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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders take part in Democratic town hall – live coverage Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders take part in Democratic town hall – live coverage
(35 minutes later)
1.32am GMT
01:32
Should Democrats stop taking money from private prisons?
Yes, the answer is yes, she says.
1.32am GMT
01:32
Clinton is asked about the criminal justice system. She says it is absolutely unacceptable that so many African American men will end up in jail during their lifetime.
An African American young man is more likely to be arrested, charged and incarcerated than a white man doing the same thing, she says.
We have got to be willing to stand up and question these inequities, she says.
We need to divert many more people out of the jail and prison system into jobs and skills programmes, Clinton says. And we need more mental health treatment.
And we need to end private prisons, she says, calling them a “shameful blot on our prison system”.
She wants to replace the “school to prison pipeline” with a “cradle to college pipeline”.
1.29am GMT
01:29
Clinton is asked about Obamacare, and goes through a series of intricate questions about the questioner’s particular case, sounding like a solicitous and knowledgable telephone helpline operator. She certainly knows how Obamacare works.
She asks the questioner to go on to the insurance exchange and try to drive the price of her care down.
1.26am GMT
01:26
Lauren Gambino
Before the forum, Hillary Clinton appeared at a Democratic dinner in Columbus, and Lauren Gambino was there.
Hillary Clinton used her strongest language yet to condemn Donald Trump at a Democratic party dinner in Columbus on Sunday night, saying he is “not who we are”.
“Let’s just tell the truth about what’s going on here. Donald Trump is running a cynical campaign of hate and fear for one reason: to get votes,” she said. “He’s encouraging violence and chaos to get votes. He is pitting Americans against each other to get votes.”
Taking the stage after Bernie Sanders, Clinton impressed on the voters in the room that Trump would be defeated by votes – not rhetoric.
“We can criticize and protest Mr Trump all we want,” she said, “But none of that matters if we don’t also show up at the polls. If you want to shut him down, then let’s vote him down.”
Clinton was repeatedly interrupted by bursts of cheering and “Hillary!” chants. The Democratic frontrunner also took the opportunity to distinguish herself from Sanders on trade, an issue they have been arguing back and forth on since the Michigan primary.
1.20am GMT
01:20
Ricky Jackson, who spent 39 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and was exonerated, says he spent many of those years on death row and “came perilously close to my own execution”. How can she be pro-death penalty?
Clinton says the states have proven themselves incapable of carrying out fair trials and she would “breathe a sigh of relief” if the states or the supreme court eliminated the death penalty.
But she says that “for very limited” circumstances, it should be retained for the federal justice system. She mentions the 9/11 attackers and the Oklahoma City bomber.
“What happened to you was a travesty and I just can’t even imagine what you went through,” she says.
1.15am GMT
01:15
Clinton is asked if the US will get involved in more conflicts under President Clinton.
She says she wants to use “smart power” and diplomacy, leading the rest of the world, not “going off on our own”.
.@HillaryClinton on military "action v inaction: "Obviously, force should always be a last resort, not a first choice."
Updated
at 1.21am GMT
1.12am GMT
01:12
A laid-off steelworker asks about the “illegal dumping of foreign steel”.
Clinton says she wants to summon up the political and legal arguments to take that on. The US government should stand up for steel, stand up for the companies and the workers, she says.
And she has proposed a trade prosecutor, she says.
“A steel industry is in America’s national security interest as well as in our economic interest,” she says.
She calls China “the major rule-breaker in the international economy”.
1.09am GMT
01:09
Martin asks her about unions historically keeping black people out of jobs. Clinton says no one should be kept out of jobs.
1.05am GMT
01:05
CNN’s Jake Tapper says Trump has claimed Clinton and Sanders supporters were violent (although I think he has only claimed that of Sanders supporters).
It is Donald Trump’s responsibility, she says, raising Trump’s comments about paying the legal bills for his violent supporter in North Carolina.
She calls this a “case of political arson” - he has lit a fire, she says.
1.04am GMT
01:04
Clinton is asked about her comments about Trump and the violence at his rallies.
All Americans should be concerned, she says. Trump is running a very cynical campaign pitting groups of Americans against each other and playing to people’s worst instincts.
He incites violence, talking about punching people, offering to pay legal bills, she says.
And he has been “incredibly bigoted” towards many groups. “We’re a nation built on immigrants,” she points out.
There is so much we are doing that we all have to reject, she says. “You don’t make America great by tearing down everything that made America great.”
1.01am GMT
01:01
Hillary Clinton's turn
The former secretary of state takes the stage.
1.01am GMT
01:01
How has this experience changed him?
Sanders says meeting so many people around the country has been important, including Native Americans.
He says he has seen so many young people who are optimistic about the future. “All of that has been extremely gratifying to me.”
And that’s it from Bernie ...
Updated
at 1.22am GMT
12.59am GMT12.59am GMT
00:5900:59
Who are Sanders’s friends, he is asked. Who would he take out to a sports game?Who are Sanders’s friends, he is asked. Who would he take out to a sports game?
The people I work with are often my closest friends, he says, adding that he has some old friends of 30 or 40 years’ standing in Burlington, Vermont.The people I work with are often my closest friends, he says, adding that he has some old friends of 30 or 40 years’ standing in Burlington, Vermont.
Who is his closest friend on the other side of the aisle? Sanders says he doesn’t want to say because he’d ruin that person’s career.Who is his closest friend on the other side of the aisle? Sanders says he doesn’t want to say because he’d ruin that person’s career.
Republican senator Jim Inhofe is a “decent guy” and “he and I are friends” despite him being a climate change denier and a conservative.Republican senator Jim Inhofe is a “decent guy” and “he and I are friends” despite him being a climate change denier and a conservative.
12.53am GMT12.53am GMT
00:5300:53
Sanders is asked how he will work with Congress.Sanders is asked how he will work with Congress.
He says if he is elected it will have meant a significant increase in voter turnout, adding that he thinks he has a chance in Ohio. And in those circumstances the Democrats would regain the Senate and a significant number of seats in the House.He says if he is elected it will have meant a significant increase in voter turnout, adding that he thinks he has a chance in Ohio. And in those circumstances the Democrats would regain the Senate and a significant number of seats in the House.
He says the premise of his campaign is the belief that most of the members of Congress believe themselves indebted to their campaign contributors rather than their voters.He says the premise of his campaign is the belief that most of the members of Congress believe themselves indebted to their campaign contributors rather than their voters.
Everyone will have to work together to tell Congress they need to represent the public, not the 1%, he says.Everyone will have to work together to tell Congress they need to represent the public, not the 1%, he says.
12.50am GMT12.50am GMT
00:5000:50
A questioner says that as a citizen he supporters him, but as an entrepreneur he is worried.A questioner says that as a citizen he supporters him, but as an entrepreneur he is worried.
Sanders says that after you factor in the fact you won’t have to pay for health insurance for your workers under President Sanders, you will be much better off.Sanders says that after you factor in the fact you won’t have to pay for health insurance for your workers under President Sanders, you will be much better off.
Publicly funded healthcare happens in every civilised country, Sanders says.Publicly funded healthcare happens in every civilised country, Sanders says.
The questioner says it would certainly make things simpler.The questioner says it would certainly make things simpler.
12.43am GMT12.43am GMT
00:4300:43
A former heroin addict asks what he plans to do with “the failed drug policy that tends to want to incarcerate addicts instead of rehabilitate them”.A former heroin addict asks what he plans to do with “the failed drug policy that tends to want to incarcerate addicts instead of rehabilitate them”.
Sanders says there is a “massive crisis” in heroin and opiate addiction and the US needs to “fundamentally rethink the so-called war on drugs, which has been a failure”.Sanders says there is a “massive crisis” in heroin and opiate addiction and the US needs to “fundamentally rethink the so-called war on drugs, which has been a failure”.
It should be viewed as a health issue, not a criminal issue, he says.It should be viewed as a health issue, not a criminal issue, he says.
12.42am GMT12.42am GMT
00:4200:42
The next questioner says he is the son of immigrants and his family is scared about the rise of Donald Trump. Which Democratic candidate would best take on and defeat Trump?The next questioner says he is the son of immigrants and his family is scared about the rise of Donald Trump. Which Democratic candidate would best take on and defeat Trump?
“Good. Good question,” says Sanders.“Good. Good question,” says Sanders.
The questioner asks for three points of an “anti-Trump gameplan”.The questioner asks for three points of an “anti-Trump gameplan”.
Sanders says he resents it when people say he could not win the general election. He says virtually every national poll shows him defeating Trump, and he does better than Clinton against Trump. (He’s right.)Sanders says he resents it when people say he could not win the general election. He says virtually every national poll shows him defeating Trump, and he does better than Clinton against Trump. (He’s right.)
Republicans win when the voter turnout is low, he warns.Republicans win when the voter turnout is low, he warns.
And he has faith the American people won’t elect Trump, listing some of the people and groups he has insulted and bringing up Trump’s role in the “birther” movement that attempted to prove Barack Obama was not born in the US.And he has faith the American people won’t elect Trump, listing some of the people and groups he has insulted and bringing up Trump’s role in the “birther” movement that attempted to prove Barack Obama was not born in the US.
That is an insult to the African American community and to everyone who voted for Obama, he says to applause.That is an insult to the African American community and to everyone who voted for Obama, he says to applause.
12.37am GMT
00:37
TV One’s Roland Martin says many black people support charter schools. Sanders repeats his backing for public schools, saying the mixing of people in such schools is one of the things that has made America great.
He says he wants to see “experimentation” in this field “but I do not want to see money leave the public schools”.
12.35am GMT
00:35
A charter school teacher asks Sanders about whether he supports those schools for low income areas.
He says he believes in public education and public charter schools. He does not believe in privately controlled charter schools. This gets a lot of applause.
And he suggests teachers should earn a better wage, saying he is sick of hearing about brilliant footballers and how much they make.
He then attacks the “dysfunctional” childcare system in the US. He says he would try to create a “first-class national childcare system”.
12.32am GMT
00:32
Sanders is asked about whether middle-income Americans would see a tax increase under President Sanders.
He says the wealthiest people and large corporations should pay their “fair share”.
And he points out that when he expands Medicare to all, healthcare costs will be vastly slashed.
The middle class will be protected, Sanders says.
12.26am GMT
00:26
More than half of Ohio’s exports go to Mexico and Canada, Sanders is told.
This is a global economy. Trade is a positive thing, Sanders says. “Nobody is talking about bulding a wall around the United States.”
There is laughter from the crowd at this.
“Oh, I beg your pardon,” says Sanders. “There is one guy who is talking about it...”
Let me rephrase it. No rational person is talking abut building a wall.
Updated
at 12.28am GMT
12.24am GMT
00:24
Charles Noble, who works with the organisation My Brother’s Keeper, which works to help young black men, asks about how he will encourage job growth in areas where minorities and the poor live. Sanders says we have to target economic help on the most depressed areas.
He says of Flint, Michigan: “Talk about a third world country. You would almost think it was a fourth world country.”
He says he has spent his life taking on the billionaire class and special interests, and will invest in low-income communities across America. It’s “a national disgrace ... Together we’re going to change it.”
12.21am GMT
00:21
Wayne Carlson, the dean of undergraduates at Ohio State University, asks Sanders how he will pay for his policy of “free college for all”.
Sanders denies that is what he is proposing. He says he is proposing free tuition at public colleges and universities and to lower the amount of student debt.
He says a degree today is as necessary as a high school diploma was 50 years ago.
He says he will pay for it - “70 billion bucks a year” - with a tax on Wall Street speculation. “It’s Wall Street’s time to help the middle class of this country”, after the country bailed out Wall Street, he says.
How will Sanders’s plan not damage historically black universities, he is asked. He says he will do everything he can to fully support them. “They are high on my agenda and they should not feel threatened by this legislation,” he says, not giving further details.
12.16am GMT
00:16
The next question is about low wages in the car industry and keeping jobs in the US.
Sanders says he opposed every “disastrous” trade agreement. Clinton “has supported” almost all of them, he says (her position has changed on trade deals recently).
He rails against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal with Asia, and says he will create “an entirely different” process in terms of trade.
If US companies want us to buy their products, they should manufacture them here, not in China, he says.
He calls the minimum wage “a starvation wage” and vows to raise it from $7.25 to $15.
12.13am GMT
00:13
Sanders is asked by Terina Allen, the sister of Sam DuBose, who was killed by a police officer in Cincinnati, is asked what he would do to create a zero tolerance policy for unjust police killings.
Sanders sends her his condolences and says such killings by police have got to end and soon.
Any police officer who breaks the law ... must be held accountable. Period.
If elected president, he would investigate every killing of an American held in police custody or while being apprehended - “an automatic Department of Justice investigation”.
And he wants to improve training so police understand that lethal force should be the last response, not the first response.
Police departments should be “demilitarised” and should reflect the diversity of their communities.
The American people are tired of seeing unarmed people get shot, he says.
Police reform and ending institutional racism will be at the top of his to-do list as president, he says.
12.09am GMT
00:09
Moving on to race and the economy, Sanders says he wants to combat unemployment among the black and Latino community.
12.07am GMT
00:07
Sanders is asked about his own supporter who rushed the stage at a Trump rally. He says millions of people support him and he can’t take responsibility for all of them.