Thread by @BBuchman_CNS

Good evening! I will begin live-tweeting the #DemDebate2020 at 9PM ET for @CourthouseNews but in the meantime, let's go over some policy points for each of tonight's contenders.

Tonight’s candidates on the debate stage are: @JoeBiden, @BernieSanders, @KamalaHarris, @PeteButtigieg, @MichaelBennet, @SenGillibrand (Kirsten Gillibrand), John @Hickenlooper, @ericswalwell, @Marwilliamson (Marianne Williamson) and @Andrew Yang.

But first, we'll revisit rules quickly: recall, candidates have 60 seconds to respond, 30 seconds for follow-ups. There will be no opening remarks to save time but closing remarks will be delivered by each.

To the candidates.

We'll start with Joe Biden.
This is the former VP’s 3rd time running for POTUS. He has spent the better part of his campaign promising to return the U.S. to ‘normalcy’ which he says existed before Trump.

He’s had a run of bad optics and he’s faced staunch criticism from many Dems and women who say his hands-on approach, literally, is too close for comfort or unprofessional.

When in Congress, he voted for the Iraq War, mandatory minimums for drug crimes and many argue his policies exacerbated mass incarceration. He has flip flopped on Roe v Wade over the years and his more recent reversal of support for the Hyde Amendment put him in hot water w/Dems.

To his credit, he’s helped raise over $1B for cancer research. His platform for 2020 proposes an investment of $48B for low income schools with raises for teachers built-in. He’s not for Medicare-for-All (For now) but he doubled down on ACA as the path forward.

On climate, Biden has drawn up a plan that resembles the Green New Deal but doesn’t go as far to curb natural gas and oil development. He’s all for nuclear power and he supports carbon sequestration but...

the task force he’s proposed,- the Carbon Capture Coalition – is comprised of fossil fuel giants.

Now to Bernie Sanders.
Bernie Sanders. In this cycle, Sanders cuts quite a polarizing figure.

The Vermont senator gained popularity in 2016 by drawing attention to issues like wage disparity, campaign finance reform, $15 minimum wage and climate change. His campaign shifted the way candidates talk about those issues today.

The avowed democratic socialist, buoyed by grassroots support, calls for universal health care, free college tuition and a 77% tax on Americans with assets over $50M. He wants to expand the estate tax and speculation taxes on Wall Street.

He’s got a long track record of getting Republican and Dems in Congress to find common ground and he’s made the case that his brand of politics is the only way to ensure Trump is out of office.

Sanders’ campaign has been dogged by those who argue he is a party spoiler, and that he lingered too long in the primary fight against Hillary Clinton in ’16. But a devout following of left-leaning voters and progressives has kept his popularity buoyed in the run up to tonight.

Sanders has been talking climate for 30 years, he’s had an active hand in passing carbon pricing legislation and he’s advocated for carbon taxes. He supports the Green New Deal and wants broader investment in infrastructure to protect against disasters like flooding and wildfire.

But he’s been less specific about what his climate policies would entail and unlike other candidates on the stage, he’s yet to release a detailed climate plan but on the trail, he’s called for a more evolved bill of rights that argues a clean environment is a human right.

Now to Kamala Harris.

The former prosecutor is a staunch advocate for DREAMers and abortion rights and has been vocal and tough against racial discrimination in the workplace and broadly; she’s also championed immigrant rights in the face of the Trump admin’s austerity.

She’s pushed for reforms in criminal justice but her track record on that is often criticized. She also fought hard to keep ACA enforced and she helped those crushed by the housing crisis by nabbing a $20 billion settlement for those impacted in California.

But her time as prosecutor has left some scratching their heads, i.e. she advocated for legislation that allowed chronically truant students to be prosecuted (colorlines.com/articles/new-c…) despite wide protest by progressives that this ignored the impact on low income POC.

It also took years for Harris to come around to decriminalizing marijuana. Harris is also responsible for setting up one of the first databases on police shooting.

On climate, Harris was responsible for creating an environmental justice division in California when she served as San Fran’s DA and she joined with other AGs to stop the Trump admin’s enviro regs rollbacks.

She’s been vocal against offshore drilling and supports the Green New Deal but has not come out fully against fracking. Harris has been quiet on carbon pricing. Though she once accepted donations from fossil fuel giants, she has pledged not to this go around.

Now we come to Pete Buttigieg. (For those who are still unsure – it’s boot-edge-edge) The Indiana mayor has a little bit of everything for people to love it seems.

A Harvard and Oxford grad, he ticks boxes for those hankering for bona fides and his Midwestern roots seem to make him more accessible. A gay man who joined the military before don’t ask-don’t tell was repealed; he served as a naval reserve in Afghanistan.

Multi-lingual and young, Buttigieg has charm. So much so, Barack Obama named him a future leader of the Democratic Party. On policy, he wants to abolish the Electoral College, supports single payer healthcare and advocates for automatic voter reg.

He’s faced recent criticism for not doing enough to stop police violence in South Bend, Indiana. On climate - Indiana has been hit hard with flooding. First, a 1000 yr flood in ’16 and then in ’18, a record breaking 500 year flood hit.

Indiana is a coal-loving state & where existing laws were created there to keep renewable initiatives out, once mayor, he set up an office specifically to deal with sustainability. He wants to rejoin Paris, initiate a national carbon tax w/ taxpayers rec’ing the dividends.

And he wants to pony up big on federal research for renewable energy and storage. He has agreed not to accept any fossil fuel $ and while he’s said he would prefer a ban on fracking, he hasn’t been unequivocal.

We move to Michael Bennet.
The Colorado Sen. used to work for another candidate on the stage (frmr Gov. Hickenlooper). He’s mostly moderate. He's campaigned against elitism, often saying voters are tired of divisions in D.C. when those who live outside it are far less cleaved.

A former school superintendent in Denver, reviews of his tenure were mixed, with critics saying not enough attention was paid to at-risk kids. Bennet has been critical of Medicare-for-All and anything to do with democratic socialism.

He insinuated proposals like MFA or GND were like “candy” and called for more “serious” approaches to policy. He’s proposed something known a Medicare X, a public option bill that let ppl buy public health insurance that pays dr’s what Medicare does already...

...and would allow providers already in the Medicare system to stay. He wants to expand child tax credits too.
On climate - hailing from Colorado, means Bennet has a lot of public land in his state and a lot of reason to care about wildfire and drought.

But he’s made a few moves environmentalists question, like when he broke with Dems to vote for Keystone XL pipeline. Or when he voted for the Jordan Cove pipeline in Oregon. He hasn’t sworn of fossil fuels but his climate plan vows to reach zero emissions by 2050.

He has been mum on support for the Green New Deal; he wants to create a bank just for the climate innovation, starting with a $10T investment and he wants to cordon off 30% of public lands just for conservation. He also advocates for greater farmer involvement in sustainable ag.

Next to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
A major advocate for women’s rights for years, she's pushed for reforms in Congress to address sexual harassment there and she’s done the same for sexual misconduct in the military.

She releases a report on assaults in the military each year and has advocated for better protection for women on campuses. She wants universal paid family leave and she’s also called for secure funding to create reproductive health centers in every state in the nation.

Frequently critical of Trump, she’s called the admin’s immigration policy “inhumane, ineffective and wrong.” She’s advocated for funding border security measures that are anti-terrorism and human/drug trafficking but she’s also asked lawmakers to limit funding...

...to centers the gov’t uses to house unaccompanied minors. She’s also called for an end to for-profit prisons that house immigrants. And she’s called for the legalization of marijuana and the expungement of past records.

On climate, Gillibrand has significant support from the League of Conservation Voters and led a charge among a Senate enviro committee this year to include tenets of the Green New Deal as a part of the committee’s agenda.

She supports a carbon tax, and co-sponsored a carbon pricing bill that shoots for a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2029 generating $2.3T in 10Y.

And to our next candidate, John Hickenlooper. He is the former gov. of Colorado and onetime-geologist turned brewpub owner. He’s a moderate who supports gun control, including universal background checks and wants to ban high capacity weapons.

While he increased accessibility to healthcare w/expanded Medicare in his state, his reforms to ACA have been proposed with the help of Republicans, like John Kasich. He’s come out hard against democratic socialism, supports free trade and gay marriage...

....and he oversaw the legalization of recreational marijuana in his home state. He also dubbed Trump’s family sep. plan “cruel and un-American” and as governor, he refused to send Colorado’s Nat. Guard down to the border.

And to Eric Swalwell.
Now a California House Rep. , he was a prosecutor before earning his seat in Congress. Now he sits on two major committees: House Judiciary and House Intelligence. He’s been hard on Trump and dogged about the Russia investigation.

On guns, he wants a ban on semi-automatics and wants to launch a federal buyback program. He isn’t for Medicare-for-All. And he’s been mum on breaking up big tech. He’s been vocal and critical of Trump’s immigration policies.

Next we have Marianne Williamson, an author who has received Oprah’s stamp of approval + has premised her campaign run on triggering a “moral and spiritual awakening” in U.S. politics.

Her ideas are frequently non-conventional, i.e. she has floated the idea of creating a Department of Peace which would be aimed at dealing with community violence. She advocates for reparations for black American descendants of slaves and she’s all for Medicare-for-All.

She’ll pay for it, she’s said, by taxing the uberwealthy. Williamson has also called for “capitalism with a conscience” and just this week she walked backed her assessments of mandated vaccines – she called them “Orwellian” – by saying, rather...

she was concerned with balancing public health and individual choice. She’s for abortion rights and believes Hyde should be repealed.

And finally we have Andrew Yang.
Yang is a former lawyer and entrepreneur who had success in Silicon Valley and is most well known – for now – for his position on universal base income or what he calls a “Freedom Dividend”.

Yang wants to give every American citizen over 18y/o $1k a month – mostly because Yang feels the future bodes poorly for workers as automation takes over. But the dividend comes on swap – it would replace welfare programs like food stamps.

Yang wants to lower the voting age, supports Medicare for All and wants pathways to citizenship for immigrants.

On climate, he pushes for geoengineering to resolve problems. Whether its carbon capture or solar radiation management (spraying sulfur chemicals into the atmosphere to reflect sun rays back to space). Yang has said he’s an “all of the above” thinker on climate.

He wants to end tax cuts given to fossil fuel companies while also instituting a tax on emissions that will fund health care programs.

We are just minutes away from part two of #DemDebate2020. While I live tweet, my colleague @PaisMonica will be covering the event in Miami and will have a full wrap-up when the debate concludes.
@CourthouseNews

And away we go. Same moderators as last night, Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie, Jose Diaz Balert and Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd

Reminder, no opening remarks. We're going right into questions.

We start with Bernie Sanders. Guthrie asks about his calls for univ. HC and free college, he's said he thought taxes would be delighted to pay for that. But will taxes go up for middle class? Sanders says: we have a new vision for America.

When 3 ppl own more wealth than the bottom half of america with 500K ppl sleeping on the streets, we think it is time for real change Health care is a human right, in his view, and a Medicare-For-All system is needed.
Most ppl wil be paying less for HC than they are right now.

Education is the future for this country, he says, public colleges and univ. must be tuition free and he wants to eliminate student debt by placing a tax on Wall St.
Each proposal he's brought forth is "fully paid for."

But will he raise taxes on the middle class? Guthrie asks Under MFA, no copay, no deductible, etc. they will pay more in taxes but less in healthcare.

Guthrie to Biden: Sanders has been calling for a revolution. When Biden spoke on income inequality, he said we shouldn't demonize the rich, nothing would fundamentally change. What did he mean?

Trump thinks Wall St built America, but ordinary Americans built America, Biden says.
Too many people who are MC and poor are having the bottom fall out - to return dignity to MC, they need insurance that is covered and they can afford it.

He says people should have continued education they can pay for, clean air, clean water.
We can make massive cuts in the 1.6T in tax loopholes and I would go about eliminating Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy

Guthrie to Harris: Do Dems have a responsibility to explain how they will pay for every proposal they make?
Harris: Where was that Q when GOP and Trump passed a tax bill that benefits the 1% contributing $1T debt to MC america.

Working families need support, this economy is not working for working people. For too long, rules written in favor of ppl who have the most.
Wants to change the tax code, every fam making less than 100K year, they can rec' a $500 monthly tax credit in her plan.

Hickenlooper says we have to come out strong against using the word or applying the concept of socialism. Cant promise every American a govt job. HC is a right, not a privilege, but says you cant expect to eliminate insurance for people who dont want to give it up.

Sanders - nominating a socialist would it reelect DJT? The response is: the last poll had Sanders 10pts ahead of Trump because the American ppl understand that Trump is a phony, a pathological liar and a racist and that he lied to the American ppl during his campaign.

He said he'd stand up for working families. "You're not doing that when you're trying to throw 32M ppl of HC they have and where over 80 percent of tax bill goes to the most wealthy,"

Gillibrand says she disagrees with both perspectives from Sanders and Hickenlooper- there's a difference between capitalism and greed. If you're talking about ending gun violence, its the greed of hte NRA, the greed of insurance companies and drug companies, need not be

disagreement in party, in truth we want healthy capitalism, not corrupt capitalism.

Bennet on that 'candy' comment he made about plans like MFA and GND - Bennet says we're facing 40 yrs of no economic growth for 100M ppl, Says HC is a right and we need univ. HC but the way to do it is to finish the work started with ACA and creating public option

Why does't Buttigieg want free college? He says if you can refinance your house, you should be able to refinance your debt. But only believes free tuition makes sense for low income. It doesn't make sense, he says, to subsidize wealthy kids education.

But on college affordability, he says, yes, it must be better priced but it should also be affordable to not go to college. You should be able to afford rent, live well, be generous with your church etc. He wants $15 min wage.

Swalwell says the new generation is ready to solve student debt because they will be among the first who cant afford a home.
Now to Yang and his $1,000k monthly base income offer.

It's difficult to do if you companies like Amazon pay nothing in taxes while closing stores.
If we had a value added tax, he said, ti would generate new revenue, and would "triple-up" the economy, create jobs.
(If people have more $ to spend, its the virtuous cycle argument)

Swalwell - Tech should create more jobs than it displaces. Schools must be modernized, wiped student debt from any teacher that goes into a community that needs it.
Swalwell recounts when he was 6 and a Dem candidate said it was time to pass the torch. It was Sen. Joe Biden.

Swalwell - He's still right today. If we're going to solve climate crisis, gun violence etc, pass the torch..

Biden says "I'm still holding onto that torch. We have to make sure everyone is better prepared to go on for an education. That's why I've prosposed focusing on schools in distress, tripling money for Title I schools, univ. pre-K, all grads from HS need something beyond it."

Biden calls for free community college, and anyone making less than 25K doesnt have to repay debt, with no interest, until they get above that salary level.

Sanders - The issue is not generational, he says, then there's a lot of cross talk.
Harris says, "Hey guys, America doesn't want to witness a food fight, they want to know how we're going to put food on their table. "

Harris says DJT goes around saying "my great economy!" and he says, Wall Street But so many families don't have stocks. There are ppl working 2 or 3 jobs, Harris says no one should have to work more than 1 job to have a roof over their head and food on the table.

Show of hand Q - who would abolish private health insurance in favor of a govt run plan, only Harris and Sanders raised their hands.

Gillibrand - Wants MFA, wants insurers to compete if they want, but her plan would be one wher anyone who doesnt have access to HC, they can buy in at a percentage of their income that they can afford. Then the step to single payer is "so short."

It would be like social security, you buy in once and its there for you.

Buttigieg says you have to actually explain how you get from here to there on Medicare for All. Wants to call it Medicare for All Who Want It.

People can buy it if they want, calls it a "natural glide path" to single payer.
He says, look, even in England, with socialized medicine, they still have the option to choose.

Biden was an architect of ACA - where do we go from here? Holt asks
Biden says when his wife and daughter were killed and his sons were injured, he couldn't imagine what it would be like w/o it. Then when his son was diagnosed with cancer...

now he can't imagine what would have happened if the insurers would have said, by the way, the last six months, you're on your own.

Says we must build on what was already done and make sure that all ppl have an option whether its private, employer or none, they can buy in on the exchange to a Medicare-like plan.
Urgency matters, there's ppl right now facing what I faced without what I had. - Biden

Sanders, the function of the HC system today is to make billions in profits for insurance companies and last year, while US paid highest prices in world for Rx drugs - he wants to lower them by half - they will spend millions to lie about why we can't have MFA.

