

With the spread of novel Coronavirus looking to spread the health system thin, and with social distancing casting millions of workers into uncertainty, what's Congress doing about it? From an unemployment relief package, to sick leave, to maybe mobilizing the army reserves to help build temporary hospitals and coordinate contingencies, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries fills us in on what's being done on Capitol Hill amid this public health crisis. On Today's Show:U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat representing NY's 8th district, including parts of Brooklyn and Queens, talks about the federal response to COVID-19.

Bill de Blasio is the mayor of the most populous city in the U.S. And right now, that means he's at the helm of efforts to navigate an outbreak of novel coronavirus. The situation changes, "not daily, but hourly," the mayor says, and is likely to get worse before it gets better. Some are calling on him to shut down the New York City public school system, which serves over 1 million students. The density of the city's school buildings could cause the virus to spread quickly, but de Blasio is reticent to close them for the duration of this public health crisis. For one thing, impoverished and homeless students rely on the system for food and shelter. For another, keeping kids at home could force parents who work in healthcare to abandon their posts to stay home with them.

Last night, just hours after the World Health Organization officially designated COVID-19 a pandemic, President Trump announced new measures to combat its spread and mitigate its impacts, with proposals including payroll tax relief and small business grants. He also implemented a ban on travelers from most of Europe, with carve-outs for the U.K., Ireland, which both host golf courses owned by the President. On Today's Show:Dr. Ashwin Vasan, an epidemiologist & Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s public health policy adviser, breaks down the latest novel coronavirus news, and takes calls.

After two March shellackings, the Sanders campaign appears to have lost its path to the nomination. With Biden's lead poised to widening enough to avert a brokered convention, the question for the Democrats going forward is decreasingly, "Who?" and increasingly, "How?" How should Biden try to bring Sanders supporters on board? And will Sanders do a better job than in 2016 of uniting his base behind the party's candidate? On Today's Show:Gabriel Debenedetti, national correspondent for New York Magazine, breaks down yesterday’s primaries, the first contest after Super Tuesday narrowed the field, and the second of three major contest days in March.

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders face off again today in primary elections in six states, as the last two men standing in the race for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Biden is trying to cement the delegate lead he established on Super Tuesday. Sanders needs to reverse what for him was a disappointing performance — winning a delegate majority in just three of 14 states — and show that he’s still a contender. And though six states are voting, one state is considered the big prize: Michigan, which Sanders won in the 2016 primary, and which recent polls show Biden leading by a hair. Holly Bailey, Washington Post national political reporter, and Stephen Henderson, host of Detroit Today, preview what’s at stake in the six presidential primaries today, including the key contest in Michigan between Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Since Super Tuesday, some things have changed. Former Democratic nomination hopefuls Sens. Kamala Harris and Corey Booker endorsed Joe Biden over the weekend. The Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed Sanders, a coda back to the 1988 democratic primary, in which Sanders endorsed Jackson, who was at the time, largely seen as a spoiler against Mike Dukakis. With Biden picking up more mainstream Democratic endorsements, the pressure is on the Sanders campaign to show strong numbers in Tuesday's contests, particularly in Michigan and Washington state, which he won in 2016, but appears to be falling behind in the polls this time around. Elena Schneider, national political reporter at Politico, where she covers the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and general election, previews this week’s primaries and caucuses and discusses the latest developments in the campaigns.

The day after Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the race, we asked her supporters to share what her campaign, meant to them, how they feel now that it's over, and who gets their votes now.

On Today's Show: Laura Barron-Lopez, national political reporter at Politico covering the 2020 election, and Marisa Franco, director and co-founder of Mijente a grass-roots organization that mobilizes Latinx and Chicanx voters, takes calls, talks about how the Democratic Socialist has attracted Latino voters, and what the nation's largest ethnic minority is looking for in a candidate.

