CNN Democratic debate night 1

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said “half of the American people are living paycheck to paycheck.”  

Facts First: It’s unclear what data Sanders is referring to here. However, one authoritative source shows he’s overestimating this figure slightly.  

National data on the paycheck-to-paycheck experience is hard to pin down, but a recent report from the Federal Reserve indicates that roughly 40% of Americans would have trouble covering an emergency expense of $400.  

A relatively small and unexpected expense like a busted car or replacing a dishwasher can be a problem for many families without “adequate savings,” according to the report. 

When faced with an emergency expense of $400, 61% of Americans in 2018 say they could cover it either by using cash, savings, or a credit card paid off in the next billing period.  

However, the remaining four out of 10 Americans would have much more difficulty covering the expense. And another 12% said they would be unable to pay their current month’s bills if an unexpected $400 expense came up. 

This is the clearest – and most explicit – electability answer I’ve heard Elizabeth Warren give all year.

The electability argument that’s been raised against her – and that I’ve heard from voters – goes like this: Some Democratic voters like Warren’s ideas for big sweeping change. But some of those very Democrats worry that *others* will think those ideas are too extreme to be winnable. So maybe it’s too risky to support Warren, even if she’s the candidate they like most.

It’s the “I’m worried other people won’t support the candidate I like” concern.

Here’s how Warren tackled that tonight:

She began with: “I know how to fight, and I know how to win,” citing her battles against the Wall Street industry and former Sen. Scott Brown.

And the key line: “We can’t ask people to vote for somebody we don’t believe in.” It was Warren’s way of saying: Vote for the person you want to vote for, not the person you think probably has best chance of winning.

Watch the moment:

Several 2020 candidates have weighed in on the proposed Green New Deal.

John Delaney said the deal is unrealistic and is proposing another plan to tackle the climate crisis. Elizabeth Warren, a co-sponsor, meanwhile defended it.

About the proposal: The Green New Deal would do so very many things. It’s more a grab bag of progressive ideas than a detailed legislative proposal. And a lot of what it wants to accomplish has nothing to do with climate change. We looked at this in depth back in February, but here’s a bullet-point list of just a few of the Green New Deal’s pledges. 

Nearly an hour in, Elizabeth Warren decided she’d heard enough from her – and Sanders – moderate rivals.

“I don’t know why anyone goes to the trouble to run for president to talk about what we can’t do and what we won’t fight for,” Warren said, after another protracted exchange over whether the progressive agenda was realistic.

Her remark sprung from an exchange over electability centered on Sanders. But as it expanded to include many of the policies that she too supports, Warren dove right in.

Minutes earlier, she also offered a broader counterpoint to critics who worry that the party will hand Trump re-election in 2020 if Democrats move too far left.

“I know how to fight and I know how to win,” she said.

Pete Buttigieg said that “Science tells us we have 12 years before we reach the horizon of catastrophe when it comes to our climate.”  

Facts First: Buttigieg is likely referring here to the definitive UN report that put the impacts of the climate crisis into stark relief.   

The report did not set a 12-year deadline for “the horizon of catastrophe,” though some politicians and media outlets have characterized it as such.  

The science that Buttigieg was referring to comes from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in 2018. 

The report was created to assess the impact of global warming and predicted what could happen if the planet warmed to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report did look at what could happen in 2030, 12 years from the date of publication, but the authors of the report have said that they picked that date to be helpful countries that had promised to meet deadlines to reduce carbon emissions set under the Paris climate accord. 

The report did find that if the planet was able to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or under, countries would have to reduce about 45% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.  

John Hickenlooper called out Bernie Sanders for throwing up his hands in an awkward exchange over the Vermont senator’s policies.

It started when Hickenlooper explained why he thought Sanders’ policies were too extreme for the White House.

But Sanders didn’t agree.

“Well, the truth is that every credible poll that I have seen has me beating Donald Trump, including the battleground states of Michigan, where I won the Democratic primary; Wisconsin, where I won the Democratic primary, and Pennsylvania. And the reason we are going to defeat Trump and beat him badly is that he is a fraud and a phony, and we’re going to expose him for what he is,” he said.

