This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/feb/19/debate-tonight-live-democratic-news-nevada-bernie-sanders-mike-bloomberg-latest

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Democratic debate: Warren brands Bloomberg 'a billionaire who calls people fat broads' – live Warren calls on Bloomberg to release women from NDAs during Democratic debate – live
(30 minutes later)
Six candidates – Sanders, Warren, Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Bloomberg – seek to break through as state readies for west’s first primary contestSix candidates – Sanders, Warren, Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Bloomberg – seek to break through as state readies for west’s first primary contest
Now Bloomberg is addressing his previous comments that scapegoated the end of racist redlining practices for the financial crisis. Redlining “is practiced everywhere and we have to cut it out,” he said, once again brushing away his past comments and policies.
Here’s how long each candidate has spoken so far tonight, according to the New York Times’ live tracker. It’s worth pointing out that Elizabeth Warren came in fifth at the end of the last debate.
And according to Twitter’s Nick Pacilio, these are the most tweeted about candidates so far:
Elizabeth Warren, who just chimed in with a reminder that she’s got plans to promote environmental justice, is seeing a surge in fundraising, according to her campaign. During the debate, Warren’s campaign had the best hour of fundraising to date.
My colleague Oliver Milman makes a thoughtful point: Why are questions about climate change during the Democratic debates so often framed in the economic context?
This was the memorable moment Elizabeth Warren went after Mike Bloomberg’s record on women after the businessmen tried to tout his accomplishments. It drew a strong reaction from the billionaire:
The fight over Nevada’s culinary union
Nevada’s powerful culinary union took center stage earlier in the evening when candidates attacked Sanders over the union’s criticism of his healthcare plan and reports that Sanders supporters harassed union officials as a result.
Here’s some background context from my colleague Mario Koran …
The powerful hospitality workers union in Nevada, which has declined to endorse a candidate head of the caucuses, recently circulated a flier criticizing Sanders’ “Medicare for All” proposal. The flier claimed Sanders would “end Culinary Healthcare” and “require Medicare for All” if elected president. The flyer took a comparably favorable view of the position taken by Sen Elizabeth Warren, who supports Medicare for all after a transition period.
According to the Nevada Independent, officials from the Culinary Union received threatening messages on via phone, email and Twitter from Sanders’ supporters angry about the flyer.
On Tuesday, Sanders condemned supporters who make “vicious attacks” on others, highlighting his support from labor unions.
“I am the strongest, perhaps lifetime, supporter of unions in the United States Congress. The idea that anybody who works with me would make a vicious attack against a union leader, just because we disagree on an issue, is incomprehensible to me,” Sanders said. “And you know what? I’m just not sure that that’s true.”
And we’re back... We’re now talking about climate change.
“I believe in science,” Warren said, launching into a defense of her ambitious proposals to combat global heating.
Sanders noted: “This is an existential threat... this is a moral issue.”
All the candidates tend to agree that climate change is a priority, though Warren and Sanders have the most progressive proposals.
Taking a short break. This has been a lively one.
Warren had another strong moment taking on Bloomberg over nondisclosure agreements women have signed at his company, saying: “You could release them from that immediately.”
“They signed those agreements, and we’ll live with it,” Bloomberg responded. When Bloomberg tried to suggest that it was a mutual “consensual” agreement of silence that both sides wanted, Warren responded: “If they wish to speak out and tell their side of their story, that’s ok with you? You’re releasing them on television tonight?” The exchange ended with Bloomberg refusing to say he would release women from nondisclosure agreements and some in the audience booing.
Bloomberg at one point also defended his record on women, saying, “In my company, lots and lots of women have big responsibilities. They get paid the same as men.” Warren responded: “I hope you heard what his defense was, I’ve been nice to some women.”
Amy Klobuchar, who forgot the name of Mexico’s president in an interview with Univision, said it was a momentary lapse.
When Buttigieg pushed back, she responded: “Are you calling me dumb? Are you mocking me?”
Buttigieg was the one candidate who correctly named Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the interview; Klobuchar and Tom Steyer (who is not on stage tonight) couldn’t remember. Mayor Pete’s campaign has been promoting the interview in campaig emails to supporters.
One thing that everyone seems to agree on tonight is that this debate is the most intense, combative one yet.One thing that everyone seems to agree on tonight is that this debate is the most intense, combative one yet.
Bloomberg has gone after Sanders, Biden has gone after Bloomberg, and Warren has pretty much gone after everyone.Bloomberg has gone after Sanders, Biden has gone after Bloomberg, and Warren has pretty much gone after everyone.
