good evening, everyone. i'm lester holt. welcome to the first democratic debate in the 2020 race for president. >> hi, i'm savannah guthrie and tonight it's our first chance to see these candidateso head to head on stage together. we'll be joined in our questioning tonight by our colleagues, jose diaz-balart, chuck todd and rachel maddow. >> voters are trying to nail down where t candidates stand on the issues. what sets them apart and which fuof these presidential ho has what it takes. >> well, now, it's timto find out.on >> tht, round one. new jersey senator cory booker. former housing secretary julian castro. new york city major bill de blasio. former maryland congressman jo delaney.

hawaii congresswoman tulsi gabbard. washington governor jay inslee. minnesota senator amy klobuchar. former texas congressman beto o'rourke. ohio congressman tim ryan. and massachusetts senator elizabeth warren. from nbc news, decision 2020. the democratic candidates debate. live from the adrienne arsht performing arts center. >> and good evening, again, everyone. welcome to the candidates and to our oaudience in miami in the arsht center, at home across the country. tonight we're going to take on many of the most pressing ises of the moment including immigration. the situation unfolding at our border and the treatment of migrant children. lk about theng to tensions with iran. climate change. and, of course, we'll talk about

the economy. those kitchen-table issues so many americans face every day. >> and some quick rules of the road. before we begin, 20 candidates qualified for this first debate. we'll hear from ten tonight and ten more tomorrow. the breakdown for each was selected at random. the candidates will have 60 seconds to answer and 30 seconds for any follow-ups. >> because of this large field, not every person will be able to comment on every topic, but over the course of the next two hours we will hear from everyone. we'd also ke to ask the audience to keep the reactions to a minimum. we are not going to be shy about making sure the candidates stick to time tonight. a >> right. so with that business out of the way we want to get to it and t we'll is evening with senator elizabeth warr. senator, good evening to you. >> thank you. good to be here. >> you have many plans. free college. free childcare. ntvernment health care. cancelation of stuebt. new taxes. new regulations. the breakup of major corporations. this comes at a time when 71% of

americans say the economy is doing well. including 60% of democrats. what do you say to those who worry this kind significant change could be risky to the economy? . >> so, i think of it this wa who is this economy really working for?'s itoing great for thinner and thinner slice at the top. it's doing great for giant drug companies. it's not doing great for people who are trying to get a prescription filled. it's doing great for people who want to invest in private prisons. just not for african-americans and latin families whose tms were torn apart whose lives were dtroyed and communities were ruined. it's doing great for giant oil companies that want to drill everywhere. just not for the rest of us who are watching climate change bear down upon us. when you got a government, when wiu've got an onomy that does great for those money, and isn't doing great for everyone elseat is corruption pure and simple.al we need to cit out.ac

we need to attk it head-on. and we need to make structural u change in government, in ourec omy, and in our country. >> senator klobuchar. you've called progra like free college something you might do if you were, quote, a magic gengen genie. to be blunt, are the government programs and benefits some of s your rivalare offering giving alyour voters, people, a fse sense of what's actually achievable? >> well, first, e economy, we know that not everyone is sharing in this prosperity. and donald trump just sits in boe white house and gloats what's going on. when you have so many people that are having trouble affording college, and having trouble affording their premiums. so, i do get concerned about paying f college for rich kids. i do. but i think, my plan, isd good one anmy plan would be to

first of all make community college free. and make sure that everyone else besides that top percentile gets help with their educion. my own dad and my sister got their first degrees with communy college. there's many paths to success as well as certifications. secondly, i use programs, i double them, from $6,000 to $12,000 a year and expand it to the number of families that get vered.ie to familthat make up to $100,000. and then the third thing i would do is make it easier for studts to pay off their student loans because i can tell you this, if billionaires can pay off their yachts, students should be able to pay off their student loans. >> that's time. thank you. congressman o'rourke, what we've just been discussing and talking about is how much fundamenl change to the economy is desirable and how much is actual doable. in that vain, some democrats want a marginal tax rate of 70%

on the very highest earners, those making more than $10 million a year.d wou support that, and if not, what would your top individual rate be? >> this economy has got to work for evyone, and right now, we know that it isn't. it's going to take all of us coming together to make sure that it does. [ speaking spanish ] ci 3 f2 en nuestra democracada a $2 trillion tax cut that favored corporations shile they weting on record piles of cash and the very wealthiest in in this country at a time of historic wealth inequality.

a new democracy that is revived because we returned pow tore the people. no pacs. no gerrymandering. automatic and same-f day voter registration to brinin new vo ters and voting rights act to get rid of the barriers -- congressman o'rourke. >> we have a voice in our democracy and make the economy work for everyone. >> that's time, sir. i'll give you ten seconds to answer if you want to answer the direct question, would you support a 70% individual marginal tax rate, yes, no, or pass? t' i would support a tax rate and tax code thafair to everyone. tax capital -- >> at the same rate? >> at the same rate you tax di orry income, tick the corporate tax rate up to 28%, you'd generate the programs we need to pay for. >>hat's time. thank you. ns uise le of corporatiote p r n you k now. senator warren in particular put out a plan to break up tech companies like facebook, amazon and google.id you sae should not, quote, be running around pointing at companies and breaking them up without any kind of process. why do you disagree? h. >> i don't think i disagree.

i thk we have a serious problem in o country with corporate consolidation. you see the evidence in that of hodignity is being stripped from labor. we have people who work full-time jobs and still can't make a living wage. we see that because consumer prices are being raised by pharmaceutical companies tt often have monopolistic holds on drugs and you see that by just the fact this is actual an onomy that's hurting small businesses and not allowing them to compete. one ls the most aggressive bil in the senate, to deal with corporate consolidation, is minp about coate consolidation in the i sectsector. feel strongly about the need to check the corporate ol consation and let the free market work. income black and brown in a low community. i seevery single day this economy is not working for ans.age amer the indicators that are being used from gdp to wall street's rankings is not helping people it is about time that we have an economy that works for lterybody.

not just the weaest in our nation. >> quickly, senator booker, you did say that you dt think it was right to name names, to name companies and single them out as senator warren has. briefly,hy is that? >> well, again, i will single out companies like halliburt or amazon that pay nothing in ta s and need to change that. when it comes antitrust law, what i will do is, number one, appoint judges that will enforce it. mmmber two, have a doj and a federal trade coission that g willo through the processes necessary to check this kie of corporatconcentration. at the end of the day, we have too much of a problem with we corporate pogrowing. we see that with everything fro citizens united the way they're trying to influence washington. it's about president that fights for the people in this country. >> that's ti w, sir. >>ho need to have someone that's a champion for them. >> thank you, senator. senator warren, i mentioned you. are you picking winners and losers? >> so the wai understand this is the is way too much consolidation now in giant

, duries in this country. that hurts workers hurts small businesses, it hurts independent farmers, it hurts our economy overall. and it helps constrict real innovation and growth in this economy. now, look, we've had the law out there for a long time. to be able to fight back.'s what been missing is courage.hi courage in waston to take on the giants. that's part of the corruption in this system. it haseen far too long that the monopols have been making the campaign conibutions, have been funding the superpacs, have rebeen out there making suhat their influence is heard and felt in every single decision that gets ma in washington. t where i wanto start this is i want to return government to the people and that meaning out the names of the monopolists and sang i have the courage to go after them. >> thank you. >> secretary castro, the next qu tion is for you, democra

have beetalking about the pay gap for decades. what wld you do to ensure that women are paid fairly in this y?un >> thank you very much for that question, lester.ew you know, i p with a ho mother waised my brother, joaquin and me as a single parent. i know what it's like to struggle. i know what it's like to rent a home and to worry out whether you're going to be able to pay thrent at the first of the month and to see a mom work very, very hard and know that moms across this country a getting paid less, simply because they're women, i would do several things, starting with something we should have done a long time ago, wch is to pass the equal rights amendment finally in this country, and also, pursue legislation so that women are paid equal pay for equal work in this country. it's past time that we did that, and, you know, we have to do this. if we want to be the most at prosperon in the 21st century, we need to make sure that women are paid what they deserve. >> all right.

thank you. i want to put the same question to conesswoman gabbard. your thoughts on equal pay. >> first of all, let's recognize the situation 're in. that the american people deserve a president who will put your interests ahead of the rich and powerful. not what we have right now. i enlisted in the army national guard after the al qaeda terror attacks on 9/11 so i could go after those who attacked us on that day. i still serve as a maj.16 served over ears. deployed twice to the middle east. in congress served on the n forefairs and armed services committees for over six years. i know the importance of our ec national surity as well as the terribly high cost of war. and for too long our leaders have failed us taking us from one regime change war to the , nextleading us into a new cold war and arms race, costing us trillions of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars and countless lives. this insanity must end.de as presi, i will take your hard-earned taxpayer dollars, instead, invest those dollars into serving your needs.

things like health care. a green economy. good-paying jobs. protecting our environnt. and so much more. >> mayor de blasio, you're the mayor of the biggest city in the alunited states, but it's one of the cities in the country with a greatest gap between the wealthy and the poor.ad how would you dress income inequality? >> well, we've been addressing income inequality in new york city by raising wages, by g raisinbenefits, by putting ney back in the hands of working people. $15 minimum wage, paid sick days, pre-k for all. things thaare making a huge difference in working people's lives. let tell you, what we're hearing in the first round of questions is the battle for the heart and soul of our party. hiwant to make it clear, tis supposed to be the party of working pele. yes, we're supposed to be for 70% tax rate on the wealthy. yes, we're supposed to be fo free college, free plic college, for our young people.

