there are roadside attractions. and then there's our world-famous on-road attraction. the 2019 glc. lease the glc 300 suv for just $459 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. ♪ good evening, everyone. i'm lester holt. welcome to the first democratic debate in the 2020 race for president. >> hi, i'm savannah guthrie and tonight it's our first chance to see these candidates go head to head on stage together. we'll be joined in our questioning tonight by our colleagues, jose diaz-balart, chuck todd and rachel maddow. >> voters are trying to nail down where the candidates stand on the issues. what sets them apart and which of these presidential hopefuls has what it takes. >> well, now, it's time to find out. >> tonight, round one. new jersey senator cory booker. former housing secretary julian castro. new york city major bill de blasio.

former maryland congressman john delaney. hawaii congresswoman tulsi gabbard. washington governor jay inslee. minnesota senator amy klobuchar. former texas congressman beto o'rourke. ohio congressman tim ryan. and massachusetts senator elizabeth warren. from nbc news, decision 2020. the democratic candidates debate. live from the adrienne arsht performing arts center in miami, florida. >> and good evening, again, everyone. welcome to the candidates and to our audience in miami in the arsht center and all across the country. tonight we're 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're going to talk about the tensions with iran. climate change. and, of course, we'll talk about the economy. those kitchen-table issues so many americans face every day. >> and some quick rules of the road. before we begin, 20 candidates qualified for this first debate. we'll hear from ten tonight and ten more tomorrow. the breakdown 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'd also like to ask the audience to keep the reactions to a minimum. we are not going to be shy about making sure the candidates stick to time tonight. >> all right. so with that business out of the way we want to get to it and we'll start this evening with senator elizabeth warren. senator, good evening to you. >> thank you. good to be here. >> you have many plans. free college. free childcare. government health care. cancelation of student debt. new taxes. new regulations. the breakup of major corporations.

this comes at a time when 71% of americans say the economy is doing well. including 60% of democrats. what do you say to those who worry this kind of 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 slice at the top. it's doing great for giant drug companies. it's not doing great for people who are trying to get a prescription filled. it's doing great for people who want to invest in private prisons. just not for the african-americans and latin exeses who families are torn apart whose lives were destroyed and communities were 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 and an economy that does great for

those with money and isn't doing great for everyone else, that is corruption, pure and simple. we need to call it out. we need to attack it head-on. and we need to make structural change in our government, in our economy, and in our country. >> senator klobuchar. you've called programs like free college something you might do if you were, quote, a magic genie. 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 on. when you have so many people that are having trouble affording college, and having trouble affording their premiums. so, i do get concerned about paying for college for rich kids. i do. but i think, my plan, is a good

one and my plan would be to first of all make community college free. and 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's many paths to success as well as certifications. secondly, i use programs, i double them, from $6,000 to $12,000 a year and expand it to the number of families that get covered. to families that make up to $100,000. and then 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 can pay off their yachts, students should be able to pay off their student loans. >> that's time. thank you. congressman o'rourke, what we've just been discussing and talking about is how much fundamental change to the economy is desirable and how much is actually doable.

in that vein, some democrats want a marginal tax rate of 70% on the very highest earners, those making more than $10 million a year. would you support that, and if not, what would your top individual rate be? >> this economy has got to work for everyone, and 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 spanish ] 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 very wealthiest. a $2 trillion tax cut that favored corporations while they were sitting on record piles of cash and the very wealthiest in in this country at a time of historic wealth inequality.

a new democracy that is revived because rereturned power to the people. no pacs. no gerrymandering. automatic and same-day voter registration to bring in more voters and voting rights act to get rid of the barriers -- >> congressman o'rourke. >> we have a voice in our democracy and make the economy work for everyone. >> that's time, sir. i'll give you ten seconds to answer if you want to answer the direct question, would you support a 70% individual marginal tax rate, yes, no, or pass? >> i would support a tax rate and tax code that's fair to everyone. tax capital -- >> 70%. >> at the same rate that you tax ordinary income. take that corporate tax rate up to 28%, you'd generate the programs we need to pay for. >> that's time. thank you. senator booker, there is a debate in this party right now about the role of corporations as you know. senator warren in particular put out a plan to break up tech companies like facebook, amazon and google. you said we should not, quote, be running around pointing at companies and breaking them up

without any kind of process. why do you disagree? >> i don't think i disagree. i think we have a serious problem in our country with corporate consolidation. you see the evidence of that in how dignity is being stripped from labor. we have people who work full-time jobs and still can't make a living wage. we see that because consumer prices are being raised by pharmaceutical companies that often have monopolistic holds on drugs and you see that by just the fact that this is actually an economy that's hurting small businesses and not allowing them to compete. one of the most aggressive bills in the senate, to deal with corporate consolidation, is mine about corporate consolidation in the ag sector. i feel very strongly about the need to check the corporate consolidation and let the free market work. i'll tell you this. i live in a low income black and brown community. i see every single day this economy is not working for average americans. the indicators that are being used from gdp to wall street's rankings is not helping people in my community.

it is about time that we have an economy that works for everybody. not just the wealthiest in our nation. >> quickly, senator booker, you did say that you didn't think it was right to name names, to name companies and single them out as senator warren has. briefly, why is that? >> well, again, i will single out companies like halliburton or amazon that pay nothing in taxes and our need to change that. when it comes to antitrust law, what i will do is, number one, appoint judges that will enforce it. number two, have a doj and a federal trade 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 of a problem with corporate power growing. we see that with everything from citizens united and the way they're trying to influence washington. it's about time that we have a president that fights for the people in this country. >> that's time, sir. >> who need to have someone that's a champion for them. >> thank you, senator. senator warren, i mentioned you. are you picking winners and losers? >> so the way i understand this

is there is way too much consolidation now in giant industries in this country. that hurts workers, it hurts small businesses, it hurts independent farmers, it hurts our economy overall. and it helps constrict real innovation and growth in this economy. now, look, we've had the laws out there for a long time. to be able to fight back. what's 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 superpacs, have been out there making sure that 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 monopolists and saying i have the courage to go after them. >> thank you.

>> secretary castro, the next question is for you, democrats have been talking about the pay gap for decades. what would you do to ensure that women are paid fairly in this country? >> thank you very much for that question, lester. you know, 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're going to be able to pay the rent at the first of the month and to see a mom work very, very hard and know that moms across this country are getting paid less, simply because they're women, i would do several things, starting with something we should have done a long time ago, which is to 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 past time that we did that, and, you know, 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. >> all right. 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're in. that 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 al qaeda terror attacks on 9/11 so i could go after those who attacked us on that day. i still serve as a major. served over 16 years. deployed twice to the middle east. in congress served on the foreign affairs and armed services committees for over six years. i know the importance of our national security as well as the terribly high cost of war. and for too long our leaders have failed us taking us from one regime change war to the next, leading us into a new cold war and arms race, costing us trillions of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars and countless lives. this insanity must end. as president, i will take your hard-earned taxpayer dollars,

instead, invest those dollars into serving your needs. things like health care. a green economy. good-paying jobs. protecting our environment. and so much more. >> mayor de blasio, you're the mayor of the biggest city in the united states, but it's also one of the cities in the country with a greatest gap between the wealthy and the poor. how would you address income inequality? >> well, we've been addressing income inequality in new york city by raising wages, by raising benefits, by putting money back in the hands of working people. $15 minimum wage, paid sick days, pre-k for all. things that are making a huge difference in working people's lives. let me tell you, what we're hearing in the first round of questions is the 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're supposed to be for 70% tax rate on the wealthy. yes, we're supposed to be for free college, free public

college, for our young people. we are supposed to break up big corporations when they're not serving our democracy. this democratic party has to be strong and bold and progressive, and in new york, we've proven that we can do something very different. we can put money back in the hands of working people, and let me tell you, every time you talk about investing in people and their communities, you hear folks say there's not enough money. what i say to them every single time, there's plenty of money in this world, plenty of money in this country, it's just in the wrong hands. >> thank you. >> we democrats have to fix that. >> congressman delaney, you agree? >> i think we need to do real things to help american workers and the american people. right? this is the issue that all of us hear on the campaign trail. we need too make sure everyone has a living wage. i called for a doubling of the earned income tax credit, raising the minimum wage and creating paid family leave.

that will create a situation where people actually have a living wage. that get right to workers. 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 doing that. you know, i'm very different than everyone else on the stage. prior to being in congress, i was an entrepreneur. i started two businesses. i created thousands of jobs. i spent my whole career helping small to midsized businesses all over the country. 5,000 of them, 5,000 of them, i supported. the obama administration gave me an award for lending to disadvantaged communities. i know how to create jobs. we need a short-term strategy which is to put money in the pockets of workers with earned income tax credit, raising the minimum wage and creating paid family leave, and then we need to have a long-term strategy to make sure this country is competitive and we're creating jobs everywhere. >> this country. >> governor inslee, how would you address income inequality? >> well, i'm a little bit surprised. i think plans are great, but i'm a governor and we got to realize the people who brought us the

weekend, unions, going to bring us a long overdue raise in america. i'm proud of standing up for unions. i've got a plan to reinvigorate collective bargaining so we can increase wages finally. i marched with the sciu folks. it's not right the ceo of mcdonald's makes 2,100 times more than the people slinging hash at mcdonald's. the next thing i'll do is put people to work in the jobs of the present and the future. look it, donald trump is simply wrong. he says wind turbines cause cancer. we know they cause jobs. and we know that we can put millions of people to work in the clean energy jobs of the future. carpenters. ibew members, machinists. we're doing it in my state today. and then we can do what america always does, lead the world and invent the future and put people to work. that's what we're going to do. >> congressman ryan, president trump, and you just referred to him, promised that manufacturing jobs were all coming back to places like your home state of

ohio. can you make that same promise? >> yes, i believe you can, but first let's say the president came, he said don't sell your house, the people in youngstown, ohio, and in his administration, just in the last two years, we lost $4,000 -- 4,000 jobs at a general motors facility. that rippled throughout our community. general motors got a tax cut. general motors got a bailout. and then they have the audacity to move a new car that they're going to produce to mexico. i've 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're talking about here, it's 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. meanwhile, the top 1% control 90% of the wealth. we need an industrial policy saying we're going to dominate building electric vehicles.

there's going to be 30 million made in the next 10 years. i want half of them made in the united states. i want to dominate the solar industry. >> thank you. >> and manufacture those here in the united states. >> senator warren, are they coming back? are these jobs coming back? >> so we've had an industrial policy in the united states for decades now and it's basically been let giant corporations do whatever they want to do. giant corporations have exactly one loyalty, and that is to profits. and if they can save a nickel by moving a job to mexico or to asia or to canada, they're going to do it. so here's what i propose for an industrial policy. start with a place where there's real need. there's going to be a worldwide need for green technology. ways to clean up the air. ways to clean up the water. and we can be the ones to provide that. we need to go tenfold in our research and development on green energy going forward. and then 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. and then we have to double down and sell it around the world. there's 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. >> all right. we're going to turn to the issue of health care right now. really try to understand where there may or may not be daylight between you. many people watching at home have health insurance coverage through their employer. who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan? just a show of hands to start off with. all right. well, senator klobuchar, let me put the question to you. you're one of the democrats who wants to keep private insurance in addition to a government health care plan. why is an incremental approach, in your view, better than a sweeping overhaul? >> i think it's a bold approach. it's something barack obama

wanted to do when we were working on the affordable care act. and that is a public option. i am just simply concerned about kicking half of america off of their health insurance in four years, which is exactly what this bill says. so let me go on beyond that. there's a much bigger issue, in addition to that, and that is pharmaceuticals. the president literally went on tv on fox and said that people's heads would spin when they'd see how much he would bring down pharmaceutical prices. instead 2,500 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 at home all foam and no beer. we got nothing out of it. my proposal is to do something about pharma, take them on, allow negotiation under medicare, to bring in less expensive drugs from other

countries and pharma thinks they own washington. well, they don't own me. >> your time is up. thank you. senator warren, you signed on to bernie sanders' medicare for all plan. it would put essentially everybody on medicare and then eliminate private plans that offer similar coverage. is that the plan, or path, you would pursue as president? >> so, yes, i'm with bernie on medicare for all and let me tell you why. i spent a big chunk of my life studying why families go broke and one of the number-one reasons is the cost of health care. medical bills. and that's not just for people who don't have insurance. it's for people who have insurance. look at the business model of an insurance company. it's to bring in as many dollars as they can in premiums and to pay out as few dollars as possible for your health care. that leaves families with rising premiums, rising co-pays, and fighting with insurance companies to try to get the health care that their doctors

say that they and their children need. medicare for all solves that problem. and i understand, there are a lot of politicians who say, oh, it's just not possible, we just can't do it, we have a lot of political reasons for this. what they're really telling you is they just won't fight for it. well, health care is a basic human right and i will fight for basic human rights. that means medicare for all. >> congressman -- congressman o'rourke, when you ran for senate, you also praised a bill that would replace private insurance. this year, you're saying you're 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 young man, 27 years old, told me he'd been to a doctor once in his life. on that visit he was told he had diabetes, told he had glaucoma and he was told untreated because he doesn't have health care, he'll be dead before the age of 40.

so getting to guaranteed high-quality universal health care as quickly and surely as possible has to be our goal. the ability to afford your prescriptions and go to a primary care provider. the ability to see a mental health care provider. in texas, the single largest provider of mental health care services is the county jail system today. and health care also has to mean that every woman can make her own decisions about her own body and has access to the care that makes that possible. our plan says that if you're uninsured, we enroll you in medicare. if you're insufficiently insured, can't afford your premiums, we enroll you in medicare. if you're a member of a union, that negotiated for a health care plan that you like because it works for you and your family, you're able to keep it. >> time is up, congressman. i want to ask a follow-up on this. just to be very clear. i'll give you ten seconds. would you replace private insurance? >> no. i think the choice is fundamental to our ability to

get everybody cared for. >> no, no -- private insurance is not working for tens of millions of americans. when you talk about the co-pays, the deductibles, the premiums, the out of pocket expenses, it's not working. >> that's right, so for those for whom it is not working, they can choose medicare. >> congressman -- >> for the -- >> you got do start by acknowledging it is not working if for people. >> they're able to keep them. >> they like their private health insurance, by the way, it should be noted 100 million americans -- i mean, i think we should be the party that keeps what's working and fixes what's broken. i mean, doesn't that make sense? i mean, we should give everyone in this country health care as a basic human right for free. full stop. but we should also give them the option to buy private insurance. why do we have to stand for taking away something from people? and also it's bad policy, if you go to every hospital in this country and you ask them 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 single hospital administrator said they would

close. and the medicare for all bill requires payments to stay at current medicare rates. so to some extent, we're basically supporting a bill that will have every hospital closing. i mean, my dad was a union electrician. right? i actually grew up in a working-class family. he loved the health care the ibew gave him. i think about my dad and anything i would do from a policy perspective. he'd look at me and say, good job, john, for getting health care for every american. why are you taking my health care away? >> i've let this play out a little bit because i'm fascinated to hear the daylight between you. congresswoman gabbard, weigh in here. >> you're talking about this in the wrong way. talking about one bill over another bill. really what we're talking about is our objectives. making sure that every single sick american in this country is able to get the health care that 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 costs, 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 some form of a role of private insurance. i think that's what we've got to look at. taking the best of these ideas. making sure unequivocally that no sick american goes without getting the care they need regardless of how much or little money they have in their pockets. >> congresswoman, let me turn to senator booker on this. senator booker, explain to me where you are. this is hugely important to people. tell us where you are. >> i absolutely will. first of all, we're talking about this as a health care issue. but in communities like mine, low-income issues, it's an education issue, kids who don't have health care are not going to succeed in school. it is an issue for jobs and employment because people that do not have good health care do not succeed at work. it's even a retirement issue because in my community, african-americans have a lower life expectancy because of poorer health care. so where i stand is very clear. health care is not just a human right, it should be an american

right. and i believe 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'm not going to wait. we have to do the things immediately that are going to provide better care. and on this debate, i'm sorry, there are too many people profiteering off of the pain of people in america, from pharmaceutical companies to insurers. literally, the overhead for insurers that they charge is 15% while medicare's overhead is only at 2%. we can do this better and every single day i'll be fighting to give people more access and more affordable costs until we get to my goal -- >> your time is up. >> -- which is every american having health care. >> time is up. i want to move back, if i can, to congresswoman gabbard. >> that is that the insurance companies last year, alone, sucked $23 billion in profits out of the health care system. $23 billion. and that doesn't count the money that was paid to executives, the

money that was spent lobbying washington. we have a giant industry that wants our health care system to stay the way it is. it's not working for families, but it sure as heck is working for -- >> governor -- >> it's time for us to make families come first. >> it should not be an option in the united states of america for any insurance company to deny a women coverage for their exercise of their right of choice. and i am the only candidate here who has passed a law protecting a woman's right of reproductive health and health insurance, and i'm the only candidate who has passed a public option, and i respect everybody's goals and plans here, but we do have one candidate that's actually advanced the ball, and we got to have access for everyone. i've done it as a public option. >> your time -- senator klobuchar, i want to get you -- i'm fascinated by this. senator klobuchar? >> i just want to say there's three women up here that have

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

is that just because a woman or let's also not forget someone in the trans community, a trans female, if poor, doesn't mean they shouldn't have the right to exercise that right to choose. and so i absolutely would cover the right to have an abortion. 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, in georgia. i would appoint judges to the federal bench that understand the precedent of roe v. wade and will respect it and in addition to that make sure that we fight hard as we transition our health care system to one where everybody can get and exercise that right. >> senator warren, would you put limits on -- any 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. and i want to add on that, it's not enough for us to expect the courts to protect us. 47 years ago, roe v. wade was decided and we've all looked to the courts all that time, as state after state has undermined roe, has put up exception rceptions, has come right up to the edge of taking away protections. >> your time is up, senator. >> we now have an america where most people support roe v. wade. we need to make that federal law. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> senator booker, i want to come back on a discussion we were having 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 why

well before i was running for president i said i would not take contributions from pharma companies, not take contributions from corporate pacs or pharma executives because they're part of this problem and this opioid addiction in our country, we in cities like mine have been seeing how we've tried to arrest our way out of addiction for too long. it is time that we have a national urgency to deal with this problem and make the solutions that are working to actually be the law of our land and make the pharmaceutical companies that are responsible help 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. it's the largest prison population on the face of the planet. many are there for nonviolent drug crimes including possession of marijuana at a time that more than half the states have legalized it or decriminalized it. and yet, despite what the perdue pharma has done, their connection to the opioid crisis

and the overdose deaths that we're seeing throughout this country. they've been able to act with complete impunity and pay no consequences. not a single night in jail. unless there's accountability and justice, this crisis will continue. in my administration, we will hold them to account. we will make sure that they pay a price and we will help those who've been victims of this malfeasance in this country. get them treatment and long-term care. >> i know immigration is on a lot of your minds here and i want to talk about it. we're going to talk about it. we need to take a break. we'll be back with more from miami after this.

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only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ 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 homestead, florida, right 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 valeria died trying to cross the river to ask for asylum in this country. last month, more than 130,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border. secretary castro, if you were president today, what would you specifically do? >> thank you very much, jose. i'm very proud that in april, i became the first candidate to put forward a comprehensive immigration plan and we saw those images, watching that image of oscar and his daughter, valeria, is heartbreaking. it should also piss us all off. if i was 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, the remain in mexico policy, and the metering policy. this metering policy is basically what prompted oscar and valeria to make that risky swim across the river. they have been playing games with people who are coming and trying to seek asylum at our ports of entry. oscar and valeria went to a port of entry and then they were denied an ability to make asylum claim so they got frustrated and tried to cross the river and died because of that. >> on day one, sorry. >> on day one, i would do that executive order that would address metering and follow that up in my first 100 days with immigration reform that would honor asylum claims, put undocumented immigrants as long as they haven't committed a serious crime on a pathway to citizenship and we'd get to the root cause of the issue which is we need a marshal plan for honduras and guatemala and el salvador so that people can find safety and opportunity at home instead of coming to the united states to seek it. >> senator booker, what would you do on day one?

>> and this is a situation that the next president will inherit. >> yes. snmtd spugs is spalg [ [ speaking spanish ] ][ speaking spanish ] ] on day one, i will make sure that, number one, we end the i.c.e. 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. that we reinstate pathways to citizenship for daca recipients and to make sure that people that are here on temporary protective status can stay and remain here. then finally, we need to make sure we address the issues that made oscar and valeria come in the first place by making major investments in the northern triangle, not what this president is doing, ripping away

the resources we need to actually solve this problem. we can't surrender our values. and think that we're going to get border security. we actually will lose security and lose our values. we must fight for both. >> very briefly. my plan -- senator booker, governor inslee, agree with me on this. my plan also includes getting rid of section 1325 of the immigration and nationality act, to go back to the way we used to treat this when somebody comes across the border not to criminalize desperation, to treat that as a civil violation. here's why it's important. we see this horrendous family separation. they use that law, section 1325, to justify under the law separating little children from their families. >> thank you. jose -- >> i want to challenge every single candidate on this stage to support the repeal of section 1325. >> 30 seconds. >> my friend here said, i agree with him on that issue. folks should understand that the separation of children from

families doesn't just go on at our border. it happens in our communities. i.c.e. are ripping away parents from their american children, spouses and the like, creating fear in cities all across this country where parents are afraid to drop their kids off at school or go to work. we must end those policies as well. >> discussion about immigration -- >> mayor -- >> -- in this country because look at the bottom line here. those tragic -- that tragic photo of that parent, that child, and i'm saying this as a father, every american should feel that in their heart. every american should say that is not america. those are not our values. but we have to get under the skin of why we have this crisis in our system. because we're not being honest about the division that's been fomented in this country. the way that american citizens have been told that immigrants somehow created their misery and their pain and their challenges. for all the american citizens out there who feel you're falling behind, who feel the american dream's 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 in america who are hurting that we're going to be on their side every single time against those big corporations who created this mess to begin with. and remind people we're all in this together. if we don't change that debate, that politics, that's holding us back, we won't get all these reforms people are talking about. that's what we need to do as democrats. >> if i could, i'm sorry. beto o'rourke. what would you do, congressman, day one, at the white house? >> we would not turn back valeria and her father, oscar. we would accept them into this country and follow our own asylum walls. we would not build walls, would not put kids in cages. in fact, we would spare no expense to reunite the families.

