Where Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, stands on some issues:

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ECONOMY

Sanders, a self-described “democratic socialist,” has been pushing for higher taxes on the rich and more money for programs serving the middle class and poor since long before talk of income inequality became fashionable. He has long supported creating a public health care system similar to Canada’s and Britain’s. He favors equal pay for women, a higher minimum wage and stronger labor rights. He frequently expresses outrage that a “billionaire class” has taken too much control over the American political and economic systems, and labeled it “beyond belief” when the House voted last month to provide $269 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy. He has backed legislation to crack down on offshore tax havens. Recent legislation backed by Sanders would provide more youth jobs, expand Social Security and increase the estate tax. He supports a five-year, $1 trillion plan to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure. He says that would create 13 million jobs.

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FINANCIAL REGULATION

Sanders wants to break up Wall Street “megabanks,” saying if they’re too big to fail, they’re too big to exist. He has been a critic of the 1999 repeal of the Depression-era Glass-Stiegel Act, which had mandated that commercial banks and securities firms remain separate. Sanders said in 2013 that the 10 largest banks in the United States had grown bigger than before a government bailout helped them out of the 2008 financial crisis. He says the Justice Department has not been aggressive enough in prosecuting bad actors in the banking industry.

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TRADE

Sanders is a critic of trade deals who says the North American Free Trade Agreement and most-favored nation status for China have caused big job cuts in the United States, especially in manufacturing. He has rallied with labor and environmental groups against a proposed new trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, involving the U.S., Canada and Asian countries, saying it will be a boon to big business but bad for workers.

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FOREIGN POLICY

Sanders supports the use of air strikes and limited use of special forces in the fight with Islamic State militants. He opposes sending U.S. ground troops into the region. He does not support the Obama administration’s recent request to Congress for an authorization to use military force “without clearer limitations on the role of U.S. combat troops.” He favors a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and says he wants to see no more settlements in disputed territories as well as an unequivocal acknowledgment by the Palestinians of Israel’s right to exist. Sanders has cheered the Obama administration’s recent efforts to open relations with Cuba.

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ELECTIONS

Sanders criticizes the Supreme Court’s decision in the 2010 case known as Citizens United. He maintains the ruling has unleashed a torrent of unaccountable donations into the political system by wealthy donors, giving them too much control over government policy. He supports a proposed constitutional amendment that would effectively overturn the decision. Sanders opposes voter ID laws, saying there’s scant evidence of the voter fraud described by the laws’ supporters, and says a requirement to show ID presents the most difficulty to minority, young and elderly voters.

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SOCIAL ISSUES

Sanders was an early supporter of same-sex marriage, voting against the Defense of Marriage Act in the mid-1990s. He favors abortion rights, opposes the death penalty and has indicated his opposition to a philosophical exemption for parents who don’t want their children vaccinated. He said he is sensitive to families’ wishes, but “If I have a kid who is suffering from an illness who is subjected to a kid who walks into a room without vaccines, that could kill that child and that’s wrong.”

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CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT

Sanders opposes the Keystone XL Pipeline, proposed to ship oil from the Canadian prairie to refineries in Texas. He has introduced legislation to institute a carbon tax, and separate legislation to end tax breaks for fossil fuel companies. He has labeled climate change an issue of transcendent importance and called for immediate steps to slow its pace.

(AP)