On today's show, we take a look at whether the U.S.'s healthcare system, which is often criticized for being too expensive, too complex, too disjointed and not patient-centric, is also hindering public health officials' efforts to track and contain the spread of Coronavirus. Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives at Community Service Society, and co-founder of Healthcare for All New York, talks about how the coronavirus crisis highlights the disparity of healthcare coverage in this country, and if the government is up to the task of protecting, and paying for coronavirus testing and treatment for all Americans.

After Joe Biden's success on Super Tuesday, and the relatively poor showings from Bloomberg and Warren, the race looks like it will boil down to a face-off between Barack Obama's moderate Vice President and the progressive Senator from Vermont. Bloomberg, who showered Super Tuesday states with a $400 million ad-buy, walked away with a measly 9 delegates, causing him to re-consider whether further investing in the race would be fruitful. Warren too is strapped for cash heading into the late-March contests that are now, for a candidate who has not placed above third in any race, including in her home state, not looking good. On Today's Show:Rolling Stone senior writer Jamil Smith and politics staff writer Tessa Stuart talk about the state of the 2020 race after Super Tuesday.

The Democratic primary field is now down to five. Sanders, Biden, Bloomberg, Warren and Gabbard. The two most recent dropouts, Klobuchar and Buttigieg, stepped back after South Carolina to throw their support behind Biden, who is now the establishment standard-bearer for the moderate lane of the party. Polls have long showed Sanders leading in most of the Super Tuesday states, but Biden's strong showing in South Carolina appears to have moved the needle in his favor, particularly in Virginia, where he had trailed Sanders by five points, but now leads by 20 in the most recent polling. On Today's Show:David Plouffe, campaign manager for President Obama and the author of A Citizen's Guide to Beating Donald Trump (Viking, March 3, 2020), previews Super Tuesday and talks about his new book.

After their less-than-stellar performances in Saturday's South Carolina primary, Tom Steyer and Pete Buttigieg have dropped out of the race as Joe Biden won the state, an crucial first for the former vice president, with nearly 50 percent support. Going into Super Tuesday, polls suggest that Bernie Sanders will win California, the state with the most delegates in play by far. But unlike other states, candidates will need to earn more than 15 percent support before winning any delegates. Sanders is also winning in Texas, the second largest state to vote on Tuesday. With a brokered convention looking increasingly like the most probable outcome, Democrats in congress, who would, in that case, weigh in as superdelegates on a second convention ballot, are strategizing messaging for if they have to run down-ticket races with a socialist at the top of the ticket. On Today's Show: Amy Walter, national editor of the Cook Political Report, host of Politics with Amy Walter on WNYC’s The Takeaway, and now the host of the “micro-podcast” How to Vote in America

Super Tuesday will mark the beginning of the end for some candidates. For those who do garner enough support, it will likely be the beginning of a new conversation: How, if it comes down to it, should the party navigate a brokered convention? In the wake of outrage over what his supporters considered the outsized power of superdelegates (elected Democrats and party elders) to decide the nomination in 2016, Sanders successfully lobbied to remove them from the first convention ballot. Now, with the strong lead he's gained, he's arguing that the nomination should go to whichever candidate goes into the convention with the most delegates, even if it's not the majority needed to clinch the candidacy in the first round of voting. If Sanders does enter the convention in Milwaukee with a leading plurality, but not a majority, the congressional Democrats, acting as superdelegates would be put in a sticky position: put some someone at the top of the ticket that they fear could hurt their odds to keep their House majority, not to mention their own seats; or, vote against the candidate that has proven most popular, albeit polarizing, among their party's voters. On Today's Show:Michelle Goldberg, op-ed columnist for The New York Times, talks about the Trump administration's response to the corona virus, and the latest news in the 2020 presidential campaign.