we are supposed to break up big corporations when they're not serving our democracy. this democratic party has to be strong and bold and progressive, and in new york, we've proven ca thatdo something very different.on we can put mey back in the hands of working people, and let me tell you, every time you talk yout investing in peo their communities,ou hear folks say there's not enough money. what i say to them every single time, there's plenty of money in this world, pl of money in this country, it's just in the wrong hands. >> thank you. >> we democrats have to x >> congressman delaney, you agree? >> i think we need to do real a things to helpmerican worke ere and the american peopl right? this is the issue that all of up hear on the cagn trail. we need too make sure everyone has a living wage. i called foring of the earned income tax credit and creating paid family leave. that will create a situation where people actually have a ng liviage. that gets ri right to workers. we have to fix our public education system.

it's not delivering the results our kids need. nor is college and post-high school career and tactical ai trning programs doing that. you know, i'm very different than everyone else on the stage. , ior to being in congress was an entrepreneur. i started two businesses. i created thousands of jobs. i spent my whole career helping smalllto midsized businesses a over the country. 5,000 of them, 5,000 of thd., i supporte the obama administration gave me an award for lending to disadvantaged communities. i kn how to create jobs. we need a short-term strategy is which to put money in the pockets of workers with earned income tax credit, raising the minimum wage and creating paid family leaved then we need to have a long-term strategy to make sure this country is d competitive 're creating jobs everywhere. >> this country. >> governor inslee, how would you address income inequality? >> well, i'm a littlbit surprised. i th'mk plans are great, but i a governor and we got to realize the people who brought us the weekend unions, going to bring us a long ovdue raise in america.

i'm proud of standinnsup for unio. i got a plan to reinvirate collective bargaining so we can increase wages final i march e eed with the sciu foln it's right the ceo of mcdonald's makes 2,100 times more than the people making hash at mcdonald's. the next thing i'll do is put people to work in the jobs of the president and the future. i look donald trump is simply wrong. says wind turbines cause cancer.ey we know th cause jobs. and we know that we can put millions of people to work in the clean energy jobs of the future. carpenters. machinists. we're do g it in my state today. and then we can do what america always does, lead the world d invent the future and put people to work.'r that's whagoing to do. >> congressman ryan, president trump, and you just referred to him, promised that manufacturing jobs were all coming back to places like your home state of ohio. can you make that same promise?

>> yes, i believe you can, but first let's say the president me, he said don't sell y house, the people in youngstown, ohio, and in his administration, just in the last two years, we lost $4,000 -- 4,000 jobs at a general motors facility. that rippled throughout our community. general motors got a tax cut. general motors got a bailout. and then they have the audacity to move a new car that they're going to produce to mexico. i've had family members that have to unbolt a machine from the factory floor, put it in a box, and ship it to china. my area where i come from in northeast ohio, this issue we're tan ing about here, it's bee going on 40 years. this is not a new phenomenon in the united states of america. the bottom 60% haven't seen a raise since 1980. meanwhile, the top 1% tntrol 90% ofhe wealth. we need an industrial policy saying we're going to dominate building electric vehicles. there's going to be 30 million made in the next 10 years. i want half of them made in the

united states. i want to dominate the solar industry. >> thank you. >> and manufacture those here in the united states. w >> senatorren, are they coming back? are these jobs coming back? >> so we've had an industrial policy in the ited states for decades now and it's basically been let giant corporations do whatever they want to do. giant corporations have exactly one loyalty, and that is to profit. and if they can save a nickel by moving a job to mexico or to asia or to canada, they're going to do it. so here's what i propose for an industrial policy. start with a place where there's real need. there's ing to be a worldwide need for green technology. ways to clean up the air. ways to clean up the water.we and can be the ones to provide that. we need to go tenfold in our research and development on green energy going forward. and then we need to any corporation can come and use that research. they can make all kitss of producrom it. but theyave to be manufactured i right herethe united states of america.

and then we have to double down and sell it around the world. there's a $23 trillion market coming for green products. we should be the leaders and the owners and we should have that ion manufacturing jobs here in america. we can do this. >> all right. we're going to turn to the issue of health care rlyht now. realry to understand where there may or may not be daylight between you. many people watching at home have ealth insurance coverage through their employer. who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan? just a show of hands to start off with all right. well, senator klobuchar, let meu put the tion to you. you're one of the democrats who wants to keep private insurance t addition to a governmen health care an. why is an incremental approach, our view, better than a sweeping overhaul? i >> i thinkt's a bold approach. it's something barack obama we wanted to do were working on the affordable care

t. and that is a public optio i am just simply concerned about kicking half of america off of their health insurance in four whyears, which is exactly this bill says. so let me go on beyond that. there's a much bigger issue, in addition to that, and that is pharmaceuticals. the president literally went on tvlen fox and said that peop's heads would spin when they'd see how much hi would bring down pharmaceutical prices. instead 2,500 drugs have gone up in doubldigits since he came into office. instead, he gave $100 billion in giveaways to the pharma companies. for the rest of us, for the rest america, that's what we call at home all fo and no beer. we got nothing out of it. my proposal is to do something about pharma, take them on, allow negotiation under di mecare, to bring in less expensive drugs from other countries and pharmacies will say to washington, you don't own me. >> your time is up.

thank you. senator warren, you signed on to bernie sanders' medica for all plan. e it would pentially everybody on medicare and then eliminate private plans that offer similar coverage. t t the plan, or path, you d woulrsue as president? s >>o, yes, i'm with bernie on medicare for all andu et me tell yoy. i spent a big chunk of my life studying why familiego broke and one of the number-one s reason the cost of health care. medical bills. and that's not just fopeople who don't have insurance. it's for people who have insurance. look at the business model of an insurance compan it's to bring in as many dollars as they can in premiums and to pay out as few dollars as possible for your health care. that leaves famies with rising premiums, rising co-pays, and fighting with insurance companies to try to get the health care that their doctors say that they and their ildren need.

medicare for allolves that problem. and i derstand, there are a lot of politiciansho say, oh, it's just not possible, we just can't do it, we have a lot of political reasons for this. what they're really telling you is they just won't fight for it. well, health care is a basic .uman right and i will fight for basic human righ >> congressman -- congressman o'rourke, when you ran for senate, you also praised a bill that would replace private insurance. this year, you're saying you're no longer sure. can you explain why? >> y goal is to ensure that every american is well enough to live to thr full potential because they have health care. in loredo, texas, i met a young man, 27 years old, told me he'd been to a doctor once in his life. on that visit he was told he had diabetes, told he had glaucoma and he w told untreated because he doesn't have health care, he'll be dead before the age of 40. so getting to guaranteed high-quality universalealth

care as quickly and surely as ib possle has to be our goal. the ability to afford yo prescriptions and go to a primary care provider. thability to see a mental health care provider. tes, the single largest provider of mental health care services is the county jail system today. and health care also has to mean that every woman can me her own desions about her own body and has access to the care that makes that possie. our an says that if you're uninsured, we enroll you in medicare. if you're insufficie insured, can't afford your premi, premiumswe enroll you in medica medicare.mb if you're a meer of a union, negotiated for a health care plan that works for you and your fam family, you're able to keep it. >> time is up,i ongressman. nt to ask a follow-up on this. just to be very clear. i'll give you ten seconds. woul insurance?e private >> no. i think the choice is fundamental to our -- >> no, no -- private insurance is not working for tens of millions of americans. when you talk about the co-pays,

the deductibles, themi pum it's not working. >> that's ght, so for those who are not working, they ca choose medicare. >> congressman -- >> for the -- >> you got do start by ackng ledging it is not workin if for people. y' >> the able to keep them. >> they like their private he alth insurance, by the way, it should be noted 100 million americans -- i mean, i think we should be the party that keeps what's working and fixes what's broken. i mean, doesn't thatake sense? i mean, we should give everyone in this country health care as a basic human righfor free. full stop. but we should also give them the option to buy private insurancew why have to stand for taking away something from people? and also it's bad policy, if you thgo to every hospital in is country and you ask them one qu estion, which is how would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the medicare rate? every single hospital administrator said they would close. and the medicare for all bill

requires payments to stay at current medicare rates. so to some extent, we're basically supporting a bill that will have every hospit closing. i mean, my dad was a union electrician. right? i actually grew up i working-f class family. he loved the health care the iebw gave him. i think about my dad ind anythingould do from a policy perspective. he'd look at me and say, good job, john, for getting health care for every american. why are you taking my health care away? >> let this play out. i'm fascinated to hear the daylight between you. eicongresswoman gabbard, wgh in here. >> you're talking about this in the wronway. talking about one bill over another bill. really what we're talking about is our objectives.ma king sure that every single untry isrican in this able to get the health care that they need. i believe medicare for all is the way too that. i also think that employers will recognize how much money will be saved by supporting dicare for all program. a program that will reduce the administrative costs, reduce the bureaucratic costs and make sure

everyone gets that quality health care that they need. i also think if you look at other countries in the world whe have unirsal health care, every one of them has some form of a role of private insurance. i think that's what we've got to look at. taking the best of these ideas. making sure unequivocally that no sick american goes without getting the care they need regardless of how mu or little money they have in their pockets. >> congresswoman, let me turn to senator booker on this. senator booker, explain u me where yoare. this is hugely important to p k peoper. tell us whe you are. e mine, nities l low-income issues, it's an education issue,ids who don't have health care are not going c to succeed in hool. it is an issue forntobs and emplecause people that do not have good health care do not succeed at work.ti it's even a rerement issue because in my community, af can-americans have a low life expectancy because of poorer health care. so where i stand is very clear.n health care is just a human right, it should be an america right. and i believe the best way to get there is medicare for all,

but i have an urgency abou this. . when i am president of the united states i'm not going to wait. we have to do the things immediately that are going to provide better care. and on this debate, i'm rry, there are too ny people profiteering off of the pain of people in america, from pharmaceutical companies to insurers. literally, the orhead for insurers that they ce is 15% while medicare's overhead is only at 2%. we can do this better and everyl single day il be fighting to give people more access and more affordable costs until we --t to my goal >> your time is up. >> -- which is every ameriltn having heacare. >> i want to move back, if i can, to congresswoman gaard. >> that is that the insurance coanies last year, alone, sucked $23 billion in profits out of the health care system. $23 biion. and thatoesn't count the money that was paid to executive the money that was spent lgtbying washinon.an

