continued resurgence. right now let's give you an encore of tonight's cnn democratic debate. let's get after it. and thank you. remember, you still got a long roi to go. cnn will take you there every step of the way. stay with cnn. >> i want to start the debate with one of the top priorities for democratic voter, and that is health care. senator harris, this week you released a new health care plan, which would preserve private insurance and take ten years to phase in. vice president biden's campaign calls your plan, quote, a have it every which way approach, and says it's just part of a confusing pattern of equivocating about your health care stance. what do you say to that?

>> well, they're probably confused because they've not read it. but the reality is that i have been spending time in this campaign listening to american families, listening to experts, listening to health care providers, uand what i came away with is a very clear understanding is i needed to create a plan that was responsive to the needs to the american people, responsive to their needs of understanding that insurance companies have been jacking up the prices for far too long, that american families have to be held down by deductibles and copays and premiums that can cause them bankruptcy. i listen to the american families who said four years is just not enough to transition into this new plan. so i devised a plan where it's going to be ten years of a transition. i listened to american families who said i want an option that will be under your medicare system that allows a private plan. so i designed a plan where, yes, responsive to the needs of american families, there will be

a public plan under my plan for medicare and a private plan under my plan for medicare. because the bottom line is this. we must agree that access to health care must be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it. and in america today, far too many people, in fact 30 million people are going without access the health care. >> thank you, senator harris. vice president biden, your response? >> my response is that the senator has had several plans so far, and any time someone tells you you're going to get something good in ten years, you should wonder why it's going to take ten years. if you notice there is no talk of the plan in ten years will cost $3 trillion. this is the single most important issue facing the public. and to be very blunt and to be very straight forward, you can't beat president trump with double-talk on this plan. >> your response, senator harris? >> unfortunately, vice president biden, you're simply inaccurate

in what you're describing. the reality is our plan will bring health care to all americans under a medicare for all system. our plan will allow people to start signing up on the first day. babies will be born into the plan. right now four million babies are born almost year in america. we will ensure that everyone has access to health care. your plan, by contrast, leaves out almost ten million americans. so i think that you should really think about what you're saying but be reflect i and understand that the people of america want access to health care and do not want cost to be their barrier to getting it. >> senator harris, thank you. vice president biden, your response? >> the plan, no matter how you cut it costs $3 trillion when it is in fact employed. number one. ten years from now, after two terms of this senator being president, after her time. secondly, it will require middle class taxes to go up, not down.

thirdly, it will eliminate employer-based insurance. and fourthly, what happens in the meantime? >> i'd like to respond. first of all, the cost of doing nothing is far too expensive. second we are now paying $3 trillion a year for health care in america. over the next ten years, it's probably going to be $6 trillion. we must act. my plan is about immediately allowing people to sign up and get into coverage. right now in america, we have seniors who every day, millions of seniors are going into the medicare system. and they are getting full coverage and the kind of coverage they need. >> thank you, senator harris. mayor de blasio? >> i don't know what the vice president and senator are talking about. the folks i talk to about health insurance say their health insurance isn't working for them. tens of millions of americans

don't even have health insurance. tens of thousands more that can barely make it way because of the copays, the deductibles, the premiums, the out-of-pocket expenses. there is this mythology that somehow all these folks are in love with their insurance in america. what i hear from union members and from hardworking middle class people, they wish they had better insurance, and they're angry at private insurance companies that skim all the profits off the top and make it impossible for everyday people to get coverage like mental health care, dental care, the things that would be full coverage for all americans. >> vice president biden, you just heard mayor de blasio. he said in the past that democrats who want to keep the private insurance industry are defending a health care system that is not working. what's your response? >> my response is obamacare is working. the way to build this and get to it immediately is to build on obamacare. take back all the things that trump took away, provide a public option, meaning every single person in america would be able to buy into that option if they didn't like their employer plan or if they're on

medicaid, they'd automatically in the plan. it would take place immediately. it would move quickly, and it would ensure the vast, vast, vast majority of americans. in the meantime, what happens, did anybody tell you how much their plans cost? my plan costs $750 billion. that's what it costs. not $30 trillion. >> thank you, mr. vice president. senator gillibrand, you support medicare for all. how do you feel about senator harris continuing to call her health proposal medicare for all when it includes a far more significant role for private insurance than the bill you co-sponsored? >> i think for the viewers in the audience right now, they're at risk of losing the forest through the trues. health care in america should be a right. when i was a young mother and had theo, he had an allergic reaction to eggs and his whole body turned red and puffy. i had to rush him to the emergency room. my heart is palpitating because i'm worried that his throat will

close. i am not worried about not having an insurance card or credit card in my wallet. i know whatever they're going to prescribe, whether it's an epipen or inhaler, i can afford it. the truth about health care in america today is people can't afford it. they cannot afford. and the insurance companies for these plans that rely on insurance companies, i'm sorry, they're for profit companies. they have an obligation to their shareholders. they pay their ceo millions of dollars. they have to have quarterly profits. they have fat in the system that is real and should it be going to health care. let's not lose the forest for the trees. and last, let's not forget what the republicans are doing. the republicans and trump, their whole goal is to take away health care. to make it harder to afford it. >> senator harris, your response? >> in response to senator biden about the affordable care act, it is important that you understand that our medicare for

all plan by the architect of obama affordable care act been described as one of the most ways to bring it. kathleen sebelius has endorsed our plan. to the point that senator gillibrand is raising, i couldn't agree more. senator biden, your plan will keep and allow insurance companies to remain with status quo doing business as usual. and that's going to be about jacking up copays, jacking up deductibles. it will still be the situation. >> thank you, senator harris. >> people going to a emergency room have to come out $5,000. >> my plan makes a limit of copay to be $1,000. we further support the ability to buy into the obama care plan. secondly, the idea that this is somehow a bad idea, no one has to keep their private insurance. but if they like their insurance that. >> should be able to keep it.

nothing is demanded of my plan that they have to have private insurance. have a right to visit. if they don't, they can buy into the biden plan, which is obamacare. >> thank you, mr. vice president. thank you. senator booker, let me bring you in here. you say you support medicare for all. you also say you are not going to pull private insurance from more than 115 million americans in exchange for a government plan. but that's what medicare for all would do. so how do you square that? >> first of all, let me say that the person that is enjoying this debate the most right now is donald trump as we pit democrats against each other. he is working right now toe take away americans' health care there is a court case working through the system that's going to gut the affordable care act and actually gut protections on preexisting conditions. i wiz raised by two civil rights parents who told me always keep your eyes on the prize. every democrat in america should

stand with the belief that everyone should have access to health care, that it's a human right. and how we get there, it has to be to end this broken system because we are on our way in a handful of years spending literally 20% of our economy, one out of every $5 spent on health care, and we spend more than every other nation, on everything from mris to insulin drugs, multiemotional more than other countries. you want to know what i'm going to do? i'm going to work medicare for all where everyone is covered. but this pitting progressives against moderates saying one is unrealistic and the other doesn't care enough, that to me is dividing our party and demother-in-lawizing us in face of the real enemy here. >> thank you, senator booker. congresswoman gabbard, what is your opinion? >> right now we have a sick care system. there are far too many people in this country who are sick and unable to get the care that they

need because they cannot afford it. so the core of this problem is the fact that big insurance companies and big pharmaceutical companies who have been profiting off the backs of sick people have had to seat at the table writing this legislation. kamala harris just talked about kathleen sebelius who helped write her bill. this pointed to the fatal flaw in her proposal. sebelius writes for medicare advantage who will stand to profit under her plan. if we're seeking to really reform our health care system, we've got to shut out big insurance and big pharma out of the drafting process so they cannot profit off the backs of is sick people in this country who are searching and in desperate need of care. senator harris, a response? >> unfortunately, representative gab bartd got gab got it wrong. she did not write the plan, she endorsed it as one of the best ways to get access to health

care in america. i'm going to go back to vice president biden. your plan does not cover everyone in america by your staffs and your own definition. 10 million people, as many as 10 million people will not have access to health care. and in 2019 in america, for a democrat to be running for president with a plan that does not cover everyone, i think it's without excuse. our plan covers everyone. >> thank you, senator. >> and gives people choice. >> thank you, senator. vice president biden? >> my plan will cover everyone. my plan also calls for controlling drug prices. the biopharma is now where things are going to go. it's no longer chemicals. it's about all these breakthroughs we have with the -- excuse me, immune system. and what we have to do now is we have to have a form that sits in the hhs and says as you develop a drug, you got to come to us and decide what you can sell it

for. we will set the price. and secondly, it says that you cannot raise that price beyond the cost of inflation from this point on. >> thank you, mr. vice president. i want to bring in senator bennet. last night on this stage one of your rivals running suggested that medicare for all would get trump reelected. do you agree with that, sir? >> i agree it would make it much more likely. unlike others on the stage, i've been crystal clear where i've been, through two tough races in colorado. i believe we should finish the job we started with the affordable care act with a public option that gives everybody in this audience the chance to pick for their family whether they want private insurance or public insurance. it requires drug companies to be negotiated with by medicare and it provide competition that is totally different from the plan that senator warren and senator sanders and senator harris have proposed, which would make illegal employer-based health insurance in this country and

massively raise taxes on the middle class to the tune of $30 trillion. as joe biden said, we don't need to do that. it doesn't make sense for us to take away insurance from half the people in this room and huge taxes on almost everybody in this room when we can pass a public option, trust the american people to make the right decision and have universal health care in this country in two years, not ten years. >> thank you. secretary castro, i want to bring you in. >> i need the response. >> i'll come to you right after secretary castro. secretary castro? >> well, i know that this is something very personal for all americans. i grew up with a grandmother that had diabetes. i watched as her condition got worse and worse. that whole time she had medicare. i want to strengthen medicare for the people who are on it, and then expand it to anybody who wants it. i also believe, though, if somebody has a private health insurance plan that is strong, that they want to hold on to, they should be able to do it. what i don't believe is that the profit motive of big pharma or

big insurance companies should ever determine in our great nation whether somebody gets health care or not. >> thank you, secretary castro. senator harris, senator bennet had suggested you support banning employer-based health insurance. that true? >> first of all, with all due respect to my friend, michael bennet, my plan does not offer anything that is illegal. what it does is it separates the employer from health care meaning that where you work will not be -- the kind of health care you will not be a function of where you work. have i met so many americans who stick the a job that they do not like where they are not prospering simply because they need the health care that that employer provides. it's time that we separate employers from the kind of health care people get. and under my plan we do that. as it relates to the insurance -- >> thank you. >> will not be called in and not be taken to task by senator biden or senator bennet's plan. >> thank you. senator bennet? >> senator harris is my friend as well.

but i have to say if we can't admit tonight what's in the plan, which is banning employer-based insurance, we're not going to be able to admit that when donald trump is accusing democrats of doing that as well. we need to be honest about what's in this plan. it bans employer-based insurance and taxes the middle class to the tune of $30 trillion. do you know how much that is? that is 70% of what the government will collect in taxes over the next ten years. we don't need to do that. >> thank you. governor, i'm going to come to you in a second. >> health care in this country. >> i do want to bring in senator harris, because he just suggested you were not being honest. >> he -- we cannot keep with the republican talking points on this. you got to stop. the reality is that under my medicare for all plan, yes, employers are not going to be able to dictate the kind of health care that their employees get. they will be able to make that decision. private insurance companies and

private carrier, if they comply by our rules and play by our rules will be able to offer those employees health coverage under a private medicare plan or they can have the option of a public medicare plan. but it is misleading to suggest that employees want what their employer is offering only. they want choice and my plan gives that to them. >> thank you, senator. governor inslee, i want to bring you in. you recently signed a public option into law which allows washington state residents to purchase a state-backed plan if they want to, but this may only save families in washington state as little as 5% off premiums. is 5% really the kind of relief that the american people need? >> no, we need universal coverage. i'm proud of our state that has done less squabbling in actually getting things done. and i'm proud that we're the first state to offer a publicly sanctioned offer of health care to our citizens. i'm also proud that we didn't stop there. we're also the first state that has taken care of our elders,

our seniors. we have a looming retirement wave coming up. i'm proud that our state has made them eligible to retire in dignity. i'm also proud of this. i think we need to talk more about this as democrats. it is time to give people adequate mental health care in this country. and we are -- we are -- we are having -- we've had some success in integrating mental health with physical health. there is no reason we should distinguish between your physiological and your mental health. and the last thing we're doing, i think it's very instructive for the nation, we know we're being eaten alive by pharmaceutical costs. we've had one of the ways to drive down pharmaceuticals for life-saving medications in the united states. that's a record of washington state i'd like to take to washington, d.c. >> thank you, governor inslee. mr. yang, i want to bring you in. you support a medicare for all system. how do you spornd respond to go

inslee. >> i want to share a story. when i told my wife i was running for president, what did she ask me? what are going to do about health care? as someone who has run a business, i can tell you flat-out our current health care system makes it harder to hire, it makes it harder to treat them well and give them benefits, it makes it harder to switch jobs, as senator harris just said, and it's certainly harder to start a business. if we say look, we're going get health care off the backs of businesses and families, then watch american entrepreneurship recover and bloom. that's the argument we should be making to the american people. >> i don't understand why democrats on this stage are fearmongering about universal health care. it makes no sense. ask the american people. they are sick of what the pharmaceutical companies are doing about them. they feel it's holding back their families because they can't get the coverage they need. they get a lot of no's. they don't get a lot of help from health insurance companies. why are we not going to be the

party that does something bold, saying we don't need to be dependent on private insurance. we can have a system that actually covers everyone. you know what? donald trump won this state of michigan by saying he was going to disrupt the status quo. how about we be the party that's going to disrupt the status quo for working people. >> mr. mayor, just a 15-second point of clarification, who are you talking about? who is fearmongering? >> certainly, with all due respect to senator bennet, what he is saying is absolutely inaccurate about taxes. americans right now are paying so much money for their health care. ask people about the reality of premiums, deductibles, copays, out-of-pocket expenses. >> thank you. >> that's worse than any tax. and people are paying that right now. >> thank you, mr. mayor. senator bennet? >> this is -- this is -- this has nothing to do with republican talking points or the pharmaceutical industry. this has to do with having faith in the american people that they can make the right decisions for their families and they can choose a public option. bernie sanders, who said last

night he wrote the damn bill, and he did, just like i wrote the damn public option bill is the guy who says it will cost $32 trillion and that we're going have to raise those taxes to pay for it. he says that. republicans don't say it. don't try to distract from the truth. >> thank you, senator bennet. >> you can't hide from the truth. >> i want to come to you, vice president biden. >> senator, as we as democrats say we're done with private insurance as only hurt the american people in so many ways, we're going to give them something that works for the families full coverage that they can depend on. if we say that, threaten is an election. the american people get to decide. the ultimate choice, senator is an election. and this should be the party that stands for universal health care and says we're not going to accept anything less. right now in america so many people don't have the health care they need that is a fact. tens of millions of people including middle class people. >> thank you, mr. mayor. >> vice president biden, your response? >> this is not a republican talking point. the republicans are trying to

kill obamacare. obamacare took care of 20 million people right off the back, 120 million of preexisting conditions. what we got is a public option that would allow anybody to buy in. no one has to keep their private insurance. they can buy into this plan, and they can buy into it with a thousand dollars deductible and never have to pay more than 8.5% of their income when they do it. and if they don't have any money, they'll get in free. so this idea is a bunch of malarkey, what we're talking about here. the fact of the matter is that there will be a dedublg. the bernie acknowledges it. $30 trillion has to ultimately be paid. and i don't know what matthew do in new york, i don't know what matthew do in california. but i tell you, that's a lot of money. it will be out of your paycheck because that's what will be required. >> senator harris?

>> let's talk about math. let's talk about math. let's talk about the fact that the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies last year alone profited $72 billion, and that is on the backs of american families. and under your plan, status quo, you do nothing to hold the insurance companies to task for what they have been doing the american families. in america today, a diabetes patient, one in four cannot afford their insulin. in america today. >> thank you, senator. >> for those people who have overdosed from an opioid, there is a syringe that costs $4,000 that will save their life. it is immoral. it is untenable. >> thank you, senator. your time is up, senator. >> vice president biden, your response? >> real quick, the only plan that limits the ability of insurance companies to charge unreasonable prices, flat-out. number one. number two, we should put some of these insurance executives who totally oppose my plan in jail for the $9 billion opioids

they sell out there. they are misrepresenting to the american people what need to be done. and lastly, here's the deal. the deal is let's figure out how this works. we needily are able to cover everybody who wants to get off of their insurance plan they don't like, no matter what one it is and buy into a medicare option. they can buy the gold plan and they're not going to have to pay. >> thank you, mr. vice president. thank you. let's move now to immigration, please. secretary castro, you think it should no longer be a crime to cross the u.s. border illegally. president obama's homeland security secretary jeh johnson, whom you served with says that is a public declaration that the border is, quote, effectively open to all. how is he wrong? >> thank you for that question. you know, if you elect me president, you're not electing me to follow. you're electing me to lead. and open borders is a right wing talking point. and frankly, i'm disappointed

that some folks, including some folks on this stage have taken the bait. the only way that we're going to guarantee that we don't have family separations in this country again is to repeal section 1325 of the immigration nationality act that is the law that this president, this administration is using to incarcerate migrant parents and physically separate them from their children. my immigration plan would also make sure that we put undocumented immigrants who haven't committed a serious crime on a pathway to citizenship, that we do a 20% marshall plan with honduras and guatemala so people can find safety and opportunity at home instead of coming to the united states. that's how we can be smarter, more effective and more humane when it comes to immigration policy. >> thank you, secretary castro. senator bennet, what's your response? >> i disagree that we should

decriminalize our border. this is personal for me. my mom's an immigrant, and she was separated from her parents during the holocaust in poland. and for those reasons i was part of the gang of eight that i wrote the immigration bill in 2013 with john mccain that passed the senate with 68 votes, that gave a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people that are here, that would pass the most progressive dream act that had ever been conceived, much less passed on the floor of the senate and had $46 billion in border security. every single democrat voted for that bill, and a lot of republicans. that should be our position. >> thank you, senator. >> that is our position. >> senator harris you have indicated that you don't think should it be a criminal offense by jail to cross this border illegally. how do you respond to senator bennet? >> again, all due respect, after the last debate, for example, i

