Tuesday, February 18, 2020: A new face on the 2020 debate stage

Michael Bloomberg qualifies for a Wednesday night showdown in Nevada. The next debate will bring a test of Bloomberg's ability to spar with his opponents and a test for his moderate rivals being drowned out by his staggering ad spending.

Plus, Bernie Sanders is the candidate of the moment: the Vermont senator opens up a big lead in a new national poll and hopes for a win in Nevada this weekend to cement him as the early Democratic front-runner.

And some Trump shade from Barack Obama. The former president sends a reminder that the longest economic expansion in American history began on his watch. That is a fact, plain and simple -- unless you work in the Trump White House.

Today's panel: Julie Pace with the Associated Press, Michael Bender with the Wall Street Journal, NPR's Asma Khalid, and Melanie Zanona with POLITICO. Also on the program: Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections, and CNN's Jeff Zeleny and Sara Murray.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices