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Democratic Debate live updates: MSNBC/Washington Post host

With impeachment at center stage, Democrats debated their visions to replace Trump.

NBC News' live blog tracked the fifth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential election cycle, co-hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post.

With the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump taking center stage,the 2020 candidates clashed over their visions to replace him. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg escaped unscathed after it was expected he'd draw heavy fire as the newly minted front-runner, while former Vice President Joe Biden stumbled with gaffes on women, marijuana and race.

Catch up quickly via our analysis and fact checks, and get a look at who came out swinging via our attack tracker. Or, see how the night unfolded below.

Steve Kornacki, national political correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, corrected on Twitter the part of this segment in which he misstated Booker's support among black voters in South Carolina. Booker is polling at 2 percent with black voters in the latest poll.

Fact check: Biden claims Steyer produced more coal than all of England

Elizabeth Janowski

While touting his support of climate change bills during his time in Congress, Biden lobbed an attack against Steyer's history as a hedge fund manager who invested in the coal industry. 

"My friend [Steyer] was producing more coal mines and producing more coal around the world, according to the press, than all of Great Britain produces,” he said. 

This appears to be true. Biden appears to be referencing a 2014 New York Times investigation that examined the coal production of companies in which Steyer's fund had invested. 

The Times concluded that since receiving money from Steyer's hedge fund, the coal mines increased their annual production by about 70 million tons — “more than the amount of coal consumed annually by Britain.” 

Still, though Biden was likely referencing the Times, the Financial Times reported that Britain produced just 2.6 million tons of coal in 2018, definitely less than Steyer's investments fueled.

Biden skips post-debate spin room to spend time with supporters

Trump campaign responds after heavy focus on the president

Kayleigh McEnany, the national press secretary for President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, noted how much of the night revolved around the current occupant of the White House and the ongoing impeachment inquiry. 

"Tonight, 2020 Democrats were short on solutions and heavy on their unhealthy obsession with taking down President Trump via an illegitimate coup," McEnany said in a statement. "They know they cannot beat President Trump’s record-breaking economy, landmark criminal justice reform, falling health care costs, and historic trade deals, so they are set to defeat him in the halls of Congress rather than at the ballot box."

Buttigieg, newly minted front-runner, escapes fifth debate unscathed

Buttigieg had a target on his back and no one really even tried to hit it.

The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is at number one with a bullet in polls this week, including the gold-standard poll of all-important Iowa, so everyone expected he would bear the brunt of attacks in Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential debate, sponsored by MSNBC and The Washington Post.

Instead, the other candidates let Buttigieg off the hook over the nearly two-and-a-half hour debate.

Read about how Buttigieg ended the debate largely unscathed.

Yang says he’d consider pardoning Trump

Andrew Yang said he does not think Trump should be facing criminal charges and would consider pardoning Trump if he were in fact prosecuted.

"We do not want to be a country that gets in the pattern of jailing past leaders," Yang said, adding that "there's a reason why Ford pardoned Nixon."

"I'd actually go a step further and say not just, hey, it's up to my [Attorney General]. I would say that the country needs to start solving the problems on the ground and move forward."

"Would you consider a pardon then?" NBC News asked.

"I would," Yang said.

Kamala Harris: 'Lot of evidence' on grounds for impeachment

New Hampshire voters react to debate

Amanda Golden

Amanda Golden and Julia Jester

NBC News' New Hampshire team checked in with voters from around the state throughout and at the conclusion of tonight’s debate. Here are some highlights and impressions from those text conversations.

Shared views among multiple voters:

  • Memorable moments: Gabbard/Buttigieg exchange, Booker suggesting Biden was high when he said he wouldn't support marijuana legalization, Buttigieg saying there’s over 100 years of Washington experience and look where it’s gotten us, Harris/Booker/Biden on black support
  • Candidates who struggled: Gabbard, Biden, Harris
  • Candidates who stood out: Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Booker, Warren
  • Topics: happy that voting rights/voter suppression was discussed, surprised by lack of confrontation over Buttigieg given his recent polling surges

Marianne Williamson chimes in

Atlanta mayor defends Biden after Harris criticism

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a top Biden supporter, said the clash between Harris and Biden was being blown up too much.

She said it was clear he meant the first black woman in the Senate, not the only black woman.

Fact check: Do most Democrats oppose 'Medicare for All'?

"The fact is that right now the vast majority of Democrats do not support 'Medicare for All.' It couldn’t pass the United States Senate right now with Democrats. It couldn't pass the House," Biden claimed on Wednesday.

The veracity of this one may depend on whether Biden is talking about lawmakers or registered members of the party surveyed about their views. In a poll released earlier Wednesday, 77 percent of Democrats polled by the Kaiser Family Foundation said they supported Medicare for All. A Gallup poll last year saw 65 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters supported a government-run health care system. 

But Biden is correct to note that support among legislators is decidedly lower. Currently, Democrats control the House but haven't passed a Medicare for All bill. A Medicare for All bill would definitely not pass the current Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. 

Fact check: Gabbard claims Buttigieg would send troops to Mexico

The two veterans on the stage — Gabbard and Buttigieg — sparred over the South Bend mayor’s recent comments on troops in Mexico. Gabbard said that the mayor had made a “careless statement about how you, as president, would be willing to send our troops to Mexico to fight the cartels.”

Buttigieg said his remarks were taken out of context.

"I was talking about U.S.-Mexico cooperation. We’ve been doing security cooperation with Mexico for years, with law enforcement cooperation and military cooperation that could continue to be developed with training relationships, for example. Do you seriously think anybody on this stage is proposing invading Mexico?" he said.

Gabbard retorted: “That’s not what I said!”

Here's what the mayor actually said at California event recently, according to The Sacramento Bee, responding to a question related to gang and drug violence.

"There is a scenario where we could have security cooperation," Buttigieg said, adding, “I’d only order American troops into conflict if American lives were on the line and if it was necessary to meet treaty obligations.”

ANALYSIS: 2020 candidates tried to connect with black voters

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill and Eugene Robinson discuss the 2020 Democratic candidates' efforts to connect with black voters, and former VP Joe Biden's strength in that area.

Amy Klobuchar: We'll unite the Democratic Party

Booker reflects on how Rep. John Lewis inspired him to run

Who talked the most at the debate? Here's how the night flowed in under 15 seconds

10 candidates, 10 different ways of closing

The 10 candidates on stage hit different notes in their closing statements.

Booker used his to pay homage to his hero, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and to deliver a plea for support, because he hasn’t yet qualified for the next debate, on Dec. 19.

“Keep me on this stage,” he said.

Gabbard spoke of respect, while Steyer said he was pushing for “structural change in Washington.” Yang stressed making the U.S., and the world, a better place for “our kids.”

Klobuchar, citing Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s impeachment testimony yesterday, said “in this country, you can tell the truth and you’ll be fine,” before saying her presidency would represent an “economic check,” a “patriotism check,” a “values check” and a “decency check” on the Trump administration.

Harris made her closing about how “we’re in a fight” for the rule of law, democracy and the U.S. system of justice. Buttigieg referred to former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson as a pinnacle example of how “local leaders have shown great leadership” before pledging to “launch the era that must come after Trump” — one he said will be marked “not by exclusion, but by belonging.”

Sanders talked about being the son of an immigrant and vowed to “fight against all forms of discrimination,” while Warren’s entire statement revolved around fighting corruption.

The government, she said, “works for the top, and no one else,” she said.

Biden, the last to speak, fired off a series of platitudes, each with increasing volume.

He said the U.S. should lead the world “not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.” He urged people to “take back this country and lead the world again.”

And he closed by yelling, “Get up and take it back.”

Fact-checking the fifth Democratic debate in Atlanta live

Do Harris' statistics on the gender pay gap hold up? Are Tulsi Gabbard's claims about past presidents and 'regime change wars' true? Did Amy Klobuchar really pass more than 100 bills?

Here are the claims from the 10 candidates on stage that hold up — and the ones that don't.

Final tally: Joe Biden was the most-attacked candidate in this debate

Biden was attacked the most on the debate stage tonight, with six attacks. Yang wasn't attacked at all.

Other noteworthy targets: Democratic candidates attacked Donald Trump 40 times, Mitch McConnell 2 times, Wall Street and corporations 7 times, and the “ultra-rich” 4 times.

Behind the scenes: Booker huddles with civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis

Buttigieg and Gabbard clash

Dartunorro Clark

The two veterans sparred over judgment and inexperience after Gabbard suggested that Buttigieg wanted to use the U.S. military to fight drug cartels in Mexico, a claim he denied — calling it “outlandish.”  She called it careless and that she has extensive military and foreign policy experience. 

He then shot back by saying he might not have extensive experience in Washington but he has enough judgment that he “would not have sat down with a murderous dictator,” referring to Bashar al Assad.

Stacey on the mind

Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, came up twice in tonight’s debate: both Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker mentioned her in the context of voter suppression.

Abrams, the former Georgia House minority leader, was a voting rights advocate and claimed that her 2018 loss to Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, by less than 2 percent was, in part, due to widespread voter suppression in the state. Just before the 2018 election, the state purged a half million voters from its lists.

And no wonder. The state recently announced it would purge another 300,000 people from its voter lists — one of the voter suppression tactics Abrams claimed cost her the governorship.

Rough end of debate for Biden

The last 30 minutes of Wednesday’s debate did not go well for Biden.

It began when he said that “we have to keep punching at” misconduct toward women, like sexual harassment and violence. An odd choice of words to discuss how to treat women, and one that was met with mockery online.

Then he was victim of tonight’s standout moment: when Booker went after Biden for saying he would not legalize marijuana.

“I thought you might have been high when you said it,” Booker said, drawing huge applause from the audience. 

Biden clarified that he thinks the drug should be decriminalized and all criminal records related to marijuana charges should be expunged, but that he thinks that the drug’s long-term impact need to be studied more. 

Then, Biden followed up by saying he comes “out of the black community in terms of my support,” highlighting his high polling numbers among black voters. He then noted having the support of former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, D-Ill., the first black woman elected to the Senate. But instead said he was supported by the “only” black woman ever elected to the Senate.

Harris, the second black women elected to the Senate, jumped on the error.

“Nope,” she interjected, laughing at the comment.

Biden says he’s supported by the 'only' black woman elected to the Senate. Harris thinks otherwise.

Biden, during what was a rough stretch for him, said he comes “out of the black community in terms of my support,” highlighting his high polling numbers among black voters.

He then noted having the support of former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, D-Ill., the first black woman elected to the Senate. But instead said he was supported by the “only” black woman ever elected to the Senate.

Harris certainly saw the situation differently.

“Nope,” she interjected, offering up a laugh at the comment.

Biden says to fix violence against women, we need to ‘keep punching’ at the issue

Joe Biden, who has faced allegations from women who said that he made them feel uncomfortable with inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact, was asked how he would advocate for the MeToo movement.

He responded by saying would he push for a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and said “we have to change the culture” of how men treat women.

“No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman in anger,” he said.  “We have to change the culture.”

“We have to keep punching at it and punching at it and punching at it,” he added.

It was an unusual choice of words in response to a question about how to treat women.

And it’s not likely to suffice for women’s rights groups that have looked to increase attention to MeToo during the campaign.

Biden, in particular, has struggled with the issue.

Earlier this year, Lucy Flores, a former Democratic nominee for Nevada lieutenant governor, said Biden made her feel uncomfortable by smelling her hair and kissing her head at a 2014 campaign rally. In short order, several other women came forward with their own allegations of encounters with Biden that they said made them feel the same way.

Fact check: Is Harris' statistic on black maternal mortality correct?

“Black women are three to four times more likely to die in connection with childbirth in America,” Harris said on the debate stage. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women are three to four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes nationwide.  

Booker attacks Biden, champions black voters

Dartunorro Clark

Booker had one of the standout moments so far — going after Biden for saying earlier this week that marijuana is a gateway drug. 

“I thought you might have been high when you said it,” Booker said, which drew huge applause from the audience. 

Bookers said that marijuana is already legal for privileged people and the war on drugs has targeted black and brown communities, so decriminalizing weed should be the goal. 

He also went after candidates on the stage like Buttigieg when it comes to connecting with black voters, and it’s about creating “authentic connections” with the community and not focus groups to understand the issues that are important to them.

Buttigieg seemed to be a prime target, but he's only been attacked once tonight

Pete Buttigieg surged in a recent Iowa poll, making him a prime target for scrutiny during Wednesday night’s debate. But coming to the end of the debate, he's only been attacked one time.

Harris challenges Buttigieg on black support

Janell Ross

Janell Ross and Tim Fitzsimons

Buttigieg came into Wednesday night’s debate leading the crowded Democratic field in Iowa and ranking among the top five candidates in most national polls. But, Buttigieg avoided direct criticism from other candidates on the debate stage for much of the first hour.

That was until Harris suggested that the mayor’s standing makes little sense when black Americans represent such a critical portion of the party’s electorate. Buttigieg’s support among black voters remains at or below 5 percent in most polls and black Americans face a critical set of political and social issues that will demand a president’s attention. 

“For too long candidates have taken for granted constituencies that have been the backbone of the Democratic Party,” Harris said. “The question has to be: ‘Where ya been, and what are you going to do?’”

Hinting at his weak support with African American voters, Buttigieg said he would “welcome the challenge of connecting with black voters in America that do not know me.” And although he has no experience of being discriminated against because of the color of his skin, Buttigieg said, “I do have the experience of being a stranger in my own country, turning on the news and seeing my rights up for debate.” 

He said this experience “lets me know just how deep my obligation is for those whose rights are on the line.”

Election Confessions submitted during the debate

Yang and Gabbard take the first question about race and white supremacy

Dartunorro Clark

The first question about race was asked, but only Yang and Gabbard got to answer. 

Gabbard said that it’s important for a leader to recognize racial bigotry and correct racial injustices in the country. Yang said that he would first order the DOJ to designate white supremacist violence as domestic terrorism. 

Fact check: Is Pete Buttigieg financially worth the least of those on stage?

Buttigieg claimed to have the least assets of anyone on the stage. According to Forbes' assessment, he's right.

With just $100,000 in estimated assets, he's significantly less well off than billionaire Tom Steyer or even millionaire Andrew Yang.

Sanders and Biden have spoken the most tonight, Yang the least

As of 10:30 p.m., Sanders and Biden are nearly tied at who's gotten the most speaking time at the debate. Yang trailed all the other candidates.

Buttigieg hits on security and artificial intelligence

Buttigieg warns the U.S. is falling behind on artificial intelligence, and that this poses a serious national security risk. Those fears are bolstered by warnings from people like the former head of U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command.

This is the kind of argument that has built momentum in recent years, particularly as China has invested aggressively in the technology. And while that has sparked some comparisons to the Cold War nuclear arms race with the U.S.S.R., some academics that follow China closely warn that the country’s AI expertise is getting overblown.

Fact check: Harris takes on the gender pay gap

Elizabeth Janowski

Raising a point about the ineffectiveness of the Equal Pay Act, Harris noted, “Women are paid 80 cents on the dollar, black women — 61 cents, Native American women — 58 cents, Latinas — 53 cents.”

Harris appears to be drawing these numbers from a 2019 report by the American Association of University Women, which compared the earnings of women across several racial demographics to the earnings of white men. 

Her data is just slightly off, according to the AAUW’s report. According to the report, women are paid 82 cents for every dollar men earn. Black women make 62 cents on the dollar, Native American women make 57 cents and Hispanic women, 54 cents.

Biden offers a difference on Obama foreign policy — and it’s Saudi Arabia

Biden was asked a question earlier on where he’d differ from Obama on foreign policy and deflected to points on where he’d differ with Trump.

Soon after, he did offer a policy difference — on Saudi Arabia. It was in response to a question on whether he’d punish the Saudi royals for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"Yes, and I said it at the time,” he said, adding he thinks the killing happened at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s order.

Biden said he would stop U.S. weapons sales and that there was “very little social redeeming value” to the country.

Stopping weapons sales to the Saudis would certainly be a break from the Obama administration, which offered the country more than $115 billion in weapons, military equipment and training, according to a Reuters report from 2016. At the time, it was the most of any U.S. administration in the more than 70 years of the U.S.-Saudi alliance.

Castro's fans remind Twitter he's still in the running

Even though Julián Castro didn’t make it to the debate stage, his supporters tried to keep him visible with the hashtag the campaign adopted for the night, #JulianDebates.

Castro’s backers and the campaign made the hashtag a top trending hashtag by posting positions Castro has taken on issues that were raised in the debate.  His campaign also used it as an opportunity to raise donations.

Castro used the hashtag in his posts too, including when debate moderators asked candidates about housing, an issue he has been pushing debate organizers to include in their questions.

“Finally, housing question,” Castro tweeted. “Wonder who could have answered that?”

Fact check: Gabbard's claims about past presidents and 'regime change wars'

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, said there was an "ongoing Bush, Clinton, Trump foreign policy doctrine of regime change wars, overthrowing dictators in other countries." 

This is mostly false. President Donald Trump hasn’t started any wars that can be considered regime change wars — he’s actually focused more on getting out of military engagements. President Bill Clinton didn’t start what could be considered "regime change wars," either, though he did order some military strikes in Iraq and support a policy of ousting Saddam Hussein, the country's president. But it was President George W. Bush who famously launched a war in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, which resulted in the removal and execution of Hussein.

It’s possible Gabbard is referring to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who served under President Barack Obama, but that's not clear, and wouldn't be correct. The secretary of state — while crucially involved in foreign policy — is not the decision maker, the president is. 

Lots of praise for the moderators tonight

Alana Satlin

Here's more about your moderators tonight.

Yang on his first phone call with Putin: ‘Sorry I beat your guy’

Yang seemed taken aback by one of the rare questions he’s gotten in the debate when he was asked what he’d say in his first call with Putin as president.

After a pause, he said: “First I’d say I’m sorry I beat your guy,” earning some laughs in the crowd.

He went on to say he’d push back on Russian interference in U.S. domestic politics and discussed his data policies.

Fact check: Klobuchar's boast about bills

“I am the one who has passed over 100 bills as the lead Democrat in that gridlock in Washington," Klobuchar said on Wednesday night.

This claim, one she's made during several previous debates, appears to be true. When asked by NBC News for proof of Klobuchar’s claim that she was a sponsor or co-sponsor of 100 bills that were ultimately enacted, her campaign produced a list of 101 bills and amendments that were enacted or that were consolidated into other bills that were later enacted.

Kamala Harris loves to attack Trump. She's not alone.

Andrew Williams

So far tonight, Donald Trump has been attacked more times than any of the other candidates have attacked each other, combined. This isn’t quite new: Trump has received double-digit numbers of attacks in every Democratic presidential debate this year.

In the previous debates, Kamala Harris has attacked Trump a total of 18 times, the most of any candidate. Julián Castro and Amy Klobuchar trail Harris with 16 attacks on Trump each.

Follow the attacks on Trump on our live-updating debate attack tracker.

A scene from USC

Harris: Trump got punk'd on North Korea

First climate question — everyone agrees it’s a priority

Dartunorro Clark

Gabbard got the first climate change question of the night and said that it’s an issue that transcends political party and everyone should come together to break the hyperpartisanship to get climate policies passed 

Steyer called out Biden and Warren — two of the front-runners — saying it is a No. 1 priority for him unlike those two. He said that, on Day One of his presidency, he would declare a state of emergency and make climate change part of his foreign policy.

Biden shot back saying that he has been on the front line of climate change and attacked Steyer for operating coal mines while he was working on climate policy. Steyer responded by saying everyone on the stage lived in an economy based on fossil fuels and he came to a conclusion to avoid them a decade ago. 

Sanders says that he would go directly after the fossil fuel industry and said they are criminally liable because they had “evidence” that their products hurt the environment. 

Steyer hasn't talked much, but he's firing off attacks

Jeremia Kimelman

An hour and change into the Democratic debate, Tom Steyer has made 6 fiery attacks. He's only spoken for 5 minutes. 

His latest: "I’m the only person on this stage who will say that climate is the No. 1 priority for me. Vice President Biden won’t say it. Senator Warren won’t say it."

Follow our live tracker of how who's speaking the most (and least) during the debate tonight and see who's attacking who.

No one laying a hand on Mayor Pete

Conventional wisdom heading into Wednesday’s debate was that the candidates, who had started to telegraph hits on Buttigieg along the campaign trail, would go after the surging candidate.

But as polls show Buttigieg rising to first in Iowa and New Hampshire, no one’s taken a direct shot at him in  the debate’s first hour. Even Klobuchar, asked about her previous criticism of Buttigieg, demurred.

But of note, there’s been little fighting on stage through the debate so far.

Buttigieg pressed on farm subsidies

Buttigieg was just asked about farm subsidies — a closely watched issue in largely rural, first-to-caucus Iowa, where polls show him absolutely surging.

It’s no surprise, then, that Buttigieg says that he would continue farm subsidies, although he notes that such payouts are not making farmers “whole.”

Attacks at the halfway mark

There were 33 attacks in the first 60 minutes of tonight's debate, and 16 of those were aimed at President Donald Trump.

Here's how the NBC News debate attack tracker looks at the halfway mark of tonight's debate.

A screenshot of the NBC News attack tracker graphic as of 10 p.m. Eastern.

Steyer, Warren and Booker tee off on housing

Steyer hasn’t been much of a factor tonight but he offers a strong and differentiated answer on the U.S. housing crisis. 

