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First Read's Morning Clips: Clinton Tries to Cool the Bern

A roundup of the most important news stories of the day
Hillary Clinton
Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton makes a point during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Morry Gash / AP

OFF TO THE RACES: Hillary tries to cool the Bern

What we learned from the Democratic debate in Milwaukee, from Alex Seitz-Wald: "Hillary Clinton sought to douse Bernie Sanders' perceived passion with a cool dose of realism in Thursday night's debate featuring lengthy exchanges on foreign policy, race and Barack Obama's legacy. Clinton has struggled to find a clear and inspiring message on the stump as Sanders makes uplifting promises. But during the PBS debate Thursday night in Milwaukee, Clinton adopted a new more measured tone to reflect her message, and honed her rhetoric."

Miss the debate? Here's what you need to know in three minutes.

Race was a hot topic throughout the night, notes Amanda Sakuma.

The Washington Post: "Fresh off her double-digit loss in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton sought to undermine surging rival Bernie Sanders here Thursday night, arguing that his expansive agenda for government action on health care, college costs and infrastructure investments is both impractical and far more costly than he has said."

And the New York Times: "Foreign affairs also took on unusual prominence as Mrs. Clinton sought to underscore her experience and Mr. Sanders excoriated her judgment on Libya and Iraq, as well as her previous praise of former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. But Mrs. Clinton was frequently on the offensive as well, seizing an opportunity to talk about leaders she admired and turning it against Mr. Sanders by bashing his past criticism of President Obama — a remark that Mr. Sanders called a 'low blow.'"

Leigh Ann Caldwell writes on why superdelegates are at the center of the Democratic nomination fight again.

CLINTON: The Washington Post examines some of the tensions around Clinton's pitch regarding gender.

Jonathan Martin's take on Clinton's performance last night: "Facing off against Senator Bernie Sanders on Thursday night, Hillary Clinton did not comport herself like someone who had just suffered a landslide loss in New Hampshire. She did not raise her voice or express anger. She did not demonize Mr. Sanders or suggest he would be a dangerous choice for Democrats. She remained calm as he pungently sought to highlight their differences."

POLITICO notes just how much Clinton namechecked Barack Obama during the debate, too.

Via the Washington Post: "Investigators with the State Department issued a subpoena to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation last fall seeking documents about the charity’s projects that may have required approval from the federal government during Hillary Clinton’s term as secretary of state, according to people familiar with the subpoena and written correspondence about it. The subpoena also asked for records related to Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide who for six months in 2012 was employed simultaneously by the State Department, the foundation, Clinton’s personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons."

CRUZ: He's pulling an ad after learning that it featured a former soft-core porn actress.

In South Carolina, he's battling accusations that he's weak on national defense and military issues.

ICYMI: Check out Cruz's new ads aiming at Trump and Rubio.

RUBIO: He took aim at Trump's use of an unrepeatable word for the female anatomy earlier this week, saying it bothered him when his children asked him what Trump meant.