October Democratic Debate: Live Fact Check, Analysis
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Update 10:21 p.m.
Get Caught Up
A fiery Democratic debate has broken out in Ohio. Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke sparred in personal terms over gun buybacks. Moderates challenged Elizabeth Warren, with Amy Klobucharsaying, “Your idea is not the only idea.” Warren was especially on defense over the cost of “Medicare for All” and wealth taxes.
Candidates slammed President Trump’s pullout in Syria, struggled to articulate alternatives.
Bernie Sanders urged a focus on issues instead of Trump, as the candidates were asked about impeachment.
Kamala Harris and Cory Booker called for more discussion of abortion rights.
The CNN/New York Times presidential debate is airing on CNN and on many NPR member stations.
The Takeaway: Warren Moves Into The Spotlight
The Democrats have concluded their latest big-stage primary debate in Ohio and tonight Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts took the crown for the most time in the spotlight.
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Warren has drawn very close in polls to the previous frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, and tonight she overtook him in the amount of time she spoke over the course of the evening. Warren’s ascent into the top tier also felt palpable at times when she became the other candidates’ new target for attacks on her proposals or attempts to differentiate themselves from her.
Runners-up in terms of screen time were Biden, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. For the next debate in their primary, Democrats move south to Atlanta next month on Nov. 20 — expect fewer people on stage. Between now and then look for much more coverage of the 2020 election here on NPR.org, on the NPR One app and on your local public radio station.
Friendships Across The Aisle
Referencing a recent controversy involving comedian Ellen DeGeneres, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked the candidates to describe a surprising friendship they’ve had that has shaped their beliefs.
It was prompted by images of DeGeneres sitting with former President George W. Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game. That prompted a social media backlash largely from liberal critics who thought DeGeneres should not associate herself with a conservative politician known for initiating the Iraq war. “I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have,” DeGeneres said on her TV show, defending her friendship with Bush. “When I say, ‘Be kind to another,’ I don’t mean only the people who think the same way that you do.”
In response to the question at the debate, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro said he’d benefitted from knowing “people who grew up very different from me” and “people who thought differently from me.” “I think that there’s a value to that,” he said, adding, “I also believe that we should hold people to account for what they’ve done.”
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard cited her own friendships with Republicans like former South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy. “We’ve developed a friendship that’s based on respect, and he’s been there for me during some personally challenging times,” she said. Gabbard said such friendships are a necessary part of reuniting a divided country.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke of her friendship with the late Republican Sen. John McCain, saying, “I miss him every day.” During much of his life, particularly in the years leading up to his 2008 presidential campaign, McCain was seen as a “maverick” senator known for his bipartisan efforts. Later, he was known for breaking with his party to rescue the Affordable Care Act.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg said his experience in the military built connections with people from a variety of backgrounds. “They didn’t care if I was going home to a boyfriend or a girlfriend; they didn’t care what country my dad emigrated from and whether he was documented or not,” he said. “We just learned to trust each other.”
Like many Americans, Sen. Elizabeth Warren suggested she has differences with members of her family. She said she and her three brothers disagree on many things but agree on others, such as the desire for strong educational and healthcare systems. She added that Americans of all political parties want “an America that works for everyone.”
Sen. Cory Booker talked about attending a Bible study in the office of Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, and working with him on legislation designed to reduce homelessness. He also described eating meals with Sen. Ted Cruz despite some obstacles: “I’m a vegan and he’s a meat-eating Texan.”
Climate Change On The Back Burner
A stage full of Democratic candidates probably could not have gotten through several hours of debate without talking about climate change — and a few of them did manage to bring it up. References included applying funds raised from potential new taxes to helping adapt the United States to a carbon-free economy.
But tonight’s moderators barely mentioned it. They asked about health care, breaking up Big Tech and even candidates’ unusual or unexpected friendships. Climate change, however, took a back seat.
Forecasts from the United Nations and others suggest that the damage facing human civilization from climate change is potentially vast, and Extinction Rebellion and other activists argue that reducing carbon emissions should be the main goal of governments around the world. The Democratic candidates who debated tonight don’t doubt the science of climate change or oppose the need for action, but they do disagree on what should be done and how soon.
Although it wasn’t a big subject of tonight’s debate, you can read more about the Democrats’ positions here.
