 DES MOINES — In the hours after the deadly attacks in Paris, CBS News significantly reworked its plans for the Democratic presidential debate it is hosting here on Saturday night to focus more on issues of terrorism, national security and foreign relations. Steve Capus, the executive editor of CBS News and the executive producer of “CBS Evening News,” said in an interview late Friday that he was in the middle of a rehearsal for the debate when news broke about the slaughter in Paris.
– The second Democratic primary debate will go on as scheduled Saturday on CBS News, but the focus has changed dramatically in the wake of the attacks that left more than 100 dead in Paris, the Los Angeles Times reports. "You've got to get into how do you handle international terrorism?" says Steve Capus, head of production for the debate. "Do voters believe you are best suited for this? Are voters concerned about how you handle the situation?" CBS had planned on sticking largely with questions about domestic issues, such as ObamaCare and gun control, for candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley. The New York Times reports the emphasis now will be on security, international relations, and terrorism. Capus says the change in questions is important because in times of crisis, the world turns to the White House and the president for guidance. “This is exactly what the president is going to have to face,” he says. The debate is scheduled to take place at Drake University in Iowa.