Fearless. Announcer live from Texas Southern university in houston, texas. Here now, chief anchor george stephanopoulos. Good evening and welcome to houston. Were live from Texas Southern university for tonights democratic debate. E to ttere its gnganonste, you them. Cte set by the Democratic National committee. At least ten others have not met the threshold. So, for the first time in this primary, a single debate in a single night with all the top candidates facing off. It is a critical test for the candidates and their campaigns at a critical time for our country. Theyre going to lay out their vision for the country, their records, their differences with President Trump and each other. And were going to do our best to bring you a lively, informative and civil debate. Im joined here tonight by world news tonight anchor david muir, our national correspondent, linsey davis and jorge ramos from our partner network, univision. Jorge . George, thank you very much. We appreciate the opportunity to welcome latinos across the country and to ask about latinx issues during these challenging times. [ speak iing spanish ] let me just give you a little translation here. Im telling latinos that despite the fact that we are facing difficult times, this is our country, too. Linsey . We are delighted to be on the beautiful campus of Texas Southern university. One of the largest historically black colleges and universities in the country. And here in the health and Physical Education Building tonight, we are joined by a Live Audience of 3,500 people, most invited by the Democratic National committee and, of course, some of the brightest minds of the student body here at tsu, go tigers. We can feel the energy in the room, cant we . The rules of this debate are very basic tonight. It has been agreed to by all the campaigns in advance. Candidates will have one minute, 15 seconds to answer a direct question and 45 seconds for a rebuttal or response. Candidates will each see green and yellow lights, there you see them right there, indicating how much time they have remaining. When time is up, the light will turn red. Candidates who interrupt will be subject to having their times reduced early on. The candidates are here tonight to make their case. The podium placement is based on their current standings in nationally recognized polls with the leading candidates in the center. All candidates have been told they have one minute to make an opening statement. Were going to begin in reverse polling order with secretary julian castro. Good evening. Welcome to texas. Its great to be here at tsu, home of the tigers. You know, on january 20th, 2021, at 12 01 p. M. , were going to have a democratic president , a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate. There will be life after donald trump. But the truth is that our problems didnt start just with donald trump and we wont solve them by embracing old ideas. We need a bold vision. Universal prek and universal health care. Unleashing millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. A tax system that rewards people who have to work for a living. But first, we have to win, and that means exciting a young, Diverse Coalition of americans who are ready for a bold future. Thats what kennedy did, its what carter did, its what clinton did, its what barack obama did and its what i can do in this race. Get back michigan, wisconsin and pennsylvania, florida, georgia and arizona and finally turn texas blue and say goodbye to donald trump. Senator klobuchar . Good evening, Texas Southern. I believe that what you nights us up here, the ten of us, is much stronger than what divides us. And i think thats true of our country, too. Now, i may not be the loudest person up here, but i think weve already got that in the white house. Houston, we have a problem. This we have a guy there that is literally running our country like a game show. He would rather lie than lead. I think we need something different. I am someone that tells the truth. I dont make promises that i cant keep. I have peoples back and i believe that to win, you bring people with you and that is how you govern, as well. So, youre going to hear a lot of ideas up here, some will be great, but if you see that some of them seem a little offtrack, ive got a better way. If you feel stuck in the middle of the extremes in our politics and you are tired of the noise and the nonsense, youve got a home with me, because i dont want to be the president for half of america, i want to be the president for all of america. Congressman beto orourke. Its an honor to be on this debate stage. It is wonderful to be back in texas, in houston, back here at tsu. On august 3rd, in el paso, texas, two things became Crystal Clear for me and i think produced a turning point for this country. The first is just how dangerous donald trump is. The cost and the consequence of his presidency. A racism and violence that had long been apart of america was welcomed out into the open and directed to my hometown of el paso, texas, where 22 people were killed, dozens more injured by a man carrying a weapon he should never have been able to buy in the first place, inspired to kill by our president. The second is how sufficient our politics is to meet the threat that we have right now. The bitterness, the pettiness, the smallness of the moment, the incentives to attack one another and try to make differences without distinctions, mountains out of mole hills, we have to be bigger. We have to see clearly, we have to speak honestly and we have to act decisively. Thats what i want to do for you as president of the United States. Thank you. Senator cory booker. It was over 20 years ago that i was a law student and moved to inner city newark, new jersey, to serve as a tenants rights lawyer to try to address the challenges in my community. And i was sobered by them. The gun violence, the substandard housing. But it was my greatest monitor, a woman named Miss Virginia jones. She said, if all you see in this neighborhood is problems, thats all theres ever going to be. But if you are stubborn and defiant and can put forth a vision that can unify people, then we can make transformative change. She was a church woman that said, without vision, the people will perish. Well, thats exactly what we did. We created extraordinary unity in our community and we did things that other people thought was impossible. Thats the story of america. At our best, we unify, we find common cause and common purpose. The differences amongst us democrats on the stage are not as great as the urgency for us to unite as a party, not just to beat donald trump, but to unite america in common cause and common purpose. Thats why im running for president and thats how i will lead this nation. Entrepreneur andrew yang. In america today, everything revolves around the almighty dollar. Our schools, our hospitals, our media, even our government. Its why we dont trust our institutions anymore. We have to get our country working for us again instead of the other way around. We have to see ourselves as the owners and shareholders of this democracy, rather than inputs into a giant machine. When you donate money to a president ial campaign, what happens . The politician spends the money on tv ads and consultants and you hope it works out. Its time to trust ourselves more than our politicians. Thats why im going to do something unprecedented tonight. My campaign will now give a freedom dividend of 1,000 a month for an entire year to ten american families, someone watching this at home right now. If you believe that you can solve your own problems better than any politician, go to yang2020. Com and tell us how 1,000 a month will help you do just that. This is how we will get our country working for us again, the American People. Mayor pete buttigieg. Its original, ill give you that. The American People are divided. And doubtful at the very moment we need to rise to some of the greatest challenges weve ever seen. As a mayor of an Industrial City coming back from the brink, as a veteran of the war in afghanistan, i know whats at stake in our national leadership. We keep sending politicians to washington asking them to fight for us, but then when they get there, they seem more interested in the part about fighting than the part about us. Good politics is supposed to be not about the daytoday fights of the politicians, but about the daytoday lives of americans. We just marked the anniversary of 9 11. All day today ive been thinking about september 12th, the way it felt when for a moment, we came together as a country. Imagine if we had been able to sustain that unity. Imagine what would be possible right now with ideas that are bold enough to meet the challenges of our time, but big enough, as well, that they could unify the American People. Thats what president ial leadership can do. Thats what the presidency is for. And that is why im asking for your vote. Senator kamala harris. Thank you. Its great to be back at tsu. So, i plan on spending tonight talking with you about my plans to address the problems that keep you up at night. But first, i have a few words for donald trump, who we all know is watching. So, President Trump, you spent the last two and a half years fulltime trying to sew hate and and that is why weve gotten nothing done. You have used hate, intimidation, fear and over 12,000 lies as a way to distract from your failed policies and your broken promises. The only reason youve not been indicted is because there was a memo in the department of justice that says a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. But heres what you dont get. What you dont get you is that the American People are so much better than this. And we know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us, regardless of our race, where we live or the party with which were registered to vote. And i plan on focusing on our common issues, common hopes and desires and in that way, unifying our country, winning this election and turning the page for america. And now, President Trump, you can go back to watching fox news. Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator sanders. Let me be blunt and tell you what you dont hear much about in congress or in the media. And that is, it goes without saying that we must and will defeat trump, the most dangerous president in the history of this country. But we must do more. We must do more. We have got to recognize that this country is moving into a form of society where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of this country. And as president , i am prepared to take them on. Yes, we will raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Yes, we will finally make sure that every american has health care as a human right, not a prifl led privilege. And yes, we will address the catastrophic crisis of Climate Change and transform our Energy System away from fossil fuel. Senator elizabeth warren. So, i was born and raised in oklahoma, but im sure glad to be in texas tonight. All three of my brothers served in military bases here in texas. That was their ticket to the middle class. Me, i got my big opportunity about a half mile down the road from here at the university of houston, back when it cost 50 a semester. For a price that i could pay for, on a parttime waitressing job, i got to finish my fouryear degree and i became a special needs teacher. And after law school, my first big job was back here in houston. By then, i had two little kids and when childcare nearly brought me down, my aunt bee moved in and saved us all. The paths to americas middle class have gotten a lot smaller and a lot narrower. Today, servicemembers are preyed upon by predatory lenders. Students are crushed by debt and families cannot afford childcare. I know whats broken, i know how to fix it and im going to lead the fight to get it done. Vice president joe biden. You know, when president kennedy announced the moon shot, he used a phrase that sticks in me my whole life. He said, were doing i because more minute spending billions of dollar dollars curing cancer. I refuse to postpone giving child prek, all the way through high school and beyond. I refuse to postpone any longer taking on Climate Change and leading the world in taking on Climate Change. Look, this is the United States of america. Theres never been a single solitary time when weve set our mind to something and weve been unable to do it. Were Walking Around with our heads down like woe is me. Were the bestequipped nation in the world to take this on. Its no longer time to postpone. We should get moving. Theres enormous, enormous opportunities once we get rid of donald trump. Candidates, thank you. Several of you said you are more united than divided, and that is certainly true. All of you agree on one big thing. The goal of defeating President Trump, driving in the country in a new direction. But out on the campaign trail, you have outlined big differences over how far to go and how fast to go. And Vice President biden, the differences between you and the senators on either side of you tonight strike at the heart of this primary debate. Both senators warren and sanders want to replace obamacare with medicare for all. You want to build on obamacare. They propose spending far more than you to battle Climate Change and raise more in taxes than you to pay for their programs. Are senators and warwarren and sanders pushing too far . That will be for the voters to decide that question. Let me tell you what i think. I think we should have a debate on health care. Toys shes for bernie, the well, im for barack. I think the obamacare worked. I think the way in way we add to it, add a public option, guarantee that everyone will be able to have affordable insurance, number one. Number two, i think we should be in a position of taking a look at what costs are. My plan for Health Care Costs a lot of money. It costs 740 billion. It doesnt cost 30 trillion. 