The Note

The Note: Warren readies for spotlight at 1st 2020 debate

Sen. Elizabeth Warren gets either the very lucky or very unlucky position of being the highest-polling candidate on the stage Wednesday night.

The Note: Bernie, Beto rack up big price tags on eve of debate

Bold spending plans could shift the policy debate -- leaving more moderate Democrats defending relatively modest means to shared ends.

The Note: Democratic race consumed by politics of race

On the eve of the first debate of the 2020 cycle, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, two prominent white candidates are finding themselves sidetracked by issues involving race

The Note: 2020 race testing Joe Biden at sore spots

With the first debate of the 2020 cycle less than a week away, former Vice President Joe Biden is in the midst of a critical window for his candidacy.

The Note: Biden's good old days less good for his campaign

Joe Biden’s camp maintains that he does not need to apologize for working with people whose views he finds repugnant.

The Note: Trump show rehashes politics of grievance

The bonanza of Trumpiness that formally launched the president's reelection campaign in Florida showed that the hallmarks of a Trump 2020 rally won’t change from 2016.

The Note: Trump family affair to highlight campaign launch

Amid flourishes in Orlando, Florida, there will be the implicit message that what’s being sold is not just President Donald Trump, but his family.

The Note: Trump seeks yet another shot at health care

Just a few months ago, any edge Warren may have had as the first major candidate in the field seemed to disappear.

The Note: Trump's 2016 obsessions dominate 2020 race

Trump may be looking past his own vulnerabilities in seeking a re-run of 2016.

The Note: Trump renews impeachment talk and more with own words

President Trump pushes back on idea that foreign government providing information on opponent is meddling in the U.S. election process.

The Note: Biden blasts Trump -- though not his Republican Party

Former Vice President Biden called President Donald Trump an "existential threat to America" who is "shredding" the nation's values and "damaging" the country.

The Note: Iowa showdown offers preview of Trump vs. Biden

For a few hours on Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump will be treading similarly critical ground in Iowa.

The Note: Democrats’ knives out for Biden in big 2020 week

The Note: Biden caves to new political realities

Biden caved amid a shift inside the Democratic Party -- on abortion rights and also on a range of social justice and women's rights policies that are shaping the campaign

The Note: 'Middle ground' and missteps signal Biden weaknesses

Former Vice President Joe Biden hasn't changed his position on the Hyde Amendment.

The Note: Polls split 2020 race into haves and have-nots

The number 23 is bouncing around the heads of potential primary voters, but about 50 percent of the Democratic vote is being captured by just two leading candidates.

The Note: Democrats look for fights as 2020 race gains urgency

In doing so, Democrats are hashing out fundamental questions about the party’s identity and the appropriate size of the big tent.

The Note: Trump unleashed as reelection plans firm up

The president is letting Trump be Trump.

The Note: Left to flex political muscle in Mueller’s wake

The end of special counsel Robert Mueller's work leaves Democrats with something of a void. The political left is set to fill that void.

The Note: Mueller fuels impeachment fervor among Democrats

Robert Mueller is fueling impeachment fervor among Democrats.

The Note: Debate season quickens pace of 2020 primary

The first debate of the 2020 cycle is four weeks from Wednesday.

The Note: Democrats turn to foreign policy

A 2020 presidential campaign that's mostly been about domestic issues is getting some foreign-policy flavor.

The Note: Pelosi figures out Trump's game

This week started out by highlighting Democratic divisions, but it ends underscoring and reinforcing the party's unity. Democrats can thank Nancy Pelosi for that.

The Note: Trump frees Democrats from policy traps

Given the choice, Democrats would gladly choose investigating the president rather than working with an unpredictable partner they view as untrustworthy.

The Note: Impeachment buzz boiling over for Pelosi and House

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been pressured by members of her caucus into holding a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning.

The Note: Center sees new life in Democratic 2020 race

Early action on the left aside, some of the more interesting policy and personality contrasts inside the Democratic primary are happening closer to the middle.

The Note: Fundamentals of 2020 race show signs of shifting

President Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail on Monday in an awkward posture: playing defense.

The Note: 2020 race features a front-runner and a disruptor

The presidential race has a Democratic front-runner and an incumbent disruptor.

The Note: Democrats seek out offense on culture wars

Remember when candidate Donald Trump promised that his election will result in Roe v. Wade being overturned?

The Note: Biden brings focus to race -- and draws attacks

Biden has now completed his first circuit of early-voting states in a low-key (for Biden) way. But he has made enough noise to force resets and recalibrations?

The Note: Democrats face new urgency around visibility

The battle for votes will come. For now, the fight among Democrats is for a most valuable commodity in the Trump era: attention.

The Note: Democrats test out the politics of 'nice'

President Donald Trump is being Donald Trump. His rivals are not.

Jailed moms to get bailed out for Mother’s Day

This is the third year that, just ahead of Mother's Day, a number of caregivers will be surprised and have their bail paid by a project called "Black Mamas Bail Out."

The Note: Democrats tiptoe toward impeachment

If Democrats are serious about providing oversight, impeachment proceedings would be a way around the access issues they're confronting.

The Note: Democrats churn new policy -- and pique Trump’s interest

The proposals are coming quickly and boldly from a field of Democratic contenders anxious to break through, but President Trump has been eager to choose his own rivals.

The Note: Trump's doctrines get tested by world events

A trade war with China. New violence in the Middle East. President Donald Trump’s doctrines -- yes, that would be plural -- are suddenly being tested across the globe.

The Note: 2020 candidates define themselves in contrast to Biden

The dynamic of the moment has the Democratic presidential candidates contrasting themselves, at least gently, with former Vice President Joe Biden.

The Note: Mueller fallout keeps campaign in limbo

The non-conclusion to the Robert Mueller saga is delaying any tight focus on Democrats running for president.

The Note: Barr foists impeachment talk back onto Democrats' table

The collisions highlighted by Attorney General William Barr’s explosive day on Capitol Hill have long-lasting consequences.

The Note: Biden deepens policy fault lines in Democratic primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden launched his candidacy by vowing to adhere to a version of Ronald Reagan’s famous "Eleventh Commandment."

The Note: Joe Biden pitches Trump country on unity

Former Vice President Joe Biden used an old-school campaign kick-off at a Teamsters hall in Pittsburgh to pitch himself as a candidate of unity and morality.

The Note: Democrats' path to 2020 victory paved with questions

Democrats are facing down a 2020 race that's very winnable.

The Note: Biden and Trump force parties to look inward

Joe Biden has started his campaign by making it explicitly about President Donald Trump and what he represents. And Trump is more than happy to return that favor.

The Note: Joe Biden's entry marks 'new phase' of 2020 race

His presence could bring order to a potentially chaotic race.

The Note: Policy-heavy primary to greet Biden in 2020 race

The former vice president is slated to become the 20th Democrat in the race for president, with a video scheduled for release Thursday morning.

The Note: Hogan holds hopes for anti-Trump sentiments in GOP

The most interesting post-Mueller report data point may not come from Democrats.

The Note: Democrats face 2020 pressures on impeachment

Democrats begin grappling with some complicated new questions.

The Note: Mueller report intensifies political divisions

Twenty-two months, 37 indictments, 448 pages … but how many minds changed in the political world?

The Note: Justice Department sparks new political concerns on Mueller day

William Barr’s decision to hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. -- before Robert Mueller’s report is released in any form -- serves up a fresh batch of political concerns.

The Note: As campaigns release financial details, some numbers have staying power

Several candidates voluntarily released their personal tax returns, while all faced a mandatory deadline for turning over fundraising details from the first quarter.