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% …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Mitt Romney: ‘Good boost’ coming from Iowa  —  Mitt Romney said no matter where he finishes Tuesday, he's going to get a “good boost” out of Iowa.  —  Romney told CBS's “The Early Show” on Monday he is “pretty encouraged” by the polls showing he's a front-runner in Iowa.

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.

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.

Four Attacks in Queens With Homemade Firebombs  —  A wave of arson attacks spread across eastern Queens on Sunday night, and the police said the firebombings were being investigated as bias crimes — with Muslims as the targets.  —  No one was hurt in the four attacks, in which homemade firebombs were apparently used.

EEOC: High school diploma requirement might violate Americans with Disabilities Act  —  Employers are facing more uncertainty in the wake of a letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission warning them that requiring a high school diploma from a job applicant might violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.