GOP Candidates Head to Iowa for Debate and Straw Poll

Making News

Syria Continues Its Bloody Crackdown on Protesters ()

Syrian activists claim government forces have killed more than 2400 protesters and detained thousands more. International condemnation is building and, now, a fact-finding mission is looking for evidence to sustain a war-crimes trial against President Bashar Assad. That's according to Borzou Daragahi who's in Beirut, Lebanon for the Los Angeles Times.

Guests:

• Borzou Daragahi: Los Angeles Times, @borzou

Main Topic

Republicans Go to the Mat in Iowa ()

Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment was "never speak ill of another Republican.” Not all this year's presidential candidates got the message. Last night's debate featured unusually nasty exchanges between Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty, candidates with a lot at stake in Iowa. All eight contenders practiced attacks on Barack Obama and promised they'd never raise taxes, even if they got 10 times more spending cuts than new revenue. Did consensus front-runner Mitt Romney hold onto his lead? Did newcomer Jon Huntsman make an impression? Were they all overshadowed by the man who wasn't there -- Rick Perry, who will enter the race tomorrow? We hear excerpts and a variety of opinions.

Guests:

• Michael Shear: New York Times, @shearm
• Doug Gross: veteran Republican activist
• James C. Moore: former national TV correspondent
• Rich Galen: Mullings.com, @richgalen
• Walter Shapiro: The New Republic, @waltershapiroPD

Links:

• Iowa Straw Poll

Reporter's Notebook

Postal Service Threatened with Drastic Cuts in Jobs, Benefits ()

Acknowledging that its request is "extraordinary, the US Postal Service has told Congress that "we will be insolvent next month,” and need to break labor agreements and get out of the federal retirement system. Mail volume has dropped by 20 percent, producing a loss of $20 billion in the past four years, $8.5 billion last year alone. We hear more from Lisa Rein, who reports on the federal government for the Washington Post, and Maynard Benjamin, president of the Envelope Manufacturers Association.

Guests:

• Lisa Rein: Washington Post
• Maynard Benjamin: Envelope Manufacturers Association