Biden fights off rivals in Democratic 2020 debate

Frontrunner Joe Biden went on the offensive in the third Democratic debate of the 2020 White House race, clashing with top rivals on the fraught issue of health care in America and brushing off attacks from lesser challengers.

Under pressure to appear in command -- and dispel doubts over his stamina -- the 76-year-old Biden pushed hard on Thursday against liberals Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in an almost three-hour showdown in Houston, Texas.

While the 10 Democrats seeking the party nomination found common ground in their determination to oust Donald Trump, and on the urgency of tackling climate change, their differences were on stark display when it came to health care reform -- a stated priority for them all.

In a high-octane clash, Biden accused his fellow septuagenarians, senators Sanders and Warren, of pushing pipe dreams without a plan to fund them.

"I lay out how I can pay for it, how I can get it done, and why it's better," the former vice president said of his plan, which maintains and builds on the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare.

Warren, a rising star in the race, and Sanders, a fixture from the 2016 campaign who launched a liberal political revolution, each put up a spirited defense.

"I know what's broken, I know how to fix it and I'm going to lead the fight to get it done," promised Warren, who has electrified town halls and impressed voters with her exhaustive policy platforms.

On health care reform she promised "those at the very top" would bear the cost.

Sanders, who advocates a shift away from private health insurance, vowed to "finally make sure that every American has health care as a human right, not a privilege."