went to a place in florida called homestead. and there is a private detention facility being paid for by your taxpayer dollars, a private detention facility that currently houses 2700 children. and by the way, there are members of us, julian was there, members of congress. they would not get us enter the place, members of the united states congress. so i walked down the road, i climbed a ladder and i looked over the fence. and i'm going to tell you what i saw. i saw children based up single file based on gender being walked into barracks. the policies of this administration had been facilitated by laws on the book. >> thank you, senator. >> that allow them to be incarcerated as though they've kmifted crimes. >> thank you, senator harris. >> and should not be treated lie criminals. >> senator bennet, what's your response? >> i think this is one in the end that we agree with. there is not a single person on this stage who if we were president would ever separate a

child from their parents at the border. and that is what this is. that is what this administration has done in the american people's name. they have turned our border into a symbol of nativist hostility. the symbol of this country before donald trump was president was the statue of liberty that should be the symbol of the united states of america, not donald trump's terrible border. >> what's your response? >> i think when you talk about whether this should be a crime, you have to remember who we're talking about. when i was at the texas border, i visited with women who had fled violence. a woman from el salvador owned a small business. gangs came to her and said if you don't give us all your money, we're going to kill your family. that's why she fled. another woman was raped. that's why she fled. so this is who we're talking about, and they're not criminals. so i believe that we should have a civil violation. no president before president trump enforced the law in the

way he has enforced it, because he is using it as the crutch to lock up women and children, to separate mothers and babies, to put them behind bars. so i don't think we should have law on the books that can be so misused. it should be a civil violation, and we should make sure that we treat people humanely. >> thank you, senator. vice president biden? in the first two years of the obama administration, nearly 800,000 immigrants were deported. far more than during president trump's first two years. with the higher deportation rates resume if you are president? >> absolutely not. number one. number two, everyone landed on the president's desk but locusts. the secretary, we sat together in many meetings. i never heard him talk about any of this. >> three billion people deportation. >> please be respectful. please continue, mr. vice

president. >> three million deportation! >> the fact is -- the fact is that -- >> i don't know if you can hear. >> we can hear fine, mr. vice president. please continue. >> the fact is what the senator from new york talked about is seeking asylum. that woman, that woman she spoke to are entitled to asylum that is not crossing the border illegally. what should we should do is flood the zone to make sure that we have people to make the decisions quickly. with regard to the secretary's point, i already proposed and passed $750 million for guatemala, el salvador and honduras to be able to change the circumstance why people fled in the first place. in addition to that, we're in a circumstance where if in fact you say you can just cross the border, what do you say to all those people around the world who in fact want the same thing, to come to the united states and make their case that they have to wait in line?

the fact of the matter is you should be able to if you cross the border illegally, you should be able to be sent back. it's a crime. it's a crime and not one that in fact -- >> thank you, mr. vice president. >> first of all, mr. vice president, it looks like one of us has learned the lessons of the past and one of us hasn't. let begin by telling you. my immigration would fix the broken immigration system. secondly, the only way we can guarantee is that these separations don't happen in the future is we need to repeal this law. there is still going to be consequences if civil action. we have 650 miles of fencing. we have planes, boats, helicopters we have security cameras. >> thank you. >> what we need are politicians

that have some guts on this issue. >> thank you, secretary. >> your response. >> i have guts enough to say his plan doesn't make sense. here's the deal. the fact of the matter is, when people cross the border illegally, it is illegal to do it unless they're seeking asylum. people should have to get in line. that's the problem. and the only reason this particular part of the law is being abused is because of donald trump. we should defeat donald trump and end this practice. [ applause ] >> thank you. congresswoman gabbard, what's your response? >> our hearts break when we see those children at these detention facilities who have been separated from their parents. when we see human beings crowded into cages in abhorrent inhumane conditions. this is about leadership and understanding that we can and should have both secure borders as well as humane immigration policies. we will have to stop separating children from their parents.

make it so it's easier for people to seek asylum in this country. make sure we are securing our borders and making it so people are able to use our legal immigration system by reforming those laws. >> mr. yang, your response. >> i'm the son of immigrants myself. my father immigrated here and generated over 65 u.s. patents for ge and ibm. i think that's a pretty good deal for the united states. that's the immigration story we need to be telling. we can't always been focusing on some of the distressed stories. if you go to a factory here in michigan, you will not find wall to wall immigrants, you will find wall to wall robots and machines. immigrants are being scapegoated for something they have nothing to do with in our economy. >> thank you, mr. yang. senator booker, you have plan that would virtually eliminate immigration detention. does that mean that the roughly 55,000 managements would be released into the united states. >> first of all, we are playing

into republican hands who have a very different view and are trying to divide us against each other. i'm listening to the language of my colleagues. no, mr. vice president, we are not going to let people cross the border. an unlawful crossing is an unlawful crossing if you do in the civil courts or the criminal courts. the criminal courts is giving donald trump the ability to truly violate the human rights of people coming to our country, who no one surrenders their human rights. and so doing it through the civil courts means you won't need these awful detention facilities that i've been to seeing children sleeping on pavement, people being put in cages, nursing mothers, small children. this is not necessary. we have seen using the civil system piloted programs that have 100% compliance with the civil courts where people are evaluated. if they have no reason to be here, they are returned.

if they are, like the people i met in juarez who were survivors of sexual assault, who we wouldn't even let come and present for asylum. we are butchering our values and making ourselves less safe. >> senator, thank you very much. mr. vice president, your response? >> i agree with you senator. the asylum process is a real process and this president is ruining it. it has nothing to do with that section of the law. that's what he is doing, number one. number two, we should in fact and we have proposed and tried to get past in your administration significantly increasing the number of legal immigrants who are able to come. this country can tolerate a heck of a lot more people. and the reason we're the country we are, is because we've been able to cherry pick from the best of every culture. immigrants built this country. that's why we're so special. it took courage. it took resilience. it took absolute confidence for them to come. we should be encourage people. >> thank you. >> and by the way, anybody who crosses the stage with a ph.d., should get a green card for seven years. we should keep them here. >> thank you, very much, mr. vice president. governor inslee, what's your

response? >> i think we're missing two central statements we need to make. number one, we can no longer allow a white nationalist to be in the white house, number one. and number two -- [ applause ] >> number two, we have to make america what it's always been, a place of refuge. we got to boost the number of people we accept. i'm proud to have been the first governor saying send us your syrian refugees. i'm proud fob the first governor to stand up against donald trump's muslim ban. i'm proud to have sued him 21 times. and beat him 21 times in a row. i'm ready for november 2020. >> go ahead, mayor de blasio, please, your response. >> two points. it's all kind of a charade because there's 11 million people here and everyone in theory has broken the law, but they're part of our communities now, they're part of our economy, they're our neighbors. why are we even discussing on one level whether it's a civil penalty or a criminal penalty when it's an american reality. and what we need is comprehensive immigration reform

once and for all to fix it. second, vice president biden, i didn't hear your response when the issue came up of all those deportations. you were vice president of the united states. i didn't hear whether you tried to stop them or not using your power in the white house. did you think it was a good idea or do you think it was something that needed to be stopped? >> the president came up with the idea of dealing with the dreamers. he put that in the law. he talked about a comprehensive plan which he put on -- laid before the congress saying that we should find a pathway to citizenship for people. he should we should up the number of people that we're able to bring into this country. lastly, he also pointed out that we should go to the source of the problem and fix it where people were leaving in the first place. he did -- compare him to donald trump, i think is absolutely bizarre. >> thank you very much. congresswoman gabbard, you're a cosponsor for the college for

all act which would make public colleges and universities free for all americans. one of the authors of that plan sanders believes college to should be tuition-free for undocumented immigrants as well. do you agree? >> i don't. i think we should look at the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country who have been suffering as they've been living in the shadows. and instead of putting a band-aid on this program, fix our legal immigration system to provide them with that pathway to legal residency or citizenship so that they're no longer treated as second class citizens in this country. we've got to look at the challenge that people all across this country are facing under crushing student debt. this is something that's impacting my generation in a huge way and i believe that it is our generation that has the bold, creative solutions to be able to solve it. this is about promise for our future. and we've got to make those kinds of investments. >> thank you, congresswoman. mayor de blasio, what's your

response? >> i agree with the congress member, but i don't hear a answer from the vice president. i'm confused. i asked the vice president if he used his power to stop those deportations. you went right around the question. mr. vice president you want to be president of the united states you need to be able to answer those tough questions. i guarantee you, if you're debating donald trump, he's not going to let you off the hook. did you say those deportations were a good idea or did you go to the president and say this is a mistake, we shouldn't do it? which one. >> i was vice president. i'm not the president. i keep my recommendation in private. unlike you, i expect you would go ahead and say whatever was said privately. that is not what i do. what i do say to you is, he moved to fundamentally change the system. that's what he did. that's what he did. but much more has to be done, much more has to be done -- >> i still don't have an answer. >> senator booker, please respond. >> a couple of things. first of all, mr. vice president, you can't visit both ways. you invoke president obama more than anybody in this campaign.

