Beyond ‘Medicare For All’ Squabbles: Candidates Talk Drug Prices, Abortion And Immigration

Stat: Democrats Use First Debate To Escalate Attacks On Pharma 
Democrats demonized the pharmaceutical industry throughout the first primary debate of the 2020 presidential election, racing to prove their status as the candidate most willing to “take on pharma.” ...The bombastic remarks, collectively, speak to the continuing political appeal both of promising to lower drug prices and of demonizing the pharmaceutical industry. The issue has enjoyed bipartisan attention in Washington in the nearly three years since Donald Trump was elected president. On Wednesday, however, Democrats escalated their rhetoric far beyond the tone employed by their Republican colleagues in Congress and even, in many cases, by Trump. (Facher, 6/26)

The Atlantic: Democrats Avoided The Toughest Debate Questions On Abortion
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates see abortion as a winning issue in the next election. That was clear from the first night of the party’s primary debates, where the politicians onstage vied to show how emphatically they support abortion rights. The candidates focused on fear: of the state-level abortion bans recently passed in places such as Alabama, Missouri, and Georgia; of the threat to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. Multiple candidates affirmed their support for expansive abortion rights, citing widespread support among Americans. (Green, 6/26)

National Review: Democratic Debate: Julian Castro Defends Trans Peoples' Right To Publicly-Funded Abortion
Julian Castro, who served as secretary of housing and urban development under President Obama, offered a vigorous defense of abortion rights for transgender Americans during the first Democratic primary debate on Wednesday night. Asked if his health-care platform would provide public funding for abortion, Castro replied emphatically in the affirmative and emphasized the importance of facilitating access to abortion for transgender women, or biological males incapable of baring children. He presumably intended to refer to transgender men, or biological women who have transitioned. (Crowe, 6/26)

The Washington Post Fact Checker: Fact-Checking The First Democratic Debate
Warren: “Seven children will die today from gun violence — children and teenagers.” The average for firearms-related deaths was 7.15 per day when looking at people ages 0 to 19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s fatal injury report. The data covers 2013 to 2015. It’s worth noting that about one-third of the deaths are suicides — and that 18- and 19-year-olds are legal adults, though technically still “teenagers.” ... O'Rourke: “Despite what Purdue Pharma has done, their connection to the opioid crisis and the overdose deaths that we’re seeing throughout this country, they have been able to act with complete impunity and pay no consequences.” In terms of money, O’Rourke is wrong. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, in March agreed to pay a $270 million civil settlement in Oklahoma and faces lawsuits around the country. In 2007, three executives were spared prison time and sentenced to probation after agreeing to plead guilty to charges that they misled federal regulators about the addiction risks of the drug. (Kessler, Rizzo, Lee and Kelly, 6/27)

The Washington Post: Immigration Emerges As Emotional Focus Of First Democratic Debate
Immigration dominated the first Democratic debate of the 2020 White House race as the candidates staked out concrete policy proposals on the border crisis, their discussion charged with emotion in the wake of a widely circulated photo of a father and daughter who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande. Several of the 10 presidential contenders onstage Wednesday addressed the Miami audience with statements in Spanish, and immigration topics triggered some of the most contentious exchanges of the evening. (Miroff, 6/27)

Bloomberg: Democrats Tangle On Private Health Insurance In First Debate
Warren and Klobuchar are among the Democratic candidates who visited a detention center in Florida on Wednesday to highlight the wrenching conditions for migrants, including children, as Congress debates different versions of an aid bill that must be reconciled. (Niquette and Epstein, 6/26)

USA Today: Democratic Debate: Wednesday's Winners And Losers
Former Obama HUD Secretary Julián Castro ... had a heated exchanged with O'Rourke, a fellow Texan. Castro argued that candidates should be calling for the repeal of the federal law that makes “illegal entry” into the U.S. a misdemeanor. Instead, he said such a violation should only be a civil offense, adding that U.S. law should "not criminalize desperation." (Morin, 6/27)

The Washington Post: Democratic Presidential Candidates Engage In ‘Arms Race To The Left’ In First Debate
The party’s leftward push has been apparent to insiders and political junkies, particularly since the beginning of the 2020 presidential primary, but was in full view Wednesday night in front of a national television audience. (Stein, 6/27)

The Wall Street Journal: First-Debate Combatants Focus On Each Other, Not Biden
The two-hour session Wednesday evening was more contentious than many expected, even though the Democratic National Committee decided against putting the highest-polling candidates on stage together as was done with the crowded Republican field four years ago. Mr. Biden, 76, will be at the center of the stage Thursday and will be flanked by the oldest and youngest candidates in the race, 77-year-old Mr. Sanders and 37-year-old Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. (McCormick, 6/27)

The New York Times: The Democratic Debates, Night Two: Matchup Of The Heavyweights
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has started highlighting his policy differences with former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. He’ll get a big chance in the second night of the Democratic primary debates on Thursday. To the extent that the two end up hogging the spotlight, it could draw airtime from Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., and Senator Kamala Harris of California, the other two candidates receiving strong support in polls. Here are the political dynamics to watch. (Goldmacher, Parlapiano and Ramic, 6/27)

The Hill: Biden Campaign Weighs In On Health Care Ahead Of Democratic Debate Appearance 
Joe Biden wasn't in Wednesday night's debate, but he wanted a turn to answer a question on health care. After a question was posed on health care, Biden's campaign immediately replied with the former vice president's position on the issue. "Let's be clear: We shouldn't tear the Affordable Care Act down: We should build on it," the tweet said on the "Team Joe" account. "The Biden administration will give every American the right to choose a public option like Medicare to ensure everyone has access to the quality, affordable health care they deserve." (Parnes, 6/26)

The Washington Post: Transcript: Democratic Debate Night One
A slate of 10 Democrats vying to become their party’s nominee for president faced one another on Wednesday in Miami, the first of two nights of debate among the 2020 candidates. (6/27)