Democratic candidates debate in Ohio

By Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner and Amanda Wills, CNN

Updated 7:49 p.m. ET, November 11, 2019
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10:36 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Here's the story behind Tom Steyer's plaid tie

Edward M. PioRoda/CNN
Edward M. PioRoda/CNN

Billionaire Tom Steyer is wearing a red, black and yellow plaid tie tonight.

He's often seen in ties of various tartans. Many are red, and a spokesperson for the candidate said they're Scottish.

“He wears Scottish ties every day because, in his own words, you got to dress for the fight," the spokesperson said.

Also, don't forget about the belt:

10:43 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Klobuchar lays out what she'd tell Trump in a head-to-head debate

Maddie McGarvey for CNN
Maddie McGarvey for CNN

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar gave a peek tonight of what her debate would look like with President Trump if she were to become the Democratic nominee.

Speaking tonight about Roe v. Wade, Klobuchar said she would make it the law of the land. She then outlined what she would say to Trump if he were on the stage:

"You know what I would say to him? I'd say, 'You said you wanted to do this in your race for president. You actually said that you wanted to put women in jail. Then you tried to dial it back, and you said you wanted to put doctors in jail. That is exactly what the Alabama law is. It put doctors in jail for 99 years. You, Donald Trump, are not on the side of women. You are not on the side of people of this country when over 75% of people want to keep Roe v. Wade on the books, when over 90% of people want to make sure we have available contraception. You defunded planned parenthood.' I would fund it again," Klobuchar said.

On the Alabama law: In May, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a controversial abortion bill that could punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison.

The law only allows exceptions "to avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child's mother," for ectopic pregnancy and if the "unborn child has a lethal anomaly."

Watch here:

10:32 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Harris to Warren: Join me in calling on Twitter to shut down Trump's account

From CNN's Dan Merica

Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren have largely stayed out of each other's way the first three Democratic debates.

That ended tonight, when Harris challenged Warren to stand with her proposal to kick President Trump off of Twitter.

Harris has called on Twitter to suspend the President’s prolific Twitter account because, in her estimation, Trump has used it to threaten his opponents.

“Sen. Warren, I just want to say that I was surprised to hear that you did not agree with me that, on this subject of what should be the rules around corporate responsibility for these big tech companies,” Harris said.

Warren responded pointedly: “I don’t just want to push Donald Trump off Twitter. I want to push him out of the White House. That’s our job.”

Harris shot back: “Join me in saying that his Twitter account should be shut down,” she said.

“No,” Warren said simply.

Harris replied: “You can’t say you are for corporate responsibility if it doesn’t apply to everyone.”

Watch here:

10:34 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Harris recalls asking Brett Kavanaugh about reproductive rights

Maddie McGarvey for CNN
Maddie McGarvey for CNN

Sen. Kamala Harris recalled a question she asked then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh last year as she argued the importance of protecting women's reproductive rights.

Harris questioned Kavanaugh during his Senate hearing. She said she "asked him — as a nominee to serve on the United States Supreme Court — could he think of any law that tells a man what to do with his body."

"And the answer was, 'Uh, uh, no,'" Harris said on the debate stage tonight.

She continued:

"The reality of it is this is still a fundamental issue of justice for women in America. Women have been given the responsibility to perpetuate the human species. Our bodies were created to do that, and it does not give any other person the right to tell a woman what to do with that body. It is her body. It is her right. It is her decision. 

Harris also detailed how she, if elected president, would handle state laws that violate Roe v. Wade.

"For any state that passes a law that violates the constitution and in particular Roe v. Wade, our department of justice will review that law to determine if it is compliant with Roe v. Wade and the constitution, and if it is not, that law will not go into effect," she said. 

Watch here:

10:21 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Real quick, let us catch you up on the feud between Elizabeth Warren and Facebook

From CNN's Brian Fung

Maddie McGarvey for CNN
Maddie McGarvey for CNN

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Facebook have been locked in a days-long feud over the company’s policy allowing candidates to lie in political ads. After Facebook declined to remove an ad by President Donald Trump that contained unfounded allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, Warren last week ran her own Facebook ad falsely claiming the tech giant had endorsed Trump’s re-election campaign. The point of the lie, Warren said, was to “see just how far” the policy goes — arguing Facebook prioritizes profits over the truth.

Facebook has said it believes all speech by politicians should be protected from censorship. On Saturday, it doubled down on that stance in a rare tweet addressing Warren directly. The company compared itself to broadcasters regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, saying “we agree it’s better to let voters – not companies – decide.” The move opened the door to deeper scrutiny of Facebook’s role in handling political speech, particularly as it struggles to address weaknesses that made it a vector for Russian election interference in 2016.

10:18 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Biden isn't worried about his age. He sees it as an asset.

Former President Jimmy Carter recently said he could not have undertaken the duties of the presidency at 80 years old. But former Vice President Joe Biden said he knows he can.

"I know what the job is. I've been engaged. Look, one of the reasons I'm running is because of my age and my experience, with it comes wisdom. We need someone to take office this time around who on day one can stand on the world stage, command the respect of world leaders from Putin to our allies, and know exactly what has to be done to get this country back on track," Biden said.

Biden then made the case why he thinks he should be president.

"It is required now more than any time in any of our lifetimes to have someone who has that capacity on day one," he said.

10:02 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Age just came up. Here's how old all the candidates are.

If Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders win the presidency, they will become the oldest president ever inaugurated.

Here's the breakdown of the candidates' ages:

10:03 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Sanders thanks rivals "for their love, for their prayers" during heart attack recovery

Edward M. PioRoda/CNN
Edward M. PioRoda/CNN

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he's "healthy" and "feeling great" following his heart attack earlier this month. Tonight's debate marks his return to the campaign trail.

Sanders, who is 78 years old, was asked how he can assure voters that he can handle the stress of the presidency. In response, he invited voters to attend campaign events and see him in person.

"We are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country. That is how I think I can reassure the American people," he said.

Sanders then thanked those who wished him well during his recovery — including many of his 2020 rivals:

"Let me take this moment if I might to thank so many people from all over this country, including many of my colleagues up here, for their love, for their prayers, for their well wishes. And I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I'm so happy to be back here with you this evening.
10:07 p.m. ET, October 15, 2019

Buttigieg to O'Rourke: "I don't need lessons from you on courage — political or personal"

From CNN's Eric Bradner

Maddie McGarvey for CNN
Maddie McGarvey for CNN

Beto O’Rourke and Pete Buttigieg clashed Tuesday night over O’Rourke’s proposed mandatory buy-backs of assault-style rifles.

Their fight over gun policy surfaced when the South Bend, Indiana, mayor said O’Rourke’s proposal is impractical.

“You just made it clear that you don’t know how this is going to take weapons off the street,” he said. “If you can develop the plan further, we can have a debate. But we can’t wait.”

The former Texas congressman responded that mass shootings are a “crisis” and that Democrats should make the case for farther-reaching gun control measures. “Let’s decide what we are going to believe in, what we are going to achieve, and let’s bring this country together in order to do that,” he said.

Buttigieg shot back:

“The problem isn’t the polls, the problem is the policy. And I don’t need lessons from you on courage, political or personal.”

“I don’t care what that meant to me or my candidacy,” O’Rourke replied. But to survivors of gun violence, and March For Our Lives, the gun control advocacy group founded by students after the Parkland, Florida, shooting last year, “that was a slap in the face to every single one of those groups,” he said.

Watch here: