On stage tonight. The last one before super tuesday, a week from today, when 14 states will hold primaries. Sanders will be right in the middle tonight. Standing between former Vice President joe biden. We see that. And senator Elizabeth Warren. And one candidate expected to throw some punches tonight is former new york mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who needs to show some muscle. His campaign has put out word, actually, he intends to go nuclear on senator sanders tonight. Hammering him at every opportunity, releasing an internal poll, in fact, claiming that sanders would hurt democrats in downballot races. For his part, last night sanders doubled down on his comments he made in an interview sunday on 60 minutes praising certain aspects of the castro regime in cuba. When fidel castro first came to power, which was when . 59 . 59, 60. You know what he did . He issued a major literacy program. There are a lot of folks in cuba at that point who are illiterate. And he formed a literacy brigade. And he helped people to read and write. You know, i think teaching people to read and write is a good thing. Well, Pete Buttigieg has already telegraphed his own line of attacks for those comments. Lets watch that. In our one shot to defeat donald trump, we should think carefully about the consequences of nominating senator sanders. I dont want, as a democrat, i dont want to be explaining why our nominee is encouraging people to look on the bright side of the castro regime when were going into the election of our lives. Im joined now by Deputy Campaign manager for senator sanders campaign. Ari, how you going to react to this . Because he is a doubledown kind of guy, your candidate. He doesnt change direction. What kids like about him especially is that big word, authenticity. He has said show you a couple more that will probably surprise you. But he has said nice things about the castro regime. Look. The truth is, there is no candidate on that stage who has stood up against authoritarianism more than Bernie Sanders. When you look at nbs and saudi arabia, a year before the rest ever washington, d. C. Was on to the fact that he was a murderous thug, Bernie Sanders was talking about how we need to get out of his war in yemen. You look at xi. There are candidates on stage tonight who profit from xis regime. And by the way, Bernie Sanders has consistently talked about authoritarianism in cuba and opposed it over and over and over again. Nbc news reports that in 1986, remarks at the university of vermont, sanders said i was very excited and impressed by the cuban revolution. Adding he became sick to his stomach when john f. Kennedy discussed ways to overturn that. Quote. This bernie. I actually left the room because i was about to puke. According to the cuban archive, a nonprofit which promotes human rights in cuba estimated an estimated 5,600 cubans died in firing squads. 78,000 may have died trying to escape that island. And bernds wouldnt sie sand say its a free country. By the way one other thing. Lets talk about this because this is actually important. The other thing Bernie Sanders has been consistent in his opposition to is the idea that u. S. Intervention has been a disaster across the world. And was as you well know, chris, was a disaster in central america. Was a disaster where my familys from in brazil. Has been a disaster in iran since the 50s, has created an environment hes not just been playing defense and you know this, ari. He brought in mediumrange Nuclear Weapons that could hit every u. S. City except seattle. He is our enemy. He has been our enemy. Yes. And nobody is suggesting that Bernie Sanders is procastro. Bernie sanders pointed out one aspect of the castro regime. Which by the way, president obama also pointed to in a speech. Lets talk about turkey. Real turkey. Over a million cubanamericans in miami. What will senator senator sanders say to them when he says youve lost your country, it was stolen from you, who claim to be a democrat and then said oh, yeah, by the way, im a marxist and im loyal to the soviet union. We were all rooting for him as kids. We all rooted for castro when he came in. He said im a democrat. Im going to overthrow that terrible regime and become a democratic leader of that country and he lied to us. Bernie sanders opposes authoritarian regimes, be it in cuba, be it in north korea. So what would he say to cubanamericans . I would say Bernie Sanders is for freedom in cuba, for democracy in cuba. For human rights in cuba. Bernie sanders is the only candidate whos stood up for not in cuba but around the world. Hug them tighter. Be they china, saudi arabia. We have a president who is writing love letters to kim jong un in north korea. We want we want an administration that is consistently antiauthoritarianism. Im for that part. I was just there with my wife and i think we got to show more of us and get to know more of them. Anyway, you are a hell of a writer. Thank you. Deputy campaign manager, Bernie Sanders. Meanwhile, after facing criticism during the nevada debate for the nondisclosure ndas of women he signed at his company, Michael Bloomberg said last week that three of those women could be released from those ndas if they wanted to. And what appears to be an attempt to change the narrative, the campaign released an ad today featuring people who have worked with bernie with mayor bloomberg. Working with Mike Bloomberg was one of the most empowering experiences that ive had. Its important to talk to the people who know him personally. Mike supports women. He promotes women. And he respects women. Well, bloombergs longtime partner diana taylor said in an interview that people bothered by those old ndas should, quote, get over it. Here she is. I grew up in that world. We have come a very, very long way and Michael