broadcast we are about to watch. i have been assures this camera will be secured by the time we go live. we are within 10 seconds of the first democratic debate of the 2020 cycle. we will let the on moderators in the room take over. moderators n the room take over >>. >> good evening. i'm lester holt and welcome to the first democratic debate. >> i'm savannah guthrie and this is the first chance to see the candidates go head to head on stage together. we will be joined by josé diaz and chuck todd and rachel maddow. >> they are trying to nail down where they stand on the issues and which of the hopefuls has what it takes. are. >> now it's time to find out. >> new jersey senator cory booker. former housing secretary julian castio. bill deblasio. john delaney.

hawaii congresswoman, tulsi gabbard, washington governor, jay inslee. minnesota senator, amy amy klobuchar. beto o'rourke. tim ryan and massachusetts senator, elizabeth warren. from nbc news, decision 2020, the democratic candidates' debate live from the performing arts center in miami, florida. [ applause ] good evening again, everyone. welcome to the candidates and our audience here in miami in the arts center and all across the country. tonight we are going to take on many of the most pressing issues of the moment, including immigration, the situation unfolding at our border and the treatment of migrant children. >> we are going to talk about the tensions with iran. climate change, and of course we

will talk about the economy. the kitchen table issues so many americans face every day. >> quick rules of the road. before we begin, 20 candidates qualified for this first debate. we'll hear from 10 tonight and 10 more tomorrow. the break down for each was selected at random. the candidates will have 60 seconds to answer and 30 seconds for any follow-ups. >> because of this large field, not every person will be able to comment on every topic, but over the course of the next two hours, we will hear from everyone. we would like to ask the audience to keep reactions to a minimum. we are not going to be shy about making sure the candidates stick to time tonight. >> with that business out of the way, we want to get to it. we will start with elizabeth warren. good evening to you. >> thank you. good to be he were. >> you have many plans, free college, free child care, government health care, cancellation of student debt, new taxes, new regulations, the break up of major corporations.

71% of americans say the economy is doing well, including 60% of democrats. what do you say to those who worry this significant change could be risky to the economy? >> so i think of it this way. who is this economy really working for. it's doing great for thinner and thinner slices at the top. it's doing great for giant drug companies. it's just not doing great for people trying to get a prescription filled. it's great for people who want to invest in private prisons, jufr o just not for the african-americans whose families are torn apart and lives are destroyed and whose communities are ruined. it's doing great for giant oil companies that want to drill everywhere. just not for the rest of us who are watching climate change bear down upon us. when you've got a government, when you have autonomy that does great for those with money and is not doing great for everyone else that is corruption, pure and simple.

we need to call it out. we ahead at to attack it head on. we need to make structural change in our government and our economy and in our country. [ applause ] >> senator klobuchar, you called programs like free college something you might do if you were "a magic jeannie." to be blunt, are the government programs and benefits that some of your rivals are offering giving your voters, people a false sense of what's actually achievable? >> well, first, the economy. we know that not everyone is sharing in this prosperity and donald trump just sits in the white house and gloats about what's going when you have so many people that are having trouble affording college and having trouble affording premiums. i do get concerned about paying for college for rich kids, i do. my plan is a good one. my plan would be to first of all

make community college free. make sure that everyone else besides that top percentile gets help with their education. my own dad and my sister got their first degrees with community college. there is many paths to success as well as certifications. secondly, i used pell grants. i doubled them from 6,000 to $12,000 a year and expanded to the number of family that get covered to families that make up to $100,000. the third thing i would do is make it easier for students to pay off their student loans because i can tell you this. if billionaires got off their yachts, students should be able to pay their student loans. >> that's time. congressman o'rourke, what we have been discussing and talking about is how much fundamental change to the economy is desirable and how much is actually doable. in that vain democrats want a marginal tax rate of 70% on the highest earners making more than

$10 million a year. would you support that and what would your tp individual rate be? >> this economy has got to work for everyone. right now we know that it isn't. it's going to take all of us coming together to make sure that it does. [speaking foreign language] right now we have a system that favors those who can pay for access and outcomes. that's how you explain an economy that is rigged to corporations and the wealthiest. a $2 trillion tax cut that favored corporations while sitting on record piles of cash and the wealthiest in this country at a time of historic wealth inequality.

a new democracy returns power to the people. no pacs and gerrymandering and bring in more voters and a voting rights act. >> congressman o'rourke. >> we're reach video have a voice and make it work for everyone. >> that's time, sir. i will give you 10 seconds to answer if you want to say if you would support the tax rate. yes, no, or pass. >> i would support a tax code fair to everyone. >> 70%? >> at the same rate you tax income. take it up to 28% and you generate the revenue to pay for the programs we are talking about. >> that's time. senator booker, there is a debate in this party about the role of corporations as you know. senator warren put out a plan to break up facebook, amazon and google. you said we should not run around and point at companies and break them up without any kind of process. why do you disagree.

>> i don't think i disagree. we have a serious problem with corporate consolidation. you see the evidence in how dignitiy is stripped from labor and people who work full time jobs and still can't make a living wage. we see this because consumer prices are being raised by pharmaceutical companies that have holds on drugs. you see that by the fact that this is actually an economy that is hurting 1345 ining small bus not allowing competition. one of the best is corporate consolidation in the ag sector. i feel strongly about the need to check the corporate consolidation and let the free market work. i will tell you this. i live in a low income black and brown community and see every day this economy is not working for average americans. the indicators being used from gdp to wall street's rankings is not helping people in my community. it is about time we have an economy that works for

everybody, not just the wealthiest in our nation. >> quickly, senator booker, you said you didn't think it was right to name names and companies and single them out as senator warren has. briefly, why is that? >> again, i will single out companies that hal burd on and amazon that pay nothing in taxes. when it comes to antitrust, i will a pound judges that enforce it and have a doj and a federal trait commission that will go through the processes necessary to check this kind of corporate concentration. at the end of the day, we have too much problem with corporate power growing. we see citizens unite and the way they are trying to influence washington. it's time we have a president that fights for the people of the people who is a champion for them. you picking winners and losers? >> so the way i understand is, it's way too much consolidation

now in giant industries in this country that. hurrs workers and small businesses and it hurts independent farmers, it hurts our economy overall. it helps constrict real innovation and growth in this economy. look, we had the laws out there for a long time to be able to fight back. what has been missing is courage. courage in washington to take on the giants. that's part of the corruption in this system. it has been far too long that the monopolies have been making the campaign contributions, have been funding the super pacs, have been out there making sure their influence is heard and felt in every single decision that gets made in washington. where i want to start this is i want to return government to the people and that means calling out the names of the mo nop lifts and saying i have the courage to go after them. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> secretary castro, the next is

for you. democrats have been talking about the pay gap for decades. what would do you to ensure that women are paid fairly in this country? >> thank you very much for that question, lester. i grew up with a mother who raised my brother joaquin and me as a single parent. i know what it's like to struggle. i know what it's like to rent a home and to worry about whether you are going to be able to pay the rent at the first of the month and see a mom work very, very hard and know that moms across this country are getting paid less because they are wc women. i would pass the equal rights amendment finally in this country. and also pursue legislation so that women are paid equal pay for equal work in this country. it's pastime we did that and we have to do this. if we want to be the most prosperous nation in the 21st century, we need to make sure that women are paid what they

deserve. >> thank you. i want to put the same question to congresswoman gabbard. your thoughts on equal pay. >> first of all, let's recognize the situation we are in. the american people deserve a president who will put your interests ahead of the rich and powerful. that's not what we have right now. i enlisted in the army national guard after the attacks on 9/11 and i still serve as a major. served over 16 year, deployed twice to the mideast and in congress served on the foreign affairs and armed services affairs for over six years. i know the importance of national security as well as the high cost of war. for too long our leaders have failed us taking us from regime change to the next, leading us into an arms race, costing trillions of our hard earned taxpayer dollars and countless lives. this insanity must end. as president i will take your taxpayer dollars and invest

those dollars into serving your needs on health care, a green economy, good paying jobs, protecting our environment and so much more. [ applause ] >> mayor, you are the mayor of the biggest city in the united states, but it's also one of the cities in the country with the greatest gap between the wealthy and the poor. how would you address income inequality. >> we have been addressing it in new york city by raising benefits and putting money back in the hands of the people. $15 minimum wage and pre-k and things that are making a difference in people's lives. what we are hearing in the first round is that battle for the heart and soul of our party. i want to make it clear. this is supposed to be the party of working people. yes, we are supposed to be for 70% text o tax rate on the wealthy and free college and free public college for our young people.

