OFF TO THE RACES: Polls galore!
Our brand new poll numbers: With Joe Biden in the race, Hillary Clinton is now besting Bernie Sanders by 20 points; without Biden, her lead goes up to 25 points.
And 38 percent of Democratic primary voters say they want Biden to sit out 2016, while 30 percent want him to jump in the race.
CNN/ORC has a new poll out this morning too, with Trump up big and Fiorina falling.
And here's ABC/Washington Post showing Clinton up to 54 percent, with Sanders at 23 percent.
It's hard to run for president when you've also got a day job, the AP notes.
The New York Times reports on Bloomberg-for-president chatter, even though friends say it's "not gonna happen."
CLINTON: A key bloc of black mayors will endorse her, writes our own Perry Bacon Jr.
CRUZ: Here's a big gift to Ted Cruz. POLITICO reports that George W. Bush said at a fundraiser that he just "doesn't like" Cruz.
JINDAL: He's threatening to skip the CNBC debate.
RUBIO: He's veering further to the right in his latest immigration move, notes POLITICO.
TRUMP: Was Trump's biggest business blunder his foray into the United States Football League? The Washington Post reports.
The Trump campaign bus saga continues in Iowa. The Des Moines Register has the latest. (It involves projectile fruit punch.)
WEBB: He's considering a run as an independent. Alex Seitz-Wald does a deep dive into what it all means.
And around the country...
Conservatives think the momentum is on their side to oust establishment Republicans in downballot races.
CONGRESS: Do-Or-Die Day for Paul Ryan
NBC's Luke Russert and Perry Bacon look at whether Paul Ryan is willing to take on Washington's hardest job.
The Hill reports on the hurdles of raising the debt ceiling.
The New York Times looks at the big picture when it comes to the influence of the House Freedom Caucus.
PROGRAMMING NOTES.
*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Barbara Boxer, Rep. Raul Labrador, Democratic strategist James Carville, the Wall Street Journal’s Jeanne Cummings, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, and NBC’s Kristen Welker, Luke Russert and Pete Williams.
