Democratic debate: candidates address age and lack of diversity on stage – live updates – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

I I I I I I I I I I I I I hhhave absolutely no idea what Biden is talking about.# DemDebate December

,

The tweet is a reference to Joe Biden’s answer moments ago about meeting children who struggle with stuttering, which he also suffered from when he was young.

Biden demonstrated what a stutter sounds like to emphasize his point, prompting this cruel joke from Trump’s former adviser.

Biden’s rapid response director quickly reacted to Sanders ’tweet:

Andrew Bates(@ AndrewBatesNC)He overcame a stutter as a young person and frequently people who struggle with one tell him and ask for support. It’s not hard to understand how compassion from a president would seem unusual to you, though.# DemDebate************************** (https://t.co/a5OgBBROPi

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**********************************************************************************************************************************************. **************************************************************************************************************************************** ESTEST******************************************************************************************************************************************: Candidates deliver closing statements

The debate has moved on to closing statements, and each candidate will get seconds to deliver final remarks.

Tom Steyerpledged to “break the corporate stranglehold” and tackle climate change as president.

Andrew Yangopened his closing statement with a joke about his outsider status. “I know what you’re thinking, America: How am I still on this stage with them?”

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The debate has hit its last commercial break, and candidates will soon make their one-minute closing statements.

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The other candidates seem to be taking the “forgiveness or gift” question to make a larger pitch for their candidacies.

Pete Buttigieg talked about the need to defeatTrump, andElizabeth Warren asked forgiveness for getting “worked up” about the important issues she hears about from voters.

Joe Bidenechoed Warren’s point about how many people he has met during his campaign who need help.

Interestingly, the former vice president talked about children he’s met who have told them about their issues with stuttering, which he also struggled with as a child. Biden actually made a point to demonstrate a stutter on stage, which is noteworthy considering he makes a point to emphasize he has recovered from the condition.

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Debate reaches final question

The debate has reached its final question, and it’s … a pretty weird one, to be honest.

PBS Newshour’s

Judy Woodruff

asked the candidates if there was anything they would like to ask forgiveness for from one of their opponents or if they would like to offer them a gift.

The answers started with Andrew Yang, who was clearly baffled. He ended up joking that he was gratefulElizabeth Warren had started reading his book, and he offered to send it to the other candidates.

13. 20 pmEST26: 20

Amy Klobuchar said

Bernie Sanders‘health care fight was actually with the many Americans who don’t support Medicare for All.

The moderators then tried to move on, but Sanders interjected to try to take back the floor with a joke: “She took my name in vain.”

12 PMEST25:

The debate has turned to the issue of health care, much later than it has come up in previous debates.

Bernie Sandersrefused to say whether he would pursue more modest proposals than Medicare for All if Congress could not approve a single-payer system.Sahil Kapur(@ sahilkapur)

Bernie Sanders doesn’t say if he’d pursue more modest steps if Congress rejects Medicare for all: “I think we will pass a Medicare for all single payer system and I will introduce that legislation in my first week in office. “

Notable difference between him and Elizabeth Warren.

(December) ,

Sanders andJoe Biden,

who has proposed a public option rather than Medicare for All,

then ****************** clashed over what was realistic to expect in terms of passing health care bills.

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Biden says he disagreed with Afghanistan troop surge

PBS Newshour’s

Amna Nawaz

asked

Joe Bidenabout what he knew of the US military’s difficulties in Afghanistan, referring to the recent revelation from the Washington Postthat government officials were aware of the troop surge there was not working.

Biden said he argued against the surgeon in Afghanistan, putting him at odds withBarack Obama and senior Pentagon officials.

The comment surprised some debate viewers, but a former senior adviser to Obama confirmed Biden’s stance.

David Axelrod(@ davidaxelrod)Whatever your view or the decision,@JoeBidenwas, in fact, a strong voice in WH against the surgeon in Afghanistan. He described his position accurate. (December) ************************************************************************************************************************************************,

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PBS NewsHour’s

Yamiche Alcindorasked the candidates how they would address violence against transgender women of color.

Bernie Sanderssaid the country needed “moral leadership in the White House to protect the transgender community,” specifically touching on the need to guarantee access to health care.

“The transgender community has been marginalized in every possible way,” said

Elizabeth Warren (*********************. She pledged that, as president, she would go to the Rose Garden every year and read the names of transgender women and people of color who have been killed.

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PBS Newshour’s

Judy Woodruff

just askedAmy Klobuchar a question that any eventual nominee will have to face: how will you enact your agenda with so manyTrump –

appointed judges on the bench?

Klobuchar pledged to appoint judges in the vein of liberal Supreme Court justices, like

Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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Amy Klobuchar has repeatedly criticized

Pete Buttigiegtonight, a fight that seems to have been inevitable to many.

Garrett Haake(@ GarrettHaake)

This Klobuchar vs. Pete fight has been a long time coming. It’s been an open secret among Dems in and around the Senate that Buttigieg grates on / triggers Klobuchar in a major way.# DemDebate (December) ,

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In response to criticism fromAmy Klobuchar,Pete Buttigieg

defended his electability by pointing to his mayoral victories in South Bend, Indiana.

“Try building a coalition to win re-election with 90% of the vote as a gay dude in

Mike Pence) ‘s Indiana, ”Buttigieg said, referring to the vice president’s previous role as the governor of Indiana.

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