>> criminalized a lot of the families -- >> that have been separated already. >> congressman -- >> not criminally prosecute any family who is fleeing violence and persecution. >> we would make sure -- >> secretary, let him finish. let him finish. yes. >> we would not detain any family fleeing violence, in fact, fleeing the deadliest countries on the face of the planet today. we would implement a family case management program so they could be cared for in the community at a fraction of the cost. then we would rewrite our immigration laws in our own image. free dreamers forever from any fear of deportation by making them u.s. citizens here in this country. invest in solutions in central america. work with regional stakeholders so there's no reason to make that 2,000-mile journey to this country. >> i'll give you 30 seconds. >> let's be very clear. the reason that they're separating these little children from their families is that they're using section 1325 of that act which criminalizes coming across the border to incarcerate the parents then

separate them. some of us on this stage have called to end that section, to terminate it. some like congressman o'rourke have not. and i want to challenge all of the candidates to do that. >> i just think it's a mistake, beto. i think it's a mistake. i think if you truly want to change the system, we got to repeal that section. >> thank you. >> if not, it might as well be the same policy. >> let me respond to this very briefly. as a member of congress, i helped to introduce legislation that would ensure that we don't criminalize those who are seeking asylum and refuge in this country. >> i'm not talking -- >> if you're fleeing desperation, i want to make sure -- >> i'm talking about everybody else. i'm still talking about everybody else. >> you're looking at one small part of this. i'm talking about a comprehensive rewrite of our immigration laws. >> that's not true. >> if you do that -- >> that's actually not true. >> people i'm talking about -- we're talking about millions of folks. a lot of folks that are coming are not seeking asylum. a lot of them are undocumented immigrants. right? and you said recently that the reason you didn't want to repeal

section 1325 was because you were concerned about human trafficking and drug trafficking. but let me tell you what, section 18 -- title 18 of the title 22 already cover human tracking. >> smuggling -- >> we're going to make sure -- >> if you did your homework on this issue, you would know that we should repeal this section. >> this is an issue that we should and could be talking about for a long time. and we will for a long time. >> can we talk about the conditions, why people are coming here? >> let's let lester -- >> because -- >> savannah -- i know. it's just -- we could go on. rather than talk about specific provisions, we really have to talk about why these people are coming to our country. and what we're going it to do to actually make a difference in those countries. >> congressman, you'll get your chance. let's continue the discussion. senator klobuchar. >> yes. >> let's talk about what secretary castro just said. he wants to no longer have it be a crime to illegally cross the border. do you support that? do you think it should 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'm happy to look at his proposal but i do think you want to make sure that you have provisions in place that allow 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. and that is that 70 of our fortune 500 companies are headed up by people that came from other countries. 25% of our u.s. nobel laureates were born in other countries. we have a situation right now where we need workers in our fields and in our factories. we need them to start small businesses. we need their ideas. and this president has literally gone backwards at a time where our economy needs immigrants. and so my proposal is to look at that 2013 bill that passed the senate with republican support,

to upgrade that bill, to make it as good as possible and get it done. it brings the debt down by $158 billion. >> senator -- >> it gives a path to citizenship for citizens, for people who can become citizens. and it -- >> senator -- >> it would be so much better for our economy in america. >> that's time. thank you. congressman ryan, same question. should it be a crime to illegally cross the border or should it be a civil offense only? >> i agree with secretary castro. i think there are other provisions in the law that will allow you to prosecute people for coming over here if they're dealing in drugs and other things. that's already established in the law. so there's no need to repeat it. and i think it's abhorrent we're talking about this father who got killed with his daughter and the issues here, the way these kids are being treated, if you go to guantanamo bay, there are terrorists that are held that get better health care than those kids that have tried to cross the border in the united

states. that needs to stop. and i think 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 here where we have a president of the united states who's so focused on hate and fear and division and what has happened now, the end result, is now we've got kids literally laying in their own snot with three-week-old diapers that haven't been changed. we've got to tell this president that is not a sign of strength, mr. president. that is a sign of weakness. >> senator booker -- no, a lot of people -- they ask a question, if you're president on day one, what will you do with the fact that you will have families here? there's been a lot of talk about what you'll do in the first 100 days about legislation. what will you actually do with these families? how will you care for them? will they be detained? or will they not be? >> well, this is a related and brief point because what we're talking about, what secretary castro and i 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, which are repugnant to me that people are profiting off incarceration and they're immigration lockups. our country has made so many mistakes by criminalizing things, whether it's immigration, whether it's mental illness, whether it's addiction. we know that this is not the way to deal with problems. there is a humane way that affirms human rights and human dignity and actually solves this problem. donald trump isn't solving this problem. we've seen under his leadership a surge at our border. we solve this problem by making investments in the northern triangle to stop the reasons why people are being driven here in the first place, and we make sure we use our resources to provide health care to affirm the values of human dignity of people that come here because we cannot sacrifice our values, our ideals as a nation, for border security. we can have both by doing this the right way. >> all right, senator, thank you. let me go to governor inslee on

this. what would you do on day one? same question i just asked cory booker. i have yet to hear an answer from anyone on this stage. what will you do with the families that the be that will be here? >> there's no reason for the detention and separation of these children. they should be released pending their hearings and should have a hearing and the law should be followed. that's what should happen. we should do what we're doing in washington state. i'm proud that we've passed a law that prevents local law enforcement from being turned into mini i.c.e. agents. i'm proud to have been the first governor to stand up against donald trump's heinous muslim ban. i'm proud to be a person who's not only talked about dreamers but being one of the first to make sure that they get a college education. so that they can realize their dreams. these are some of the most inspirational people in our state. and i'll leave you with this thought, if you want to know what i think. donald trump the other day tried to threaten me. he thought it was a threat to

tell me he'd send refugees in washington state if we passed a law that i passed and 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's going to continue if i'm president of the united states. >> then -- want to switch to another topic now. we have a lot to get through. >> my grandfather was actually separated from his family when he came into this country. >> we're going to talk about iran right now because we're working against the clock. tankers have been attacked. a u.s. drone has been shot down. there have been disturbing threats issued by both the u.s. and iranian leadership. i'd like if you can just for a moment to put aside how you think we may have gotten here. what i want to know is how do you dial it back? a show of hands, who as president would sign on to the 2015 nuclear deal as it was originally negotiated? senator booker, why not? >> may i address that? first and foremost it was a mistake to pull out of that deal.

