Democratic Debate: Live updates from Night 1 in July

Ten candidates face off, including leading progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren at center stage.

The second Democratic debate, hosted by CNN, is taking place over two nights in Detroit with 10 candidates on stage each night.Chelsea Stahl / NBC News
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Night 1 of the second Democratic debate is in the books. The gloves came off over health care as the moderates on the stage took aim at leading progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Look back on all the action as it happened, and for all of the night's fact checks, go here. Join us tomorrow for Night 2 of the debate, which will begin at 8 p.m. ET. Download the NBC News app for full coverage of both nights of the second Democratic debate.

5 years ago / 12:18 AM EDT

Who won the Democratic debate?

It was the second face-off for the slate of 10 Democratic presidential candidates who took the stage Tuesday night to debate. For some, it could be their last.

Only half of the candidates on stage in Detroit are on track to meet the higher threshold needed to qualify for the next debate in September, putting the rest in the fight of their political lives.

Here, in no particular order, is a look at who stood out from the pack in the potentially make-or-break faceoff, who held their ground — and whose presidential hopes may be at risk.

5 years ago / 12:17 AM EDT

Warren says differentiating herself from Bernie isn’t important right now

After Tuesday’s debate, Warren was asked by NBC News’ Ali Vitali about how she could differentiate herself from Sanders as the two didn’t have any big policy disagreements on the debate stage.

“Look I don't think this is about differentiation,” she said. “I think this about an opportunity for Democrats to stand up and talk about our vision for America.”

As Sanders has, Warren mentioned making the federal government “work, not just for those at the top, but for everyone else.”

“So I talk about my plans to do that,” she said. “Attack the corruption head on. Restructure basic parts of our economy. Make it easier to join a union. Put a wealth tax in place and give us universal child care and cancel student loan debt. And we didn't talk much about it tonight, but protect our democracy.”

5 years ago / 12:17 AM EDT

Watch the highlights from tonight's debate:

NBC News
5 years ago / 12:03 AM EDT

Williamson explains one of her most talked about moments

Dartunorro Clark

Williamson told MSNBC’s Garrett Haake what she meant about the “dark psychic force” pervading American politics under Trump. It was another viral moment from tonight’s debate that made Williamson the talk of social media. 

“But until the last few years, we thought we reached a consensus in this country that there were lines past which we would not go on either the left or the right when it came to real, dark aspects of human character — racism, bigotry, Islamophobia, homophobia, antisemitism,” she explained after the debate. “We thought we reached a point, not that those forces didn't exist, but where whether you were a Democrat or a Republican, nobody would be giving them a major megaphone.”

She added, “Those levies have fallen. First of all, I think because of social media and also because we have a political figure who stokes those things for his own political purposes. This is very, very dangerous. Very, very dangerous.” 

Williamson also sat down with CNN’s Anderson Cooper to discuss her position in the crowded field. She said she does not regret her unconventional political messaging about creating a “moral uprising” to defeat Trump, arguing that the current political conversation — intellectual and wonky — is not the way Americans talk and think. 

5 years ago / 11:58 PM EDT

Read the full transcript of tonight's debate

NBC News

Here's the full transcript of the second Democratic debate hosted by CNN in Detroit. Read the questions from the moderators, the candidates' responses and more.

5 years ago / 11:48 PM EDT

Where was the ‘I-word’?

MSNBC’s Brian Williams and The Washington Post’s Robert Costa just made an interesting point: The word “impeachment” wasn’t uttered tonight.

The lack of a mention comes after testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller on his nearly two-year investigation into Russian election meddling and whether Trump obstructed justice failed to move public opinion on the question of impeachment, according to recent polling. 

However, billionaire candidate Tom Steyer — who didn’t qualify for the debate stage — ran a pro-impeachment advertisement during the CNN broadcast. And more than 100 House Democrats have also called for the beginning of impeachment proceedings against Trump.

5 years ago / 11:43 PM EDT

Klobuchar: 'I've gotten things done'

5 years ago / 11:37 PM EDT

Fact check: Does the climate reach a 'point of no return' in 2030?

"By 2030 we will have passed the point of no return on climate," Buttigieg said Tuesday night in his closing statement. Earlier in the debate, he said that "science tells us we have 12 years before we reach the horizon of catastrophe when it comes to our climate."

He is exaggerating.

The United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change zeroed in on 2030 as an important climate date in their 2018 report, pointing to the global Paris Agreement that promises to reduce carbon emissions by that date. But the report does not label 2030 as the beginning of the end of the world or a point of catastrophe, as the mayor and media reports have done.

The more global warming is slowed by 2030, the better the globe will be able to handle the challenges of climate change, the U.N. report explains.

5 years ago / 11:35 PM EDT

Looking ahead to the next debate, can Beto save himself?

Dartunorro Clark

After the debate, CNN’s John King noted that some candidates, such as Beto O’Rourke, have qualified for the next debate in September, so any performance issues tonight might be based on having that surety and also might not ultimately hurt their standing with voters. However, the reaction on social media to O'Rourke's performance, for example, was largely negative. The next debate could give him and others time to tweak their performances and find that sweet spot to connect with voters.

5 years ago / 11:31 PM EDT

Sanders camp touts 'I wrote the damn bill' debate line

Shaquille Brewster

It appears that the Sanders campaign is hoping his "I wrote the damn bill" moment with Tim Ryan was a "That little girl was me" moment Kamala Harris had from the first debate, and the campaign is already fundraising off it: