***Live Updates*** Democrats Debate in Iowa

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Tony Lee

Presidential candidates Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, and Amy Klobuchar will debate in Iowa on Tuesday evening.

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will moderate the debate, which will be held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, along with CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip and The Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannestiel.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates.
All times eastern.

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11:45 PM: Van Jones is worried that none of the Democrats on stage displayed that they had the chops to take on Trump in the fall.

11:25 PM: Frosty:

11:15 PM: On CNN, Terry McAuliffe is shocked that, weeks before the caucuses, the candidates did not go after Biden or anyone else for that matter.

11:03 PM: Closing statements.

Biden says character–the American character–is on the ballot in 2020. He says the election is about fundamental basic decency. He says America can survive four years of Trump but eight years will fundamentally change it. He says the election is about restoring America’s soul, which is in jeopardy under Trump.

Sanders says how does it happen in the richest nation in the world that so many people are living paycheck to paycheck and sleeping on the streets. He asks how does it happen that we have a criminal justice system that is broken and racist and an immigration system that is broken. He says this is the moment when we have to have the courage to take on the one percent and the corporate elite to create an economy that works for all of us and not just the one percent.

Warren says much is broken in this country. But she comes with a heart filled with hope because this is our moment. She says she will make voters proud as the first woman president.

Buttigieg says this is the one chance to beat Trump by such a large margin that Trumpism will go into the dustbin of history. He says Democrats can’t take on Trump with the same D.C. tactics. He asks voters of color who are taken for granted by politics to join him. He asks Republicans who voted for Trump who cannot look their kids in their eyes to join him in this effort.

Steyer says he has played team sports his whole life. He says the American people are his teammates. He says he will not permit Republicans to kick his teammates in the face. He says Republicans, led by Trump, are doing just that. He asks Iowans for their support on caucus night. He says together they can save the world.

Klobuchar says Trump thinks it is all about him but the election is all about you. She name checks racial justice, climate change, gun control. She says it is easy to hurl insults or draw grand ideological sketches that will hardly see the light of day. She says governing is hard and people who are tired of the extremes and the noise and the nonsense have a home with her.

10:57 PM: Biden is asked if he is prepared for Trump’s mudslinging. He says he has been the object of his affection more than anybody on the stage. Biden says he has “overwhelming support” from the African-American community. He says he has support from working-class voters and “across the board.”

He says the middle class are being “clobbered” and “killed” under Trump’s economy and he says he can’t wait to have the debate on the economy with Trump. He says the American public is getting “clobbered” and the wealthy are the only ones doing well right now.

10:55 PM: Warren asked what she will say to people who think her politics will scare away swing voters. Not asked about her biggest liability–DNA.

She says her brothers are Republicans and they are just as furious about Chevron and Amazon and pharmaceutical companies that make billions and pay no taxes. Warren says there is a chance to unite everyone who thinks the economy is working great for those at the top and not for everyone else. She says that is how Democrats will beat Trump.

10:54 PM: Klobuchar is asked how she will inspire Democrats with her message of “pragmatism.” Basically being framed as the “no, you can’t” candidate. She hits Trump for his 15,000 lies and a “rap sheet of divisive rhetoric.” She says the Midwest is not flyover country for her and will tell Trump that he has treated workers and farmers as poker chips.

10:52 PM: Steyer says Trump can’t claim that Democrats will ruin the economy if he becomes president. He talks about the successful business he built without inheriting anything.

Buttigieg rips Trump for using “bone spurs” to get out of serving and says he is willing to take on Trump about how God doesn’t belong to a political party.

10:50 PM: Sanders is asked if a socialist could be Trump.
He says Trump is a pathological liar and a fraud.

He says his Democratic Socialism is about health care being a human right while Trump’s socialism is giving billions to the rich and the fossil fuel industry.

10: 48 PM: Buttigieg asked about his lack of support among black voters. He claims the black voters who know him best support him even though he barely registers with black voters nationally and in states like South Carolina. He says black leaders who know him are voting for him. He claims support from the most recognizable black leaders in…….. Iowa.

He says Democrats should never take black voters for granted and he talks about be

10: 46 PM: Sanders says the planet will be uninhabitable and unhealthy if we don’t act now on the climate. He says it’s “of course a national crisis” and “we must take on the fossil fuel industry and all of their lies.” He props up the Green New Deal.

Biden says he introduced “the first climate-change bill” and says he has been fighting this for a long time. He says he will reinstitute all of the mileage standards. Biden says we should be investing in infrastructure that raises roads. He wants charging stations and “green highways” as well.

10:45 PM: Klobuchar says she has not called for an all-out ban on fracking because she sees natural gas as a transition fuel to where the country gets to carbon neutral.

10:43 PM: Warren says climate change threatens every living thing on the planet and the urgency cannot be overstated. She says she will roll back Trumps’s changes to environmental laws.

10:41 PM: Steyer says he is still shocked that he is the only person who will declare a state of emergency on the climate on day on in office.  Steyer is asked if he is the right messenger even though he made billions on oil, coal, and gas. He has never been asked about his investments in private prisons.

Steyer says he has fought the keystone pipeline and has the chops because he has been fighting the fossil fuels industry for the last decade.

Buttigieg says any equity and climate justice need to be discussed because of the impact climate change will have on black and brown communities.

10:38 PM: Warren says the impeachment trial will show the corruption of this administration. She says Trump is all about “him helping himself.”

10:36 PM: Klobuchar does not think Trump will be “emboldened” by a potential acquittal. She says her Republican colleagues may as well make Trump king if they do not want to call any witnesses. She says this is a “decency check” and a “patriotism check” as is the 2020 election.

10:35 PM: Debate turns to impeachment. Blitzer asked Biden if it will be harder to run against Trump if he is able to say that the Senate acquitted him. Biden rips the Republican Party for all the lies about his family. Interestingly, Blitzer doesn’t ask why Biden thinks McConnell then would be more willing to work with Democrats after Trump.

10:27 PM: Steyer says his kids should not get free college and he speaks about income inequality. Steyer says for the youngest kids, they are getting an education relative to the taxes in their neighborhoods. He wants to redistribute funds so kids in poorer neighborhoods get a better education.

10:23 PM: Buttigieg is asked why he opposes free college because he doesn’t want millionaires getting free college. He says he doesn’t want cost to ever be a barrier. He says if someone is in the top income bracket, that person has to pay tuition costs because the government could be using those taxpayer dollars in better ways.

Klobuchar says those who want free college aren’t thinking big enough. She wants to connect the education system with job openings like nursing assistants ad home healthcare workers and electricians. She says we are not going to have a shortage of MBAs; we are going to have a shortage of plumbers.

10:22 PM: Biden calls for free universal infant care. He talks about commuting to work because he could not afford child care when he started out in the Senate. He says Sanders is right–salaries for childcare workers need to be raised.

10:15 PM: Warren asked why the government should be trusted to manufacture drugs when trust in government is at an all-time low. Warren says 90% of drugs are not under patent but the drug industry has figured out how to keep jerking the prices up and up. She says she wants to give them a little competition… she wants to let the contracts out so we can put more generic drugs out there to drive down prices. She says this is a way to make markets work without price controls.

10:12 PM: Candidates asked about what happens to workers in “insurance towns” like Des Moines. Sanders says his plan would provide assistance and help for up to five years to those who will be displaced by his Medicare for All plan.

Steyer says we are spending way too much because corporations own the system and the richest get tax cuts. He says Warren is right–this is “cruelty for money.” Steyer says he is for term limits and must re-do Washington D.C. to end the corporate stranglehold.

Biden talks about controlling drug prices by limiting what companies can charge. Biden says people should have the option to keep their negotiated plan with their employers.

10:10 PM: Buttigieg insists his plan is not “small” and he says we have to get past the mentality that a plan is only big if it costs trillions of dollars. He says his plan takes on costs on prescription drugs ($250 monthly cap)– he says most Americans don’t experience the economy on an annual basis… bills come every month. Warren says Buttigieg’s plan doesn’t add up

10:04 PM: Sanders says his plan would not bankrupt the country and would improve the conditions of working- and middle-class voters. He says his plan would take on the pharmaceutical industry and substantially lower the cost of health care for employers and workers because it would eliminate administrative fees and much of the profits insurance companies make.

Klobuchar says if Sanders has a plan and not “pipe dream” he needs to show how he is going to pay for it.

10:03 PM: Steyer says we have a broken government that has been bought by insurance companies and private hospitals. He says that stranglehold needs to be broken to solve various healthcare issues.

10:02 PM: Warren says we need to start with what’s happening in America. She says 36 million people could not afford to get their prescriptions filled last year, and her plan will help as many Americans as possible without raising taxes on middle-class Americans by “one thin dime.”

9:56 PM: Debate turns to health care. Sanders is asked about Medicare for All. He says it would cost substantially less than the status quo when asked if voters should see a “price tag” for his plan. He says a 4% tax on income, exempting the first $29,000, would help pay for his plan.

Biden says “we need to be candid with voters.” He says Sanders’ 4% tax would not even come close to paying for Medicare for All.

Klobuchar calls for a non-profit public option plan. She says long-term care is the “elephant that doesn’t fit in this room” and wants plans to make it easier for people to pay for premiums, etc.

9:45 PM: Sanders asked why he said a women could not beat Trump. Sanders says he never said that. He says it is “incomprehensible” that he would have said that and says Trump likes this conflict. He says in 2013, he deferred to Warren when progressives wanted to draft Warren and only entered the race after Warren declined.

Warren says she “disagreed” when Sanders told him a women could not beat Trump. Warren says Bernie is her friend and she is not here today to fight him.

Warren says the men on the stage have lost ten elections. She says only Klobuchar and her have never lost an election. She says she is the only person on the stage who has beaten an incumbent Republican in the past 30 years.

Interesting that CNN’s Phillip is asking the question as if Sanders did say that a woman could not beat Trump.

9:40 PM: Warren says multinational lobbyists and executives surround negotiators to get deals that are best for their corporations. She says we need a different approach to trade and it starts with calling out the corruption of the corporations. She says everyone wants to get into the American market, and Warren says corporations must meed environmental and labor standards.

9:37 PM: Biden says there will be no trade agreement signed without environmental and labor leaders at the table. He also promises more protection for workers. He takes a jab at Sanders, saying he can’t think of a trade deal Sanders would support and the United States need to write the rules.

Sanders says he and Biden have a “fundamental disagreement.” He says trade deals were made to benefit multinational corporations and calls for more “corporate responsibility.”

9:33 PM: Warren is asked why Sanders is wrong to oppose USMCA. Warren says she opposed the Asian trade deals and talks about farmers who are hurting in Iowa because of Trump’s “trade wars.” She says USMCA is a “modest improvement” because it will give some relief to farmers and workers. She says the country should accept the relief and fight for a better trade deal and a “coherent trade policy.”

Buttigieg says he supports the USMCA as well because it is an “improvement.” Buttigieg says he remembers when politicians said the pie would get bigger and everyone will be better off with trade deals in the 1990s. He says the pie got bigger but workers did not see the promised gains.

9:31 PM: Debate not turns to trade. Sanders asked why he would vote against USMCA when he said it would make “modest improvements.” Sanders says it will result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs to outsourcing. He says these deals force American workers to compete against Mexican and Chinese workers who are paid “starvation wages.” He says the deal also doesn’t have “climate change” in it. He is asked if he is unwilling to compromise even though the AFL-CIO supports it. He says the machinist union opposes it and climate organizations like the Sunrise Movement opposes it as well.

9:28 PM: Biden is asked if he would meet with North Korea without any preconditions. He says no. Biden says Trump gave North Korea “legitimacy” by meeting with Kim Jong-Un without preconditions.

9:24 PM: When asked if he would ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, Buttigieg says that will be a goal but Trump has made it much harder for the next president to achieve that goal by gutting the Iran Deal. When asked if he would allow Iran to become a nuclear power, he says no. He says our security depends on Iran not being able to become a nuclear power.

Klobuchar also says she would not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon. She in the first debate she correctly said China is the greatest threat economically and Iran is also a threat because of Trump.

9:23 PM: Steyer says he would take military action to protect the lives and safety of Americans. Steyer says there is no real strategy in the Middle East. He rips Trump for having no strategy and going from crisis to crisis. He says everything has been tactics for the last two decades and there hasn’t been a real strategy.

9:22 PM: Warren says she would take military action without Congressional approval if there is an “imminent threat.” Warren says everybody talks about not wanting endless wars but it’s about having plans to get out of the wars. Warren says generals testify and say they’ve turned the corner and nothing changes. She says they’ve turned so many corners that they are going in circles.

