Democratic debate: Warren takes hits from all sides as Trump impeachment remains top focus
Democrats spar in the largest presidential primary debate in American history
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Your support makes all the difference.Twelve Democrats hoping to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election took the stage tonight for the largest primary debate in American history -- just as the candidates are finally taking off their gloves.
The candidates who met the Democratic National Committee's polling and fundraising requirements to join Tuesday's night debate -- the first since an impeachment inquiry was launched into Mr Trump -- included former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, California Senator Kamala Harris, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former House Secretary Julián Castro and billionaire Tom Steyer.
Ms Warren repeatedly came under attack during the debate as rivals accused the Massachusetts senator of ducking questions about the cost of Medicare for All and her signature “wealth tax” plan.
The pile-on was the clearest sign yet that Ms Warren has a new status in the crowded Democratic primary: a front-runner in the contest to take on Mr Trump next year.
The night’s confrontations were mostly fought on familiar terrain for Democrats, who have spent months sparring over the future of health care with moderates pressing for a measured approach while Ms Warren and Mr Sanders call for a dramatic, government-funded overhaul of the insurance market.
But unlike Mr Sanders, Ms Warren refused to say whether she would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for Medicare for All — a stance that’s increasingly difficult to maintain given her more prominent status.
Her rivals seized on the opportunity to pounce.
“I appreciate Elizabeth’s work but, again, the difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something you can actually get done,” said Ms Klobuchar.
Mr Buttigieg added: “We heard it tonight. A ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question that didn’t get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.”
The political landscape has changed with Mr Trump facing an impeachment inquiry in the House focused on his quest to get Ukraine to dig up unflattering details about Mr Biden, another front-runner among the Democrats hoping to succeed him.
The debate also served as Mr Sanders’ return to the campaign trail following a heart attack earlier this month. The Vermont senator declared, “I’m feeling great.” and hinted at a rally on Saturday in which prominent freshman Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will reportedly endorse his presidential candidacy.
Additional reporting by Associated Press. Check out live updates as they came in below.
That's all for The Independent's live reporting from the Democratic debates.
And we're back! Anderson Cooper is asking about how to prevent an ISIS resurgence after Donald Trump's decision to pull out of northeastern Syria.
Joe Biden says he would not have pulled out of the region and that it was "the most shameful thing" for Trump to say ISIS would only head to Europe if they were to escape prisons in the region.
Tulsi Gabbard says it is "completely despicable" that news outlets have called her "an asset of Russia".
Kamala Harris says Donald Trump "sold out the Kurds" and adds he "basically is giving 10,000 ISIS prisoners a get out of jail free card".
"Dude gotta go and when I'm commander-in-chief we will stop this madness," she says.
Julian Castro calls out Donald Trump for "caging kids" on the US-Mexico border "and letting ISIS prisoners run free".
People are appreciating Kamala Harris' use of she/her/hers pronouns when talking about the role of the presidency:
"We have an erratic, crazy president who doesn't know a damn thing" about foreign relations, Joe Biden says.
"If he is re-elected, there will be no NATO, I promise you," he adds.
Amy Klobuchar has called on the Senate to pass a bill she co-authored that would mandate paper backups of votes so there could not be continued attacks on voting systems.
Beto O'Rourke is asked about his calls for a mandatory buyback programme, the candidate says he stands by those statements in which he said "hell yes, we're gonna take your AR-15s".
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