memeorandum: Transcript for Democrats Debate What Should Take Priority: Ousting Assad or Fighting ISIS? (ABC News)

12:40 AM ET, December 20, 2015

Top Items:

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

14 key moments from the Democratic debate — There were only three candidates on the stage in the latest Democratic presidential debate, but each had plenty of big moments as they argued about taxes on the middle class, intervention abroad, and the safety of their campaign data.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Yahoo Politics, Bloomberg.com news, Washington Post, TIME, NPR, New York Times and Daily Kos

David Atkins / Washington Monthly:

An Explanation of What Bernie Sanders Staffers Actually Did and Why It Matters — After a spat lasting just over 24 hours, it appears that the top news story of the day is already resolving itself: the DNC has come to an agreement to return voter database access to the Bernie Sanders campaign …

Discussion: Salon, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Mahablog, Towleroad, TIME, Mother Jones, Liberal Values, Power Line, addictinginfo.org, Althouse, PoliticusUSA and Slantpoint

Bloomberg Business:

Data Breach Takes Back Seat to Fights Over Foreign Policy and Finance in Democratic Debate — Democratic debate comes on the heels of a major blowup between the campaigns of the two leading contenders. — jeneps — Foreign policy and domestic finance fueled the fiercest disagreements …

Discussion: Politico, Yahoo Politics, Slate, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, ABC News and The Huffington Post

Politico:

The POLITICO Wrongometer — POLITICO's analysis of where the Democratic field stretched the truth, steered around some inconvenient facts, or just plain got it wrong. — Hillary's bold new education plan? Not so bold — Hillary Clinton said during tonight's presidential debate …

Discussion: Vox, Slate and The Right Scoop

Amy Dacey / Medium:

Here's what happened with NGP VAN, the Sanders Campaign, and the Clinton Campaign — And here are the steps we are taking to address the problem — The Democratic National Committee, through its software partner NGP VAN, provides tools for Democratic campaigns that are invaluable and second to none.

Discussion: New York Times, Mashable and Politico

ABC News:

Transcript for Democrats Debate What Should Take Priority: Ousting Assad or Fighting ISIS? — I'm going to ask the secretary here because it does appear to be some daylight here between the policies at least in respect to when you take out Syrian president or Charlotte's not right now.

Discussion: Politico

Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo:

O'Malley: Clinton ‘Shamefully’ Used 9/11 To Hide ‘Cozy’ Wall Street Ties — Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley bashed Democratic 2016 frontrunner Hillary Clinton for “shamefully” trying to “hide her cozy relationship with Wall Street big banks by invoking the attacks of 9/11.”

Discussion: The Week

ABC News:
Sanders Apologizes to Clinton Over Accessing Voter Data

Discussion: Associated Press, Politico, Bloomberg.com news, abc13.com and abc7.com

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Sanders gets the fight he wanted

Discussion: hillaryclinton.com, PoliticusUSA and abc13.com

ABC News:
ABC News Third Democratic Debate: New Hampshire Edition

Discussion: Politico, abc13.com, Common Dreams and abc7.com

Elliot Smilowitz / The Hill:
DNC, Sanders reach deal restoring access to voter data

Discussion: Politico, Bloomberg.com news, ABC News, Hot Air, Washington Post, The Week and Mediaite

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Dem rivalry takes nasty turn

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Some Big Picture Thoughts on the Sanders/DNC Derp War

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

CNN:
Bernie Sanders and the DNC: It's war

Discussion: U.S. Uncut, SOOPERMEXICAN and Mediaite

Larry Diamond / The Atlantic:

What Is America Fighting For? … The United States has been at war with ISIS for more than a year, and with Islamic extremism for nearly a decade and a half. But beyond defending the homeland against terrorism, U.S. leaders have not offered a compelling answer to this vital question: What is it that America is fighting for?

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:
Trump: Fellow Republicans are ‘jealous as hell’ of Putin's praise

Discussion: Politico, Political Wire, Mashable, addictinginfo.org, Mediaite, RedState and Raw Story

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Trump Doubles Down On Putin Love, Says There's “A Lot Of Truth” To U.S. Killing People

Discussion: alan.com

Benjamin Oreskes / Politico:
GOP gobsmacked by Trump's warm embrace of Putin

Discussion: whorunsGov, New York Times and Independent Journal

CBS News:

Ted Cruz to air parody ad during “SNL” — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is planning to air a parody commercial in Iowa during “Saturday Night Live,” just weeks before the nation's first nominating contest in the state. — “In the spirit of the upcoming holiday we are excited …

Discussion: CBS Dallas

Oliver Darcy / TheBlaze.com:
Watch the Christmas Parody Infomercial the Ted Cruz Campaign Has Paid to Air During ‘SNL’

Discussion: Des Moines Register, Liberal Values, Western Journalism, No More Mister Nice Blog and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Trump jumps, Cruz climbs, Carson sinks in GOP race

Discussion: Daily Mail, Hot Air, The Right Scoop, Outside the Beltway, Fox News Insider, Boston Herald and Public Policy Polling

Benny Johnson / Independent Journal:
Watch the Campy Christmas Infomercial Ted Cruz Is About To Play During SNL

Discussion: Hot Air and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Jeb Bush: ‘Donald Trump is a jerk’ — Contoocook, New Hampshire (CNN)While Jeb Bush has been railing against Donald Trump all week, he still had more to say on Saturday, uttering perhaps his strongest comments yet about the Republican presidential front-runner.

Discussion: Gawker, Raw Story, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, LiberalAmerica.org, Talking Points Memo, BuzzFeed and The Week

Awr Hawkins / Breitbart:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio: Executive Order or Not, 'I'm Not Surrendering the Guns' — On December 18, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio referenced President Obama's pending executive action on gun control and said executive order or not, guns will not be surrendered.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Right

Jennifer Kliese / WKOW 27:

East Towne Mall closed; Police search for gunman — UPDATE (WKOW) — East Towne Mall is closed because of the shooting incident earlier this afternoon. — Madison police investigators are processing the scene. Witnesses say several young men were involved in a fight in the middle of the mall.

Discussion: WBAY-TV

Agence France-Presse:

Angry single men stage anti-Christmas rally in Tokyo — Tokyo (AFP) - Anti-Christmas protesters calling themselves “Losers with Women” marched through Tokyo's streets Saturday, bashing the upcoming holiday as a capitalist ploy that also discriminates against singletons.