Democratic debate recap and fact-checking - Entrepreneur Generations

Last night, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont met for a debate in hopes of swaying voters in battleground states Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio who go to the polls Tuesday. The debate, hosted by CNN and Univision, touched on many topics with rural resonance (click here for a full transcript). Here are some of the highlights:

Both candidates said they believe that America must transition to renewable energy.

Sanders said he wants to end the practice of hydraulic fracturing as soon as possible, and said it's "insane" that the fracking industry continues to operate in the U.S. In the same breath, he also said it's "absurd" that the fossil fuel industry receives tens of billions of dollars a year in tax breaks and subsidies. Fossil fuel companies lied to the public by saying that evidence was inconclusive that linked fossil fuels to climate change, Sanders said, and said he thinks those companies should be "held criminally accountable."

Biden said, for the first time, that he opposes all new fracking operations. He also said he would not support any more subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, or drilling on public lands or offshore. He said that he played an instrumental role in ensuring that the 2009 Recovery Act invested $90 billion in solar and wind, and said that that helped steer the energy sector away from coal.

Sanders said he voted against the Hyde amendment, which he said denies low-income women the ability to get an abortion, and said Biden had "consistently" voted for it. The Hyde amendment specifies that a woman cannot use Medicaid funding for an abortion. Biden said he does not support the Hyde amendment, but said that everyone in Congress has voted for it whether they approve of it or not because it was attached as a rider to other bills. Biden also said he wants abortion rights codified by law, not just court precedent.

This item will be updated.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2IRAgCS Democratic debate recap and fact-checking - Entrepreneur Generations

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