Bloomberg has been at the forefront of that change. It was 30 years ago. Get over it. In a statement, a Bloomberg Campaign spokesperson said that diana offered her personal view from her 40 years working in finance, not the view of the campaign. Im joined right now by the democratic mayor of columbia. Capital of the state, South Carolina, steve benjamin. Mr. Mayor, thank you. I always have to remind people i am a democrat but i am elected independently. Okay. Like a lot of mayors. I understand that. Nonpartisan. Let me ask you about this candidate. Was that an improper thing for his partner to say . Obviously, we focus on the fact that Mike Bloomberg led the way. The three ndas that mention him. He obviously has released the women from those ndas and more importantly, bloomberg lp became the first company, Large Company in the country to lay out the fact it will never use ndas again going forward. You could say he was bushwhacked last week. Why wasnt he ready to answer the question last week when Elizabeth Warren went after him . Last week, the focus obviously senator warren was focused on mike. They all should have been focused on bernie. Why theyre going after the guy thats just getting in the race. Three two primaries. Two primaries and caucus and nobodys willing to talk about his extreme record. Whats going on here . A fragmented party around a centrist candidate. But but you have these extreme views. This incredibly extreme history. And a Healthcare Plan that is going to take healthcare away from 150 million americans. And castro. And no ones willing to talk about it. If you are not willing to take bernie on stage tonight before super tuesday, then you dont deserve to be the nominee. Mike mike is prepared to do that and hopefully the other candidates will, too. You know, i think the opportunity and you got to explain this to me. Bernie sanders basically set up a medicare for all plan. And basically say you have to join it. Theres no alternative. You cant have a private plan. You cant have a supplemental plan. Not like in canada, you cant have a supplemental like you have in great britain, uk. You will lose your healthcare on day one. Why dont your candidates do anything to challenge that rather strong position . Pete did some good work last year. Not only is it the deficit in funding that plan is larger than the entire u. S. Economy. So i mean, its ludicrous. So i think you have to be able to talk about, not only bernies extreme ideas but also, his record. I mean, its its but its real. Shielding gun manufacturers from liability. We have 40,000 gun deaths a year in this country. So you got to take him straight on. And i thought mike delivered the line of the night last week. He talked about, you know, americas the most wellknown socialist, is a multimillionaire with three homes. Real question. Honest question. If bernie is the nominee, will Mike Bloomberg pay for his general election . Well, mikes been mikes been a commitment to be in this campaign for the long haul. Particularly, in the six states that we believe will determine this thing. Hes made a commitment and so well see how it plays out. You dont think hell pay for Bernies Campaign . Mike is the hardest working selfmade business man and hes honest. Thank you, steve benjamin, of columbia, South Carolina. The capital of the state. As candidates prepare to face off tonight, they must navigate an important reality. The Washington Post writes quote after giving sanders a pass for most of the year, any of the attacks launched by the democratic socialist could undermine the partys chance in november. Politico reports further mudding of bloombergs strategy is his pledge to fund the siren s eventual nominee, even if it ends up being sanders. Ideological contrast to the former new york mayor. Joining me right now is john heilemann, cohost of show times the circus. Also, Heidi Przybyla, nbc news correspondent. Heidi, thats the weird thing about this thing right down in South Carolina. Bernie is pulling ahead. Bernie sanders. He may well be on his way to first ballot knockout. Who knows . Or not. He may well be. People seem very careful about criticizing him. Go ahead. He may well be. However, i urge caution here, chris, looking over some of the polling figures because this is really the first time that africanamerican voters as a big, Diverse Group where that make up a majority of the democratic primary vote are having their say. And a number of them are still undecided. We dont know what impact, for example, Elizabeth Warren had. Whether she got a bump out of nevada because so many early voters early votes were cast. So i would just urge caution. And this is going to be the first time that sanders, as a frontrunner, is going to come under the type of scrutiny that a frontrunner normally comes under. This is going to be the first time he comes under sustained attack on his record. And all of these previous s scenarios, hes kind of stood back and had the occasion dustup. But its going to be nothing like we see tonight and that is part of the process. That is part of the vetting process. Seeing how the frontrunner withstands that type of pressure you just saw on guns, for example. Chris, this is a place, South Carolina, where Hillary Clinton was accompanied, nonstop, by the mothers of the movement. Those africanamerican mothers so profoundly affected by gun violence. I just dont think we can make any predictions yet about how this is going to go down other than that it is the last chance for a number of these candidates. And not just joe biden. There is going to be a lot of pressure after tonight if there arent breakout moments for a number of these candidates to call it quits. John, i have been waiting for months for the big takeout piece in the New York Times about Bernie Sanders ideological background. Everything he said hes older than me. Hes been through the cold war. He should have said thousands of things that are interesting. All of a sudden, 60 minutes finally does it. Puts out a lot of the provocative statements hes made. Is it going to make any difference . The horse may be out of the barn door already. The reality is you look at super tuesday, the way dnc designed the schedule in all of its genius. A lot of those states have early vote. California. Its estimated that a third of the votes already in. So, you know, it may be sanders is already in a position where he is already on a path to obtain an insurmountable lead in pledge delegates. Whether he has enough to get a majority of pledge delegate is another question. But he may be on a path to get a plurality no matter what happens now. We dont know the answer to that question. I think what heidi said is right and whats really important about the South Carolina contest is it is the first time africanamericans are the most important constituency. They are not the most left. And in this state in particular, a lot of people make mistakes about South Carolina. We think about the electorate which is further to the left than this state. This state is a conservative state. And among africanamerican voters here, you go up country up here, you find a lot of especially socially conservative, africanamerican voters. And they are not there is a big generational split. These are all these questions we have. Will young africanamericans end up with Bernie Sanders . While the older, moreestablished ones go with joe biden and other places . We dont know. Part of the reason this is so important not just in terms of the contest itself and potentially slowing sanders momentum if he were to surge here. If that happened. But also, what it says about the rest of the africanamerican electorate throughout the south, in places like alabama and georgia and mississippi. Correct. What does it say about that . What does it foretell . And what does it signal to those voters . A lot of deep south states. Stick with us. Coming up. Coming up, the fight for survival by the moderate candidates. A lot of its tonight. A last hoorah for joe biden. Who knows . His big lead by the way in the polls here is almost gone. And you have to win somewhere if you have to win electability, dont you . Plus, new warnings about the coronavirus in the United States. Health Officials Say its inevitable that it will spread here. But is the white house taking that warning seriously . President trump says everythings under control. His top cabinet officials seem uninformed and unprepared. You cant tell us how many your models are anticipating . No, senator. Again, i would i would defer you to the health and Human Services for that. You think you ought to check on that . We will. As the head of homeland security. We got much more to get to tonight. Especially, that coronavirus. Stick with us. With hepatitis c. I felt i couldnt be at my. Best for my family. In only 8 weeks with mavyret. I was cured. I faced reminders of my hep c every day. I worried about my hep c. But in only 8 weeks with mavyret. I was cured. Mavyret is the only 8week cure for all types of hep c. Before starting mavyret your doctor will test. If youve had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. Tell your doctor if youve had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant,. Other liver problems, hiv1, or other medical conditions,. And all medicines you take. Dont take mavyret with atazanavir. Or rifampin, or if youve had certain liver problems. If youve had or have serious liver problems other than hep c, theres a rare chance they may worsen. Signs of serious liver problems may include yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain or swelling, confusion, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. Tell your doctor if you develop symptoms of liver disease. Common side effects include headache and tiredness. With hep c behind me, i feel free. Fearless. Because i am cured. Talk to your doctor about mavyret. burke weve seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. Even a gold medal grizzly. sports announcer what an unlikely field in this final heat. Hang on. Youre about to see history in the making. burke not exactly a skinny dipper, but we covered it. At farmers, we know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum vo visit farmersdotcom and get a quote today. Oh no, here comes gthe neighbor probably to brag about how amazing his Xfinity Customer Service is. Im mike, im so busy. Good thing xfinity has twohour appointment windows. They have night and weekend appointments too. Hes here. Bill . Karolyn . Nope no, just a couple of rocks. Download the my account app to manage your appointments making todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Ill pass. Are you going to win here in South Carolina . Yes. Take it to the bank. Yes. Whats with the sound problem . Anyway, welcome back to hardball. That was former Vice President joe biden raising expectations for his campaign in South Carolina. A state he said unequivocally on sunday that he would win. And after a disappointing fourthplace finish in iowa and fifth place in new hampshire, bidens best performance to date was in nevada this past weekend where he finished a distant second to senator sanders. So theres no question a Biden Victory on saturday would go a long way toward reviving his political fortunes. Well, given bidens advantage with africanamerican voters, South Carolina has long been described as bidens firewall. That is, if he wants a shot at the nomination this year, hes got to win here in this state. Well, last month, biden himself called South Carolina his firewall. I think ill do well in nevada. And i they have a real firewall in South Carolina. Yet, biden denies he ever described the state as husbanis firewall. Despite that, he insists he just needs to do well. South carolina was your fi r firewall. You said its my firewall. No. I said im going to do well there. And ill do well there and ill do well beyond there, as well. And now, with a major debate tonight and just four days until the primary here in South Carolina, the New York Times reports that Bernie Sanders is looking to deliver a knockout blow to biden on saturday. In other words, win this thing. I am joined right now by symone sanders, Senior Advisor for the biden campaign. Does he have to win here . The former Vice President because he has been saying for a long time he has to win here. Thank you for having me, chris. We intend to win in South Carolina on saturday. And what will that do to the campaign if you knock it out here . If you win by four or five points. Look. We intend to win here on saturday. And we believe the momentum that we have coming from a second place strong secondplace win in nevada, coming into South Carolina, winning here will launch us into super tuesday. We feel good. We have super tuesday operations up and going. We have enjoyed our time in South Carolina. A long history with this state and so we believe we will win on saturday because we have earned the votes of the voters here in South Carolina. How do you clear the field of the other moderates . Because you can argue that half the Democratic Party is moderate if you really want to make a case. There is certainly at least half that is liberal. To very liberal. And bernie owns that part. How do you clear the rest of the space for the moderate candidate, for the vp . How do you catch up to bernie then . I will tell you when you are out there talking to people across the country, here in South Carolina, they dont say this is a progressive or moderate issue. They are talking about healthcare, the economy, education. So this is this is what ill tell you about the lane, chris. We believe that no one should be the democratic nominee without the ability to demonstrate that they have earned the votes of people of color, the base of the Democratic Party. Black voters. Well, joe biden has definitely done that. But there are some other folks that havent. Bernie did pretty well with latinos out in youre wincing. Since 1992, the democratic nominee has been the person that has won black voters in america. Okay. Since 1992. So we have demonstrated we can build a broad coalition. We have demonstrated we can earn the votes of africanamerican and some latino voters in this country. We intend to do very well here in South Carolina on saturday. Why should an africanamerican from South Carolina vote for joe biden . Well, let me let me just speak right to the people. Everything in this ballot. When it comes to healthcare, when it comes to guns, when it comes to housing. Vice president has put forth a bold vision. But the reality is hes done this before, chris. There is only one person standing on that debate stage font that has taken on the nra twice and won. Joe biden. And he will do it a third time as president. There is only one person symone, i hope he has some of your juice tonight. Give him some of this. Give him some of this. When we talk about healthcare, joe biden has done it chris. So, really, were ready for this fight and i think voters are ready. Thank you so much. Symone sanders has got the fire. Thank you. The results of South Carolina this weekend will set the trajectory for super tuesday. Coming a week from now when the voters of 14 states, a week from now, all get to vote. The New York Times points out that should mr. Sanders defeat or even finish near mr. Biden in South Carolina, it could vault him into super tuesday with such force that it may be difficults for opponents to catch up with him. Heres what democratic strategist james carvel said in the wake of the nevada caucus last weekend. I just think theres one, big, huge screaming story here tonight is, and that is there is a frontrunner in the 2020 democratic president ial race. Were in a whole new ball game here. And this game could end little after midmarch. And some of these candidates are going to have to make really hard decisions about who stays in and who gets out and where we go from here. John heilemann and Heidi Przybyla are back with me now. Heidi, how important is this saturday . And tonight actually. This debate going into saturday. Its critically important not just for joe biden but for some of the other candidates. Because actually, he is their firewall. If he crumbles, sanders is going to have such powerful momentum going into those early those super tuesday states. If you look at the polling, chris, he is already ahead. He is already very strong in the most delegaterich states of california and texas. If, on the other hand, biden holds, that is going to create an umbrella, possibly, for some of these other candidates. At the same time, i do think its going to be a twosided coin here for them because if biden pulls it out, there is going to be so much pressure for there to be a consolidation going into those states. And even if there is a consolidation, reminder, theres only three days between South Carolina and those super tuesday states. When there is going to be, effectively, 34 of the delegates rewarded based on that. And that is just going to create a lot of momentum for sanders. So even if biden pulls it out, theres going to have to be other things that happen, including other candidates dropping out. And there is the x factor, too, of what some of the Party Heavyweights are or arent doing behind the scenes. Like former president obama, nancy pelosi. People who are truly concerned about what we are seeing in terms of the downballot effects. Chris, fun fact here. The candidate who actually fares the worst among those