Rejoice, lovers of bad "Weiner" puns! This is your day!
Joining Alex today:
Michael Tomasky, Special correspondent, The Daily Beast (@mtomasky)
Margaret Talev, Bloomberg News White House Correspondent (@margarettalev)
Eugene Robinson, Columnist, The Washington Post/msnbc Contributor (@eugene_robinson)
Jim Mowrer, Democratic Candidate for US Congress, Iowa,
Plus, a very special appearance from everyone's favorite drummer and hip hop scholar, Questlove, who'll be talking about his new book Mo' Metta Blues! Also Ezra Klein! Will they get the band back together? Tune in and find out!
Anthony Weiner continues to display remarkable stamina (sorry) and resilience in the face of scandal, declaring he had no intention to drop out of the New York City mayoral race after the latest revelations of inappropriate sexting. The question on everyones' mind: why? An editorial in New York Times did not mince words, stating, "the serially evasive Mr. Weiner should take his marital troubles and personal compulsions out of the public eye, away from cameras, off the Web and out of the race for mayor of New York City." Does this one-time frontrunner stand any chance of making it to the run-off, let alone winning the election? Does his wife, Huma Abedin, stand by him out of love or ambition? Do the newest revelations change your perception of him? Let us know!
Time to check in on the great GOP rebranding of 2013. How's that Hispanic outreach going?
In full damage control mode, House Speaker John Boehner condemned these remarks, stating “What he said is wrong. There can be honest disagreements about policy without using hateful language. Everyone needs to remember that." It is worth noting that Steve King is a six-term congressman. How's it going, Iowa?
And finally, facing the lowest poll numbers of his second term, President Obama will try to pivot back towards jobs and the economy, beginning with today's speech in Illinois. But with a congress hell-bent on opposing him every step of the way, and the looming threat of a government shutdown, can Obama accomplish anything with a speech?
It all happens at 12pm ET.