3. 4 trillion a year, it turns out, is twice what the entire federal budget is. Thats before as it exists now, without interest on the debt. How are we going to pay for it . I want to hear that tonight. My distinguished friend, the senator on my left, has not indicated how she pays for it and the senator has, in fact, come forward and said how hes going to pay for it, but hit ges him halfway there. Theres a lot of things that need to be done. I have a bold plan to make sure we triple the money for atrisk schools that are title one schools, from 15 to 45 billion a year, but i go down the line and these are things were talking about, i lay out how i can pay for it, how can get it done and why its better. Senator warren, let me take that to you, particularly on what senator biden was saying there about health care. Hes praised Bernie Sanders about being candid, says that senator sanders has been candid about the fact that middle class taxes are going to go up and most of private insurance is going to be eliminated. Will you make that same admission . So, lets be clear about health care. And lets actually start where Vice President did. We all owe a huge debt to president obama, who fundamentally transformed health care in america and committed this country to health care for every human being. And now the question is, how best can we improve on it . And i believe the best way we can do that is we make sure that everybody gets covered by health care at the lowest possible cost. How do we pay for it . We pay for it, those at the very top, the richest individuals and the biggest corporations, are going to pay more. And middle class families are going to pay less. Thats how this is going to work. Direct question. You said middle class families are going to pay less. Will middle class taxes go up to pail f pay for the program . I know you believe the dedeckabdede deductibles and premiums go down. What families have to deal with is cost, total cost. Thats what they have to deal with. And understand, families are paying for their health care today. Families pay, every time an Insurance Company says, sorry, you cant see that specialist. Every time an Insurance Company says, sorry, that doctor is out of network, sorry, we are not covering that prescription. Families are paying every time they dont get a prescription filled because they cant pay for it. They dont have a lump checked out because they cant afford the copay. What were talking about here is whats going to happen in families pockets, whats going to happen in their budgets. And the answer is medicare for all, costs are going to go up for wealthier individuals and costs are going to go up for giant corporations. But for hardworking families across this country, costs are going to go down and thats how it should work under medicare for all in our Health Care System. Senator sanders, take on that question about taxes. Joe said that medicare for all would cost over 30 trillion. Thats right, joe. Status quo over ten years will be 50 trillion. Every study done shows that medicare for all is the most costeffective approach to providing health care to every man, woman and child in this country. I wrote the damn bill, if i may say so. Intend to eliminate all out of pocket expenses. All deductibles. All copayments. Nobody in america will pay more than 200 a year for prescription drugs, because were going to stand up to the greed and corruption and price fixing of the pharmaceutical industry. We need we need a Health Care System that guarantees health care to all people as every other major country does, not a system which provides 100 billion a year in profit for the Drug Companies and the Insurance Companies. Ill tell you how absurd the system is tonight on abc, the Health Care Industry will be advertising, telling you how bad medicare for all is, because they want to protect their profits. That is absurd. Vice President Biden if i could respond, george. You get a response and then were going to broaden out the discussion. Okay, number one, my health care does cut the costs out of pocket. Youll be able to get into anyone who cant afford it gets automatically enrolled in the medicaretype option we have, et cetera, but guess what . Of the 160 Million People who like their health care now, they can keep it. If they dont like it, they can leave. Number one. Number two, the fact of the matter is, were in a situation, you notice he hasnt answered the question. This is about candor, honesty. Have a big idea. The tact of 2 the senator is talking about, that raises about 3 billion. Guess what . That leaves you 28 billion short. The senator said before, its going to cost you in your there will be a deductible. In your paycheck. The middle class person, someone making 60 grand with three kids, theyre going to pay 5,000 more. Theyre going to pay 4 more on their income tax. Thats a reality. Thats not a bad idea if you like it. I dont like it. Okay, snowi have to get resps from them. Senator warren, you go first. So, lets be clear, ive actually never met anybody who likes their health Insurance Company. Ive met people who like their doctors, i met people who like their nurses, ive met people who like their pharmacists, i met people who like their physical therapists. What they want is access to health care. And we just need to be clear about what medicare for all is all about. Instead of paying premiums into Insurance Companies and then having Insurance Companies build their profits by saying no to coverage, were going to do this by saying, everyone is covered by medicare for all, every Health Care Provider is covered. And the only question here in terms of difference is where to send the bill. Senator sanders . Let us be clear, joe, in the United States of america, we have spending twice as much per capita on health care as the canadians or any other major country on earth. This is america. Yeah, but americans dont want to pay twice as much as other countries. And they guarantee health care to all people. Under my medicare for all proposal, when you dont pay out of pocket and you dont pay premiums, maybe youve run into people who love their premiums. I havent. What people want is Cost Effective health care, medicare for all will save the average american substantial sums of money on his or her health care bill. Senator klobuchar, you said youre going to represent the people stuck in the middle of the extremes. Who represents the extreme on this stage . I think you know that i dont agree with some of these proposals up here, george, so which ones . Im talking about if i could respond to some of the pro pro sales from my friends. Senator sanders and i have worked valiantly to bring down the cost of pharmaceuticals. We have worked to bring down the cost by fighting to allow 43 million seniors, thats a bill i lead, to negotiate for better prices under medicare. I figure thats a lot of seniors and they should be allowed to get a better price. But when it comes to our health care and when it comes to our premiums, i go with the doctors creed, which is, do no harm. And while bernie wrote the bill, i read the bill. And on page eight on page eight of the bill, it says that we will no longer have private insurance as we know it. And that means that 149 million americans will no longer be able to have their current insurance. Thats in four years. I dont think thats a bold idea, i think its a bad idea. And what i favor is something that barack obama wanted to do from the very beginning. And that is a public option. A nonprofit choice that would bring down the cost of insurance, cover 12 million more people and bring down the prices for 13 million more people. That is a bold idea. Senator warren page eight of the bill, she says, 149 people will lose their Health Insurance. Im sorry. She said page eight, 149 Million People will lose their Health Insurance. Current. 149 million, excuse me. Lets be clear about this. People will have access to all of their doctors, all of their nurses, their community hospitals, their rural hospitals. Doctors wont have to hire people to fill out crazy forms. They wont have to spend time on the phone arguing with Insurance Companies. People who have sick family members wont have to get into these battles. What this is about is making sure that we have the most efficient way possible to pay for health care for everyone in this country. Insurance Companies Last year sucked 23 billion in profits out of the system. How did they make that money . Every one of those 23 billion was made by an Insurance Company saying no to your health care company. Mayor buttigieg . The problem senat, senator s, with the damn bill that you wrote, and that senator warren backs, is that it doesnt trust the American People. I trust you to choose what makes the most sense for you. Not my way or the highway. Now look, i think we do have to go far beyond tinkering with the aca. I propose medicare for all who want it. We take a version of medicare, we make it available for the American People and if were right, as progressives, that that public alternative is better, then the American People will figure that out for themselves. I trust the American People to make the right choice for them. Why dont you . Senator sanders . 45 seconds. George, you talked about, was it 150 Million People on private insurance . 50 million of those people lose their private insurance every year when they quit their jobs or they go unemployed or their employer changes their insurance policy. Medicare for all is comprehensive health care. Covers all basic needs, including home health care. It allows you to go to any doctor you want, which many private Insurance Company programs do not. So, if you want comprehensive health care, freedom of choice regarding doctor or hospital, no more than 200 a year for prescription drugs, taking on the Drug Companies and the Insurance Companies, moving to medicare for all is the way to go. Senator harris, you startled out cosponsoring senator sanders bill, you now say youre uncomfortable with it. Why . I want to give credit to barack obama for bringing us this far. We wouldnt be here if he didnt have the courage, the talent to see us this far. I want to give credit to bernie. Take credit, bernie. You know, you brought us medicare for all. I support medicare for all, i always have, but i wanted to make the plan better, which i did. Which is about offering people choice, not taking that from them. So, under my medicare for all plan, people have the choice of a private plan or a public plan, because thats what people want. And i agree, we shouldnt take choice from people. But heres the thing. Everybody on this stage, i do believe, is well intentioned and wants that all americans have coverage and recognizes that right now 30 million americans dont have coverage. But at least five people have talked, some repeatedly on this subject, and not once have we talked about donald trump. So lets talk about the fact that donald trump came into office and spent almost the entire first year of his term trying to get rid of the Affordable Care act. We all fought against it and then the late, great john mccain, at that moment at about 2 00 in the morning, killed his attempt to take health care from millions of people in this country. Fast forward to today and what is happening . Donald trumps department of justice is trying to get rid of the Affordable Care act. Donald Trumps Administration is trying to get rid of the the ban that we placed on denying people who have preexisting conditions coverage. Donald trump is trying to say that our kids up to the age of 26 can no longer be on our plans. And frankly, i think this discussion has given the American Public a headache. What they want to know is theyre going to have health care and cost will not be a barrier. Lets few us can on the end goal. If we dont get donald trump out of office, hes going to get rid of all of it. Let me get to congressman orourke. Go ahead, mr. Vice president. 