one of the reasons we're seeing this hostility now is because donald trump is marching us to a far more dangerous situation. he took us out of a deal that gave us transparency into their nuclear program and pushed back a nuclear breakout 10, 20 years now we see iran threatening to go further and we're pulled further and further into this crisis. we need to renegotiate and get back into a deal but i'm not going to have a primary platform to say unilaterally i'm going to rejoin that deal. when i'm president of the united states, i'm going to do the best i can to secure this country and that region and make sure if i have an opportunity to leverage a better deal, i'm going to do it. >> senator klobuchar, i'd like you to answer that question because you said you would negotiate yourself back into the iranian agreement. can you argue that that nuclear pact as it was ratified was a good deal? >> yes, it was >> 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 could negotiate to get back in the deal. but the point is, donald trump

told us when he got out of it that he was going to give us a better deal. those were his words. and now we are a month away from the iranians who claim now that they're going to blow the cap on enriching uranium. the iranians have told us this. that's where we are right now. he's made us less safe than we were when he became president. so what i would do is negotiate us back into that agreement. stand with our allies and not give unlimited leverage to china and russia, which is what he has done, and then, finally, i would make sure that if there's any possibility of a conflict, and we're having this debate in congress right now, that he comes to congress for an authorization of military force. i would do that. and this president is literally every single day ten minutes away from going to war, one tweet away from going to war and i don't think we should conduct foreign policy -- >> your time is up. >> -- in our bathrobe at 5:00 in the morning. >> congresswoman gabbard -- congresswoman gabbard, you've

said you would sign back onto the 2015 deal. would you -- would you insist, though, that it address iran's support for hezbollah? >> let's deal with the situation where we are. where this president and his chicken hawk cabinet have 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 with iran would be far more devastating, far more costly than anything that we ever saw in iraq. it would take many more lives. it would exacerbate the refugee crisis. it wouldn't be just 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. there are issues like their missile development that needs to be addressed. we can do both simultaneously to prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon and preventing us from going to war. >> your time is up. i have a very quick follow-up. what would your red line be for military action against iran? >> look, obviously, if there was an attack against the american -- our troops, then there would have to be a response, but my point is, and it's important for us to recognize this, is donald trump and his cabinet, mike pompeo, john bolton, and others, are creating a situation that just a spark would light off a war with iran which is incredibly dangerous. that's why we need to de-escalate tensions. trump needs to get back into the iran nuclear deal. and swallow his pride. put the american people first. >> we are out of time. we're up against a hard break. but we will have much more -- mayor de blasio, we'll have more. the commercial is coming. we will continue our questioning next with chuck todd, rachel maddow. stick around.

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we believe we have the technical difficulties -- >> never say never. we will march forward here. and i will lean forward. senator warren, we'll get to the gun question here. parkland, florida. north of here in broward county. it created teenage activism. it inspired you to come out with robust plans to deal with guns. including assault weapons ban. what do you do about the hundreds of millions of guns already out there and does the

federal government have to play a role in dealing with it? >> in the i have been running for president. i have more than 100 town halls. and taken 2,000 unfiltered questions. in a single hardest question i have gotten, i got one from a little boy and little girl. when you're president how will you keep us safe? that's our responsibility. as adults. seven children will die today from gun violence. and teenagers. not just mass shootings. on sidewalks and playgrounds. in people's backyards. gun violence is a national health emergency. in this country. we need to treat it like that. we can do the things that are universal background check. ban the weapons of war.

we can also 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 the children safe. we need to treat this like the fires killing children. >> does the federal government need to figure out a way to get guns already out there? >> we need to treat it like a research problem. which we have not done. guns in the hands of a collector, who had them for decades. who never fired them. who takes safety seriously. that's different from guns sold and turn over quick will. it's not an across the board problem. it's a public health emergency that we and make real change in this country. whether it's plolitically populr or not. fight for the children. >> senator booker, you have a

federal government buy back program. in your plan. how is that going to work? >> first of all, i want to say any colleague and i have been hearing this on the campaign trail. i hear gunshots in my neighborhood. i think i'm the only one on the panel who had seven people shot in their neighborhood last week. somebody i know was killed last year. this is not a policy issue for millions of americas. this is urgency. they are tired of living in a country where kids go to school to learn about reading and writing and how to deal with an active shooter in the school. this is something that i'm tired of. i'm tired of hearing people all they offer is thought and prayer. in my faith, people take we will find a way. the reason we have a problem right now we let the corporate gun lobby frame the debate.

it is time that we have bold action and bold agenda. i will get that done as president of the united states because this is not about policy. this is personal. >> thank you. >> secretary, i'd like to talk about something booker mentioned. idea of active shooter drills in schools. school shootings seem like an almost every day or every week occurrence now. they don't make a complete news cycle. no matter the death toll. parents are so afraid their kids will be caught up in this. next to nothing has changed in federal law. that might effect the pref lens of school shooting. is this a problem that will continue to get worse over our lifetime? or something that you would do as president that you think would turn it around? >> rachel, i'm the dad of a ten year-old girl. who is here tonight. the worst thing is knowing that your child might be worried about what could happen at school. a police supposed to be safe.

the answer is no. we don't have to accept that. i believe that on january 20, 2021, at 12:01 p.m. we'll have a democratic president. a democratic house and senate. and the activists of parkland folks that have risen up and inspired so many people, we may not have seen yet legislative action, but we're getting closer. the house took a vote. in the senate the question often is, if a decision is between 60 votes. a filibuster or passing gun reform. i'll choose common sense gun reform. we can get that done in 2021. >> secretary, thank you. >> i have something to add. briefly. >> 30 seconding for follow up on the question. on the answer. >> you're talking about in the

school. these kids are traumatized. i support the gun reform here. we need to start dealing with the trama that the kids have. we have trama based care in every school. social and emotional learning. and 90% of the shooters who do school shootings come from the school they're in. 73% feel shame, traumatized or bullied. make sure the kids feel connected to the school. that means a mental health counsellor in every school in the united states. we need to start playing offense. our kids are so traumatized they are getting a gun and going to school. we're doing something wrong. we need reform. >> o'rourke. you campaigned over the state in 2018. in conservative parts. what you tell a gun owner who agrees on everything else but says the democrats will take my gun away. and even though i adwree with

the issues. how do you have the conversation? >> i shared with them what i learned from those students who survived santa fe high school shooting. young student her friend who survived another shooting. the mother of a victim who lost her life. talked about universal background checks. you close every loophole. they save lives. endsing the sale of assault weapons into community. they were designed to kill people as effect ily and officially. they belong on the battlefield. not in the community. red flag law. if someone is a danger to themselves or someone else. they're stopped before it's too late. what i found is democrats and independents and republicans gun owners and non-gun owners agree. this effort must be led by the young people that you reference. those students from marjory stoneman douglas led the charge here in florida.

and have changed those laws. they are making the democracy work. ensuring values and priorities are reflected in the laws we pass. >> thank you, congressman. let me give 30 seconds to senator klobuchar. iron change, i'm curious. gun confiscation. if the government is buying back, how do you not have that conversation? >> that's not confiscation. you give the offer. i'll say this, i look at the proposals and say does it hurt my uncle and his beer stand. coming from a hunting and fishing. these proposals don't do that. i was in the senate i saw the moms from sandy hook come and try to advocate for change. we all failed. and then now the parkland kids from florida. they started a literally a national shift. you know why? it's like with gay marriage. when kids talk to parents they say i done understand why we

can't put sensible things in place. it's the best thing that ever happened. >> senator booker. mitch mcconnell says his most consequential achievement at leader is preventing president obama from filling a supreme court seat. having served with republicans on the judiciary committee, do you believe they would confirm your court nominee? >> i'll use 20 seconds. i think it's common sense and over 70% of americans agree with me. if you need a license to drive a car. you need a license to buy and own a firearm. not everybody in the field agree es with that. connecticut saw 40% drop in gun violence and 15% drop in suicide. we need to start having bold agenda on guns. when it comes to the supreme court. i agree with my friend. secretary castro. we are going to get to 50 votes

in the senate. this is whoever is our nominee. campaign in places like south carolina. we can in places like iowa. we can win a senate seat there. this is about getting 50 votes in the senate and more. so we cannot only balance the supreme court. but start to path an agenda that isn't to agrezive because most of america agrees with the policy objective of the party. >> mayor de blasio. >> we have to -- >> delaney you'll have time in a moment. as an executive in the largest city in the country. if you nominate a supreme court nominee. what makes you believe he would allow you to make a nominee?

>> i am chief executive of the largest city. and i want to say something quick on the gun issue. i run the largest police force in america too. if we'll stop the shootings we have a different relationship between the police and the community. that something that sets me apart from the colleagues. that is for the last 21 years i have been raising a black son in america. i have had to have very serious talks with my son. about how to protect himself from the streets of the city. including how to deal with the fact that he has to take special caution. recently as in indiana. we need to have a conversation about guns and policing. we have done that in new york city and driven down crime. to your question about mitch mcconnell there's a political solution. the democratic party would stop acting like the party of elite

and be the party of working people and go into states red states to convince people we're on the their side. we can put pressure to vote for the nominees put forward. >> thank you, mayor de blasio. >> i will get you 30 seconds. i promise. we're trying. we have other issues we're trying to get to. senator warren, i want to continue on the mitch mcconnell thing. you have a lot of ambitious plans. >> i do. >> we talk about the supreme court. do you have a plan to deal with mitch mcconnell if you don't beat him in the senate. if he's sitting there at senate majority leader. it's plausible you elected president with a republican senate. do you have a plan to deal with mitch mcconnell? >> i do.

we are democracy. and the way knock si is supposed to work is the will of the people matter. we for far too long had a congress in washington that is completely dismissed what people care about across the country. they have made the country work much better for those who can make giant contributions, made it work better for those who hire armies of lobbiests and lawyers. not for the people. here's how i see it happening. number one i want to see us get a democratic majority in the senate. short of the majority in the senate, you better understand the fight still goes on. it starts in the white house. and means everybody we energize in 2020 stays on the front lines come january 2021. we have to push funding outside that leadership from the inside. and make this congress reflect the will of the people. >> i'll 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 will he conform? >> we need to get things done. we need to operate in a bipartisan manner. i'll sign in to law bills that come to the white house that are passed on a party line basis. all the big things we have done in the country history, have happened when huge majorities of the american people get behind them. which is why we need real solutions not impossible promises. we need to put forth ideas that work. whether it's healthcare. creating universal healthcare. so every american gets healthcare. not running on making private insurance illegal. the gun issue is related to gun safety is related. i can't tell you how many times i have been with folks in western maryland skb they say

democrats don't do anything for us. republicans don't do anything. you fight all the time. they vote on the single issue. if we become the party of getting things done, for the american people. real solutions. not impossible promises. >> senator booker. 30 seconds. how do you deal with mitch? you have been in the senate. you can't get bills on the floor. presidents can't do it. will president booker get his bills on the floor? >> when i got to the senate. in an african american dominated community i knew the big issue was criminal justice reform. police accountability to the fact that we have nation that has more african americans under criminal supervision than the slaves in 1850. i was told we couldn't get a reform bill done. as my colleagues know i fought on the bill. built coalitions and today we passed the first step act.

not as far as i want to go. thousands of people will be liberated. i have taken on tough problems. people said we can't achieve. i have gotten things accomplished. >> thank you. >> governor. next question to you. you got me? climate change. it is first, second and third priority for you. let's get specific. we're here in miami. already experiencing serious flooding on sunny days as a result of sea level rise. parts of miami beach and keets could be under water in our lifetime. does your plan save miami? >> yes. filibuster mcconnell to begin with. you have to do that. we are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change. and the last that can do

something about it. our towns are burning. fields are flooding. miami is inundated. this a climate crisis. an emergency. it is our last chance in the administration next one to do something about it. we need to do what i have done in my state. 100% clean grid bill. we have a vision stadium. my plan is called the gold standard of putting people to work. but the most important thing on this biggest decision for the american public is who's going to make this the first priority? i am the candidate in the only one who says this has to be the top priority of the united states. the organizing principle to mobilize the united states. so we can do what we have always done. lead the world in put 8 million

people to work. >> you put out a big plan from your campaign. you want big changes in a short period of time. switching to renewable energy. what's your message to a voter who supports the goal of what you're trying to do but feels as if government is telling them how to live. and ordering them how to live. what's that balance like? >> you have to bring everybody in to the decisions and solutions. to the challenges that we face. we're traveling everywhere. listening to everyone. we were in pacific junction a town that had never flooded before. against the missouri river in iowa. every home in the community flooded. there were farms that were effectively lakes. those farmers already under water. in debt. the markets close to them by a trade war under the administration. they don't know what to do. we will fund resiliency in the communities. in miami and houston.

the places on the front lines of climate change. and mobilize $5 trillion in the economy over ten years. free ourselves from a dependence on fossil fuels and put farmers and ranchers in the drivers seat. renewable and sustainable agricultural. to capture carbon and keep it in the soil. paying farmers for the services they provide. we'll be able to keep the planet from warming another two degrees sell yus. and match what the country can do. >> secretary castro, who pays for the mitigation to climate. building seawalls or people that are perhaps living in places that they shouldn't be living. is this a federal government issue that needs to do that? do they move people? what you do about that. maybe they're building a house some place that isn't safe.

who pays to build that house and how much should the government bail them out sn. >> i don't think that represents the vast majority of the issue. my first visit after i announced my candidate was to san juan, puerto rico. people should know if i'm elected president everybody will count. i'm one of the few in the race with executive experience. with a track record of getting things done. when i was mayor we moved the local public utility and shifted it. from coal fire plants to solar and other renewables and created more than 800 jobs doing that. when i was hud secretary we worked on the national to invest in communities trying to rebuild from natural disasters in a sustainable way. that's the way we'll make sure we're safer in the years to come. the first thing i would do is

sign an executive order resubmitting us to the paris climate accord. >> the plans include pricing carbon. taxing carbon. it has been tried in a few places. washington state. voters voted it down. the yellow vest movement. australia one party got rejected out of fear of the cost of climate change being put on the back of the consumer. if pricing carbon is politically impossible. how do we pay for the mitigation? >> we talked about different ways of raising revenue. we have to grow our way out of this. let me talk about real politics. we can talk about climate or guns or all of the issues we all care about. we have a perception problem with the democratic party. we are not keking to the working

class people in the very state that i represent in ohio. and the industrial midwest. we have lost all connection. we have got to change the center of gravity of democratic party from being coastal and ivy league. to somebody from the forgotten communities that have been left behind for 30 years. to get the workers back on our side. so we can say we'll build electric vehicles and solar panels. if you want to beat mcconnell. this better be a working class party. if you want to go into kentucky and take his rear end out and take lindsey graham out. go into the tech tile community in south carolina. all i'm saying here. >> thank you congressman. >> if we don't address that fundamental problem, with our connection to workers. white, black, brown, gay,

straight. none of it will get done. >> i introduced the only -- all the economists agree. you have to do it right. you can put a price on carbon. raise energy prices and not give the money back to the american people. my proposal put a price on carbon. give a difd back to the people. it goes out one pocket back in the other. i can get it passed my first year with a coalition of every democrat in the congress and the republicans in coastal states. republicans in florida actually care about this issue. this has to be the way forward. if we're serious about the issue. >> congresswoman gabbard. you issued an apology. to the lgbtq community about your past stances and statements on gay rights. after the trump administration roll back of civil rights protection for many in the

community, why should voters 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. my record in congress for over six years shows my commitment to fighting for lgbtq equality. i serve on the caucus and voted for passage of the equality act. maybe many people in the country can relate to the fact i grew up in a socially conservative home. held views when i was young. that i no longer hold today. i served with lgbtq service members in training and deployed. i know they would give their life for me and i would give my life for them. it is this commitment that i'll carry through as president of the united states. recognizing there are people that face discrimination.

and unable to find a home. for their families. we need to address this. >> thank you. >> it's not enough. >> look, civil rights is the place to begin. in the another place to focus on stop the lynching of african americans. we do not talk enough about trans-americans. especially african american trans-americans and the high rate of murder. we don't talk about how many children about 30% of lgbtq kids who do not go to school because of fear. it's not enough to be on the equality act. i'm a coupon sor. we need a president to fight to president lgbtq americans. every single day. >> on the issue of civil rights and demographic. and politics. the democratic party counted on

african american voter turn out as step one to winning elections. counting now and in the future in the same way. what have you done for black and latin voters that should enthuse them about going to the polls for you. >> my life and my career and my work in the senate has been about economic opportunity. to me, this means better child care. for everyone in the country. when you want to have a economy that works, you need to have retirements that works. public schools that work. and you need to make sure that that those communities are able to get the jobs of the future. the stem jobs. donald trump one of the first bills he signed of the 34 were i was a lead democrat. was one that was about that. making sure minority community members could share in the jobs. to me, this is about a few things. african american women that goes

to a hospital in new orleans. her hands are swelling and doctor ignores her. and her baby dies. the fact that african american woman make 61 cents for every dollar a white man makes. i will do this in my first 100 days as president. we'll work to make sure everyone can vote. at this table. everyone can vote in the country. we will go to the next step of criminal justice reform. booker and i worked on that first step act. go to the second step act. help all the communities. >> thank you very much. 30 seconds follow up to you secretary castro. this is 70% latin. in miami. is that enough of an answer? what klobuchar an economic justice agenda. is that enough to mobilize latin o voters to stand with the party? >> i also think we have to recognize racial and social justice.

i was in charleston. and i remembered that dillen roof went to the church and he murdered nine people worshipping and he was apprehended without incident. what about eric garner and rice. and mcdonald. and bland and turner? and i'm proud that i'm the only candidate so far that put forward legislation that would reform our policing system in america and make sure no matter what the color of your skin you are treated the same. including latin os. who are mistreated. >> thank you. >> lest hoerlt has a question. a viewer question. >> we asked voters to submit questions. this comes from john in new york. he asks, 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 to protect people threatened by the governments

even when atrocities do not effect american core interests? i'll direct that to congressman o'rourke. >> i appreciate the question. the answer is yes. but that action should be under taken 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 ro wan da. unfortunately under this administration, president trump has alien ated friends and allies and alliances. diminished the standing in the world and made us weaker. less able to confront challenges. iran or north korea. or vladimir putin in russia. who attacked and invaded democracy in 2016. and president trump offered

another invitation to do the same. he embraced dictators at the expense of democracy. i will make sure we live values in foreign policy. ensure we strengthen alliances and partnerships and that makes america stronger. >> what about the war powers act? we have learned of painful lesson as americans. that we have gone to war without congressional authorization. i know the cost of war. my dad served in world war ii. half his leg was blown off. and he came home with scars both physical and emotional. and he didn't recover. he spired downward and took his own life. that battle didn't kill him. that war did. look, even if the humanitarian crisis. we should be ready to intervene.

god forbid there's a genocide. not without congressional approval. democrats and republicans both in the congress haven't challenged presidents and let them get away with running the military without the congressional approval. we learned the lesson in the vietnam war. >> the day the taliban claimed responsibility for killing two american service members in afghanistan. leaders have both said they want to end u.s. involvement in afghanistan. but it isn't over for america. why isn't it over? why can't presidents of different parties get us out of there. how could you? >> i appreciate the question. i have been in congress 17 years. and 12 of those years i have sat on the armed services committee. defense and appropriation. the lesson i have learned over the years is that you have to stay engaged in the situations.

nobody likes it. it's long and tedious. right now we have i would say we have must be engaged in this. have the state department engaged and military. for the extent they need to be. but the reality of it is this president doesn't have people appointed in the state department to deal with these things. whether we're talking about central america or iran. talking about afghanistan. we have to be completely engaged. heers why. these flare ups distract us from the real problems. if getting drones shot down for $130 million because the president is distracted, that's $130 million that we can be spending in places like ohio. or flint. or rebuilding -- >> that's what you will tell the parents of two soldiers who were just killed in afghanistan?

we have to be engaged. as a soldier that answer is unacceptable. we have to bring the troops home. we are in a place in afghanistan we have lost so many lives. we have spent so much none. money that is coming out of our pockets. money that should be going into communities here in. meeting the needs of people at home. we're no better off in afghanistan today than when the war began. this is why it's so important to have a president commander in chief. who knows the cost of war and ready to do the job on day one. i'm ready to do that job when i walk into the oval office. >> i'll dpo down the line. you felt like she was, 30 seconds. >> i appreciate that. >> i would say i don't want to be engaged. i wish we were spending money in places that i represent that have been forgotten. we were rebuilding. the reality of it is the united

states is isn't engaged the taliban will grow. and they will have bigger, bolder terrorists acts. we have to have some presence there. >> the taliban was there long before we came in. they'll be there after we leave. thinking we're going to somehow squash this taliban that's been there. >> squash them when we weren't in there. they were flying planes into buildings. >> taliban didn't attack us on 9/11. al qaeda did. >> i understand that. >> i and so many other people joined the military. to go after al qaeda. >> the taliban was protecting those people plotting against us. if we want to go into elections and say that we have to withdraw from the world, that's what president trump is saying. we can't. i would love for us to.

>> saudi arabia. is protecting al qaeda. >> what is the biggest the threat to the united states. >> greatest threat to the united states right now. delaney? >> the biggest challenge is china. the threat is nuclear weapons. those are different. >> governor ins lelee. >> the biggest threat to the united states is donald trump. >> gabbard? >> the greatest threat that we face the fact we are at a greater risk of nuclear war today than ever before in history. economic threats. china. our major threat is what's going on in the mideast with iran. >> slimmer -- >> climate change. confront it before it's too

late. >> climate change. >> booker. >> climate change. >> castro. >> china and climate change. >> ryan. >> china without question. >> russia. because they're trying to under mine democracy and have been doing a good job of it. we need to stop them. >> thank you. for that wide variety of answers. and i mean that. i mean it in a that's what this debate is about. this is the best part of the debate like this. congressman o'rourke. mullers report out lines criminal behavior by trump. nancy pelosi resisted any move towards impeachment. if the house chooses not to impeach, as president, would you do anything to address the potential crimes that were out lined in the report? >> yes. i'll tell you why.

>> how? >> one of the most powerful pieces of art in the united states capitol is the trumable painting of george washington resigning commission. to the congress. at the height of the power submitting to the rule of law. in the will of people. that has with stood the test of time for 243 years. if we set another precedent now that a candidate who invited the par participation of a foreign power. if we allow him to get away with this we will have set a new standard. some people because of the position of power and public trust they hold, are above the law. we cannot allow that to stand. we must begin impeachment now. we have the facts and the truth. we follow them as far as they go. it's high up as they reach. we save the democracy. if we have not been able to do that. our department of justice will

pursue the facts and insure consequences. accountability and justice. >> thank you. >> because of the accountability issues that congressman was describing there, and the real political landscape in which nancy pelosi is saying impeachment will not be pursued in the house. it raises the pros pegt that president trump could be prosecuted for the potential crimes. down the line. no u.s. president has ever been prosecuted for crimes after leaving office. do you believe president trump could or should be the first? >> there's always a first. i don't think anyone is above the law. including a president. i support her decision that she's making in the house of representatives. as speaker. she knows more about the decision whether to impeach the president than any of the 2020 candidates combined.

i do think -- no one is above the law. this president who is lawless shouldn't be above the law. i will tell you the one thing when you're doing as much as campaigning as i have done. 400 events. 99 counties in iowa. this is not the number one issue the people ask about. it's not. they want to know about healthcare. lower pharmaceutical prices. build infrastructure. create jobs in the community. last year in our country, 80% of the money for start up businesses went to 50 counties in this country. there's over 3,000 in the country. that's what they care about. they care about what's going on in the public schools and jobs in the community. with their pay. with their healthcare. with infrastructure. these are the issues the kitchen table pocketbook issues are actually what most americans care about. they never ask about the mueller report. >> your time is up.

>> how we're going to solve the problems. >> we let the republicans run elections and if we do not do something about russian interference in the election and let mcconnell stop the paper ballots. >> i have to sneak in, we blew through a break. i have to sneak one in now. more of this debate. it continues after this. maria ramirez? hi. maria ramirez! mom! maria! maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs... prof: maria ramirez mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! to help more employees achieve their dreams.

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we are back in miami. time for closing statements. each candidate has 45 seconds. we begin with delaney. >> closing now?

>> 45 seconds. >> we can go on. >> together we are on a mission. on a mission to find the america that's been lost. lost through inaction. we're so much better than this. we're a country that used to do things. we saved the worl. we created the american dream for millions of people like myself. grandson of immigrants. son of a union electrician who became a successful business leaders and created thousands of jobs. we did these things with real solution. not with impossible promise. those are the roots that we have to get back to. i'm running for president to solve the problems. to build infrastructure to fix our broken healthcare system. to invest in communities that have been left behind. to improve public education. i don't want to be your president to be your president, i want to be your president to do the job. >> thank you, sir. >> this is about getting america

working again. >> thank you. >> mayor de blasio. closing statement. >> it matters, it matters in this fight for the heart and soul of the party. that we nominate a candidate who has seen the face of poverty. and talk about it. $15 minimum wage. nominate a candidate who saw the destruction by broken healthcare system. and gave people universal healthcare. it matters that we choose someone who saw the wasted potential of the children denied prek. and gave it to every single one of them for free. these things really matter. these are the things i have done in new york. and i want to do the same for the whole country. because putting working people first it matters. we need to be the party again. let's work together with your help we can put working people first again. in america. >> thank you.

>> right on time. >> inslee. >> i have three grandchildren. i love them all. i was thinking about whether to run for president i made a decision, i decided that op my last day on earth i want to look them in the eye and tell them i did everything humanly possible to protect them from the ravages of the climate crisis. 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. i'm the only candidate. i'm surprised. who 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. we can save the life on this planet. this is our moment. >> thank you. >> ryan, 45 seconds.

>> there's nothing worse than not being heard. nothing worse than nothing being seen. i know that because i have represented lt 17 years in congress a forgotten community. they have tried to divide us who is white and black. gay and straight. man and woman. they ran away with owl the gold. 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 offense. i come from the middle of industrial america, these problems are all over our country. there's a tent city in l.a. homeless people around the 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 from wisconsin. all of us coming together. playing offense with an agenda that lifts everybody up. i will only promise you one thing. when i walk into the oval office every morning, you will not be

forgotten. your voice will be heard. >> congresswoman gabbard. >> our nation was founded on the principle of service above self-. people who fled kings who prospered on the backs of sacrifices of people. coming here to the country putting in place the government that is of, by and for the people. 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 a bee condition of light. providing home and opportunity. ushering in a new century where every person will get the healthcare they need. clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. we will have good paying jobs in a new green economy. join me in ushering in this new century with peace, prosperity.

opportunity and justice for all. >> thank you. >> secretary castro. >>. [ speaking foreign language ] . i can say that ton shows the progress we have made. i know the promise of america. my grandmother came when she was 7 years old from mexico. one of her grandsons is serving the united states congress and the other is running for president of the united states. if i'm elected president i will work hard every day so you and your family can get good healthcare. your child can get a good education and you can have good job opportunity. whether you're in a big city or small town. and on january 20, 2021 we'll say good-bye to donald trump. >> senator klobuchar. >> three things to know about me. i listen to people.

that's how i get things done. that is my focus. i have a track record of passing over 100 bills when i'm the lead democrat. because i listened and i acted. i think that's important. in a president. everything else melts away. secondly, i'm someone that can win and beat trump. i have won every place and every race and every time. i have won in the reddest of districts. ones that trumps won by 20 points. i can win in wisconsin and iowa. and michigan. finally, i'm not the establishment party candidate. i have respect but i'm not that person. i'm the one that doesn't have a political machine. and doesn't come from money. i don't make all the promises everyone makes. i can promise you this, i will govern with integrity. i'll have your back and govern for you. >> thank you, senator. >> this month my family moved

into the town i grew up in because after being denied a house because of color of their skin. it was activists that stood up and fought for them. that's the best of who we are. i got out of law school. i have taken on bullies and beat them. i have taken on tough fights and won. we win the fights by rising to who is best. donald trump wants us to fight him on his turf and terms. we will beat him. i will beat him calling this country to a sense of common focus again. this is a referendum on him and getting rid of him. it's a referendum on us. who we are and must be to each other. it's time to win this election. showing the best of who we are. >> congressman o'rourke. >> our daughter turned eleven

this week. i'm on the stage for her. for churn across the country. including someone her same page separated from parents and sleeping on concrete floors tonight. we'll be there for them. confront the challenges that we face. we can't return to the same old approach. we'll need a new kind of politics. one directed by the urge is of the next generation. the climate activists fighting for their future and everyone. the students marching for their lives. but for all of ours. we need a movement like the one with led in texas. it renewed our democracy. that's how we beat trump and bring the country together again. join us this is our moment. the generations that follow will counting on us. >> thank you. >> senator warren. >> you have 45 seconds for the final statement. >> thank you.

never in a million years did i think i would stand on a stalg like this. i was born and raised in oklahoma. my three older brothers joined the military. my dream was to be a public schoolteacher. 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 to go to college. i got my chance. it was a $50 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. >> we thank all the candidates that participated with us

tonight and that will do it. for night one of the two night event. guess what? we have ten more candidates tomorrow night. >> we hope you join us then. for now that concludes the coverage from miami. i'm lester holt, have a good night, everyone. xfinity mobile is a wireless network

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we are back with you from our studios in new york. we are 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 with us. let's not forget chris math uew across in the spin