Democrats debate abortion, impeachment, healthcare

The top 12 Democratic presidential candidates found common ground during Tuesday night’s debate over their support for abortion and impeaching President Donald Trump. Former Vice President Joe Biden and others said they wanted to codify Roe v. Wade into law so the U.S. Supreme Court could not overturn it in the future. CNN and The New York Times moderated the debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. The next debate is scheduled for Nov. 20.

Who stood out? After her steady rise in the polls, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts came under fire for her “Medicare for All” plan. She refused to say whether it would increase taxes for middle-class Americans, insisting only that “costs will go down.” Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who appeared on the debate stage after having a heart attack two weeks ago, admitted that taxes would go up for nearly everyone under his plan, but he argued that lower healthcare costs would mitigate the difference.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in Vitals about Planned Parenthood’s big spending plans for the 2020 election.