white, collegeeducated, suburban women in a head to head versus trump, according to abc news polling, is Bernie Sanders. So that is the data that some of these Party Officials are looking at and the concerns it underpins the concerns emanating about the downballot effects. Well, meanwhile, mayor Pete Buttigieg received the endorsement today of the state. The big newspaper here in South Carolina, which describes him as, quote, an energetic discipline candidate who can offer voters a powerful yet p g pragmatic vision of a better america. The paper said despite extensive efforts to interview Bernie Sanders, however, he would not agree to participate. Now, heres the problem it seems, john. John heilemann, is that now buttigieg gets a boost after this endorsement. Hes not going to quit after this. Hell fight it out. Biden will never quit for weeks, right . Who is quitting . Tom steyers not going to quit. He put all this money into this thing. Classic, classic prisoners dilemma, chris. Like what collective action would argue for versus what the individuals all think. And you ask them all, where is their emotions . Where is their heart . You say to someone like amy klobuchar, you dont have a path to be the democratic nominee anymore. You dont. Youre not going to collect delegates and im not quoting her now i just know what their reaction is. Why should i be the one to quit . Why shouldnt it be steyer . Why shouldnt it be pete . In the end, if they continue to split up, the biggest part of the party is moderate. The biggest part of the party is not bernies part of the party. The antisanders vote but unless it all comes together, chris okay. The illogic of democrats always heidi, why is that the case . Why do they all go after bloomberg last debate instead of going after bernie . Theyre just fighting its an intramural battle among moderates . Elizabeth warren was the strongest on that and i think for her it was probably out of principle. He kind of stands for everything shes fought against over the years. You know, coming from the finance industry. Being a billionaire. Both bernie and warren, that is their entire image wrapped up in that. So it made a lot less sense for her. And she was the person who pounced the hardest. But it will be totally different tonight, according to all the reporting that weve gotten. Warren is the only one we dont know of in terms of having a plan of attacking Bernie Sanders. It might not make sense for her to do that tonight. Just leave it to the others. It may be she wants to be vp with sanders. Who knows what people are up to. You dont know but i tell you. You remember back in 2016 in the republican race, chris, every one of those candidates that was against donald trump all kept saying i got to knock all the others around in my lane. And eventually, ill get trump one on one and when that day comes, ill take him out. And by the time that day came, it was too late. Trump already had the nomination in his back pocket. Its too late. This is how jimmy carter got elected president. All the liberals are on the other side and he went right past them. We have an imperfect system for picking a president. Thank you, john heilemann, as always. Heidi przybyla. Up next, President Trump continues his car on the Justice System of this country. This time, focusing on two Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor and ginsburg saying they should recuse themselves from any case involving donald trump. Youre watching hardball. Im your 70lb st. Bernard puppy, and my lack of impulse control, is about to become your problem. Ahh no, come on. I saw you eating poop earlier. My focus is on the road, and thats saving me cash with drivewise. Youre stronger than you know. So strong. You power through chronic migraine, 15 or more headache or migraine days a month. One tough mother. Youre bad enough for botox®. Botox® has been preventing headaches and migraines before they even start for almost 10 years, and is the 1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. Botox® is for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. Effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a lifethreatening condition. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. Dont receive botox® if theres a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. Go on with your bad self. You may pay as little as zero dollars for botox®. Ask your doctor about botox® for chronic migraine. You got this. Who doesnt love a deal . I do. Check out the united explorer card. Savin on this savin on this savin in here. Rewarded learn more at the explorer card dot com. Try to win by attacking, now, we know the trump strategy distorting, dividing. Mr. President it. Wont. Work. Newspapers report bloomberg is the democrat trump fears most. As president , universal healthcare that lets people keep their coverage if they like it. A record on job creation. A doable plan to combat climate change. I led a complex, diverse city through 911 and i have common sense plans to move america away from chaos to progress im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. You should be mad your neighbor always wants to hang out. And you should be mad your smart fridge is unnecessarily complicated. Make ice. Making ice. But youre not mad because you have e trade which isnt complicated. Their tools make trading quicker and simpler so you can take on the markets with confidence. Dont get mad get e trade and start Trading Commission free today. Dont get mad get e trade and start trading i need all the breaks, that i can get. At liberty butchumal cut. Liberty biberty cut. Well dub it. Liberty mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. That you can that you have that you said but thnext month, the court will take up three cases related to President Trumps tax returns and financial records. If