The Note: About That Brawl in Brooklyn

— -- NOTABLES

--MOMENTS THAT MATTERED AT THE DEMOCRATIC DEBATE: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders met Thursday night in Brooklyn ahead of the state’s primary on April 19 for their ninth presidential primary debate, hosted by CNN, and the exchanges between the two Democratic candidates got fiery. Sanders and Clinton, who both have ties to New York, sparred on various topics including minimum wage, gun control, national security and Clinton’s paid speeches to Wall Street companies. ABC’s SHUSHANNAH WALSHE, LIZ KREUTZ, MARYALICE PARKS look at the moments that mattered at Thursday night’s debate. http://abcn.ws/264MLjx

--BEST LINES OF THE DEMOCRATIC DEBATE: ABC’s PAOLA CHAVEZ highlights some of the best lines: http://abcn.ws/1p2FoHM THE DEBATE IN A MINUTE, courtesy of ABC’s TOM THORNTON and ALI DUKAKIS: http://abcn.ws/1XzcBGx

--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: “If the Democratic race is over, nobody has told Bernie Sanders. And if Hillary Clinton’s only remaining task is to make sure Sanders supporters stay in the Democratic fold, that talking point hasn’t made its way into Clinton’s headspace. A debate in New York -– the home state, by some definition of both candidates -– exposed divisions between Sanders and Clinton that border on personal disdain. Though it’s late in the voting calendar, the debate drew out arguments that the two Democratic candidates have skirted for the better part of a year. Clinton was indignant in responding to the suggestion that she’s not qualified for the presidency. Then she went further, citing a much-publicized New York Daily News editorial board session where Sanders struggled to enunciate specific policy positions.The tone was a contrast to the last debate, held more than a month ago in Florida. That encounter revealed weary candidates who were at times hesitant to engage, reflecting a race that seemed to be petering out. http://abcn.ws/1SdHvTq

--THIS WEEK ON ‘THIS WEEK’: Fresh off the Democratic debate and ahead of New York’s critical primary, Hillary Clinton goes one-on-one with George Stephanopoulos, in a Sunday exclusive. And her rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders comes to "This Week." Then, will Donald Trump be able to secure the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination? Or will rival Ted Cruz block him? Trump and Cruz campaign delegate hunters Paul Manafort and Ken Cuccinelli, speak exclusively to “This Week” Sunday. Plus, the powerhouse roundtable debates the week in politics with ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, host and managing editor of TV One’s “News One Now” Roland Martin, Republican strategist Mary Matalin and former Clinton labor secretary and UC Berkley professor Robert Reich.

IN THE NOTE’S INBOX

RNC MEMO ON DELEGATE ALLOCATION AND SELECTION RULES: ‘EASY TO UNDERSTAND FOR THOSE WILLING TO LEARN IT.’ The RNC released a memo this morning from its Chief Strategist and Communications Director Sean Spicer that’s specific to the delegate allocation system heading into the convention and addresses the upcoming contests, in what seems to be a response to one particular GOP candidate’s criticism that the system is “rigged.” “On October 1 of last year, 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia submitted finalized plans for how delegates would be chosen for the Republican National Convention. These plans were promptly circulated to all of the campaigns…,” the memo starts off. It goes on to read: “The rules surrounding the delegate selection have been clearly laid out...and while each state is different, each process is easy to understand for those willing to learn it. It ultimately falls on the campaigns to be up to speed on these delegate rules.” READ the full memo: https://gop.com/memo-delegate-allocation-and-selection-rules/

GOP CHAIR’S MESSAGE TO DONALD TRUMP IT’S ‘UP TO THE CAMPAIGNS TO UNDERSTAND’ DELEGATE RULES. The chairman of the Republican Party pushed back against GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump's accusations that the nomination process for selecting delegates to their July convention is "rigged." "The rules were put out there over a year ago," Reince Priebus said today in an interview on "Good Morning America." "It's up to the campaigns to understand them." Priebus also said the process needs no reform, as Trump has been arguing. "I mean the system has been around for a long time. It was good enough for Abraham Lincoln. I think it's good enough for whoever our nominee is going to be," Priebus said. "So, look, this is democracy in action. http://abcn.ws/1SbkO00

BERNIE GOES TO THE VATICAN

BERNIE SANDERS BRINGS HIS FAMILY ON TRIP TO VATICAN. Directly following his Thursday evening debate with Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders traveled from New York City to Rome on an overnight flight to attend a Vatican-hosted conference on the urgency of building a “moral economy." The Vermont senator was joined by all four of his children and four grandchildren, as well as his wife Jane. A small group of staff, Secret Service detail, and members of the press were also accompanying him for the trip on a chartered plane. Sanders is expected to land midday on Friday and address the conference around 4 p.m. local time. The first international trip for Sanders comes just days before the New York state primary. http://abcn.ws/1Vp8aAb

WHAT IS SANDERS GOING TO TALK ABOUT? "He is not going to give a political speech," Devine said Thursday evening before CNN’s debate, "he is going to go and talk about an issue that he cares deeply about, which is a moral economy in the world, and dealing with the tremendous income and inequality not just in America but everywhere. Bernie is a tremendous admirer of Pope Francis...and he really appreciates the opportunity to speak about this on the world stage.”T Sanders' communications director, Michael Briggs, joked with reporters as the plane boarded that the senator was still in the process of writing his speech on his go-to yellow legal paper, and was planning on writing during the flight. All and all, the group will spend fewer than 22 hours on the ground in Rome, and will be departing Saturday for a weekend of campaign events back in New York City. http://abcn.ws/1Vp8aAb

YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL

With ABC’s PAOLA CHAVEZ

CLINTON AND SANDERS SPAR OVER WALL STREET SPEECH TRANSCRIPTS. Hillary Clinton came under fire at last night's Democratic debate in Brooklyn over her refusal to release the transcripts of paid speeches she gave to corporations including some Wall Street banks, according to ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY. When asked by the moderators at the CNN debate, Clinton argued that there is no precedent to have presidential candidates release the transcripts of paid speeches, but if it becomes the new standard, she said that she would. "This is a new one," she said of the transparency expectations in the presidential race. During last night’s Democratic debate, Sanders said he would release his 2014 tax returns Friday. In a blow to Clinton, Sanders said they're "very boring tax returns, no big money from speeches." http://abcn.ws/1qWUoZE

THURSDAY’S DEMOCRATIC DEBATE WAS THE NINTH WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS. Even though the Democrats have now met on nine different debate stages, Hillary Clinton noted Thursday that they have never been asked about women's rights. The topic actually didn't even come up in a question last night. It was only mentioned by Clinton, and then by Sen. Bernie Sanders, after Clinton pivoted from talk about Supreme Court nominations. "We've had eight debates before, this is our ninth. We've not had one question about a woman's right to make her own decisions about reproductive health care. Not one question," Clinton said, to loud round of applause. A check of the transcripts from all nine debates proves that to be the case. The same is not true for the Republican debates, where the topic of abortion has come up repeatedly, ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY reports. http://abcn.ws/1SPu1e2

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE: CLINTON HITS SANDERS FOR GUN CONTROL VOTING RECORD. In Thursday’s Democratic debate in Brooklyn, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton clashed on the issue of gun control, ABC’s CAITLIN OPRYSKO reports. When asked if Clinton stood by statements that implied that lax gun control in Vermont has directly contributed to gun violence in New York, Clinton hit Sanders for siding with the gun lobby in Congress on what she called some of their biggest priorities. Clinton slammed Sanders for the senator’s vote to give gun makers and sellers immunity from liability, calling it a vote for the National Rifle Association’s “most important priority.” http://abcn.ws/1W1qPRB

TRUMP, CRUZ and KASICH PRAISE NEW YORK AT PRE-PRIMARY GOP GALA IN MANHATTAN. The three Republican presidential hopefuls -- Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich -- headed to midtown Manhattan's Grand Hyatt hotel Thursday night for the New York State Republican Gala, ahead of the state's April 19 primary. The three candidates’ remarks proved a study of their varying connections and reputations in New York, ABC’s BEN GITTLESON notes. Trump, who lives in Manhattan just 14 blocks north of the venue, portrayed himself as a hometown hero who had enhanced New York City through transformative construction projects and real estate deals. Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s remarks stood in sharp contrast to Trump’s. Kasich praised New York, as well, but quickly pivoted to his standard, biographical stump speech, a sign he feels he still needs to introduce himself to voters late in the race. Cruz pitched a message of unity in his speech, which he began by referencing Trump’s remarks. "I will admit to you I haven’t built any buildings in New York City, but I have spent my entire life fighting to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” Cruz said, evoking laughter. http://abcn.ws/264Lbyb

31 PEOPLE ARRESTED OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY HOTEL HOSTING REPUBLICAN GALA. Thirty-one people were arrested Thursday night near midtown Manhattan's Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the New York State Republican Gala was held, the NYPD tells ABC News. The hotel hosted a group of GOP donors and political heavyweights, as well as the presidential hopefuls, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. A much smaller group of protesters were seen in the elevator bank with reporters, when they started chanting: "We ready, we coming!" ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY, BEN GITTLESON, JOSH HASKELL, INES DE LA CUETARA and BRIAN MCBRIDE has more. http://abcn.ws/1Nbx5Vm

5 TIMES A SANDERS SURROGATE HAS GOTTEN HIM IN TROUBLE. ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS. The Bernie Sanders campaign has apologized for comments from yet another one its surrogates, tweeting that a "corporate Democratic whores" reference by a pro-Sanders advocate was “inappropriate and insensitive.” ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS reports, over the course of Sanders’ campaign, several of the Vermont senator’s backers have gone off message or delivered comments others have found offensive, and many of these controversial comments seem to reflect heightened sexual and gender-specific rhetoric. http://abcn.ws/1Vs9Zx1

AN OBSCURE OHIO STATE LAW COULD SHAKE UP THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION. If Republican presidential hopefuls are planning eleventh-hour wooing of delegates on the convention floor in Cleveland this July, they’d better be careful -- they might be breaking the law in the state of Ohio. When delegates and candidates descend on Cleveland for the Republican convention, that little-known, rarely-used 142-year-old law passed on the cusp of another national convention in Ohio may come front and center during last-minute deal-making that could decide the Republican nominee. ABC’s RYAN STRUYK has more. http://abcn.ws/1ScGElZ

NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT COREY LEWANDOWSKI IN BATTERY CASE, STATE’S ATTORNEY SAYS. The state attorney in Palm Beach County, Florida, said Thursday he will not be filing charges against Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski for battery, ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY reports. Lewandowski was charged by the Jupiter Police Department in Florida after an incident involving former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields. Lewandowski appeared to grab Fields as she approached Trump for an interview as he was exiting his Mar-a-Lago estate following a press conference on March 10. State Attorney Dave Aronberg said that "probable cause exists to charge Mr. Lewandowski in this case" but explained that the state did not have a legal case against him. Aronberg noted that Fields was "disappointed" with the decision. "She wanted the prosecution to go forward," he said. http://abcn.ws/1V4tScR

TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER COREY LEWANDOWSKI SPEAKS OUT ABOUT DROPPED BATTERY CHARGE: ‘I’M GLAD IT’S BEHIND US.’ Donald Trump's embattled campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, spoke out for the first time since the simple battery charge filed against him for allegedly grabbing reporter Michelle Fields was dropped, ABC’s BRIAN MCBRIDE writes. Speaking to Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday night, Lewandowski called the charges a "huge distraction" for the campaign and said the incident should not have "made this the story it is today." "What we saw today was that they looked at the evidence and decided there's no way they can prosecute this case and move forward," said Lewandowski. "So first and foremost I want to thank Mr. Trump, secondly I want to thank my family and colleagues who sit by me in this difficult time." http://abcn.ws/1SaMeDi

TED CRUZ ON POSSIBLY BEING DONALD TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE: ‘IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN.’ Don’t count on Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz being Donald Trump's running mate, even though Trump has not made any such proposal. "It ain’t gonna happen," Cruz said during an MSNBC town hall in Buffalo, New York, Thursday in which he tackled a number of issues. The GOP candidate also pledged that as commander in chief he would work across the aisle to get things done, ABC’s BRIAN MCBRIDE notes. "If I'm elected president, I think I will work very, very closely with leaders in Congress because it's a very different thing," Cruz said. http://abcn.ws/22yNkNV

GEORGE PATAKI PREDICTS A DONALD TRUMP NOMINATION WOULD DRIVE GOP ‘OFF A CLIFF.’ Former New York Governor George Pataki is afraid that a Donald Trump nomination would destroy the Republican Party. “I think Donald Trump would drive the Republicans off a cliff if he’s our nominee,” Pataki, one of Trump’s biggest Republican critics, told ABC News' Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein on the “Powerhouse Politics” podcast, saying he’s doing everything in his power to prevent a Trump nomination. “I am encouraging people to come out and vote ... whether you like [Ted] Cruz or whether you like [John] Kasich, your vote counts.” Pataki, who ended his bid for the White House in December, has met with both Kasich and Cruz, but would not say which candidate he plans to endorse. ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS reports, Pataki promised his decision would come ahead of Tuesday’s all-important New York primary. http://abcn.ws/1SOkILr LISTEN: http://apple.co/21V9721