15 seconds. Look, everybody says we want an option. The option im proposing is, medicare for all medicare for choice. If you want medicare, if you lose the job from your Insurance Company, from your employer, you automatically can buy into this. You dont have no preexisting condition can stop you from buying in. You get covered. Period. And if you notice, nobodys yet said how much its going to cost the taxpayer. I hear this large savings, the my friend from vermont says youre going to give back, got a cut in wages because you got insurance. Theyre going to give back that money to the employee . As a matter of fact, they will. Let me tell you smug. F something. For a socialist, you have a lot more confidence in Corporate America than i do. George . Go ahead. All right. Two points. You got to defend the fact that today, not only do we have 87 Million People uninsured and underinsured, you have to defend the fact that 500,000 americans are going bankrupt. You know why theyre going bankrupt . Because they suffered a terrible disease, cancer, or heart disease. Under mill ledy legislation, pe will not go into financial ruin because they suffered with a diagnosis of cancer. And our program is the only one that does that. I know a lot about cancer. Let me tell you something. Its personal to me. Let me tell you something. Every Single Person who is diagnosed with cancer, any other disease, can automatically become part of this plan. They will not go bankrupt because of that. They will not go bankrupt because of that. They can join immediately. And were talking four, six, eight, ten years, depending on who you talk about, before we get to medicare for all. Come on. Ive been there. Youve been there. You know what its like. People need help now, hope now and do something now. Congressman orourke . Yeah. Thank you. Listen, im grateful that we all agree about the urgency of this challenge and the fact that donald trump is undermining the limited protections that we have right now. But i also think were being offered a false choice between those who propose an all or nothing gambit, forcing tens of millions off of insurance that they like, that works for them, to force them onto medicare and others who want to, as the Vice President does, incremental ala improve what we have, which will leave millions uncared fuor. Weve got to do better. In my proposal, medicare for america says everyone who is uninsured will be enrolled in medicare. Everyone who is insufficiently insured, cannot aford it, can move over to medicare. Those like members of unions who fought for the Health Care Plans that work for them and their families are able to keep them. This is the best possible path. Health care is the top issue for everyone in the country. I want to make sure everyone gets one minute to respond. Secretary castro, andrew yang and senator booker. You will get a minute. Thank you. And i also want to recognize the work that bernie has done on this and, of course, we owe a debt of gratitude to president barack obama. Of course, i also worked for president obama, Vice President biden, and i know that the problem with your plan is that it leaves 10 Million People uncovered. Now, on the last debate stage in detroit, you said that wasnt true and senator harris brought that up. There was a fact check of that, they said that was true. You know, i grew up with a grandmother who type ii diabetes and i watched her condition get worse and worse. But that whole time, she had medicare. I want every single American Family to have a strong medicare plan available. If they choose to hold onto strong, solid private Health Insurance, i believe they shodo that but the differences between what i support and what you support, Vice President biden, is that you require them to opt in and i would not require them to opt in, they would automatically be enrolled. Thats a big difference, because Barack Obamas vision was not to leave 10 Million People uncovered. He wanted every Single Person in this country covered. My plan would do that. Your plan would not. They do not have to buy in. They do not have to buy in. You just said that two minutes ago. You just two minutes ago they would have to buy in. If you qualify are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago . Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago . I cant believe that you said two minutes ago that they had to buy in and now youre saying they dont have to buy in. Youre forgetting that. I said anyone like your grandmother who has no money. We need a Health Care System you are automatically enrolled. Enrolls people regardless if they choose to opt in or not. If you lose your job, for instance, his Health Care Plan would not automatically enroll you. You would have to opt in. My Health Care Plan would. That ice a big difference. Im fulfilling the legacy of barack obama and youre not. Ithat will be a surprise to him. Andrew yang . This is why come on, guys. This is why president ial debates are becoming unwatchable. This reminds everybody of what they cannot stand about washington. Scores points against each other. Poking at each other. And telling each other that my plan, your plan. Look, we all thats called the democratic primary election, pete. Thats called an election. Thats an election. You know . This is what were here for. Its an election. Yeah, but a house divided cannot stand. And that is not how were going to win this. We know were on the same team here. We know were on the seame team. We all have a better vision for health care than our current president. I believe were talking about this the wrong way. As someone who has run a business, i know that our current Health Care System makings it harder to hire people, makes it harder to give them benefits and treat them as fulltime employees. Its harder to change jobs. Its certainly harder to start a business. The pitch we have to make to the American People is, we will get the health care weight off of your backs and then unleash the hopes and dreams of the American People. Senator booker now, i am asian, so, i know a lot of doctors, and they tell me that they spend a lot of time on paperwork, avoiding being sued and navigating the insurance bureaucracy. We have to change the incentives so instead of revenue and activity, people are focused on our health in the Health Care System. And the cleveland clinic, where they are paid not based upon how many procedures they prescribe, shocker, they prescribe fewer procedures, and Patient Health stays the same or improves. That is the pitch to the American People. Senator booker, close out this discussion. Thank you very much. Look, there are a lot of people watching at home right now, listening to us that are afraid because they are in crisis. They dont have Health Insurance, their Health Insurance doesnt go far enough. They cant afford their prescription drugs, look, i im clear in what i believe. I believe in medicare for all. I believe its the best way to rationalize the system. But dear god, i know every one of my colleagues on this stage is in favor of universal Health Care Coverage and comes at this with the best of intentions ch and there is an urgency right now in this nation. Everyone feels it. As a person who has an ideal, i know we cannot sacrifice progress on the altar of purity, because people in my community, they need help right now. They have high Blood Pressure right now. They have unaffordable insulin right now. And this must be a moment where we, as democrats, can begin to show that we cannot only stake and stand our ground, but find Common Ground, because weve got one shot to make donald trump a oneterm president. And we cannot lose it by the way we talk about each other or demonize and degrade each other. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. If i am the leader, i will work towards the ideal of Health Insurance, Health Coverage being a right for all americans, but every single day, ill join with other democrats to make progress happen in our nation for the people that are struggling and suffering today. Candidates, thank you. Linsey davis. Thank you, george. Since were here at an hbcu, id like to start with young black voters. Several recent polls indicate their number one concern is racism. This campus, this state and this nation are still raw from that racially motivated attack on latinos in el paso. Now, we know that the racial divide started long before President Trump and president obama, but each of you on this stage has said that President Trump has made that divide worse. Congressman orourke, coming to you first, why are you the most qualified candidate to address this divide . You know, i called this out in no Uncertain Terms on august 3rd and every day since then, and i was talking about it long before then, as well. Racism in america is endemic. It is foundational. We can mark the creation of this country not at the fourth of july 1776, but august 20th, 1619, when the first kidnapped african was brought to this country against his will, and built the greatness and the success and the wealth that neither he nor his descendants would be able to fully participate in and enjoy. We have to answer this challenge, and it is found in our education system, where in texas, a 5yearold child in kindergarten is five times as likely to be disciplined or suspended or expelled based on the color of their skin. In our Health Care System, where theres a Maternal Mortality crisis, three times as deadly for women of color, or the fact that theres ten times the wealth in White America than there is in black america. Im going to follow Sheila Jackson lees lead and sign a reparations bill that will allow us to address this at its foundation. But we will also call out the fact that we have a white supremacist in the white house and he poses a mortal threat to people of color all across this country. Secretary castro, 45 seconds to respond. You know, i want to commend beto for how well he has spoken to the passion and the frustration and the sadness after what happened in his hometown of el paso. Hes done a great job with that. Look. A few weeks ago, a shooter drove ten miles inspired by this ten hours inspired by this president to kill people who look like me. And people who look like my family. White supremacy is a growing threat to this country and we have to root it out. Im proud that i put forward a plan to disarm hate. Im also proud that i was the first to put forward a Police Reform plan, because were not going to have anymore Laquan Mcdonalds or eric garners or Michael Browns or pamela turners or Walter Scotts or sandra bland here from the houston area. We need to root out racism and i believe we can do that, because that doesnt represent the vast majority of americans who do have a good heart. They need a leader to match that and i will be a president that matches that. Senator booker, you have said, quote, the real question isnt who is or isnt a racist, its who is going to do something about it. Senator, what do you plan to do about it . First and foremost, i want to hit that point, because we know Donald Trumps a racist, but theres no red badge of counsra for calling him that. Racism exists. The question isnt who isnt a racist, its who is and isnt doing something about racism. And this is not just an issue that started yesterday, its not just an issue that we hear a president that cant condemn white susupremacy. We have systemic racism thats eroding our nation from health care to the criminal Justice System. Its nice to go back to slavery, but we have a criminal Justice System that is so racially biased, we have more africanamericans under criminal supervision today than all the slaves in 1850. We have to come at this issue attacking systemic racism, having the courage to call it out and having a plan to do something about it. If i am president of the United States, we will create an office in the white house to deal with the problem of White Supremacy and hate crimes. And we will make sure that systemic racism is dealt with in substantive plans from criminal Justice Reform to the disparities in health care to even one that we dont talk about enough, which is the racism that we see in environmental injustice in communities of color all around this country. Mayor buttigieg, youve been struggling with issues around race in your own community. Youve also said that anyone who votes to reelect President Trump is, at best, looking the other way on racism. Does that sort of talk alienate voters and potentially deepen divisions in this country . I believe whats deepened divisions is the conduct of this president and we have a chance to change all that. Systemic racism preceded this president and even when we defeat him, it will be with us. Thats why we need a systemic approach to dismantle it. Its its not enough to just take a racist policy, replace it with a neutral one and expect things will just get better on their own. Harms compound. In the same way that a dollar saved compounds, so does a dollar stolen. And we know that the generational theft of the descendants of slaves is part of