The biggest moments from Thursday's CNN Democratic debate in Brooklyn, New York. 2016 9 most interesting moments of the Democratic debate Clinton and Sanders go head-to-head on crime, fracking and the Middle East.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders unleashed some of their harshest criticism and sharpest attacks yet in their final debate before New York's Democratic primary. The stakes were high for both candidates walking into this Brooklyn forum: New York offers Clinton her first real chance to end her rival's hot streak and Sanders' last chance to reset this primary. And neither held back during the debate.

Here are the most interesting moments from the debate:


1. Sanders tries to make nice on qualified comments, Clinton throws it in his face

Sanders, criticized earlier this week for questioning whether Clinton was qualified to be president, sounded like he wanted to squash the dispute by saying she had both the ability and intelligence to be a competent president. But then he questioned her "judgment" for voting to authorize the war in Iraq, which Sanders called "the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of this country."

He didn't stop there, questioning her judgment on trade, super PACs, and Wall Street.

Clinton didn't let any of that fly. She said New Yorkers found her judgment sound when they elected her as senator twice and that "President Obama trusted me enough to be secretary of State of the United States." Then she went after him, pointing to the New York Daily News editorial page where he stumbled through multiple foreign policy questions.

"I think you need to have the judgment on day one to be president and commander in chief," Clinton said.

2. Clinton and Sanders argue over who's tougher on Wall Street

When asked to bring up an example of how Clinton has been swayed by donations from Wall Street, Sanders quickly pivoted to well-worn criticism of her paid speeches for Goldman Sachs. "Secretary Clinton was busy giving speeches to Goldman Sachs for $225,000 a speech," Sanders said before digressing to his calls for breaking up the biggest banks in the country. "The proper response in my view is we should break them up and that's what my legislation does."

Weak sauce, said Clinton. "He cannot come up with any example because there is no example," Clinton said. "I stood up against the behaviors of the banks when I was a senator. I called them out on their mortgage behavior."

Sanders then got sarcastic. "They must have been crushed by this," he quipped before once again bringing up the speeches. "They must have been very very upset by what you did."

3. Crowd roars when Clinton transcripts comes up

But Sanders was on to something. One of the loudest roars from the audience came when Clinton was asked by the moderators why she has not released the transcripts of her paid speeches to major financial institutions.

She sidestepped: "There isn't an issue." She then pivoted to argue that Sanders and Donald Trump should release their tax returns.

"There is a longstanding expectation that everybody running release their tax returns," Clinton said. "I think Sen. Sanders and Donald Trump should do the same."

Sanders said he would release some of his tax returns. He said he would start with his 2014 tax returns.

4. Sanders corners Clinton on minimum wage bill

When Clinton was asked if, as president, would she sign a $15 federal minimum wage bill that reached her desk, she said, "Well, of course I would."

"I have supported the fight for $15," Clinton said as Sanders stood next to her, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm proud to have most of the endorsements of the unions that have lead the fight for $15. I was proud to stand on the stage with Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo, with SEIU, with others who have been leading this battle and I will work as hard as I can to raise the minimum wage, I always have, I supported that when I was in the Senate."

That's when Sanders looked to pounce. "I am sure a lot of people were surprised to learn that you supported raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour," Sanders said.

Sanders and Clinton shouted over each, leading Clinton to specify that "we've got to be smart about it," laying out a stepped approach that starts by lifting the minimum wage first to $12 and then to $15.

"There's a difference," Sanders said. "And by the way what has happened is history has outpaced Secretary Clinton because all over this country people are standing up and they're saying $12 is not good enough, we need $15 an hour."

5. Clinton apologizes for 1994 crime bill

Clinton was pressed by one of the CNN moderators on her support of a 1994 crime bill signed by her husband that's been criticized as too harsh in sentencing. She responded by apologizing.

"Look, I supported the crime bill. My husband has apologized," Clinton said. "I'm sorry for the consequences that were unintended."

Sanders went hard on the attack during the exchange saying Clinton used "a racist term" while addressing the bill at New Hampshire's Keene State College. She described gang members as "super predators."

"Everybody knew it was a racist term," Sanders said.

6. Sanders rolls out a planned fracking attack

Sanders and his campaign have been spoiling to bash Clinton as publicly as possible on fracking and he took an opportunity when the debate discussion turned to the environment to do just that.

"When you were secretary of State you also worked hard to expand fracking countries all over the world," Sanders said.

Sanders' team had been arguing in ads and statements that Clinton has had a "shifting stand on the extreme and risky method of drilling oil and gas," according to a recent Sanders press release for an ad on fracking.

Clinton responded by tying herself to President Barack Obama's efforts to craft a global climate change deal.

"I am getting a little bit concerned here because I really believe that the president has done an incredible job against great odds and deserves to be supported," Clinton said.

7. Sanders: Netanyahu isn't right all the time

During an exchange over the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, the two candidates took different approaches. Sanders focused on the Palestinians and Clinton focused on Israelis.

"We are going to have to treat the Palestinian people with respect and dignity," Sanders said.

Clinton shot back that she had been involved in high level peace talks with both groups for years. She added that the Israelis "do not believe that there should be a constant incitement by Hamas aided and abetted against Israel."

Sanders though said Clinton has a pattern of not focusing enough on the Palestinians.

"There comes a time when we have to say that Netanyahu is not right all the time," Sanders said.

8. Clinton trots out the numbers

Clinton ticked off some numbers to prove she's winning the Democratic primary and is actually better situated to run against Donald Trump in the general election.

"Let us talk about where we are in this race. I have gotten more votes than anybody running. 9.6 million in the last count," Clinton said. "That is 2.3 million more than Senator Sanders and it is 1.4 million more than Donald Trump. And I think you have to look at the facts and the facts are that I'm putting together a very broad based, inclusive coalition from the South to the North, from East to the West."

9. Sanders wins the crowd

The debate may have been in Brooklyn but the crowd was with Sanders. Again and again, when Sanders attacked Clinton, the debate crowd broke into raucous cheers.

"I think we're going to win this nomination to tell you the truth," Sanders said sparking what he would call huge cheers from the crowd.

As he ended his closing remarks and the moderators turned to Clinton for the final word, the crowd forced a delay, chanting, "Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!"