The President yesterday appointed Vice President Pence to oversee efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. Democrats on the Hill bemoaned the selection of Pence, who as governor failed to bring an Indiana HIV outbreak under control, rather than a qualified public health expert. Ahead of Saturday's primary contest in South Carolina, a local South Carolina newspaper reports that various Republican groups are organizing themselves under what they're calling, "Operation Chaos" to take advantage of the state's open primary and support Sanders, against whom they believe President Trump has a better chance of winning. In the polls, Joe Biden's lead appears to be growing. That's following an endorsement by Rep. Jim Clyburn, a misleading attack ad from a Trump Super PAC using President Obama's voice to insinuate that his former Vice President will sell out Black voters, and a Tuesday debate from which Biden emerged unscathed as frontrunner Sanders took most of the heat. On Today's Show:Jeanne Whalen, global business reporter for The Washington Post, talks about how the coronavirus panic has affected business and global trade, including how U.S. companies are still waiting for a dizzying array of products from stalled Chinese factories.

Having emerged as the front-runner after his Nevada landslide last weekend, Bernie Sanders went into last night's Democratic primary debate in South Carolina with a target on his back. Far from a singular silver bullet, Sanders' opponents each took their own tack in coming for the Senator from Vermont, who seemed to deflect them all, earning him monikers from political analysts like "The Teflon Man." Going into the debate, from which Joe Biden emerged largely un-attacked and thus unscathed, polls show the former Vice President with a widening lead in South Carolina's Primary on Saturday. Poll analysis website 538 project that Sanders will win a significant plurality of the delegates up for grabs on Super Tuesday next week, after which 61 percent of the nomination delegates will be apportioned. On Today's Show: Jonathan Capehart, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and member of The Washington Post editorial board, breaks down the debate in South Carolina where frontrunner Bernie Sanders is endure attacks from all sides.

The democratic presidential candidates will debate for the last time before the South Carolina primary this Saturday, and Super Tuesday a week from today. After Sanders' broad win in Nevada, expect his fellow campaigners to take aim at him from the dais. Sanders has recently come under fire from House Democrats representing purple districts, concerned that a lack of moderation at the top of the presidential ticket could cost them their seats. Bloomberg, who had enjoyed a brief honeymoon period in the national media, has likewise come under fire for remarks he made in support of Harvey Weinstein that Sanders supporters re-surfaced following the Hollywood mogul's conviction on two sexual assault charges. Financial markets stumbled amid reports that China's coronavirus crisis has broken out into South Korea, Italy and Iran. Compounding the concerns of Wall Street are findings that the US's rollout of response and prevention measures has been bungled, including a CDC push for increased testing that the CDC is not equipped to carry out, an expansion of Trump's travel ban to include countries that have to do with neither terrorism nor the virus, and a history of budget cuts over the years that are proving to hamper the administration's ability to respond now. On today's show: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY 18), member of the House Intelligence Committee, talks about the firing of the acting Director of National Intelligence, reports of Russian interference in the 2020 campaigns, and other 2020 news.

On Saturday, Bernie Sanders won a landslide victory in the Nevada caucus, walking away with the support of nearly 47 percent of all participants. The Silver State caucus was a significant bellwether for the nomination contest, given that the state is a much more accurate demographic cross-section of the Democratic party than Iowa and New Hampshire, which precede it. Sanders' win in Nevada demonstrates his popularity among Latinos. The upcoming South Carolina primary is expected to likewise indicate how the candidates will fare among African American voters. After Sanders' surprisingly strong showing in Nevada, establishment and centrist Democrats are reportedly increasingly panicked, fearing that nominating him would all but ensure a second term for President Trump. Sanders' success comes after reports that both he and Congressional intelligence committees were briefed on efforts by Russia to support Sanders' bid for the nomination. On today's show: Beth Fouhy, senior politics editor at NBC News and MSNBC, discusses the latest political news.

In the wake of an important Nevada union's decision not to endorse any candidate because of their concerns over the health care proposals across the board, a subset of Sanders voters reportedly took to social media to harass and harangue the union. On today's show: Jane McAlevey, labor and environmental organizer, post doctoral fellow in the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and the author of A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy, discusses how the candidates are courting organized labor, and how unions' political capital could play in the primary and general elections.

In a classified briefing, Members of Congress were warned that Russia is continuing its efforts to meddle in the 2020 election, and that their activities include attempts to tip the scales in the Democratic primary. Trump is reportedly angry that the briefing took place, concerned that the disclosure could be weaponized against him once his campaign to hold the White House shifts into high gear. The acting Director of National Intelligence was removed from his post over the congressional briefing, which originated in his office. As Bernie Sanders continues to lead in the polls of several key states, down-ticket Republican incumbents and the advocacy groups trying to keep them in the Capitol, have begun to tie Democratic challengers to Sanders by painting him as the standard bearer for the party. They reportedly hope to win back suburban voters who have been turned off by President Trump by warning — perhaps with hyperbole — that the alternative is state-controlled socialism. Other than billionaire Bloomberg's self-funded campaign, Sanders appears to be the only candidate going into the critical March primaries with a healthy financial warchest. According to financial disclosures released yesterday, the combined cash held by the Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar and Warren campaigns totals just above Sanders' $17 million. On today's show: Domenico Montanaro, NPR's senior political editor and correspondent, discusses recent reports that the firing of acting DNI Joseph McGuire was related to his staff briefing Congress on a major election security issue ahead of the 2020 presidential contest.

With just one more debate to go before Super Tuesday, when a third of all the delegates will be apportioned, Democratic hopefuls pulled out all the stops. Klobuchar and Buttigeig duked it out over the party's center. Biden, took aim at Sanders, the field's apparent front-runner. Warren, a policy heavyweight who has so far fallen short of the upper tier, took swings at everyone. And everyone took swings at Mike Bloomberg, a newcomer to the debate stage who has largely avoided scrutiny by shunning the rallies and town-halls of retail politics, opting instead for massive ad-buys that befit a billionaire's self-funded campaign. Warren challenged him directly to lift the non-disclosure agreements that are reportedly preventing women from coming forward with allegations of workplace gender discrimination against the former mayor. On today's show:Julie Roginsky, advocate, activist, political consultant, former FOX News contributor, a plaintiff in the harassment suit against Roger Ailes, and co-founder of Lift Our Voices, a non-profit that pushes for an end to non-disclosure agreements s.

Trump is boldly asserting his authority over the criminal justice system, demanding a new trial for his friend Roger Stone, and granting clemency to several white-collar criminals. While Attorney General Barr has been accused of working on behalf of the president's personal interests, Trump's latest plays with power may be enough to test their working relationship. On today's show: Quinta Jurecic, managing editor of Lawfare, talks about the president's pardon power, and the complicated relationship between the president and the Attorney General.

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg just qualified for the Nevada debate, polling 19 percent among Democrats nationally. So Amy Klobuchar gets her wish to meet him on stage, along with Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren. The NPR/PBS/Marist poll of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents has Sanders in the lead with 31 percent support, followed by Bloomberg. On today's show: Dan Pfeiffer, a co-host on Pod Save America and former White House communications director under President Obama, introduces his new book Un-Trumping America: A Plan to Make America a Democracy Again (Twelve, 2020), questions how different "Trump-ism" is from previous GOP positions and reacts to the news that Michael Bloomberg will join the other qualifying Democrats on stage to debate in Nevada.

While most of the political media was focused on the results of the New Hampshire primary last Thursday (and the pivot to Nevada and South Carolina), former Vice President Joe Biden was in New York City attending two big donor fundraisers, despite the fact that the state won’t hold its primary until April. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg was in Indianapolis on Thursday and San Francisco on Friday for the same reason. Various news organizations, however, report on an increasingly likely scenario of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Bernie Sanders as being the last two Democratic candidates who can afford to remain in the race, but based on entirely opposite financial models. On Today's Show: Maggie Severns, Politico reporter covering money in politics, discusses the latest political news and talks about how the campaigns are poised to move past the early states and on to Super Tuesday.