But how do we do it? Holt asks.
Sanders said, we'll do it the way we did it the way we succeeded on civil rights, women's rights. when ppl stand up and tell drug companies their days are gone, and HC is a human right.

Now we have Williamson. How would she lower cost of Rx drugs?
Govt should never had made a deal with big pharma they can't negotiate that let multinational corpos that "had their way with us"

"If you think we're going to beat Trump by just having these plans you got another thing coming. We have to get deeper than superficial fixes, as important as they are. " Says we dont have a healthcare system in the US...

"We have a sickness care system, we wait til someone is sick and then we talk about who is going to pay for the treatment" - Williamson
Adds as her time runs out, this is also about looking at how chemical industry factors in to our collective health, enviro issues etc.

Sanders to Mike Bennet after Bennet claims Sanders plan would tank choice- Medicare is the most popular health insurance program in the country. They dont like their private insurance companies, they like their hospitals and docs. They can go there, they can do that.

Harris: "Any parent who has a child w/a temp out of control knows what it is to go to the ER, and w/the hand on the forehead of their child knowing if they walk thru the sliding glass doors with insurance, they'll be out a $5K deductible Thats what insurance companies are doing."

Show of Hands Q - would their HC plan provide coverage for undocumented immigrants - all raise their hands.

Buttigieg starts - In his plan, all can have HC and all can buy in, this isn't a handout, it an insurance program and "we do ourselves no favors by having 11M undocumented ppl unable to access HC"

But says the real problem is we shouldnt have 11M in the country with no pathway to citizenship.

Savannah Guthrie mistakenly believes Biden did not raise his hand for HC for undocumented people - he did. She apologizes.

Biden: "Here's the deal, immigrants contribute to well being of country & increase the lifespan of social security, If they have a job, that's what they do. It would do the same thing to reduce overall cost of HC,"

On a commercial break.

And we are back.

Q to Harris - Last mo, 130K migrants apprehended at border, incl. small children in private detention centers in Fla. and thru U.S.
What will she do with the thousands of ppl who try to reach the US every day and want a better life thru asylum

Thru EO, she would reinstate #daca status, extending protections from deportation for parents and for veterans. Wants to put in place meaningful asylum review, release children from cages and make sure that the mic the president "holds in her hand" will reflect values of US

Think in terms of real ppl. A mother who pays a coyote to transport their child, to face unknown peril to come here. Why would that mother do that? Because she has decided for that child to remain where they are is worse..

What does Trump do? He says go back to where you came from and that, Harris says, is not reflective of American values.

Hicklenlooper now up on the same Q.
On Day 1 -

Says the images seen this week compound the emotional impact the world is judging us by. If you would have told him this country would sanction this, put kids in cages/ put them up for adoption, says in CO they call this kidnapping - he would have told you this was unbelievable.

Hickenlooper: Children must stay with their families when they come, ICE must be totally reformed, where they're addressing the whole needs of all on border. We have to provide not just shelter but food, clothing and access to medical care.

Williamson agrees, it is kidnapping. If you forcibly take a child from their parents arms, you're kidnapping them and if you take a lot of kids and put in a detainment center, inflicting trauma upon them, this is inflicting child abuse.

That is a crime, she says. The Trump admin family sep policies are state sanctioned crimes. Trump is attacking the basic principle of America's core - "We open our hearts to the stranger."

Turns to everyone on stage and asks where have they been the last few decades to stop these issues.

Gillibrand is calling for "real immigration judges" not attys appointed by AG and adds, she wouldn't be spending money on for profit prisons to lock up children.

Buttigieg says anyone who would advocate or approve of putting children in cages loses the right to use religion as their excuse.

Would you decriminalize crossing border with documents?
Biden would surge billions to N. Triangle, he would reunite families and if not, "we'd put them somewhere safe until we could find parents. "

Diaz-Balart notes Obama admin deported more than 3M.
If someone is living here illegally, should they be deported just because of that?
Biden says, first, only if they committed a serious offense.

Then Diaz says, but if thats all they've done, is live here w/o documentation? Biden says a person "w/o doc and no offenses should not be the focus of deportation .We should fundamentally change the way we deal with them."

