The candidates gathered in Houston, Texas, for the latest Democratic debate represented the top tier of the large field campaigning for the party’s 2020 nomination. But how did each of them fare during a night of policy cut and thrust, some mutual admiration and also some caustic attacks – on each other and Donald Trump
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How did each candidate in the Democratic debate do?
Klobuchar, Booker, Buttigieg, Sanders, Biden, Warren, Harris, Yang, O’Rourke and Castro – all 10 hopefuls rated
The candidates gathered in Houston, Texas, for the latest Democratic debate represented the top tier of the large field campaigning for the party’s 2020 nomination. But how did each of them fare during a night of policy cut and thrust, some mutual admiration and also some caustic attacks – on each other and on Donald Trump.
Related: Biden clashes with Warren and Sanders in lively Democratic debate
Continue reading...Beto O’Rourke on gun control: ‘Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15’ – video
Presidential contender Beto O'Rourke does not shy away from saying he would require citizens to turn in their military-style weapons when asked about gun control during Thursday night's Democratic debate. 'Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,' O’Rourke said in one of the biggest lines of the night. O'Rourke added: 'We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans any more.' He said some people at a gun show accepted the weapons were not needed for hunting.
Continue reading...Castro questions Biden’s memory during third Democrat debate – video
In one of the sharpest skirmishes of the evening, former housing and urban development secretary Julián Castro alluded to voter concerns about former vice-president Joe Biden's age. If elected, Biden would be the oldest first-term president at 78
Continue reading...Democratic debate: the five key takeaways
Biden was Biden but despite a smaller field sparks failed to fly with Warren, while O’Rourke had a good night – as did Obama
The Democratic debate in Houston was a mix of smackdown, backslapping and policy gab-fest as the 10 top-tier candidates faced off against each other while at least 10 others were only able to watch from the sidelines, having failed to qualify.
Related: Biden clashes with Warren and Sanders in lively Democratic debate
Continue reading...Democratic debate: Warren and Sanders clash with Biden over healthcare – live
The 10 candidates on stage in Houston offered competing visions based on Obamacare and Medicare for All
Joe Biden is taking a question on gun control and once again arguing he has the best (and certainly the longest) record on the issue. “I’m the only up here who’s ever beat the NRA,” the former vice president and senator said.
Biden then similarly applauded Beto O’Rourke for his efforts to help his hometown of El Paso heal from the mass shooting that killed 22. Biden originally referred to the former congressman as “Beto.” He then apologized and O’Rourke interjected, “Beto is good.”
In the midst of a discussion on race and criminal justice, Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot, has made this important point:
You know what else is racist? Preventing people from voting. There have been 29 presidential debates in 2020 & 2016 and no questions about voting rights
Continue reading...John Bolton fired as Trump’s national security adviser – live news
President tweeted about the firing after reports emerged Bolton opposed Trump plan to hold peace talks with the Taliban at Camp David
Trump has taken the stage at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference and appears to (so far) be sticking to the teleprompter.
He has touted the importance of HBCUs and celebrated his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, as a champion for the institutions.
Trump is expected to soon start speaking at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference. The president was scheduled to take the podium at 2:15 p.m. E.T. but is apparently running behind.
Continue reading...Republicans and Democrats denounce Trump’s shock Taliban talks revelation
- Amy Klobuchar: ‘This isn’t a gameshow. These are terrorists’
- Liz Cheney says Taliban should never visit Camp David
Donald Trump’s shock announcement that he had canceled secret peace talks with the Taliban this weekend has prompted criticism and confusion, including from his own Republican party.
The Democratic presidential 2020 hopeful and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar ridiculed the president on Sunday morning, saying he approaches foreign policy like “some kind of gameshow”.
Continue reading...Is Congress finally ready to pass gun control legislation?
Retailers such as Walmart have taken a lead and public opinion appears in favour of new curbs but that may still count for little
Congress returns to Washington this week after a summer recess punctured by a string of mass shootings under pressure to confront a uniquely American problem: how to combat the scourge of gun violence?
Though it has been a quarter of a century since Congress passed significant gun control legislation, Democrats and advocacy groups are displaying a fresh sense of resolve as major American retailers heed public calls for action in response to the recent wave of mass shootings.