He says there needs to be changes in policy and an influx in resources “to build literally millions of new units.” But Steyer adds another element — sustainability — noting that where people live has an impact on the climate.

Warren also gets in an answer, putting the issue squarely on the need for more housing. She touts her plan for 3.2 million new housing units and notes that housing is a sustainability issue. 

“The federal government has subsidized housing for decades for white people,” Warren said, while declining to do so for black Americans. “That’s called redlining”

For his part, Booker called out gentrification, which he said involves “low-income families moving farther and farther out, sometimes compounding racial segregation” and proposed a tax credit that would subsidize renters in the same way the federal government subsidizes homeowners.

Castro's absence apparent during housing debate

Janell Ross

Janell Ross and Tim Fitzsimons

Amidst a nationwide homelessness crisis, one candidate missing from the stage tonight made his absence known on Twitter: former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, who subtweeted the proceedings:

On the 2020 campaign trail and during his White House tenure, Castro has been a forceful voice speaking out against homelessness and various forms of housing inequality.

Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Warren: The quotes of the night

Fact check: Warren's 2 cent wealth tax

“I have proposed a 2-cent wealth tax,” Warren said on Wednesday night. “Your first 50 billion is free and clear — but your 50 billionth and first dollar, you gotta pitch in 2 cents, and when you hit a billion dollars, you gotta pitch in a few pennies more.”

First, Warren misspoke here in the first part of her wealth tax plan. She meant to say "the first $50 million," not $50 billion. We know because it's how Warren’s been pitching her wealth tax for weeks — your first 50 million dollars are "free and clear," but once you hit 50 million and one dollar, a wealth tax of 2 cents kicks in.

It sounds simple, right?

Well, it’s not really. Yes, the tax is 2 cents on the dollar of assets over $50 million and 6 cents of every dollar over $1 billion. (She recently hiked that top bracket from 3 cents on every dollar above a billion to 6 cents, to pay for her health care plan.) 

But, this tax is applied annually, so it would keep wealth from growing in many cases and act like an income tax in many ways. Wealthy investors with assets seeing a 6 percent return annually, for instance, would essentially see a 100 percent tax on those assets.

It may sound like pennies, but the dollars add up big time: Two economists who advised Warren estimated recently that if her wealth tax had been in effect since 1982, Bill Gates’ wealth would be a fraction of what it is now.

Debate much more focused on Trump’s conduct

There's one notable shift in focus in tonight’s Democratic debate when compared to its predecessors. So far tonight, Trump’s conduct is front and center as the impeachment probe proceeds.

Candidates fielded early questions on the impeachment probe, Americans chanting “lock him up,” and whether, if elected president, they would prosecute Trump after he leaves office. A sharp contrast from earlier debates when the first hour consisted of mostly debating the candidates’ stances on health care policy.

Big praise for child care questions

Good insurance, no insurance or just insured?

Janell Ross

In 2013, before the major elements of the Affordable Care Act went into effect, more than 44 million Americans lived without health insurance, according to an analysis of census data conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

After Obamacare began, the number of uninsured Americans sank to a historic low of 26.7 million people, about 10 percent of the nation’s population. Then, after a series of changes were made to the Affordable Care Act,  the number of uninsured Americans rose. In 2017, 27.4 million people were uninsured, marking the first time since Obamacare began that the ranks of the uninsured expanded.

While most Americans are insured, the share who also fall into the ranks of the underinsured remains significant. The Commonwealth Fund, a foundation which among other activities researches health care topics, defines the term underinsured to include anyone whose health insurance deductibles and other out of pocket costs eat up 5 to 10 percent of their total income. Such a situation can make medical bills and prescription drug costs difficult to cover, force people to contemplate skipping much needed doctor visits, avoid emergency room care and to make other choices which can compromise their health. 

The share of Americans with insurance provided by an employer who are also underinsured grew from 17 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2018, according to the Commonwealth Fund. The figures are even larger for those who purchase individual health insurance plans. Among individual health insurance policy buyers, 37 percent were underinsured in 2010 and 42 percent were in the same situation last year.

Watch the moment Harris goes after Gabbard's record

Bernie won't disavow 'lock him up' chants

Sanders was asked about the “lock him up” chants recently hurled at Trump, such as at a World Series game in Washington last month.

Sanders did not disavow the chants, a mirror of Trump supporters cheering “lock her up” about Hillary Clinton in 2016. Sanders said simply that he thinks “the people of this country are catching on to the degree this president thinks he is above the law.”

Biden says he would not prosecute Trump after he leaves office

Dartunorro Clark

Biden said that he would not prosecute Trump after he leaves office because it’s not his job to decide who would be prosecuted or exonerated. He said it’s the attorney general’s decision, and if the independent conclusion was to pursue prosecution, then “so be it.”

He argued that the attorney general is not the president’s attorney.

Gabbard answer gets praise from Team Trump

Klobuchar jokes about the ‘Name your favorite woman president’ game

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, responding to questions over her recent criticism of Buttigieg (she said earlier this year that if female candidates like herself had the amount of experience that Buttigieg did they wouldn’t be taken as seriously as he is), backed down on her assessment — but still delivered a sharp line about gender that got the audience’s attention.

“First of all I made very clear that I think Pete is qualified to be on this stage,” she said. 

“But what I said was true,” she added. “Otherwise, we could play a game called ‘name your favorite woman president.’”

She closed her answer with another line that prompted loud applause from the audience.