Abortion Rights In The Spotlight
After reproductive rights advocates complained that the subject had barely gotten a mention in most of the previous debates, abortion rights got several minutes of attention from the candidates tonight. Moderator Erin Burnett of CNN asked the Democratic hopefuls what they would do to push back against state efforts to restrict abortion rights.
California Sen. Kamala Harris said if elected president, she would use the Department of Justice to require pre-clearance of any state law that violates the Roe v. Wade decision, saying, “there needs to be accountability and consequences” for state lawmakers who vote to restrict the procedure. Harris has called for an approach similar to that used by the federal government to crack down on states who’ve passed laws in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
“Women have been given the responsibility to perpetuate the human species; our bodies were created to do that,” she said, adding that should include the right not to continue a pregnancy.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar took the opportunity to go after President Trump, noting that during the 2016 campaign, “You actually said that you wanted to put women in jail, then you tried to dial it back and said you want to put doctors in jail.” She’s referring to a gaffe in March 2016, when Trump briefly said – and then walked back his statement – that he believed women should be punished for having abortions.
Klobuchar noted that in polls, a majority of Americans say they do not want to overturn Roe.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said he would create an Office of Reproductive Freedom and Reproductive Rights in the White House, fight to codify Roe in federal law, and repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion.
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard used language that was once commonplace among Democrats, saying she agrees with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare” – a reference to a line the Clintons used decades ago.
Striking a different tone from the other candidates, Gabbard made a point to say that while she supports Roe, she believes there should be some restrictions on abortion, such as prohibiting the procedure during the third trimester unless the life or severe health of the woman are at risk. That’s a position also supported by many Americans, according to polling, which shows waning support for abortion rights as a pregnancy progresses but robust support in the earlier stages.
In recent months, abortion rights opponents have gone after Democrats across the country for supporting efforts to remove restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy.
Asked if he would support adding justices to the U.S. Supreme Court if Roe is overturned, in an effort to reverse that precedent, former Vice President Joe Biden warned against that move. He noted that Republicans could do the same the next time they retake the White House.
Biden also called for federal protections for abortion rights.
“The public is already there. Things have changed,” Biden said, adding that he would campaign against politicians who’ve supported restrictive abortion laws.
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he would support expanding the Court from nine to 15 justices, while calling for reforms to the nomination process designed to “depoliticize the court.”
CFPB Becomes Flashpoint Between Warren And Biden
For most of the night, Elizabeth Warren has fended off attacks from multiple flanks, cementing her position as the party’s new frontrunner.
But it wasn’t until almost the end of the night that things got tense with the man she has now upstaged -- Joe Biden.
After Biden boasted he was “the only one on this stage that has gotten anything really big done,” both Warren and Bernie Sanders jumped.
“Joe, you talked about working with Republicans and getting things done. But you know what you also got done -- and I say this as a good friend -- you got the disastrous war in Iraq done,” Sanders argued.
Warren was quick to point out she was the driving force behind getting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created.
“I agreed with the great job she did. And I went on the floor and got you votes -- I got votes for that bill. I convinced people to vote for it. So let’s get those things straight, too,” Biden said angrily, pointing at Warren.
Warren, meanwhile, had a cutting comeback: “I am deeply grateful to President Obama who fought so hard to make sure that agency was passed into law, and I am deeply grateful to every single person who fought for it and helped pass it into law.”
“You did a hell of a job in your job,” Biden shot back.
“Thank you,” Warren responded, somewhat quizzically.
Harris Disagrees With Zuckerberg On Election Security
Sen. Kamala Harris was asked whether breaking up big tech companies would actually make election inference worse, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has indicated, and she answered that it wouldn’t.
The question, from the New York Times’ Marc Lacey, was based on comments by Zuckerberg earlier this summer, where he said interference would be more likely because the separate companies wouldn’t be able to “coordinate and work together.”
Harris said, “that’s a ridiculous argument.”
Earlier in the debate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren also alluded to big tech companies having too much power over democracy.
And Sen. Amy Klobuchar said there needs to be stronger disclosure requirements for social media companies when it comes to advertisements. Klobuchar also made the only mention of election infrastructure, in calling for universal paper ballots.
Where The Candidates Stand On The Supreme Court
What kind of judges the candidates would nominate as president -- and whether they would try to expand the size of the Supreme Court -- came up during the fourth debate. NPR has been tracking those differences among the candidates, and you can see below which candidates would want to increase the number of Supreme Court justices and which oppose such an idea.
For more, check out our issue tracker.
To Break Up Or Not To Break Up Big Tech?
The candidates have disagreed tonight over how to handle Big Tech. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has set the left-most bound of the discussion by calling for Facebook, Google and Amazon to be broken up because she says they’re too big and too powerful.
The other candidates don’t dispute that power and wealth is becoming concentrated in Silicon Valley, but they don’t agree with a big campaign to split up the incumbents. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang said market forces aren’t always the way to address the problems called by the concentration of wealth, and identified at least one area in which a big legacy player has simply failed by having a bad product. There’s a reason, he said, why Microsoft hasn’t succeeded with its search engine, Bing, Yang said: “Sorry.”
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said he thinks the answer is “tough, transparent rules of the road” that would permit regulators to crack down more than they do today but he appeared to stop short of calling for Congress or the Justice Department to pursue antitrust cases against Big Tech.
Speaking Times At The 2-Hour Mark
Two hours in, Elizabeth Warren still leads the field by far in speaking times, but Bidien has claimed the second spot now. Sanders has seen the biggest drop -- now seeing less speaking time than O’Rourke, Klobuchar and Buttigieg.
Meanwhile, Tom Steyer -- the debate newcomer -- has spoken for less than 5 minutes total.
After Sanders' Heart Attack, Candidates Talk Health And Aging
CNN’s Erin Burnett asked about the health of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is back on the campaign trail after a recent heart attack.
“I’m healthy, I’m feeling great,” Sanders assured her.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker joked, “Sen. Sanders is in favor of medical marijuana; I want to make sure that’s clear as well.”
Sanders used the moment to quickly pivot to another health issue – the opioid epidemic – and reiterate some of his favorite talking points.
“This is what unfettered capitalism is doing to this country,” Sanders said, pointing a metaphorical finger at drug companies who’ve produced the medications that have addicted so many Americans.
“This is why we need a political revolution!” he added.
Burnett turned back to the question at hand, asking Sanders how he’d assure voters he’s “up to the stress” of being president as a 78-year-old.
Sanders said he’ll be back to holding rallies soon, and thanked his supporters for their well wishes.
“I’m so happy to be back here with you this evening,” he said.
Burnett also turned to former Vice President Joe Biden, noting that he would turn 80 during his first term, if elected. Biden pitched his age as an asset.
“With it comes wisdom,” he said, pointing to his resume as a former vice president and U.S. senator. “I will not need any job training on the day I take office.”
On the other end of the spectrum, youth also can be a vulnerability for someone seeking the highest office. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who at 38 is among the youngest candidates, touted her military experience – insisting that she is prepared to serve as president.
Several minutes later, Booker took a moment to get in an apparent jab at President Trump’s eating habits, calling him the “most unhealthy person” running for President in 2020.
O'Rourke Pressed On Gun Buybacks
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is defending and explaining one of his more controversial proposals from last month’s debate — a mandatory buyback of assault-style weapons such as AR-15s and AK-47s.
“There are more than 16 million AR-15s and AK-47s out in the country, and each can be used for a mass shooting,” he argued. “I expect my fellow Americans to follow the law.”
He spoke more about this plan to NPR in our Off Script series and whether it could stand up in court.
"We don't know [the plan's fate if challenged in court], but fear of that uncertainty shouldn't prevent us from doing the right thing for all those Americans whose lives we want to save in a country that loses 40,000 people a year to gun violence," O'Rourke said.
Watch and read more about O’Rourke’s position here. See where other candidates stand on gun buybacks here in our issue tracker:
On Guns, Pragmatism Vs. “Purity”
In an exchange on gun violence, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and others clashed over how hard to push on gun control.
O’Rourke has drawn the ire of gun rights supporters by calling for a mandatory buyback program for assault-style weapons, or what he describes as “weapons of war.”
Buttigieg argued for a more incremental, pragmatic approach: “We can’t wait for purity tests; we have to get something done.”
O’Rourke said while he supports policies with widespread appeal, like universal background checks, he also wants to push for more aggressive policies like banning assault-style weapons, prompting Buttigieg to hit back.
“I don’t need lessons from you on courage,” Buttigieg responded, alluding to his military service.
Like Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar also argued for focusing on policies with broad public support such as banning sales of guns to domestic abusers: “I just don’t want to screw this up,” she said.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, too, argued for incremental steps: “I want to get what works done,” she said arguing for voluntary gun buybacks. “This is not going to be a one and done.”
