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| THE LEDE There was a Democratic primary debate last night — you have missed it, or already forgotten most of what happened. Well, was Joe Biden high? We expected Wednesday’s fifth Democratic presidential debate to center around Pete Buttigieg, with the other candidates eager to stop the 37-year-old mayor’s rise in polls. That absolutely did not happen. Instead, if you watch one moment, make it the tense and awkward exchange on marijuana and race between Cory Booker, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. But if you’re a Democratic primary voter who wants to see what candidates have to say without them getting too deep in an argument about any one issue, maybe you loved this debate. And, on its face, it was a good night for Harris, Booker, and Amy Klobuchar in particular. But it’s hard to see it really changing the current trajectory of the race, especially with impeachment hearings due to resume in just a couple hours. Bloomberg’s China detente: It was a little awkward, but why not: A top Republican banker was the one to announce that Mike Bloomberg had made his decision to run for President. In Beijing, from where I'm writing this newsletter. It was a reminder of yet another way that Bloomberg is different from all the other candidates: He's pretty pro-China. He has defended President Xi Jinping and what the Chinese system has accomplished. Bloomberg LP is the only American news organization that has made the accommodations it takes to build a business in China. The rest of the Democrats will, if elected, likely continue some version of Trump’s effort to take a harder line. Bloomberg is the candidate of China detente. READ RECEIPTS Texting with Michael Bennet Michael Bennet is a thoughtful, policy-minded Senator of the old school whose presidential candidacy — a low-drama, get-things-done moderate — hasn't caught fire. He's now betting it all on New Hampshire, and texted me from there Saturday.
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Also from the debate: Nidhi writes that Joe Biden got around talking explicitly about #MeToo by talking instead about “punching at” domestic violence. And Molly points out that it was another debate with no questions about LGBT rights.
Speaking of Mike Bloomberg and China, I scooped that he wouldn’t be attending his company’s big China summit this week.
P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide.) 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Ben Smith, Veronica Dulin, Kate Nocera, Matt Berman and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. Show privacy notice and cookie policy.
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