1 00:00:02,066 --> 00:00:05,200 JUDY WOODRUFF: When President Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2016, it marked 2 00:00:06,833 --> 00:00:11,133 the first win in three decades by a Republican presidential candidate. 3 00:00:11,133 --> 00:00:16,133 The state is among Democrats' top targets in 2020 and the Democratic National Committee's 4 00:00:17,533 --> 00:00:21,566 choice for this next round of candidate debates. 5 00:00:21,566 --> 00:00:26,566 They have come to Detroit this week on a mission, 10 candidates tonight, and 10 more tomorrow 6 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:33,600 night, all wanting a boost out of this second set of Democratic presidential debates. 7 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:39,566 Two progressive stalwarts are standing center stage tonight, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 8 00:00:41,366 --> 00:00:44,433 and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. 9 00:00:44,433 --> 00:00:49,400 On either side of them are two of the field's youngest candidates, Mayor Pete Buttigieg 10 00:00:51,300 --> 00:00:55,100 of South Bend, Indiana, and former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke. 11 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,300 Farther out on the wings are many of the field's more moderate candidates, Minnesota Senator 12 00:01:02,733 --> 00:01:05,866 Amy Klobuchar and Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, plus former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper 13 00:01:08,666 --> 00:01:13,666 and former Maryland Congressman John Delaney, and at each end, author Marianne Williamson 14 00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:20,700 and Montana Governor Steve Bullock, another moderate who missed out on the previous debates. 15 00:01:22,633 --> 00:01:27,100 While those 10 hopefuls are on stage, some of the other candidates are looking to catch 16 00:01:27,100 --> 00:01:29,133 attention on other fronts. 17 00:01:29,133 --> 00:01:34,000 A super PAC backing Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who is debating Wednesday, bought 18 00:01:35,866 --> 00:01:40,100 airtime for a TV ad criticizing the five candidates topping national opinion polls. 19 00:01:42,066 --> 00:01:45,433 NARRATOR: Democrats aren't making climate change the number one issue. 20 00:01:45,433 --> 00:01:50,366 JUDY WOODRUFF: Meanwhile, a political group founded by billionaire philanthropist Tom 21 00:01:50,366 --> 00:01:55,333 Steyer, who didn't qualify for the debate stage, is out with an ad whose focus is special 22 00:01:56,733 --> 00:01:59,933 counsel Robert Mueller, President Trump and impeachment. 23 00:01:59,933 --> 00:02:02,033 REP. 24 00:02:02,033 --> 00:02:03,466 KEN BUCK (R-CO): You believe that you could charge the president of the United States 25 00:02:03,466 --> 00:02:04,900 with obstruction of justice after he left office? 26 00:02:04,900 --> 00:02:06,900 ROBERT MUELLER, Russia Probe Special Counsel: Yes. 27 00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:11,000 JUDY WOODRUFF: That ad is part of a push by candidates to highlight specific issues ahead 28 00:02:11,733 --> 00:02:14,266 of this week's debates. 29 00:02:14,266 --> 00:02:19,200 California Senator Kamala Harris was in Detroit yesterday defending the health care plan she 30 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,266 rolled out ahead of her Wednesday debate. 31 00:02:23,266 --> 00:02:25,366 SEN. 32 00:02:25,366 --> 00:02:26,833 KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), Presidential Candidate: My Medicare for all plan will allow private 33 00:02:26,833 --> 00:02:29,966 insurers to be a part of our plan if they play by the rules. 34 00:02:29,966 --> 00:02:31,600 But let's be clear about the rules. 35 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,266 The rules are that they're not going to get to do business as usual. 36 00:02:34,266 --> 00:02:38,233 JUDY WOODRUFF: But some of her rivals pounced immediately. 37 00:02:38,233 --> 00:02:43,233 Senator Bernie Sanders, who's in tonight's debate, told CNN this in a phone interview: 38 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:45,233 SEN. 39 00:02:45,233 --> 00:02:46,200 BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), Presidential Candidate: I like Kamala. 40 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,033 She's a friend of mine. 41 00:02:48,033 --> 00:02:50,866 But her plan is not Medicare for all. 42 00:02:50,866 --> 00:02:55,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: A campaign spokeswoman for former Vice President Joe Biden also criticized 43 00:02:57,733 --> 00:03:01,333 the Harris approach, saying it pushes the extremely challenging implementation of this 44 00:03:02,833 --> 00:03:05,466 plan 10 years into the future. 45 00:03:05,466 --> 00:03:09,200 Biden and Harris will meet again at Wednesday's debate. 46 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:14,200 He has made his own contribution to the current rush of policy rollouts, a criminal justice 47 00:03:15,066 --> 00:03:17,133 plan he announced last week. 48 00:03:17,133 --> 00:03:19,566 JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential Candidate: I think we need to shift the whole focus from 49 00:03:19,566 --> 00:03:22,733 what we're doing in terms of incarceration to rehabilitation. 50 00:03:22,733 --> 00:03:27,333 JUDY WOODRUFF: But Biden's announcement drew criticism from another rival he will debate 51 00:03:27,333 --> 00:03:32,333 on Wednesday, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who's targeted Biden's history on these issues. 52 00:03:33,533 --> 00:03:35,500 SEN. 53 00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:37,533 CORY BOOKER (D-NJ), Presidential Candidate: I'm disappointed that it's taken Joe Biden 54 00:03:37,533 --> 00:03:39,666 years and years, until he was running for president, to actually say that he made a 55 00:03:39,666 --> 00:03:41,800 mistake. 56 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: The new trade proposals from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren are 57 00:03:44,833 --> 00:03:49,833 among the other policy ideas unveiled by the 2020 candidates over the past week-and-a-half. 58 00:03:51,900 --> 00:03:56,400 Of the other debaters tonight, Klobuchar and O'Rourke rolled out plans on housing and K-12 59 00:03:58,566 --> 00:04:00,900 education, respectively. 60 00:04:00,900 --> 00:04:05,900 Delaney wants to build a program around a mandatory year of service for young Americans. 61 00:04:07,833 --> 00:04:12,633 And Williamson proposes a Cabinet-level agency to focus on policies affecting children. 62 00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:19,333 New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who debates tomorrow, has released her own sweeping plan 63 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,600 to combat climate change. 64 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:27,600 For many of these Democrats, this week's debates may truly be make-or-break. 65 00:04:30,100 --> 00:04:32,933 They have to reach a higher threshold in public polling and donations to qualify for the debates 66 00:04:34,533 --> 00:04:35,200 this fall.