the justices rule against the president , democrats could finally get the president s longsought tax returns. Big deal, actually. That might explain why the president s lashing out right now at two of the justices nominated by democratic president s. I always thought that, frankly, Justice Ginsburg should do it because she wept wild duri went wild during the campaign when i was running. I dont know who she was for. Perhaps, she was for Hillary Clinton. And then Justice Sotomayor said what she said yesterday. And i just dont know how they cannot recuse themselves with anything having to do with trump or trump related. But i think trying to shame people with, perhaps, a different view into voting her way and thats so inappropriate. The president in india i see this morning referencing a recent dissent from Justice Sotomayor in which she argues the Trump Administrations become too quick to run to the Supreme Court after losses in lower court. She writes, quote, claiming one emergency after another, the government has recently sought stays in an unprecedented number of cases demanding immediate attention and considering limited Court Resources in each. Its cries of urgency ring increasingly hollow. She adds the court is partly to blame because it has been too quick to, quote of requests. Maya wily, former assistant u. S. Attorney. Thank you both. First of all, let me go to the law of this and thats maya. What is this about this strange complaint he has about sotomayor . Whats this about what she said that he doesnt like . What he doesnt like is anyone who disagrees with him and doesnt rule the way he wants them to. I mean, sotomayor was writing a dissent. And she was making a legitimate point, which is that it is highly unusual for the Supreme Court to say, you know what, even though this case hasnt gone through the entire appellate process, were going to allow the administration to continue to do something that people are challenging. Rather than let it come to us in due course. And, you know, shes got receipts on this, chris, because in the obama and bush administrations combined, this happened about eight times. You know, that is not a lot. And in the Trump Administration, just in three short years, not even including this case that she filed a dissent in, its already been over a dozen. Just in three, short years. And for the most part, shes also raising a question about why the court is grafnting them when there is no Real National crisis that requires the court to stay an action until it makes its way through the court. So its quite legitimate and its just another example of donald trump saying i want judges to do what i want them to do. And if they dont, ill attack them. You know, sam, this is called judge shopping. And its like, in this case, he goes among the Supreme Court. He says i think i can live with seven of them. I dont really like the other two. Judge shopping. You know, another term is working the revefs. Its framing, preframing in way outcomes he doesnt like. If something goes against his wishes in the coming session, he could just turn around and say, look, this is a biased institution filled with biased people and this is not legitimate. But keep in mind i mean trump brings it to an extreme but this is not totally unique to trump. This is part of a multidecade long effort to advance conservative politics through the judicial system to turn the courts into a tool for conservative governance. And trump is just taking it to extremes by saying, look, i want judges to do my bidding. What we are seeing now is a reaction on the left to do the same. But theyre way behind the curve here and they have a lot of catchup to do. Well, thats for sure i remind a lot of liberal friends all the time. First term, already picked two Supreme Court justices. With ginsburg in their 80s now, that winner could pick at least more. I often say to people who do care about issues like choice, i say get ready. It could be 72 conservative in a couple years and there is nothing you can do about it except make sure trumps not reelected. I think that is one of the things weve seen is democrats are much less likely to vote based on the appointment power, essentially, of whoever wins office. And what weve seen on the right is people are very committed and some holding their nose and voting for fru voting for trump because of the way they are going to be able to recreate the judiciary. This is something all americans should be really concerned about because the framers of the constitution created an independent judiciary in order to be a check and balance on the power of the presidency. Or abuses of congress when it comes to what our constitution says and what it means. And what we are really seeing is an extremely disturbing erosion of the independence of the judiciary. And one of the things that sotomayor was pointing to is do we have a court that is not paying sufficient attention to putting its foot on the brakes when it comes to an administration that is taking too much power . And demanding too much loyalty. Well, maybe every suburban voting station on the democratic side, wherever they have some influence with handing out literature, should hand out one number. 7 to 2. Thank you so much, sam stein, thank you maya wily. Up next, President Trump is praising himself for his decisions on the coronavirus. Saying its quite its, quote, very well under control. He says. But Officials Say health Officials Say the spread of the virus in the u. S. Is now inevitable. Who should we believe . Youre watching hardball. Of i, is about to become your problem. Ahh no, come on. I saw you eating poop earlier. My focus is on the road, and thats saving me cash with drivewise. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. Vo for president. Ver thats Mike Bloomberg. A middle class kid who built a Global Company from scratch. Mayor of new york, rebuilding the city after the 911 terrorist attack, creating 450,000 jobs. Running for president and on a roll. Workable plans to deliver on Better Health care. Affordable college. Job creation. Common sense plans to beat trump, fix the chaos in washington, and get things done. Mike im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Welcome back to hardball. Stocks plunge for a second day. Straight day, actually, as the spread of the coronavirus continues to spike fears that it could slow global markets. Todays losses come a day after the markets biggest drop in two years. Earlier today, the head of the Cdcs National Center for immunization and respiratory diseases warned that americans should prepare for the inevitability that was their word that the virus will spread here to the United States. Dr. Nancy messionier told reporters its not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but more a question of exactly when. Today, the new virus has infected roughly 80,000 people. And has killed 2,700. Alex azar, who is leading the Coronavirus Response in the u. S. Echoed her warning to congress. E. We cannot seal off the United States to a virus and we need to be realistic about that. And so this virus life goes on in some forms, doesnt it . It does and we will have more cases in the United States. And weve been very transparent about that. And we will work to mitigate the impact of those. According to officials, the coronavirus currently has no cure. President trump and his National Economic advisor larry kudlow downplayed the threat of the virus to the u. S. You may ask about the coronavirus, which is, you know, very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it. And the people that have it are well, in all cases, i have not heard anything other. We have contained this. I wont say airtight but pretty close to airtight. That is human tragedy. Theres no question. And the economic side, i dont think its going to be an economic tragedy. Well, just yesterday, the Trump Administration sent a request to congress for an additional 2. 5 billion in funding to help deal with the coronavirus. As President Trump publicly downplays the virus, politico reports Administration Officials are privately voicing concerns that the coronavirus is already spreading, undetected, within u. S. Borders. Politicos also reporting that trump allies and advisers have grown increasingly worried that a botched Coronavirus Response will hit the u. S. Economy. Even donald trump jr. Has mused to associates he hopes the white house does not screw up the response and put the president s best reelection message at risk. And then theres rush limbaugh. One of trumps biggest allies talking it up. He said the coronavirus is no big deal and is part of a democratic plot to, quote, get the president. Well, thats rush limbaugh, for what its worth. Not much. Thats next. Youre watching hardball. Yoe so you only pay for what you need. I love you only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. When i needed to jumpstart sales. Build attendance for an event. Help people find their way. Fastsigns designed new directional signage, and got them back on track. Get started at fastsigns. Com and got them backyou spend less and get way more. , so you can bring your vision to lif. For small prices, you can build big dreams. Spend less. Get way more. Shop everything home at wayfair toda. Since youre heading off to dad. I just got a zerowater. But weve always used brita. Its two stagefilter. Doesnt compare to zerowaters 5stage. This meter shows how much stuff, or dissolved solids, gets left behind. Our tap water is 220. Brita . 110. Seriously . But zerowater let me guess. Zero . Yup, thats how i know it is the puresttasting water. I need to find the receipt for that. Oh yeah, you do. By consolidating your Credit Card Debt into one monthly payment. And get your Interest Rate right so you can save big. Get a nofee personal loan up to 100k. Folks, this coronavirus thing, it looks like the coronavirus being weaponized as yet another element to bring down donald trump. I believe the way its being weaponized is by virtue of the media. I think it is an effort to bring down trump and one of the ways its been used to do this is to scare investors, to scare people in business. That was rush limbaugh, dismissing the global concern over the coronavirus as overhyped in an effort to get trump, as he put it. Late tonight the Washington Post is reporting that the president has become furious about the stock market slide and believes that extreme warnings from the centers for Disease Control and prevention have spooked investors. Im joined by senior white house digital correspondent. Shannon, where is this now in the president s view . Is this a five . He thinks its being type e hyp ten warning or what . The most important thing to trumps reelection pitch is the economy and the stock market. There is not much that makes trumps advisers nervous, but a downturn in the market is the one thing. The president has been closely following the stock market even more so than the actual details of whats been going on with the spread of this virus, closely following the stock market and is very aware and concerned that there is a sense of panic that could spread and that could weigh down stocks and slow down the Global Economy because he very likely and it is a real possibility its looking like that he could go into his reelection facing a Global Economy that is depressed from this when you have a country like china shutting down major cities and this virus spreading to south korea and japan and at the same time having a stock market thats not looking good. If he loses those things, he will be in trouble, his advisers think. I agree. But what about the nature of this virus . Is it the kind of thing we could expect to be going on through november or is this a bleep . Well, the problem we have is we have two problems. One, it is a problem of credibility and one is a problem of competence, which brings that question into bear. Weve got a president who said that everything is under control and his own cdc, i think in a scarey parallel to whats gone on in the Justice Department where you have career Public Officials who have to speak out against the president. And that happens only because you dont trump has dismantled the chain of command with regard to responding to global pandemics. Hes defunded the cdc. There is an air of improvisation going on. So there is scientists in the cdc and outside the government that have a better feel of whats going on. The truth is finally starting to come out today when the cdc officials are bravely speaking up. And weve got a competency and a credibility problem, which is going to make it very difficult to manage through this. And i think if people wonder is there a cost is there a credibility cost to a president who doesnt always tell the truth, it really comes into play now . Because the stock market and a virus are not are two things that are really going to be talked into submission by trump. The stock market and the virus are going to follow the path that trump cant predict. They have control. Well, President Trump has repeatedly assured the public that the coronavirus will dissipate in the spring when it gets warmer. Here he is. There is a theory that in april when it gets warm, historically that has been able to kill the virus. The virus, theyre working hard. It looks like by april, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously going away. The virus, a lot of people think that goes away in april with the heat as the heat comes in. Typically that will go away in april. However, as one senior white house official has told the Washington Post, the idea that the virus will go away in the spring is mainly an educated guess. Back to you on this, is this something thats going to roll and snowball and get worse or is it just going to dissipate in the coming of this different season . Yeah. I think the scientists dont believe that its going to go away in the spring. I think, you know, there have been a couple suspect decisions. You have the president , the administration allowed 14 Healthy People to get on a plane that the cdc said they absolutely should not get on. So these are decisions that i think are not being made with the best interests of the public in mind. I think that comment that its been going in april. He also said we have a vaccine going around the corner. Scientists say in the best case, we will be about 18 months away from a vaccine. They cant seem to get test kits out. We have 30 Million Masks but when hes pressed he says thats clearly not enough. So when pressed into telling the truth, these things are kind of leaking out and trump keeps finding himself isolated in these perspectives. It can get a lot worse. The thing is it can be controlled if you had a chain of command, you could control this a lot better. All right. Well, events is a very big word in american politics. Events come into play you dont plan for. They happen. Now, thank you for joining us. Were back in a minute. Were watching harbaugh. I am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. And i like to question your im yoevery move. N law. Like this left turn. Its the next one. You always drive this slow . How did you make someone i love . That must be why youre always so late. I do not speed. And thats saving me cash with drivewise. My son, he did say that you were the safe option. And thats the nicest thing you ever said to me. So get allstate. Stop bossing. Where good drivers save 40 for avoiding mayhem, like me. This is my sons favorite color, you should try it. [mayhem] you always drive like an old lady . [tina] youre an old lady. Hi with the worldse first invisible trailer. Invisible trailer . And its not the trailer right next to us . This guy . You dont believe me . Hop in. Good lookin pickup, i will say that. Oh wow. Silverado offers an Optional Technology package with up to 15 different views including one enhanced view that makes your trailer appear invisible. Wow. Thats pretty sweet. Thats cool. Oooohh thats awesome. Whered the trailer go . I love it. Its magic. Introducing oreida potato pay. Where oreida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this. With this. When kids wont eat dinner, potato pay them to. Oreida. Win at mealtime. They grew their first tomatoes right here. And when it snows, the kids go sledding right there. The frels family runs with us on a john deere 1 series tractor. Because this is more than just land, its home. Search john deere 1 series for more. Because this is more tits more than just fast. It keeps all your devices running smoothly. With builtin security that protects your kids. No matter what theyre up to. It protects your info. And gives you 24 7 peace of mind. That if its connected, its protected. Even that that petcamera thingy. [ whines ] can your internet do that . Xfinity xfi can because its. Simple, easy, awesome. [ barking ] tonight seven democratic president ial candidates will take the debate stage here in charleston ahead of the states primary this saturday. Ill be back here in this spin room after the debate tonight with the candidates. And thats hardball for now. All in with chris heyayes stas right now. When you are talking aboutva youre talking a year to a year and a half. Experts warn. What we know about the spread of coronavirus and how a president worried about his own reelection is leading the response. I think thats a problem thats going to go away. Then, why the roger stone jury was reconvened amid more attacks from the president