“And if you think a woman can’t beat Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi does it every single day,” she said.

Don’t call it a comeback

Yang hasn’t gotten much screen time, but he did get the attention of the tech crowd.

He advocates bringing back the Office of Technology Assessment, which helped advise on technology policy until it was defunded in 1995. But bringing back the OTA, as it was colloquially known, already has some supporters in Washington, D.C. — and among the technorati.

So far, Warren has gotten the most airtime

Which candidate is speaking the most at tonight’s debate in Atlanta? Who's speaking the least? NBC News is collaborating with The Washington Post to track how long each candidate talks throughout the night. Follow along here.

Could Pete Buttigieg do what Obama couldn't with a GOP Congress? He says yes

Buttigieg said he sees "extraordinary potential" to enact big policies now that were politically impossible a few years ago.

“We have a majority to do the right thing, if we can galvanize, not polarize, that majority," Buttigieg said when asked how he would overcome the partisan fighting that ground Barack Obama's agenda to a halt.

But in his first two years, Obama had majorities in the House and Senate, including a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate for a moment, that a hypothetical President Buttigieg would be unlikely to get.

The Senate is currently controlled by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has made the chamber a "legislative graveyard" for Democratic bills. Even if Democrats win back the Senate next year, they're highly unlikely to get the 60 votes they would need to break a GOP filibuster. And while Buttigieg has said he wants to scrap the filibuster, many Democratic senators oppose doing so.

So Buttigieg didn't really explain why he would succeed where Obama didn't.

Harris attacks Gabbard

Dartunorro Clark

Harris went directly after Gabbard, saying that she spent four years under Obama on Fox News trashing the Obama administration, “buddied up to Steve Bannon” to get a meeting with Trump and cozied up to a war criminal — an apparent reference to Syrian President Bashar al Assad. 

This attack was one of the sharpest yet. Harris said that Gabbard doesn’t have the goods to take on Trump and reunite the Obama coalition to win the election. 

Gabbard shot back by saying Harris is trafficking in lies and was not dealing with the substance of her argument, which is that the Democratic establishment is out of touch. 

Fact check: Did Trump admit to diverting charity money from veterans?

"The president had to confess in writing, in court, to illegally diverting charitable contributions that were supposed to go to veterans," Buttigieg said Wednesday night, responding to a question about impeaching President Donald Trump. 

This is mostly true. The president did admit to illegally misusing the Trump Foundation — in particular the $2.8 million raised for veterans in an event in Iowa days before the 2016 caucuses — in a court filing. Those dollars were controlled and disbursed by Trump’s campaign staff at campaign events, instead of being overseen by the Foundation. But, the money was eventually donated to charitable causes.

Tulsi gets a question... on Hillary Clinton

For her first question of the night, Gabbard was asked about the “rot” she says Clinton inflicted on the Democratic Party. Gabbard said the party “continues to be influenced by the foreign policy establishment represented by Hillary Clinton and others.”

Gabbard began to surge slightly in the polls after Clinton attacked her publicly, with Gabbard capitalizing on the comments in numerous responses.

Meanwhile in Iowa...

Booker goes after Warren’s wealth tax

Dartunorro Clark

Booker, who has moved closer to the stage’s edge, had the first direct attack on Warren’s wealth tax plan. He’s talking about minority communities wanting the opportunity for entrepreneurship and said that they don’t just want equality in wealth, but equality in opportunity. He seems to go directly after Warren’s goal to restructure the American economy to help the working class.

He called the wealth tax “cumbersome” and said that Democrats need to talk about how we tax wealth but also grow wealth across the country.

Yang, Gabbard, Steyer silent early

Yang, Steyer and Gabbard aren’t getting any speaking time early. Twenty minutes in and the three candidates have yet to be asked a question.

What we're tracking tonight

We're publishing two live-updating graphics tonight to capture what's happening as it happens on the debate stage in Atlanta.

The attack tracker: We're tracking the number of times the candidates on the stage attack each other, and attack President Donald Trump.

The time talking tracker: We're partnering with The Washington Post to show how long each candidate has spent talking through the night.

Biden says impeachment hearings show that Trump and Putin don’t want him as nominee

In his first answer of the night, Biden said the impeachment hearings have made clear to him that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin don’t want him to be the Democratic nominee.

“Trump doesn’t want me to be the nominee,” Biden said, pointing to the House inquiry into the withholding of aid to Ukraine as the president pushed for an investigation into the former vice president and his son Hunter.  And “Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be president,” Biden added.

Biden argued that the most important consideration for Democratic voters in the race is to choose a nominee who can beat Trump, secure a Democratic majority in the Senate and increase the number of House Democrats. He says that’s him.

Harris says Trump is running a 'criminal enterprise'

NBC News

After Sondland’s testimony, Harris said that “justice is on the ballot” because the president has been running a “criminal enterprise” and impeachment is part of holding Trump accountable. 

But she also wrapped her answer around inequality in the country, where the rich and powerful break the law with impunity. And she wants to hold them accountable as president. 

First question is about impeachment

Noting that tonight’s debate comes just hours after a jampacked day of public testimony in the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, the first question directed at the candidates, aimed at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was about whether she’d try to convince her colleagues in the Senate that President Donald Trump deserves to be convicted, if the House impeaches him.

“Of course I will,” she said.

