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The Political Junkie: Democratic Candidates Face Off And ‘Chief Law Enforcement Officer' Trump

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,
Amanda Magnus
Published February 21, 2020 at 12:49 PM EST
Democratic presidential candidates, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, left, listens as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speak during a Democratic presidential primary debate Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas, hosted by NBC News and MSNBC.
Democratic presidential candidates, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, left, listens as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speak during a Democratic presidential primary debate Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, in Las Vegas, hosted by NBC News and MSNBC.

Democratic candidates were at each other’s throats this week in the latest presidential debate in Las Vegas as the stakes of the race continue to climb. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made his first debate appearance, and his fellow candidates targeted him on stage with several different attacks. 

Host Frank Stasio and Political Junkie Ken Rudin discuss the week's developments in the Democratic presidential race.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden criticized the former mayor for his stop and frisk policies and past behavior with women, among other things. South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar had a notable clash over foreign policy and presidential qualifications.

Who won the debate? Political Junkie Ken Rudin shares his analysis with host Frank Stasio. The two also preview the upcoming primary in North Carolina’s Senate race, in which some Democrats fear that Republicans are trying to sabotage the better-funded Democratic candidate. And Rudin also examines President Donald Trump’s comments this week that he is the “chief law enforcement officer of the country” after a flurry of pardons and commutations. 

Copyright 2020 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Amanda Magnus
Amanda Magnus grew up in Maryland and went to high school in Baltimore. She became interested in radio after an elective course in the NYU journalism department. She got her start at Sirius XM Satellite Radio, but she knew public radio was for her when she interned at WNYC. She later moved to Madison, where she worked at Wisconsin Public Radio for six years. In her time there, she helped create an afternoon drive news magazine show, called Central Time. She also produced several series, including one on Native American life in Wisconsin. She spends her free time running, hiking, and roller skating. She also loves scary movies.
See stories by Amanda Magnus