That’s when Hickenlopper chimed in and said, “So again, I think if we’re going to force Americans to make these radical changes, they’re not going to go along.”

Sanders then threw up hands, prompting Hickenlooper to say, “Throw your hands up…”

Sanders snapped back, saying, “I will.”

Watch the moment:

The scene near where rapper Bankroll Gambino was killed In a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia on Sunday,.

CNN’s Don Lemon just brought up the recent shooting death of a 21-year-old rapper in Philadelphia as he asked candidates about gun violence in America.

The Brooklyn shooting killed one, while the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting left three dead.

The third shooting that Lemon alluded to was a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia.

Ezra Weah, also known as rapper Bankroll Gambino Weah, was shot and killed, according to 3 CBS Philly. Another five people were taken to the hospital after the shooting.

Democrats split tonight on whether to decriminalize the border.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the current law “has given Donald Trump the tool to break families apart.” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also said he would decriminalize crossing the border.

But more moderate candidates said they would retain laws against crossing the border illegally.

“We can argue over the finer points of which parts should be handled by civil law and criminal law,” Mayor Pete Buttigieg said.

He later added: “If fraud is involved, that’s suitable for the criminal statute. If not, it should be handled under civil law.”

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said he would waive green card fees, give so-called “Dreamers” – undocumented citizens who were brought into the US as children – citizenship, ease the process of seeking asylum and aid struggling Central American countries.

“Then, I expect that people will come here, follow our laws, and we reserve the right to criminally prosecute them if they do not,” he said.

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said: “I agree that we need to secure borders. There is no question about that. The frustration with what’s going on in Washington is they are kicking the ball back and forth. Secure the borders and make sure whatever law we have doesn’t allow children to be snatched from parents and put in cages.”

See where all the candidates stand on immigration.

As the first group of candidates takes the stage for the CNN Democratic debate, we’re tracking speaking times by candidate.

The graphic below will be updated throughout the debate.

Here’s where things stand as of 8:53 p.m. ET:

Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed that Amazon pays not “one nickel” in federal income taxes. 

“Companies like Amazon that made billions in profits did not pay one nickel in federal income tax.” 

Facts First: Sanders is correct — for the previous two tax years, Amazon’s own financial filings showed that it expected to receive money back from the federal government, not that it owed money. 

According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy for the second year running, Amazon made a profit of more than $11 billion in 2018, but reported a $129 million tax rebate from the federal government.

Amazon does pay state taxes, and has also paid federal taxes in the past. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Amazon’s overall tax rate from 2012 through 2018 was 8%.“From 2012 through 2018, Amazon reported $25.4 billion in pretax US income and current federal tax provisions totaling $1.9 billion,” the Journal reported. “That is an 8% tax rate — low, but not zero or negative. Looking back further, since 2002, Amazon has earned $27.7 billion in global pretax profits and paid $3.6 billion in global cash income taxes, a 13% tax rate.” 

Amazon’s SEC filings in 2017 show it did not expect to owe any federal tax, and in fact expected to get a $137 million refund from the federal government. It did, however, say it expected to pay $211 million to states. 

Rep. Tim Ryan said Sen. Bernie Sanders’ promises around “Medicare for All” were wrong, and that maybe the Vermont senator wasn’t clear on the numbers.

Sanders shot back:

Ryan was one of at least four other moderates on stage to attack Sanders – and Sen. Elizabeth Warren to a lesser extent – over the single-payer proposal drafted by Sanders and his team.

During another tense exchange over the plan, Delaney suggested that Sanders and Warren simply misunderstood the health care system.

“I don’t think my colleagues understand the business,” Delaney said.

Sanders cut him off, disputing Delaney’s framing: “It’s not a business,” he said.

This goes to the heart of the Medicare for All debate. The two sides are talking a lot, but largely past each other. Sanders and Warren want to remove the profit-motive from the system, to take the “business” out of health care. The moderates don’t think that’s feasible and believe the private insurance industry is inextricable from the system – and necessary for delivering care to Americans.

Watch the moment:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren defended her position that making border crossings a crime is unnecessary.

CNN’s Dana Bash then asked this follow-up question: “Just to clarify, would you decriminalize illegal border crossings?”

“Yes,” Warren said.

Watch the moment:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg said it’s time Democrats “stand up for the right policy” and “stop worrying” about what the GOP says.

He continued: “If it’s true that if we embrace a far-left agenda, they’re gonna say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists. If we embrace a conservative agenda, you know what they’re gonna do? They’re gonna say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists. So let’s just stand up for the right policy, go out there and defend it.”

Watch the moment:

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said CNN moderator Jake Tapper’s question during an exchange over Medicare for All tonight was a “Republican talking point.”

The question was: “Are you not willing to fight for ‘Medicare for All’ as Sen. Warren has suggested?”

Here’s what Sanders said:

Earlier in the debate, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren brought up the issue about Democrats using Republican talking points.

“Look, let’s be clear about this. We are the Democrats. We are not about trying to take away health care from anyone. That’s what the Republicans are trying to do. And we should stop using Republican talking points in order to talk with each other about how to best provide that health care,” she said.

Watch the moment:

Former Maryland congressman John Delaney came out swinging against Sen. Bernie Sanders and “Medicare for All,” blasting it as a political loser.

Sanders, after listening to the attack, replied simply: “You’re wrong.”

After a back-and-forth over the prospects of the plan, Sen. Elizabeth Warren jumped in to defend Sanders and make the case for Medicare for All.

Then she dropped the line that might live on from this exchange, telling Delaney that Democratic opponents of Medicare for All should “stop using Republican talking points.”

Watch the moment:

Before Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren said a word, they were under attack.

Moderates John Delaney and John Hickenlooper used their opening statements to warn against the progressive policies being pushed by the senators, saying they risk setting up Democrats to lose in 2020.

Delaney compared their candidacies to losing liberal campaigns from the past.

Hickenlooper pointed to the 2018 midterms, and the Democrats’ success in flipping dozens of House seats. But none of those new members, he said, “shared the policies” of Warren and Sanders.

It’s early, but it’s a good bet that we haven’t heard the last of this brand of attack.

Watch Bernie Sanders respond: ‘You’re wrong.’

Many Democratic candidates are expected to talk about their health care ideas tonight. Here’s your guide to what five of the most talked-about plans and proposals mean:

Medicare for All

Public option

Affordable Care Act

Employer-sponsored insurance

Medicare

The 10 candidate delivered their opening remarks at the Democratic debates in Detroit.

Here are some key quotes from their remarks:

Candidates will be given 60 seconds to respond to a moderator-directed question, and 30 seconds for responses and rebuttals.

How it works:

Pastor Marvin Winans and the Perfecting Church Choir performed the National Anthem as the candidates took a moment to honor the flag.

All the candidates stood in a single line during the anthem. All but Tim Ryan held their hands over the hearts.

The first night of CNN’s 2020 Democratic debate just kicked off.

We’re introducing the candidates now. Remember: 10 are on stage tonight, and another 10 will take the stage tomorrow.

Tom Perez, chairman for the Democratic National Committee, criticized President Trump in his remarks before tonight’s debate.

Perez slammed the Trump administration’s policies on taxes, health care and jobs. He also took a jab at Trump for his attacks on Baltimore and Rep. Elijah Cummings, describing the President’s behavior as “mean-spirited” and “racially motivated.”

“Democrats have your back on the issues that matter most. While this President has had a knife in your back,” he said.

Perez went on to describe the Democratic presidential hopefuls as “the most diverse field of candidates in our nation’s history.”

He then a made to pitch for a Democratic president.

CNN asked our readers to submit their top debate topic for CNN’s Democratic presidential debates Tuesday and Wednesday.

With nearly 50,000 responses, climate crisis was the top topic, followed by the economy and health care.

Pete Buttigieg plays the piano, guitar and several instruments including the Didgeridoo — a long wooden trumpet believed to have originated by Indigenous Australians in northern Australia.

Buttigieg is in his second term as mayor. He served as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve and was deployed to Afghanistan. He’s positioned himself as a moderate in the field, suggesting that his opponents’ proposals for universal health coverage and free college tuition aren’t realistic.

Marianne Williamson officiated Elizabeth Taylor’s marriage to her seventh husband, Larry Fortensky, at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in 1991. Taylor and Fortensky split after five years of marriage.

John Delaney knows his way around a gym. He swims, lifts weights and is one of the most in-shape candidates in the field.

Delaney, who served three terms in Congress before leaving office in January, announced his presidential candidacy in 2017. He previously owned a health care company and has campaigned as a moderate, focusing on a proposal to expand access to health coverage using Obamacare and existing insurance markets rather than upending the system.

Elizabeth Warren does not drink coffee — she gets her caffeine from tea, instead. Her order: Black iced tea with extra ice.

Warren used to be conservative. This changed her mind:

For weeks now, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have steadily escalated their fight, trading long-distance criticism over health care and other matters.

They won’t be side-by-side tonight, but that doesn’t mean Sanders won’t invoke Biden’s name. 

A person who helped Sanders prepare for the debate said the Vermont senator may mention Biden, but in a very specific way: comparing him to the moderates on stage who are expected to blast his Medicare for All policy.

The strategy, of course, is dependent on questions asked and the responses from John Hickenlooper, John Delaney and Steve Bullock. But Sanders is prepared to “lump Biden in with those guys,” the source said.

Sanders spent more time preparing for his second debate, an adviser said, and is aware he needs to “be more present” than during the first debate. 

The only way he may draw a distinction with Elizabeth Warren, the aide said, is on a question of electability.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer described why her state is crucial in the Democratic presidential race.

Whitmer, a Democrat, continued: “So we in Michigan are thrilled to be the hosts of an important debate, because the world now knows that the path to the presidency goes through the Great Lakes State the great state of Michigan.”

She told CNN yesterday that candidates should “attach the bigger ideas out of Washington, DC, into the daily lives of people.” When candidates get caught in the details, she said it “just feeds into people’s anxieties.”

Bernie Sanders traces his endurance on the campaign trail back to this youth: He was a star runner, serving as the co-captain of his high school cross country team.

Tim Ryan practices hot yoga and meditation.

He is also the author of the 2012 book “A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit.”

CNN is hosting the second set of Democratic presidential debates today and tomorrow nights, taking place in Detroit, Michigan.

The debates is at the historic Fox Theatre. It’s taking place in Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s district, which includes parts of east Detroit, some of city’s western suburbs and a chunk of downtown.

Take a look at what it looked like today outside the debate arena:

Here’s what it looks like behind the scene:

Watch CNN set up the debate stage in 45 seconds:

John Hickenlooper likes beer. He might not be in politics without it. He became politically active after opening a craft brewery in an abandoned downtown area now known as LoDo. His rise to Denver mayor started there.

Before being term-limited out of office in January, Hickenlooper helped steer the state through several tragedies, including the 2012 shooting in a movie theater in Aurora that left 12 people dead and catastrophic wildfires and floods in 2013. He previously served as Denver’s mayor for eight years.

Amy Klobuchar has said she raised $17,000 for her first campaign for US Senate in 2006 from ex-boyfriends.

A moderate, Klobuchar is looking to win back fellow working-class Midwesterners by pledging to work across the aisle with Republicans. She was elected to the US Senate in 2006 and previously was county attorney for Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Before he was a politician, he was an ice cream man.

One summer in the 1990s, Beto O’Rourke rented an ice cream truck in Albuquerque and sold treats.

Pastor Marvin Winans and the Perfecting Church Choir performed “America the Beautiful” for the crowd inside the Fox Theatre before tonight’s debate.

The choir’s performance, which helped kicked off tonight’s event, drew a roaring applause.

Watch the moment:

Long before he became governor, Steve Bullock used to deliver newspapers down the street from the governor’s office in Helena, Montana, when he was a child.