Attorney General William Barr told ABC News that the President's tweets about cases in the Justice Department's docket "make it impossible for me to do my job". The question was apparently prompted by a presidential tweet celebrating the department's decision to recommend a more lenient sentence for Trump ally Roger Stone. Stone was found guilty in November of seven charges, including lying to Congress, obstructing official proceedings, and witness tampering. Several assistant U.S. attorneys have resigned or recused themselves from the case in the wake of the reduced sentencing recommendation. After a disappointing showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, Elizabeth Warren is reportedly taking a more aggressive posture on the campaign trail, and going after her opponents in order to highlight what distinguishes her from the pack. Her campaign is counting heavily on Super Tuesday states to deliver her the delegates she needs to win the nomination. Going into that pivotal March 3 contest, in which a third of the total delegates are at play, candidates will need to build their coffers big enough to transition from state-by-state to nationwide campaigns. Their ability to fundraise will depend largely on their performance in the two states before Super Tuesday, Nevada and South Carolina. After purging some members of the administration who testified in Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings, the White House is undergoing some staffing changes. Hope Hicks, an old confidante of the President who resigned as communications director in March, 2018, is returning as a senior advisor, reporting to Jared Kushner. White House sources told POLITICO that the staffing changes reflected an administration gearing up for a tough election and potential second term. On Today's Show: Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Representative (NY-8), Judiciary Committee member and House Democratic caucus chairman.

As the Democratic primary candidates move out of the earlier, more homogeneously white nomination contest and into South Carolina and Nevada, some candidates — particularly Buttigieg and Klobuchar — are reportedly struggling to gain footing with voters of color. And all the candidates are struggling to win the support of the African American donor class. Joe Biden, who had long been the race's assumed front-runner before the first nomination battles, is working to reassure his supporters after a pair of poor showings in the early states. Attorney General William Barr, who had resisted calls to testify during the President's impeachment proceedings, will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on the Justice Department's reduced sentencing recommendation in the trial of Roger Stone, amid which several U.S. attorneys assigned to the case have recused themselves. On Today's Show: Joan Walsh, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and a CNN political contributor, talks about the latest news in the 2020 campaign.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is facing renewed criticism for his support of stop and frisk—a position he held until entered the presidential race three months ago—after a 2015 audio clip surfaced in which he is accused of making racist comments. Denis Walcott, President and CEO of the Queens Library, former deputy mayor and NYC schools chancellor under Bloomberg, defends the former mayor, and says voters should accept his apology. Plus, New Yorkers weigh in: Should we let Bloomberg move past stop and frisk? We take their calls.

Following the results of Democratic primary races in Iowa and New Hampshire, with Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg neck and neck for the frontrunner spot, the campaigns now head to Nevada and South Carolina, states that are far more racially representative of the Democratic party than the Hawkeye and Granite states. How will the campaigns play to audiences that are more Black and Brown, and how will candidates' records on racial issues come into play? On today's show: Georgetown University Sociologist, Michael Eric Dyson, contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, contributing editor of The New Republic.

New Hampshire votes today. Bloomberg's massive ad-buys appear to be working, at least in Dixville Notch, which started voting at midnight into early this morning and where five voters wrote in the former Mayor of New York, whose name does not appear on the New Hampshire ballot. But a new audio leak places him at odds with most liberals, and crucially with Black and Brown voters on the issue of stop and frisk. Warren "out of the spotlight," under the radar as candidates launch attacks on Iowa front-runners Sanders and Buttigieg. Plus, what is electability worth to Joe Biden if he has yet to win a primary election. On Today's Show:Jess Bidgood, national political reporter for the Boston Globe, breaks down the latest out of New Hampshire on its “first-in-the-nation” primary;

Democrats in New Hampshire will vote tomorrow for the candidate they they want to nominate for president. We check in with a public radio journalist from the Granite State, Laura Knoy. Klobuchar gaining momentum. Biden throws in the towel. Sanders, from neighboring Vemont likes his numbers. Buttigeig resonating with those looking for an aspirational moderate. Brian and Laura will host a live, national call in special at 7 PM Eastern tomorrow, Feb. 11, to break down the events of the New Hampshire primary. Listen live then at wnyc.org.