Candidates arrive on stage

NBC News

Image: US-POLITICS-VOTE-2020-DEMOCRATS-DEBATE
Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, arrive for the fifth Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season in Atlanta on Nov. 20, 2019.Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

Biden says 'battle for the soul' of the nation is about more than Trump

Marianna Sotomayor

Ahead of tonight’s debate, Biden has tweeted a thread outlining exactly what he means when he says America is in a “battle for the soul of this nation.”

It’s a development we’ve seen on the campaign trail in recent weeks where Biden has said that the battle isn’t just one about defeating President Donald Trump, but a personal battle for those facing economic hardships. 

In tonight's thread, he goes further saying the "soul of the nation" means improvement on different fronts and how he is the only one who can get that done — a good preview of what he’s expected to say tonight. 

Ariana Grande: 'Thank u, vote'

You can add Ariana Grande to the list of celebrities "feeling the Bern."

The Sanders campaign tells NBC News that Grande and her mother, Joan, met with the senator and his wife before Grande went on stage at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta Tuesday night. 

The campaign says Sanders was "super impressed" with her work registering young people to vote. According to Grande's post on Twitter, her team has registered more than 20,000 young people to vote at her concerts.

Grande has been politically active all year. In July, she attended a California fundraiser for Sen. Kamala Harris at music producer Scooter Braun's house.  

Booker and Harris pause for a selfie

The student debt crisis and what Democratic candidates propose doing about it

Benjy Sarlin

Student debt has surged in recent years and now stands at over $1.6 trillion.

Some Democrat candidates are proposing tuition-free public college and canceling student debt, while others are offering more limited benefits. Critics say many of the initiatives would benefit disproportionately better-off Americans.

What the candidates (including Trump) are proposing.

Dance dance, revolution?

Buttigieg is proving once and for all that "Boomer" isn't just a generation, it's a state of mind.

Videos have flown around the internet in recent days featuring a choreographed dance being performed by his supporters. It’s set to “High Hopes” by Panic! At the Disco. 

The dance has also triggered something of a backlash on the teen-heavy TikTok, where young politicos are using it to critique Buttigieg’s centrist positions.

Viewer discretion advised.

Debate-goers are submitting their Election Confessions

Ahead of the debate, people submitted their confessions about the 2020 candidates live from Atlanta. See the most recent confessions and share your own.

As the Democratic debate draws attention to Georgia, Stacey Abrams fights for voters' rights

Stacey Abrams won't be on the debate stage when the Democratic presidential candidates face off in Atlanta on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean she won't be playing a role in the 2020 elections.

Since Abrams' loss to Republican Brian Kemp in the Georgia governor's race last year, she's worked to combat voter suppression, which Abrams alleges cost her the race. Ahead of the presidential election next year, Abrams is using her political action committee, Fair Fight, to repair what she believes to be a broken voting system in her state.

"My reaction to the mismanagement and the malfeasance was to think about what could I do, not simply about my election, because that was over, but what work could I still do that would address the challenges that so many Georgians faced in that process?" Abrams told NBC News.

Yang says he misses Beto

College students join NBC News to help produce debate

A group of students from Georgia State University in Atlanta joined NBC News to help produce Wednesday night's Democratic debate by standing in at the podiums and even debated each other on some of the top issues.
A group of students from Georgia State University in Atlanta joined NBC News to help produce Wednesday night's Democratic debate by standing in at the podiums and even debated each other on some of the top issues.Caitlin Fichtel / NBC News

A group of 35 students from Georgia State University in Atlanta joined NBC News to help produce Wednesday night's Democratic debate.

Each student was selected by their professors to apply for the opportunity and underwent an interview process with both their professors and NBC.

The students, a mix of undergraduate and graduate students, were selected to portray candidate stand-ins during rehearsals, hand out credentials, and work behind the scenes to help NBC put on the broadcast.

David Howell, a junior journalism major and political science minor was tasked with playing Joe Biden during rehearsals. He said that he made sure to heavily prepare for the role beforehand,

"I did all sorts of research, the majority came from watching videos [of Biden in] prior debates and reading Twitter posts where he talked about policy," he said.

Kyle Smith, a graduate student working towards a master's of art and communication with a focus in digital media strategies, has been assisting with handing out credentials to members of the media. He said that he jumped at the experience due to the importance of the upcoming election.

"This is a huge election because our voice matters. We need numbers in order to make change happen in Georgia, which is primarily a red state," he said.

Noorma Ckhoul, a senior majoring in journalism with a political science minor, played one of the moderators.

She said that while "none of us really knew what we were getting into,” the students ended up getting valuable public speaking and communications experience.

Ada Wood, a junior journalism major, said she was thrilled to have been selected to participate.

"I learned a lot about what it really takes to put on an event this big," she said. "All the hands and the people involved. All the technology."

Sanders shoots hoops ahead of debate

Julián Castro, ineligible for Democratic debate, stays visible in Atlanta neighborhood

ATLANTA — Even though he would not be onstage at the Democratic debate in Atlanta on Wednesday night, presidential candidate Julián Castro spent the morning in the city anyway touring a neighborhood founded by slaves whose residents are now fighting gentrification.

Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama, toured the neighborhood, named Pittsburgh, that was founded in 1883, making it one of the oldest in the city and where many of the neighborhood's residents have lived for decades.

Although he joked he had gone to the neighborhood because that's where the media was, Castro said his visit was a continuation of what his campaign has been about.

"From the very beginning of this campaign, I've spoken out for the most marginalized, the people that have been forgotten, for the poor and not only the middle class, but people who are poor in this country and spoken out to make sure everyone can succeed, a country where everyone counts," Castro said. "And so we're going to go where we have the opportunity to deliver that message."

