memeorandum: QUESTIONS GROW OVER BANKS AS PROFIT WARNINGS PILE UP (Greg Keller/Associated Press)

10:00 AM ET, February 12, 2016

Top Items:

Andrea Gonzales / ABC News:

Democratic Presidential Debate: 5 Moments That Mattered — In the final Democratic debate before the Nevada caucuses, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced off at a pivotal moment in the race for the Democratic nomination. — After a sweeping loss in the New Hampshire primary earlier this week …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, The Atlantic and FOX5 San Diego

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:

Clinton to Sanders at debate: Get real — MILWAUKEE — A low-key debate turned fiery at the very end on Thursday night as Hillary Clinton unleashed a series of points to try and paint Bernie Sanders as opposed to President Barack Obama — a tack that Sanders forcefully rebutted.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Hinterland Gazette, New York Times, Yahoo Politics, The Hill and FOX News Radio

Wall Street Journal:

Hillary Clinton's Wall Street Talks Were Highly Paid, Friendly — Democratic presidential candidate has been criticized by rival Bernie Sanders for her ties to financial sector — In the two years between resigning as secretary of state and launching her presidential campaign …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business and Politico

Bradford Richardson / The Hill:
Sanders's Secret Service code name revealed

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Mediaite, RT and The Week

New York Times:
In Democratic Debate, Hillary Clinton Paints Bernie Sanders's Plans as Unrealistic

Discussion: Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice and Hit & Run

Sahil Kapur / Bloomberg Business:
Bernie Sanders' Political Revolution Is Off to a Slow Start

Discussion: U.S. News, Guardian, CNN and Business Insider

Matt Rourke / Los Angeles Times:
Sanders would expand government by 40%, Clinton charges in debate

Discussion: Politico and Political Wire

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Bernie Sanders questions Obama's leadership

Discussion: ABC News, TheStreet.com, Washington Post, Slantpoint, BuzzFeed, AOL, ThinkProgress, Mashable and The Atlantic

Ben Terris / Washington Post:

'You didn't hear this from me, but. . .': Why South Carolina primary politics are so dirty. — COLUMBIA, S.C. — Here's a story, the gist of which will sound familiar to anyone living in South Carolina: Natalie Barrett, a 53-year-old schoolteacher from Westminster, got a robo-call earlier this month and ended up furious.

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Insiders: Hard road ahead for Trump — He finished a close second in Iowa, romped to a blowout victory in New Hampshire and leads the polls in South Carolina. — But the Republican members of The POLITICO Caucus - a panel of activists, strategists and operatives in the four early states …

Matea Gold / Washington Post:

Super PAC makes big play to lift Hillary Clinton in primary states — The main super PAC supporting Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is making its first significant foray into the 2016 primary, launching a radio campaign in South Carolina and spearheading a $4.5 million effort …

Discussion: CNN, Political Wire and Politico

Eliza Collins / Politico:

Trump calls Cruz a liar — Donald Trump has a new line of attack against Ted Cruz — he's a liar. — Over the past 24 hours, Trump has tweeted five times in some variation that the Texas senator is not truthful. — It all started Thursday morning with a tweet from the billionaire that Cruz was making negative robo-polls.

Discussion: RedState, The Gateway Pundit and The Right Scoop

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Cruz denies Trump accusation over ‘push polls’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Political Wire, New York Times, The Right Scoop, RT and Washington Post

MJ Lee / CNN:
First on CNN: New Cruz ad hits Trump's character, accuses him of ‘sleaze’

Discussion: Breitbart, The PolitiStick, Business Insider, The Right Scoop and Mediaite

Associated Press:
Debate Takeaways: Clinton, Sanders Appeal to SC, Nevada

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and abc11.com

Associated Press:
Kasich Works to Assure South Carolina of Conservative Record

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and abc11.com

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Cruz Campaign Removes Ad Featuring Softcore Porn Star — Amy Lindsay has appeared in films such as Erotic Confessions, Carnal Wishes, Secrets of a Chambermaid, and Insatiable Desires. “Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad,” a Cruz campaign spokesman told BuzzFeed News.

