Democratic Debate: Live Fact Check, Analysis Of November's Faceoff

Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate in Atlanta is taking place in the middle of a flurry of impeachment hearings and less than three months away from the first primary votes.

The hearings, particularly the watershed testimony given by Ambassador Gordon Sondland on Wednesdy, came up first. Health care was not far behind.

Ten candidates qualified for this month's debate, hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post. They take the stage a 9 p.m. ET. Those candidates are:

Former Vice President Joe Biden; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; businessman Tom Steyer; Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren; and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.

The field has shifted since the candidates were on stage together in October: former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke has dropped out. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has jumped in (though he will not be on the stage Wednesday), and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is mulling his next move.

Read more about where the candidates stand on key issues, including health care, climate and gun policy. And here are key political questions we had ahead of the debate.

Follow NPR through the night for live analysis and fact checks of the candidates' remarks.

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