Continue reading...Trump reportedly considering ending US refugee program – live
NYT reports top official has proposed ‘zeroing out’ the program, while another option is to cut admissions by half or more
That’s it from me this week. My West Coast colleague, Julia Carrie Wong, will be taking over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Fresh from the department of oof: Democratic presidential candidate Tim Ryan said he thinks Joe Biden is “declining” and doesn’t have the “energy” to defeat Trump.
“I just think Biden is declining,” Ryan told a reporter, whom he apparently mistook for a potential donor. “I don’t think he has the energy. You see it almost daily. And I love the guy.”
Continue reading...Socialism used to be a dirty word. Is America now ready to embrace the ideology?
Voters’ feelings on socialism have shifted with half of those under 40 saying they would prefer to live in a socialist country
In his 1998 film, Bulworth, Warren Beatty played a Democratic senator who goes rogue, embarking on a truth-telling binge in which he spouts radical truths no Democrat serious about election would ever utter. At one stage, Bulworth even mentions socialism.
“In America that’s like saying cocksucker,” Beatty once told me with a chuckle over dinner at his home in Los Angeles shortly before the film came out in Britain a year later. “We have this so-called thriving economy which has missed most people and while the disparity between rich and poor increases we have just one party – the money party, made up of Republicans and Democrats.”
Continue reading...Trump’s Middle East envoy resigns amid Kushner’s stalling peace plan – live
US president says Jason Greenblatt will be leaving to pursue work in the private sector after three years in administration
A CNN analyst neatly summarized Joe Biden’s continued dominance in the polls despite a series of embarrassing gaffes that many commentators predicted would affect his front-runner status.
Average of all polls this year of Biden v. Trump? Biden by 8. Average of all August polls, after all the gaffes? Biden by 10. That's the same as it is in the RCP average. Clinton lead in the RCP average against Trump at this point? 2.4 points... (1/?)
Maybe, it will change. Heck, we're over a year out. But the difference between what the numbers are saying and conventional wisdom (at least in some quarters) is stunning.
Meanwhile, Trump is still refusing to acknowledge that he was wrong when he tweeted Sunday about the threat Hurricane Dorian posed to Alabama.
Just as I said, Alabama was originally projected to be hit. The Fake News denies it! pic.twitter.com/elJ7ROfm2p
I was with you all the way Alabama. The Fake News Media was not! https://t.co/gO5pwahaj9
Continue reading...Democratic 2020 hopefuls split over tackling climate crisis
Candidates warn of ‘irreparable damage’ in marathon town hall but can’t agree on how aggressively to tackle problem
Democrats vying for president revealed a fundamental split over how aggressively the US should tackle climate change in a seven-hour town hall meeting on Wednesday.
Bernie Sanders painted an apocalyptic future wreaked by the climate crisis and pledged to wage war on the fossil fuel industry. A high-energy Elizabeth Warren urged optimism for building a better America and the former vice-president Joe Biden, who has a pitched a more moderate proposal, said he would push other nations to recommit to stronger action.
Continue reading...Separated migrant children experience ‘heightened feelings of anxiety’, says report – live
HHS inspector general concluded children affected by Trump’s family separation policy exhibited more fear and post-traumatic stress
Bernie Sanders dismissed concerns that there was not enough room in the Democratic presidential primary for both him and Elizabeth Warren, given that the two progressive senators espouse similar ideals.
“Elizabeth is a friend of mine. She and I have known each other well over 20 years. She’s going to run her campaign and I will run my campaign,” Sanders told ABC’s “The View.”
"Elizabeth is a friend of mine. She and I have known each other well over 20 years. She's going to run her campaign and I will run my campaign," Bernie Sanders tells @TheView when asked if there's room in the Democratic Party for himself and Sen. Warren. https://t.co/QXHJ4vE89I pic.twitter.com/FBemYsKdPn
Imagined as a Venn diagram, there is common ground between Warren and Sanders voters but each has their own distinct base. A survey by the Pew Research Center this month found that about seven in 10 of Warren’s supporters are white, compared to about half of Sanders’ backers. Warren’s supporters are substantially more likely to have a college degree compared with supporters of [Joe] Biden and Sanders.
John Zogby, a pollster and author, said: ‘Because of progressive ideology there is some sort of overlap, but they are different. Warren picks up support among women that ordinarily Sanders would not get, including former Clinton supporters who regard her as the bearer of the torch to get a woman elected.’
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson sent (and deleted) a tweet implying that the path of Hurricane Dorian could be altered with “the power of the mind.”
