this is "nightline." tonight democratic showdown. the raceol aad on a crowded stage against the backdrop of a growing impeachment storm. >> no one is above the law, and that includes the president of the united states. >> pushing policy and taking swipes. >> i don't need lessons from you on courage. >> but the political spotlight shining on the son of one front-runner. hunter biden facing backlash for past business dealings. >> did you and your father ever discuss ukraine? >> how will this shake-up shape up the race for the presidency? plus, beautiful on the outside. on the ice with adam rippon, winning world.

the former olympic skater revealing in a new memoir, his inspirational jump to greatness. >> the success i've had is because i've been so unsuccessful in the past. >> from humble beginnings to global starbut first, the "nightline five."

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ blow a kiss, into the sun ♪ we need someone to lean on ♪ blow a kiss, into the sun ♪ all we need is somebody to lean on ♪ ♪ ♪

candidates took the stage tonight, many attacking senator warren's policy positions with joe biden playing defense over questions about his son's foreign business activities. here's abc's david wright with the breakdown on the showdown. >> reporter: from the get-go tonight in the battle ground state of ohio, the democratic debate revolved around one issue the candidates all agree on. >> in my judgment, trump is the most corrupt president in the history of this country. >> the most corrupt president in modern history and i think all of our history. >> he is indeed the most corrupt and unpatriotic president we have ever had. >> reporter: that is the urgency of impeaching president donald trump. >> every candidate here is more decent, more coherent and patriotic than the criminal in the white house. >> reporter: but tonight former vice president joe biden also found himself on the defensive.

>> my son did nothing wrong. i did nothing wrong. i carried out the policy of the united states government in rooting out corruption in ukraine. >> reporter: biden treated president trump's recent attacks on him and his son -- >> biden and his son are stone cold crooked. >> reporter: -- almost as a badge of honor. >> he doesn't want me to be the candidate. he's going after me because he knows if i get the nomination, i will beat him like a drum. >> reporter: to be clear, there's no proof to support trump's claim that biden used his post as vice president to enrich his son or that biden shaped u.s. foreign policy to advance his son's interests. >> by the way, whatever happened to hunter? where the hell is he? >> reporter: but trump continues to attack him relentlessly. >> where's hunter? >> where is hunter? >> he's right here. >> i'm working and living my

life. >> prul says you'esident trump in hiding. >> hiding in plain sight, i guess. not at all. >> reporter: today in an exclusive interview, hunter biden was also on the defensive. >> i want to get to the heart of it. did you and your father ever discuss ukraine? >> as i said, the only time was after a news account. it wasn't a discussion in any way. >> your dad said "i hope you know what you're doing." >> i said i do. thafs t that was the end >> reporter: he mawas chairmanhn burisma. >> i was a lawyer for one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. >> in the list of reasons you

gave me for the reason you are on the board, you did not list you were the son of the vice president. what role did that play. >> i think it's impossible for me to say i'm on any boards without saying i'm the son of the vice president of the united states. >> if joe biden was not your father, would you have been asked to be on the board of burisma? >> i don't know. what i regret is not taking into account there would be a rudy giuliani and a president of the united states that would be listening to this ridiculous conspiracy idea. >> reporter: you never thought this might not look right? >> you know what, i'm a human. did i make a mistake? well, maybe in the grand scheme of things, yeah. but di mad i make a mistake bas upon an ethical lapse?

absolutely not. >> i never discussed anything about my son that had anything to do with ukraine. even when my son was attorney general of the state of delaware, we never discussed anything so there would be no potential conflict. >> reporter: recent polls show biden still leading the field but losing ground to massachusetts senator elizabeth warren. >> there's a new front-runner in town and it is elizabeth warren. it was obvious from the start of the debate she's the center of the attention. it wasn't just joe biden taking heat. most of the attention was on elizabeth warren. >> your signature, senator, is to have a plan for everything except this. >> reporter: her rivals pressed her of hough she would pay for her dramatic overhaul of the health care system. >> medicare for all is the gold standa standard. >> reporter: warren and bernie

