--- description: The moderators of Saturday night's Democratic debate will change their questions after the deadly attacks in Paris. title: Democratic Debate to Shift Focus After Paris Attacks image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf85475ea89fd49c1/69887115428a9e6640cd019b/497016084.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Debates](/tag/debates/) ## Debates Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Democratic Debate to Shift Focus After Paris Attacks by [Sam Frizell / Des Moines, Iowa](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell / Des Moines, Iowa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 14, 2015 3:25 PM CUT  A sign in front of Sheslow Auditorium inDrake University, where the Democratic presidential debate will be held, in Des Moines, IO on Nov. 13, 2015. A sign in front of Sheslow Auditorium inDrake University, where the Democratic presidential debate will be held, in Des Moines, IO on Nov. 13, 2015.Scott Olson—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell / Des Moines, Iowa](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell / Des Moines, Iowa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 14, 2015 3:25 PM CUT The moderators of Saturday night’s Democratic debate will change their questions after the deadly attacks in Paris, steering former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her challengers for the Democratic nomination into new territory. The Democratic candidates can now expect to face more questions from the CBS moderators on national security, foreign policy and terrorism, the network said Saturday. “Last night’s attacks are a tragic example of the kind of challenges American Presidents face in today’s world and we intend to ask the candidates how they would confront the evolving threat of terrorism,” CBS News Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief Christopher Isham said in a statement. The terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed at least 120 people in half a dozen locations across the city, is among the deadliest terrorist acts of the 21st century and has left the city reeling. It will also call attention to the presidential candidates foreign policy bona fides in a race that has thus far largely been about the economy and domestic issues. For the Democratic candidates, who have been preparing for weeks for the debate, the changes will come as a last-minute surprise, one that is likely to favor Hillary Clinton, the candidate with the most foreign policy experience. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley have signaled they intend to attack Clinton in the debate, but in the aftermath of the carnage in Paris, political infighting could appear unseemly. “American leadership is put to the test,” Steve Capus, executive editor of CBS News told the New York [_Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/us/politics/democratic-debate-to-get-new-terrorism-focus-after-paris-attacks-cbs-says.html?%5Fr=0 "undefined")Friday night. “The entire world is looking to the White House. These people are vying to take over this office… there is no question that the emphasis changes dramatically.” **Read Next:** [_How to Watch the Democratic Debate Online for Free_](http://time.com/4112075/democratic-debate-watch-online-free-stream-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-cbs/ "undefined") ### See Photos of Candidates and Their Sweet Rides  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks near his helicopter at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 15, 2015, in Des Moines. Charlie Riedel—AP  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's van, at left, is parked during a campaign visit on April 14, 2015 in Le Claire, Iowa. Clinton, at right, waves after an even on May 18, 2015 in Mason City, Iowa. From Left: Michael B. Thomas—AFP/Getty Images, Scott Olson—Getty Images  A campaign bus bearing the likeness of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is parked near a campaign stop in Jackson, Mich. on Sept. 23, 2015. Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, center, rides a train to an event in Iowa City, Iowa on Sept. 26, 2015. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, at right, rides his campaign bus in Plymouth, New Hampshire on Oct. 14, 2015\. At left, the exterior of Kasich's bus is seen on Oct. 13, 2015, in Bow, N.H. From Left: Jim Cole—AP, Brian Snyder—Reuters  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to supporters in front of his campaign bus in Newnan, Ga., on Aug. 8, 2015. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll /Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush gets off his campaign bus in Goffstown, N.H. on Nov. 4, 2015. Gretchen Ertl—Reuters ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4112975/democratic-debate-paris-attacks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4112975/democratic-debate-paris-attacks/"},"headline":"Democratic Debate to Shift Focus After Paris Attacks","datePublished":"2015-11-14T15:25:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:57.002Z","description":"The moderators of Saturday night's Democratic debate will change their questions after the deadly attacks in Paris.","url":"https://time.com/4112975/democratic-debate-paris-attacks/","keywords":["Debates","Hillary Clinton","2016 Election topic","Bernie Sanders","CBS","Martin O'malley","paris attacks","Democratic debate","knowrightnow"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf85475ea89fd49c1/69887115428a9e6640cd019b/497016084.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell / Des Moines, Iowa"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf85475ea89fd49c1/69887115428a9e6640cd019b/497016084.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Democrats Prepare For Second Presidential Debate In Des Moines","caption":"Democrats Prepare For Second Presidential Debate In Des Moines","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/debates/","name":"Debates"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4112975/democratic-debate-paris-attacks/","name":"Democratic Debate to Shift Focus After Paris Attacks"}}]}] ```