why everything from housing to education to health to employment basically puts us in two different countries. Ive proposed the most comprehensive vision to tackle systemic racism in every one these areas. Marshaling as many resources as went into the Marshall Plan that rebuilt europe, but this time, a douglas plan that we invest right here at home. To make sure that were not only dealing with things like the overincarceration of black americans, but also black solutions. Entrepreneurship, raising to 25 , the target for the federal government, to do business with minorityowned businesses. Investing in hbcus that are training and educating the next generation. We can and must do that, but that means transcending this framework that pits us against each other, that pits a single black mother of three against a displaced auto worker, because where i come from, a lot of times that displaced auto worker is a single black mother of three. We have to say that and bring people together. Also concern for people of color is criminal Justice Reform. Senator harris, you released your plan for that just this week and it does contradict some of your prior positions. Among them, you used to oppose the legalization of marijuana, now you dont. You used to oppose outside investigations of police shootings, now you dont. You said you changed on these and other things because you were, quote, swimming against the current and thankfully, the currents have changed. But when you had the power, why didnt you try to affect change then . So, there have been there have been im glad you asked me this question, and there have been many distortions of my record. Let me be very clear. I made a decision to become a prosecutor for two reasons. One, ive always wanted to protect people and keep them safe and second, i was born knowing about how this criminal Justice System in america has worked in a way that has been informed by racial bias. And i could tell you extensively about the experiences i and my family members have personally had. But i made a decision that if i was going to have the ability to reform the system, i would try to do it from the inside. And so, i took on the position that allowed me, without asking permission, to create one of the first in the nation initiatives that was a model and became a National Model around people who were arrested for drugs and getting them jobs. I created one of the first in the nation requirements that a state Law Enforcement agency would have to wear cameras and keep them on fulltime. I created one of the first in the nation trainings for Police Officers on the issue of racial bias and the need to reform the system. Was i able to get enough done . Absolutely not. But my plan has been described by activists as being a bold and comprehensive plan that is about ending mass incarceration, about taking the profit out of the criminal Justice System. I plan on shutting down forprofit prisons on day one. It will be about what we need to do to hold Law Enforcement, including prosecutors, accountable. And finally, my plan is about making sure that in americas criminal Justice System, we deincarcerate women and childr children, that we end solitary confinement and that we work on keeping families intact. And as president of the United States, knowing the system from the inside, i will have the ability to be an effective leader and get this job complete. Thank you, senator harris. Senator klobuchar, duringyears minnesota, there was dozens of incidents where black men were killed by police. Critics say too off you sided with police in these cases. The aclus legal director in minnesota said you showed no interest in racial justice. Do you wish now that you had done more . Thats not my record. We are here at a historically black college. And i think of an alum of that college, barbara jordan, and something that she once said. She said, what the people want is simple they want a country as good as its promise. And that same can be said of the criminal Justice System. So, when i was there, the way we handled these police shootings, i actually took a stand to make sure outside investigators handled them. I took on our major police chief in minneapolis. But in the prosecutors office, they were handled with a grand jury. Thats how they were all handled across our state. I now believe it is better for accountability if the prosecutor handles them and makes those decisions herself. That aside, i am proud of the work our staff did. 400 people in our office. The cases that came to us, Africanamerican Community that came to us, they said there was no justice for their little kids. There was a kid named Byron Phillips that was shot on his front porch. No one had bothered to figure out who did it. When i came into that office, we worked with the community groups, we put up billboards, we found the shooter and we put him in jail. We did the same for the killer of a little girl named Tyesha Edwards who was shot through the window of her home. What changes did we make . Go after white collar crimes in a big way. Diversity if office in a big way. Work with the Innocence Project to make sure we do much better with eyewitness i. D. And as a senator and as your president , i will make sure we dont just do the First Step Act when it comes to criminal sentencing, that we move to the second step act, which means the 90 of people that are incarcerated in local and state jails, lets reduce those sentences for nonviolent offenders and lets get them jobs and let them vote when they get out of prison. Thank you, senator klobuchar. You all believe that the war on drugs has put too Many Americans behind bars. Vice President Biden, do you have a plan to release many nonviolent drug offenders from prison . Senator booker says your plan is not ambitious enough. Your response . First of all, let me say that when i come back from law school, i had a job with a bigtime law firm. I left and became a public defender because my state was under siege when dr. King was assassinated. We were occupied by the National Guard for ten months. As a young counselman, i introduced legislation to try to keep them putting a sewer plant in a poor neighborhood. The fact of the matter is that whats happened is that were in a situation now where there are so many people who are in jail and shouldnt be in jail. The whole means by which this should change is toll the ml has to change. Nobody should be in jail for a nonviolent crime. When we were in the white house, we released 36,000 people from the federal prison system. Nobody should be in jail for a drug problem. They should be going directly to a rehabilitation. We build more rehabilitation centers, not prisons. Im the guy that put in the drug courts to divert people from the criminal Justice System. And so, we have to change the whole way we look at this. And we put people in prison, we have to equip them when they get out. Nobody who got in prison for marijuana, for example, immediately upon being released, they shouldnt be in there, that should be a misdemeanor, they should be out and their record should be expunged. Every single right should be returned. When you finish your term in prison, you should be able not only to vote, but have access to pell grants, have access to be able to get housing, to be able to move along the way. Ive laid out a detailed plan along those lines and the fact is, weve learned so much mo more thank you, mr. Vice president. Senator booker, 45 seconds to respond. Our criminal Justice System is so savagely broken, theres no difference in america between blacks, whites and latinos for using drugs or dealing drugs, but if you are africanamerican, you are almost four times more likely to be arrested and incarcerated, destroying your live. And so much of this comes down to privilege. We have a criminal Justice System that Brian Stephenson y says treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocence. I have challenged whole field. We can specifically now show that there are 17,000 people unjusty incarcerated in america and all of us should come forward and say, when we are president of the United States, when i am president of the United States, we will release them and let me be specific. I join together and led in the United States senate the only major bipartisan bill to pass under this president , for criminal Justice Reform. Thats already led to thousands of people coming out of jail. If 87 members of the United States senate says that these sentences are way too long and we changed it, but we didnt make it retroactive, we could point to the people that are in jail unjustly right now, everyone on this stage should say that we are going to give clemency to these 17,000 people, and i challenge you, dont just say big statements, back it up with details of the people in prison right now looking for one of the most ideals of this nation, which is liberty and freedom. We need to reform this system and we must do it now. Every day we wait is too long. Thank you, senator booker. David . Thank you, linsey. I want to turn to the deadly Mass Shootings in this country and we are mindful of where we stand. We are in texas, where 29 people have lost their lives in just the last month alone. El paso, which weve discussed, odessa. And i know there are survivors from el paso right here in the hall tonight. Vice President Biden, i do want to direct this to you, because we all remember sandy hook, 26 people died in that school, 20 of them children. Those first graders would be in eighth grade today. At the time, there was a ground swell in this country to get something done. President obama asked you to lead the push for gun control. You have pointed to your ability to reach across the aisle to get things done, but four months after sandy hook, a measure to require expanded background checks died on the senate floor. If you couldnt get it done after sandy hook, why should voters give you another chance. Because ive got it done before. Im the only one up here thats ever beat the nra. Only one to beat the nra nationally. I brought the brady bill into focus and became law. And so, thats number one. Number two, after sandy hook, a number of things happened. It went from a cause to a movement. Look whats happened now. Mothers, the organization, mothers against violence, gun violence, weve seen whats happened again. We have young people marching on washington, making sure things have going to change. Theres been a sea change. Those proposals i put forward for the pre50 of gun members of the nra supporting them. And overwhelmingly the rest of the people supported them. Now the numbers are much higher, they realize what weve all been saying is correct. Over 90 of the American People think we have to get assault weapons off the street. Period. And we have to get buybacks and get them out of their basements. So, the point is, things have changed. And changed a lot. And now whats happening is, by the way, the way beto forgive me for saying beto. Thats okay. Betos good. The way he handled what happened in his hometown is meaningful. To look into the eyes of those people, to see those kids, to understand those parents, you understand the heartache. But this is the problem. This is the problem. Mr. Vice president , you did bring up assault weapons here. You did bring up assault weapons here, and many of you on this stage have talked about executive order. Senator harris, you have said that you would take executive action on guns within your first 100 days, including banning imports of ar15 assault weapons. President obama, after sandy hook, executive actions and here we are today. Vice President Biden said some really talented people are seeking the nomination. Biden saying theres no Constitutional Authority to issue that executive order when they say im going to eliminate assault weapons, saying, you cant do it by executive order anymore than trump can do things when he says he can do it by executive order. Does the Vice President have a point there. Some things you can. Many things you cant. Let the senator answer. Well, i mean, i would just say, hey, joe, instead of saying, no, we cant, lets say yes, we can. Lets be constitutional. We have a constitution. And yes, we can, because ill tell you something. The way that i think about this is, ive seen more autopsy photographs than i care to tell you. I have attended more Police Officer funerals than i care to tell you. I have hugged more mothers of homicide victims than i care to tell you. And the idea that we would wait for this congress, which has just done nothing, to act, is just it is overlooking the fact that every day in america, our babies are going to school to have drills. Eleme elementary, middle and high school students, where they are learning about how they have to hide in a closet or crouch in a corner if there is a massshoot er roaming the hallways of their school. I was talking about this at one of my town halls and this child was 8 years old, probably, came up to me, it was like it was a secret