Intro

Just 10 candidates qualified for the stage in Houston, but that didn’t change some recurring themes: Joe Biden was again the target of fierce scrutiny, and health care was a central point of contention. But what else did we learn?

Guest: Alexander Burns, who covers national politics for The New York Times.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading:

• Attacks on Mr. Biden highlighted the divide over the Obama legacy, with the former vice president repeatedly invoking his old boss’s name.
• Many Democrats hoped that defeating an unpopular, rampaging president would be relatively simple. But party officials are wary of some potential vulnerabilities that this debate re-emphasized.
• Here are six takeaways from the contest.

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