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Former Vice President Joe Biden’s past support for the Hyde Amendment resurfaced as an opportunity for his Democratic rivals to paint him as lacking in progressive credentials. California Sen. Kamala Harris asked Biden if he regrets his past support for the prohibition on federal funding for abortion in most cases. Harris said the rule “directly impacted so many women in our country,” particularly low-income women seeking abortions. Harris asked Biden why he waited to change his position until he was running for the 2020 Democratic nomination. (McCammon, 7/31)

“You made a decision for years to withhold resources to poor women to reproductive health care, including women who were the victims of rape and incest. Do you now say that you have evolved and you regret that?” the California senator and presidential candidate asked. Harris’s question immediately followed a heated exchange between Biden and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, when he implied that the New York lawmaker was attacking a former argument he’d made about women working outside the home, simply because she was now running for president. Harris appeared to suggest that Biden’s updated position on the Hyde Amendment was pretty much for the same reason. (Zhou, 7/31)

“Only since you’ve been running for president this time, said that you in some way would take that back or you didn’t agree with that decision you made over many, many years and this directly impacted so many women in our country,” she added. (Bolton, 7/31)

Candidates were asked about how they would prevent a crisis like the one that unfolded in Flint, Michigan, 70 miles from the debate stage in Detroit. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro said he worked to get water filters to Flint residents during his time in the Obama administration, and he promoted his plan to invest $50 billion to eliminate the threat of lead contamination. (Rascoe, 7/31)

Trash bags still cover the water fountains at First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church to keep thirsty congregants from drinking from them. At another church, the pastor only performs baptisms with bottled water. Every Thursday, a line of cars stretches for more than a mile down Dort Highway, as Flint residents wait hours for bottled water because they are afraid to drink from their faucets. It's hard to grasp the distrust that forms when people fear the water that comes from their tap could make them ill -- or worse. (Kann, 7/30)

Lead contamination was an afterthought to the CNN moderators, though de Blasio and Castro both got questions on how they would convince voters they were the right candidate to handle matters like the Flint water crisis. De Blasio pointed to programs he’s already done as New York’s mayor. “We’re going to literally bring it down to zero because we’re going into every place – buildings, schools, public housing – and take out that lead, remediate that lead once and for all,” de Blasio said. “That needs to be done all over this country.” (Richardson, 8/1)

Obama's former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro also took aim Biden on immigration. In a heated back and forth over decriminalizing crossing the U.S. border, Castro argued why it was necessary for reducing crossings to a civil offense. But Biden questioned why Castro hadn't brought up his qualms while serving in Obama's administration. Castro shot back. "One of us has learned the lessons of the past and one hasn’t," he said. "What we need is politicians who actually have some guts on this issue."  (Hayes, 7/31)