CNN Democratic debate night 1

Author Marianne Williamson earned applause and cheers when she mounted a defense of her plan to offer $200 billion to $500 billion in reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans in this country – one of several instances of the spiritual teacher drawing audience support tonight.

“We need to recognize when it comes to the economic gap between black and whites in America, it does come from a great injustice that has never been dealt with,” said Williamson, the only candidate on the stage to offer a specific financial proposal on reparations.

The other candidates support a bill to study the issue.

Asked why she was qualified to determine the amount of financial assistance, Williamson said she did the math. Had freed slaves been granted a promised 40 acres and a mule after the Civil War, that would be worth “trillions” to their descendants today, she said.

She called $200 billion to $500 billion “politically feasible.”

“Many Americans realize,” she said, “there is an injustice that continues to form a toxicity underneath the surface.”

She said the money is not financial assistance — it's "a debt that is owed."

Watch the moment:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in discussing trade, slammed trade deals like "the new NAFTA 2.0."

Here's what you need to know about NAFTA: The North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect in 1994, eliminating most tariffs on goods traded between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The deal was sold as a way to make it easier for American farmers and businesses to sell their produce and goods across the northern and southern borders. But union groups and other critics say it ended up destroying more jobs than it created. Economists have reached different conclusions about the impact, but a Congressional Research Service report published in 2017 said the net overall effect on the US economy has been "relatively modest."

But NAFTA was politically controversial from the start and ultimately won more votes from Republicans than Democrats. Joe Biden, then still a senator for Delaware, voted for the deal, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, then a congressman, voted against it.

NAFTA remains a political punching bag: It is blamed for destroying US jobs and hurting American manufacturing. President Trump has called it "the worst trade deal ever" and spearheaded a new deal between the three countries, known as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. 

More about USMCA — or, as Warren called it, "NAFTA 2.0": The agreement adds a brand-new chapter on digital trade. The new agreement would also change the way cars and trucks are manufactured, requiring more of a vehicle's parts to be made in the United States and by workers earning at least $16 an hour in order to remain free from tariffs. Democratic critics say the USMCA doesn't do enough to protect workers' rights or set higher environmental standards. Meanwhile, staunch free-traders argue the car manufacturing requirements are too restrictive. 

The deal needs to be approved by Congress before going into effect, but some Democrats have said they want to see some changes, particularly to labor standards, to before voting in favor of adoption.

John Delaney just said he's the only Democrat running who supports Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama. 

Here's what you need to know about the deal: The Trans-Pacific Partnership, known as TPP, was negotiated under the Obama administration. It would have eliminated trade barriers between the United States and 11 other countries, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, as well as some South American countries like Peru and Chile – with the goal of creating an alliance to counter Chinese economic influence. 

It has critics: The agreement drew criticism from some Democrats, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who argued it was written behind closed doors with input from corporations and could end up forcing American workers to compete with low-wage labor around the world.

President Trump isn't a fan either: He repeatedly said during his election campaign that it would send American jobs overseas, and as one of his first acts as President, he withdrew the United States from the agreement. The 11 other countries went ahead with the deal, now called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It went into effect in January 2019.  

Instead, Trump has decided to take on China alone: He’s imposed tariffs on more than $250 billion of Chinese goods while his administration negotiates with Beijing, attempting to reach a comprehensive trade agreement that would address what it says are unfair trade practices by the Chinese.

Watch the moment:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for his handling of racial issues in his home city of South Bend.

Buttigieg was asked tonight how he would convince African Americans that he should be the Democratic nominee.

Here's how he responded:

Watch the moment:

At least half the debate stage walked into the Fox Theatre tonight bordering on desperate for a breakout showing.

But with time running down, it doesn’t seem like any of them have struck a resounding chord.

The moderate gang of former congressman John Delaney, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper and Rep. Tim Ryan clearly made a bet that they would make their mark by attacking Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. They’ve succeeded in stirring up a few hot exchanges, but they’ve almost blended into one voice – making the same arguments and, more often than not, failing to land a memorable blow. If anything, they’ve handed the progressives a platform to make their case against some familiar criticism in real time.

And then there’s former congressman Beto O’Rourke. He’s been more assertive than he was during the first round of debates in Miami, but once again, the Texan has drifted in and out of an often hot debate.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has made her points, but like O’Rourke, she has not conjured a moment that people will be talking about tomorrow. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, too, has performed as expected: mostly arguing that his political success in Montana shows he can win in GOP territory. But he also has spent much of the night on the periphery.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the current US law allows the President to separate migrant children from their parents at the border. 

Facts first: This is true. 

Last year, the Trump administration implemented its controversial “zero tolerance” policy, using a section of US law to criminally prosecute all adults at the southern border, therefore leading to the separation of thousands of families, given that children can’t be held in federal jail with adults. The policy — and the section of the code at the center of it — have become a flashpoint in the immigration debate. 

Democratic candidates remain divided over the law, referred to as Section 1325, with some wanting to instead make crossing the border illegally a civil offense, instead of a criminal offense. Warren is in favor of decriminalizing border crossings. 

“So the problem is that right now the criminalization statute is what gives Donald Trump the ability to take children away from their parents. It's what gives him the ability to lock up people at our borders. We need to continue to have border security and we can do that, but what we can't do is not live our values,” Warren said.

Democratic presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson described why she thinks the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, hasn't been properly addressed yet.

She said it's all about racism and bigotry:

She continued: "We need to say it like it is, it's bigger than Flint. It's all over this country. It's particularly people of color. It's particularly people who do not have the money to fight back, and if the Democrats don't start saying it, why would those people feel they're there for us, and if those people don't feel it, they won't vote for us and Donald Trump will win."

Watch the moment:

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: