- Who was on stage: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer and Amy Klobuchar
- Their platforms: Here's where the candidates stand on the issues.
Seven Democratic presidential candidates took the stage tonight in Los Angeles for the sixth debate in the 2020 election.
Businessman Andrew Yang contrasted the strength of the US economy with Americans’ well-being and said “depression, financial insecurity, student loan debt, even suicides and drug overdoses” are at record highs tonight.
“It has gotten so bad that our life expectancy as a country has declined for the last three years because suicides and drug overdoses have overtaken vehicle deaths for the first time in American history," Yang added.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar claimed tonight that in the 2016 US election, Hillary Clinton had her lowest margin of victory in Minnesota. Klobuchar argued that polls have her beating "Donald Trump by 18 points" in 2020 in the state.
Looking ahead to 2020, Klobuchar accurately cited a recent poll from her home state of Minnesota.
Businessman Andrew Yang, whose campaign has focused on the threat automation poses to US workers, claimed that President Trump’s 2016 win was in part because “we blasted away 4 million manufacturing jobs” — and further claimed that 40,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in Iowa.
Similarly, Iowa lost jobs during that period, shedding a total of 20,900 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 385,000 additional manufacturing jobs were added between January 2013 and January 2017.
Since Trump took office, the sector has added another 497,000 jobs.
At the end of tonight's debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke the most at more than 20 minutes, followed closely by Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren.
The final Democratic primary debate of 2019 has just wrapped up in Los Angeles.
The seven candidates made their final pleas to the American public in their closing statements tonight.
Things got a little awkward on stage when the candidates were asked if they had to choose would they: ask for forgiveness from a candidate or give one of them a gift.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden fought over their health care plans Thursday night, with Sanders advocating for his signature “Medicare for All” single-payer proposal and Biden backing a plan that builds on Obamacare and maintains a role for private health insurers.
It started when Sanders was asked if -- given the reality that Senate Republicans would oppose his health care plan -- he would push any smaller measures in the more immediate future. He wouldn’t play ball, saying, “I think we will pass a Medicare for All single-payer system.”
Biden then advocated his plan, which would add a public option to Obamacare and put lower the caps on how much of their income Americans would pay for insurance on the exchanges.
“You shouldn’t have Washington dictating to you you cannot keep the plan you have,” Biden said.
Sanders responded that Biden’s plan “would essentially maintain the status quo.” Biden then shot back that Sanders’ proposal would come with $30 trillion in new expenses over a decade and would necessitate tax increases.
Sanders pointed out that in exchange for those taxes, Americans would no longer have to pay copays, insurance premiums or deductibles, and would have prescription drug costs capped at $200 per year.
At one point, Biden stopped and said to his animated foe: “Put your hand down for a second, Bernie.”
“Just waving to you, Joe,” Sanders responded.
While discussing the cost of medical care in the US, former Vice President Joe Biden told Sen. Bernie Sanders to "put your hand down" after the Vermont lawmaker was seen waving it, a gesture he commonly makes during debates.