If Flint, Mich., were rich, would the government have responded differently to the crisis of lead-polluted water? That’s something The New York Times has explored in depth. One thing is clear: The crisis was a failure of government at all levels, from the state-appointed emergency manager who switched the city’s drinking water source from Detroit’s municipal water system to the Flint River in an effort to save money to the health agencies that assured residents the water was safe even as people complained that it smelled bad, tasted funny and was discolored.

Two years later, a task force appointed by the governor at the time found race and poverty also played a role. “Flint residents, who are majority black or African-American and among the most impoverished of any metropolitan area in the United States, did not enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards as that provided to other communities,” the report said.

what the facts are

Mr. Hickenlooper suggested universal health care would not play well with moderate voters.

What Mr. Hickenlooper said:

“Last year, Democrats flipped 40 Republican seats in the House, and not one of those 40 Democrats supported the policies of our front-runners at center stage.”

This is exaggerated. Mr. Hickenlooper was referring to Medicare for All, the progressive plan for universal health care. Many of the seats Democrats flipped in taking control of the House in 2018 were in swing districts, or districts carried by President Trump; most of the freshmen who won those seats are centrists and do not support “Medicare for all.” But at least two of them — Representatives Katie Porter and Katie Hill of California — do, and they campaigned on it. Both signed onto Medicare for All legislation in the House.

In 2017, Ms. Porter said on Twitter: “I believe in universal coverage, and I support Medicare for All.”

Ms. Hill’s campaign posted a video on Facebook explaining her reasoning for backing Medicare for all, describing how she and her husband, Kenny, faced $200,000 in medical expenses early in their marriage. “Ensuring progress on health care is one of the top priorities for me as the issue hits extremely close to home, and we have to do whatever it takes to get us to Medicare for all as soon as possible.”