What Happens in Vegas: Hillary Clinton came out relaxed, poised and in command of the issues last night as she faced the blunt and irascible Bernie Sanders pounding away on income inequality and “billionaires” controlling American politics.

Declaring that “It’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA” Clinton stung Sanders on gun control, accusing him of voting to shield gun makers from lawsuits. Sanders answered that guns are a different issue in his rural state.

The debate overall was intelligent, well reasoned, and mostly without personal attack. Sanders even leapt to Clinton’s defense in her private e-mail controversy declaring, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.”

The five Democratic candidates are in general agreement that some of the biggest issues facing the country are income inequality, climate change, and college debt. They differ mostly in degree, with Sanders leading the charge against the “rigged” economy that favors the rich.

While Clinton may be declared the winner of last night’s debate, the whole Democratic field came away looking smart.

Return Fire: The gun industry was dealt a major defeat yesterday when a Milwaukee jury found a gun store liable for damages for selling a handgun that was used to severely wound two police officers. It is believed to be only the second lawsuit against a gun dealer to reach a jury.

In 2009 Julius Burton shot officers Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch in the face with a gun bought for him by a friend at Badger Guns because he was too young. The jury found Badger Guns negligent for allowing the so-called “straw purchase.”

Kunisch lost an eye and had to have part of his brain removed. Norberg was shot in the mouth and says he is in constant pain. Kunisch was awarded $3.5 million and Norberg $1.5 million.

MH-17: The findings of the Dutch Safety Board on the last moments of the passengers on board the Malaysian airliner shot down by a missile over Ukraine are both clinical and gruesome: “As a result of the impact, they were exposed to extreme and many different, interacting factors: abrupt deceleration and acceleration, decompression and associated mist formation, decrease in oxygen level, extreme cold, strong airflow, the aeroplane’s very rapid descent and objects flying around.” It goes on to say that, “As a result, some occupants suffered serious injuries that were probably fatal. In others, the exposure led to reduced awareness or unconsciousness within a very short time. It was not possible to ascertain at which moment the occupants died. The impact on the ground was not survivable.”

Nation: After the uproar over sting videos shot at Planned Parenthood facilities, the organization said it will no longer accept money for the costs of making fetal tissue available for research. The heavily edited and misleading videos claimed Planned Parenthood profited from sales of fetal tissue, but Planned Parenthood said it only accepted compensation for costs. They’ve been unable to shake the accusation so they say now they won’t accept payment at all.

>Former basketball star Lamar Odom, the separated husband of celebutante Khloé Kardashian, was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel and taken to the hospital. He’s reported to be in a coma. The owner of the Love Ranch in Crystal said the 35-year-old Odom was partying for days, taking “herbal Viagra,” and “he was taking a lot of it.”

Take Me Out: There was joy in Wrigleyville last night as the Chicago Cubs put away St. Louis to advance to the National League Championship Series, putting them four wins from their first World Series in 70 years. They’ll play the winner of the Dodgers-Mets series, which is 3-2, for a shot at the World Series. Hope springs eternal in Chicago. The Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908. They hold the record in professional sports for going the longest without a championship.

99 Bottles: The announced merger of the Budweiser and Miller beer brewers would create a conglomerate that accounts for nearly a third of the world’s beer sales. Bud owns everything from Stella Artois to Rolling Rock, Corona, and St. Pauli Girl. Kokanee, anyone? Miller owns Fosters, Pilsner Urquell, and Miller Lite, which they claim is beer. The merger will have to pass regulatory approval, which does not include scrutiny of the quality of the beer.

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