NBC poll: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul neck-and-neck in Iowa; Newt Gingrich in 5th  —  In the past two weeks, support has fallen sharply in Iowa for Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich.  NBC's Chuck Todd reports.  —  By NBC's Mark Murray  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney …

Gingrich tears up while discussing his mother at Iowa town hall  —  Newt Gingrich choked up while discussing his mother's struggle with mental illness during a town-hall meeting in Des Moines.  —  Gingrich was asked to speak about a time his mother affected him at the event sponsored by CafeMom …

Romney son makes Obama birth certificate joke  —  After getting a question about whether Mitt Romney will release his income tax returns in Concord, N.H., Romney's son Matt made a crack about President Obama's college grades and birth certificate:

Gingrich sees Sarah Palin as vice president, Cabinet secretary  —  Newt Gingrich said that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be among the candidates that he would consider when considering a potential running mate, adding that the former GOP vice presidential nominee would be an ideal candidate for secretary of Energy.

Keynes Was Right  —  “The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity at the Treasury.”  So declared John Maynard Keynes in 1937, even as F.D.R. was about to prove him right by trying to balance the budget too soon, sending the United States economy — which had been steadily recovering …

Conservative woman misses the point  —  Nancy French asks what marriage has to offer men and decides that some major changes have to take place if young men are going to start considering marriage part of the normal and anticipated process of adulthood: … Changing both of these things won't accomplish anything.

Have the youth given up on Obama?  —  Editor's Note: Brad Chase is a partner with Capitol Media Partners, a Los Angeles-based communications and public affairs consultancy.  —  By Brad Chase - Special to CNN  —  In 2008, the youth vote helped sweep Barack Obama into office.

Occupy's Rose Parade float: 70-foot octopus of corporate greed  —  Occupy protesters are busy finishing their float that will run at the end of the Rose Parade: a 70-by-40-foot octopus made of recycled plastic bags.  —  The octopus, said activist Mark Lipman of Los Angeles …

Norman Lear on fighting the good fight  —  The Occupy Wall Street movement has unleashed patriotic outrage.  If you don't want to camp out or protest in the street, find another way to let your voice be heard in the new year.  —  Occupy Wall Street protesters carry American flags up Seventh Avenue toward Times Square.

Electric car company that received a $529M federal loan recalls vehicles  —  An electric vehicle manufacturer that received a $529 million loan from the Energy Department is recalling 239 vehicles.  —  The Transportation Department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) …

Fox Apologizes For Poll Asking If Jews Killed Jesus Christ  —  Fox Latin America was trying to promote a National Geographic Christmas special on Facebook.  So a staffer set up a poll for users to drum up some interest ahead of the program.  The problem?  The staffer who set up the poll …

York: Romney briefed church on abortion stance  —  In 1993, Mitt Romney was a successful businessman with an urge to enter public life and a plan to challenge Ted Kennedy for a Senate seat from Massachusetts.  —  Romney was also a high-ranking official in the Mormon church …

Gingrich Is Making Romney Better  —  The most memorable campaign line so far isn't ‘9-9-9’ or ‘Oops.’  —  So the first third of the Republican presidential race is ending.  The first third is the introduction: “This is who I am, this is what I want to do, this is why you want to choose me.”