Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders hold solid leads in Iowa, CNN/ORC poll finds  —  Washington (CNN)Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in Iowa as Sen. Bernie Sanders takes control of the Democratic race in the critical first-in-the-nation voting state, according to a new CNN/ORC poll released Thursday.

One Big Reason To Be Less Skeptical Of Trump  —  In a nomination race like the Republican one, you could draw up a list of reasons to be skeptical of any candidate's chances.  Here are some reasons to be skeptical about Ted Cruz's position in Iowa, for example.  Here's why Marco Rubio's strategy looks increasingly precarious.

GOP establishment warms to Trump — and remains cool toward Cruz  —  The Republican establishment — once seen as the force that would destroy Donald Trump's outsider candidacy — is now learning to live with it, with some elected and unelected leaders saying they see an upside to Trump as the nominee.

The Ted Cruz pile on: GOP senators warn of revolt should he win nomination  —  Washington (CNN)Republican Party leaders and prominent senators are sharpening their knives against Ted Cruz, expressing growing alarm over his candidacy as he continues to mount a serious threat in Iowa.

Conservatives pen anti-Trump manifesto  —  Conservative authors are banding together to publish a manifesto Friday denouncing the ideas of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.  —  Leading conservatives including Erick Erickson, William Kristol and Yuval Levin have written essays …