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Vox Sentences: Your Vox guide to the first debate
The first 2020 Democratic debate is here; a far-right supporter confessed to killing a pro-immigration politician in Germany.
Everything you need to know about this week’s debates
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- Tonight marks the start of a series of Democratic primary debates. Here’s everything you need to know before 9 pm Eastern, when the first night of debating begins. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
- The first debate will be split across Wednesday and Thursday night, from 9 to 11 pm ET on both nights. The events are in Miami and will be televised by NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo. [Daily Beast / Audrey McNamara]
- The first batch of candidates for tonight: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
- Tomorrow night’s candidates: Author and activist Marianne Williamson, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Sen. Kamala Harris, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, and California Rep. Eric Swalwell. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
- Candidates will likely talk about health care, which Democratic voters have indicated is the most important issue to them, according to a Morning Consult poll. Read Dylan Scott’s explainer on where the candidates stand on Medicare-for-all. [Vox / Dylan Scott]
- Abortion has also become a key issue in the race, and the candidates will most likely try to position themselves as allies to reproductive rights. Here’s every candidate’s position on abortion. [Vox / Li Zhou and Catherine Kim]
- The large group of candidates has some party members worried, especially as the memory of a divisive 2016 Democratic primary still lingers. In an attempt to stand out, some candidates may seek opportunities to go viral with inflammatory statements. [Politico / Holly Otterbein]
- For more on all the 2020 Democratic candidates’ positions on immigration, climate change, education, and other issues, see Vox’s policy guide. [Vox]
A far-right supporter confesses to a political killing
- A man with far-right views has confessed to killing pro-immigration German politician Walter Lübcke. [BBC]
- Lübcke was a firm believer in welcoming refugees to Germany and supported Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to allow in high numbers of immigrants amid the 2015 refugee crisis. Lübcke died on June 2 from a gunshot wound to the head; the suspect has said he killed Lübcke over his views on immigration. [CNN / Stephanie Halasz and Ivana Kottasová]
- This isn’t the first time the suspect, who has publicly aligned himself with the far-right movement, has been involved in anti-immigrant crimes; he served prison time for planting a pipe bomb outside a home for asylum seekers and was arrested after participating in a neo-Nazi rally. [Guardian / Josie Le Blond]
- This points to a larger problem in Germany of growing violence, led by far-right supporters. Reported instances of right-wing violence have risen sharply in the past year. [Politico EU / Paola Tamma]
- Merkel has strongly condemned the rise of right-wing violence in Germany and has vowed to crack down on these extremist groups. The country’s interior minister also said the government would ramp up security measures to protect those being threatened. [AP / Kirsten Grieshaber]
- Merkel and Lübcke’s Christian Democrats are also blaming the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for using inflammatory rhetoric that encourages violent behavior. AfD denies that the group had any influence on the crime. [Deutsche Welle]
- The attack invokes a painful memory for many Germans: In 2011, the neo-nazi group National Socialist Underground was found to have killed 10 people, mostly immigrants, between 2000 and 2007. Lübcke’s killing is making people wonder if the government has done enough to combat the rise of right-wing extremists since. [Reuters / Joseph Nasr]
Miscellaneous
- How many marathons of The Office can you complete in a year and a half? NBCUniversal plans to pull the show from Netflix at the beginning of 2021 to embed in its own streaming service. [Hollywood Reporter / Lesley Goldberg and Natalie Jarvey]
- Kim Kardashian West has trademarked the word “Kimono” for her new underwear line. Her garments have nothing to do with the traditional Japanese gown of the same name. [CNN / Lianne Kolirin and Gianluca Mezzofiore]
- San Francisco Google employees are asking SF Pride to kick their company out of this weekend’s festivities due to YouTube and Google’s controversial hate speech policies. As of now, SF Pride doesn’t have any plans to do so. [The Verge / Megan Farokhmanesh]
- If you want Joe Biden to speak at an event, here are the menu you’ll need on hand, per his contract: “angel hair pomodoro, a caprese salad, topped off with raspberry sorbet with biscotti.” [The Week]
- Wayfair sold $200,000 worth of furniture that would be used to furnish a detention camp for migrant children in Texas. Furious employees are now protesting the company. [AP / Alexandra Olson and Steve Leblanc]
Verbatim
“We’re having to deal with populist movements that in many areas are contemptuous of these values, who want to destroy the Europe of our values. We have to stand up to this decisively.” [Chancellor Angela Merkel on the rise of far-right violence in Germany]
Watch this: How this border transformed a subcontinent
The story of how a hastily drawn line divided one people into two. [YouTube / Johnny Harris and Christina Thornell]
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By Cameron Peters
By Cameron Peters
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