Discussion: AOL, Mock Paper Scissors, Trail Blazers Blog, addictinginfo.org, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Political Wire, Politico and New York Times

The Daily Caller:
Ted Cruz's Latest Ad Featured A Porn Star

Discussion: Hot Air, Mediaite, Raw Story and Political Wire

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

Hillary has big dreams, too — Hillary Clinton should respond to the results of the New Hampshire primary by finding her voice and sharing her dreams, as she did in her closing case to Granite State voters when she asked them to imagine the America that can be if we aspire to the great deeds …

The Intercept:
Hillary Clinton's Congressional Black Caucus PAC Endorsement Approved By Board Awash in Lobbyists

Discussion: VTDigger, Democracy Now, FiveThirtyEight, Congressional Black Caucus PAC, addictinginfo.org, Taylor Marsh, Vox, CNN and The National Memo

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
John Lewis questions Sanders on civil rights involvement

Discussion: Hot Air

Mother Jones:
Civil Rights Hero John Lewis Slams Bernie Sanders

Discussion: AOL, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, NBC News, Raw Story, The Week, Truth Revolt, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, American Spectator, The Right Scoop, New York Times, Mediaite, International Business Times and RT

CNN:
John Lewis: ‘I never saw’ Sanders at civil rights events

Discussion: Mashable, Shakesville, Little Green Footballs and Towleroad

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:

Trump mocks Jeb Bush for bringing brother on campaign trail — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is mocking rival Jeb Bush for bringing his brother, former President George W. Bush, to help campaign. — “Don't fall asleep when I mention the name,” Trump said …

Discussion: ABC News and Truth Revolt

Greg Keller / Associated Press:

QUESTIONS GROW OVER BANKS AS PROFIT WARNINGS PILE UP — PARIS (AP) — Questions are growing over the financial health of banks, particularly in Europe and the U.S., as they face a toxic mix of low economic growth, bad loans and squeezed earnings. — France's Societe Generale became Thursday …

Clive Crook / BloombergView.com:
The New Frontier of Negative Interest Rates

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:

Obama to designate new national monuments in the California desert — President Obama has set aside more of America's lands and waters for conservation protection than any of his predecessors, and he is preparing to do even more before he leaves office next year.

Louis Sahagun / Los Angeles Times:
Obama creates 3 new national monuments to protect 1.8 million acres of California desert

Discussion: The Week

Kristina Wong / The Hill:

Petraeus doubts Syria can be put back together again — Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus expressed doubt in a recent interview with The Hill that Syria can be pieced back together after a nearly five-year civil war. — “Can Syria actually be put back together again?

Discussion: RT

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
U.S. and Russia Announce Plan for Humanitarian Aid and a Cease-Fire in Syria

Discussion: addictinginfo.org and Mediaite

Claire Phipps / Guardian:
Syria cessation of hostilities ‘within a week’ agreed at Munich talks - live

Discussion: Consortiumnews.com, CANNONFIRE, The Daily Caller, CNN and Hullabaloo

WBNS-TV:

Suspect Killed After Attacking Multiple People With Machete In Columbus Restaurant — Tylar Bacome — Police have shot and killed a suspect after he attacked multiple people at a restaurant in northeast Columbus with a machete. — The incident happened at the Nazareth Restaurant on N. Hamilton Road.

Discussion: Pamela Geller, Associated Press, Jihad Watch, WCMH-TV and fox8.com

Naomi Jagoda / The Hill:

Tempers flare at IRS hearing — A heated argument erupted Thursday at a hearing on the IRS, with Democrats and Republicans trading charges about the work of the Oversight Committee. — Two Democrats on the panel accused their GOP colleagues of repeatedly holding hearings on the IRS for political reasons.

Reid Wilson / Morning Consult:

Poll: Wins Push Trump, Sanders to New Heights — After winning New Hampshire's presidential primaries by wide margins, New York real estate magnate Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders are soaring to new heights among their respective party's voters, a new Morning Consult poll finds …

Discussion: Political Wire and The Week

Brian Flood / The Wrap:

CNN's Jake Tapper Calls Anti-Trump Headlines ‘Very Height of Elitism’ — “I think journalistically, to not take Donald Trump seriously is a mistake,” Tapper tells TheWrap — CNN's Jake Tapper is not impressed with Huffington Post and New York Daily News headlines mocking Donald Trump.

Discussion: Washington Post

Associated Press:

Cruz app data collection helps campaign read minds of voters — WASHINGTON (AP) — Protecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens from the government is a pillar of Ted Cruz's Republican presidential candidacy, but his campaign is testing the limits of siphoning personal data from supporters.

Discussion: The Week and The Last Refuge