Bernie, Bloomberg, Biden and ... Barr

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, FEB 14, 2020 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,    It's been a busy week, and we're still in the early stages of the fight for the White House. Here's what happened and what's next:   Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary, edging out Pete Buttigieg. Sanders, meanwhile, has begun to overtake Joe Biden in national polls of Democrats, and appears to be in the front-runner position at the moment.  The next test for the candidates will come in the Nevada caucuses, which are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22. Before that, the candidates will have another debate Wednesday. Former front-runners Biden and Elizabeth Warren are looking to bounce back in Nevada and South Carolina, on Feb. 29, after dismal performances in Iowa and New Hampshire. Mike Bloomberg isn't on a ballot until Super Tuesday, March 3, but he's surging in the polls and is spending a ton of money in his bid to become a legitimate challenger for the nomination. Part of his strategy? Sponsored posts generated by some of the social media's biggest influencers. President Trump finds himself in perhaps the most awkward and unusual showdown of his presidency – with an attorney general who has done everything the president has wanted. William Barr, in a Thursday interview ABC News, said the president's tweets about DOJ cases "make it impossible to do my job." Then, looking directly at the camera, Barr said he would not be "bullied" by anyone, including the president. The White House responded with a statement saying Trump wasn't bothered by Barr's statements. Yet Trump shrugged off Barr's challenge and tweeted Friday morning that he has the right to interfere in criminal cases.    Happy Valentine's Day and have a nice three-day weekend. Thanks for reading.   Thoughts? Email me at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.     Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.  Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Trump says on Twitter he has right to interfere in criminal cases after Barr criticizes president's tweets The rebuke on Twitter marks the president's first response to Barr's extraordinary interview with ABC News on Thursday, in which the attorney general said Trump's tweets "make it impossible for me to do my job." Megadonor Alan Patricof sticks with embattled Biden, but says he must win South Carolina Patricof said on "Squawk Box," the morning after two major Biden fundraisers on New York, that attendance indicted that support for the former vice president remains strong. Influential Nevada culinary union will not endorse a 2020 Democrat ahead of caucuses The major Nevada union declined to make an endorsement after it criticized Bernie Sanders ahead of the state's presidential caucuses. Trump and Bloomberg escalate their personal war on the campaign trail President Trump called Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg a "mass of dead energy," and the former New York mayor responded by calling the president a "carnival barking clown." How Trump has used his power in the week since his impeachment acquittal The president has ramped up attacks on his perceived political enemies, dismissed staffers who testified against him and weighed in on the trial of his longtime friend and advisor Roger Stone. Attorney General William Barr says Trump's tweets 'make it impossible for me to do my job' Barr, who had been criticized over the DOJ's reversal of a tough sentencing recommendation for Trump friend Roger Stone, made a stunning rebuke to his boss. Bernie Sanders is saying 'millionaires' less often, one way his 2020 message has changed After famously railing against "millionaires and billionaires," Bernie Sanders is focusing more on billionaires in the 2020 Democratic race. How Mike Bloomberg's meme blitz was engineered to go viral Though Bloomberg's meme campaign may have spawned some negative copycat memes, the stunt has certainly gotten voters' attention.       Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS