The first Democratic debate, night 1

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who trails in the polls, got off a zinger early in the debate that hit President Trump, the man everyone on the stage hopes to face in 2020 and elevated Inslee's signature issue: climate change.

Trump "says wind turbines cause cancer. We know they cause jobs," Inslee said to applause.

Trump, whose disdain for wind power dates to his battles with Scottish officials over a plan to build turbines in view of one his golf resorts, suggested earlier this year that the noise from wind turbines “causes cancer.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, during a discussion about abortion rights, made note of the women on stage who have fought for those rights.

Her comment came after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee took credit for being the “only candidate here who had passed a law protecting a woman’s right of reproductive health and health insurance.”

Inslee jumped into the conversation by saying, “It should not be an option in the United States of America for any insurance company to deny women coverage for the exercise of their right of choice.”

Inslee went on to describe himself as a candidate “who has actually advanced the ball.”

Klobuchar, in a quick one liner clearly directed at Inslee, said, “I just want to say there are three women up here who have fought pretty hard for a woman’s right to choose.”

Beto O'Rourke said that Congress passed "A $2 trillion tax cut” that favored corporations which were sitting on record piles of cash and the very wealthiest in the country at a time of historic wealth inequality." 

Facts First: Though there are a variety of estimates projecting the cost of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to the Congressional Budget Office, O’Rourke’s statement appears to be roughly accurate.

Last year, the Congressional Budget Office projected that when incorporating the additional debt service costs, the tax cut would add $1.9 trillion to the deficit over the ten-year window. 

But other cost estimates varied. According to an estimate by Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation before the law passed, it would cost $1.4 trillion over ten years, or just over $1 trillion when incorporating a broader look at its economic impacts. 

A year after the law passed, the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation found that the cost was even less, at $1.47 trillion on a conventional basis and $448 billion over the ten-year window when taking into account its effect on the economy. 

It’s the first “raise your hands” moment of the 2020 debate season.

The question: Who would get rid of private health insurance in favor of a national, single-payer plan?

The hands that went up: Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio

“I’m with Bernie on Medicare for all,” Warren said after Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who does not support the plan, argued that a “public option” represented a “bold approach” in its own right.

But Warren, who has said she would be open to more moderate plans, made one of her most aggressive arguments in defense the plan on Wednesday night -- a move that could further narrow the political distance between her and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who will debate tomorrow.

“There are a lot of politicians who say, 'Oh, it’s just not possible, we just can’t do it, there’s a lot of political problems,” Warren said, before sharpening her language: “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.”

The line drew heavy applause. After pushback from other candidates onstage, including former Rep. John Delaney, a vocal critic of Medicare for all, and others arguing in favor of universal coverage -- but without moving to single-payer -- Warren and de Blasio took aim at the insurance industry.

"Private insurance is not working for tens of millions of Americans,” de Blasio said, addressing Beto O’Rourke, after the former Texas congressman said he wouldn’t eliminate it.

Twitter is already full of the memes.

When asked whether he supported a marginal tax rate of 70% on top earners making more than $10 million a year, O’Rourke began his response in English. 

“This economy has got to work for everyone and right now we know that it isn’t, and it’s going to take all of us coming together to make sure that it does,” he said.

He then switched to Spanish, saying, “We need to include each person in the success of this economy. But if we want to do that, we need to include each person in our democracy. Each voter, we need the representation, and each voice, we must listen to.”

He then reverted back to English for the rest of his remarks.

O’Rourke made some notable errors, however. For example, he used masculine adjectives to describe “economy” and “democracy," which are feminine nouns in Spanish and he used the verb “to vote” before correcting himself and using the Spanish word for "voter." 

President Trump has deemed the first Democratic debate a snoozer: "BORING!"

He tweeted as his plane is being refueled in Alaska as he heads to Japan for the G20:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized Beto O’Rourke over the former Texas congressman’s approach to health care.

O’Rourke had just explained that he backed a plan that would allow Americans to opt into Medicare, but preserve a role for private insurance.

De Blasio jumped in, saying, “but private insurance is not working for tens of millions of Americans.”

The exchange between de Blasio and O’Rourke marked the first clash of the night -- and demonstrated how candidates tried to use the issue of health care to differentiate themselves.

Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney jumped in on O’Rourke’s side. “I think we should be the party that keeps what’s working and fixes what’s broken,” he said.

NBC's Brian Williams referenced the lecterns lined up on stage, but he called them "podia" -- a plural term for podium -- and confused a heck of a lot of people.

Enter Dictionary.com:

A podium, per that website, is "a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, a public speaker, the recipient of a sports medal, etc."

Those aren't that. They're lecterns: