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BLOG: Here's how the fifth Democratic debate in Atlanta unfolded

Here is how the fifth democratic debate unfolded.

ATLANTA — The Democratic presidential field is in Atlanta tonight for the fifth debate of the race to earn the party's nomination in 2020.

It is the first presidential debate with just 10 candidates, the first without Julian Castro or Beto O'Rourke, as the field continues to narrow with only a little more than two months to go until the Iowa caucuses.

Follow along below with live updates from the debate:

11:20 PM | The fifth Democratic debate has concluded in Atlanta. 11Alive's VERIFY team fact-checked what the candidates said during the debate. 

The next debate will be Dec. 12.

11:05 PM | The candidates have begun their closing statements for tonight's debate. 

11:00 PM | Former Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams has been mentioned a couple of times during Wednesday night's debate. Both were about voting rights. 

10:43 PM | The discussion turns to the legalization of marijuana in America. Sen. Cory Booker says he doesn't think marijuana should be legalized. 

10:41 PM | Atlantans are following along the debate closely. Here's a look inside the debate watch parties being held around Atlanta. 

10:38 PM | Candidates talk about the maternal mortality rate in America, a topic 11Alive has covered heavily. 

10:32 PM | The candidates discuss the Me Too Movement, and Vice President Joe Biden answers what he would do as president to address the issue.

10:30 PM | Joe Biden has answered a challenge from Tom Steyer on the threat of climate change, also calling it “the No. 1 issue” facing the country.

Steyer has framed his candidacy around the issue. He said during Wednesday night’s debate that neither the former vice president nor Elizabeth Warren would characterize climate change as the most critical issue.

Biden replied that he does see climate change as such, calling climate change “the existential threat to humanity,” eliciting a somewhat stunned look from the billionaire businessman.

Referencing Steyer, the former vice president went on to say, “I don’t need a lecture from my friend,” noting his own work on Senate climate change legislation.

Bernie Sanders repeated his suggestion that executives in the fossil fuel industry could be prosecuted for their actions.

10:29 PM | The debate turns to race in America, and the criminal justice system.

10:23 PM | The candidates are asked about whether they would cut military spending.

10:00 PM | The first question after the break is about the economy.

9:45 PM | Moderators ask the candidates where they stand on paid family leave.

Kamala Harris says she has crafted her plans for paid family leave around what she characterizes as a campaign-wide position on policies to help elevate women.

The California senator said during Wednesday night’s Democratic debate in Atlanta that much of the “burden” of raising children and caring for aging parents falls to women, whom she noted are “not paid equally for equal work in America.”

Harris’ plan would provide leave for up to six months, a timeframe she said was selected in part due to women having children later in life than in previous generations.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s own plan would cover up to three months. She said she kept plan costs in mind when selecting that timeline, noting an obligation to being “fiscally responsible” while still helping people.

9:40 PM | The candidates are asked about the President getting booed at recent events, underscoring the political division.

9:31 PM | Andrew Yang is asked about what he would do to help protect the US from terrorism and threats to the nation.

9:17 PM | The debate pivots to the gap in wealth inequality.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is disagreeing with the wealth tax proposed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as they join other Democratic presidential candidates for a debate Wednesday night.

Booker says Warren’s proposal “is cumbersome,” has failed in other countries and would stunt economic growth in blighted urban areas.

Warren has proposed raising taxes by 2 cents on wealth over $50 million to finance a host of programs including universal preschool and higher teacher pay.

Warren, who has come under attack recently for the proposal, called her policy “transformative.”

9:03 PM | The debate is underway, and opens with a question to the candidates on the impeachment inquiry.

8:55 PM | The candidates have taken the stage in the democratic debate.

Pete Buttigieg’s dramatic rise in the Democratic race for president makes him a prime target at Wednesday night’s debate. 

The candidates bunched at the front of the pack are seeking to distinguish themselves on the debate stage in Atlanta with just three months until 2020 presidential voting begins.

The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has gained significant ground in recent months in Iowa, which holds the nation’s first caucuses on Feb. 3. But with top-tier status comes added scrutiny, as the other front-runners discovered in four previous debates throughout the summer and fall.

Credit: Luke Carter / WXIA
The democratic candidates take the stage ahead of the fifth debate at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta on Nov. 20, 2019.

See more images of debate night from inside Tyler Perry Studios.

8:48 PM | Rep. John Lewis has arrived for the debate. 

8:18 PM | Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms arrives to the debate.

6:50 PM | DNC Chair Tom Perez answers questions ahead of the debate.

5:35 PM | Stacey Abrams answers questions from 11Alive's Faith Abubey ahead of Wednesday night's debate in Atlanta, in which she discusses the Democrats' strategy to win Georgia, now seen as a battleground state. 

1:30 PM | President Obama made an appearance at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Wednesday.

1:00 PM | Here's a live look at the debate stage, as candidates get a walk-through ahead of the debate Wednesday night.

Material from the Associated Press contributed to this report.

MORE ON THE DEBATE 

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Democratic debate tonight | Facts about the candidates

This is what Tyler Perry Studios looks like for the Democratic debate in Atlanta

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