NEW: The first DemDebate question is about health care and it goes to former Vice President Joe Biden. 'I think we should have a debate on health care. I know that the senator says she's for Bernie. I'm for Barack,' Biden says of Elizabeth Warren.
The 10 highest-polling candidates will appear for a single night of debate in Houston hosted by ABC News and Univision -- the smallest roster yet in the third matchup of Democratic National Committee-sanctioned primary debates, with a field that still counts 20.Sanders immediately defended his Medicare for All plan, and went after Biden for pushing for"the status quo." "Joe said that Medicare for All would cost over $30 trillion.
"So as far, my distinguished friend, the senator on my left has not indicated how she pays for it and the senator has," Biden said gesturing to Sanders and Warren."In fact, come forward and said how he's going to pay for it, but it gets him halfway there." Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., talks up her Houston roots before touting why she should be at the top of the ticket:"I got my big opportunity about a half mile down the road from here at the University of Houston, back when it cost $50 a semester ... I know what's broken, I know how to fix it and I'm going to lead."
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg harkened back to the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, saying he wants to focus on the future of the country:"We just marked the anniversary of 9/11. All day today I've been thinking about September 12th, the way it felt when for a moment, we came together as a country. Imagine if we had been able to sustain that unity," Buttigieg said.
At the onset of the ABC News/Univision debate in Houston, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro delivers his opening statement, the first of the 10 candidates on stage: DNC Chair Tom Perez criticized the president, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others in Republican leadership, admonishing the president to"stop tweeting" and start governing.
"We are a city that builds relationships, and not walls." https://t.co/INdRXlIwFs #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/c7LWHs4LgXBringing an event of this caliber to the school will not only raise national attention to the issues that matter to African American voters, but it will highlight the mission of historically black colleges and universities, also known as"HBCUs", around the country, school officials, graduates and students said.
.@michaelstrahan has a special message for his alma mater @TexasSouthern University, where the #DemDebate is being held tonight:"The university took care of me and made me the person I am today." https://t.co/BKQDxislTt pic.twitter.com/gwOIotbyx3The crowd warmly receives ABC News president James Goldston as he addresses the gathering and erupts in cheers as GMA cohost Michael Strahan sends his former school warm wished via video message.
"Later today I’ll step on stage at @TexasSouthern. As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I'm hopeful this debate will shine a light on what we can do as a nation to strengthen and improve some of our nation’s most important higher education institutions." Trump was also asked if he respects any of the Democrats on the debate stage. He said he respects"all of them," despite having made fun of the top contenders numerous times.
“You will see him raise questions about how some of these plans that not just Senator Warren but Senator Sanders and others bring forward. how they’re going to be paid for and how they’ll be implemented,” a senior adviser said. The Trump campaign sent around an email to supporters ahead of Thursday's ABC Democratic primary debate running down"the top things" they are expecting from tonight—with"banning plastic straws" at the top of the list, of course.
Check out the “before” picture, with who voters are considering voting for, which candidates they think are most electable and more. But by Friday – same url, going live at ~1 p.m.
For the first time, the lineup includes polling front-runner Biden sandwiched in between Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, pitting"Middle Class Joe" against the leading progressives. Despite the former president being the party's most popular member, the more liberal flanks and some lower-polling candidates forced Biden to fend off the attacks on his former boss, particularly on health care and immigration.
On immigration, although the previous White House took steps to overhaul the immigration system -- even using executive powers to protect Dreamers -- several 2020 Democrats took aim at the three million deportations under the Obama presidency, leaving Biden as the sole navigator of those criticisms. Biden responded by calling out his fellow Democrats for unleashing friendly fire against Obama instead of railing against Trump.
At this next debate, the contenders outside of the top tier -- standing on the edge of the stage and in need of a breakthrough -- will likely be trained on finding their lane by giving Democratic primary voters more than just a return to the pre-Trump era , without alienating moderates or disapproving of the Obama legacy .
Harris invokes her prosecutorial past and compelling backstory to appeal to a broad coalition -- often telling voters as she did in the last debate,"I come from fighters ... My sister Maya and I joke we grew up surrounded by a bunch of adults that marched about this thing called 'justice.' And I'm prepared to march with you, to fight with you for the best of who we are, and to successfully prosecute the case against four more years of Donald Trump.
"Though we're connected to a president with no values and no morals, we're also connected as a people by our ambitions and aspirations," he told reporters over the weekend, later admitting that he might swear on the debate stage."Democrats, Republicans, independents, before any of those things, we are Americans first and need to start treating each other like it."
"We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. If those states sound familiar, those are all the swing states that Donald Trump needed to win and did win. So to me this was a straight automation story that immigrants are being scapegoated for economic problems they have little to nothing to do with ... It's not immigration, it's automation," he said in a recent interview with CBS This Morning.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders slam Trump over data showing fewer Americans have health insuranceHealth care likely will be a crucial topic in Thursday's Democratic presidential primary debate in Houston.
Read more »
Democratic debate live updates: All 10 candidates now at Houston debate hallHouston Mayor Sylvester Turner: 'We know that we cannot let our diversity divide us. We recognize diversity is our strength. 'We are a city that builds relationships, and not walls.'
Read more »
Doctors alarmed by Trump's health care plan but confused by Democratic presidential candidates' plansA day before the Democratic presidential debate in Houston, doctors affiliated with a progressive group held a rally to denounce the Trump administration&39;s proposals to strip Americans of health care coverage.
Read more »
Democratic debate live updates: Front-runners gear up for face-off in HoustonThe 10 highest-polling candidates will appear for a single night of debate in Houston hosted by ABC News and Univision -- the smallest roster yet in the third matchup of Democratic National Committee-sanctioned primary debates, with a field that still counts 20. The advisors said that Biden is not on
Read more »