Democratic Debate Fireworks From Beto O'Rourke and Julian Castro, Dallas' Colin Allred Takes the Field, Paul McCartney Mad at Texas A&M

Good morning!Here are the top political headlines from Austin, Washington, the campaign trail and Dallas.Points from the trail1. Ten presidential hopefuls took the stage Wednesday night in Miami for the first Democratic debate of the 2020 cycle, all angling for a shot at President Donald Trump next year and hoping to eventually overtake the party's front-runner, Joe Biden. Trump was barely mentioned. Biden wasn't a factor, though he'll be in the crosshairs Thursday night.Instead, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the star, defending her sweeping plans to rejigger the economy, though the most memorable fireworks came when Texans Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro sparred over immigration policy.2. The biggest moments of the night for the Texans included their pointed fight over immigration, but there were three other exchanges that helped define the first debate for Castro and O'Rourke.3. Before the debate, O'Rourke warmed up Tuesday with a town hall hosted by a major teachers union, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren drew 1,300 at a rally styled as a town hall.Todd's takeTodd Gillman is the Washington bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News. He has covered government and politics for decades, from Dallas to D.C., and is a White House Correspondents' Association board member. Here, Todd offers his take from Washington.He offered no complaints about Beto O'Rourke's immigration policies last year when he backed his U.S. Senate bid. But on Wednesday night, Julián Castro went after him hard --accusing his fellow Texan of ignorance and callousness because he refuses to join the call to decriminalize border crossing."Congressman O'Rourke needs to do his homework," he said after the debate. "I find it very ironic that a senator from Massachusetts and a senator from New Jersey are the ones who understand this border policy and this law better than Congressman O'Rourke."Apparently this race isn't big enough for two Texans, especially not when both have made immigration a signature issue. Read more of Todd's debate analysis here.Points from Washington  Continue reading...