Bullock served as Montana’s attorney general before being elected governor in 2012. His presidential campaign announcement video highlighted his successful efforts to expand Medicaid, his support for same-sex marriage and his bipartisan effort to ban dark money from the state’s politics.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will watch the first round of CNN’s Democratic primary debates from his home in Delaware, a senior campaign official tells CNN.

As he prepares for his return to the debate stage tomorrow night, Biden has been huddling with his top advisers today, and according to this adviser, his focus has been twofold:

The first night’s debate will feature most of the Democratic field’s moderate voices — alongside Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the race’s two top progressive candidates.

John Delaney, John Hickenlooper, Tim Ryan, Steve Bullock and Amy Klobuchar are all more moderate candidates running for President. And the fact that Warren and Sanders will also be stage on tonight gives each candidate a chance to sharpen the moderate credibility by attacking a top progressive.

The mix of moderates and progressives give candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke — two candidates further left than most, but not as far left as Sanders and Warren — a chance to prove themselves to progressive voters.

The two progressives on stage: Sanders will appear with his friend and ally Warren, who could very well play up their agreements and leave it to viewers to decide who they believe is a more imposing general election prospect. The lower polling moderates, like Hickenlooper and Delaney, will likely spend the night strafing Sanders over his democratic socialism.

Sanders and Warren will likely view it differently. The debate, should they play nice with each other, presents them both with a golden opportunity to talk up their progressive plans without a heavy-hitting critic like former Vice President Joe Biden there to criticize them. If it shakes out that way, it will be a good night for the left wing of the party, no matter which candidate they support.

Buttigieg and O’Rourke also offers a unique match up: Both younger Democrats are considered rising stars in the party, but their presidential campaigns are going in distinctly different directions. After announcing a presidential exploratory committee with little fanfare, Buttigieg raised nearly $25 million the second quarter of 2019. Compare that to O’Rourke, who raised $9.4 million in the first 18 days of his campaign but only raised $3.6 million in the second quarter.

CNN debates will offer a match-up between Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the two top progressives in the Democratic primary, for the first time.

The duo were not on the same stage during the first debate.

There are no two top, or even middle-tier candidates, with so much in common.

Yes, they are drawing support in the polls from different demographic pools, but that doesn’t mean those voters aren’t drawn to them for similar reasons.

The candidates seem to be taking a similar view: both have done their best to avoid any kind of confrontation, real or perceived, perhaps believing that the an attack on one could depress their own support.

For that reason, it will be incredibly interesting to see them share a debate stage. There’s every chance what’s effectively been a nonaggression pact will survive a debate night — with the pair using the platform to advocate for their mostly similar platforms.

Or…

Things could go a different way. If Sanders is worried that Warren is claiming the progressive mantle from him, he could question Warren on health care, and force her to talk more about Medicare for All.

If Warren — who said “I’m with Bernie” on health care the first time around — seeks to differentiate herself, she could argue that she’s a better choice, plans and all, to make their shared proposals a reality.

Twenty Democratic candidates will face off for the second time this summer at the presidential primary debates in Detroit.

The two-night debate event will feature 10 candidates each night, with most of the Democratic field’s moderate voices taking the stage tonight.

How the debate stage was decided: To qualify for the debates, candidates had to either achieve at least 1% support in three polls from an approved list of pollsters or receive campaign contributions from 65,000 unique donors, including 200 donors each from 20 different states.

The lineups for each night were announced on air during a live, random draw for transparency around the event. There were three distinct draws based on polling: One to divide the bottom 10 candidates, one to divide the middle six candidates and one to divide the top four candidates.

Take a look at tonight’s stage lineup:

CNN’s two-night presidential debates starts tonight at 8 p.m. ET in Detroit, Michigan. Our live coverage here begins at 7 p.m. ET.

The CNN debate brings the Democratic candidates to the battleground state of Michigan, which Trump won in 2016.

The lineups for each night were announced July 18 on air during a live, random draw for transparency around the event. There were three distinct draws based on polling: One to divide the bottom 10 candidates, one to divide the middle six candidates and one to divide the top four candidates.

These 10 candidates will be on stage tonight: