A rural recap of the latest Democratic presidential debate

Last night, seven top-ranking Democratic presidential candidates met for the final debate of 2019 in Los Angeles. One notable facet of the debate: U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who often touts her competitiveness in rural areas—including in this debate—enjoyed more time in the spotlight than she's had in previous debates.

Klobuchar "was given a lot of time in the beginning of the debate and she used it well to make her case. In the end, she did what she needed to do: give centrist Democrats a third option after Biden and Buttigieg. In doing so, she changed her campaign in a way no other candidate did," James Pindell writes for The Boston Globe, giving her the only 'A' grade among the debaters.

Here's what the candidates had to say about some issues with rural resonance (along with some comments on journalism), according to The Washington Post transcript:

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont argued for a trade policy that helps farmers, and disparaged the newly approved NAFTA replacement for not discussing climate change.

Mayor Pete Buttegieg of South Bend, Ind., said any plan to fight climate change must include farmers as part of the solution, not "beating them over the head and telling them they're part of the problem."

Klobuchar said the Midwest saw unprecedented flooding in 2019 because of climate change. She said she had helped negotiate three farm bills and was responsible for major provisions in each of them.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said the economy isn't doing well for many people, and noted that 40 percent of Midwestern farmers "couldn't pay their bills last year."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said her plan to increase taxes on billionaires would increase productivity and improve small-town and rural economies. She also said she would invest in more affordable housing in rural areas.

Businessman Andrew Yang noted that more people now die by suicide or drug overdose than die in car accidents. Yang said Americans can't agree on impeaching President Trump because "we're getting news from different sources, and it's making it hard for us even to agree on basic facts. Congressional approval rating, last I checked, was something like 17 percent, and Americans don't trust the media networks to tell them the truth."

Buttegieg said Trump's views on the news media are a problem: "When the American president refers to unfavorable press coverage as the product of the "enemy of the people," democracy around the world gets weaker. Freedom of the press not just here at home but around the world gets weaker."

Klobuchar said press freedom is "deep in my heart" since her father was a journalist. She criticized Trump's attorneys general for not promising they wouldn't jail journalists for doing their jobs.