Why Warren Is On Defense Tonight
Elizabeth Warren has been on the defensive tonight -- and there are reasons for that. The attacks on her, especially from Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, reflect Warren’s biggest vulnerabilities -- that she’s not electable because she’s too liberal on policy (Medicare for All as a replacement to private health insurance) and that the former Harvard professor is elitist and arrogant. (Klobuchar accused Warren of believing no one else has good ideas, because they don’t agree with her.)
There's polling evidence to suggest Medicare for All as a replacement is unpopular with the middle. The difference in popularity between MFA as a replacement versus as a choice was huge in the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll from July -- 70% say MFA as an option is a good idea, 41% say the same about it as a replacement.
Fact Check: Syria War Not 'Regime Change'
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard blasted President Trump, but also Washington politicians and what she called media commentators for the situation in Syria. She called it a “regime change war,” and challenged South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg about what she said was his effective support for endless wars in Syria and elsewhere following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
But Syria is not a “regime change” war and never was. It might have been: President Barack Obama debated an attack directly against the Syrian regime led by strongman Bashar Assad -- but he elected not to launch it. President Trump ordered attacks directly against Syrian regime forces, but they were comparatively minor and limited, and never threatened political leaders in Damascus. Instead, at various times, the United States has supported some anti-Assad forces -- but they were never able to depose Assad -- and other fighters on the ground who battled the Islamic State terrorist group.
That anti-ISIS group, made up mostly of Syrian Kurds, worked closely with American forces until President Trump ordered that the U.S. troops pull out. Turkish forces invaded and that has led to the ongoing crisis in northern Syria that is among the topics the candidates are debating tonight. Vice President Joe Biden later used an answer to defend the Obama administration’s intentions in Syria and also make clear that regime change was not the goal.
Buttigieg Asserts Himself On Foreign Policy
There are two military veterans on stage tonight, but each took a very different tack when it comes to the latest foreign policy crisis over Turkey and Syria.
While Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard decried endless “regime change wars” (and has been criticized for being too sympathetic toward Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg emphasized why America can’t abandon its allies.
"I think that is dead wrong,” he told Gabbard. “The slaughter going on in Syria is not a consequence of American presence, it’s a consequence of a withdrawal and a betrayal by this president of American allies and American values."
Pushed again by Gabbard, he said he didn’t support keeping soldiers in Syria indefinitely, but that “we need to back people up and not abandon allies like the Kurds.”
He had tough words for Trump -- who has never served in uniform -- too.
“This president has betrayed American values. Our credibility has been tattered,” Buttigieg said.
“I will restore U.S. credibility before it is finally too late.”
Debating Warren's Wealth Tax
Candidates have been debating how to use the tax system to help boost incomes for low-income workers and reduce economic inequality.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke took the opportunity to cast himself as a centrist and criticize Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s support for a wealth tax focused on what she calls “ultramillionaires.”
“Sometimes I think Sen. Warren is more focused on being punitive, or pitting one part of the country against the other, instead of lifting people up and making sure that the country comes together,” O’Rourke said.
He said he would oppose any tax increases for families earning less than $250,000.
“I’m really shocked at the notion that anyone thinks I’m punitive,” Warren responded.
In a line evocative of former President Barack Obama’s controversial, “You didn’t build that” line in 2012, Warren said, “You made a fortune in America … good for you.” She went on: “But you built that fortune in America. I guarantee you built it in part using workers all of us helped pay to educate.”
Warren added: “All I’m saying is you make it to the top … then pitch in 2 cents so every other kid in America has a chance.”
Warren’s rivals touted their own plans. California Sen. Kamala Harris argued for annual tax credits of up to $6,000 for families earning less than $100,000 a year.
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang said Warren is right to point to economic inequality but noted that a wealth tax has been tried and rejected in several European countries.
“If we can’t learn from the failed experiences of other countries, what can we learn from?” Yang said.
Instead, Yang argued for a value-added tax — a “tiny slice of every Amazon sale, every Google search” that would help fund a universal basic income payment to Americans.
Democrats Struggle To Outline Alternative To Syria
The candidates were quick to condemn the situation in northern Syria following the withdrawal of American forces there and fault President Trump for getting to this point -- but they were short on alternatives of their own.
Former Vice President Joe Biden called Trump’s withdrawal of American forces “shameful.” Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said Trump “has the blood of the Kurds on his hands,” alluding to the forces in Syria that have fought alongside American forces against the Islamic State. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren also condemned Trump -- but only just.