DONALD TRUMP PIVOTING FROM GOP RACE TO THE GENERAL ELECTION. Donald Trump is pivoting away from the primary process and toward the general election in what Trump senior adviser Ed Brookover calls a natural growth of the campaign. Following a meeting with Republican lawmakers Thursday, Brookover spoke to ABC News' Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein for the“Powerhouse Politics” podcast. ABC’s KATHERINE FAULDERS reports, Thursday’s gathering was the first in a series of regular sessions that will occur once a week while Congress is in session as the campaign begins to expand its Washington, D.C., operation. “We had more than a handful of our public supporters there communicating to the campaign of what it is they need to garner more support,” Brookover said. “We are beginning to pivot away from a primary-only process to one looking forward to being the party’s nominee and beating Hillary Clinton this fall.” http://abcn.ws/1SE1h7F

TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN ADDS HEAVY HITTERS IN ATTEMPT TO LOCK DOWN NOMINATION. Donald Trump's latest hire may be sending a message to the GOP that he's serious about locking down the nomination in the face of a growing chorus of opposition. On Wednesday, the real estate mogul's campaign announced that a well-known Republican strategist, Rick Wiley, would be joining the team as national political director. Wiley not only had experience in this particular presidential race, having worked as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's campaign director, but he also worked as the political director of the Republican National Committee. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY has more. http://abcn.ws/1VooWzt

DONALD TRUMP: MY FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE IS ‘EYE FOR AN EYE.’ Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump revealed on Thursday that his favorite bible verse is "eye for an eye." According to ABC’s BRIAN MCBRIDE, Trump made the revelation during an interview with conservative radio host Bob Lonsberry on WHAM 1180 AM in Rochester, New York, who asked the real estate mogul-turned-presidential, if he had a favorite Bible verse or story that "informed" his thinking or character. "Well, I think many," Trump responded. "I mean, when we get into the Bible, I think many, so many. And some people, look, an 'eye for an eye,' you can almost say that. That's not a particularly nice thing.” http://abcn.ws/1V5FUTu

MEET THE PASTORS WHO SUPPORT DONALD TRUMP. Pastor Mark Burns was "closing," finishing off what's become the usual sermonette he gives to warm up the crowd before Donald Trump arrives. His raspy voice was aflame with passion; with every word he spoke, the audience awaiting Trump in Hickory, NC grew more and more fervent; whoops and cheers let loose. The faithful had flocked here for a Donald Trump experience...and Pastor Burns was just the man to usher them in. "I know, even though there might be protesters outside, I know there are enough people in here that is excited, we're about to elect a man in Donald Trump that believes in the name of Jesus Christ!" ABC’s CANDACE SMITH notes, Burns is just one of several religious leaders who have all thrown their weight behind the Republican frontrunner. http://abcn.ws/1T85Vhf

5 ‘OOPS’ MOMENTS FROM DONALD TRUMP ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. Donald Trump is known for speaking off the cuff on the campaign trail, sometimes to his detriment. The Republican presidential front-runner has not only prompted outcry over controversial policy positions but also for a number of gaffes he's made in addressing crowds. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY highlights some of Trump's biggest "oops" moments, focusing on his small talk, rather than his policy positions. http://abcn.ws/1RYsUMN

WHAT JOHN KASICH WOULD TELL HIS DAUGHTERS IF THEY CAME OUT AS GAY. Republican presidential contender John Kasich, who has received several questions this week about his positions on issues relevant to the LGBT community, was asked a personal question Thursday on the matter -- what he would say if his daughters came out as gay. “I would say, ‘I love you girls,’” Kasich, the governor of Ohio, said. “End of it.” ABC’s BEN GITTLESON reports, Kasich is opposed to gay marriage but attended one in 2015, a fact that he has sometimes mentioned during the election. http://abcn.ws/1SE9nxf

HOW CLEVELAND AND PHILADELPHIA ARE GEARING UP FOR POLITICAL CONVENTIONS. The Republican and Democratic National Conventions are less than four months away, and it’s not just the candidates who are getting ready. Both host cities are sprucing up their streets and stepping up their security in advance of the nominating conventions. But the prospect of hosting tens of thousands of delegates, elected officials, media, volunteers and curious visitors is no small undertaking. ABC’s JENNIFER HANSLER has more on how Cleveland and Philadelphia are gearing up for the big events. http://abcn.ws/1T6NsBV

WHO’S TWEETING

@rickklein: new Bernie ad attacks Hillary - sorry, "Washington politicians" - for paid speeches & not supporting $15 min wage

@chrisdonovan: Sanders to @ABC in Dec: “You’re looking at someone who has never run a negative TV ad in his life and never will”

@SquawkCNBC: '@tedcruz weighs in on minimum wage: "Higher minimum wage costs people jobs" #CruzOnSquawk

@politicoalex: Rnc expected to consider drastic changes to convention next week in fla w/@ShaneGoldmacher

@PolitiFact: In debate, Clinton says GOP plan is 'to turn over the Social Security trust fund to Wall Street.' Mostly False