we have a giindustry that wants our health care system toe stayay it is. it's not working for famils, but it sure is heck working for -- >> governor -- >> it's time for us to make families come first. >> it should not be an option id the unittates of america for any insurance company to deny a woman coverage for their exer choice.heir right of and i am the only candidate here who has passed a law protecting a woman'ght of reproductive health and health insurance, and i'm the only candidate who has passed a public option, and i respect everybody's goals and plans here, but we do havene candidate that's actually advanced the ball, and we got to have access for everyone. >> your time -- senator klobuchar, i want to get you -- i'm fascinatna by this. setor klobuchar? >> i just want to say there's three women up here that have fought pretty hard for a woman's

right to choose. i'll start with that. then i just want to make very clear, i think we share the goal of universal health care, and the idea i put out there, the o publion, which the governor was just talking about, this idea is that you use medicare or medicaid witho insurance companies involved. you could do it either way. and the estimates are 13 million onople would see a reducti in their premiums. 12 million more people would get coverage. so i think it is a begning and the way you start and the way you move to universal health care. >> can we hear from secretary is castro, thne is for you. ala of you on stage support woman's right for an abortion.or you all some version of h a governmentealth care option. orwould your plan cover abtion, mr. secretary? >>es, it would. i don't believe only in reproductive freedom, i beeve in reproductive justice. and, you know, what that means is that just because a woman or let's also n forget someone in

the trans mmunity, a trans female, if poor, doesn't mean they shouldn't have the right to exercise that right to choose. anveso i absolutely would co the right toave an abortion. more than that, everybody in this crowd and watching at home knows that iour country today, a person's right to choose is under assault in places like missouri and alabama, in georgia.po i would t judges to the federal bench that understand the precedent ofoe v. wade and will respect it and in addition to that make sure that we fight hard as we transition our health care system to one where everybody can get and exercise that right. >> senator warren, w you put limits on -- any limits on abortion? >> i would make certain that every woman has access to the full range of reproductive health care services and that includ birth control. it includeabortion. it includes everwohing for a n.i and nt to add on that, it's

not enough for us to expect the courts to protect us. 47 years ago, roe v. wade was decided and we've all oked to the courts all that time, as state after state has undermined roe, put an exceptio has come right up to the edge of taking away protections. >> your time is up, senator. >> we now have an america where most people support roe v. wade. we need to make that federal law. >> thank you. >> thank you. is senator booker, i want to come back on a dcussion we were having about health and the opioid crisis. you represent a state where 14 of the 20 largest armaceutical companies are based. should pharmaceutical companiesf that manre these drugs be y held criminallable for what they do?ou >> they shld absolutely be held criminally liable becse they are liable and responsiblei thiss one of the reasons why long before i was nning for president i said i would not take contributions from pharma

companient not take cobutions from corporate pacs or pharma executives because ey're part of this problem and this opioid ct addiion in our country, we in cities like mine have been seeing how we've tried to arrest our way out of addiction for too long. it is time that we have a national urgency to deal with p reisroblem and make the solutions that aorking to actually be the law of our land and make the pharmaceutical companies that are responsible help pay for that. >> congressman o'rourke, how would you deal with it? >> tonight in this country, you have 2.3 million of our fellow americans behind bars. it's the largest prison on on the face of the planet. many are there for nonviolent drug crimes including possession of marijuana at a time that more than half the states have legalized it or decrized it. and yet, despite what purdue pharma has done, their connect to the opioid crisis and the ea overdose ds that we're seeing throughout this country, they've been able to act with complete impugnity and pay consequences. not a single night in jail.

unless there's accountability and justice, this crisis will continue. in my administraon, we will hold them to account. we will make sure that they pay a price and we will help tho who've been victims of this malfeasance in this country. get them treatment and long-term care. >> i know immigration is on a lot of your minds here and i want to ta about it. we're going to talk about it. we need to take a break. we'll be back with more from miami after th. is ♪

we want to turn to an issue that has been in the news, especially this week. there are undocumented children being held alone in detention. even as close as homestead, florida, right here, less than 30 miles from where we are tonight. fathers and mothers and children are dying while trying to enter the united states of america. we saw that image today that broke our hearts and they had names. oscar martinez and his 23-month-old daughter dieded trying to cross the river to ask for asylum in this country.

last month, more tha0 migrants were apprehended atorhe southern br. secretary castro, if you were president specifically do?you >> thank you very much, jose. pri'm very proud that in a, i became the first candidate to put forward a comprehensive immigration plan and we saw those images, watching that e imagof oscar and his daughter,a, valeris heartbreaking. it should also piss us all off. if i was president today, and it should spur acon, if i were president today, i would sign an executive order that would get rid of trump zero-tolerance policy, the remain in mexico policy, and the tering policy. this metering policy is basically what prompted oscar and valeria to make that risky swim across the river. they have been playing games wi people who are coming and trying to seek asylum at our ports of entry. oscar and valeria went to a pora

of entry denied an ability to make an asylum claim so they got frustrated andried to th cross river and died because of that. >> on day one, story. >> on day one, i would do that executder that would address metering and follow that up in my first 100 days with immigration reform that would honor asylum claims, put undocumented immigrants as long as they haven't committed a serious crime on a pathway to citizenship and we'd gse to the rootf the issue which is we need a marshal plan for honduras and guatemala and el salvador so that people can find safety and opportunity at home n instead ofto the united states to seek it. >> senator booker, what would you do on day one? >> aat this was a situation th the next president will inherity >>. 3 f2 esto es inaceptable nuestro

we can't renurrender our value. we'll lose security and our bolues. we must fight for . >> very briefly. my plan -- senator booker, governor inslee, agree with me

on this. my plan also includes getting rid of section 13125 25 of the immigration annationality act, go back to the way we used to treat this when somebody comes n acrossborderot to criminalize desperation, to treat that tas a civil violatio. here's why it's important.rr we see this hoendous family ecparation. tey use that laon 1325, to justify under law separating little children from their families. >> thank you. jose -- >> i want to challenge every single candidate on this stage to support the repeal of section 1325. >> 30 seconds. >> my friend here said, i agree with him on that issue. folks should understand that the separation of children from families doesn't just on at our border. it happens in our communities. i.c.e. are ripping away parents from their amerin children, spouses and the like, creating fear in cities all across this country where parents are afraid to drop their kids off at school or go to wk. we must end those policies as

well. >> discussion about immigration -- >> mayor -- >> -- in this country because look at the bottom line here. those tragic -- that tragic photo of that parent, that child, and i'm saying this as a father, everamerican should feel that in their heart. every american should say that is not america. uose are not our values. but we have to geter the skin of why we have this crisis in our system. because we're not being honest i about the dion that's been fomented in this country. the way that american citizens t have been toldhat immigrants somehow created eir misery and their pain and their challenges. for all the american citizens out there who feel y're falling behind, who feel the american dream's not working for yoo the immigrants didn't d that to you. the big corporations did that to you. the 1% did that to you. we need to be the party of working people and that includes a party of immigrants, but first, we have is to tell working people in america wh are hurting that we're going to be on their side every single time against those big corporations who created this mess to begin with. this together.

ba we don't change that de, that politics, that's holding us back, we won't get all these reforms people are t about. that's what we need to do as democrats. >> if i could, i'morry. beto o'rourke. what would you do, congressman, day one, at the white house? we would not turn backaleria and her father, oscar. we would accept them into this country and follow our own asylum walls. we would not build walls, would not put kids in cages. in fact, we would sp expense to reunite the families. >> criminalized a lot of the families -- >> that have been separated alreesy. >> congran -- >> criminally constitute any family -- >> because you're fleeing ce violennd persecution. >> we would make sure -- >> secretary, letfinish. let hi finish. yes. >> we would not detain any family fleeing violence, in

fact, fleeing the deadliest countries on the face of the planet today. we would implement a family case management program so they could be cared for in the community at a fraction of the cost. then we would rewrite our immigration laws in our own image. free dreamers forever from any fear of deportation by making them u.s. citizens here in this country. invest in solutions in central america. work with regional stakeholders so there's no reason to make that 2,000-mile journey to this country. ou >> i'll give y0 seconds. >> l's be very clear. the reason that they're these little children from their families is that they're using ction 1325 of that act which criminalizes comes across the border to incarcerate the parents th separate them. some of us on this stage have called to end that section, to terminate it. some like congressman o'rourke have not. and i want to challenge all of candida the candidates to do that. >> i just think it's a mistake, beto. i think it's a mistake. i think if you truly want to the system, we got to repeal that section.

>> thank you. >> if not, it might as well be the same policy. >> let me respond to this very briefly. as a member of congress, i lp heed to introduce legislation that would ensure that we don't criminalize the who are seeking asylum and refuge in this country. >> i'm not talking -- >> if you're fleeing desperation, i want to make sure -- >>dy'm talking about everybo else. i'm still talking about everybody else. >> you're looking at one small part of this. i'm talking about a comprehensive rewrite-our immigration lano. >> that's true. >> if you do that -- >> that's actually not true. t people i'm talking about -- we're talking aboullions of folks. a lot of folks that are coming are not seeking asylum. a lot of them are undocumented immigrants. righ and you said recently that the reason you didn't wa to repeal section 1325 was because you were concerned about human trafficking and drug trafficking. but let me tell you at, section 18 -- title 18 of the u.s. coa-de, title 21 and >> smuggling -- >> we're going to make sure -- >> if yodid your homework on this issue, you would know that

we should repeal this section. >> this is an issue that we shouldnd could be talking about for a long time. and we will for a long time. >> can we talk about the conditions, why people are coming here? >> let's let lester -- >> because -- >> savannah -- i know. it's just -- we ulwego on. rather than talk about specific conditionswe have to talk about why thescopeople are ng to our country. and what we're going it to do to actually make a difference in those countries. >> congressman, you'll get your chance. let's continue the discussion. senator klobuchar. >> yes. >> let talk about what secretary castro just said. he wan to no longer have it becr a e to illegally cross the border. do you support that? do you think it should be a civil offense only andf so, do you worry about potentially incentivizing peopre to come he >> immigrants, they do not diminish america. it th they are america. i'm happto look at his yooposal but i do think you want to make sure thahave provisions in place that allow you to go after traffickers ando

allow you go after people who are violating the law. what i really think we need to step back and talk about is the economic ierative here. urand that is that 70 of o fortune 500 companies are headee up by ople that came from other countrs. 25% of our u.s. nobel laureatesh were born in oer countries. we have a situatn right now where we need workers in our fields and in our factories.d we neeem to start small businesses. we need their ideas. and this president has literally gone backwards at a time wre our economy needs immigrants. and so my proposal is to look at that 2013 senate with republican support, to uitrade that bill, to make as good as possible and get it done. it brings the debt dn by $158 billion. >> senator -- >>t gives a path to citizenship for citizens, for people who can become citizens. and it -- >> senator -- >> iwould be so much better for our economy in america. >> that's time. thank you.

congressman ryan, same question. should it be a crime to illegally cross the border or should be civil offense only? >> i agree with secrary castro. i think there are other provisions in the law that will allow you to prosecute pple from coming over here if they're dealing in drugs and other things. that's already established in the law. there's no need to repeat it. and i think it's important we're talking about this father who got killed with his daughter, and the issues here, the way these kids are being treated, you go to guantanamo b, there are terrorists that are held that get better health care than those kids that have tried to cross the border in the united states. that needs to stop. and i think the president should immediately ask doctors and nurses to go immediately down to the border and start taking care of these kids. k whatind of country are we running here where we have a president of the united states who's so focused on hate and fear and division and what has happened now, the end result, is

now we've got kids literally laying in their own snot with three-week-old diapers haven't been changed. we've got to tell this preside that is not a sign of strength, mr. president. that is a sign of weakness. >> senator booker -- no, a lot of people -- they ask a question, if you're president on day one, what will you do with the fact that you will have families here? l there's been aot of talk about what you'll do in the first 100 days about legistion. what will you actually do with these families? how will you care for them? will they be detained? or will they not be? >> wel this is a related and brief point because what we're , talking abouhat secretary castro and i are talking about, is that we have the power to th better deal wihis problem through the civil process than the criminal process. i have been to some of the largest private prisons, which arrepugnant to me that peo are profiting off incarceration and they'rimmigration lockups. our country has de so many mistakes by criminalizing things, whether it's

immigration, whether it's mental illness, whether it's addiction. we know that this is not the wao to deal with pblems. there is a humane way that affirms human rights and human dignity and actualob solves this m. donald trump isnpr solving this lem. we've seen under his leadership a surge at our border. we solve this problem by making investments in the northern tr iangle to stop the reasons why people are being driven here in the first place, and we make sure we use our resources to provide health care to affirm the valu of human dignity of people that come here because we cannot sacrifice our values, our ideals as a nation, for border security. we can have both by doing this the right way. nk all right, senator, tha you. let me go to governor inslee on this. what would y do on day one? cme question i just askedory booker. i have yet to hear an answer from anyone e. this stag what will you do with the families who will be here. >> there's no reason for the detention and separation of these children.be they should eleased pending

their hearings and should have a hearing and the law should be that's what should happen. we should do what we're doing in washington state. i'm proud that we've pd a law that prevents local law enforcement from being turned into mini i.c.e. agents. i'm proud to have behe first governor to sand up against mp donald t heinous muslim ban. i'm proud to be a person who's not only talked about dreamers but being one of the first to make sure that they get a college education. so that they can reali their dreams. these are some of the most inspirational people in our state. and i'll leave you with this yo thought, if want to know what i think. donald trump the other day tried to threaten me. he thought it was a threat to tell me he'd send refugees in washington state if we passed a law that i passed and i told him that's n a threat at all, we welcome refugees into our state. we recognize diversity as a strength.s thisw we built america. that tradition's going to continue if i'm president of the united states. >> then -- want to switch to

another topic now. we have a lot to get through. >> my grandfather was actually separated from his family when he came into this country. >> we're going to talk about iran right now because we're working against the clock. b tankers haven attacked. a u.s. drone has been shot down. there have been disturbing threats issued by both the u.s. and iranian leadership. i'd like if you n just for a moment to put aside how you think we may have gotten here. what i want to know is how do you dial it back? a show of hands, who as president would sign on to the 2015 nuclear deal as it was originally negotiated? as -- kcorey booker -- senar booker -- >> may i address that?t firsd foremost it was a onstake to pull out of that deal. of the reasons we're seeing this hostility now, donald trump is marchin us to a far more dangerous situation. he took us out of a deal that tr gave us ansparency into their nuclear program and pushed bac a nuclear breakout 10, 20 ars and iran, we pulled them further and further into this crisis.

we need to renegotiate and get back into a deal but i'm not going to have a primary platform to say unilaterally i'm going to join that deal. g en i'm president of the united states, i'm gointo do the best i can to secure this country and y at region and make sure if i have an opportunitto leverage a better deal, i'm going to do it. >> senator klobuchar, i'd like you to answer that question because you staid you would ti negoate yourself back into the iranian agreement. can you argue that that nuclear pact as it was ratified was a go idea? >> yes, it was. >> it was imperfect but it was a good deal for that momt. i would have worked to get lo nger sunset periods and that's temething we could negotia to get back in the deal.t but the poin, donald trump told us when he got out of it e that hwas going to give us a better deal. those were his words. and now we are a month away from the iranians who claim now that they're going to blow the cap on enriching uranium. the .anians have told us this that's where we are right now. he's made us less safe than we wet. when he became presiden

so what i would do is negotiate us back into that agreement. stand with our allies and not give unlimited leverage to china and russia, which is what he has done, and then, finally, i would make sure that if there's any possibility of a conflict, and we're ving this debate in congress right n, that he comes to congress for an authorization of military force. ntwould do that. and this preside is literally every single day ten minutes go away frog to war, one tweet away from going to war and i don't think should conduct foreign policy -- >> your time is up. >> -- in our bathrobe at 5:00 in the morning. >> congresswoman gabbard -- congresswoman gabbard, you've said you wld sign back onto the 2015 deal. would you -- would you insist, though, that it address iran's e support for zbollah? >> let's deal with the situation where we are. where this president and his ic chken hawk cabinet have led us to the brink of war with iran.

i served in the war in iraq at the height of the war in 2005. a war that took over 4,000 of my ormshers and sisters in un lives. the american people need to understand this war with iran woul be far more devastating, far more costly than anything that we ever saw in iraq. it would take many more lives. it would exacerbate the refugee crisis. it wouldn't be just contained within iran. this would turn into a regional war. this is why it's so important that every one of us, every single american, stand up and say, no war with iran. we need to get back into the an nuclear agreement. and we need to negotiate how we. can improve it it was an imperfect deal. there are issuesssike their miile development that needs to be addressed. sl can do both simultaneouy to prevent iran from developing a e nuclear weapnting us from going to -- >> your time is up. i have a very quick follow-up. what would your red line be for

military action against an? >> look, obviously, if there was an attack against the am erican -- our troops, then there woulhave to be a response, but my point is, and it's important for us to recognize th, is donald trump and s cabinet, mike pompeo, john bolton, and others, are creating a situation that just r spwould light off a war with iran which is incredibly dangerous. that's why we need to de-escalate tensions. trump needs to get back into the iran nucle deal. and swallow his pride. put e american people first. >> we are out of time. we're up against a hard break. but we will have much -- mayor de blasio, we'll have more. the commercial is coming. we will continue our questioning elxt with chuck todd, rach maddow. stick around. we'll have a lot more with some very anxious candidates just ahead. that's the only circumstance to which you would separate. can't imagine doing it any other way. this is caitlin dickerson from the new york times. this isn't the only case.

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and welcome back, everyone, to the first democratic presidential debate from the arsht center in miami. >> as we continuthe questioning, time to get more memb. s of our team in the mix >> so right now let's turn it over to chuck todd and rachel maddow. take it away. >> all right. we're going to start by recapping the rules. 20 candidates qualified for this first democratic debate. we're going to hear from ten tonight. r n more tomorrow. the breakdown foch night was selected at random. now the candidates will have 60 seconds to answer, 30 seconds for a follow-up if necessary, and we will be ruthless if necessary. >> we can do that. by the way, hi, rachel. >> hi, chuck. >> ow you doing? >> good. >> we have a lot of ground to cover. we're going to be talking about hns and climate here, a whole lot more in thisr. obviously because of the size of the field, not every person will be able to weigh in on everything. but over the course of this next

hour we will hear from everyone. i promise, everybody. and to begin with, we're going to go with guns and senator warren, i want to start with you. we are less than 50 miles from l parkland, ida, where 17 people were killed in a school shooting last year and where there has en significant activism on gun violence ever since. many of you are callinr a restoration of an assault weapons ban. even if implemented there will still be hundreds of millions of guns in this country. should there be a role for the federal government -- he >> can we ar? >> everybody's mics are on. i think we have a -- i heard that, too. that's okay. i think we had a little mic issue in the back. >> control room, we got -- >> i think we heard -- yeah, we have the audience audio. all right. so the question is simply this. >> sorry. w >>re from -- i apologize to you guys didn't get to hear this. the first part of the question. obviously, we're not far from cklan parkland, florida. gun activism has become a big part of high school life up there in broward county. many of you are calling for tighter gun restrictions.

some of you are calling for the restoration of the assault weapons ban. but even if it's put iace, there's still going to be, perhaps, hundreds of millions of guns still on the streets. is there a role for the federal government in order to play -- in order to get these guns off the streets? we are -- g. >> it's happen >> we are hearing our colleagues' audio. if the control room could turn off the mics. yeah. if the control room could turn off the mics of our previous moderators, we will -- a >> we haveut five moderators. >> you know, we prepared for everything. >> guess what, guys, we are going to take a quick break. we're going to get this technical situation fixed. we will be right back. r my constipation.