between the two of us, he tugged on my jacket and he said, i had to have one of those drills. It is traumatizing our children. El paso and beto, god love you for standing to courageously in the midst of that tragedy. People asked me in el paso, they said, you know, because i have a longstanding record on this issue. They said, do you think trump is responsible for what happened . And i said, well, look. Obviously he didnt pull the trigger, but he certainly been tweeting out the ammunition. Senator harris, thank you. Vice President Biden . Do you still stand by what you said on an executive order . What i said was speak to constitutional scholars. If we can say, by the way, you cant own the following weapons, period, cannot be sold anymore. Check with constitutional scholars. Can i tell you what you could do in 100 days . Im going to work down the row here, i want to come to congressman orourke, because i know this is personal to you. El paso is your hometown. Some of the stage have suggested a voluntary buyback for guns in this country. You have said, quote, americans who own ar15s and ak47s will have to sell them to the government, all of them. You know that critics call this confiscation. Are you proposing taking away their guns and how would this work . I am, if its a weapon that was designed to kill people on a battlefield. If the high impact, high vel los till round, when it hits your body, shreds everything inside of your body because it was designed to do that so you would bleed to death on a battlefield and not be able to get up and kill one of our soldiers. When we see that being used against children and in odessa, i met the mother of a 15yearold girl who was shot by an ar15 and that mother watched her bleed to death over the course of an hour because so many other people were shot by that ar15 in odessa, there werent enough ambulances to get to them in time. Hell, yes, were going to take your ar15, your ak47. Were not going to allow it to be used against a fellow american anymore. Congressman, thank you. And, i want to say this im listening to the people of this country, the day after i proposed doing that, i went to a gun show in conway, arkansas. To meet with those who were selling ar15s and those who were buying those weapons and you might be surprised, there was some Common Ground there. Folks who said, i would give that up, cut it to pieces, i dont need this weapon to hunt, to defend myself. It is a weapon of war, so, lets do the right thing, but lets bring everyone in america into the conversation. Republicans, democrats, gun owners and nongun owners alike. I want to bring in senator klobuchar on this, because you are talked about your uncle and the proud hunters back home in minnesota. I wanted to get your response to congressman orourke tonight. Where do you stand on mandatory gun buybacks . I so appreciate what the congressmans been doing, and i want to remind people here that what unites us is so much bigger than what divides us. Everyone up here favors an assault weapon ban. Everyone up here favors magazine limitations, which, by the way, would have made a huge difference if that was in place in el paso in that store with all those ordinary people showed such extraordinary courage and certainly in dayton, ohio, where in 30 seconds, one man guns down innocent people. The cops got there in one minute and it still wasnt enough to save those people. Thats what unites us. You know what else unites us . And ill tell you this, what unites us is that right now, on Mitch Mcconnells desk are three bills. Universal background checks, closing the charleston loophole and passing my bill to make sure that domestic abusers dont get ak47s. So, we want to get something done and i personally think we should start with a voluntary buyback program, thats what i think, david. But i want to finish this, because if you want action now, if you want action now, we got to send the message to mitch mcconnell. We cant wait until one of us gets in the white house. We have to pass those bills right now to get this done. Senator klobuchar. We cannot spare another life. Thank you, thank you. I want to turn to senator booker, because you said just this week about guns and about the candidates on this stage, that the differences do matter. Those were your words. You have argued, if you need a license to drive a car in this country, you should have a license to buy a gun. Gun owners would have to pass a background check, they would have to on stain a federal license to buy a gun. This would require, as you know, congress to pass legislation. If democrats cant get universal background checks, how would you get this done and can you name one republic colleague in the senate right now that would be onboard with this idea . So, background checks and gun licensing, these are agreed to by overwhelmingly the majority of americans of. 83 of americans agree with licensing. This is the issue. Look, i grew up in the suburbs. It was about 20 years ago that i came out of my home when i moved to inner city newark, new jersey, and witnessed the aftermath of a shooting. Its one of the reasons why shooting after shooting after shooting in neighborhoods like mine for decades, this has been a crisis for me, its why i was the first person to come out for gun licensing. And im happy that people like beto orourke are showing such courage now and coming forward and also now supporting licensing. But this is what im sorry about, im sorry that it had to take issues coming to my neighborhood or personally affecting beto to make us demand change. This is a crisis of empathy in our nation. We are never going to solve this crisis if we have to wait for it to personally affect us or our neighborhood or our community before we demand action. You want to know how we get this done . We get this done by having a more courageous empathy where people dont wait for this hell to visit upon their communities. They stand up and understand the truth of what king said, that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I will lead change on this issue because i have seen what the carnage creates in communities like mine, because we forget, national shootings, these Mass Shootings are tragedies, but the majority of the homicide victims come from neighborhoods like mine. Nobody has ascended to the white house that will bring more personal passion on this issue. I will fight this and bring a fight to the nra and the corporate gun lobby like they have never seen before. Senator booker, thank you. A quick followup. Americans watching tonight know the reality of congress in washington. I asked, do you have a republican colleague in the senate that would be onboard with this idea to get this done . You know, if that was the attitude when thurmond had the longest filibuster ever on civil rights, that we cant get it looking to of the situation in lead a movement. The number one reason why governments are formed is to protect the citizenry. Think about this. We have had more people die due to gun violence in my lifetime than every single war in this country combined from the revolutionary war until now. This is not a side issue to me. It is a central issue to me. That is the kind of fight, because the majority of homicide victims, behave a mass shooting every single day in communities like mine. We must awaken a more courageous empathy in this country so that we stand together and fight together and overwhelm those republicans who are not even representing their constituency, because the majority of americans, the majority of gun owners, agree with me, not the corporate gun lobby. It is time for a movement on this issue and i will lead it. Senator booker, thank you. Senator warren, i want to come to you next. Because you have actually said in recent days that there are things you can get done with republicans in the senate. What can you get done on gun control . So, lets start by framing the problem the right way. We have a gun violence problem in this country. The Mass Shootings are terrible. But they get all the headlines. Children die every day on str t streets, in neighborhoods, on playgrounds. People die from violence from suicide and domestic abuse. We have a gun violence problem in this country and we agree on many steps we could take to fix it. My view on this is, were going to its not going to be one and done on this. Were going to do it and were going to have to do it again and were going to have to come back some more until we cut the number of gun deaths in this country significantly. But heres the deal. The question we need to ask is, when weve got this much support across the country, 90 of americans want to see us do i like registration, want to see us do background checks, want to get assault weapons off the streets, why doesnt it happen . And the answer is corruption, pure and simple. We have a congress that is beholden to the gun industry. And unless were willing to address that headon and roll back the filibuster, were not going to get anything done on guns. I was in the United States senate when 54 senators said, lets do background checks, lets get rid of assault weapons and with 54 senators, it failed because of the filibuster. Until we attack the systemic problems, we cant get gun reform in this country. Weve got to go straight against the industry and weve got to change congress. So, it doesnt just work for the wealthy and wellconnected, so it works for the people. Senator warren, thank you. You bring up eliminating the filibuster, which means you would need, simply, a simple majority and a Republican Senate to get something done. I want to turn to senator sanders on this, because youve said before of this, if donald trump supports ending the filibuster, hes talked about himself, you should be nervous. Would you support ending the filibuster . No. But what i would support, absolutely, is passing major legislation, the Gun Legislation the people here are talking about. Medicare for all, Climate Change legislation that saves the planet. I will not wait for 60 votes to make that happen. And you can do it in a variety of ways. You can do that through budget reconciliation law. You have a Vice President who will, in fact, tell the senate what is appropriate and what is not. What is an order and what is not. But i want to get back to a point that elizabeth made. And that, in fact, in terms of gun issues, picking up on cory and beto and everybody else, what we are looking at is a corrupt political system, and that means whether it is the Drug Companies or the Insurance Companies or the fossil fuel industry determining whats happening in washington or in this case, you got an nra which has intimidated the president of the United States and the republican leadership. I am proud i am proud that year after year, i had an f rating from the nra. And as president , i will not be intimidated by the nra. Senator sanders, thank you. May i respond can i weve been hearing a lot about whats been happening here in texas. Only a few weeks ago, the deadliest of latinos, latinos, in modern u. S. History happened in this state, in el paso. So, if you are among latinos, you know this, its very real. Let me start with an issue that is causing a lot of division in this country. Immigration. Vice President Biden, as a president ial candidate, in 2008, you supported the border wall, saying, unlike most democrats, i voted for 700 miles of fence. This is what you said. Then you serve as Vice President in an administration that deported 3 Million People, the most ever in u. S. History. Did you do anything to prevent those deportations . Youve been asked this question before and refused to answer. Let me try once again. Are you prepared to say tonight that you and president obama made a mistake about deor theation s . Why should latinos trust you . What latinos should look at, comparing this president to the president we have is outrageous, number one. We didnt lock people up in cages. We didnt separate families. We didnt to all of those things, number one. Number two number two, by the time this is a president who came along with the daca program, no one had done that. Sent legislation to the desk, a pathway for the 11 million undocumented in america. This is a president thats done a great deal. Im proud to have served with him. What i would do as president is several more things, because things have changed. I would, in fact, make sure that there is, we immediately surge to the border, all those people who are seeking asylum. They deserve to be heard. Thats who we are. Were a nation who says, you want to flee, youre freeing oppressi oppression, you should come. I would change the order that the president just changed, saying women who are being beaten and abused could no longer claim that as a reason for asylum. And by the way, you know, 25th anniversary of the violence against women act is up. The Republican Congress has not reauthorized it. Lets put pressure on them to pass the violence against women act now. You didnt answer the question. Well, i did answer the question. Did you make a mistake with those deportations . The president did the best thing that was able to be done. How about you . Im the Vice President of the United States. Secretary castro, would you want to respond to Vice President biden and let me put this in context, because your party controlled the white house and congress in 2009 and didnt pass Immigration Reform and this broke a promise made by president barack obama to latinos. Why should voters trust democrats now . It is even more difficult, because you need republican votes in the senate. Are you willing to give up daca or a path to citizenship or even to build a wall in order to legalize 10. 5 million . Jorge, thank you very much for that question, and look, i agree that barack obama was very different from donald trump. Donald trump has a dark heart when it comes to immigrants. He built his whole political career so far on scapegoating and fear mongering and otherizing migrants, and thats very different than barack obama. But my problem with Vice President biden and cory pointed this out last time is, every time something good about barack obama comes up, he says, oh, i was there, i was there, i was there, thats me, too, and then every time somebody questions part of the administration that we were both part of, he says, well, that was the president. I mean, he wants to take credit for obamas work, but not have to answer to any questions. I mean Vice President biden, you have i dont get that. You have 45 seconds. Let me just say thats not what i said. Let me just say that i would i was the first candidate in early april to put forward an immigration plan. You have know why . Because im not afraid of donald trump on this issue. Im not going to back pedal, im not going to pretend like i dont have my own vision for immigration. So, were not going to give up daca, were not going to give up protections for anybody. I believe on january 20th, 2021, were going to have a democratic president , were going to have a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House and were going to pass Immigration Reform within the first 100 days. Vice president , 45 seconds. I did not say i dont i stand with barack obama all eight years. Good, bad and indifferent. Thats where i stand. I did not say i did not stand with him. Okay, senator warren. Hundreds of children have been separated from their parents at the border. And recently, in mississippi, we saw the largest immigration raid in a decade. You want to replace i. C. E. , the agency in charge of rounding up undocumented immigrants. How would you deal with the millions of immigrants that arrive legally and overstay their visas. And how do you stop hundreds of thousands of Central Americans that want to migrate to the u. S. . Well, i start with a statement of principles, and that is, in this country, immigration does not make us weaker, immigration makes us stronger. I want to see us expand Legal Immigration and create a pathway to citizenship for our dreamers, but also for their grandparents and for their cousins, for people who have overstayed student visas and for people who came here to work in the fields. I want to have a system that is a path to citizenship that is fair and achievable. Down at the border, weve got to rework this entirely. A system right now that cannot tell the difference in the threat posed by a terrorist, a criminal and a 12yearold girl is not a system that is keeping us safer and it is not serving our values. Mr. Yang we need i want to add one more part on this, because i think we have to look at all the pieces. Why do we have a crisis at the border . In no small part because we have withdrawn help from people in Central America who are suffering. We need to restore that help. We need to help establish an reestablish the rule of law so that people tonight feel like they have to flee for their lives. We have a crisis that donald trump has created and hopes to profit from politically. We have to have the courage to stand up and fight back. Mr. Yang . It is true that in the last few years we have seen the most severe antiimmigrant measures from putting kids in cages to limiting asylum for people fleeing gangs and domestic violence. But it is also true about 1 Million Immigrants enter the u. S. Legally every year. So, are you willing to raise the number of legal immigrants from 1 million to 2 million per year and should there be a merit system, as President Trump wants . Im sorry. Did you something me . Mr. Yang. Sorry. My my father grew up on a peanut farm in asia with no floor and now his son is running for president. That is the immigration story that we have to be able to share with the American People. If you look at our history, almost half of fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. We have to say to the American People, immigrants are positive for our economic and social dindi dynamism, and i would return immigration to the total it was in the Obama Administration. I am the opposite of donald trump in many ways. He says, build a wall. Im going to say to immigrants, come to america, because if you come here, your son our daughter can run for president. The water is great. And this is where you want to build a company, build a family and build a life. This country has been a magnet for Human Capital for generations. If we lose that, we lose something integral to our continued success and thats where i would lead as president. Pete, 8 out of 10 immigrants has a mass shooting targeted against them. President trump has called mexican immigrants rapists and killers, separated children from their parents. He support ed, build a wall and send her back. Do you think people who support President Trump and his immigration policies are racist . Anyone who supports this is supporting racism. The only people, though, who actually buy into this president s hateful rhetoric around immigrants are people who dont know any. We have an opportunity to build an american majority around Immigration Reform. In my community, a group of conservative republicans rallied around an individual, a beloved local individual who was deported when he went into i. C. E. To try to get his paperwork sorted out, because they never thought it would happen to him. In some of the most conservative, rural areas of iowa, i have seen communities that embraced immigration grow. And thats why part of my plan for revitalizing the economies or Rural America including Community Renewal visas that would allow areas that are hurting to embrace immigration as we have in my city. You know, the only reason that south bend is growing right now, after years of shrinking, is immigration. Its one of the reasons we acted, not waiting for washington, to create city is e issued municipal i. D. S, so people had the opportunity to have the benefits of identify case. We have the opportunity to actually get something done. But we cannot allow this continue to be the same debate with the same arguments and the same clever lines often among the same people since the last real reform happened in the 1980s. We have to actually engage the american majority around the opportunities for not just growth and small communities, but our values. Values of welcome, values of faith that all argue for us to manage this humanely and in a way that marries our values with our laws. In an interview eight months ago, you were asked eed what t with the socalled overstayers. And you said, i dont know. Do you have an answer now . I do. And if you read the rest of that article in the washington post, i talked about harmonizing our entry exit system with mexico in the same way that we do with canada. I think that could help us to keep a handle on visa overstays. But the larger question that were trying to get at is, how do we rewrite this countrys immigration laws in our own image . In the image of houston tex, te the most diverse city in the United States of america. El paso, one of the safest cities in the United States of america. Safe because we are a city of immigrants. [ speaking spanish ] i will lead an effort to make sure that we rewrite our immigration laws in that way, never cage another child, make sure that there is accountability and justice for the seven lives lost under our care and our custody, but also face the fact that democrats and republicans alike voted to build a wall that has produced thousands of deaths of people trying to cross to join family or to work a job. That we have been part of deporting people, hundreds of thousands just in the Obama Administration alone, who posed no threat to this country, breaking up their families. Democrats have to get off the back foot, we have to lead on this issue, because we know it is right. Legalize america, begin with those more than 1 million dreamers, make them u. S. Citizens right now in this, their true home country, and extend that to their parents, their sisters and their brothers and ensure that we have a legal, safe, orderly system to come to this country and add to our greatness here. Thank you. George. Jorge, thank you. Were going to take a quick break. When we come back, tForeign Policy, Homeland Security and the impact on u. S. Troops. New y. No flights. No roads. Were trying to figure out what animals are being affected. Galapagos is a really challenging place to work. El nino is starting to go haywire. Everywhere is going to get touched by Climate Change. The amount of Student Loan Debt i have im embarrassed to even say i felt like i was going to spend my whole adult life paying this off thanks to sofi, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel as of 12pm today, i am debt free not owing anyone anything is the best feeling in the world, i cannot stop smiling about it thenot actors, people, whove got their eczema under control. With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. And, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. Announcer live from Texas Southern university in houston, the democratic debate. Welcome back. We want to turn now to National Security and the Foreign Policy issue that has such a direct impact here at home. U. S. Relationship with china, trade and President Trumps tariffs. We received more than 100 questions from viewers, wanting to know how all of you are going to handle these tariffs, and mr. Yang, let me begin with you. Would you repeat the tariffs on your first day in office and if so, would you risk losing leverage in our trade relationship with china . I would not repeal the tariffs on day one, but i would let the chinese know we need to hammer out a deal. Right now, the tariffs are pummelling producers in iowa that have nothing to do with the imbalances we have with china. A ceo friend of mine was in china recently and he said that he saw pirated u. S. And intellectual property on worker workstations to the tune of thousands of dollars per head. And he said, one, how can my workers compete against that . And two, think about all the lost revenue to American Companies. So, the imbalances are real. But we have to let the chinese know that we recognize that President Trump has pursued an arbitrary and happhazard trade policy thats had victims on both sides, so, no to rebeautifuling the tariffs immediately, but yes to making sure we come to a deal that addresses the concerns of American Companies and american producers. Mayor pete, let me take that question let me take that question to you, because youve seen President Trumps tweets, he says whats going to happen here is the chinese are just going to h out to get a democrat they can take advantage of. Weve seen President Trump call president xi an enemy and a friend. Well, the president clearly has no strategy. When i first got into this race, i remember President Trump scotched and said hed like to see me make a deal with xi jinping. Id like to see him make a deal with xi jinping. Wasnt that supposed to happen in april . Its one more example of a commitment not made. O when that happens on the international stage, people take note. Not just our competitors, orred a verve says, but our alleys take note of the inability of the the United States to keep its word or follow through on its plans. When that happens, there are serious consequences. We saw it at the 2k3g7. The leaders sitting to talk about one of the greatest challenges in the rld who, Climate Change, and there was literally an empty chair where American Leadership could have been. The problem is, this is a moment when American Leadership is leaded more than ever. Whether its in hong kong, where those protesters for democracy need to know they have a friend in the United States, or anywhere around the world where increasingly we see dictators throwing their weight around. The world needs america, but it cant be just any america. Would you repeal the tariffs . I would have a strategy that would include them as leverage. Its not about the tariffs. The president has reduced the entire china challenge of a question of tariffs, when what we know is that the tariffs are coming down on us more than anybody else and theres a lack of a bigger strategy. Senator klobuchar, youve supported the tariffs on steel. What weve got right now, though, george, its not a focused tariff on steel. What hes done here is assessed the tariffs on our allies, hes put us in the middle of the trade war and treating our farmers and workers like poker chips in one of his bankrupt casinos. If were not careful, hes going to bankrupt this country. One forecast said its already said it cost us 300,000 jobs, all right . There is soybeans that are mounting up in bins all over the midwest, in my state of minnesota and in iowa. So, what i think we need to do is to go back to the negotiate table, thats what i would do. I wouldnt have put all these tariffs in place. And i wouldnt have had a trade policy where on august 1st he announces hes going to have tariffs on 300 billion on goods, on august 13th, he cuts it in half, a week later, he says hes going to reduce taxes. The day after that, hes going to do it. The leaders of the world are watching this. And it undermines our strength as a nation. And yes, we want fair trade, but we must work with the rest of the world. And he has made a mockery of focussed trade policy, which i think means enforcement, like weve done in northern minnesota, passing bills, getting president obama to do more on that, so that our workers can benefit so we are importing, exports goods and making sure that its a competitive policy where our goal is that we are making things, inventing things and exports to the world. He is defeating that goal. Secretary castro, you actually, in one of the previous debates, identified china as the most serious National Security threat. Senator sloklobuchar said she wd go back to the negotiating table. But where do you get leverage . I agree with people that said this trade war is hurting american families. As senator glob shcloeb that ak to the average American Family. Just a couple of days ago, 60 of americans said that they believe that were in for a recession next year. So, when i become president , i would immediately begin to negotiate with china to rachet down that trade war. We have leverage there. I also believe, though, that we need to return to a leader when it comes to things like human rights. We have millions of uighurs in china that right now are being imprisoned and mistreated. And in north korea, this president is elevating a dictator. We need to stop that. We need to return to ensuring that america leads again on human rights. When it comes to this trade war, i would immediately begin racheting that trade war down. We have leverage in that discussion. Senator warren, let me bring you in on this conversation. President obama signed the transpa scific partnership, to bring china into some kind of regulation. What do you think he got wrong . So, our trade policy in america has been broken for decades. And it has been broken because it works for giant multinational corporations and not for much of anyone else. These are giant corporations that, shoot, if they can save a nickel by moving a job to a foreign country, theyll do it in a heartbeat. And yet, for decades now, who has been whispering in the ears of our trade negotiators . Who has shaped our trade policy . Its been the giant corporations. Its been their lobbyists and their executives. The way we change our trade policy in america is, first, the procedures. Who sits at the table . I want to negotiate trade with unions at the table. I want to negotiate it with Small Farmers at the table. I want to negotiate it with environmentalists at the table. I want to negotiate with human rights activists at the table. And you asked the question about leverage, if i could just respond to that one, the leverage, are you kidding . Everybody wants access to the american market. That means that we have the capacity to say right here in america, you want to come sell goods to American Consumers . Then you got to raise your standards. Youve got to raise your labor standards. Youve got to raise your environmental standards. So our companies can compete on a level playing field. We can use trade not to undermine American Workers and not to undermine American Farms and not to undermine Small Businesses in this country. We can use trade to help build a stronger economy. Senator harris, how would your trade policy differ from president obamas . Well, first of all, i have no criticism of that more than just looking at where we are now, which is weve got a guy in the white house who has been erratic on trade policy, he conducts trade policy by tweet, frankly born out of his fragile ego. Its resulted in farmers in iowa with soybeans rotting in bins, looking at bankruptcy. When we look at this issue, my trade policy, under a harris administration, is always going to be about saying, we need to export american products, not american jobs. And to do that, we have to have a meaningful trade policy. Im not a protectionist democrat. Look, we need to sell our stuff. And that means we need to sell it to people overseas. That means we need trade policies that allow that to happen. You asked earlier about china, its a complicated relationship. We have to hold china accountable. They steal our products, including our intellectual property. They dump substandard products into our economy. They need to be accountable. We need to partner with china on climate and the crisis that presents. We need to partner with china on the issue of north korea. Im on, and the only person on this stage, the Senate Intelligence committee and the senate Homeland Security committee. We need a partner on the issue of north korea. But the bottom line is this, donald trump in office on trade policy, you know, he reminds me of that guy in the wizard of oz, when you pull back the curtain, its a really small dude . Okay. Im not even going to take the bait, senator harris. But i am going to take it wasnt about you. Im going to take it to senator sanders right now. There is a reason why, in the last 45 years, the average american today, despite an explosion of technology and worker productivity, is not making a penny more than he or she made 45 years ago. And one of the reasons is that, for decades, we have had disastrous trade policies. I have to say to my good friend joe biden, joe and i strongly disagree on trade. I helped lead the opposition to nafta, which cost this country over 4 million good paying jobs. And what happened is, people who had those jobs ended up getting other jobs making 50 of what they made in manufacturing. So, trump, obviously, hasnt a clue, trump thinks that trade policy is a tweet at 3 00 in the morning. What we have got to do is develop a trade policy that represents workers, represents the farmers in the midwest and elsewhere who are losing billions right now because of trumps policy. A trade policy which understands that if a company shuts down in america and goes abroad and then thinks theyre going to get online to get a lucrative federal contract, under Bernie Sanders, they got another guess coming. Vice President Biden, he invoked your name. Yeah, well, look, were either going to make the policy or chinas going to make the rules of the road. We make up 25 of the world economy. We need another 25 to join us. And i think senator warren is correct, at the table has to be labor and at the table has to be environmentalists. The fact of the matter is, ch a china, the problem isnt the trade deficit, the problem is theyre stealing our didn intellectual property. They are dumping steel on us. Its a difference than agricultural products. Were in a position of, if we dont set the rules, we, in fact, are going to find ourselves with china setting the rules. And thats why you need to organize the world to take on china, to stop the corrupt practices that are under way. Senator booker, close out this round. Sure. Theres one point were really missing on the stage right now, which is the fact that Donald Trumps America First policy is actually an america isolated, an america alone policy. Exactly. From trade to battling china to the Global Crisis of Climate Change, the challenges in the middle east, he is pulling us away from our allies, out of the iran deal, out of the paris climate aaccords, and hes deciding to take on china, while at the same time taking on tariff battles with all of our allies. You literally have him using a National Security waver to put tariffs on canada. Im the only person on this stage that finds trudeaus hair very menacing, but they are not a National Security threat. We cannot go up against china alone. This is a president that has a better relationship with dictators like duetarte and putin than he does with merkel and macron. We have to stand with our allies in common cause and common purpose. Thats how we beat china. Thats how we beat Climate Change on the planet earth and thats how American Values are the ones that lead on issues of trade and human rights. David . George, thank you. I want to turn to americas longest war in afghanistan. U. S. Talks with the taliban are dead, according to the president. Secret talks at camp david have been canceled before they could happen. Many of you have weighed in on that already, so, i want to move past that tonight, to what all of you have promised on the campaign trail. Many of you on this stage have said youd bring the troops home in your first term. Others have said in your first year. Senator warren, we all know the presidency is much different from the campaign trail. President obama wanted to bring the troops home, President Trump promised to bring the troops home. And you have said of afghanistan, lets help them reach a peace settlement. It is time to bring our troops home, in your words, starting right now. Would you keep that promise, with no deal with the taliban . Yes. And ill tell you why. What were doing right now in afghanistan is not helping the safety and security of the United States the it is ns safety and security of the United States the it itates, itg the safety and security of the world, it is not helping the safety and security of afghanistan. We need to bring our troops home. And then we need to make a big shift. We can not ask our military to keep solving problems that cannot be solved militarily. Were not going to bomb our way to a solution in afghanistan. We need to treat the problem of terrorism as a worldwide problem. And that means we need to be working with all of our allies. Our european allies, our canadian allies, our asian allies, our allies in africa and in south america. We need to Work Together to root out terrorism. It means using all of our tools. It means economic investment, it means expanding our diplomatic efforts instead of hollowing out the state department and deliberately making it so we have no eyes and ears in many of these countries. We need a Foreign Policy that is about our security and about leading on our values. Senator warren, a quick follow on that, because top u. S. Leaders, military leaders on the ground in afghanistan told me you cant do it without a deal with the taliban. What if they told you that, would you listen to their advice . I was in afghanistan with john mccain two years ago this past summer. I think it may have been senator mccains last trip before he was sick. And i talked to people we did. We talked to military leaders, american and local leaders, we talked to people on the ground and asked the question, the same one i asked on the Senate Armed Services committee. Every time one of the generals comes through. Show me what winning looks like. Tell me what it looks like. And what you hear is a lot of because no one can describe it. And the reason no one can describe it is because the problems in afghanistan are not problems that can be solved by a military. I have three older brothers who all served in the military. I understand firsthand the kind of commitment they have made. They will do anything we ask them to do. But we cannot ask them to solve problems that they alone cannot solve. We need to work with the rest of the world, we need to use our tools. We need to build who our allies and we need to make the whole world safer, not keep troops bombing in afghanistan. Senator warren, thank you. I do want to stay on this, and i want to turn to mayor buttigieg. Youre the only veteran on this stage. You served in afghanistan. We heard in recent days from the chair of the joint chiefs of staff who said in recent days, im not going to use the world withdrawal right now. Its our judgment the afghans need support to deal with the level of violence. If hes not even using the word withdrawal, would you put your promise to bring troops home in the first year on hold to follow the advice . You know, i served under general dunford, way under general dunford, in afghanistan. And today, september 12th, 2019, means that today you could be 18 years old, old enough to serve and have not been alive on 9 11. We have got to put