Full story here.

Why Buttigieg is struggling with black voters

Janell Ross

Buttigieg may have won over many members of the mostly white political commentariat in New York and Washington, and recent polls of Iowa’s overwhelmingly white electorate put him at or near the front of the crowded Democratic field there. But, at the start of October, a poll in The Charleston Post and Courier found Buttigieg had no black voter support in the state and just 4 percent support overall.

That has left two questions generating a stream of television commentary, social media memes and heated disputes. How much of Buttigieg’s difficulty with black voters, and in many cases religious voters, is because of his sexuality? And, given that black voters make up about 20 percent of the Democratic Party’s base nationwide, why is he still considered a serious contender for the nomination when he doesn’t have black voters’ support?

Read more about why black voters aren't sold on Mayor Pete.

Single-payer activist Ady Barkan endorses Elizabeth Warren ahead of debate

Deepa Shivaram

Activist Ady Barkan endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren this morning ahead of the Democratic debate in Atlanta. Barkan shared his endorsement through an article in the Nation and on social media, saying that his choice was between Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“Elizabeth Warren is the individual who I believe would make the best president,” he writes. Barkan interviewed several presidential candidates in video pieces that were highly shared on social media — his voice in the conversation on health care and activism is a powerful one.

He goes on to share his admiration for Sanders and adds that Warren’s moral clarity and her funding plan for "Medicare for All" as well as her transition plan added to his decision to endorse her.

Here's more about Barkan's advocacy:

'Our bad,' Biden campaign says after sending post-debate email hours early

Marianna Sotomayor

The Biden campaign corrected itself after blasting out a post-debate email hours early, blaming the misfire on being "so excited" for the matchup that they "accidentally hit send too soon."

"You might have just gotten an email from Joe about just getting off of the debate stage. That’s our bad, team," the new email said.

The initial email blast was noted on Twitter. 

Pete Buttigieg in the crossfire at MSNBC debate

There's a new front-runner in Iowa as the Democratic presidential candidates meet in head-to-head competition for the first time in more than a month at Wednesday night's MSNBC/Washington Post debate in Atlanta — but the national nomination picture is still stable.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, riding a surge powered by his last debate performance and the cash he's pumped into building field operations in early states, has a 2.2-point edge over Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in the Real Clear Politics average of Iowa caucus surveys, with former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., trailing both of them.

At the national level, though, the standings haven't changed much. Biden's lead has narrowed to a 6.7 percent margin over Warren — 27 percent to 20.3 percent — in the Real Clear Politics average, with Sanders at 18.8 percent and Buttigieg at 8.3 percent.

This combination of campaign inertia and the failure of any one candidate to take a commanding lead after nearly 11 months of campaigning has helped convince two new candidates to enter the race, or consider doing so, in the last couple of weeks — former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who is in, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who may be — although neither had enough time to qualify for Wednesday's debate.

Read more here.

Biden advisers preview debate focused on experience, delivering results

The Biden campaign continues to exude confidence even as Biden — who is 77 years old today — has seen his frontrunner status challenged nationally and in the early states, arguing that he remains resilient with a large bloc of supporters who believe he can beat Trump.

In a pre-debate briefing with reporters, senior campaign advisors described this time period in the election as voters “dating” the candidates, exploring their options in the field. But ultimately they’re confident they’ll be “marrying” Biden. 

High anxiety: Jittery Democrats fear their candidate won't beat Trump

Democrats, often prone to fretting about elections, have been increasingly worried that their large and divided presidential field, currently led by four imperfect front-runners, doesn't have what it takes to beat President Donald Trump next year.

They worry that Biden is too old and stumbling; that Buttigieg is too young and too inexperienced; and that Warren and Sanders are too far left and can't win. And they tend to write off the rest of the field, assuming that if those contenders haven't caught on yet, they never will.

That angst reached a fever pitch this week and helped push one new candidate and another potential challenger from the party's more moderate wing into the race — former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who announced he's running, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who's thinking about it — just ahead of a New Hampshire filing deadline, which essentially barred the door to new candidates when it expired at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Read more about voters' fears here.

Where the candidates stand on key issues

NBC News

If the past debates are any indication, Wednesday night could feature discussions about health care, immigration, gun control and foreign policy.

With 10 candidates on stage, it can be hard to keep track of where each one stands. Luckily, NBC News has you covered.

Here's where the candidates stand on key issues.

Who's on stage tonight?

Here are the 10 candidates who will be on stage tonight:

  • Former Vice President Joe Biden
  • Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
  • Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders
  • California Sen. Kamala Harris
  • Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
  • Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana
  • New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker
  • Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
  • Billionaire Tom Steyer
  • Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Among those absent from the debate are Housing Secretary Julián Castro, who has qualified for all the debates until now and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who dropped out earlier this month.

The bar to qualify for the November debate, set by Democratic National Committee, was the highest thus far.

How to watch the November Democratic debate: Schedule, rules and more

The Democratic presidential primary debate on Wednesday will feature Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren standing center stage, flanked by Bernie Sanders and a rising Pete Buttigieg — and will be missing a couple of familiar faces.

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Buttigieg will likely capture more attention from his fellow candidates after recent polling shows him leading the field in Iowa, while Warren can expect a barrage of questions about changes to her Medicare for All plan.

The field of 10 candidates expected to take the stage at Tyler Perry Studios — fewer than the 12 at October's debate — will be missing some familiar faces.

Here's what to expect from tonight's event.