Ahead of Wednesday's debate, a new NBC/WSJ poll has Sanders in a double-digit national lead

Watch the ninth Democratic presidential debate on MSNBC. Rachel Maddow anchors the pre-debate show beginning 8 p.m. ET. [View in browser]( [Image]( FEBRUARY 18, 2020 The [ninth Democratic presidential debate]( is set for Wednesday in Las Vegas, and it will feature a new billionaire on the stage. Mike Bloomberg qualified to make the debate stage for the first time, while Tom Steyer, the other billionaire in the race who's been a frequent presence at the Democratic debates, did not. The two-hour debate, which is being hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, Noticias Telemundo and The Nevada Independent, is being held in Las Vegas and begins at 9 p.m. ET. Former Vice President Joe Biden; former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg; Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are all set to take the stage. Watch it live on MSNBC. Rachel Maddow anchors the pre-debate show beginning 8 p.m. ET. In a [new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll]( released Tuesday, Sen. Sanders has jumped out to a double-digit national lead in the Democratic presidential contest after his victory in New Hampshire's primary and his second-place finish for delegates in Iowa's disorganized caucuses. Meanwhile, Biden has seen his support drop by 11 points. The survey also shows former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg gaining ground. And the poll has [President Donald Trump's approval rating]( tied for his all-time high in the NBC News/WSJ survey: 47 percent of all registered voters say they approve of Trump's job performance, while 50 percent say they disapprove. In hypothetical general-election matchups, Trump trails five major Democratic candidates, but all of his deficits — except against Biden — are within the poll's margin of error. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he had [commuted the prison sentence]( of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office in 2009 on corruption charges, and pardoned former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik. A federal spokesman said Tuesday night that Blagojevich had been released and was no longer in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The news came hours after Trump signed an executive order granting a full pardon to former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. related to a decades-old corruption charge, one of nearly a dozen pardons and commutations the White House announced Tuesday. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: VIDEOS [Image]( [Washington Post: Barr considered resigning over Trump tweets]( Jason Zapotosky, a National Security Reporter for The Washington Post who helped break this story, joins Brian William to discuss. A Justice Department spokeswoman told NBC News Tuesday night that “the attorney general has no plans to resign.”(11th Hour) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [Fmr. federal prosecutor: Trump uses his pardons as a signal to associates]( Joyce Vance tells Lawrence O’Donnell that Trump uses pardons and commutations like the ones he just granted as a means of signaling to his criminal friends that he will take care of them if they don’t testify against him. (The Last Word) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [How Trump handled the last global health crisis]( Can we trust Trump to handle coronavirus? His response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014— and his recent comments—don't offer much reason for optimism. (All In) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( MORE VIDEOS Trump’s pardon plays: Is he sending a message to other associates? ([Deadline: White House]() NBC/WSJ Poll: Majority of Democratic voters comfortable with socialist as nominee ([Hardball]() Trump obsessing over Obama’s achievements on economy ([Hardball]() ‘The law is going to come after him’: Obama admin. lawyer warns ‘lawless’ Trump after pardons ([The Beat with Ari]() Rep. Maxine Waters on what Democrats can do about an ‘out of control’ president ([All In]() Lawrence and Rachel question reports that Barr might leave DOJ over Trump tweets ([Video]() DOJ memo shows Barr's lid on reported Giuliani investigation ([The Rachel Maddow Show]() You ain't seen nothing yet? Trump may pardon Stone and Manafort next ([The 11th Hour]() Why Bernie Sanders and his message resonates with younger voters ([The 11th Hour]() QUOTE OF THE DAY [“I think President Trump is doing what predators do, that is grooming his victims. He is sensitizing the public to this idea that 'corruption is not a big deal.' So by pardoning people like Rod Blagojevich and others who are engaged in corrupt activity... he's saying to the world these aren't serious crimes... And so when Roger Stone's name is the next one that comes up for a pardon, he just gets grouped into a category of people who 'eh, haven't done anything all that bad.'”]( —Former US Attorney Barbara McQuade on The Last Word ([Video]() MORE NEWS STORIES - [Jury in Harvey Weinstein sexual assault trial ends first day of deliberations without a verdict]( - [Judge to proceed with Roger Stone's sentencing, will consider motion for new trial]( - [Boy Scouts bankruptcy bid prompts other sex abuse victims to step forward]( - [Coronavirus updates: Wuhan hospital director dies as death toll passes 2,000]( - [Earth's coral reefs could be gone by 2100, research finds]( - [Graham tells Defense Secretary Esper he could 'make your life hell' in spat over Africa, say sources]( Tell us what you think of the news. 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