Bernie Sanders’ ideas are shaping the 2020 debate – but is he still a force?

The diverse Democratic field is a contrast from 2016 but the leftwing firebrand believes Medicare for All can dent his rivals’ hopes

Gruff, iconoclastic and relentlessly on-message, Bernie Sanders thrilled the progressive left when he ran for president in 2016 and came within striking distance of capturing the Democratic nomination.

Related: Al Franken: senators say they regret calling for his resignation

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Trump’s real 2020 weakness: healthcare | Lloyd Green

The Affordable Care Act – AKA Obamacare – is more popular than Trump and the Republican party realize. They’ve opened themselves to an ambush

Unemployment and inflation are low. America growls, but its sword is sheathed. Donald Trump should be preaching peace and prosperity. Instead, the president appears determined to make his re-election bid about healthcare and relitigate the 2018 midterms. If past is prelude, that tale doesn’t come with a happy ending for Trump or his party.

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Democratic debates: Sanders, Biden and Harris among candidates set to clash – live

The second debate of the 2020 primary season features big hitters and up-and-comers such as Pete Buttigieg

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11.39pm BST

“For all the unprecedented scale and diversity of the massive number of candidates vying for presidential nomination of the Democratic party, they can be sheeplike in their herd behavior,” write my colleagues Ed Pilkington and Lauren Gambi...

Democratic debates: 2020 candidates go head to head in first test of primaries – live

Ten Democrats will debate each other tonight – will they attack the party’s frontrunner, Joe Biden, or sell their own vision for the future?

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11.45pm BST

In terms of what we can expect our diez Democrats to discuss tonight, the DNC has promised questions about the climate crisis, which were conspicuously absent from the presidential debates in 2016.

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Watch Elizabeth Warren blast Biden for his stance on abortion funding

‘We do not pass laws that take away freedom from women who are most vulnerable’ Warren said, in speech against Hyde amendment

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren delivered a scorching criticism of her fellow candidate in the 2020 election and former vice-president, Joe Biden, and his continued support for the Hyde amendment, a provision of federal law that restricts abortion access for poor and disabled women on public health insurance.

The Hyde amendment bars th...

Biden: Democratic candidate criticized for supporting abortion funding ban

Campaign confirms Biden still supports the Hyde amendment, a law that bars the government from paying for abortion services

Reproductive rights groups have criticized the US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for supporting an abortion restriction called the Hyde amendment.

The 40-year-old law bars the US government from paying for abortion services, even when recommended by doctors. The measure has the practical effect of excluding abortion services from Medicaid, a p...

Trump cancels key services for unaccompanied child migrants – live

Officials say language classes and recreation programs for immigrant children staying in federal shelters ‘not directly necessary’

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4.19pm BST

The Trump administration is canceling English classes, legal aid and recreational programs for unaccompanied immigrant minors staying in federal shelters, the Washington Post reports.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement is wit...

Trump’s Federal Reserve pick withdraws from consideration – live

Stephen Moore, economist beset by legal and financial issues, pulls out following multiple reports by the Guardian on his past

  • Trump’s Fed pick underpaid ex-wife’s alimony for years – exclusive
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8.26pm BST

While Trump has often claimed to want to provide Americans healthcare, his administration has been pushing to gut the Affordable Care Act, best known as “Obamacare...

Medicare for All: activist dying of ALS testifies via eye movements at hearing

‘My story is tragic but not unique,’ Ady Barkan tells lawmakers as he pushes for healthcare overhaul

Ady Barkan has lost his ability to speak, but he has not lost his voice.

On Tuesday, the 35-year-old lawyer and activist, who is dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, testified at a “historic” Capitol Hill hearing on Medicare for All.

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Elizabeth Warren’s plan to end student debt is glorious. We can make it a reality | Astra Taylor

We fully support the 2020 nominee’s student debt relief proposal. But to make it happen, we’ll need to kick our efforts into higher gear

This week, Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, announced a proposal to cancel student debt for millions of people and make public college free. This is a stunning, visionary plan that would transform our educational system and dramatically improve millions of people’s lives.

But like every other p...