you can't do it when it's convenient and dodge it when it's not. and the second thing, and this irks me. i heard the vice president say that. if you got a ph.d., you can come right into this country. that's playing into what the republicans want, to pit some immigrants against some immigrants. some are from shit hole countries. and some are from worthy countries. we need to reform this whole immigration system and be the country that says everyone has worth and dignity and this should be a country that honors everyone. don't let the republicans divide this party against itself. >> senator, thank you. mr. vice president, your response? >> the fact is, that's what i said about this country. we are a country of immigrants, all of us, all of us. some here came against their will. others came because they in fact thought they could fundamentally change their lives and they did. the statue is "send us your." that's what we're talking about. that's what made us great. and the fact of the matter is, i think the president of the united states, barack obama, went out of his way to try to change the system and he got pushed back significantly. >> senator gillibrand, what's

your response? >> um -- [ laughter ] >> again, president trump, under his administration, seven children died in his custody. under his administration, families have been torn apart. this party is talking about real ideas for the future. we're talking about what we will do to change america. but we must not forget about our values. we used to believe in this country you should treat others the way you want to be treated. we used to believe in this country we should care about the least among us. let's remind the american people who we are, why we are democrats and why we're running for president. >> senator gillibrand, thank you very much. the debate will be right back right after this short break. [ applause ] don't miss your golden opportunity to experience our most advanced safety technology on a full line of vehicles. now, at the lexus golden opportunity sales event. lease the 2019 es 350 for $379 a month, for 36 months,

and we'll make your first month's payment. experience amazing. it's something we take personally, and believe in passionately. it's the idea that if our mothers were diagnosed with cancer, how would we want them to be treated? that's exactly how we care for you. with answers and actions. to hear your concerns, quiet your fears,

lift your spirits. with teams of cancer experts and specialists, delivering advanced treatment options and compassionate support every step of the way. all here in one place, with one purpose. to fight your cancer, together. that's the mother standard of care. this is how we inspire hope. this is how we heal. cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. ♪ how do you like it, ♪ how do you like it ♪ ♪ more, more, more ♪ how do you like it, how do you like it ♪ all you can eat is back.

how do you like that? applebee's. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood.

♪ welcome back to the cnn democratic presidential debate. we are live from detroit. i want to turn now to criminal justice, mr. vice president. senator booker called your new criminal justice reform plan, quote, an inadequate solution to what is a raging crisis in our

country, unquote. why is senator booker wrong? >> i think he is wrong. i think we should work together. he has a similar plan. we should change the way we look at prisons. right now we're in a situation where when someone is convicted of a drug crime, they end up going to jail and to prison. they should be going to rehabilitation. they shouldn't be going to prison. they should be learning to read and write. and not just sit in there and learn how to be better criminals. when they get out of prison, they should be in a situation where they have access to everything they would have had before including pell grants for education, including making sure that they're able to have public housing, including they have all the opportunities that were available to them because we want them to become better citizens. that's the essence of what my plan lays out. i'm happy to discuss it more in detail if the senator wants to. and so i -- you know, i -- anyway, that's what i think my plan -- i know what my plan does and i think it's not dissimilar to what the senator said we should be working together to get things done. >> your response?

>> my response is this is a crisis in our country because we have treated issues of race and poverty, mental health and addiction by locking people up and not lifting them up. and mr. vice president has said that since the 1970s, every major crime, every crime bill, major and minor has had his name on it. and, sir, those are your words, not mine. and this is one of those instances where the house was set on fire and you claimed responsibility for those laws. and you can't just now come out with a plan to put out that fire. we have got to have far more bold action on criminal justice reform. having -- >> thank you, senator. >> having true marijuana justice. which means we legalize it in a federal level and reinvest the -- >> thank you, senator booker. thank you, senator booker. >> in communities that have targeted by law enforcement. >> vice president biden, i want to give you a chance to respond.

>> the fact is that the bills that the president -- excuse me, that the future president here, that the senator is talking about are bills that were passed years ago and they were passed overwhelmingly. since 2007, i, for example, tried to get the crack powder cocaine disparitily totally eliminated. in 2007 you became mayor and you had a police department that you went out and hired rudy giuliani's guy and you engaged in stop and frisk. you had 75% of those stops reviewed as illegal, the justice department came after you for saying you were engaging in behavior that was inappropriate, and then in fact nothing happened. the entire time you were mayor. >> thank you -- senator booker, you want to respond? >> first of all, he endorsed my presidency already. but i'll tell you this. it's no secret i hired a police department with problems and

decades-long challenges. but the head of the aclu has already said, the head of the new jersey aclu said they put forth national accountability. mr. vice president, i didn't interrupt you. please have respect, sir. we have a system right now that's broken. and if you want to compare records, and frankly, i'm shocked that you do, i am happy to do that. because all the problems that he is talking about that he created, i actually led the bill that got passed into law that reverses the damage that your bills that you were bragging, calling it the biden crime bill up until 2015. >> thank you, senator. vice president biden? >> number one, the bill he talks about is the bill in our administration we passed. we passed that bill you added on to. that's the bill you passed. and the fact of the matter is, secondly, there is nothing done for the entire eight years he was mayor there was nothing done

to deal with the police department that was corrupt. why did you announce on the first day a zero tolerance policy of stop and frisk and hire rudy giuliani's guy in 2007 when i was trying to get rid of the -- >> mr. president, there is a saying in my community, you're dipping into the kool aid, and you don't even know the flavor. you need to come to the city and see the reforms we put in place. the head of the aclu said that i embraced reform not just in action but in deeds. you are trying to shift the view from what you created. there are people right now in prison for life, for drug offenses because you stood up and used that tough on crime phony rhetoric that got a lot of people elected but destroyed communities like mind. this isn't about the past. this is about the present right now. >> thank you, senator. >> i'm happy you evolved.

you offer nod redemption to people in prison right now. >> i want to bring in secretary castro. your response, sir? >> i agree with senator booker that a lot of what vice president helped author in '94 was a mistake. things. there are a lot of things we can talk about, sentencing reform, investing in public defenders, i'm proud that i'm the only candidate that has put forward a police reform plan. because we have a police system that is broken, and we need to fix it. whether it's the case of someone like tamir rice or michael brown, or eric garner, where the trump justice department just decided not to pursue charges. we need to ensure we have a national use of force standard and that we end qualified immunity for police officers so we can hold them accountable for using excessive force. >> i want to bring in -- i want to bring in governor inslee. your response? >> i suggest that people come out to the state of washington and see what criminal justice

reform looks like. our effort to reduce racial disparity, i'm proud i was the first governor to offer pardons to thousands of people with drug crimes. now we're vacating more tens of thousands. we've eliminated the death penalty. and importantly, we've done this, when people come out of the legal system and they've done their responsibility to the citizens, we need to make sure they can get a job. we have banned the box so that people can actually get a job when they come out. and i got to argue with my friend, secretary castro, we haven't put forward a plan, we have adopted probably one of the best police accountability measures and trainer police officers in deescalation techniques so we have less violence. >> secretary castro, your response? >> it's much more that. because what we see, this is a good example the other day of the department of justice not going after officer pantaleo.

officer pantaleo used a chokehold that was prohibited by nypd. he did that for seven seconds 11 different times eric garner said that he couldn't breathe. he knew what he was doing, killing eric garner, and yet he has not been brought to justice. that police officer should be off the street. >> mayor de blasio? mayor de blasio, why is that police officer still on the force, the one who killed eric garner? please respond. >> well, let me tell you, i know the garner family. they've gone through extraordinary pain. they're waiting for justice and they're going to get justice. there's going to be justice. i have confidence in that. in the next 30 days in new york, you know why, because for the first time we are not waiting on the federal justice department which told the city of new york that we could not proceed because the justice department was pursuing their prosecution. and years went by and a lot of the pain accrued.

and in the meantime, what i'm working on, and have i been for five years, there will never be another tragedy, there will never be another eric garner because we're changing fundamentally how we police. >> thank you. >> but there is one thing i have to say about the justice department. the vice president for two and a half years, mr. vice president, tell us what did you do to try and spur on the justice department to act in the garner case? >> thank you, mayor de blasio. vice president biden, you can respond to that. >> we did a lot. number one, we made sure we reduced the federal prison population by 38,000 people, number one. number two, we insisted that we change the roles that police engage in. we provided for body cameras, we made sure there were a lot of things that were changed in the process. 38,000 people in the federal system were released under the system. and so the fact is, that there's a lot we've done. here's the deal, the fact is that we're talking about things that occurred a long, long time ago and now all of a sudden, you know -- i find it fascinating, everybody is talking about how terrible i am on these issues.

barack obama knew exactly who i was. he had ten lawyers do a background check and everything about me on civil rights and he chose me and said it was the best decision he ever made. >> thank you, mr. vice president. mr. yang, your response? . >> mr. yang, your response? >> i speak for everyone watching, i would trust everyone on this stage before i would trust our current president on matters of justice. we have to focus on beating donald trump in 2020. i want to share a story that a corrections officer said to me. he said, we should pay people to stay out of jail. we think we're saving money. we spend the money in dark and punitive ways. we should put money in people's hands when they come out of prison. >> you heard mayo de blasio respond on why the police

officer who killed eric gardner is still on the nypd. was that response adequate? please respond. >> no. he should be fired. he should be fired now. i sat down with eric gardner's mother. when you have lost your son, when he begged for breath, when you know because you have a video, when you know because he said, i can't breathe, so many times, over and over again. when you know, he used an illegal chokehold, that person should be fired. and if i was the mayor, i would fire him. as president, i would make sure we had a full investigation, the report would be made public. and if i wasn't satisfied, we would have a consent degree. >> i want to bring in senator harris now. senator harris, you've been critical of vice president biden's policies on race. specifically on the issue of bussing in the 1970s, having benefited from bussing when you were a young child. vice president biden says your

current position on bussing, you're opposed to federal lly mandated bussing, that your position is the same as his position. is that false? >> that is false. let's look at this. when vice president was opposing bussing, the vehicle by which we would integrate america's public schools. if i was in the senate, i would have been on the other side of the aisle. had the segregationists their way, i would not be a member of the united states senate. cory booker would not be a member of the united states senate. and barack obama would not the in a position to nominate him to the title he now holds. on that issue, we could not be more apart, which is, the vice president has still failed to acknowledge that it was wrong to take the position that he took at that time.

now, i would like to talk about this conversation about eric gardner. i met with his mother. one of the things we have to be clear about is this president of the united states, donald trump, while he has been in office, has quietly been allowing the united states department of justice to shut down consent decrees, to stop pattern investigations, on that case we know the civil rights division -- this is important. the civil rights division should have been filed. but this united states justice department, usurped, and i believe it's because the president do not want the charges to go forward and it overrode the department of justice. under my administration, the civil rights division will reign and it will be independent investigations. >> senator biden, i want to give you a chance to respond to what senator harris just said. >> when senator harris was the attorney general for eight years in california, there were two of

the most segregated school districts in the country, in los angeles and in san francisco. i didn't see a single, solitary time she brought a case to desegregate them. also, she had a police department when she was there, that, in fact, was abusing people's rights. and the fact was, she was told by her own people that her own staff, that she should do something about it and disclose to defense attorneys like me, that you, in fact, the police officer did something that did not give you information that will exculpate your client. she didn't do that. what happened? along came a federal judge and he said enough is enough and freed 1,000 of these people. google 1,000 prisoners freed cameca kamala harris. >> that is simply not true. and attorney general where i ran the second-largest

department of justice, second only to the united states department of justice, i am proud of the work we did, work that has received national recogniti recognition, reforming a criminal justice system and cleaning up the consequences of the bills you passed when you were in the senate for decades. it was the work of creating one of the first in the nation initiatives around former offenders and getting them jobs and counseling. i did the work of putting body cameras on special agents. >> i want to bring in congresswoman gabbert. you called it a, quote, false accusation that joe bide season a racist. >> i want to talk about the system that is disproportiona disproportionately around the country.

kamala harris says she has her record. there's too many to cite. she put people in jail for marijuana violations and laughed about it when asked if she smokes marijuana. she blocked evidence that would have freed a man from death row until the courts would have forced her to do so. she kept people on in prisons to use them as cheap labor in californ california. and she has a system in place that impacts poor people in the worst kind of way. >> thank you. senator harris, your response? >> as the elected attorney general of california, i did the work of significantly reforming the criminal justice system of a state of 40 million people, that became a national model for the work that needs to be done. and i am proud of that work. i'm proud of making a decision, to not just give fancy speeches or be in a legislative body.

but actually doing the work, of being in the position, of using the power i have to reform the system that's badly in need of reform. we were reforming our offenders and getting them counseling. it is why i know that system is so broken, i'm an advocate for what we need to decriminalize and legalize marijuana in the united states. >> i want to bring in congressman gabbard back in. >> when you were in a position to make a difference and impact these people's lives, you did not. and worse yet, for the people who were on death row, innocent people. you blocked evidence from being revealed that would have freed them until you were forced to do so. there is no excuse for that. and the people who suffered under your reign as prosecutor, you owe them an apology. >> senator harris? >> my entire career, i have been personally opposed to the death penalty. that's never changed.

and i dare anybody in a position to make that decision to face the people i have faced to say, i will not seek the death penalty. that's my background. that's my work. i am proud of it. i think you can judge people by when they are under fire. it's not about a fancy opinion on a stage. when they are in a position to make a decision, what do they do? when i was in a position to seek a death penalty on cases i prosecuted, i made a difficult decision that was not popular to not seek the death penalty. history shows that. >> senator bennett, a question for you. why are you the best candidate to heal the racial divide that exists in this country today, that's been stoked by the president's racist rhetoric? >> first of all, the racist rhetoric should be enough gro d grounds in this country, to vote him out of office. that one thing should be enough. second, don, i want to answer

your question by tagging on the question we were just having. this is the fourth debate we have had and the second time we have been debating what people did 50 years ago with bussing, when our schools are as segregated today as they were 50 years ago. we need a conversation about what's happening now. when there's a group of kids that don't get preschool because of no fault of their own, and another does, equal is not equal. and we have k-12 schools that are good because families can spend a million bucks. and you have the detroit public schools as segregated as they were, equal is not equal. and let me tell you something else, don. i believe you can draw a straight line from slavery through jim crow through the banking and the red lining and the mass incarceration we were talking about on this stage a few minutes ago.

you know what line i can draw, 66% of people in our prisons dropped out of high school. let's fix our school system and maybe we can fix the prison pipeline that we have. >> thank you, senator bennett. governor inslee. governor inslee, please respond. >> i approach this question with humility. i have not experienced what many americans have. i have never been a black teenager pulled over in a white neighborhood. i've never been a woman pulled over in a meeting. i've never been an lgbt subject responding to a slur. we talked on the way, including ending the school-to-prison pipeline in my state. i want to say this. and this is a common error, that every senator on this stage, as much as i respect them all, they

all have an enormous error that's going to prevent our party from making any progressive progress in the united states. it is this. we are all going to work like the dickens to get more democrats elected to the senate, right? we are going to do that. and i hope we succeed. if we get a majority in the u.s. senate, because of the position of these senators, not a damn thing is going to get done. and i'll tell you why. with all their good intentions, but because they embrace this majority thing called the fi filibust filibuster, mitch mcconnell is going to run the senate if we take a majority. we have to get rid of the filibuster. >> mr. yang, why are you the best candidate to heal the racial divide in america? your response? >> i pent seven years running a

nonprofit that helped create thousands of jobs, including hundreds in detroit, including baltimore, cleveland, new orleans. and the racial disparities are worse than i imagined. a study came out that projected the average african-american median net worth will be zero by 2053. you have to ask how is that only possible? we're in the midst of the greatest economic transformation in history. it's going to displace call workers, including this one. and you know who suffers most in a natural disaster, people of color, people of lower levels of capital and education and resources. what are we going to do about it we should go back to the writes of martin luther king, saying we need a guaranteed minimum income in the united states of america. that's the best way to address racial inequality.

>> thank you very much. secretary castro, after the president's racist tweets attacking baltimore and elijah cummings, the mayor of baltimore said to the president, help us. send the resources that we need to rebuild america. so, what would you do for baltimore and other cities that need help? >> first of all, the president is a racist. that was one more example of it. whether it's baltimore or cities like detroit, they have tremendously rich in history and culture and also in possibility. here's what i would do if i'm president. i would invest in tremendous opportunity. universal pre-k for everyone. and make education available to everyone, through division and job training and certification programs. i would follow up on the work i

did at hud. we passed a sweeping rule to desegregate our communities in the united states. this trump administration set that back. i would put that back in order. i would invest in housing that is affordable. folks know the rent is going through roof. we need to make sure that you don't have to get out of west baltimore or inner city detroit or the west side of san antonio or anywhere, if you want to reach your american dream. i want you to accomplish it in your great neighborhood where you are. >> thank you, secretary castro. senator gillibrand, what is your response? >> i don't believe it's the response of cory and kamala to be the only voice that takes on these issues of institutional racism. i think as a white woman of privilege, a u.s. senator running for president of the united states, it's my responsibility to lift up the voices that aren't being listened to. and i can talk to the white women in the suburbs that voted

for trump and explain to them what privilege is, when their son is walking down the street wearing a hoodie, his whiteness protects him from not being shot. when his -- when their child has a car that breaks down, and he knocks on someone's door for help, and the door opens and the help is given, it's his whiteness that protects him from being shot. that's what white privilege in america is today. my responsibilities to not only lift up those stories but explain to communities across america, like i did in youngstown, ohio, to a young mother, this is all of our responsibility. and together, we can make our community stronger. >> let's turn to the issue of the climate crisis. the united states says the world needs to cut all carbon emiss n emissions by 2050 or risk facing disastrous consequences. governor inslee, many of your candidates say climate change is the biggest threat facing the

country. you are calling it the number one priority in your campaign. what do you know that the others don't? >> i know the firsthand impact of climbed change on americans in america already. the family i saw with their aluminum home, now just a pile of aluminum, they lost everything in the paradise fires, the nonprofit in davenport, iowa, that was washed away in the floods. we have to act now. climate change is not a singular issue. it's all the issues that we democrats care about. it's health. it is national security. it is our economy. we know this, little ground solutions like the vice president has proposed or midly, average-sized things, are not going to save us. too little too late is too

dangerous. we have to have a bold plan. mine has been called the gold standard. we need to embed environmental justice. i was in zip code 48217, in the detroit neighborhood, next to an oil refinery where the kids have asthma and they have cancer clusters. and talking to these folks, i believe this. it doesn't matter where your zip code is, you ought to have clean air and clean water in america. >> vice president biden, i would like to hear you respond. i wou governor inslee said your plan is middling. >> i call for immediate action to be taken. we are responsible for 15% of all of the pollution in the country. he's right about how it affects people and neighborhoods. 85% of it is something i helped negotiate. that was the paris climate

accord. we should up the ante as it calls for. i would raise the standard. i would invest $400 billion. >> thank you, sir. >> in research for new alternatives to deal with climate change. and that's better than any other person. >> the important number in vice president biden's response, is that it's only 15% of emissions. if we curb our emissions, the earth is going to get warmer. the last four years have been the four warmest years in recorded history. this is a tough truth. we are too late. we're ten years too late. we need to do everything we can to move the climate in the right direction and we need to move our people to higher ground. >> i was challenged by the vice

president. can i be heard? >> go ahead, governor. >> these deadlines are set by science. your argument is not with me, it's with science. unfortunately, your plan is too late. the science tells us, we need to get off coal in ten years. we have to be off of fossil fuels an our electrical grid in 15. i heard you say we need a realistic plan. i believe that survival is realistic. and that's the plan we need. and that's the kind i have. >> my plan calls for 500,000 charging stations around the country. so by 2030, we're all electric vehicles. my plan calls for being sure we have $400 billion invested in technologies learned. how to contain what we are doing. we will end any subsidies for coal or fossil fuel. we have to engage the world

while we're doing it. we have to walk and chew gum at the same time. >> just to clarify, would would there be any place for fossil fuels, including coal and fracking in a biden administration? >> no. we would work it out. make sure it's eliminated and no subsidies for either of those. >> we cannot work it out. we can't work this out. the time is up. our house is on fire. we need to stop using coal in ten years. and we need a president to do it or it won't get done. >> senator harris, your response? >> i have to agree with governor inslee. we currently have a president in the white house who does not understand the science. he's been pushing science fiction instead of science fact. the guy things that wind

turbines cause cancer but it causes jobs. and the reality is, i would take any democrat on this stage over the current president of the united states who is rolling it back to our collective peril. we must have and adapt a green new deal. i would reenters us in the paris agreement. >> i want to talk about that with senator gillibrand. you're co-sponsor of the green new deal, which includes the guarantee of a job with medical leave, paid vacations and retirement security for everyone in america. explain how that is realistic. >> so, the first thing i'm going to do when i'm president, is i'm going to glor rocks the oval office. the second thing i'm going to do is that i will reengage climbed change. i will lead a worldwide conversation about the urgency of this crisis. the greatest threat to humanity

is global climbed change. i visited a family in iowa, whose water spewed into her home. it tossed her refrigerator upend, all of the furniture was broken, all of the dishes were broken and mud was everywhere. that's the impact on severe weather on families' lives. we need a robust solution. when john f. kennedy said i want to put a man on the moon in the next ten years, not becausize it's zest aye, but because it's hard. he knew it would be a demonstration to galvanize worldwide competition. he wanted to have a space race with russia. why not have a green energy race with china? why not have clean air and water for all americans? why not rebuild our infrastructure? why not invest in green jobs? i will pass it and put a price on carbon. >> thank you, senator. congresswoman gabbard, you are not a co-sponsor of the green

new deal, please respond. >> this is personal. i grew up in hawaii, the most remote island chain in the world. for us, growing up there protecting our environment was not a political issue. it's a way of life. it's part of her culture, who we are. as a member of congress, before there was a green, new deal, i introduced the most ambitious climate change. that laid out an actionable plan to take us from where we are today to transition off of fossil fuels and invest in green renewable energy. invest in the infrastructure we need to deal with the problems and the challenges that climate is posing to us today. >> senator booker, is the green new deal realistic? >> i agree with governor inslee. that's why greenpeace ranks me and him at the top of this field

of the candidates on climbed. >> second, but close. thank you. thank you. i'll try harder. the reason why is, first of all, this problem didn't start yesterday. science didn't become a reality yesterday. there was a president that didn't want to join the accord. it was the kyoto award. i was mayor there. climate change is not a separate issue. nobody should get applause for rejoining the paris climate accords. we have to make sure that everything from our trade deals, the billions of dollars we spend on foreign aid, everything must be supplementated to the climbed issue. the only way we're going to deal

with this is if the united states leads. >> thank you, senator. mayor de blasio, your administration has come under fire after hundreds of children living in new york city public housing tested positive for elevated levels of lead. as you know, we're not far from flint, michigan, where residents are dealing with consequences of having lead in the drinking water. how can you assure the people of flint and across the nation, that you are the right person to handle such a problem? >> we have a huge problem. and it's deck kaades old in new york. we've declared the eradication of all lead, eliminating lead poisoning as the goal of our administration. lead poisoning has gone down 90% since 2005. we're going to bring it down to zero. we're going to go into every place, buildings, schools, public housing, and take out the lead once and for all.

that needs to be done all over this country. the federal government used to not take any responsibility for our public housing. for decades, they've been disinvesting in the public housing that was supposed to be a federal responsibility. that's why we have a lead crisis to begin with. i'm in charge of the largest city in this nation. you do not accept the status quo. you fix it. so, we're going into every one of those apartments to make sure those children and those families are safe. then, we are going to eradicate the lead once and for all. this should be a mandate to do it for every place in this country. >> help folks get water filters. we improved the standard of how

we deal with blood lead levels in children. a lot of people don't know this is a major problem out there. i was back in flint about six weeks ago. the plan was to add $50 million. we need to do it and we can do it and i will do it. >> thank you. donald trump won in michigan by 16 percentage points that was critical to winning the state's 16 electoral votes. now, there's a debate about the best way to democrats can win back michigan. vice president biden, last night on this stage, elizabeth warren said, we're not going to fix the problems we face with small ideas and spinelessness. we're going to stop them by being the democratic party of big, structural change. what do you say to progressives to energy the progressive wing

of your party, which you will need to beat donald trump? >> because we dead id it. i was asked to manage an $87 billion plan to be spent in the total of 18 months, that revived this state and many others. because -- and it kept us out of a depression. with 0.2% waste of fraud. and i was part of the organization within our administration, that pushed bailing gm bail ing general motors, out, saving tens of thousands of jobs in this state. number three, i was asked as the mayor of detroit can tell you, to help detroit get out of bankruptcy and back on its feet. i spent a better part of two years out here working to make sure it did exactly that. we invested in this city, on transportation. the point is, we made significant investments in this

city. i suspect that's why the mayor endorsed me. >> senator gillibrand, what's your response? >> to the people of michigan, i know how i would beat president trump. i took a bus tour. he promised no bad trade deals. he started a trade war with china and signed on with nafta 2.0, a giveaway to drug companies in mexico. i took the pus to michigan, to ohio and pennsylvania, telling people he's broken his promises to them. i listened to their concerns and offered real solutions. i've done this before. my first house district i ran in, was a 2-1 republican district. i won it twice. i haven't lost an election since. i can bring people together in red, purple and blue areas. and i can get things done. >> mr. yang, in poll after poll, democratic voters saying having

a nominee to beat president trump, is more important to them than having a nominee that agrees on major issues. and right now, they say the candidate who has the best chance of doing that, of beating president trump, is vice president biden. why are they wrong? >> i'm building a coalition of disaffected trump voters, independents and conservatives. i think i'm the capped date best suited to beat president trump. as to how to win in michigan, ohio and pennsylvania, so many feel like the economy has left them behind. we have to say, look, there's record high gdp and stock market prices. you know what else is record high? suicides, drug overdoses, and anxiety. and i like to talk about my wife, who is at home with our two boys right now, one of whom is autistic. what does her work count in today's economy? zero. that's the opposite of the truth. her work is the most challenging

and vital. we redefine economic progress to the people in michigan and all of us. our well-being, our mental health, our clean air and clean water. how our kids are doing. if we change our measurements around our own well-being, we will win this election. >> congresswoman gabbard, your response? >> donald trump won this election because too many people in this country felt like they had been left behind by both political parties. by self-serving politicians on both sides who are more interested in partisan politics than they are fighting for the people. i'm speaking the truth to people all across this country, about the fact that people in flint, michigan, are being left behind, being poisoned by the water in their system. every month, we're spending $4 billion on a continuing war in afghanistan. $4 billion every single month.

rather than ending that war, bringing our troops home and using those precious resources into serving the needs of the people, here in this country. people and communities like -- that's the leadership i will bring. >> i'm grateful, jake. look, this is one of those times when we're not tear staring at the truth and calling it out. this is a case where the truth will set us yes. we lost the state of michigan because everybody from republicans to russians were targeting the suppression of african-american voters. we need to say that. if the african-american voter was in this state like it was four years earlearlier, we woul have won michigan. the highest performing voter group in our coalition, which is black women. i will be a person who fries to fight against voter sus

presentati suppression that is going to win michigan, pennsylvania and wisconsin. >> senator harris? >> first of all, donald trump came in making a lot of promises to working people he did not keep. he said he was going to help farmers and auto workers. farmers are looking at bankruptcy. soybeans rotting in bails. auto workers, hundreds of thousands out of work. jerome powell dropped the interest rates and he admitted why. the so-called trade policy has been nothing more than the trump trade tax that has been american families spending $1.4 billion a month on everything from shampoo to washing machines. he betrayed american families and he will lose this election because folks are clear that he has done nothing but try to beat people down instead of lift people up. and that's what we want in the

next president of the united states. >> thank you, senator harris. the debate is back after this short break. anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee they use stamps.com all the services of the post office only cheaper get a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again.

and my side super soft? be firm? get a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale with the sleep number 360 smart bed you can both... adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. so, can it help us fall asleep faster? yes, by gently warming your feet. but can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. will it help me keep up with him? yup. so, you can really promise better sleep? not promise... prove. and now, save up to $600 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. plus no interest until january 2022 on all smart beds.

only for a limited time.

and we're back with the cnn democratic presidential debate. we want to turn, now, to the economy. secretary castro, this is for you. wage growth is up. stocks are rising. unemployment is near historic lows, including for

african-americans and latinos. you all have outlined plans but you, in particular, could raise taxes. how do you guarantee that won't hurt the economy? >> first of all, there's a lot of americans that are hurting. just ask the folks that received the notice they will get laid off by general motors. or ask the folks sleeping on the streets in big cities and small towns across the united states, or fast food workers that are working for minimum wage and can't provide for their families or pay the rent. the idea that america is doing just fine is wrong, not only that. this president always likes to take credit, like he did this. we have now had about 105-straight months of positive job growth. over 80 months of that was due to president barack obama. thank you, barack obama. thank you, barack obama.

i believe we need to invest in what can ensure americans to prosper in the months to come. ensuring that they can afford the rent where they live. and that that they have health care, so they don't have to worry about going homeless because they can't afford a immediate cal procedure. >> thank you, secretary. many saw the partnership issue as something that would be a critical tool to deal with the rise of china. you were against it. how would you assure that the united states is going to remain competitive on the world stage? >> by pushing for fair trade. not give trade deals that give away the sovereignty the american people and our country that threaten our jobs and the environment. that's the issues with the trade deal, the transpacific

partnership. it gave away our sovereignty to a panel of international corporations, whose rulings would supersede a domestic law that we would pass. this is dangerous and goes against the values that we have as a country. to speak to the fact it would have a negative impact on domestic jobs and it lacked clear protections for our environment. these are the things we need to keep to the forefront as we look to enact fair trade deals with other countries to be a thriving part of our global economy. >> to be clear, congresswoman, would you keep president trump's tariffs on china in place? >> i would not because the approach that president trump has taken has been extremely volatile without any clear strategic plan. and it has a ravaging and devastating effect on our domestic manufacturers, on our farmers who are struggling, and now, failing to see the light of day because of the plan that trump has taken.

>> vice president biden, would you regain the transpacific partnership, that president trump withdrew from? >> i would renegotiate it. we make up 25% of the world's economy. either china will write the rules for the road or we are. we have to join with the 40% of the world we had with us. and this time, make sure there's no one sitting at that table doing the deal unless environmentalists are there and labor is there. and to make sure that we equip our workers first to compete, by investing in them now. in the things to make them more competitive. that's what we have to do. otherwise, they are going to write the rules of the road. we must have the rest of the world join us to keep them in check from abusing them. >> vice president biden, just to be clear, would you or would you not rejoin the ttp? >> i would not regain the ttp as it was put forward. i would insist that we renegotiate pieces of that with

the pacific nations that we had in south america and north america, so that we can bring them together to hold china accountable for the rules of us setting the rules of the road, as to how trade should be conducted. otherwise, they will do exactly what they're doing, fill the vacuum and run the table. >> thank you, sir. mayo de blasio, you also oppose the deal. please respond. >> i want to ask this question of all of the candidates but particularly of vice president biden, president trump is trying to sell nafta 2.0. it's just as dangerous as the old nafta. it will take away american jobs. we cannot have democrats be party to a new nafta. vice president, you're the only person on the stage that voted for the original nafta, can you say you would oppose a new nafta and what you believe in, what a lot of us hope for, is trade treaties that empower organized labor across the boundaries of the world and give working

people power again. >> vice president, your response? your response, sir? >> yes. >> that's it. >> he said, would i insist that labor be engaged. the answer is yes. >> i consider that a victory. >> well i love your affection for me. you spend a lot of time with me. >> you know what? we believe in redemption at this party. >> i hope you're part of it. >> i want to ask a question of senator bennett. cnn reached out to primary voters for the most pressing question. ferris from flint, michigan, has this question. here in detroit, we have seen firsthand how it can displace workers and create uncertainty about human job security. how would you balance the disruptions created by technology, on our economy? >> this goes to the last

question. how do we remain competitive? it's not just about trade we were talking about earlier, whether we're going to invest in this country anymore. since 2001, we have cut $5 trillion worth of taxes. almost all of that has gone to the wealthiest people in america. we've made the income inequality worse, not better, through the policies of the federal government. we spent $5.6 trillion in the middle east. that's $12 trillion or $13 trillion, from the point of view of driving the economy in michigan, or anywhere else in america, we might as well have lit that money on fire. we have to stop doing that. and we need to invest in america, again. for the money that we spent, i just described, we could have fixed every bridge and road in this country. we could have fixed every airport that needs to be fixed. we could have fixed, not just

flint, but every water system in this country. we could have made social security solvent for my children. but we did none of it because of self-serving politicians in washington, d.c., who voted for deals that were good for them but not for michigan or the american people. >> your time is up, sir. mr. yang? mr. yang, women on average, earn 80 cents, about 80 cents, for every dollar earned by men. senator harris wants to fine companies that don't close their gender pay gaps. do you think that a stiff fine will change how companies pay employees? >> i've seen the inequities where women are concerned. we have to do more at every step. if you're a woman entrepreneur, the obstacles start at home and if you seek an investor, they might not look like you. in order to give women a leg up,

we have to think about women in every situation, including the ones who are in exploittive and abusive jobs and relationships around the country. i'm talking about the waitress who is getting harassed by her boss at the diner who might have a business idea, but is struuck where she is. we have to give women the economic freedom to improve their situations and start businesses. and the best way to do this is to put a dividend of $1,000 a month in their hands. it would be a game-changer for women around the country. women do more of the unrecognized and uncompensated work in our society. it will not change unless we change it. i say that's what we do. >> senator harris, your response. >> i think that supported my proposal, which is this. since 1963, when we passed the equal pay act, we have been talking about women not being paid for the same work. black women, 61 cents. native american, 58 cents.

latinas, 53 cents. i'm done with the conversation. i'm proposing in order to deal with this, one, i'm going to require corporations to post on their website, whether they are paying women equally for equal work. two, they will be fined for every 1% differential between what they're paying men and women. they will be fined 1% of the previous year's profits. that will get everybody's attention. time for action. >> senator gillibrand. will fining companies help solve the problem? >> i think we have to have a broader conversation about whether we value women and whether we want to make sure women have every opportunity in the workplace. i want to address vice president biden directly. when the senate was debating middle class affordability for child care, he wrote an op-ed. he voted against it. he wrote in an op-ed, he believed that women working outside the home would, quote, create the deterioration of

family. he also said that women who were working outside of the woman were avoiding responsibility. i need to understand, as a woman who has worked my entire career, my second son, henry, is here. and i had him when i was a member of congress. so, under vice president biden's analysis, am i serving in congress resulting in the deterioration of the family because i had access to quality, affordable day care. i want to know what he meant when he said that. >> that was a long time ago. and here's what it was about. it would have given people making, today, $100,000 a year, a tax break for child care. i did not want that. i wanted the child care to go to people making less than $100,000. and that's what it was about. as a single father, who, in fact, raised three children, for five years by myself, i have some idea what it costs. i support making sure that

every, single person needing child care get an $8,000 tax credit now. that would put 700,000 woman back to work and increase the gdp by 0.8%. if we can give tax breaks to corporations for these things, why can't we do it this way? >> you didn't answer my question. what did you mean when you said, when a woman works outside the home, it's resulting in, quote, the deterioration of family? and we're avoiding -- >> no -- >> these are quotes. it was the title of the op-ed. that causes concern for me. we know women are working. four out of ten moms have to work. they're the primary or sole wage earners. eight out of ten moms have to work together. many women want to be working to provide for their communities. >> thank you, senator. let the vice president respond. >> either you don't believe it today? >> in the beginning, my deceased

wife worked and raised our children. the situation is one that i don't know what's happened. i wrote the violence against women act. i was deeply involved in making sure there was equal pay events. i wanted to make sure that women were treated decently on college campuses. you came to syracuse university with me and said it was wonderful. i'm passionate about the concern to make sure that women are treated equally. i don't know what's happened but you're now running for president. >> i understand. mr. vice president -- mr. vice president -- i respect you deeply. i respect you deeply. but those words are very specific. you said women working outside the home would lead to the deterioration of family. my grandmother worked outside the home. my mother worked outside the home. >> thank you, senator gillibr d

gillibrand. i want to bring senator harris in the conversation. >> he no longer believes it. >> i never believed it. >> senator harris, please respond. >> talk about running for president, and you change your position. on the hyde amendment, vice president, where you made a decision for years to withhold resources to poor women to have access to reproductive health care and including women who were the victim les of rape and incest, do you now say that you have evolved and you regret that? you've only -- since you've been running for president this time, said that you -- you in some way, would take that back or department agree with the decision you made over many, many years. and this directly impacted so many women in our country. and i personally prosecuted rape cases and child molestation cases. and the experience that those women have, the children have, and they would be denied the resources, i think is unacceptable. >> let the vice president

respond. >> the senator knows that is my position. everybody on this stage has been in the congress. the hyde amendment in the past, was available because there was other access for those kinds of services provided privately. but once i wrote the legislation making sure that every, single woman would, in fact, have an opportunity to have health care paid for by the federal government, everyone, that that could no longer stand. i support a woman's right to choose. i support a constitutional right. i've supported it. i will continue to support it. and i will, in fact, move as president, to see, too, that the congress legislates that is the law, as well. >> why did it take so long to change your position on the hyde amendment? why did it take so long to change your position? >> there was not full federal funding for all reproductive services prior to this point. >> okay. >> thank you. governor inslee, your response? >> i would suggest we need to

broaden our discussion. i would suggest we need to think about a bigger scandal in america, which is, in professions and procedure caree women have been more than the majority, they have always been almost underpaid. that's why i'm proud to be the governor who won the largest pay increase for our educators in the united states. i believe that is long, long overdue. i think it is true for nursing staff, as well. i glad we've passed measures. i'm glad we've increased our union membership by 10%. >> i want to turn to foreign policy. senator booker, there's about 14,000 u.s. service members in afghanistan right now. if elected, will they be in afghanistan by the end of your first year in office? >> i want to say clearly i will not do foreign policy by tweet, as donald trump seems to do all

the time. a guy that tweets out that we're pulling troops out before generals know about it is creating a dangerous situation for our troops in places like afghanistan. i will bring our troops home. and i will bring them home as quickly as possible. i will not set, during a campaign, an artificial deadline. i will make sure we do it, do it expeditiously, and do it safely, not to create a vacuum that will destabilize the middle east, and maybe to stop the environment to continue. >> this is real in a way that is difficult to convey in worlds. i was deployed in iraq. and served in a field unit where i saw the high cost of war. this past week, two more of our soldiers were killed in afghanistan. my cousin is deployed to

afghanistan right now. 300,000 of hawaii national guard members. 14,000 service members are deployed them. this is not arbitrary deadlines. this is about leadership, the leadership to do the right thing, to bring our troops home within the first year in office because they shouldn't have been there this long. for too long we have had leaders who have been arbitrating foreign policy from ivory towers in washington, without any idea about the cost and the consequence, the toll that it takes on our service members, on their families. we have to do the right thing. end these wasteful regime change wars and bring our troops home. >> thank you, congresswoman. mr. yang, iran has breached the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, after president trump withdrew the u.s. from the deal. that puts iran closer to building a nuclear weapon, the ability to do so, at the very least. you said if iran violates the agreement, the u.s. would need to respond, quote, very

strongly. how would a president yang respond right now? >> i would move to de-escalate tensions in iran. they are responding to the fact we pulled out of this agreement. it wasn't just us and iran. there were other world powers that were part of that agreement. we would have to re-enter that agreement, and renegotiate the timelines because the timelines don't make as much sense. but i've signed a pledge to end the prefer wars. right now, our strength abroad reflects our strength at home. what's happened, really? we've fallen a i part at home and elected donald trump. now we have an erratic, unpredictable relationship with our partners and allies. we need to solve the problems right here at home. we spend trillions of dollars and last thousands of lives in conflicts that have unclear benefits. we've been in a constant state of war for 18 years. this is not what the american people want. i would bring the troops home. i would de-escalate tensions with iran. and i would invest in our own

communities. >> governor inslee, your response? >> i think that these are matters of great and often difficult judgment. there's no primer for presidents to read. we have to determine if a potential president has adequate judgment in these decisions. i was wione of two members to me a judgment on the iraq war. i was a new member of congress and i made the right judgment because it was obvious to me that george bush was fanning the flames of war. now, we face similar situations, where we recognize -- we have a president who would be willing to beat the drums of war. we need a president who can stand up against the drums of war and make rational decisions. >> thank you, governor. vice president biden he was suggesting that you made the wrong decision and mad bad judgment when you voted to go to war in iraq as a u.s. senator.

>> i did make a bad judgment, trusting the president saying he was only doing this to get the inspectors in and get the u.n. to put inspectors in. from the moment "shock and awe" started, i was opposed to the effort and outspoken as much as anyone at all in the congress and administration. secondly, i was asked by the president in the first meeting we had on iraq, he turned and said, joe, get our combat troops out, in front of the national security team. one of the proudest moments i had in my life was to tell everyone -- all our combat troops are coming home. i opposed the surge in afghanistan. this long overdue, we should not have gone into afghanistan. >> thank you, mr. vice president. i want to bring in -- i would like to bring in the person on the stage that served in iraq, congresswoman gabbard. your response to what vice president biden just said? >> we were all lied to. this is the betrayal.

the betrayal of the american people, we were all lied to. told that saddam hussein had weapons of mass destruction, was working with al qaeda and this posed a threat to the american people. enlisted after 9/11, to protect our country, to go after those who attacked us on that fateful day, that took the lives of thousands of americans. the problem is, that this current president is continuing to bestray us. we were supposed to be going after al qaeda. but over years now, not only have we not gone after al qaeda, who is stronger today than they were in 9/11, our president is supporting al qaeda. >> thank you, congresswoman. >> let's talk about iran. >> didn't talk about iran. we're on a march to war in iran right now. >> follow the rules. >> i respect the rules. but we have to discuss the war in iran. >> we're going to talk about another subject. i appreciate that. let's talk about robert mueller's appearance in front of congress last week.

when asked if the president could be charged with a crime after leaving office, his answer was, yes. senator harris, you've criticized president trump for interfering with the justice department. and you said, if you were elected president, your justice department would have no choice, and should go forward with an obstruction of justice charges against former president trump. why is it okay for you to advocate for the justice department to prosecute somebody, but president trump, not him? >> i would never direct the department of justice to do what it believes it should do. we all watched his testimony. i read the report. there are ten clear incidents of obstruction of justice by this president. and he needs to be held accountable. i've seen president go to prison for far less. and the reality is, that we have a person in the white house right now, who has been shielded by a memo in the united states department of justice, that says a sitting president cannot be indicted. i believe the american people are right to say there should be

consequence and accountability for everyone and no one is above the law, including the president of the united states. >> senator booker, your response? >> my response is exactly that. i read the report. i've read the redacted versions of the report. we have asking that is astonishing going on in the united states of america. we have a president that's not acting like the leader of the free world. he's acting like an authoritarian against the constitution he swore to uphold. i believe that we, in the united states congress, should start impeachment proceedings immediately. and i'll tell you this -- debbie stabenow has joined my call for starting impeachment proceedings. he's stonewalling congress. we swore an oath to uphold the constitution. when we look back in history

when a president of the united states started acting more like an authoritarian leader than the leader of the free world, the question is what did we do? >> senator booker, thank you very much. secretary cost r secretary castro, what's your response? >> i agree. i called for proceedings. there's ten instances that robert mueller pointed out where this president obstructed justice or attempted to obstruct justice. as for what my department of justice would do, i agree with those that say a president should not direct an attorney general, specifically to prosecute or not prosecute. however, i believe that the evidence is plain and clear. if it gets that far, you're likely to see a prosecution of donald trump. >> mayor de blasio, what's your response? >> i think it's obvious at this point in our history, that the president has committed crimes worthy of impeachment.

while we move, every way we can for impeachment, we have to remember at the same time, the american people are out there looking for us to do something for them in their lives. and what they see when they turn on the tv or go online, is just talk about impeachment. we need more talk about working people and their lives. for example, are we really ready -- and i ask people on the stage this question. are we ready to make sure that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes? that's something that every american wants to know about. that's something they want answers to right now. move for impeachment. but don't forget to do the people's business and stand up for working people. that's how we beat donald trump. the best impeachment is beating him in the election of 2020. >> senator bennett, how do you respond to this conversation? >> as we go forward, we need to recognize a practical reality. we're four months away. we got the august recess. we were four months away from the iowa caucuses. and i want to make sure whatever

we do doesn't end up with an acquittal by mitch mcconnell in the senate, which it surely would. and president trump would be running, saying he had been acquitted by the united states congress. i believe we have a moral obligation to beat donald trump. he has to be a single term president. and we can't do anything that plays into his hands. we were talking about climate. donald trump should be the last climate denier in the white house. >> thank you, senator. >> we have to be smart how we're running. >> i believe that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. we have an election coming up. at the same time, senator, i think that too many folks in the senate and the congress have

been spooked since 1988. i believe the times are different. and i believe that folks are making a mistake by not pursuing impeachment. the mueller report details he deserves it. what's going to happen in the mall of next year, of 2020, if they don't impeachment, he's going to say, you see? the democrats didn't go after me on these folks that always investigate me, when it came down to it, they didn't go after me there because i didn't do anything wrong. conversely, if mitch mckanl is the one who lets him off the hook, they're going to say, his friend mitch mcconnell, moscow mitch, let him off the hook. >> i don't disagree with that. you just said it better than i did. we have to walk and chew gum at the same time. it is incredibly unusual for members of congress to be able to do that and i'm glad that secretary castro has the -- >> my brother can.