Thursday Morning Open Thread

One week til the Iowa caucuses. Finally.

But, seriously, how can anyone focus on politics or other pending world issues when a tiger escaped from the San Francisco zoo? The Today Show is now having an in-depth -- and breathless -- discussion about whether zoos are safe. In the history of zoos in the U.S., this is apparently the first time any visitor was killed by an animal at a zoo. No matter. It is THE issue of our time: are zoos safe? Everyone wants to know.

Still one week to go til the Iowa caucuses. Reporters are already checking the weather reports because so many factors can impact turnout. (It looks good, cold but no snow or ice, according to Weather.com.)

Let's start threading the news.