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elieve we have the technical difficulties fixed. >> never say that. >> never say never. but will march forward here and i will lean foliard here a le bit. senator warren, we're going to t get to question here, parkland, florida, it's just north of nehere in broward coun. it's created aot of teenage activism on the gun issue. it hass i spired you to come ou with more robust plans to deal with guns. including assault weapons ban. even if you're basketbaable to t that, what do you do about the hundreds of millions of guns already out there and does the federal government have to play a role in dealing with it? >> so, in this period of time that i've been running for president, i've had more than 100 town halls. i've taken more than 2,000 unfiltered questions. and the single harst question i've gotten, i got one from a little boy, i got one from a little girl. and that is, say, when you're

president, how are you going to keep us safe? that's our responsibility as adults. seven children will die today g from violence. children and teenagers. and they won't just die in mass shootings. they'll die on sidewalks. they'll e on playgrounds. they'll die in people's backyards. gun violence is a national health emergency in this country. and we need to treat it like that. so what can we do? we can do the things that are sensible. we can do the universal background checks. we can ban the weapons of war, but we can also double down on the research and find out what really works. ere it is that we can make the differces at the margins that will keep our children safe. ou need to treat this -- >> okay, thank ysenator warren. >> -- like the virus that's killing our children. >> you didn't dress, do you think the federal government needs to gto figure out a way to get the guns that are already out there? >> i think what we need to do is treat it like a serious research

problem which we have not done. >> okay. >> you know, guns in the hands of a collector who's had them de for decas, who's never fired them, o takes safety seriously, that's very different from guns that are sold and turned over quickly. t we can't ts as an across-the-board problem. we have to treat it like a public health emergency. >> sator -- >> that means bring data to beaa and mean real change in this country. >> thank you. >> whether it's politically popular or not. >> senator booker, you have a program -- w >>e need to fight for our children. r, >> senator booou have a federal government buyback program in your plan. how is that gog to work? >> first of all, i want to say my colleague and i both have been hearing this on the il campaign tra. what's even worse, i hear gunshots in my neighborhood. i think i'm the only one. i hope i'm the oy one on this panel here that had serve people eir neighborhood just last week.so

meone i knew, shahad smith, was killed with an assau rifle at the top of my block last year. for millions of americans this is not a policy issue, this is vegency. for those who haot been di ctly affected, they're tired of learning in a country where their kids go to school to leare about ading, writing and arithmetic and how to deal wit an active shooter in their school. this is something that i'm tired of and tired of hearinpeople, all they have to offer is thoughts and prayers. in my state, people say that without work is dead. the reason we have a problem right now, we let the corporat gun lobby frame this debate. it is time that we have bold actions and a bold agenda.et i willhat done as president of the united states because this is not about policy. this is personal. >> thank you, senator booker. re >> secry castro, i'd like to talk to you about something th senator booker just mentioned there. the idea of active soter drills in schools. y e school shootings seem like an almost every da every week occurrence now. they don't make a complete news

cycle anymore no matter the death toll. as parents are safraid as their kids go off to school that their kids will be caught up in something like this.xt o nothing has changed in federal law that might affect the prevalence of school shootings. is this a problem that is going to continue to get worse over our lifetimes or is there something that you would do as president that you really think would turn it around?ou >> y know, rachel, i -- i'm gthe dad of a 10-year-oldirl, who's here tonight, and the g worst thin knowing that your child might be worried about what could happen in school, a place that's supposed to be safe. the answer to your question is, no, we don't have to accept that. and i believe that on january wth, 2021, at 12:01 p.m.,e're going to have a democratic pre,ident, a democratic hous and a democratic senate. and -- the activists of parkland, folks from moms to men

who have risen up across the united states, inspired so many people, you know, we may not have seen yet legislative action, but we're getting closer. qe house took a vote. in the senate, tstion often is, if the decision is between 60 votes, a filibuster or passing common sense gun reform, i'm gog to choose common sense gun reform. so i believe that we're going to be able toet that done in 2021. >> secretary castro, thank you. >> rachel, i have something to add to this. briefly. >> we'll give you seconds for a follow-up on that question. on that answer fstm secretary . congressman ryan. >> you're talking about in the schools. these kids are traumatized.i support all the gun reforms here. we need to start dealing with t the traut our kids have. n weeed trauma-based care in every school. we need social and emotional learning in every school. 90% of the shooters who do school shootings come fromhe school they're in and 73% of them feel shame, traumatized, or

bullied. wee eed to make sure that th kids feel connected to the school. that means a mental health counselor in every se school in the united states.to we need start playing offense. if our kids are so traumatized that they're getting a gun and going into our schools, we're doing something wrong, too, and we need reform around trau trauma-based care. >> congressman o'rourke, you'rem a texan, cpaigned all over the state in 2018 in the most conservative parts there. what do you tell a gun owner who may agree with you on everything else? okay, but sa, you know what, the democrats, if i vote for them, they're going to take my gun away and even though i agree with you on these other issues, how do you have that convsation? >> here's how we had that conversation in texas. i shared with them what i learned from those students whos survived theanta fe high school shootin young student named bree, her friend, marcello, who survived another shting, the mother of a victim whoost her life, rhonda hart, we talked about universal background checks where you close every loophole.

we know they save lives. talked about ending the sales of as communities.into our those weapons of war wer designed to kill people as effectively and efficiently as possible. they should belong on the battlefield and not in our communities. if someone poses a danger to themselves or to someone else, they're stopped before it's too late. what i found in each one of those 254 counties is that mocrats and independents and republicans, gun owners and kennon non-gun owners agreed. but this effort must be led by .he young people you rerference at the beginning the students from marjory stoneman laws, making our democracy work almaking sure interests, vs, priorities are reflected in the laws we pass. >> thank you, congressman o'rourke. dsng on. let me give 30 secsenator klobuchar, iron range, i'm curious, gun confiscation, right, if the government is buyive back, how do you not ha

that conversation? >> well, that's not confiscation. you'd give them the offer to buy back their gun. i'll say this. i look at these proposals and i say does this hurt my uncle dick and his deer stand coming from a proud hunting and fishing state? these propals don't do that. when i was a prosecutor, i supported the assault weapon ban. when i was in the senate, i saws the rom sandy hook come and try to advocate for change and we all failed and then now these parkland kids from florida, they started a literally a national shift. you know why? it's just like wit.gay marriage when kids talk to their parents and their grandparents, they say, don't understand why we can't put these sensible things in place, ey listen. if we get bested by a bunch pof 17-year-olds it's the best thing that could ever happen. >> senator book e ler, governor mitch mcconnell says his most consequential sehievement of te majority leader was preventing president obama from filling a supreme court seat. having served with republicans on the judiciary committee, do

you believe they would confirm your court nominees? 20 of my ing to us seconds just to say this. one thing we all don agree with when it comes to guns, think it's common sense, over 70% of americans aee with me, if you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and own a firearm. and not everybody in this field agrees with that, but in states like connecticuthat did that, they saw 40% dps in gun violence and 15% drops in suicides. we need to start having boldun agendas on g when it comes to the supreme court, very clearly, we -- i agree with cast nd, secretary castro. we are going to get to 50 votes in the senate. this ia team sport. whoeo r is our nominee needs t campaign in places like south carolina because we can elect jamie harrison. they need to cpaign in places like iowa because we can win a senate seat there. this is about getting us back to ving 50 votes in the senate emd more, so that we cannot only balance the supre court, but start to pass an aggive

agenda that, frankly, isn't so aggressive because most of america agrees with the policy t obes of our party. >> mayor de blasio, a followp, mayor de blasio -- folks -- ha >> we ve to -- >> congressman delaney, you'll have time in a moment on this isue. congressman delal give you time in a moment. inyor de blasio, as an executive in the largest cithis country, you are used to sighing what you want to have happen and having it happen. if you nominate a supreme court minee, as president of the united states, and mitch mcconnell is still senate majority leader, what makes you believe that he would low you to maka nominee? rg rachel, the nation's laest city, and i want to say something quick on the gun issue ancome to your question. look, i run the largest police force in america, too, if we're going to stop the shootings, get the guns off the streets, we ha have to ve a different relationship between our police and our community.an i also wt to say something thmy sets me apart from all colleagues running in this race, a at is for the last 21 ars, i've been raising ack son in america.

