In Texas, the 10 leading Democratic presidential candidates appeared on the same stage together for the first time Thursday night at a debate at Texas Southern University in Houston. It was the third debate of the primary season but marked the first time former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren shared the stage. Biden repeatedly defended the policies of former President Obama as he clashed with his rivals over immigration and healthcare. Biden and other candidates targeted Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders over his “Medicare for All” bill, along with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who supports it. Sanders said the current healthcare system is a disaster.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “We need a healthcare system that guarantees healthcare to all people, as every other major country does, not a system which provides $100 billion a year in profit for the drug companies and the insurance companies. And to tell you how absurd the system is, tonight on ABC the healthcare industry will be advertising, telling you how bad Medicare for All is, because they want to protect their profits. That is absurd.”
After headlines, we’ll spend the rest of the hour airing highlights of Thursday night’s debate, and we’ll host a roundtable discussion.