Facing existential challenges, we must spend heavily on a Green New Deal, Medicare for All and similar plans
In Wednesday night’s Democratic debate, the former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg charged that the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders’ policy proposals would cost $50tn. Holy Indiana.
Larry Summers, formerly chief White House economic adviser for Barack Obama, puts the price tag at $60tn. “We are in a kind of new era of radical proposal,” he told CNN.
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Trump and Bloomberg trade insults ahead of Democratic debate – live
- President had accused candidate violating campaign finance laws
- ‘Gloves will be off’: Nevada debate could be pivotal for Democrats
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5.32pm GMT
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo condemned China for expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters over a critical op-ed published by the newspaper.
The United St...
Controversy rages over Trump interference in Roger Stone case – live updates
- Attorney general to testify before congress
- Chuck Schumer warns of ‘crisis in the rule of law in America’
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This morning, Trump had some insults to throw at Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is using his vast personal fortune to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign ads.
Mini Mike Bloomberg is a LOSER who has money but can’t debate and has zero presence, you will see. He reminds me of a tiny version of Jeb “Low Energy” Bush, but Jeb has more political skill and has treated the Black community much better than Mini! https://t.co/qIef5VhjDr
.@realDonaldTrump - we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.
I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://t.co/fO4azmZaUg
The Democratic establishment is worried about Bernie Sanders becoming the party’s nominee, as the New York Times, the Hill, Politico and others report today.
We are spending twice as much per capita on healthcare as do the people of any other country. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the healthcare industry last year made $100 billion in profit. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are wasting $500 billion a year trying to administer thousands and thousands of different plans. What Medicare for All will do is save the average American substantial sums of money.
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Iowa caucus: Democratic race in shambles as results are delayed – live coverage
- Full story: Democratic race off to disastrous start
- Iowa caucuses results – live updates
- What is the smartphone app at centre of Iowa debacle?
- Analysis: Trump campaign jubilant as Dems’ big night implodes
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11.57am GMT
Donald Trump has given his verdict on the Iowa controversy, which he calls an “unmitigated disaster”.
Democratic debate: Warren challenges Sanders over electability – live
- ‘The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they’ve been in are the women,’ Warren says in final debate before Iowa caucuses
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After the first commercial break of the debate, Bernie Sanders had spoken more than any other candidate, taking up about twice as much time as Tom Steyer.
DEBATE AIR TIME: Who’s spoken the most? Here’s the @CBSNews tally through the first commercial break of the #DemDebate: pic.twitter.com/AoDQhVpZjb
The Democratic debate has returned from a commercial break, and the conversation has turned to healthcare.
Bernie Sanders defended his Medicare for All proposal, which he has centered his presidential campaign around.
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Pete Buttigieg: race is between me and Warren – as new poll puts him fourth
- Buttigieg: Senator’s Medicare for All plan is ‘polarising’
- Opinion: Goodbye, Beto. A sad end to a pointless campaign
Pete Buttigieg is fourth in a four-strong pack clear of the Democratic presidential field, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. But he thinks the final choice of who will challenge Donald Trump will be between him and Elizabeth Warren.
Related: Liberty and Justice for Democrats in Des Moines – but no clear Iowa star
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Top Democrats criticize Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare for All plan – live
Biden campaign and others not sold on Warren’s $20tn proposal while Nancy Pelosi says any Trump impeachment case must be ‘ironclad’
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8.00pm GMT
Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said that it was “certainly possible” the House would vote to impeach Trump.
Speaking to reporters on the White House driveway, Conway went on to at...
Make no mistake: Medicare for All would cut taxes for most Americans | Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman
Not only would universal healthcare reduce taxes for most people, it would also lead to the biggest take-home pay raise in a generation for most workers
The debate about healthcare has been at the center of the Democratic primaries, yet it is hard to make sense of the conversation. For some, public universal health insurance – such as Bernie Sanders’s Medicare for All bill – would involve massive tax increases for the middle class. For others, it’s the opposite: Medicare for All woul...
Democrats issue warning over Trump’s ‘dangerous’ whistleblower attacks – live
Pelosi and Schiff say any attempt to ‘stonewall’ inquiry ‘will be considered obstruction of justice’, while Bernie Sanders undergoes heart surgery
Bernie Sanders has tweeted his thanks to well wishers after he underwent heart surgery for a blocked artery. He has suspended campaign appearances but used his condition remind supporters of a key campaign goal: medicare for all.
Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm feeling good. I'm fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover.
None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us. And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!
OK - here are some takeaways from that press conference. It was a long one involving a lot of incoherent and rambling answers from the president. But here’s my best shot of at some of the most important comments relating to impeachment and the ongoing Ukraine scandal.
Firstly, Trump responded to a New York Times report, published earlier today, stating that the whistleblower had approached a House Intelligence Committee staff aide days before filing his complaint. The report states that the committee chairman, Adam Schiff, was later made aware of the nature of the allegations but was not given any information on the whistleblower’s identity. A spokesman for Schiff has confirmed parts of this reporting, and stated it is standard procedure for the committee to offer advice to whistleblowers on how to file complaints.
Trump engages in contentious back and forth with @JeffMason1 after he dodges Ukraine question:
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Trump: We have the president of Finland, ask him a question.
Mason: I have one for him, I just wanted to follow up on the one I asked you—
Trump: Did you hear me? Ask him a question! pic.twitter.com/Co64SmxOmk
Trump suggests House intelligence chair should face ‘arrest for treason’ – live news
- Trump hits out at Adam Schiff over impeachment inquiry
- Sanders to roll out new proposal on chief executive pay
Jeff Flake, a former Republican senator, has written a Washington Post op-ed imploring fellow members of his party to oppose Trump’s re-election.
Two years ago I stood in the Senate chamber and said: ‘There are times when we must risk our careers in favor of our principles.’ ...
Now, two years later, it is my former Republican Senate colleagues who have a decision to make. Or, as I see it, two decisions to make. The first is difficult; the second is easy. ...
“TrumpCare” does not exist – this has not stopped some firms from advertising insurance products under this banner, according to a new report from Axios.
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