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

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:

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

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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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Trump officials to deny green cards to those who use Medicaid or food stamps

  • Rules detail broad range of programs to disqualify applicants
  • Officials say they only want migrants who are ‘self-sufficient’

The Trump administration is moving forward with one of its most aggressive steps yet to restrict legal immigration, denying green cards to many migrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance, officials said announced Monday.

Related: Trump officials weaken protections for animals near ext...

Jeffrey Epstein: officials await more information before releasing cause of death – live

  • Multimillionaire financier was facing sex trafficking charges
  • Donald Trump on vacation with no public events scheduled
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2.42pm BST

According to the Urban Institute, 1 in 7 adults in immigrant families are eschewing public benefits out of fear that it could affect their chances of getting a green card.

Respondents of the organization’s survey reported choosin...

Trump renews attack on Baltimore congressman Elijah Cummings – live

Trump’s comments this morning to 9/11 first responders that he “spent a lot time” at Ground Zero are raising serious doubts.

A New York Times reporter who spent years covering the fallout of the attacks for the New York Post tweeted this:

So, I covered rebuilding at the WTC for three years after covering the immediate aftermath of the attacks for NYPost. Giuliani was a frequent presence w families, as was Pataki. I recall one instance where Trump was at the site. https://t.co/7Ish98CX1g

Trump’s reference to ‘7/11’ was a slip of the lip. News accounts from days just after 9/11 include references to Trump giving high-fives to police officers and volunteers on their way to the World Trade Center site. ‘I have a lot of men working down here. I want to make sure they’re OK,’ he said. Trump said his employers were cleaning and digging out, but declined to say where they were working.

Joe Biden’s campaign has released its own blistering criticism of Kamala Harris’ health care plan.

A statement from Biden’s campaign accuses the California senator of having “released a health care plan that both backtracks on her long-promised – but then-hedged – support of Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All legislation while at the same time committing to still unraveling the hard-won Affordable Care Act that the Trump Administration is trying to undo right now.”

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Trump defends ‘excellent’ labor secretary amid scrutiny over Epstein plea deal – live

Donald Trump ignores calls for Alexander Acosta to resign over role in securing a lenient 2008 plea deal for financier Jeffrey Epstein

It’s been quite a heavy day, so here’s a small dose of fun:

Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm, tested how Donald Trump would fare against US soccer star Megan Rapinoe in a 2020 matchup.

Barack Obama’s healthcare law is once again in jeopardy, as a federal appeals court on Tuesday hears arguments on its validity.

The case, which could once again place the fate of the Affordable Care Act before the supreme court, was brought by a group of Republican governors and attorneys general.

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