What the candidates did not do is specify how they might unwind American commitments in the Middle East, even though several of them agree that should be the outcome. Warren’s own words -- “I think we should get out of the Middle East” -- sounded a lot like a phrase used by Trump. The difference she’d make as president, Warren suggested, is that “we should do it the right way” -- but without spelling out how that might look.
Klobuchar Tries To Stay Alive With Attacks On Warren
It’s been evident all night that Elizabeth Warren is now the front-runner with multiple candidates trying to attack the Massachusetts senator. But one of the more surprising and most sustained blitzes came from Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
“The difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something that you can actually get done,” Klobuchar said about Warren’s health care plan.
Klobuchar also called her out for not admitting her plan would raise taxes, saying Warren was “making Republican talking points right now in this room.”
“At least Bernie’s being honest here and saying how he’s gonna pay for this, and that taxes are going to go up,” Klobuchar said. “And I’m sorry, Elizabeth, but you’ve not said that, and I think we owe it to the American people to tell them where we’re gonna send the invoice.”
And on Warren’s fiscal policy, Klobuchar jabbed that “no one on this stage wants to protect billionaires -- not even the billionaire wants to protect billionaires,” referring to Tom Steyer, who’s making his debate debut.
“We have different approaches. Your idea is not the only idea,” the Minnesota senator said.
Klobuchar hasn’t had a major breakout moment in the previous three debates, and this could be her last shot -- she’s in danger of not making the November debate due to her stalled poll numbers and the debate’s fundraising requirements. But she’s setting herself up as a more moderate alternative to Warren in some ways -- and one from the Midwest who could win some needed states for Democrats. But it might be too little, too late for Klobuchar to try and make a move. The attacks, still, from Klobuchar and others are further evidence that Warren is the biggest target on stage -- and Biden no longer has the frontrunner moniker to himself tonight.
Speaking Times 1 Hour In
An hour into the debate, there’s a clear leader in speaking times: Elizabeth Warren spoke for 11 minutes, about double Joe Biden’s or Bernie Sanders’ time. Warren entered the debate with fresh scrutiny, given her rise in national polls, and the attention on her tonight reflects that.
Harris, Booker Bring Up Abortion Rights
During a discussion about health care, California Sen. Kamala Harris took a moment to interject abortion rights into the conversation, saying that the issue should be receiving more attention: “Poor women, women of color will die,” Harris said, because Republican legislatures are “telling women what to do with their bodies” — a reference to a series of new state laws restricting abortion, several in the early stages of pregnancy.
A few minutes later, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker picked up the thread, praising Harris for raising the issue but adding, “Women should not be the only ones taking up this cause and this fight.” Reproductive rights should be important to everyone, Booker argued, “because women are people” with a right to bodily autonomy.
Abortion rights activists — and some of the candidates, including Harris and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke — have said that abortion rights did not receive enough attention in the first three Democratic debates.
The calls for more focus on the issue come at a time when activists feel increasingly under threat. In addition to a push for restrictive abortion bans in several states, abortion rights supporters are eyeing the newly configured, more conservative U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected by many legal analysts to erode the Roe v. Wade decision and other precedents guaranteeing abortion rights.
Organizations including Planned Parenthood have been promoting the hashtag #AskAboutAbortion in an effort to raise the profile of the issue at the debate. They’ve pointed to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll that found that a majority of Democrats and independents felt that women’s health care was not getting enough attention.
The reason the issue has not been front and center may be that there’s relatively little space among the Democratic candidates in their support for abortion rights. Opposition to the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits public funding for abortion, has become the dominant position among leading Democrats; former Vice President Joe Biden once supported it but now opposes it. But the issue continues to be important to many Democratic base voters.
Where The Candidates Stand On Trade
Trade, manufacturing and how to guarantee and grow jobs have been major topics in the debate so far. Here’s NPR’s tracker on where each of the candidates stand on trade issues, including tariffs on Chinese goods, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and steel and aluminum tariffs:
As Warren Surges, Rivals Pile On Her Health Care Plan
As Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren surges in the polls, several of her rivals have piled on, attacking her support for a “Medicare for All” approach to health care, which is also favored by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg went after Warren’s plan by leaning into his own Midwestern credentials.
“This is why people here in the Midwest are so frustrated with Washington in general and Capitol Hill in particular,” Buttigieg said, reminding voters of his profile as a mayor from a red state.