sanders advocate medicare for all, doing away with private health insurance and having government health insurance. >> the costs will not go up for families and i will not sign a bill into la that raises their costs. costs are what people care about. >> i don't think the american people are wrong when they say that what they want is a choice. >> reporter: sanders has made it clear he would raise taxes to pay for this huge new entitlement. warren has not said how she'd pay for it. >> i think we owe it to the american people to tell them where we're going to send the invoice. >> elizabeth warren has been asked this question in virtually every debate. she does not want to answer the question about how she would pay for her medicare for all plan. >> reporter: she also took heat over her plan to tax ultra millionaires, households with incomes of 50 million or higher

to fund on childhood education. >> sometimes i think elizabeth warren is punitive. >> i m is toire gern o gmericant cheo elizabeth because no one on this stage wants to protect billionaires. not even the billionaire wants to protect billionaires. your idea is not the only idea. >> warren may be getting a boost from sanders. >> we are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country. that is how i think we can reassure the american people and i'm so happy to be back here with you this evening.

>> reporter: this weekend sanders sat down with jonathan carl. he insisted at no point has he considered dropping out of this race because of his health. >> reporter: you and elizabeth warren have pretty close to identical positions on big issu issues. >> not quite. >> reporter: what do you say to those who say they would pick her because she's eight years younger, she didn't just have a heart attack and the positions you're pretty much the same. >> every american is going to make his or her choice about the candidate they want. elizabeth warren has been a friend of mine for some 25 years and i thisnk she is a very, ver good senator but there are differences between elizabeth and myself. >> reporter: tonight biden and warren faced health questions based on their age. both are in the their 70s. >> and i will release my medical records as i have 21 years of my tax records, as no one else on this stage has done so can you

have full transparency as to my health and what i am doing. >> i will outwork, outorganize and outlast anyone, and that includes donald trump, mike pence or whoever the republicans get stuck with. >> reporter: one of the younger candidates on stage, 38-year-old congresswoman tulsi gabbard weighed in two. she also an army reserve major. >> it's not fair to ask these three about their health and their fitness to serve as president but not every other one of us. i am grateful to have been trained very well by the arm y r and do my best to stay in shape. but here's the real question you should be asking, who is fit to self-as commander in chief. >> reporter: on syria, there was agreement that the commander in chief made a huge mistake. >> we have an erratic, crazy president who knows not a damn thing about foreign policy and operates out of fear for his own

reelection. >> reporter: in his answer biden appeared to gesture at bernie sanders. >> what does the president do? he says i believe vladimir putin. >> you're gesturing i'm vladimir putin here. >> no, i'm not. >> reporter: and bernie sanders said he'll get the than alexandria ocasio-cortez. getting this for bernie sanders at this moment is a huge potential boost. >> reporter: while there are sharp policy differences and distinct personal differences, these democrats have plenty of common ground. >> about a third of the folks on stage are not necessarily going to make the next debate. i think can you start to cross off some names in the foreseeable future. >> reporter: the question for democratic voters, who among them is likely to go the distance. i'm david wright for "nightline"

in new york. >> our thanks to david wright for that report. up next, breaking the ice with olympic skater adam rippon, spilling secrets on his first love and his special message to his haters. heavy, overwhelming scents. eners use try febreze one; a range of innovative air fresheners with no heavy perfumes that you can feel good about using in your home to deliver a light, natural-smelling freshness. febreze one neutralizes stale, stuffy odors and releases a subtle hint of fragrance like bamboo or lemongrass ginger. to eliminate odors with no heavy perfumes, try febreze one. brand power. helping you buy better. tthe bad news? our so will this recital.day. new depend® fit-flex underwear offers your best comfort and protection guaranteed. because, perfect or not, life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®. hendless shrimp even hotter?s

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you know, adam rippon is not afraid to let it rip. an outspoken figure skater who knows a thing or two about overcoming challenges on and off the ice. now reflecting in a new memoir his personal truth, leaping from personal struggles to p

podium. >> reporter: so i know you know i've never really done this before. >> i have heard that rumor. >> reporter: it's not e skater l rippon literally lacing me up. what? adam rippon is tying my skates right now. teaching this miami native how to ice skate. >> here, can you latch on. >> reporter: it's been a whirl wind couple of years for the self-proclaimed america's sweetheart from being the first open live gay u.s. man to win a medal at the winter olympics in south korea to being crowned champion on "dancing with the stars" and sitting down special correspondent with the cast of "queer eye." he's wearing his new hat as

author. wan reader to know this would be something they would laugh with. the other side we all can kind of relate where we've tried to pretend that everything is fine, that we don't have any problems -- >> that's instagram culture. >> hey, this is 2019. >> reporter: the book is a deep dive into the humble beginnings of an otherwise outspoken and ek -- exuberant rippon. >> it felt like one chapter in my life and a new was beginning. it was a way to process what's going on. >> reporter: detailing his parents divorce to his first romance and eventually coming out in 2015. >> i think the moment i realized in my personal life i couldn't be in the closet anymore was the first time i ever met a boy that was interested in me. and the first time that happened i was like,

for so many years i just did not even think about being in a relationship with anyone because i was focused on my career. and then all of a sudden you meet someone and before anything happened with this person, i wanted to make sure that my friend and family knew about it. >> reporter: now in a relationship, adam's decision to come out publicly was about more than just himself. >> when i decided to come out publicly, it was right after the 2014 olympics because russia had this anti-gay propaganda law and i felt like it was really important because hearing about that law felt the first time that someone would have a problem with me for just being me. i think i was lucky because i was able to have a career of being an out athlete for three years before of the olympics, and by the time the whole world was watching, i was very comfortable in being in that role and in my own skin.

♪ >> reporter: in 2018 rippon won bronze for team usa dubbing himself as america's sweetheart. using his platform as an olympian to advocate for the lbgqt plus community, he made news at home, refusing to meet with mike pence, leading the delegation to >> i can say to the cameras, they're a nightmare. it's a mess over there. if i were ever to have the opportunity to speak with him, i would bring people whose lives have been very much affected by things that he's done, who can speak to him directly at the harm that he's caused their lives. it's for the person who is in indiana. it's for the black trans woman

who can't walk outside and not worry she'll be part of the statistic that most trans women only live to 35. it was for the gay couple who were told they weren't allowed to be married. it for those people who felt they were being pinpointed to not be able to live their life to the fullest. that's who the conversation is for. it's not for me and mike pence. >> reporter: now with the future ahead of rippon, a new book and popular youtube channel with tens of thousands of views, he makes sure to take one last look over his shoulder, dedicating the first page of his book to the haters. so i got to read this dedication page because it's epic. "this book is dedicated to my haters. you're not that cute, your hair is uneven and you look dusty. thank you for being my motivators." why? this is the one page. >> it's like the harry potter of dedication pages. i looked back and i was like who

can i dedicate this to? i felt like the people who really motivated me to see more for myself and to prove them wrong, they motivated me. and they deserve at least one page. >> reporter: just one. just one. >> just one page. >> reporter: back on the ice, i'm finally getting me bearings. >> there you go. that's not bad. i hope there will be a young kid that reads this book and they see a little bit of themselves in it. i think sometimes when we see a little bit of ourselves, it gives us permission to pursue our dreams and goals because we think it's possible. >> reporter: that's what this book is all about, being true to yourself and laughing your way through it and having fun. >> yeah, totally. there you go. that's it! >> and ad n memoir is out now. up next, the sweet escape for mother and daughter, 140 miles

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and final lly tonight, true grit and true love.

54-year-old beth james is on the move with a great partner in crime, competing in this year's grueling ironman world championship triathlon with her daughter liza in the racing butert to triathlon. although they didn't finish this year's race, they won the hearts of so many. and no doubt we're all rooting now for iron mom and her biggest

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