OnPolitics: The Dems, they are debatin'

FROM WASHINGTON AND BEYOND

Friday, September 13

Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former Vice President Joe Biden interact during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on Sept. 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas.

Ten Democrats were on stage in Houston, Congress is back in D.C., and President Trump is in the market for a new national security adviser.

Good morning, from the bags under my eyes, I'm Annah Aschbrenner. Grab a cup of coffee and let's talk politics.

Is Texas a swing state? A lot of Democrats sure hope so. And Thursday night's debate brought 10 presidential hopefuls to Houston to make the case they alone can deliver the Lone Star State for Democrats.

The stage was lively from the start. Sen. Amy Klobuchar slammed Sen. Bernie Sanders' Medicare For All plan. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro attacked former Vice President Joe Biden's memory. Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke said "Hell yes we're going to take your AR-15." And Sen. Kamala Harris compared President Donald Trump to the Wizard of Oz.

But wait, there's more! Andrew Yang made a joke about Asians and doctors, to mixed reviews. The gun debate was front and center. There were protesters. Health care once again got it's moment in the spotlight, clocking roughly 40 minutes of debate time. And of course, the Trump team had some things to say.

What does it all mean? Our Susan Page has some thoughts. And don't worry: we do it all again next month.

They're baaaaaaaack

After a 6-week vacation, Congress is back in session. Guns, trade, impeachment - the possibilities are endless on what they'll address. Or maybe they won't get anywhere. When it comes to guns, most Americans still don't expect significant reform after another string of mass shootings this summer. But Republican lawmakers say they want to know where the president stands on the issue and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats "are not going away." And 150 CEOs made their voice clear: They want meaningful action on guns, like, yesterday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to the Senate chamber with his arm in a sling after he suffered a broken shoulder in a fall at his home during the August recess, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. Congress returns today for the fall session with pressure mounting on McConnell to address gun violence, election security and other issues. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

J. Scott Applewhite, AP

This week in Trump

•	President Trump fired national security adviser John Bolton. Or did he? Bolton says he offered to resign.
•	The Supreme Court says the Trump administration's law denying asylum to migrants at the southern border can go into effect.
•	Trump's record in special elections got a boost.
•	If you thought the Alabama-Hurricane Dorian debate was over, you were wrong.
•	Federal prosecutors are recommending criminal charges for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of the president.
•	The October tariffs on Chinese goods are being delayed as a "gesture of goodwill."
•	The president doesn't want his son Barron (or really anyone) to vape.

This week in 2020

•	Do voters care about Joe Biden's gaffes? Not so far.
•	Would a woman have a harder time beating Trump? Half of likely Democratic primary voters say yes, which could be bad news for Elizabeth Warren.
•	Bernie Sanders says Trump's Hurricane Dorian map incident shows the president has "authoritarian impulses."
•	A record number of women are leading campaigns in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
•	Amy Klobuchar isn't afraid to troll Trump. And it happened again this week.
•	Most of the Democrats agree on marijuana legalization, but there's still some key differences among them.
•	Kids on the campaign trail? Yeah, that's cute.