Buttigieg has tried to carve out a lane for himself as a moderate bridge-builder and a fresh-faced alternative to the space occupied by former Vice President Joe Biden, who has been popular with white working-class voters.
Buttigieg accused Warren of being “evasive” about how she would pay for the plan and of having “a plan for everything except this” — a knock at one of Warren’s most popular talking points.
Another Midwesterner, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, also piled on: “We owe it to the American people to tell them where we’re gonna send the invoice,” she said, adding that failing to make a persuasive case about how to pay for health care will feed into “Republican talking points.”
Warren responded by arguing that costs will go down for “working-class families” under her plan.
Biden, the candidate with the most to lose from Warren’s surge, tried to thread the needle, reminding voters of his role in the Affordable Care Act while arguing that his health care proposal would build on the ACA in a pragmatic way.
Sanders, who also supports a Medicare for All plan, said it would cost $30 trillion over the next decade but added that the current system would cost $50 trillion.
Biden Gets 1st Question On Son’s Ukraine Links
Early on, former Vice President Joe Biden was given a chance to address the allegations lobbed by President Trump: that the Democratic presidential candidate used his federal power to favor a Ukrainian gas company that was paying his son, Hunter.
Even in asking the question, however, CNN’s Anderson Cooper noted that there is “no evidence of wrongdoing” to support Trump’s assertions.
“My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong,” Biden said, before shifting the focus to talking about “why it’s so important” to remove Trump from office.
“He knows if I get the nomination, I will beat him like a drum,” Biden said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was given a chance to respond to the story immediately afterward but instead shifted focus to climate change and health care.
Hunter Biden spoke about the issue this morning in an interview with ABC News. On Sunday, he released a statement in which he said he would forgo foreign business deals if his father were elected president.
Where The Candidates Stand On Health Care
Once again, health care was an early and divisive flashpoint among the Democratic candidates onstage, with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders defending their “Medicare for All” push over the more moderate Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.
NPR has broken down where each candidate stands on health care, where each stands on how and if a public option should be included and what plans each supports.
Impeachment Risks And Rewards
Democrats have a fine line to walk on impeachment.
All candidates on the debate stage said they are in favor of the impeachment inquiry, and that makes sense: Overwhelming numbers of Democrats are in favor of impeaching the president, and this is a Democratic primary.
But it gets trickier with the broader electorate. The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows a slim majority in favor of the impeachment inquiry. And when it comes to persuadable voters, a majority of independents, by a 54%-41% margin, now say they are in favor of the impeachment inquiry. In late September, it was the opposite — by a 50%-44% margin, they disapproved of the inquiry. Remarkably, that’s a net 19-point shift.
This shows that Democrats are winning over a key group, one that had been tracking with Democrats on almost every issue since Trump took office, except on impeachment — until this week.
But there was also a warning in the poll — 58% said they would rather Trump’s fate be decided at the ballot box rather than through the impeachment process. Democrats will have to figure out how to keep that majority on board.
The Path To The Impeachment Inquiry
Confused by all the Ukraine news and how House Democrats got to an impeachment inquiry? NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith has a thorough timeline of all the background you need to know.
Impeachment Is 1st Debate Question
The Democratic candidates onstage are unanimous in backing an impeachment inquiry into President Trump — something that has changed from the first debate.
Elizabeth Warren said the process must begin now instead of just letting voters decide in November 2020, “because sometimes there are issues that are bigger than politics.”
"Impeachment is the way that we establish that this man will not be permitted to break the law over and over without consequences,” the Massachusetts senator said.
Bernie Sanders said Trump “is the most corrupt president in the history of this country.” And Joe Biden — who didn’t back the inquiry until last week — said that Congress has no choice but to act, as the White House has stonewalled congressional oversight.
Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, said it was OK for her and other senators to say they already would vote to remove Trump, “because he’s committed crimes in plain sight.” Amy Klobuchar said senators have a “constitutional duty” because Trump is “digging up dirt on an opponent, that’s illegal conduct, that’s what he was doing."
Money, Money, Money, Mo-ney
Tonight is the deadline for campaigns to get their finance reports to the Federal Election Commission, on whose website the reports will be posted after midnight. Shortly before the debate, the Trump campaign was again touting its fundraising. It says it raised $125.7 million in the third quarter and has $158 million in cash on hand. Those are big numbers. It’s hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison with the Democratic campaigns because Trump is able to raise money jointly with the Republican National Committee and it can take in more than the minimum that campaigns are limited to.