9:19 PM: Biden says he ran as a 29-year-old against the Vietnam War and believed then that a nation can’t go to war without the “informed consent” of the people. Biden says combat troops are necessary abroad or America will forced to be the world’s policeman.

Blitzer says the Obama administration took military action numerous times without Congressional approval, and Buttigieg says the authorization passed to deal with Al Qaeda needs to be replaced. Buttigieg says if another authorization is needed, he wants a three-year sunset.

9:18 PM: Sanders brings debate back to domestic issues. He says infrastructure is crumbling, hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, people can’t afford health care, etc…

He says the American people are “sick and tired” of the endless wars that have cost the country trillions. He wants to rebuild the UN and the State Department.

9:17 PM: Buttigieg talks about continuing to be engaged without adding ground troops. He says Trump promised to end the endless war but has sent more troops to the Middle East.

9:15 PM: On Iran, Sanders says we have a president who could again drag us into wars based on lies. Biden says he would leave troops in the Middle East “patrolling the gulf” and he wants troops in the Middle East to also defend against ISIS because it is going to “reconstitute itself.” He talks about getting back in the Iran Deal.

Klobuchar also says she would leave some troops in the Middle East in places like Iraq and Syria. She rips Trump for putting his private interest in front of the country’s.

Warren says we need to get our combat troops out of the Middle East. She says we need to get out of the mindset that we need to do everything with combat troops. She says combat troops in the Middle East “is not helping.” She says nobody has a solution or endpoint and says Sen. Graham (R-SC) has talked about leaving troops there for 100 years.

9:10 PM: Steyer says he has worked internationally around the world for decades and he understands how America interacts with other countries. He says Warren made a good point about judgment versus experience. Steyer says we are listening to 20 years of mistakes by America in the Middle East. He says an “outside perspective” is what is needed.

9:08 PM: Warren asked about a poll that found a third of her own supporters said her ability to lead the country in a potential war was a weakness. She cites her judgment and says she sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and has visited and fought for the troops. She says she is making sure that the troops don’t get cheated by giant financial institutions and she has three brothers who have served. She pivots to the revolving door between the defense industry and the Pentagon. She says that is “corruption” plain and simple. She calls for a cut in the defense budget and says we can’t let the defense industry “call the shots.”

9:07 PM: Buttigieg says he brings a different perspective. He says there are enlisted people he served with who are barely old enough to remember those voters. He says there are people enlisted who were not even alive during those votes. He talks about cyber security and climate security challenges that the next commander-in-chief will have to deal with.

9:06 PM: Klobuchar says she wasn’t in the Senate for the Iraq vote but she opposed it from the beginning, and her opponent ran ads against her.

9:02 PM: Blitzer asks Biden about his judgment being questioned because he voted for the Iraq War. Biden says his vote was a mistake. He says the man who argued against the war, Barack Obama, picked him as his running mate. Biden says he knows what it’s like to send a child to war because his son was in Iraq for a year. Biden says he he will compare his record overall on every other thing he has done to anybody else’s on stage.

Sanders is asked about his Afghanistan vote, and Sanders says it’s different from the Iraq vote because everybody voted for it except for Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). Sanders then rails agains the “endless war” in Iraq. He says the money spent on that endless war should have gone to programs at home. Sanders said he thought Messrs. Bush and Cheney were lying and did everything he could to not get into war while Biden thought differently.

9:00 PM: Debate gets started. Blitzer asks the first question, and it’s about Iran. He asks which candidate is best prepared to be commander-in-chief. Sanders gets to respond first, and he says his record speaks to that. He says that in 2002, when Congress was debating Iraq, he said it was going to be a disaster. Sanders said last year he helped pass a war powers resolution with Sen. Mike Lee re: Saudi Arabia’s war with Yemen. Sanders mistakes Trump for Bush, saying “Bush” vetoed it.

8:53 PM: Blitzer introducing the six candidates as the debate is about to get started.

8:35 PM: In Wisconsin on the night of the debate, Trump sides with Sanders over “Pocahontas” Warren at his rally, saying he doesn’t believe Sanders said a woman could not win the White House against Trump. Trump says that’s not the kind of thing Sanders would say.

8:30 PM: Moderators more diverse than the candidates on stage. Jones said on CNN that the plutocrats could turn off potential voters Democrats need to beat Trump’s movement.

Follow Joel, who is on the ground in Iowa:

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