The trouble with my uncle, Rick Santorum  —  If you want another big-government politician who supports the status quo to run our country, you should vote for my uncle, Rick Santorum.  America is based on a strong belief in individual liberty.  My uncle's interventionist policies …

McCain To Endorse Romney Tomorrow  —  The 2008 Republican nominee will endorse his former rival in New Hampshire, a source tells BuzzFeed.  The move will give Romney some high-profile good news after a close and ambiguous finish in Iowa.  —  (Getty Images / Mark Wilson)

Live Blogging the Iowa Caucuses  —  Welcome to FiveThirtyEight's live blog of the Iowa caucuses.  —  The real action will not get underway until 8 p.m. New York time, when caucuses convene around the state — and it is likely to be at least another hour or so after that before we start seeing the first results.

Campaign manager says Bachmann may drop out  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Michele Bachmann's campaign manager says it's hard to tell whether she will continue her campaign after a bleak showing in the Iowa caucuses.  —  Asked if he could say with certainty whether she would go forward …

Obama's Surrender of Afghanistan Continues Apace?  —  On New Year's Eve, we cited news reports that, taken together, suggested that the Obama administration is in the process of negotiating a surrender to the Taliban.  An AP report to which we linked said that certain “trust-building measures” were part of the process:

God Tells Robertson that ‘Radical’ Obama will Bring Down America  —  Last year, Robertson claimed God told him that America's future will be bleak because of debt and divisions, and today on The 700 Club said that God again communicated to him that financial problems and partisan politics are going to bring America into decline.

3 In-Laws of Afghan Girl, 15, Are Held in Her Torture  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan girl's nails had been pulled out, her skin on her ear and nose had been twisted with pliers, and she had been kept in a dark, filthy basement bathroom without proper food or water for five months …

York: In GOP ad war, why did Romney get off easy?  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — If there's one thing the Republican race in Iowa has proved yet again, it's that negative ads work, no matter what voters say about wanting a nice, civil campaign.  —  When Newt Gingrich shot to the top of the polls in early December …

TRENDING: Obama talks to Iowa supporters on caucus night  —  (CNN) - President Barack Obama addressed via video conference several Democratic caucus sites in Iowa Tuesday, four years after winning the state's contest in a surprise victory that fueled his campaign on a path to the nomination.

New York City Police Arrest Suspect in String of Firebomb Attacks  —  Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with the firebombing of an Islamic cultural center and four other New York City area sites.  —  The suspect confessed to five incidents in total, including the attack …

Iran warns U.S. carrier not to return to Persian Gulf  —  Handout/Reuters - Iranian naval ships take part in a naval parade on the last day of the Velayat-90 war game in the Sea of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.  Iran's army chief has warned an American aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman declines to update us on the number of Recall Walker signatures gathered.  —  Hmmm. … Why not tell us the numbers?  Why did they previously announce the number they had for Walker but clam up about Kleefisch?  Could they be reserving the option to say they failed to get enough signatures?

Carter's Advice to Obama: Don't Alienate Voters  —  Former President Jimmy Carter has some advice for Barack Obama as he gears up for the 2012 election: Don't alienate voters with controversial positions.  —  The Georgia Democrat told The Associated Press on Tuesday that just about everything …

Meteor shower to kick off 2012  —  If you snooze you'll lose Wednesday morning, when a little known but active meteor shower will start 2012 for people stalwart enough to brave the chilly hours before dawn.  —  The Quadrantids, named for a now-extinct constellation, will be visible …

Muslims clash with China police who destroyed mosque  —  Hundreds of Muslims fought with armed police who demolished a mosque in north China, local police and a human rights group said on Monday, with several people injured in the “riot”.  —  The violence between local Muslims …

Krugman's response to Alex  —  You'll read it here, see also various (mostly weak) responses in the comments to Alex's original post.  Most of you, including Krugman, are missing Alex's point.  The issue is not that Krugman changed his mind (I've done that plenty, Alex too).

Three-judge federal panel says W.Va. Congressional redistricting is not constitutional.  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia lawmakers must redraw the state's three congressional districts by Jan. 17 or a federal court will do it for them, a three-judge federal panel said Tuesday.

Bad-Faith Journalism  —  PolitiFact tacks right, further illustrating why its approach is wrong.  —  It's not as eagerly awaited as Time's “Man of the Year” was back when people paid attention to Time, but PolitiFact's “Lie of the Year” nonetheless manages to generate a lot of chatter, aimed as it is at those who chatter for a living.

Santorum: States Should Have The Right To Outlaw Birth Control  —  Rick Santorum reiterated his belief that states should have the right to outlaw contraception during an interview with ABC News yesterday, saying, “The state has a right to do that, I have never questioned that the state has a right to do that.

Why Iowa gets to go first, and other facts about tonight's caucus  —  (Jessica Reilly) David Redlawsk is a political scientist at Rutgers University and co-author of “Why Iowa?  How Caucuses and Sequential Elections improve the Nominating Process.”  We spoke earlier today …

Perry: ‘This is Omaha Beach’  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — With a sense of history on the biggest political day — to date — of the 2012 cycle, Texas Gov. Rick Perry today compared the GOP's quest to defeat President Barack Obama to one of the deadliest battles of the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944.

RNC: Five states to lose half their delegates  —  The five states that bucked national Republican Party rules by moving up their primary or caucus dates have been penalized with the loss of half their delegates to the August nominating convention in Tampa, Fla. — and there is no chance they're getting them back.