and i have had to have very, very serious talks with my son,w dante, about ho protect himself on the streets of our city and all over this country tincluding how to deal wi fact he has to take special caution because there have been too many tragedies between our young men and our police, too. so we need to have a different conversation in this country about guns, but also a differeno nversation about policing that brings police and community together. we've done that in new york city. and we've driven down crime while we've done it. but to your question about mitch mcconnell, there's a political sototion that we have to com grips with. woif the democratic party uld stop acting like the party of the elites and be the party of working people again and go intu states incding red states to convince people we're on their side, we can put pressure on eir senators to actually have to vote for the nominees that are put forward. decent -- >> can i -- >> senator warren, i'm going to get you -- i will get you 30 seconds. i promise. let me get this question. we're trying. i know you guys -- we got othery

issues we're tg to get to including a big one in a moment. senator warren, i want to continue on the mitch mcconnell thing beca ambitious plans. of >> i do. h >> youave a plan for that. okay. we talked about the suprem court. do you have a plan to deal with mitch mcconnell if y don't beat him in the senate, if he's still sitting there as the e nate majority leader? it's very plausiblyou'd be elected president with a republican senate. do you have a plan to deal with mitcmcconnell? >> i do. we are democracy. and the way a democracy is .upposed to work is the will of the people matters now, we for far too long have had a congress iwashington that is just completely dismissed what people care about across this country.de they have ma this country workfo much better r those who can make giant contributions, made it work better for those who

hire armies of lobbyists and lawyers and not made it work for the people. well, here's how i see this happening. number one, sure, i want to see us get a democratic majority in the senate. but short of the democratic majority in the senate, you tt understand the fight still goes on. it starts inhe white house andea it that everybody we energize in 2020 stays on the front lines come janua 2021. we have to push from the outside, have leadinship from thde. >> okay. >> and make this congress reflect the will of the -- >> i'm going to get -- >> -- people. >> i'm going to get you a couple in here. 30 seconds. congressman delaney, you seem to believe you can do everything in a bipartisan manner. tch mcconnell doesn't operate that way. he operates differently. why do you think he going to conform to your style? >> i think we need to get things done. that's why i believe we need to operate in a bipartisan manner. lssten, i'll sign into law b

that come to the white house that are passed on a party-line basis. absolutely.g but all the biansformative things we've ever done in this country's history have happened when huge majorities of the american people get behind them, which is why we need real solutions, not impossible promises we need to put forth ideas that work, whether it's on health care, creang universal health care so that every american gets health care, but not running on making private insurance illegal. >> okay. >> the gun issue is related -- the gun safety issue is related. i can't tell you how many times i've been with folks in western maryland and they've said to me, you know, democrats don't do anything for us, republicans don't do anything for us. you fight all the time. hey vote on that single issue. >> okay. >> if we become the party of getting things done -- >> i understand. e, -- for the american peo real solutions, not impoesible promis- >> i promise two 30s -- senator booker, 30 seconds. you -- how do you deal with mitch -- you've been in the senate. you can't get bills on the floor

right now with mitch mcconnell. presidentsan't do it. is president booker going to get his bills on the floor with senator mcconnell? >> wn i got to the united states senate, going back to what de blasio said, as an african-american man and african-american-dominated community, i knew one of the biggest sues was criminal justice reform. from police accountability to dealing with the fact we tave a nationt has more african-americans under criminal supervision than all the slaves in 1850. e people told me wcould not get ja comprehensive criminaltice reform bill done. i fought on that bill from the day i got to the senate. built coalitions across the aisle. p today sed the first step act. not as far as i want to go but thousands of people will be liberated. i've taken on tough prms. people said we cannot achieve. >> we're going to get to you. >> i've been able to get things accomplished. >> thank you, senator booker. rachel has the next question. >>old on. governor, you're going to be happy with where we go. >> give us a second. >> governor inslee, the next questi is to you.

>> rachel. >> you got me? you got me? you staked your candidacy on the issue of climate change. it's first, second and third priority for you. you said it's all the issues. let's get specific. we're here in miami which is ad alrey experiencing serious flooding on sunny days as a result of sea level rise. parts of miami beach and the e keys could bunderwater in our lifetimes. does your plan save miami? >> yes. first, btaking away the filibuster for mitch mcconnell to start with. we have to do that. ok it, look it. we are in the first generation to feel the sting of climate change. and we are the last that can do something about it. our towns are burning. our fields are flooding. miami is inundated. and we have to understand this is a climateerrisis, an emgency.an d it is our last chance in the administration, next one, to do somethinout it.d an need to do what i've done in my state. we passed a 100% clean electrical grid bill.

we now he a vision statement. thmy plan has been called gold standard of putting people to work. but the most important thing on this, and the biggest decision for the american publi, who's going to make this the first priority? and i am the candidate and the only one who's saying this has to be the top priority of the united states.ga the ornizing principle to mobilize the united states. so that we can do what we've always done. lead the world and invent the future and put 8 million people to work. >> governor inslee -- >> that's what we're going to do. >> congressman o'rourke, you also put out a big climate change plan from youcampaign. you want some big changes in a pretty short period of time including switching to renewable energy, pushing to replace po gas-wered cars in favor of electric ones.ss what's your mee to a voter who supports the overaoal of what you're trying to do but suddenly feels as if government is telling them how to live and ordering them how to live? what is that balance like? >> i think you've got to bring t everybody ino the decisions

and the solutions, to the challenges that we face. that's why we're traveling everywhere. listening to everyone. we were in pacific junction, a town that had never meaningly de floobefore just up against the missouri river in wa, and every home in that community had flooded. there were farms just outside of pacific juncon that were effectively lakes. those farmers already underwater debt. their markets closed to them by a tre war under this administration. now they d't know what to do. we n our administration are going to fund resiliency in those communities, in miami, in houston, texas. those places that are on front lines of clidate change toy. we're ing to mobilize $5 trillion in this economy over the next ten years. we're going to free ourselves from dependence on fossil fuels and put farmers and ranchers in the driver'seat. renewable and sustltnable agricue. to make sure we capture more carbon out of the air and keep more of it in the soil. paying farmers forenhe ronmental services that they

want to provide. if all of us does all that we can, then we're going to be able to keep this planet from warming another 2 degrees celsius and ensure we match what the country can do and live up to our promisand potential. >> 30 seconds. secretary castro. does who ps for the mitigation to climate, whether it's building seawalls, for people that are perhaps livg in places that they shouldn't be living. is this a federal government issue that needs to do that? do they have to move these people? what do you do about that where maybe they're building a house e.someplace that isn't saf who pays to build that house and how much should the government be bailing them out? >> well, i don'think that that represents the vast majority of the ise. un fact, you know, my first visit after i and my candidacy wasn't to iowa or new hampshire. it wo. to san juan, puerto ric because people should know that if i'm elected president, everybody will count, and, you know, i'm one the few candidates in this race with

execute experience with a track record of getting things done. when i was mayor of san antonio, we moved our local public utility. we began to shift it from coal-fired plants to solar and other renewables and also created more than 800 jobs doing that. and when i was hud secretary, wo ed on the national disaster resilience competition to invest in communities that re trying to rebuild from natural disasters in a sustainable way. >> okay. >> that's the way we're going to help make sure that we're l safer in the years to come and we combat clime change. if i'm elected president, the first thing i would do, like senator klobuchar also just said, sign an executive order recommitting us to the paris climate accord so we -- >> congressman ryan, i got a full question for you here, which is simply this. there are a lot of the climate plans include pricing carbon. taxing carbon in some way. this type of proposal has been tried in a few places whether erit's washington state whe voters voted it down. you've had the yellow vest movement. we had in australia one party get rejected out of fear of the

cost of climate change sort of being put on the backs of the consumer. if pricing carbon is just politically impossible, how do we pay for climate mitigation? >> well, there's a variety of different ways to pay. we talk about different ways of raising revenue. and i think we've got to build our way out of this and grow our way out of this. let me talk real qui to the previous question about real politics. we could talk about climate. we could talk about guns. we could t k about all of these issues that we all care about. we have a perception problem d with tocratic party. we are not connecting to the working-class people in the vert es that i represent in ohio, in the industrial midwest. we'vlost all connection. we here got to change the cent of gravity of the democratic party from being coastal and elitist and ivy league which is the perception to somebody from the forgotten communities that have been left behind for the last 30 years.

to get those workersack on our side so we can say we're going to build electric vehicles. we're going to build solar panels. if you want to beat mitch mcconnell, this betterwork b i working-class party if you want to go into kentucky and take his rear end out and if you want to take lindsey graham out, you to have a blue-collar party that goes into the textile -- >> thank you, congressman ryan -- >> all i'm saying here, if we don't address that fundamental problem -- >> i understand. >> -- with our connection to workers, right, black, brown, gay, straight, working-class people, none of this is going to get done, chuck. >> thank you very much. we're going to keep moving. congressman delaney, i'm going to get to you. ro >> i iced the only bipartisan -- >> 30 seconds. all right. 30 seconds. go. >> all the economists agree that a carbon pricingrkechanism wo you just have to do it right. you can't put a price on carbon, raise energy prices and not give the money back to the american people.ro my psal which is put a price on carbon, give a dividend back

to themerican people, it goes out one pocket, back in the other. >> thank you, congressman. >> i can get that passed my first year as presidenwith a alition of every democrat in the congress and the republicans who live in coastal states. >> congressman, thank you -- r >>epublicans in florida, they actually care about this issue. this has got tfobe our way ard if we're actually serious about this issue. >> congresswoman gabbard, we're going to move here. one of the first things you did ter launching your campaign, issue an apology about the lqbtq. after rollbacks of civil rightsi protecons from many in the hy community, whould voters who care about the issue in general trust you now? >> let me say there is no one in our government at any level who has the right to tell any american who they should be allowed to love or who they should be allowed to marry. my record in congress for over six years shows my commitment to

fighting for lqbtq equality. i serve on the equality caucus and rently voted for passage of the equality act. this many people country can relate to the fact c grew up in a slly conservative home. held views when i was very younn that io longer hold today. i served with lqbtq service members. both in training and deployed downrange. i know that they would give uleir life for me and i wod give my life for them. it is this commitment that i'll carry through as preside of the united states. recognizing that there are sll people who are facing mi discrition in the workplace.pe stille who are unable to find a home for their families. it is this kind of d to imination that we n addres >> but it's not enough. >> thank you, congresswoman. >> if i can add to this. >> 30 seconds. >> this is not enough. look, civil rights is someplaceu to begin the african-ameran civil rights community, another place of focus, stop rie lynching of n-americans. we do not talk enough about trans americans. especially african-arican

trans americans. and the incredibly high rate of murder right now. we don't talk enou about how ma ny children, about 30% of lqbtq kids, who do not go to school because of fear.'s ot enough just to be on the uality act. i'm an original co-sponsor. we need to have a president that will fig to protect lqbtq americans every single day from violence. >> thank you, setor booker. go ahead. >> let me -- on the issue of civil rights, for decades -- on the issue of civil rights and demographics, honestly, and politics, for decades the democratic party has counted on african-american voter turnout as step one to winning elections on a national level. democrats are counting on the latino community now and in the what have you done for black and latino voters that suld enthuse them about going to the polls for you if you're your party's nominee? h my life and my career and my work in the senateas been .out economic opportunity yod to me, this means better

childcare for everne in this country. and when you want to have an th econ works, you need to have retirement that works. you need to have public schools toat work. and you also need ake sure that those communities are able to get those jobs of the futur the s.t.e.m. jobs. in fact, donald trumne of the first bills that he signed of the 34 he signed where i was the lead democrat, okay, that's a first up here, was one tt was about that. making sure minority community members could share in those jobs. so to me, this is about a few things. it's about an african-american woman that goes to a hl in new orleans, says her hands are swollen and then doctor ignores her and her baby dies.it about the fact that e rican-american women mak61 cents for every dollar a white man makes. so in short, we need to, one, i will do this in my first 100 keys as president. we will work to maure everyone canote at this table. everyone can vote in this country.

>> that's time. >> we'll also go to the next step of criminal justice reformo sebooker and i worked on that first step act. we should go to the second stepc t which is to help all our communities across the -- >> senator, thank you very much. 30-second follow-up to you, seetary castro. this is a 70% latino city in mia miami. you're the only latino democrat who's running this year in the n f tial race. is that enough o answer, what klobuchar is describing ther agenda?nomic justice is that enough tmobilize n tino voters to stand with the inmocratic partybig way? >> well, i also thk we have to recognize racial and social justice, you know, i was in charleston not too lo. i remembered thadylann roof went to the mother emmanuel ame church and murdered nine people who were worshipping and he wa apprehended we police without incident. what about eric gardner, tamir rice, samuel turner, antonio? i'm proud i'm the only candidate so far who has put forward

legislation that would reform our policing system in america and make sure that no matter what the color of your skin is that you're treated the same including latinos who are mi reated too oftentimes by police. >> secretary castro, thank you. >> let me go over to lester holt who's got a question, i believe a viewer question. >> i'm over here, chuc thanks. we asked voters from across the country to submit their questions to the candidates. let me read one now. this comes from john in new york who submitted this question. he asks, "does the united states have a responsibility to protect in the case of genocide or crimes against humanity, do we have a responsibility to intervene, to protect people, threatened by their government reen when atrocities do not affect american conterests?" i'd like to direct that question to congressm maman o'rourke. >> john, i appreciate the question. the answers, yes. alt that action should always be undertaken with es and partners and friends. when the united states presents a united front, we have a much e

tter chance of achieving our foreign policy aim and preventing the kind of genocide to which you refer, the kind of genocide that we saw in rwanda. the kind of genocide we want to stop going forward. but, unfortunately, under this administration, president trump has alienated our allies a our friends and our alliances.'s he diminished our standing in usthe world and he's made weaker as a country. less able to confront challenges, whether it's iran or north korea or vladimir putin is ruia who attacked and invaded our democracy in 2016 and who t presidentrump has offered another invitation to do the same. he's embraced strongmen and dictators at the expense of the great democracie as president i will make sure we live our values in our foreign policy. i will ensure we strengthen those alliances and partnerships and friendships and meet any challenge that we face togetherk that america stronger. what about the -- >> congressman o'rourke, thank you. >> what about the war powers act

being part of that equation, with deep respect to the congressman? t ok, we learned painf lessons as americans thawe've gone to war without congressiona authorizatio look, this is very personal for me.i know the cost of war. my dad served in the pacific and world war ii in the u.s. army battle of okinawa, had half his leg blown off and he came home with scars both physical and emotional and he did not recover. he spiraled downward and he ultimately took his own life. and that battle didn't kill him, but that war did. l and,ook, even if the humanitarian crisis, and i think we should be ready, congressman, to intervene, god forbid there pr a genocide, but not without congressional apoval. democrats and republicans both in the congress have not challenged presidents and have let themet away with running the military without the congressional approval. we learned lesson in vietnam. we seem to have forgotten -- >> i want to pick up on this isint and i want to put tho congressman ryan. today the taliban claimed responsibility for killing two n

americervice members in afghanistan. leaders as disparate as president obama and president trump have both said they want to end u.s. involvement in afghanistan, but it isn't over for america. why isn't it over? why can't presidents of ve different parties and very different temperaments get us out of there, and how could you? >> i appreciate that question.en so i've be in congress 17 years, and 12 of those years i sat on the armed services committee. the defense, the appropriations committee, or the armed services committee. and the lesson that i'veearned overe he years is that you hav to stay engaged in these situations. nobody likes it. it's long. it's tedious. but right now, we have, so i would say, we must be engaged in this. we must have our state department engaged. we must have our military engaged to the extent they need to be. but the reality of it is, this president doesn't even have people appointed in the state espartment to deal with the things. whether we're lking about central america, whether we're talking about iran, whether we're talking about afghanistano

we'vto be completely engaged. here's why.be cause these flare-ups distract us from the real problems in the country. if we're -- if getting drones shot down for $130 million because the president is distracted, that's $0 million that we could be spending in places like youngstown, ohio, or flint, michigan, or >> congressman ryan -- >> or rebuilding -- 'm >> ioing it gito give you 30 seconds to -- >> is that what you will tell the parents of those who soldiers who were just killein afghanistan? well, we just have to be engaged. as a soldier, i will tell you, that answer is unacceptable. we have to bring our troops home from afghanistan. st are in a place in afghanistan where we have lo so many lives. we've spent so much mone money that's coming out of every one of our pockets.at money th should be going into communities here at home. meeting the needs of people here at home. we are no better off in

afghanistan today than we were when this war began. , is is why it's so important to have a presidentmmander in chief, who knows the cost of the war and who's ready to do the job on day one. i am ready to do that job when t walk ithe oval office. thank you very much. o >> i'm going tgo down the line. i'm going to go down the line -- i'm going to go down the line here.u ow what, you felt like she was responding to you. you get 30 seconds. >> very good man. >> fair enough. >> areciate that. >> i hear what you're saying. >>'t would just say -- i don want to be engaged. i wish we were spending all this money in places that i represented that have been completely forgotten and we were rebuilding. but e reality of it is that the united states doesn't engage, the taliban will grow. and they will have bigge bolder, terrorist acts. we have got to have some presence there -- >> the taliban was there long before we came in. they'll be there long before we leave. >> well -- they were. >> we can't keep u.s. people going to afghanistan thinking we're going to somehow squash this taliban. >> i didn't say -- >> that's been there --

>> i didn't say squash them. i didn't say squash them. when we weren't in there, they started flying planes into our buildings. atm just saying right now -- >> taliban didn't tack us on 9/11, al qaeda did. >> i understd -- i understand. >> al qaeda attacked us on 9/11, why i and so many people joined the military to go after al ot qaeda, n the taliban. >> the taliban was protecting le those peoplotting against us. all i'm saying if we want to go into elections and say we got to withdraw from the world, that's what president trump is saying. >> okay. >> we can't. i would love for us to -- >> al qaeda right now, saudi arabia -- >> i want go to down the line, finish up foreign policy. a simple question. what is thbi uggest d re- atate- give me a one-word an wer. congresslaney. >> could you repeat the question? g >>atest geopolitical threat to the united states right now. congressman delaney? >> the biggest geopolitical challenge is china. >> okay. >> the biggest geopolitical threat remains nuclear weapons. >> okay. re >> those a --

>> i got you. totally get it. go ahead, governor inslee. >> the biggest threacuto the serity of the united states is the donald trump. there's no question. >> congresswoman gabbard. >> the greates-- >> greatest geopolitical threat. >> the greatest threat that we face is the fact that we're at a greater risk of nuclear war today than ever before in history. >> senator -- aj two threats, economic threat, china, but our m threat right now is what's going on in the mideast with iran if we don't it get -- >> try to keep it -- slimmer than what we've been going here. >> ex istential threat is clima change, have tnfront it before it's too late. >> senator warren. >> climate change. >> senator booker? >> nuclear proliferation, climate change. >> secretary castro? >> china and climate change. sm >> congres ryan? >> china, without a question. they're wiping us around the world economically.ay >> and mr. mor. >> russia because they're trying to undermine our democracy and d they've beng a pretty damn good job of it and we need to

st r them. >> aht. well well, thank you for that wide variety of answers and i mean that. no, i mean that in a -- that's what this debate is about. this is the best part of a debate like this. congressman o'rourke, special counsel robert mueller's report outlines multiple instances of potential criminal behavior by president trump. house speaker pelosi has publicly and privately resisted any move toward impeachmt in the house. if the house chooses not to impeach, as president, would you do anything to address the potential crimes that were tlined in mr. mueller's report? >> yes, and i'll tell you why. >> how, by the way. the answer -- th >> one of e most powerful pieces of art in the united states capitol is the trumble painting of general george washington resigning his commission to the continental congress. e the height of his power submitting to thrule of law and the will of people. that has withstood the test of time for the last 243 years.pr

if we set anotedent now that a candidate who invited the participation of a foreign sident who sought to obstruct the investigation into the invasion of our democracy, if we allow him to get away with this with completeimpunity, we'll have set a new standard. that is some peoe because of the position of power and public trust that they hold are above the law and we cannot talow that to snd. so we must begin impeachment now so we have the facts and truth and llow them as far as they go and as high up as they reach and save this democracy and if e 've not been able to do that in this year or thyear that follo follows, and under m administration our department of justice will pursue these facts and ensure there are ns coequences, there's accountability, and there is juste. 's the only way that we save this country. >> thank you, congressman o'rourke. >> congressman delaney, because of the accountability issues set, congressman o'rourke was just describing there, and the real political landscape in which nancy pelosi is saying that impeachment wilnot be pursued in the house, it raises the prospect and the mueller

report raises the prospect that presidentrump could be precuted for some of those potential crimes down the line. no u.s. president has ever been prosecuted f crimes after aving office. do you believe that president trump could or should be the first? >> i guess there's alws a first. >> should he be the first? >> i don't think anyone's above the law. i don't think yone is above the law including president. i support speaker pelosi's secisions that she's making in the house of repatives right now as speaker.e i think shknows more about the decision as to whether to th impeacpresident than any of the 2020 candidates combined. >> conceded -- >> i do -- no one's above the law and this president who is lawless should not be above the law. but i will tell you, rachel, the one thing when you're asked during events, as much campaigning as i've done, 400 al events, 99 counties in iowa, this is not the number-one issue the american people ask us about. it's not. k they want tonow what we're going to do for health care. how we're going to lower pharmaceutical prices.