an end to endless war. And the way we do it is see to it that that country will never again be used for an attack against our homeland and that does not require an openended commitment of ground troops. Im going to Say Something else. Because if theres one thing weve learned about afghanistan, from afghanistan, is that the best way not to be caught up in endless war is to avoid starting one in the first place. And so when i am president , an authorization for military force will have a threeyear sunset. A president will be required to go to congress to seek an authorization. Because if our troops can summon the courage to go overseas, the least of members of congress should be able to do is summon the courage to take a vote on whether they ought to be there. By the way, we also have a president right now who seems to treat troops as props, or worse, tochment. We saw whats going on with flights apparently being routed through scotland just so people can stay at his hotels . Ill tell you, as a military officer, the very first thing that goes through your mind, the first time you ever make eye contact with somebody that you are responsible for in uniform, is, do not let these men and women down. This president is doing exactly that. I will not. Major buttigieg, thank you. I want to turn to Vice President biden, because the concerns about any possible vacuum being created in afghanistan if you pulled the u. S. Troops out has been heightened by what weve seen in recent days on the ground in iraq. When you were Vice President , president obama turned to you to bring the troops home from iraq. You have said on the campaign trail, quote, i made sure the president turned to me and said, joe, get the combat troops out of iraq there was a major drawdown and isis seized 40 of the territory in iraq. You then had to send thousands of troops back in. Was it wrong to pull out of iraq that quickly and did the move actually help isis take hold . No, it wasnt wrong to pull out. I want to answer your afghanistan question. Ive been in and out of afghanistan, not with a gun, and i admire my friend for his service. Ive been in and out of afghanistan more than anybody. Its an open secret that i was opposed to the surge in afghanistan. The whole purpose of going to afghanistan was to not have a counterinsurgency, meaning that were going to put that country together. It cannot be put together. Let me say it again. It will not be put together. Its three different countries, pakistan owns the three counties, the three provinces in the east, theyre not any part, i could go on and on. Heres the point. The point is, its a counterterrorism strategy. We can prevent the United States from being the victim of terror coming out of afghanistan by providing for bases to air liftr from and to move against what we know. We dont need those troops there. I would bring them home and joe dunfords a fine guy, but there has been an argument weve had for eight years. With regard to iraq, the fact of the matter is that, you know, i should have never voted to give bush the authority to go in and do what we said he was going to do. It was designed, he said, to go in and get the Security Council to vote 150 to allow inspectors to go in to determine whether or not anything was being done with chemical weapons or nuclear weapons. And when that happened, he went ahead and went anyway without any of that proof. I said something that was not meant the way i said it. I said, from that point on. What i was arguing against in the beginning, once he started to put the troops in, was that in fact we were doing it the wrong way, there was no plan, we should not be engaged, we didnt have the people with us, we didnt have our allies with it, et cetera. And it was later when we came into office, that barack, the president turned to me, he said, joe, we have a plan to get out. He turned, he said, joe will organize this, get the troops home. My son spent a year in iraq and i understand, it made we were right to get the combat troops out. The big mistake that was made, which we predicted, was that you would not have a circumstance where the shia and the kurds would Work Together to keep isis from coming from moving in. Mr. Vice president , thank you. Wait to turn to senator sanders on this, because the concern over afghanistan is very similar to what we saw in iraq when the troops came out. Isis filled that vacuum. What do you make of people out there who are worried that if we pull out u. S. Troops too quickly, it will create safe haven all over again like the plotters of 9 11. David, let me answer that, but let me just comment on something that the Vice President said. You talked about the big mistake in iraq and the surge. The truth is, the big mistake, the huge mistake and one of the big differences between you and me, i never believed what cheney and bush said about iraq and i voted against the war in iraq and help lead the opposition. And its sad to say, i mean, i kind of, you know, had the feeling that there would be massive destabilization in that area if we went into that war. As the former chairman of the Senate Committee on veterans affairs, i want to pick up on what pete said. We cannot express our gratitude to all of the men and women who have put their lives on the line, to defend us, who have responded to the call of duty. But i think also i am the only person up here to have voted against all three of trumps military budgets. I dont think we have to spend 750 billion a year on the military when we dont even know who our enemy is. I think that what we have got to do is wring thbring this world. Bring it together on Climate Change, bring it together in fighting against terrorism and make it clear that we as a planet, as a global community, will Work Together to help countries around the world, rebuild their struggling economies and do everything that we can to rid the world of terrng bomb on or sanders, th. I want to take this to mr. Yang. You share the stage, as you know, when we talk about troops in iraq and afghanistan, with the Vice President , who was in the situation room with senators who were on the Senate Armed Services, the Foreign Relations committees, with an afghanistan veteran, who is on the stage tonight. As you share the stage with these candidates, what makes you the most qualified on this stage to be commander in chief . Ive sent a pledge to end the forever wars. Weve been in a state of Armed Conflict for 18 years, which is not what the American People want. We have to start owning what we can and cant do. Were not very good at rebuilding countries and if you want proof, all you have to do is look within our own country of puerto rico. Weve spent trillions of dollars to unclear benefits, lost thousands of lives and thank you, people, for your service. And the goal has to be to rebuild the relationships that have made america strong for decades. I would lead our armed forces with restraint and judgment. What the American People want is simply a president who has the right values and point of view and they can trust to make the right decisions when it comes to putting our young men and women into harms way. And thats what i would do as president. Mr. Yang, thank you. Jorge . Thank you very much. You havent been asked about latin america in the previous debates, so, lets begin. Senator sanders, one country where many immigrants are arriving from sven sway isven in you admit that venezuela does not have free elections, but you refuse to call Nicolas Maduro a dictator. Can you explain why . And what are the differences between your kind of socialism and the ones being imposed in venezuela, cuba and nicaragua. Well, first of all, let me be clear. Anybody that does what maduro does is a vicious tyrant. What we need now is international and Regional Cooperation for free elections in venezuela to the people of that country can create their own future. In terms of democratic socialism. To equate what goes on in venezuela with what i believe is extremely unfair. Ill tell you what i believe in terms of dimm idemocratic socia. I agree with goes on in canada and scandinavia, guaranteeing health care to all people as a human right. I believe that the United States should not be the only major country on earth not to provide paid family and medical leave. I believe that every worker in this country deserves a living wage and that we expand the trade union movement. I happen to believe also that what, to me, democratic socialism means, is we deal with an issue, we do not discuss enough, jorge, not in the media, and not in congress. You got three people in america owning more wealth than the bottom half of this country. You got a handful of billionaires controlling what goes on in wall street, the Insurance Companies and in the media. Maybe, just maybe, what we should be doing is creating an economy that works for all of us, not 1 . Thats my understanding of democratic socialism. A quick response. 45 seconds. Sure, thank you. Ill call maduro a dictator, because he is a dictator. And what we need to do is make sure that the venezuelan people get the assistance that they need. That we continue to pressure venezuela so that theyll have free and fair elections, and also here in the United States, offer temporary protected status, tps, to venezuelans. That is something that the Trump Administration has failed to do, for all of his big talk about supporting the venezuelanamerican community, he has failed. I will not. I also believe that we need to do things like a 21st century marshal plan so that people can find safety and opportunity at home instead of having to make the dangerous journey to the United States and under my administration, were going to put renewed focus on latin america. It makes sense. Theyre our neighbors and we have a lot of things in common. It makes sense as well that because we have a country like china that is going around the world to places like africa and latin america, making those relationships, the United States needs to strengthen those relationships in latin america immediately. Senator booker, let me ask you about brazil. After the recent fires in the amazon, some experts suggested that eating less meat is one way to help the environment. You are a vegan since 2014, thats obviously a personal voice, but President Trump and brazils president boll san for a boll son narrow are concerned it would effect economic growth. Should people follow your diet . Um, you know, first of all, i want to say no. I want to translate that into spani spanish. No. Look, lets just be clear. The factory farm, going on thats assaulting this corporate consolidati consolidation. One of the reasons that i have a bill to put a moratorium on this kind of corporate consolidation is because this factory farming is destroying and hurting our environment and you see independent family farmers being pushed out of business because of the kind of incentives we are giving that dont line up with our values. Thats what iian tosw b we dont have crowded debate stage, were talking about afghanistan and iraq it annoys me that we had a conversation about our troops overseas and we didnt say one word about veterans in our country. We have a shameful reality in america that we send people off to war and they often come home with invisible wounds, hurts and harms, theyre disproportionately homeless. You hear stories about women waiting for months for care through the v. A. It is very important that, as e we as a country, understand were not going to solve every problem with this outrageous increased militarism, that we also make sure that we stand up for the people that stood for us. We end our National Anthem with home of the brave. Its about time we make this a better home for our bravest. Congressman orourke, Hurricane Harvey hit this town two years ago and not only is the amazon burning, greenland is meting at a record pace. The last five years have been the hottest ever recorded. And we have a viewer question about this. What meaningful action will you take to reverse the effect of Climate Change and can we count on you to follow through if your donors are against it . Yes, we will follow through, regardless of the political consequences or who it offends, because this is the very future of our planet and our ability for our children and grandchildren to be able to survive on it. We will make sure that we get to net zero Greenhouse Gas emissions no later than the year 2050. That we are halfway there by 2030. That we mobilize 5 trillion over the next ten years to do that, that we invest here in houston, texas, with predisaster mitigation grants to protect those communities. Given the fact that this town has seen three 500year floods in just five years, youd like to think youre good for 1,500 years, but youre not. Theyre coming faster and larger and more devastating than ever. Were also going to make sure that we free ourselves from dependence on fossil fuels and embrace renewable wind and solar energy technology, as well as the high