AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Democratic presidential candidates (all times local):
11:30 a.m.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he's challenging the U.S. senators in the 2020 Democratic presidential field to abolish the filibuster in their chamber.
The presidential hopeful on Sunday began a second day of Democratic candidates dropping in on the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. Inslee joined the race this month and is running a campaign that's almost singularly focused on climate change.
But Inslee says nothing will happen on the issue unless the Senate gets rid of the filibuster. That's a procedural tool that requires a supermajority of 60 votes out of 100 to pass many big items, rather than a simple majority.
Six Democratic senators are running for president. Inslee called on them to "get religion and realize that the filibuster" is stopping them on major policy.
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10:35 a.m.
Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro isn't ruling out direct payments to African-Americans for the legacy of slavery — a stand separating him from his 2020 rivals.
The former housing secretary says, "If under the Constitution we compensate people because we take their property, why wouldn't you compensate people who actually were property."
Other candidates are discussing tax credits and other subsidies, rather than direct payments for the labor and legal oppression of slaves and their descendants. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would put resources into distressed communities such as "Medicare for All" and tuition-free college.
Castro tells CNN's "State of the Union" he doesn't think that's the proper argument for reparations if "a big check needs to be written for a whole bunch of other stuff."