we are supposed to break up big corporations when they are not serving our democracy. this democratic party has to be strong and bold and progressive. in new york, we have proven that we can do something very different and put money back in the hands of working people. every time you talk about investing in people and their communities, you hear folks say there is not enough moan. i say every time. there is plenty of money in this world and this country, it's just in the wrong hands. democrats have to fix that. >> congressman delaney, do you agree? >> we have to do real things to help the american people. this is the issue that all of us have on the campaign trail. make sure everyone has a living wage. i called for a doubling of the earned income tax credit and creating family leave. that will create a situation where people have a living wage. that gets right to workers. then we have to fix our public education system. it's not delivering the results

our kids need, nor is college and post high school career and technical training programs. i'm different than everyone. prior to being in congress, i was an entrepreneur and i created thousands of jobs and started businesses. i helped small to mid-sized businesses and 5,000 of them, i supported. the obama administration gave me an award for lending tos a advantaged communities. i know how to create jobs. put money in the pockets of workers with the earned income tax credit and raising the minimum wage and long-term strategy to make sure we are competitive and creating jobs everywhere. >> how would you address income inequ inequality. >> i'm surprised. i think plans are great. but i'm a governor. the people who brought us the weekend unions are going bring us a long overdue raise in america. i'm proud of standing up for

unions. i have a plan to reinvigorate collective bargaining to increase wages finally. i marched with the folks. it is not right that the ceo of mcdonald's makes 2100 times more than the people working at mcdonald's. the next thing i do is put people to work in the jobs of the present and the future. donald trump is simply wrong. he said wind turbines cause cancer. we know they cause jobs. we know we can put millions of people to work in the clean energy jobs of the future. carp enders and members and machinists we are doing it in my state today. we can do what america always does. lead the world and invent the future and put people to work. that's what we are going to do. >> president trump and you referred to him promise of manufacturing jobs were all coming back to places like our home state of ohio. you can make that same promise?

>> yes, i believe you can, but let's say the president came and said don't sell your house to people in youngstown, ohio. his administration we lost 4,000 jobs at a general motors facility that rippled throughout the community. general motors got a tax cut, they got a bail out. then they have the audacity to move a new car that they're going to produce to mexico. i had family members that have to unbolt a machine from the factory floor, put it in a box and ship it to china. my area where i come from in northeast ohio, this issue we are talking about has been going on 40 years. this is not a new phenomenon in the united states of america. the bottom 60% haven't seen a raise since 1980. the top 1% control 90% of wealth. we need a policy saying we are going dominate building electric vehicles. 30 million made in the next 10

years. i want to dominate the solar industry. >> thank you. >> manufacture those in the united states. >> senator warren, are these jobs coming back? >> so we had an industrial policy in the united states for decades now and it's basically like giant corporations do whatever they want to do. giant corporations have one loyalty and that is to profits. if they can save a nickel by moving a job to mexico or asia or canada, they are going do it. here's what i propose. start with a place where there is a real need. there is going to be a worldwide need for green technology, ways to clean up the air and the water. we can be the ones to provide that. we need to go 10 fold in our research and development on green energy going forward and we need to say any corporation can come and use that research. they can make all kinds of products from it, but they have to be manufactured right here in

the united states of america. then we have to double down and sell it around the world. there is a $23 trillion market coming for green products. we should be the leaders and the owners and we should have that 1.2 million manufacturing jobs here in america. we can do this. >> we are going to turn to the issue of health care and try to understand whether it may or may not be daylight. many people have health insurance coverage through their employer. who would abolish health insurance in favor of a government-run plan. a show of hands. [ applause ] senator klobuchar, you want to keep private insurance in addition a government health care plan. why is an incremental approach better than sweeping. >> i think it's a bold approach. it's something that barack obama wanted to do when we were

working on the affordable care act. i'm concerned about kicking half of america off of their health insurance in four years which is exactly what this bill says. there is a much bigger issue in addition that and that is pharmaceuticals. the president went on tv on fox and said that people's heads would spin when they see how much he would bring down pharmaceutical prices. instead, 2500 drugs have gone up in double-digits since he came into office. instead he gave $100 billion in giveaways to the pharma companies. for the rest of us, for the rest of america, that's what we call all foam and no beer. we got nothing out of it. my proposal is to do something about pharma and take them on and allow negotiation under medicare and bring in less expensive drugs from other countries and pharma thinks they own washington, they don't own me.

>> senator warren, you signed on to bernie sanders' plan that puts everyone on medicare and eliminate private plans. is that the plan or path you would pursue as president. >> yes. i'm with bernie on medicare for all. i will tell you why. i studied why families go broke. one of the number one reasons is the cost of health care and medical bills. not just for people who don't have experience. it's for people who have experience. look at the business model of an insurance company. it's to bring in as many dollars as they can with premiums and pay out as few as possible for your health care. that leaves families with rising premiums, rising copays and fighting with insurance companies to try get the health care that their doctors say they and their children need.

medicare for all solve problem. i understand, there are a lot of politicians who say it's not just possible, we can't do it, we are have a lot of political reasons for this. they are really telling you they won't fight for it. health care is a basic human right and i will fight for basic human rights. [ applause ] >> congressman o'rourke, when you ran for senate, you praised a bill that would replace private experience. you are no longer sure. can you explain why? >> my goal is to ensure that every american is well enough to live to their full potential because they have health care. in laredo, texas, i met a man, 27 years old, he said he had been to a doctor once in his life. on that visit he was told he had diabetes and glaucoma and he doesn't have health care and would be dead before the age of 40.

getting to guaranteed high quality health care as quickly and surely as possible has to be the goal. to get prescriptions and go to a primary health provider and see a mental health care provider. in texas the single largest provider is the county jail system. health care as to mean every woman can make decisions about her owned about and has access to the care that makes that possible. our plan said if you are uninsured, we enroll you in medicare. if you can't afford your prem m premiums or are a member of a union who enrolled in a plan because it works, you are able to keep it. we preserve voice. >> time is up, congressman, but i want to ask a follow-up. would you replace private experience? >> no. i think the choice is fundamental to our ability. >> congressman o'rourke, it's not working for tens of millions of americans when you talk about

the premiums and the out of pocket expenses, it's not working. how can you defend a system that is not work something. >> for those who it is working for, they are able to keep them. >> why defend it? >> people who like their private experience, 100 million americans, we should be the party that keeps what's working and fixes what's broken. doesn't that make sense? we should give everyone in this country health care as a basic human right for free. full stop. we should also give the option to buy private insurance. why do we have to stand for taking away something. if you go to every hospital in this country and ask one question, which is how would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the medicare rate? every report administrator said they would close. the medicare for all bill

requires payments to stay at current medicare rates. to some extent we are supporting a bill that will have every hospital closing. my dad was a union electrician and grew up in a work class family. he loved the health care they gave him. i think about my dad in anything i do from a policy perspective. he would say good job, john, for getting health care. why are you taking mine away. >> i'm o i'm fascinated to see the daylight between you. congresswoman gabbard? >> approximate you are talking about one bill over another bill. we are talking about objective and making sure every sick american is able to get the health care they need. i believe medicare for all is the way to do that. i also think that employers will recognize how much money will be saved by supporting a medicare for all program. a program that will reduce the administrative cost and reduce the bureaucratic costs and make

sure everyone gets that quality health care that they need. i also think if you look at other countries in the world who have universal health care, every one of them has a form of a role of private experience. that's what we have to look at, taking the best of these ideas and making sure that no sick american goes without getting the care they need regardless of how much or little money they have in their pocket. >> i will turn to senator booker. explain where you are. this is hugely important to people. tell us where you are. >> i absolutely will. we are talking about this as a health care issue, but low incomes it's an education issue because kids who don't have health care won't succeed in schools and it's an issue for jobs and employment. you won't succeed at work. n in my community african-americans have a lore life expectancy. it's not just a human right, but an american right and the best

way to get there is medicare for all, but i have an urgency about this. when i am president of the united states, i am not going to wait. we have to do the things immediately that provide better care o. this debate, i'm sorry. too many people are profit earring off of the pain of people in america from farm suital companies to insurers. the overhead they charge is 15% while medicare overhead is at 2%. we can do this better and every single day i will fight to give people more access and affordable cost until we get to every american having health care. >> if i can, i want to go back to congresswoman gabbard. >> the insurance companies last year alone sucked $23 billion in profits out of the health care system. $23 billion. that doesn't count the money paid to executives and the money spent lobbying washington.

