memeorandum: The Exploitation of Paris — Can't we wait until we've resolved the body count? (Frank Bruni/New York Times)

9:20 AM ET, November 15, 2015

Top Items:

Hunter Walker / Yahoo Politics:

Sanders aide pushes back against CBS switch to foreign policy focus for debate — A staffer for one of the other campaigns who was also on the call described the exchange to Yahoo News as “heated” and even “bizarre,” and a second source on the call confirmed the nature of the exchange.

Rick Klein / ABC News:

Analysis: Debate Reveals Democratic Uncertainties on Foreign Policy — The Democrats came to Iowa Saturday night to have a debate, in a somber moment in a shaken nation. — It turned into something less than an outright fight but ultimately quite a bit more - a potentially pivotal moment …

Discussion: Politico and Washington Free Beacon

Dylan Matthews / Vox:

What Bernie Sanders misses about Dwight Eisenhower's tax rates — At the Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines Saturday night, Bernie Sanders reiterated his support for raising the top income tax rate far above its 39.6 percent level. He wouldn't give an exact number …

Discussion: Politico and Yahoo Politics

Annie Karni / Politico:

Sanders fights CBS move to change debate format after Paris — DES MOINES - With the rest of the world riveted on Paris, Bernie Sanders' top aides fought hard to preserve his 90-second opening remarks - even as sponsors of tonight's debate demanded time to discuss the terrorist slaughter of 120 civilians.

Discussion: Bloomberg.com news, Vox, Yahoo Politics, Weekly Standard and Talking Points Memo

Eli Stokols / Politico:

Clinton fends off attacks in second debate — Hillary Clinton, after coasting through the first Democratic debate, spent two hours during the second showdown on Saturday night fending off a barrage of attacks, as her rivals criticized her foreign policy record, her ties to Wall Street, and her shifting positions on gun control.

Discussion: Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, TIME, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Yahoo Politics

Paola Chavez / ABC News:

Second Democratic Debate: The Best Lines — In light of the attacks in Paris on Friday night, the Democratic debate hosted by CBS News in Des Moines, Iowa, focused on national security and foreign policy. — Candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley began the debate …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Politico and Bloomberg.com news

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Sanders: We Don't Need No Stinking Foreign Policy!

Discussion: Politico, Hit & Run and RedState

New York Times:
Rivals at Democratic Debate Attack Hillary Clinton

Discussion: Washington Post and TalkLeft

Katherine Krueger / Talking Points Memo:
Sanders: Climate Change ‘Directly Related’ To Growth Of Terrorism (VIDEO)

Discussion: The Week

Michael Crowley / Politico:
Attacks call Obama's strategy into question

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, Bloomberg.com news, Yahoo Politics and Moe Lane

Annie Karni / Politico:
ISIL crisis ensnares Clinton and Obama

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Bloomberg.com news, ABC News, Vox and Yahoo Politics

Daily Mail:

Jihadis sneaked into Europe as fake Syrian refugees: Killer's passport was used by ‘migrant’ who arrived in Greece just weeks ago as authorities reveal terrorists - including a 15-year-old - prowled streets in three coordinated teams — French police revealed a Syrian passport was found …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Reuters, Telegraph, Infowars, whorunsGov, The Daily Signal, neo-neocon and Vox Popoli

Wall Street Journal:

Paris Attacks: Suicide Bomber Wearing an Explosive Vest Was Blocked From Entering Stade de France Soccer Venue — At least one suicide bomber had a ticket to the France-Germany soccer game, but his explosive vest was found during a security check at the gate

Discussion: New York Times, Slantpoint, Guardian, Spectator, The Daily Caller, Fusion, The Week, Deadspin, Business Insider and Associated Press

Bradford Richardson / The Hill:
Trump: Paris attacks would have been ‘different’ if civilians were armed

Discussion: addictinginfo.org and Refinery29

Jon Henley / Observer:
Paris terror attacks ‘carried out by three coordinated teams of gunmen’

Discussion: Guardian, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Jezebel, Deadspin, Reuters and The PJ Tatler

Fox News:
Belgium makes three arrests linked to Paris attacks

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

USA Today:
Francois Hollande: Paris attacks were ISIL ‘act of war’

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Guardian, Vox, Jezebel, ThinkProgress, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit, Blue Mass Group, Hot Air, Slate, The New York Observer, New York Times and Washington Monthly

Kevin Cirilli / Bloomberg Business:
What Parisians Need Are Guns, Trump Says

Discussion: ABC News and Washington Post

Max Fisher / Vox:

The perfect response to people who blame Islam for ISIS — When people talk about ISIS and Islam, as they are today and will surely be for some time in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, they tend to take one of two positions: either that ISIS has nothing to do with “real” Islam …

Discussion: Obsidian Wings

Eli Lake / Bloomberg View:

10 Questions for Clinton After the Paris Massacre — In the wake of the jihadist attacks in Paris, CBS News said it will alter the questions in Saturday's democratic debate to focus on terrorism and foreign affairs. For Hillary Clinton, who has long been a leader on the hawkish side of the party …

Discussion: RedState, New York Times, Liberal Values and PoliticusUSA

Alexander Mallin / ABC News:
Obama Criticized for Claim That ISIS Is ‘Contained’

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Washington Post and NPR

Nick Gass / Politico:

CBS ends Democratic debate with seven minutes to spare — CBS brought in the second Democratic debate seven minutes under time, giving Iowa Democrats the chance to catch the end of the No. 5-ranked Hawkeyes' game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. — The candidates began their closing statements …

Discussion: Political Wire

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

The Exploitation of Paris — Can't we wait until we've resolved the body count? Until the identities of all of the victims have been determined and their families informed? Until the sirens stop wailing? Until the blood is dry? — Or must we instantly bootstrap obliquely related agendas …

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Diary of a Mad Voter, Power Line and Instapundit

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

A Crisis Our Universities Deserve — BETWEEN the 19th century and the 1950s, the American university was gradually transformed from an institution intended to transmit knowledge into an institution designed to serve technocracy. The religious premises fell away, the classical curriculums …

Discussion: The Academe Blog

Washington Post:

Tonight, three candidates are participating in the second Democratic debate at Drake University in Des Moines: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley. — We'll be posting the transcript live below, with notes and analysis from the crew here at The Fix as well as the Fact Checker's Michelle Lee.

Discussion: Mother Jones

NBC News:

American Student Nohemi Gonzalez Identified as Victim in Paris Massacre — A college student from California is the first American fatality identified in the Paris terror attacks. — Nohemi Gonzalez, 23, a senior design major at California State University-Long Beach spending a semester studying …

Discussion: NBC News and Mediaite