Democratic debate: Candidates clash over Israel, coronavirus and cannabis in chaotic showdown
It was a night of disorganised chaos as candidates once again took off the gloves. See below for live updates as they came in.
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Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg took attacks from all sides during the latest Democratic presidential debates in South Carolina, as the leading Democratic candidate and billionaire presidential hopeful alike became the subject of intense criticism from their rival opponents.
In a debate that featured candidates repeatedly shouting over one another and ignoring their time limits, Mr Sanders' opponents united in attacking the independent senator and self-avowed democratic socialist as a risky choice to lead Democrats against Donald Trump in November.
Mr Bloomberg hit out at Mr Sanders as well, saying it would be "a catastrophe" if he won the nomination while adding: "Bernie will lose to Donald Trump, and Donald Trump and the House and the Senate and some of the statehouses will all go red."
Pete Buttigieg, the moderate former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, criticised Mr Sanders for the shifting estimates on the costs of his proposals such as government-run healthcare and questioned how he could get his agenda passed.
"I can tell you exactly how it all adds up. It adds up to four more years of Donald Trump", Mr Buttigieg said, adding that a Sanders race against Mr Trump would be devastating to the country.
Democratic candidates compete on the campaign trail: In pictures
Show all 18"If you think the last four years has been chaotic, divisive, toxic, exhausting, imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump", Mr Buttigieg said.
Mr Sanders defended his ability to pay for costly programs such as Medicare for All, which would replace private health insurance with a government-run program, and said he was raising issues supported by the American people.
"My favorability nationally, I believe, is the highest up here," Mr Sanders said in a reference to opinion polls, adding he beat Mr Trump in most national surveys. "If you want to beat Trump, what you're going to need is an unprecedented grassroots movement of black and white and Latino, Native American and Asian, people who are standing up and fighting for justice. That's what our movement is about."
Mr Sanders has taken command of the race after strong showings in the first three nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, and the debate was the last chance for his opponents to try to stop his momentum before Saturday's South Carolina primary and next week's 14 vital Super Tuesday contests.
Even Elizabeth Warren, a senator from Massachusetts and progressive ally of Mr Sanders who is trying to revive a struggling campaign, took a swing at her old friend.
"I think I would make a better president than Bernie. And the reason for that is that getting a progressive agenda enacted is going to be really hard," she said. "I dug in, I did the work, and then Bernie's team trashed me."
Senator Amy Klobuchar said neither Sanders nor Warren had shown the leadership in the Senate to accomplish much.
Elizabeth Warren once again delivered a searing rebuke of Mr Bloomberg, calling on him to release women accusing him of sexual harassment and discrimination from nondisclosure agreements. She also suggested Mr Bloomberg told one of his former female employees to have an abortion when she announced she was pregnant.
Additional reporting by Reuters. See live updates as they came in below.
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Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the latest Democratic debate, starting tonight at 8pm ET (that's 1am in the UK).
Where can you watch it?
You can catch the debate on CBS and BET and stream it online at CBSN.
Live streams will also be available on Twitter @CBSNews, CBS All Access, CBS News Apop, Hulu with Live TV and YouTubeTV.
Who are the moderators?
Tonight’s moderators will be CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King, CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan and CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett.
What happened at the last debate?
The last 2020 showdown in Las Vegas was one of the most dramatic yet. Michael Bloomberg joined the lineup for the first time and he certainly got attention - for a lot of the wrong reasons. His fellow candidates rounded on him, with Elizabeth Warren in particular calling him out for his past controversial comments.
And it wasn't just Bloomberg. The potential nominees were attacking each other more than in previous debates with several of them clashing, such as Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.
It was generally a strong night for Senator Warren and former-mayor Buttigieg, with Bernie Sanders also getting some strong lines in. Since the last debate Bernie Sanders has reached several milestones, including winning in Nevada, that should give him a strong footing tonight.
The Independent's Andrew Buncombe has more from last week's Democratic presidential debates to get you up to speed before the White House hopefuls take the stage tonight:
With just a few hours to go before the next Democratic presidential debate, a new poll shows Bernie Sanders developing a formidable lead against his fellow opponents in the race to the nomination.
Whether tonight's debate influences that rise one way or another, we'll soon find out.
Bernie-mentum? Sanders gains ground ahead of Democratic debates
More polls are coming just ahead of the next Democratic presidential debate that show Bernie Sanders building a diverse coalition against his opponents.
The latest one comes from Reuters/Ipsos and shows the Vermont senator with a lead among African Americans, a voting bloc former Vice President Joe Biden previously maintained a majority of support from throughout last year, according to national polls.
The latest polling comes after Mr Sanders’ formidable victory in Nevada, as well as his win in New Hampshire and virtual tie with former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg during Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus.
All eyes on Bloomberg
You may remember Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire presidential hopeful who was lambasted throughout the last debate by his fellow Democratic opponents. The former New York City mayor has faced some bad press since then - like the story below - and a growing pool of resurfaced clips showing his controversial comments about everything from race and gender to crime and punishment.
With nearly an hour left before the leading Democratic candidates take the stage, Elizabeth Warren has posted the following message to her supporters:
The debate is beginning now. Stay tuned for live updates as they come in.
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