Here’s how viewers have been responding to the rumble happening on stage:Here’s how viewers have been responding to the rumble happening on stage:
Warren is drilling down on Bloomberg, and the fact that he won’t released women from confidentiality agreements they signed relating to allegations of a hostile work environment at his company. She drew more parallels between Bloomberg and Donald Trump, who has brushed off a litany of sexual harassment accusations.Warren is drilling down on Bloomberg, and the fact that he won’t released women from confidentiality agreements they signed relating to allegations of a hostile work environment at his company. She drew more parallels between Bloomberg and Donald Trump, who has brushed off a litany of sexual harassment accusations.
Now Bloomberg is addressing his part comments on women, and allegations that he fostered a sexist work environment at his company Bloomberg LP.
Bloomberg had a testy response. He said he takes the Me Too movement seriously and when someone makes sexist or discriminatory comments at his company, “we investigate it. And if it’s inappropriate, they’re gone that day,” he said.
Elizabeth Warren is pursuing a very new strategy tonight: attack everyone in sight. Here’s how she ripped through the healthcare plans of her rivals earlier in tonight’s debate:
Echoing Donald Trump’s excuses for not releasing his tax returns, Mike Bloomberg said it “takes time”. “I can’t go to Turbo Tax,” he said. The multibillionaire has said he will release his returns “in a few weeks”.
“Transparency matters, especially in the Trump era,” Pete Buttigieg said, referring to Bernie Sanders’ reluctance to release detailed health records. Buttigieg, 38, said he’s happy to get a physical and release the results — drawing chuckles and groans from the crowd.
Sanders pivoted back to his healthcare plan, contrasting his Medicare for All proposal with Pete Buttigieg’s “Medicare for those who want it” which Sanders described as “status quo”.
Bloomberg is stumbling in his response to stop and frisk, even though he surely rehearsed for this moment.
He said he was “embarrassed” by it: “I’ve apologized. I’ve asked for forgiveness. We stopped too many people.” He claimed that he introduced stop and frisk to fight homicides in New York City, saying: “I thought my first responsibility was to give people the right to live.”
“It got out of control.” Bloomberg also said, “I discovered we were doing too many stop and frisks.” In reality, a court ordered the city to stop the policy, deeming it unconstitutional.
Warren got applause for her response, noting the harm stop and frisk caused with communities of color, adding: “You need a different apology.”
Bloomberg addressed his stop-and-frisk policy: “I thought my first responsibility was to give people the right to live,” he said, but “it got out of control”.
“I’ve sat, I’ve apologized, I’ve asked for forgiveness,” Bloomberg said. “We stopped too many people.”
He added: “If we took everybody that was wrong” on criminal justice, “there would be nobody up here.”
That explanation wasn’t enough for Warren, who once again leaped in. “This really is about leadership and accountability,” she said. The policy was racist in its conception, she added. “It targeted communities of color; it targeted black and brown men from the beginning.”
Bloomberg’s first jab: “Let me finish,” he said as Biden tried to cut in as the former New York mayor criticized the hallmark healthcare legislation of the Obama/Biden administration. Overall, Bloomberg has been less fiery than his opponents.
Amy Klobuchar’s very on-brand response to Warren: “Post-it notes were invented in my state”. Warren’s critique of her moderate rival is relentless. “Amy, I’ve seen your plan” she said, describing it as “two paragraphs”.
“Families are suffering. You can’t simply stand here and trash an idea to give healthcare coverage to everyone without having a realistic plan of your own,” Warren said.
This is a very nasty and negative start to the debate.
Within 15 minutes, all of the candidates have aggressively targeted Bloomberg with well-delivered, rehearsed attacks on the former New York City mayor over stop and frisk and his history of misogynistic insults.
Warren started with the strongest attack on Bloomberg, listing his past insults against women and noting she was not talking about Trump: “Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.”
Buttigieg’s first line was a dual attack on both Sanders and Bloomberg, saying, “Let’s put forward somebody who is actually a Democrat.”
So far, very little discussion of policy. Bloomberg has presented himself as the best candidate to take on Trump, but has largely not directly responded to the attacks and not addressed his past remarks on women.
Elizabeth Warren, whose voice is hoarse as she is fighting off a cold, is coming across stong. She attacked her opponents’ healthcare plans. Buttigieg’s plan is a mere “PowerPoint” she said. “Amy’s plan is even less; it’s a post-it note.”
And while Sanders’ plan is “good start”, but “his campaign relentlessly attacks everyone who asks a question” about it she said. “His own advisors say ‘Eh, probably won’t happen anyway.’”