we have a giant industry that wants our health care system to stay the way it is. because it's not working for families, but it's sure as heck working for them. it's time to make families come first. >> it should not be an option in the united states of america for any insurance company to deny coverage for their right of choice. i am the only candidate here who has passed a law protecting a woman's right of reproductive rights in health insurance and the only candidate who passed a public option. i respect everyone's goals and plans here, but we have one candidate who advanced the ball. we have to have access for everyone. i have done this as a public option. >> senator klobuchar, i am fascinated by this. >> i want to say there is three women up here who fought pretty hard for a woman's right to

choose. i will start with that. i want to make very clear. we share the goal of universal health care and the idea i put out there, the public option which the governor was talking about, this idea is that you use medicare or medicaid without any insurance companies involved, you can do it either way. the estimates are, 13 million people see a reduction in their premiums. 12 more million people get covered. i think it's a beginning and the way you start and the way you move to universal health care. >> secretary castro, this is for you. all of you on stage support a woman's right to a abortion and a government health care option. would your plan cover abortion? >> yes, it would. i don't believe only in reproductive freedom, but reproductive justice. what that means is that just because a woman or let's not forget someone in the

transcommunity, a transfemale is poor, doesn't mean they shouldn't have the right to exercise that right to choose. i absolutely would cover the right to have an abortion and more than that, everybody in this crowd and watching at home knows that in our country today, a person's right to choose is under assault in places like missouri and alabama and georgia. i would appoint judges to the federal bench that understand the precedent of row versus raid and wi wade and transition to a health care system where everyone can exercise that right. >> senator warren, would you put limits on abortion? >> i would make certain that every woman has access to the full range of reproductive health care services and that includes birth control, it includes abortion, it includes everything for a woman. i want to add on that, it's not

enough for us to expect the courts to protect us. 47 years ago roe vs. wade was decided and we looked to the courts all that statement. state after state undermined roe and put in exceptions and come right up to the edge of taking away protection. >> your time is up. >> we're have an america where most people support it and we need to make it federal law. >> thank you. >> senator booker, i want to come back on a discussion we had about health and the opioid crisis. you represent a state where 14 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies are based. should pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs be held criminally liable for what they do. >> they should absolutely be held criminally liable because they are liable and responsible. this is one of the reasons when well before i was running for president i would not take contributions from pharma companies and not from corporate

pacs or pharma executives because they are part of the problem. this opioid addiction in our country, we in cities like mine have been seeing how we try to arrest our way out of addiction for too long. it is time that we have a national urgency to deal with the problem and make the solutions that are working to be the law of our land and make the companies responsible to pay for that. >> congressman o'rourke, how would you deal with it? >> tonight in this country you have 2.3 million of our fellow americans behind bars. the largest prison population on the face of the planet. many are there for nonviolent drug crimes including possession of marijuana at a time when more than half the states have legalized or decriminalized it. despite what purdue napharma ha done, they have been ableimpuni. not a single night in jail.

unless there is accountability and justice this crisis will continue. my administration will hold them to picture and make sure they pay a price and we will help those who are victims of malfeasance and get them long-term care. >> immigration is on a lot of our minds. we need to take a break and we will be back with more from miami after this. r this it's amazing what you can uncover with your dna results from ancestry. i was able to discover one cousin, reached out to him, visited ireland, met another 20 cousins. they took me to the cliffs of moher, the ancestral home, the family bar. it really gives you a sense of connection to something that's bigger than yourself. new features. greater details. richer stories. get your dna kit today at ancestry.com.

can't imagine doing it any other way. this is caitlin dickerson from the new york times. this isn't the only case. very little documentation. lo que yo quiero estar con mi hijo. i know that's not true. and the shelters really don't know what to do with them. i just got another person at d.h.s. to confirm this. i have this number. we're going to publish the story.

>> we want to turn to an issue that has been in the news, especially this week. there are undocumented children being held alone in detention, even as close as florida here less than 30 miles from where we are tonight. fathers and mothers and children are dying while trying to enter the united states of america. we saw that image today that broke our hearts and they had names. oscar martinez and his 23-month-old daughter, valerria died trying to cross the river to ask for asylum in this country. more than 130,000 migrants were

apprehended at the southern border. secretary castro, what would you specifically do? >> thank you very much, josé. i'm proud that in april was the first candidate to put forth a comprehensive immigration plan. we saw the image of oscar and valerria is heart breaking. it should also miss us all off. [ applause ] if i were president today and it should spur us to action. if i were president today, i would sign an executive order that would get rid of trump's zero tolerance policy and the remain in mexico policy and the metering policy that is basically what prompted oscar and valerria to snake risky swim across the river. they had been playing games with people come and trying to seek asyl asylum. they went to a sort of entry and

they were denied the ability to make a claim so they got frustrated and tried to cross the river and died because of that. >> on day one. >> on day one i would do that order. i would follow-up in the first 100 days that honor asylum claims and put undocumented immigrants as long as they have not committed a serious crime on a pathway citizenship to get to the root cause of the issue. we need a marshal plan for honduras and guatemala and el salvador so they can find opportunity at home instead of come together united states to seek it. >> senator booker, what would you do on day one. this is a situation that the next president will inherit. >> [speaking foreign language] on day one, i will make sure

that number one, we end the ice policies and the customs and border policies are violating the human rights. when people come to this country, they do not leave their human rights at the border. number two, i will make sure that we reinstate daca and pathways to citizenship for daca recipients and to make sure that people that are here on temporary protective status can stay and remain here. finally, we need to make sure that we address the issues that made oscar and valerria come in the first place by making investments not like this president who is ripping away the resources we need to solve this problem. we cannot surrender our values. we will lose security and our values. we must fight for both. [ applause ] >> very briefly and this is an important point. my plan and i'm glad to see that senator booker and senator

warren and inslee agree. get rid of section 1325 of the immigration and nationality act that when somebody comes across the border not to criminalize desperation and to treat it as a civil violation. we see all of this family separation. they use that law, section 1325 to justify under the law, separating children from their families. i want to challenge every candidate on this stage to support the repeal of section 1325. >> as my friend here said, i agree with him on that issue, but folk who is understand that the separation of children from families doesn't just go on at the border. it happens in the community as ice are ripping away parents from children and spouses at like and creating fear in cities across the country where parents are afraid to go to work. we must end those policies as

well. >> in this country, look at the bottom line. those tragic photos of that parent and that child and i say this as a father, every american should feel that in their heart and say that is not america. those are not our values. have to get under the skin of why we have this crisis. we are not being honest about the division in this country. the way american citizens have been told that immigrants created their misery and pain and challenges, for all the american citizen who is feel you are falling behind and the american dream is not working for you, the immigrants didn't do that to you. the big corporations did that to you. the 1% did that to you. we need to be the party of working people and that includes a party of immigrants, but first we have to tell working people who are hurting we will be on their side every time against the big corporation who is created this mess to begin with. remind people we are in this

together. we don't change, we won't get the reforms. that's what we need to do as democrats. >> phi could,. >> [speaking foreign language] what would you do day one at the white house? >> [speaking foreign language] we would not turn back valerria and her father, oscar. we would accept them and follow our own asylum laws. we would not build walls and put kids in cages. we would spare no expense to reunite those separated already and not criminally prosecute. we would make sure -- >> secretary, let him finish. >> we would not detain any family fleeing i have license, in fact fleeing the deadliest

countries on the face of the families. we would implement a family case management program to be cared for in the community at a fraction of the cost and rewrite our immigration laws in our own image. free dreamers for fear of deportation by make them citizens and invest in solutions in central america work with regional stakeholders so there is no reason to make that 20,00 mile journey. >> let's be very clear. the reason that they are separating these children from their families is they are using section 1325 of that act that criminalizes coming across the courter to incarcerate the parents and separate them. some of us have called to end that and terminate it, some like congressman o'rourke have not and i want to challenge all of the candidate to do that. i think it's a mistake, beto and if you truly want to change the

system, if t might as well be the same. >> let me respond briefly. as a member of congress i helped to introduce legislation that would ensure we don't criminalize those seeking asylum. if you are fleeing desperation, i want to make sure you are treated with respect. >> i'm talking about everybody else. >> you are looking at one small part. i'm talking about a comprehensive rewrite. >> that's not true. >> for people to follow our laws. >> i'm talking about millions of folk who is are not seeking asylum. a lot of undocumented imp grant s. you middle the reason you didn't want to repeal is you were concerned about human trafficking and drug trafficking. i will tell you what, title 18 of the u.s. code title 21 and 22 cover human trafficking. if you did your homework on this

issue, you should know we should repeal this. >> we're should and could be talking about this for a long time and we will. >> can we talk about the conditions of why people are coming here? >> savannah, it's just we could go on, but rather than talking specifically, we have to talk about why they are coming and what we can do to make a difference in these countries. >> senator klobuchar, let's talk about secretary castro just said. he wants it to no longer be a crime to cross the border. do you support that and should it be a civil offense only and if so, do you worry about potentially incentivizing people to come here? >> immigrants, they do not diminish america, they are america. i am happy to look at his proposal, but i think you want to make sure that you have provisions in place that allows you to go after traffickers and

allow you to go after people who are violating the law. what i really think we need to step back and talk about is the economic imperative here. that is that 70 of our companies are headed by people that came from other companies. 75% of the nobel laureates were born in other countries. we have a situation where we need workers in the fields and the factories and need them to start small businesses and need their ideas. this president has literally gone backwards. at a time when our economy needs immigrants. my proposal is to look at that bill that passed a senate with republican support to make it as good as possible and get it done it. brings the doubt down by 1$158 billion and gives a path for citizenship for people who can become citizens. it will be so much better for our economy and america. >> that's time.

thank you. congressman ryan. same question. should it be a crime to illegally cross the boerds ered? >> there are other provisions in the law that allow you to prosecute people for coming over if they deal in drugs and other things. that's established in the law. there is no need to repeat it. i think it's abhorrent we are talking about this father who got killed with his daughter and the issues here and the way these kids are being treated. if you go to guantanamo bay, there are terrorists held that get better health care than those kids who are trying to come into the united states. that needs to stop and the president should immediately ask doctors and nurses to go immediately down to the border and start taking care of these kids. what kind of country are we running where we have a president of the united states who is so focussed on hate and fear and division and what

happened now, the end result is we have kids laying in their own snot with three-week old diapers that haven't been changed zeechl to tell the president that is not a sign of strength. that is a sign of weakness. >> senator booker, a lot of people -- josé asked the president, what will you do with the fact that you will have families here. there has been a lot of talk about the first 100 days about legislation. what will you actually do with these families? how will you care for them and will they be detand or will they not be? >> this is a related and brief point. what we are talking about is that we have the power to better deal with this problem through the civil process than the criminal process. i have been to some of the largest private prisons when are repugnant to me that people are profiting off of incarceration. our country made so many mistakes by criminalizing things

whether it's immigration or mental illness or addiction. this is not the way to deal with problems. there is a humane way for human rights and dignity tow solve this problem. donald trump is not solving this problem. under his leadership there has been a surge at the border. we solved this problem by making investments to stop the reasons why people are driven here in the first place and use our resources to provide health care to affirm the values and human dignity of the people that come here. we cannot sacrifice our values and ideals as a nation for border security. we can have both by doing this the right way. >> let me go to governor inslee on this. what would you do on day one. same question i asked core booker. i have idea to hear an answer. what will you do with the families that will be here. >> there is no reason for the detention and separation. they should be released pending hearings and have a hearing and

the law should be followed. that's what should happen. we should do what we are doing in washington state. i'm proud we passed a law that prevents local law enforcement from being turned into many ice agents. i'm proud to be the first governor who stand up against the heinous muslim ban and a person who not only talked about dreamers, but one of the first to make sure they get a college education and realize their dreams. these are some of the most inspirational in our state. i will leave you with this thought. donald trump the other day tried to threatens me. he thought it was a threat to send refugees in washington state if we passed a law that i passed. i told him that's not a threat at all. we welcome refugees into our state. we recognize diversity as a strength. this is how we built america, that tradition will continue if i'm president of the united states. >> we will switch to another

topic. we have a lot to get to. >> my grant father was separated from his family when he came here. >> tankers have been a tracked and a drone has been shot down and disturbing threats issued by both the u.s. and iranian leadership. i would like if you can to put aside how you think we may have gotten here, but what i want to know is how do you dial it back? a show of hands, who has president would sign on to the 2015 nuclear deal as it was originally negotiated? that's everyone. senator booker, why not? >> may i address that? it was a mistake to pull out that was deal. one of the reasons we are seeing the hostility now is donald trump is marching us to a far more dangerous situation. literally he took us out of a deal that gave us transparency and pushed back a nuclear break out in 10 or 20 years. iran threatens to go further and we are being pulled into this

crisis. we need to get into a deal, but i'm not going to have a platform to say i'm going to rejoin the deal. when i'm president of the united states, i will do the best i can to secure the country and the region and if i have an opportunity to leverage a better deal, i'm going to do it. >> senator klobuchar, you middle you would negotiate back into the agreement. you can argue the pact as ratified was a good deal? >> it was imperfect, but it was a good deal for that moment. i would have worked to get longer sunset periods and that's something we can negotiate to get back in the deal. the point is, donald trump told us when he got out of it, he was going to give us a better deal. those were his words. we are a month away from the iranian who is claim they are going blow the caps on enriching uraniums and they told us this. that's where we are now. he made us less safe than when

he became president. i would negotiate us back into the agreement and stand with allies and not give unlimited leverage to china and russia which is what he has done. then, finally, i would make sure that if there is any possibility of a conflict and we are having this debate in congress right now, he comes to congress for an authorization of military force. i would do that. this president is literally every single day 10 minutes away from going to war. one tweet away from going to war. i don't think we should conduct foreign policy in our bathrobe at 5:00 in the morning. >> congresswoman gabbard, you said you would sign back on to the 2015 deal. would you insist though that it addressed iran's support for hezbollah? >> let's deal with the situation where we are. this president and his chicken hawk cabinet led us to the brink of war with iran. i served in the war in iraq at

the height of the war in 2005, a war that took over 4,000 of my brothers and sisters in uniforms' lives. the american people need to understand this war would be far more devastating, far more costly than anything we saw in iraq. it would take many more lives and exacerbate the refugee crisis and it wouldn't be contained within iran. this would turn into a regional war. this is why it's so important that every one of us, every single american stand up and say no war with iran. we need to get back into the iran nuclear agreement and we need to negotiate how we can improve it. it was an imperfect deal and the missile development needs to be addressed women can do both to prevent iran from with developing a nuclear weapon. >> what would your red line be for military action against

iran? >> look, obviously if there was an attack against our troops, there would have to be a response, but my point is and it's important for us to recognize this, donald trump and his cabinet, mike pompeo and john bolton and others are creating a situation that just a spark would light off the war with iran which is incredibly dangerous. we need to deescalate and trump needs to get back into the deal and swallow his pride and put the american people first. >> we will have much more -- mayo deblasio, the commercial is coming. next with chuck todd and rachel maddow. we will have a lot more with very anxious candidates. th very anxious candidates.

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>> welcome back, everyone. the first democratic presidential debate in miami. >> as we continue the questioning, time to get more members of our team in the mix. >> let's turn it over to chuck todd and rachel maddow. >> we will start by recapping the rules. 20 candidates qualified. we hear from 10 tonight and 10 more tomorrow. the break down was selected at random. the candidates will have 30 seconds for a follow-up. we will be ruthless, if necessary. >> hi, rachel. >> hi, chuck. >> we will talk about guns and climate up top. a whole lot more in this hour. obviously because of the size of the field, not every person weighs in on everything, but over the course of the next

hour, we will hear from everyone, i promise. to begin, we will go with senator warren on guns. we are less than 50 miles from parkland, florida where 17 people were killed in a school shooting and there has been significant activism on gun violence since. many are call for a restoration on a ban, but even if implemented, there will be hundreds of millions of guns in this country. should there be a role for the federal governments. >> i think i heard that, too. that's okay. we had a mike issue in the back. >> control room, we have -- >> yeah, we have the audience volume. >> so the question is simply this. i apologize if you didn't get to hear the first part of the question. we are not far from parkland, florida. gun activism has become a big part of high school life up there in broward county.

many of you are calling for tighter gun restrictions and the restoration of the assault weapons ban. even if it's put in place, there will be perhaps hundreds of millions of guns still on the streets. is there a role for the federal government in order to get these guns off the streets? >> what's happening? >> we are hearing our colleague's audio. the control room can turn off the mikes. if the control room can turn off the mikes of the previous moderators. >> pea prepared for everything. >> we are going to take a quick break and get this technical situation fixed. we'll be right back. technical situation fixed. we'll be right back. maria ramirez? hi. maria ramirez!

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>> we believe we have the technical difficulties fixed. >> never say that. >> never say never, but we will march forward here and will lean forward here. >> senator warren, we will get to the question here. in parkland, florida, it's just north of here in broward county and created a lot of teenage activism on the gun issue. it is inspired a lot of you to come out with more robust plans to deal with guns, including assault weapons ban, but even if you are able to implement that, what do you about the hundreds of millions of guns already out there and as a federal government, do you have to play a roll n dealing with it? >> in this period of time i have been running for president, i had more than 100 town halls and taken more than 2,000 unfiltered questions. the single hardest questions i have gotten, from a little boy

and fwron a little girl. when you are president, how are you going to keep us safe? that's our responsibility as adults. seven children will die from gun violence. they won't just die in mass shootings. they will die on sidewalks and playgrounds and die in people's back yards. gun violence is a national health emergency in this country. we need to treat it like that. so what can we do? do the things that are sensible and do the universal background checks and ban the weapons of war. we can double down on the research and find out what really works. where it is that we can make the differences at the margins that will keep our children safe. we need to treat this like the virus that's killing our children. >> do you think the federal government needs to figure out a way to get the guns out there? >> what i think we need to do is treat it like a serious research

problem, which we have have not done. guns in the hands of a collector who had them for decades who never fired them and takes safety seriously, that's very different from guns that are sold and turned over quickly. we can't treat this as an across the board problem. we have to treat it like a public health emergency and that means bring data to bear and make real change in this country whether it's politically popular or not. >> senator booker, you have a program. >> we're ahead at to fight for our children. >> senator booker, you have a buy back program in your plan. how is that going to work? >> first of all, i want to say my colleague and i have been hearing this on the campaign trail, but worse is i hear gunshots in my neighborhood. i think i'm the only one, i hope i am that had seven people shot in their neighborhood just last week. someone i knew was killed with

an assault rifle at the top of my block last year. for millions of americans, this is not a policy issue, this is an urgency. for those that have not be affected, they will learn about reading, writing and arithmetic a and how to deal with an active shooter in school and all they have to offer is thoughts and prayers. faith without works is dead. we will find a way. the reason we have a problem is we let the corporate gun lobby frame this debate. it is time we have bold actions and a bold agenda. i will get that done as president of the united states because this is not about policy. this is personal. >> secretary castro, i would like to talk but about something senator booker mentioned. school shootings seem like an everyday or every week a

currency. they don't make a complete news cycle. parents are so afraid their kids will be caught up in something like this. next to nothing changed that might affect the prevalence of school shootings. is this a problem that will continue to get worse over our lifetimes or is there something you would do as president that would turn it around? >> rachel, i am the dad of a 10-year-old girl, karina who is here tonight. the worst thing is that your child would be worried about safety in a place that is supposed to be safe. the answer is no, we don't have to accept that. on january 20th, 2021 at 12:01 p.m. we will have a democratic president and a democratic house and democratic senate. [ applause ] the activists of parkland folks who have risen up across the

united states and inspired so many people [ applause ] we may not have seen legislative action, but we are getting closer. the house took a vote. in the senate, if the decision is between 60 votes, a filibuster or passing common sense gun reform, i will choose common sense gun reform. i believe we can get that continue in 2021. >> i have something to add to this briefly. >> we will give you 30 seconds for a follow-up on that answer from secretary castro. >> you are talking about in the schools. these kids are traumatized and i support the gun reforms here. we need to deal with the trauma our kids have. we need trauma-based care in every school and social and emotional learning in every school. 90% of the shooters who do school shootings come from the school they are in and 73% feel shamed, traumatized or bullied.

we need to make sure these kids feel connected to the school and that means a mental health counsellor at every school. we need to play offense. if our kids are so traumatized, we are doing something wrong and we need reform. >> congressman o'rourke, you campaigned all over the state in the most conservative parts of your state. what do you tell a gun owner who may agree on everything else, but said the democrats f i vote for them, they will take my gun away and even though i agree with you on these other issues, how do you have that conversation? >> here's how we have that conversation in texas. i shared what i learned from the student who is survived the santa fe high school shooting. a young student named brie. her friend who survived a shooting and the mother of a victim who lost her life, rhonda hart. they talked about universal background checks.

we know they save lives and talked about ending the sales of assault weapons. the weapons of war were designed to kill people as effectively and efficiently as possible. they belong in the battlefield and not in our communities. if someone poses a danger to themselves or someone else, they are stopped before it's too late. what i found in each of the 254 counties is that democrats and independents and republicans, gun owners and non-gun owners alike agreed, but it must be led by the young people you referenced. the students from marjorie stoneman douglas has been able to change the laws and making our democracy work ensuring our priorities are reflected in the laws we passed. >> thank you. hang on. let me give 30 seconds to senator klobuchar. i'm curious. gun confiscation, how do you not

have that confiscation? >> you give them the offer to buy back their gun. i look at the proposals and i say does this hurt my uncle dick and his deer stand coming from a proud hunting and fishing state? these profoezposals don't do th. i saw the moms from sandy hook try to advocate for change and we all failed. now these parkland kids from florida, they started a literally a national shift. like with gay marriage. when kids talked to their parents and grandparents and can't understand why they can't put the sensible things in change, with the 17-year-olds, it's the best thing that ever happened. >> senator booker, let me go to you on another matter. >> senator mcconnell said the most consequential leader was preventing president obama from

filling a supreme court seat. do you believe they would confirm your court nominees? >> i will use 20 seconds to say this. one thing we don't agree with guns. if you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and own a firearm. not everybody in this field agrees with that, but in states like connecticut, they saw 40% drop-ins gun violence and 15% in suicides. we need to start having bold agendas on guns. when it comes to the supreme court, very clearly. i agree with my friend, secretary castro. we are going to get to 50 votes in the senate. this is a team sport. whoever is our nominee needs to campaign in places like south carolina. we can elect jamie harrison and elect in places like iowa. we can win a senate seat there. this is about getting us back to having 50 votes in the senate and more so we cannot not only balance the supreme court, but start to pass an aggressive

agenda that is not so aggressive because most of america agrees with the policy objectives of our party. >> mayor deblasio. >> we're have to -- >> congressman delaney, i will give you time in a moment. mayor deblasio, as an executive in the largest city in the country, you are saying what you want to happen and having it happen. if you nom nalt someone to the supreme court of the united states, what makes you believe he would allow you to make a nominee? >> rachel, i am chief executive of the largest city and want to say something on the gun issue and come to your question. i run the largest police force, we have to get the guns off the street, we need a different relationship between the police and the community. something sets me apart from the colleagues and that is for the last 21 years, i have been raising a black son in america.

