memeorandum: About 200 birds found dead in Arkansas city for second straight New Year's Eve (CNN)

10:30 AM ET, January 2, 2012

Top Items:

Headed for a Photo Finish in Iowa — The Republican caucus in Iowa is headed for a photo finish, with the three leading contenders all within two points of each other. Ron Paul is at 20%, Mitt Romney at 19%, and Rick Santorum at 18%. Rounding out the field are Newt Gingrich at 14% …

Discussion: The Politico, The Moderate Voice, Guardian, Online NewsHour, The Hinterland Gazette, Booman Tribune, Iowa Caucuses, americanthinker.com, Campaign 2012, Hot Air, New York Times, Outside the Beltway, Talking Points Memo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Spectacle Blog and The Other McCain

Roger Simon / The Politico:

Mitt don't need no surges — DES MOINES — If Mitt Romney wins the Iowa caucuses, the race for the Republican nomination is over. — If Mitt Romney comes in second in Iowa, the race for the Republican nomination is over. — And if Mitt Romney comes in third in Iowa, the race for the Republican nomination is over.

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, The Other McCain, Catholic Bandita and Ballot Box

msnbc.com:

First thoughts: Romney vs. Santorum — The GOP race in Iowa increasingly looks like Romney vs. Santorum... Inauthentic conservative vs. Washington insider... Remembering the Oct. 18 debate exchange between Romney and Santorum... Why Santorum is surging... Team Obama doesn't think Santorum …

Discussion: Pat Dollard and New York Times

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Iowa Race Tightens in Final 48 Hours

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Associated Press, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Balloon Juice

New York Times:
Romney Fights for First-Place Showing in Iowa Caucuses

Discussion: Washington Post, Iowa Caucuses, Slate and The Caucus

Annie Karni / New York Post:

Columbia offers ‘Occupy 101’ — Does getting pepper-sprayed count as extra credit? — Columbia University is offering a new course on Occupy Wall Street next semester — sending upperclassmen and grad students into the field for full course credit. — The class is taught by Dr. Hannah Appel …

Discussion: Big Government, Ed Driscoll, Questions and Observations, American Glob, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and City Room

Associated Press:

68 Occupy protesters arrested in NYC on New Year's — NEW YORK (AP) - Dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested on New Year's Eve as they tore down barricades surrounding New York City's Zuccotti Park, the former home of their encampment that was dismantled several weeks ago.

Discussion: Right Wing News and americanthinker.com

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Nobody Understands Debt — In 2011, as in 2010, America was in a technical recovery but continued to suffer from disastrously high unemployment. And through most of 2011, as in 2010, almost all the conversation in Washington was about something else: the allegedly urgent issue of reducing the budget deficit.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Sharon Otterman / New York Times:

Obscuring a Muslim Name, and an American's Sacrifice — He was buried after the Sept. 11 attacks with full honors from the New York Police Department, and proclaimed a hero by the city's police commissioner. He is cited by name in the Patriot Act as an example of Muslim-American valor.

Discussion: Simply Left BehindThe …

CNN:

About 200 birds found dead in Arkansas city for second straight New Year's Eve — (CNN) — Someone went into a large roost of blackbirds in Beebe, Arkansas, as the clock struck midnight Saturday and set off fireworks, contributing to the deaths of scores of blackbirds, a state wildlife spokeswoman said.

Discussion: The Raw Story and Joe. My. God.

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

GOP 2012 Battle to Date Most Akin to Dems in 2003 — Four Republican front-runners in 2011 compares with five Democrats in 2003 — PRINCETON, NJ — The lead in the Republican nomination race has thus far changed seven times since May in Gallup polling. Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Herman Cain …

Discussion: The Politico, Ballot Box and Taegan Goddard's …

Sam Quinones / L.A. NOW:

‘Person of interest’ detained in L.A. arson fires — Los Angeles police this morning detained and are questioning a “person of interest” in the spate of arson fires occurring around the city since Friday. — The individual, believed to be the man seen in a video police released Sunday …

Discussion: Hot Air, Pat Dollard and americanthinker.com

Robert Pear / New York Times:

After Three Decades, Tax Credit for Ethanol Expires — WASHINGTON — A federal tax credit for ethanol expired on Saturday, ending an era in which the federal government provided more than $20 billion in subsidies for use of the product. — The tax break, created more than 30 years ago, had long seemed untouchable.

Discussion: Campaign 2012 and Outside the Beltway

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

Cantor can't handle the truth about Reagan — CBS's “60 Minutes” ran a good profile on House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) last night, but there was one portion of the interview that was especially important. — In this video, it starts at about the 10:19 mark.

Discussion: CBS News, The Raw Story, The Mahablog and The Political Carnival

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:

Austerity Reigns Over Euro Zone as Crisis Deepens — Europe's leaders braced their nations for a turbulent year, with their beleaguered economies facing a threat on two fronts: widening deficits that force more borrowing but increasing austerity measures that put growth further out of reach.