For the Democrats, from numbers already released by the campaigns after the third quarter ended, here are the third-quarter leaders in total money raised: Bernie Sanders, $25.3 million; Elizabeth Warren, $24.6 million; Pete Buttigieg, $19.1 million; Joe Biden, $15.2 million; Kamala Harris, $11.6 million; Andrew Yang, $10 million; and Cory Booker, $6 million.
The Democrats combined are raising a decent amount of money, but given that most of their money is going to be spent fighting each other until the primary process is over, it does mean that whoever the nominee is will be starting in a fundraising hole that he or she will need to climb out of quickly. That’s one of the advantages that a sitting president up for reelection does have.
6:41 PM CDT
4 Things That Have Changed Since The Last Debate
It may just be over a month since the last Democratic debate, but a lot has changed when it comes to the 2020 presidential battle. Here’s a recap:
Warren catches Biden in polls: There’s no longer just one front-runner. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has now caught — and even leapfrogged — former Vice President Joe Biden in some national and early state polls. She is the favorite in Iowa and New Hampshire as of now, but Biden’s firewall remains South Carolina, where the state’s critical African American voting bloc is backing him.
An impeachment inquiry begins — with Biden in the crosshairs: House Democrats are making a formal push to charge President Trump with wrongdoing — and it’s all largely because of Trump’s fixation on the Bidens. At question is a July call that Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushing him to investigate business dealings of Biden and his son, Hunter, in Ukraine and whether doing so was tied to promised U.S. military assistance. Trump has assailed both Biden and Hunter, though no evidence of wrongdoing has been proved. In an interview Tuesday with ABC’s Good Morning America, the former vice president’s son said he did “nothing wrong at all,” though he did admit that it may have been “poor judgment” to sit on the board of a Ukrainian gas company while his father was in office. Joe Biden has now said Trump should be impeached.
Sanders suffers heart attack: This will be Bernie Sanders’ first official appearance since he suffered chest pains at a campaign event, resulting in two stents. The 78-year-old Vermont senator has said he’s going to return to the campaign trail after this debate, but the incident raises serious questions about his health — especially given that he would be the oldest person ever elected president if he won.
Turkey and Syria turn eyes on foreign and military policy: Geopolitical events have shifted just over the past week, after Trump announced the U.S. would draw back its forces in northern Syria, which led to an offensive from Turkish forces. Even Republicans have expressed alarm over abandoning Kurdish allies in the region, who were important in fighting ISIS, and over reports that some ISIS prisoners have now been set free. The White House is now calling for a cease-fire and is imposing economic sanctions on Turkey, but it’s new fodder for Democrats in the debate and could expose differences among the candidates on foreign policy.
Welcome To The 4th Democratic Presidential Debate
Democratic presidential hopefuls meet for the fourth time tonight. Starting at 8 p.m. ET, they’ll debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio — just outside Columbus. The debate will be moderated by CNN and The New York Times and will be simulcast on many NPR stations.
This will be the most crowded primary debate in history. Twelve Democrats qualified for tonight’s face-off — last month, the field was cut down to just 10 candidates onstage. Tonight’s candidates include former Vice President Joe Biden; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; billionaire businessman and activist Tom Steyer; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Gabbard is back after failing to qualify for September’s debate. She participated in the first two. And this will be Steyer’s first debate — he didn’t jump into the race until July.
Democrats hope to winnow the field even further next month. To make that cut, candidates will have to hit 3% in four early state or national polls, in addition to amassing 165,000 donors. So far, eight candidates have qualified — Biden, Booker, Buttigieg, Harris, Sanders, Steyer, Warren and Yang.
Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate in Westerville, Ohio, has some key differences from the last three. This time, there is an ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is catching up to former Vice President Joe Biden in the polls and businessman Tom Steyer is making his debut to the debate stage.
There will be 12 candidates total in the CNN/New York Times debate, which will air on CNN and on many NPR member stations beginning at 8 p.m. ET. It's the most that have been on stage at once. The candidates who met the October requirements are:
Biden; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former HUD Secretary Julián Castro; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; Steyer; Warren; and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Read more about where the candidates stand on key issues, including health care, climate and gun policy. And here are key political questions we had ahead of the debate, including how will Warren handle the likely increased scrutiny with her rise? Follow NPR through the night for live analysis and fact checks of the candidates' remarks.
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