Democrats Debate Again, 10 Yesterday and 10 Today

The race for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 continues after ten Democratic candidates met in Detroit last night for the second primary debate, with ten more to go tonight.

Last night’s debate featured the two highest-polling progressive candidates, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Other relatively high-polling candidates (though still in the single digits) were South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

The debate demonstrated sharp differences between the progressive wing, led by Sanders and Warren, and the relatively more moderate wing, including Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. Some of these differences included whether to abolish private health insurance in favor of government-run insurance, providing free health care to those residing in the US illegally, and decriminalizing illegal border crossings. Places of agreement between both camps included providing a government-run insurance program (regardless of whether private insurance would still be allowed), instituting more gun control, and placing higher taxes on wealthy Americans.

Ten more candidates will debate tonight, including two other high-polling candidates, the frontrunner former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris. Biden is considered relatively more moderate than many of the other candidates (though still liberal by national standards), and will likely face progressive criticisms from Harris and other candidates.

Another Heat Wave Strikes Europe

Another heat wave has stricken the European continent, the second major one this year. At least six deaths, five in France and one in Belgium, have been blamed on the phenomenon, which is caused by a meteorological air pressure block that has maintained the hot temperatures for over a week.

Temperatures in France have reached as high as 108.7 °F. (42.6 °C) and 107.2 °F. (41.8 °C) in Belgium. These temperatures have led to the deaths of hundreds of farm animals, whose ventilation systems failed in the heat’s wake. The heat wave has also raised river temperatures, which has led to a decline in their use for cooling systems, wishing to maintain conditions to protect aquatic life.

In the UK, trains have been ordered to maintain slower speeds to protect against buckling railways, and concerns have been raised over the stability of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France. The cathedral, damaged by a major fire earlier this year, has vulnerable structures which could break further because of the heat’s effect on water-logged materials.