how we're going to build infrastructure. what we're going to do to create jobs in their commities. you know, last year in our country, 80% of the money for startup businesses went to0 counties in this country. there's over 3,000 counties in this country. that's what they care about. they care abouwhat's going on at the public schools. they care about wh's going on th wiobs in their communities. with their pay, with their health care, with infrastructure. these are the issues -- >> congressman. n >> -- kitchetable pocketbook issues are actually what most a americans careut. >> congressman, thank you. ve >> they ner ask about the mueller report. >> your time is up. >> they never ask about it. it they want to know how we're goin to solve these problems. >> here's the thing -- senator, we got -- >> we let the republicans run our election -- go >> we t to -- >> if we do nodo something out russian interference in the election and let mitch mcconnell stop all the backup paper ballots, we're motte gogo to get what we want. >> i'm going to sneak in a break. we blew through a break, which is good news, to give you more time. i t to sneak one in now.

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don't miss night two of e democratic debate as ten more candidates battle it out. tomorrow at 9:00 eastern on nbc, msnbc, and telemundo. >> we are back from miami. it is time now for closing atements. each candidate has 45 seconds. we want to begin with former congressman delaney. >> closing now? >> closing. 45 seconds. we can go on. >> together, we are on a mission. we're on a mission to find the america that's been lost.nf lost through ihting, lost through inaction.

we're so much better than this. we're a country that used to do things. we saved the world. we created the american dream for millions of pelfle like myse. the grdson of immigrants. the son of a union electrician who went on to become a in successful buss leader and create thousands of jobs.he but we did things with real solutions. not with impossible promises. and those are the roots that wek have to get ba to. i'm running for president to solve these problems. to build infrastructure. to fix our broken health care system. to invest in communities that have been left behind. to improve public education. i just don't want to be esur prent to be your president -- >> congress, your 45 seconds is over. >> i want to be your president to do the job. >> thank you, sir. >> ts is not about me. this is about getting america working again. ou >> thank y. >> mayor de blasio. mayor, your closing statement. >> it matters. it matters in this fight for the heart and soul of our party that

we nominate a candidate who hasf seen the face overty and doesn't just talk about it but gave people $15 minimum wage. it matte that we nominate a candidate who saw the destruction wrought by broken eath care system and gave people universal hh care. it matters that we choose someone who saw the wasted potential of our children denied pre-k and gave it to every single one of them for free. these things really matter. and these e the things that i've done in new york and i want to do the same for this whole country becae putting working people first, it matters. we need to be that party againog let's workher. with your help, we can put working people first again in america. >> thank you, mayor de blasio. right on time. >> governor inslee, 45 seconds. >> trudy and i have three grandchildren. we love them all when i was thinking about wh her to run for president, i made a decision. i decided that on my last day on

earth, wanted to look them in the eye and tell them i did h everythinganly possible to protect them from the vages of the climate crisis. and i know to a moral certainty if we do not have the next president who commits to this as the top priority, it won't get done.he and i am t only candidate, frankly, i'm surprised, i'm the only candidate who's made this cop itment to make it the to priority. if you join me in that recognition of how important this is, we can have a unified national mission. we can save ourselves. we can save our children. we can save our grandchildren. and we can save literally the life on this planet. this is our moment. >> congress hnm thank you. cong seconds. n, your 45 >> there's nothing worse than not being heard. nothing worse than not beino seen and ithat because i've represented for 17 years in congress a forgotten community.

they've tried to divide us, who's white, who's black, who's gay, who's straight, man, who's a woman, and they ran away with all the gold because they divided the wking class. it's time for us to come gether. i don't know how you feel, but i'm ready to play some offen. i come from the middle of industrial america, but these ms probre all over our country. there's a tent city in l.a. there's homeless people and people around our country who can't afford a home. it's time for us to get back on track. the teacher in texas, the nurse in new hampshire, the waitress in wisconsin, all of us coming together. playing offense with an agenda that lifts everybody up. >> thank you. >> i will only promise you one thing. when i walk into that oval office every morning, you will not be forgotten. >> thank you. >> your voice will be heard. rdank you. >> congresswoman g 45 seconds for your osing. >> our nation was founded on the

principles of service above self. people who fled kings o literally proffered on the backs and the sacrifices opeople. coming here to this country, instead putting in place a government that is of, by,nd fo r the people. but that's not what weave. instead, we have a goverent that is of, by, and for, the rich and powerful. this must end. as president, our white house, our white house, will be a beacon of light providing hope and opportunit ushering in a new century where every single person will be able to get the health care they nee where we will have clean air to breath and clean water to drink. where we will have good-paying jobs and a new greenconomy. joinw e in ushering in this ne century with peace, prosperity, opportunity, and justice for all. >> congresswoman, thank you. >> secretary castcastro, 45 sec, sir. >> julian castro.

the very fact that i c say that tonight shows the progress that we have made in this knuntry. like many of you, the promise of america. my grandmother came here when sh was 7 years old as an immigrant from mexico. and just two generations later one of her grandsons is servingn the ed states congress and the other one is running for president in the united states. if i'mlected president, i will work hard every single day so that you and your family can get good health care. your child can get a good education. and you can have good job opportunities. whether you live in a big city or a small town. and on january 20th, 2021, we'll say adios to donald trump. >> senator klobuchar, the flr is yours. >> three things to know about me. first, i listen to people and ow that's h get things done. that is my focus. i have a track recd of passing over 100 bills where i'm the lead democrat and that is

because i listened and i acted. and i think that's important in a president. everything else just melts awam secondly, i'someone that can d win at donald trump. i have won every place, every race, and every time. i have won in the reddest of diricts. ones that donald trump won by over 20 points.ta i can win ins like wisconsin and iowa and in michigan, and finally, yeah, i am not the establishment party candidate. ot respect, but i'm not that person. i am the one that doesn't have a political machine, that doesn't come from money. i don't make all theromises that everyone up here mas, but i can promise you this. i'm going to govern with integrity.m ing to have your back. and i'm going to govern for you. >> thank you, senator. >> just want to say, gracias. 50 years ago this month, my family moved into the town i grew up in because after being denied a house because of the color of their skin, it was activists, mostly whit activists, that stood up and fought for them. that's the best of who we are as america. why when i got out of law school, moved into the inner

city of newark to fight as a tenant lawyer for other people's rights. o i've takenn bullies and beat them. . i've taken on tough fights and we won. we win those figs not by showing the worst of who we are, but rising to who's best. nald trump wants us to fight on him is turf and his terms. we will beat him. i will beat him by calling thi country to a sense of common e purposain. this is a referendumn him and getting rid of him, but it's also a referendum on us. who we are and who we must be to each other. it's time we win this election and the way i'll govern is by showing e best of who we are because th needs. this country >> senator -- >> and deserves. >> thank you. congressman o'rourke, 45 seconds. >> our daughter, molly, turned 11 this week. i'm on this stage for her. for children across this g untry. includme her same age who have been separated from their parents and are sleepi concrete floors under aluminum

blankets tonight. b we're going tothere for them. we're going to confront the challenges that we fac we can't return to the same old approach. we're going to need a new kind ofolitics. one directed by the urgency of the next generation. those climate activists who are fighting not just fotheir future but for everyone's. those students marching not just for their lives, but for all of ours.we eed a movement like the one that we lein texas. it renewed our democracy by bringing everyone in and writing nobody off. that's how we beat donald trump. that's how we bring this great r country togeth again. join us. this is oumoment. and the generations that follow are counting on us to meet it. >> thank you, congressman. >> senator warren.u yohave 45 seconds for the final, final statement of the evening. >> thank you.at it's a greonor to be here. never in a million years d i think i would stand on as.tage like t i was born and raised in oklahoma. i have three elder brothers. they all joined the military. i had a dream growing up, and my

dream was to be a public tehoolteacher. by the time i gradfrom high school, my family, my family didn't have the money for college applications. much less a chan for me to go to college. but i got my chance. it was a $50 a semester commuter college. that was a little slice of government thacreated some opportunity for a girl. and it opened my life. i am in this fight because i believe that we can make our government, we can make ou economy, we can make our country work. not just for those at the top. we can makit work for everyone and i promise you this, i will fight for you as hard as i fight for my own family. >> we would like to thank all o ndidates who participated with us tonight. and that will do it for night one of this two-night event. ess what, we've got ten more candidates tomorrow night. >> we certainly hope you will join us th. for now, that concludes our coverage of this first

democratic debate from miami. for savannah, jose, chuck, and rachel, i'm lester holt. have a good night, everyone. this is fred. he's dancing like nobody's watching. and because all of the devices on fred's wifi network are protected with xfinity xfi, aliterally, nobody'she deviwatching.ed's except for millions of you, of course. wait, millions of people are watching? yeah. we're making a commercial. it's protected, th xfinity xfi.ected, now that's simple, easy, awesome. get started with xfinity for $79.99 a mth for 2 years. plus, add xfi advantage for enhanced network security. click, call or visit a store today.