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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Notable moment: While discussing his fundraising efforts for the 40 or so Democratic candidates who helped take back the House in 2018, Mike Bloomberg appeared to nearly say: "I bought them."
Mike Bloomberg is now attacking Bernie Sanders on Twitter over his record surrounding gun control:
Mike Bloomberg just suggested he won the last Democratic presidential debate, and was surprised the other candidates showed up to tonight's event after his performance last week...
Republicans and conservative groups have already leaned into former Vice President Joe Biden's apparent gaffe in claiming 150 million Americans have been killed from gun violence since 2007:
Amy Klobuchar has likely spent some of the least time talking on the debate stage tonight, though she's attempted to brand herself as a calming influence in the face of a disorganized event:
Bernie Sanders on his plan for marijuana if elected president: "We're gonna provide help to the African American, Latino, Native American community to start businesses to sell legal marijuana, rather than let a few corporations control the legalized marijuana market."
Amy Klobuchar gave a nod to the US Centre for Disease Control during the Democratic presidential debates:
Joe Biden attacked Donald Trump for cutting funding to the Centre for Disease Control, saying he would restore those funds when asked a question about the deadly coronavirus.
The former vice president also discussed what he and Barack Obama did to mitigate the Ebola pandemic.
Bernie Sanders has defended his past statements about Cuba, saying he has a long track record of condemning authoritarians but does not deny that “progress” was made towards education.
“I have condemned authoritarianism, whether it’s the people of Saudi Arabia … Cuba, Venezuela,” he said.
Pete Buttigieg repeatedly attempted to step in frequently while the Vermont senator was talking.
Donald Trump has tweeted out new polling claims from the conservative-leaning Rasmussen Poll as his Democratic opponents are debating:
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