Sanders says on Day 1: We pick up a pen and rescind every thing Trump has done on this issue.

Harris says children should not be deported, but on secure communities, when she was AG of California - and on this issue, she disagreed with Obama because the policy was to allow deportation of ppl who by ICE's own definition were non-criminals.

As AG, she issued a directive to sheriffs that they did not have to comply with detainers and instead should make decisions based on public safety of their community.

Harris says, "I want a rape victim to run in the middle of the street, be able to waive down an officer and report a crime. Ppl shouldn't be afraid to report a crime because they're here illegally."

Bennet says: family sep reminds him of his mother who was sep'd from fam during Holocaust. Pathways to citizenship first, he's passed bills that had sophisticated border security, not a "medieval wall" he adds.

Bennet says Trump has turned the border into a symbol of hostility while the world should be referencing the statue of liberty

We're on China, so far Yang and Buttigieg have said that we have to be tougher on China.
Buttigieg on tariffs - Americans will pay 800 more a year because of tariffs, while China continues to grow. We have to invest in our own domestic competitiveness

The first hour flew by. On a commercial break.

We are back.

Moderators are now Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow.

Starting with Buttigieg - Maddow asks about the natl debate over race and criminal justice system. South Bend Police Force is now 6 percent black ina city that is 20 percent black.
Why?
He says, because he couldnt get it done.
#EricLogan

But there were steps that he took, bias training, deescalation, but it didn't save the life of Eric Logan and when he looks into his mother's eyes, he has to face the fact that nothing he says will bring Eric Logan back.

Until policing is moved from the shadows of systemic racism, we will always have the bigger problem. There's mistrust put up by one racist at a time. It threatens the wellbeing of everyone. A white person and a black person should feel the same thing when a cop approaches - safe.

Hickenlooper says real Q to ask - why is that every city doesn't have a level of police accountability?
Buttigieg says South Bend has taken a lot of steps for accountability and he accepts responsibility.

Swalwell says the chief should be fired.
Buttigieg says it will be investigated.

Williamson: All issues are important but these are symptoms of a larger problem, a Dem party should be on the side of reparations for slavery for this very reason. The avg american is not a racist, but woefully under-educated about the history of race..

Harris says as a woman of color on the stage, she wants to speak.
On the issue of race: she agrees, the issue is not being talked about truthfully and honestly, not a black man she knows, be a relative, friend or coworker hasnt been some subject of profiling.

Harris dealt with this directly but in Biden's campaign, she says, I dont believe you're a racist. I agree with you when you commit yourself to finding common ground,

Harris: But you worked with them to oppose busing.
She was bussed as a child.
Biden says this is a mischaracterization,
The busing, he says, she would have been able to go to school the same way but it was her local council who pushed for that

Was Biden wrong to oppose busing in America?
I opposed busing ordered by Dept of Education.
Harris was part of the 2nd class to integrate 2 decades after Brown v BOE
Biden says because of Calif local govt.

Harris says thats why we need the federal govt involved, thats why we need the #ERANow
Biden says he extended the voting rights act for 25 years.

Sanders says Dems must be diverse, inclusive but we must have a party that has power over economic and political life.
"We must ask why the worker in the middle of our economy is making no more money than he/she made 35 years ago."

Gillibrand agrees with Sanders, wants money out of politics, have clean elections. This is the only way to pull corruption out from the root.

Should voters believe gridlock will disappear with a Dem in WH?
Bennet: It wont disappear so long as Mitch McConnell is there.

Bennet: He's pumping for his Medicare X plan and to end political gerrymandering. "The court today said we couldn't do anything about it. We need to overturn Citizens United, yet the court was the one who gave us this. All of this has happened since Biden was in the Senate. '

Gillibrand on Trump tax cut - it was done to pay back their donors. Corruption is real and thats why the last several months, nothing has been possible for passage in the Senate.

Maddow to Sanders on Roe v. Wade - Now w/conservative maj on SCOTUS - if elected, and state challenge to Roe came to court - what is his plan if it is struck down?
A woman' right to control her own body is a constitutional right and a politician can't infringe on that right..

Sanders: Let me make a promise, My litmus test - i will never appoint any justice to SCOTUS unless that justice is 100% clear he or she will defend Roe.

Sanders: He doesn't believe in packing the court but he does believe constitutionally, we have the power to rotate judges to other courts, briging new blood to SCOTUS.

Maddow but if Roe was gone, what could he do to preserve abortion rights?
Sanders: Medicare for All guarantees every woman in this country the right to have an abortion if she wants it.

Gillibrand says women' repro right are under assault, multiple states trying to overturn, and it is mind boggling to her that we are debating whether women should have these rights. We should stop playing defense and start playing offense.

"When doors are closed, compromises are made on women's rights. That's how we got to Hyde. Compromises by both parties During ACA negotiations, she had to fight to make sure contraception or abortion wasn't sold down the river. "

Imagine this: When we beat Trump and McConnell walks in for negotiations who do you want behind that door when it closes? When it closes, if she's there, she'll guarantee women's repro rights no matter what. - Gillibrand

Trump embraces science fiction over science fact when it comes to climate, Harris says. This is an existential crisis.
On climate, Harris says: we have to confront what is immediate and before us.. That is why she supports a #GreenNewDeal,, will reenter Paris"

What is the greatest nat'l sec threat to US? It's Donald Trump.
"I agree climate change reps an existential threat but she notes: "He denies the science. And No Korea. What does he do? He embraces a dictator for the sake of a photo op. He takes the word of Putin over US intel.."

Buttigieg - Climate change isnt just happening on the arctic ice caps, but in the middle of the country.
Rural America can be part of the solution, not the problem. Soil management is key. Look to leadership of local communities.

Maddow to Hickenlooper, who has said oil/gas are part of the solution. Can oil and gas be real partners?
Hickenlooper says he shares the urgency, he's a scientist, we know irreversible damage is coming. But guaranteeing govt jobs for all is not a solution. (Dig at the GND)

Hickenlooper says we have to focus on methane. CO2, the worst polluters are China, US and concrete exhalation
Only by bringing ppl together will solve this. Cant "demonize business," he says. If we don't, :we're doomed to failure."

Maddow what can you do address climate if Republicans dont budge?
Biden - I'd insist we build 500k recharging stations thru US working w/gov mayors and others get to full electrical future by 2030. $400M in new science to export green economy, rejoin Paris and up the ante

Biden doesn't specify how, however.

Sanders: What POTUS should do is not deny reality of climate change, instead of spending 1.5T on weapons of destruction, get together to fight the common enemy. The future of the planet rests on that.

Swalwell says pass the torch, to which, Biden smiles and waves his hand as if to dismiss him while smiling.

Obama wanted to address both healthcare and climate but could only get one signature issue accomplished. He didn't get to climate change. Candidates may have one shot to get it passed. What is the first issue to tackle? Todd limits them to 1 word. That didn't last long.

Swalwell: Ending gun violence.
Bennet: Climate change and lack of economic mobility.
Gilliibrand: univ paid leave, equal pay, working families tax cut
Harris,: DACA, guns, working families tax cut

Sanders: We need a political revolution to stand up and take on corp interests to transform all of these issues in US
Biden, first, says Todd is underestimating Barack Obama,"He was the first man to bring together entire world to deal w/climate change,

Then Biden says, "But first, we have to defeat DJT."
Buttigieg: Fix democracy before it is too late, climate, immigration, taxes

Yang: Pass his UBI, $1000 dividend, which would speed up resolutions to climate change "by getting the boot off their throats."
Hickenlooper: He'd introduce a climate plan now because he doesn't want to reelect Trump

Williamson: Says the first thing she'd do is call the New Zealand PM who once claimed NZ was best place for children to grow up. She'd say, it's not . It's now America.

Q on gun reform to Swalwell - who wants govt to buyback guns everywhere, making it mandatory.
Keep your pistols, rifles, shotguns, but we take the most dangerous weapons from the most dangerous people.,

"We have the NRA on the ropes," he says, But adds he is only candidate calling for a total buyback of every single assault weapon.
Other candidates plans, he claims, would leave 15M guns on the street.

Maddow asks about Sanders 2013 position on guns, that it should be left to states. Sanders says thats a mischaracterization, He's got a D- record from NRA, we need comprehensive gun legislation that provides universal background, end gun show loophole, end strawman provision.

Swalwell cross talk, says assault weapons should not be left in street.
He bans the sale, Sanders says.
Swalwell - but would you buy back?
Sanders says if ppl want to do that, they can.

Harris says in her first 100 days congress, must find a way to deal with guns, if not, she'll put in place comprehensive background checks, will direct ATF to take weapons from ppl who violate the law.

"There are plenty of good ideas in the Senate, there's been no action," Harris says.

Buttigieg says common sense measures cant be delivered in Washington. He's trained on weapons of war, and there are weapons that have no place in American cities in peace time.

Biden: I got the Brady bill passed for background check, we increased that during the Obama/Biden admin, got assault weapons banned and the number of clips in a gun banned. I would buy back those weapons, we already started talking about it. It can be done, it should be demanded.

We should have smart guns. No gun should be sold unless there's a biometric way to use, Biden says.

Audience wants to know how to restore what we've lost in appearances on world stage since Trump has become POTUS? How do restore that?

Bennet: We have to stop the corruption, restore relationship with our allies, Last night he attacked Japan, Germany and other allies. When POTUS says something happened in Straits of Hormuz, and whole world doesnt know whether to believe it or not, thats a huge problem.

Williamson: Will call Euro leaders first
Hickenlooper: Constant engagement, Would go to China first to deal with public health pandemics
Yang: China, cooperate with climate

Buttigieg: We have no idea who of our most important allies he'l have pissed off by then. But we know the entire world needs to change
Biden: NATO will fall apart if he is elected for 4 more years
Sanders: Its not 1 country, its rebuilding trust in UN to solve conflicts w/o war

Harris: All members of NATO alliance
Gillibrand: Iran, to engage them and stabilize before we start never-ending war
Bennet: EU allies in every Latin American country who wants to talk about how to deal with immigration
Swalwell: Breaking up with Russia, making up with NATO

Moderators ask Biden to address his support of Iraq war.

Once Bush abused war power to get into Iraq, Biden says "Obama turned him to say get our combat troops out of Iraq. My son was one of them. We shouldn't have combat troops in Afghanistan. It should end." Must deal with ISIS by dealing with our allies he adds.

Sanders: Joe voted for that war, I helped lead the opposition to that war which was a total disaster.. I led the effort for the 1st time to utilize the war powers act to get US out of Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.

"I'll do everything I can to prevent a war w/Iran which will be far worse than Iraq." - Sanders

We are about to wrap up with closing remarks.

Swalwell: We can't be a fwd looking party if we look to the past for our leadership. When he's not changing diapers, he's changing Washington.
D.C. is made of the rich and disconnected,
There's a moment to seize among this can-do generation.

Williamson: DJT won't be beaten by insider politics or someone who has plans. He'll be beaten by someone who understands what he has done. Talks to DJT: You've harnessed fear for political purposes and only love can cast that out. I'll harness love to beat you.

Bennet: His parents came to US to rebuild their shattered lives, the ability for one generation to do better than the next is at risk and he doesn't want to see a repeat of bad history. We need broad coalitions to build a new era of American democracy.

Hickenlooper: Small biz owner who brought scrappy spirit to make Colorado one of the most prog states in US Reduced teenage abortion, legalized marijuana, transf. justice system, attacked climate change. You dont need big govt to do big things.

Gillibrand: Women on america are on fire. But our rights are under attack like never before by Trump and GOP who want to repeal Roe. Most comprehensive approach to deal with political corruption. Now is not the time to play it safe. We need a POTUS who takes on big challenges

Yang: The only qurstion is who can beat DJT. And you have to solve the problems who got DJT elected. He can do that by tripling up the economy, can build a broad coalition that isnt left or right but forward.

Harris: 1) We need a nominee who has the ability to prosecute the case against 4 more years of DJT 2) This election is about you, your hopes, your dreams and fears and what wakes you up at 3 am

Her agenda will deliver on HC, what pays bills, will lead w/dignity/honesty/giving families all they need to get thru the end of the month in a way that allows them to prosper.

Buttigieg: Nothing about politics is theoretical. His time as a vet, his experience in his marriage as a gay man - he;'s running because the next 4 years determine how the next 40 goes. He wants to look back and say his generation delivered racial equality, end to endless war