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As the fight over health care between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders grows nastier, both presidential candidates risk winding up on the wrong side of an issue Democrats care about deeply. So far, Mr. Sanders hasn’t released the details of his proposal for a single-payer health-care plan, where the government replaces insurers, and thus risks being seen as unwilling to explain or defend his ideas. He also hasn’t said how he would pay for his plan, estimated at some $15 trillion over 10 years. Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state and senator, risks being cast as an opponent of universal health care, a goal that has long been a top priority for her party. (Meckler, 1/14)

The divergent views epitomize the differences between the candidates – Hillary Clinton as a battle-hardened realist, with Bernie Sanders the uncompromising crusader – and the healthcare debate has become one of the most rancorous parts of an increasingly competitive primary. Polls show Sanders closing the gap with Clinton in Iowa and leading her in New Hampshire, the states that hold the country’s first two nominating contests. (Megerian and Levey, 1/15)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said rival Bernie Sanders would "end all the kinds of health care we know" and criticized his new TV ad in an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Thursday night. (Seitz-Wald, 1/14)

Bernie Sanders on Thursday stood by his pledge to outline his health care plan before the Iowa caucuses amid criticism from Hillary Clinton and conflicting statements from within the Vermont senator's campaign about whether he will meet his own deadline. (LoBianco and Zelaney, 1/14)

Hillary Clinton’s assault on Bernie Sanders for his support of a single-payer health system has stunned and irritated liberals who see it as an abandonment of core progressive principles. (Cook, 1/14)

The mutually beneficial campaign detente between Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) came to an end on the debate stage here Thursday. The two Republican presidential candidates, locked in a tight race to win the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, argued over whether Cruz meets the constitutional requirements to serve as president and whether Trump is a trustworthy conservative or is tainted by what Cruz called “New York values.” ... Trump brushed off criticism of his demeanor, saying, “I will gladly accept the mantle of anger.” “Our military is a disaster,” he said. “Our health care is a horror show. Obamacare, we’re going to repeal it and replace it. ... Our country is being run by incompetent people. And yes, I am angry.” (Tumulty and Rucker, 1/15)

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz exchanged their harshest attacks yet Thursday in the first Republican presidential debate of 2016, one that revealed three groups of candidates — those looking to win the early contests, finish strong or simply survive. ... Two other candidates faring well in the polls also mixed it up during the feisty debate — Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. Rubio said Christie supported President Obama’s agenda on education and guns and even “wrote a check to Planned Parenthood” — charges Christie rejected. “This is the difference between being a governor and being a senator,” Christie said. (Wolf and Jackson, 1/15)