Marianne Williamson has deleted this tweet pic.twitter.com/YdLRD7UfoZ
Prayers for the people of the Bahamas, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. May the peace of God be upon them and their hearts be comforted as they endure the storm.
Continue reading...How do the 2020 Democrats stack up on climate?
Environmental groups rate Democrats’ plans and records ahead of CNN’s town hall focusing on the climate crisis
Democrats will pit their climate plans against each other on Wednesday at a seven-hour CNN town hall, as world scientists warn the window is narrowing to prevent catastrophe.
With the planet already about 1C warmer than before industrialization, the United Nations’ climate panel says that keeping the increase to 1.5C would require “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”.
Continue reading...Bernie Sanders releases plan to combat ‘crisis’ in journalism – live news
- 2020 candidate’s proposal would crack down on major media mergers and increase funding for public media at the local level
- Sign up to the US briefing and get a new perspective
In a statement about the the president’s performance at the G7 summit, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned of the potentially devastating effects another four years of Trump could unleash.
“Rather than looking to America for vision, agenda setting, and leadership by example, our closest democratic allies sought to manage and mitigate the damage Trump might do at this year’s G-7,” Biden said.
Taylor Swift surprised some of her fans last night by striking a political tone while accepting the MTV Video Music Award for video of the year.
The pop star encouraged those listening to sign a petition in support of the Equality Act, which would bar discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The Democratic-controlled House passed the bill earlier this year, but it has not yet been taken up in the Senate.
Congrats to @billieeilish and @ArianaGrande for huge wins and @lizzo for an incredible performance at the #VMAs and huge thanks for joining the fight to tell politicians: #BansOffMyBody! Visit https://t.co/RD5uRCwa2y
Continue reading...Trump pushes his ‘magnificent’ resort as site of next G7 summit – live news
- US president repeatedly mentioned his company’s properties during the G7 closing conference, after skipping meeting dedicating funds to Amazon fires
- Sign up to the US briefing and get a new perspective
Hello readers, this is Kari Paul in San Francisco taking over the blog for the next few hours. Stay tuned for updates.
That’s it from me today. I’m handing the blog over to my West Coast colleague Kari Paul for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Continue reading...Donald Trump heads to G7 summit as recession fears grow – live
The president is travelling to France for the G7 summit, claiming the economy is ‘phenomenal’ despite some worrying signs
A city council candidate in Michigan said she wants to keep her community white “as much as possible” at a public forum on Thursday.
The candidate, Jean Cramer, made the comment in response to a question about diversity in Marysville, which is 55 miles (88 kilometers) northeast of Detroit and more than 90% of its 9,700-person population is white.
Donald Trump, who tapped into the angst and anger in the rust belt in 2016, has failed to return jobs to Lordstown, Ohio, where a GM plant closed down last year.
The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt visited the town where, he writes, the presence of the factory and its well-paid manufacturing jobs was particularly important:
Related: 'It's devastating'. End of GM in Ohio town as Trump fails to bring back midwest jobs
Continue reading...Trump rule would allow for indefinite detention of immigrant families – live
New rule would effectively replace the Flores agreement, which sets 20-day limit for families held in custody
Eighteen (!) of the 23 (!!) prominent Democratic candidates for president are speaking at the Iowa Federation Labor Convention today.
The presidential hopefuls will address union members in Altoona, beginning at 10am ET and running, presumably, for a long time.
Some reaction to the Trump administration rule on indefinitely detaining immigrant families:
The government should NOT be jailing kids, and certainly shouldn’t be seeking to put more kids in jail for longer.
This is yet another cruel attack on children, who this administration has targeted again and again with its anti-immigrant policies.
Congress must not fund this. https://t.co/bp3uDIJder
Even a short period of detention— let alone prolonged detention—has devastating, often lifelong effects on children. https://t.co/3823D0XnhO
It's also incredibly costly. DHS declined to run the numbers in the proposed rule, so we did so for them. Each year this will cost at least $200 MILLION, and as much as over $1 BILLION.
All to hurt kids and families.https://t.co/MjsidJxQx0
‘I am sorry for the harm I have caused’: Elizabeth Warren at Native American forum – video
The Democratic presidential candidate offered a public apology on Monday to Native Americans over her past claim to tribal heritage, directly tackling an area that has proved to be her biggest political liability. 'Like anyone who has been honest with themselves, I know I have made mistakes,' the Massachusetts senator said at the start of her appearance at the forum in this pivotal early voting state
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