i had to have very, very serious talks with my son, danta, about how to protect himself on the street including the fact that he has to take special caution because there have been too many tragedies between the young men and the police as we saw in indiana. we need to have a conversation about guns and about policing that brings policing community together. we have done it in new york city and driven down crime. to your question about mitch mcconnell, there is a political solution. if the democratic party would stop acting like the party of the elites and go into states including red states, we can put pressure on their senators to vote for the nominees that are put forward. >> senator warren, i'm going to get you 30 seconds, i promise. we will get this question. i know you guys have other

issues including a big one coming up in a minute. senator warren, i want to continue on the mitch mcconnell thing because you have a lot of ambitious plans. you have a plan for that. we talked about the supreme court. do you have a plan to deal with mitch mcconnell if you don't beat him in the senate and he is still the senate majority leader. it's plausible you can be president with a sudden senate. do you have a plan to deal with mitch mcconnell. >> i do. [ applause ] we are democracy and the way a democracy is supposed to work is the will of the people matters. we have for far too long had a congress in washington that is just completely dismissed what people care about across this country. they have made this country work much better than those who make giant contributions and better

for those who hire lobbyists and lawyers and not made it work for the people. here's how i see this happening. sure, i want to see us get a democratic majority in the senate, but short of a democratic majority, you better understand the fight still goes on. it starts in the white house and it means that every we energize in 2020 stays on the frontlines come january 2021. we have to push from the outside and have leadership from the inside and make this congress reflect the will of the people. >> i'm going to get a couple of you in here. 30 seconds, congressman delaney, you seem to believe you can do everything in a bipartisan manner. mitch mcconnell doesn't operate that way. he operates differently. why do you think he is going to conform to your style? >> we need to get things done and we need to operate in a bipartisan manner.

i will sign pills that come to the white house that are on a party line basis, absolutely, but all the transformative things have happened when huge majorities are os of the american people get behind them. we need real solutions, not impossible promises. we need to put forth ideas whether on health care creating universal health care so every american gets health care and not running on making private experience illegal. the gun safety issue is related. i can't tell you how many times i have been with folks in western maryland and they said to me democrats don't do anything for us and republicans don't do anything for us. they fight all the time and they vote on that single issue. if we become the party of getting things done for the american people -- >> senator booker, 30 seconds. how do you deal with this? you have been in the senate and

you can't get bills on the floor with mitch mcconnell. presidents can't do it. is president booker going to get his bills on the floor? >> when i got to the senate as an african-american man in an african-american dominated community, i knew the issue was reform and dealing with the fact that we have a nation with more african-americans under criminal supervision than all the slaves in 1850. when they said we couldn't get a bill done. as my colleagues know, i fought from the day i got to the senate and built coalations and passed the first step back. not as far as i want to go, but thousands of people will be liberated. i have taken on tough problems and people said we cannot achieve it. i have been able to get things accomplished. >> thank you, senator booker. >> we are going to -- you will be happy with where we go. governor inslee, the next question is for you. you got me?

you have staked your candidacy on the issue of climate change. it is first, second, and third priority for you. all the issues. let's get specific. we are here in miami experiencing serious flooding on sunny days as a result of sea level rise and parts of miami beach and the keys could be under water in our lifetimes. does your plan save miami? >> yes, first by taking away the filibuster from mitch mcconnell. we have to do that. we are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change and we are the last that can do something it. our towns are burning and fields are flooding and miami is inundated. we have to understand this is a climate crisis. an emergency. this is our last chance in the next administration to do something about it. we have to do what i have done in my state. we passed a clean electrical

grid bill and have a vision statement. my plan is the gold standard of putting people to work. the most important thing in the biggest decision for the american public, who is going to make this the first priority? i am the candidate and the only one saying this has to be the top priority of the united states, the organizing principal to mobilize the united states. lead the world and invent the future and put eight million people to work. >> congressman o'rourke, you put out a big climate change plan in a short period of time including switching to renewable energy. what's your message to a voter who supports the overall goal of what you are trying to do and feels as if government tells them thou live and orders them how to live. what is that balance like? >> you have to bring everybody

into the challenges we face. that's why we are traveling everywhere, listening to everyone. we were in pacific junction, a town that had never meaningly flooded before up against the missouri river in iowa. every home had flooded. there were farms outside of pacific junction that were lakes. the farmers were under water in debt. the markets are closed to them by a trade war under this administration and they don't know what to do. we in our administration are going fund resiliency in those communities and houston, texas. we are going to mobilize $5 trillion and free ourselves from a dependence on fossil fuels and put farmers and ranchers in the driver's seat. renewable and sustainable agriculture to make sure we capture more carbon and keep more of it in the soil. paying farmers for the services

they want to provide. if all of us does all we can and we keep this planet from warming another 2 degrees celsius and match what this country can do and live up to our potential. >> secretary castro, who pays for the mitigation to climate whether building sea walls for people perhaps living in places they shouldn't be living? is this a federal government issue and do they have to move these people. what do you do about that where they are building a place sna somewhere that is not safe. >> i don't think that represents the vast majority of the issue. after i announced my candidacy was to san juan, puerto rico. people should know if i'm elected president, everybody will count. i'm one of the few candidates in

this race with executive experience and a track record of getting things done. when i was mayor of antonio, we moved and shifted from coal-fired plants to solar and other renewables and also created more than 800 jobs doing that. when i was hud secretary, we worked on the national disaster resilience competition to try to rebuild from natural disasters in a sustainable way. that's the way to make sure we are all safer in the years to come and we combat climate change. the first thing i would do like senator klobuchar is sign an executive order recommitting to the paris climate accord. >> a lot of the climate plans include taxing carbon in some bays ways. whether it's washington state where voters voted it down and you had the yellow vest movement and in australia one party get

rejected out of the fear of the cost of climate change. if pricing carbon is politically impossible, how do we pay? >> there is a variety of ways to pay and different ways of raising revenue and we have to build our way out of this and grow our way out. let me talk to the previous question about real politics. we can talk about climate and guns and talk about all of these issues that we all care about. we have a perception problem with the democratic party. we are not connecting to the working class people in the very states that i represent in the industrial midwest. we lost all connection. we have got to change the story of gravity from being coastal and elitist and ivy league which is the perception to somebody from the forgotten communities that have been left behind for the last 30 years and get those

workers back on our side so we can say we will build electric vehicles and solar panels. if you want to beat mitch mcconnell, this better be a working class party if you want to go to kentucky and take his rear end out and lindsey graham out, you have to have a blue collar party to go into the tech communities in south carolina. all i'm saying here -- >> thank you, congressman. >> if we don't address that fundamental problem with our workers, black, brown, gay, straight, none of this will get done, chuck. >> thank you very much. we will keep moving. i will goat yoet to you. >> i introduced the only carbor oon tax bill and economists believe it works, you have to do it right. you can't put a price on carbon and not give the money back to the american people. my proposal which is put a price on carbon, give it difends back

to the american people. it's out one pocket and back to the other. i can get it passed my first year as president with every democrat in the congress and the republican who is live in coastal states. >> congressman, thank you. >> the republicans in florida care about this issue. this has to be our way forward if we are serious about this issue. >> thank you. congresswoman gabbard, one of the first things you did after launching your campaign was to issue an apology to the lgbt community. after roll backs for many in the community, why should voters in the community or voters that care about this issue in general trust you now? >> let me say that there is no one in our government at any level who has the right to tell any american who they should be allowed to love or marry. may record in congress for over six years shows a commitment to

the community and i voted for passage of the equality act. maybe many people in this country can relate to the fact that i grew up in a socially conservative home and i held views when i was young i no longer held. i served with lgbtq service members. they would give my life for them and i would for them. recognizing still people are facing discrimination in the workplace and unable to find a home for their families. it is this discrimination that we need to address. >> it's not enough. if i can add to this. this is not enough. >> 30 seconds. >> civil rights is place to begin, but we need to stop the lynching of african-americans. we do not talk enough about trans americans, especially

african-american trans americans and the high rates of murder and how many children, about 30% of lgbtq kid who is do not go to school because of fear. it's not enough to be on the equality act, but have a president to fight to protect lgbtq americans every day. >> senator booker, let me put this to you. on the issue of civil rights and demographics and politics, for decades, the party counted on african-american voter turn out to winning elections on a national level. democrats are counting on the latino community in the same way. what have you done for black and latino voters that should enthuse them about going to the polls? >> my life and career and work

in the senate has been about economic opportunity. this means better child care for everyone. when you want an economy that works, you need to have retirement that works and public schools that work. you also need to make sure that those communities are able to get those jobs of the future, the stem jobs. in fact, donald trump, one of the first bills he signed of the 34ly signs where i was an elite democrat. that's a first up here. it was that was about making sure minority community members could share in those jobs. to me, this is about a few things. it's about an african american woman who goes to the hospital in new orleans and said her hands are swollen and the doctor ignores her and her baby dies. it's about the fact that african-american women make 61 cents for every dollar a white man makes. in short we need do this in my first 100 days as president. we will work to make sure everyone can vote at this table. everyone can vote in this

country and we will go to the next step of criminal justice reform. senator booker and i worked on that, but we should go to the second step which is to help all the communities. >> thank you very much. 30 seconds to secretary castro. this is a 70% latino city here in miami. you are the only latino democrat running here in the race s. that enough of an issue. economic justice agenda. is that enough to mobilize latino voters? >> i think we have to recognize racial and social justice. i was in charleston and i remember they went to the ame church and murdered people worshipping and was apprehended without incident. what about eric garner andula quan mcdonald and antonio? i'm proud that i'm the only candidate who put forward

legislation that would reform our policing system in america and make sure no matter what the color of your skin is, you are treated the same, including latinos who are mistreated too often by police. >> a question from a viewer. >> i'm over here. we asked voters to commit questions. this is from john in new york who submitted this question. does the united states have a responsibility to protect in the case of genocide or crimes against humanity, do we have a responsibility to intervene and protect people threatened by their governments when atrocities do not affect american core interests. i would like to direct it to congressman o'rourke. >> appreciate the question. the answer is yes, but that action should always be undertaken with allies and partners and friends when the united states presents a united front.

we have a much better chance of achieving our foreign policy and preventing the genocide to which you refer. the genocide we saw in rwanda and what we want to stop going forward. under this administration, president trump has alienated our allies and our friends and alliances. he diminished our standing in the world and made us weaker as a country. less able to confront challenges and whether it's iran or north korea or vladimir putin in russia who attack o tack and invaded our democracy and president trump offered another invitation to do the same. he embraced strong men and dictators at the expense of great democracies. i will make sure we live our foreign policy and strejten alliances and any challenge we face together. that makes america stronger. >> what about the war powers act being a part of that equation,

with deep respect to the congressman. we learned lessons from the americans that we have gone to war without congressional authorization. my dad served in the pacific in the world war ii in the u.s. army, battle of okinawa and had half his leg blown off and came home with scars both physical and emotional and did not recover. he spiralled downward and ultimately took his own life. that battle did not kill him, but that war did. look, in the humanitarian crisis and think we should be ready, congressman, to intervene, god forbid there is genocide, but not without congressional approval. we have not challenged presidents and let them get away with running the mill pear without congressional approval. we seem to have forgotten. >> i want to put this to congressman ryan. the taliban claimed responsibility for killing two

service members in afghanistan. leaders as desperate as president obama and president trump said they want to end u.s. involvement in afghanistan, but it isn't over for america. why isn't it over and why can't presidents of different parties and temperaments get us out of there and how could you. >> i appreciate that question. i have been in congress 17 years and 12 of those i sat on the armed services committee. the defense appropriations or the armed services committee. the lesson i learned over the years is you have to stay engaged in these situations. nobody likes t it's long and tedious, but right now we have -- i would say we must be engaged. we must have the state department engaged. we must have the military to the extend they need to be. the reality is, this president doesn't have people appointed in the state department to deal with these things. whether we are talking about central america or about iran or whether we are talking about

afghanistan. we have to be completely engaged. here's why. these flare-ups distract us from the real problems in the country. if we are getting drones shot down for $130 million because the president is distracted, that's $130 million that we could be spending in places like youngstown, ohio or michigan or rebuilding. >> i'm going give you 30 seconds off of what he said. >> is that what you will tell the parents of those two soldiers who were just killed in afghanistan? we have to be engaged? as a soldier, that answer is unacceptable. we have to bring our troops home from afghanistan. we are in a place in afghanistan where we lost so many lives. we spent so much money. money coming out of every one of our pockets and should be going into communities here at home. meeting the needs of the people at home.

we are no better off in afghanistan today than when this war began. this is why it's so important to have a president and commander in chief who knows the cost of war and ready to do the job on day one. i am ready to do that job when i walk into the oval office. >> i'm going to go down the line here. you felt like she was refunding you. >> i don't want to be engaged. i wish we were spending this money in places that i represented that have been forgotten and we were rebuilding. the reality is if the united states is not engaged, the taliban will grow. they have bigger, bold or terrorist acts zeechlt got to have some presence there. >> the taliban was there long before we came in and will be there long before we leave. we cannot keep the u.s. deployed thinking we are going squash

this dal bataliban. >> i didn't say squash them. when we were not there, they started flying planes into our buildings. >> the taliban didn't attack us on 9/11. al qaeda did. that's why i and other people joined the military. to go after al qaeda. not the taliban. >> the taliban was protecting those people plotting against us. all i'm saying is if we want to go into elections and we want to say we have to withdraw from the world, that's what president trump is saying. we can't. i would love for us -- >> you know who is protecting al qaeda right now? saudi arabia. >> this is a simple question. what is the biggest threat and the geopolitical threat to the united states. one word answer. congressman delaney. greatest geopolitical threat. >> the biggest challenge is china. the biggest geopolitical threat remains nuclear weapons.

>> totally get it. governor inslee. >> the biggest threat is donald trump. no question about it. >> congresswoman gabbard? [ applause ] >> the greatest threat we face is that we are at greater risk of nuclear war than in threat. >> economic threat and china, but the major threat is what is going in the mideast with iran. >> one word. slimmer than what we are going. >> the existential threat is climate threat. we are have to confront it before it's too late. >> climate change. >> nuclear proliferation and climate change. >> china and climate change. >> china without a question. they are wiping us economically. >> russia because they are trying to undermine our democracy and they are doing a damn good job of it and we need to stop them.

>> thank you for that wide variety of answers and i mean that. i mean that. that's what this debate is about. this is the best part of a debate like this. congressman o'rourke, special counsel robert mueller's report outlines potential criminal behavior by president trump. house speaker pe lossy is publicly and privately resisting any movement in the house. if the house chooses no the to impeach, as president, would you do anything to address the potential crime that was outlined in mueller's report. and how if the answer is yes. >> yes. one of the most powerful pieces of art is the trum bell painting of george washington resigning his commission submitting to the rule of law and the will of people. that withstood the test of time for 243 years. if we set another precedent now

that a kanldidate who invited the participation of a foreign power and assault to obstruct the investigate, if we allow him to get away with this with impunity, we set a new standard and some people because of the power and public trust they hold are above the law. we cannot allow that to stand. we must begin impeachment now and follow them as far as they go and high up as they reach and save this democracy and if we have not been able to do this in the year or year that follows under my administration, the department of justice pursues this ensure consequences and accountability and justice. it's the only way we save this country. >> thank you, congressman o'rourke. >> congressman delaney, because of the accountability issues that congressman o'rourke was describing and the real political landscape in which nancy pelosi said impeachment

will not be pursued in the house. president trump could be prosecuted for the crimes down the line. no u.s. president has ever been prosecuted for crimes after leaving office. do you believe president trump should be the first? >> i don't think anybody is above the law. i don't know anyone is above the law including a president. i support speaker pelosi's decisions she is making as speaker. i think she knows more about the decision as to whether to impeach the president than any of the 2020 candidates combined. no one is above the law and this president who is lawless should not be above the law, i will tell you the one thing when you are out doing as much campaigning as i have done, 400 events and all 99 counties in io iowa, this is not what american people ask us about. they want to know about health

care and pharmaceutical prices and creating jobs in their communities. last year in our country, 80% of the money for start up businesses went to 50 counties in this country. there is over 3,000 counties in this country. they care about the public schools and jobs in their communities and with their pay and health care and infrastructure. these are the issues, these kitchen table pocket book issues are what most americans care about. they never ask about the mueller report. >> time is up. >> they never ask how to solve these problems. >> here's the thing. >> if we let the republicans run our election and don't do something about russian interference and let mitch mcconnell stop the paper ballots -- >> we blew through a break to give you more time so i have to sneak one in.

more of this debate. it's pick up here. it continues after this. debate. it's pick up here. it continues after this.

the latest charter school scandals are piling up. leaders of one san diego charter network? indicted for conspiracy and grand theft.

thankfully, the governor's charter school policy task force just made important recommendations for reform: more accountability on charter school spending. and giving local school districts more control over the authorization of charter schools. reforms we need to pass now. so call your state senator. ask them to support ab 1505 and ab 1507.

we are back from miami and it's time now for closing statements. each candidate has 45 seconds. we want to begin with congressman delaney. >> closing now? >> closing. 45 seconds. we can go on. >> together we are on a mission. we are on a mission to find the america that's been lost through infighting and lost through

inaction. we are so much better than this. we are a country that used to do things. we saved the world. we created the american dream for millions of people like myself. the grandson of immigrants. the son of a a union electricia who went on to become a successful business leader and create thousands of jobs. but we did these things with real solutions, not with impossible promises. and those are the roots that we have to get back to. i'm running for president to solve these problems, to build infrastructure, to fix our broken health care system, to invest in communities that have been left behind, to improve public education. >> your -- >> i just don't want to be your president to be your president -- >> congressman, your 45 seconds is over. >> i want to be your president to do the job. >> thank you, sir. >> this is not about me. this is about getting america working again. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> mayor de blasio. mayor, your closing statement. >> it matters. it matters in this fight for the heart and soul of our party that

we nominate a candidate who has seen the face of poverty and didn't just talk about it but gave people $15 minimum wage. it matters that we nominate a candidate who saw the destruction wrought by broken health care system and gave people universal health care. it matters that we choose someone who saw the wasted potential of our children denied pre-k and gave it to every single one of them for free. these things really matter. and these are the things that i've done in new york and i want to do the same for this whole country. because putting working people first, it matters. we need to be that party again. let's work together. with your help we can put working people first again in america. >> thank you, mayor de blasio. right on time. [ applause ] >> governor inslee, 45 seconds. >> -- we love them all. when i was thinking about whether to run for president, i made a decision. i decided that on my last day on earth i wanted to look them in

the eye and tell them i did everything humanly possible to protect them from the ravages of the climate crisis. and i know to a moral certainty if we do not have the next president who commits to this as the top priority it won't get done. and i am the only candidate -- frankly, i'm surprised. i'm the only candidate who's made this commitment to make it the top priority. if you join me in that recognition of how important this is, we can have a unified national mission. we can save ourselves. we can save our children. we can save our grandchildren. and we can save literally the life on this planet. this is our moment. >> governor, thank you. >> congressman ryan, your 45 seconds. >> there's nothing worse than not being heard. nothing worse than not being seen. and i know that because i've represented for 17 years in congress a forgotten community.

they've tried to divide us, who's white, who's black, who's gay, who's straight, who's a man, who's a woman. and they ran away with all the gold because they divided the working class. it's time for us to come together. i don't know how you feel, but i'm ready to play some offense. i come from the middle of industrial america, but these problems are all over our country. there's a tent city in l.a. there's homeless people. and people around our country who can't afford a home. it's time for us to get back on track. the teacher in texas, the nurse in new hampshire, the waitress in wisconsin. all of us coming together. playing offense with an agenda that lifts everybody up. >> thank you. >> i will only promise you one thing. when i walk into that oval office every morning, you will not be forgotten. >> thank you, congressman. >> your voice will be heard. thank you. [ applause ] >> congresswoman gabbard, you have 45 seconds for your closing. >> our nation was founded on the principles of service above

self, people who fled kings, who literally prospered on the backs and the sacrifices of people. coming here to this country instead putting in place a government that is of, by, and for the people. but that's not what we have. instead we have a government that is of, by, and for the rich and powerful. this must end. as president our white house, our white house will be a beacon of light. providing hope and opportunity, ushering in a new century where every single person will be able to get health care they need, where we will have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, where we will have good paying jobs and a new green economy. join me in ushering in this new century with peace, prosperity, opportunity, and justice for all. >> congresswoman, thank you. [ applause ] >> secretary castro, you have 45 seconds, sir. >> [ speaking foreign language ].

the very fact that i can say that tonight shows the progress that we have made in this country. like many of you i know the promise of america. my grandmother came here when she was 7 years old as an immigrant from mexico, and just two generations later one of her grandsons is serving in the united states congress and the other one is running for president of the united states. [ applause ] if i'm elected president, i will work hard every single day so that you and your family can get good health care, your child can get a good education, and that you can have good job opportunities, whether you live in a big city or a small town. and on january 20th, 2021, we'll say adios to donald trump. [ applause ] >> senator klobuchar, the floor is yours. >> three things to know about me. first, i listen to people and that's how i get things done. that is my focus. i have a track record of passing over 100 bills where i'm the lead democrat. and that is because i listened and i acted. and i think that's important in

a president. everything else just melts away. secondly, i'm someone that can win and beat donald trump. i have won every place, every race, and every time. i have won in the reddest of districts. ones that donald trump won by over 20 points. i can win in states like wisconsin and iowa and in michigan. and finally, yeah, i am not the establishment party candidate. i've got respect but i'm not that person. i am the one that doesn't have a political machine, that doesn't come from money. and i don't make all the promises that everyone up here makes. but i can promise you this. i am going to govern with integrity. i'm going to -- i'm going o'govern for you. >> thank you, senator. >> gracias. 50 years ago this month my family moved into the town i grew up in because after being denied a house because of the color of their skin it was activists, mostly white activists, that stood up and fought for them. that's the best of who we are as america. when i got out of law school i

moved into the inner city of newark to fight as a tenant lawyer for other people's rights. i've taken on bullies and beat them. i've taken on tough fights and we've won. and we win those fights not by showing the worst of who we are by rising to who's best. donald trump wants us to fight him on his turf and his terms. we will beat him. i will beat him by calling this country to a sense of common purpose again. this is a referendum on him and getting rid of him, but it's also a referendum on us, who we are and who we must be to each other. it's time we win this election. and the way i'll govern is by showing the best of who we are because that's what this country needs and deserves. >> senator, thank you. [ applause ] >> congressman o'rourke, 45 seconds. >> our daughter molly turned 11 this week. i'm on this stage for her, for children across this country, including some her same age who've been separated from their parents and are sleeping on concrete floors under aluminum

blankets tonight. if we're going to be there for them, if we're going to confront the challenges that we face, we can't return to the same old approach. we're going to need a new kind of politics, one directed by the urgency of the next generation. those climate activists who are fighting not just for their future but for everyone's, those students marching not just for their lives but for all of ours. we'll need a movement like the one that we led in texas. it renewed our democracy by bringing everyone in and writing nobody off. that's how we beat donald trump. that's how we bring this great country together again. join us. this is our moment and the generations that follow are counting on us to meet it. >> thank you, congressman. [ applause ] >> senator warren. you have 45 seconds for the final final statement of the evening. >> thank you. it's a great honor to be here. never in a million years did i think i would stand on a stage like this. i was born and raised in oklahoma. i have three older brothers. they all joined the military. i had a dream growing up. and my dream was to be a public

school teacher. by the time i graduated from high school my family, my family didn't have the money for a college application much less a chance for me to go to college. but i got my chance. it was a $50 a semester commuter college. that was a little slice of government that created some opportunity for a girl. and it opened my life. i am in this fight because i believe that we can make our government, we can make our economy, we can make our country work not just for those at the top. we can make it work for everyone. and i promise you this. i will fight for you as hard as i fight for my own family. [ applause ] >> we would like to thank all of the candidates who participated with us tonight. and that will do it for night one of this two-night event. and guess what? we've got ten more candidates tomorrow night. >> we certainly hope you will join us then. but for now that concludes our coverage of this first

democratic debate from miami. for savannah, jose, chuck, and rachel i'm lester holt. have a good night, everyone. [ applause ] ♪ at the stroke of 11:00 p.m. on the east coast we are back with you from our studios in new york. we're going to attempt wherever possible to stay in that room. and these pictures of the relationships that may have been frayed during the debate, may have blossomed during the debate. but how the candidates relate to each other and members of the media. brian williams here with you. nicolle wallace is here taking feverish notes. lawrence o'donnell has joined our panel. former senator claire mccaskill. and eugene robinson remains