On this day in 1990 Panama's Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. troops following a two-week operation to rid the country of the military dictator. Now for what's making news on Caucus Day 2008:

"Iowa Keys to Look for Thursday Night" (Mike Glover, Associated Press) Reporter Glover has your guide to the Iowa caucuses, complete with which counties to watch tonight to see who's doing well.

"Last Pitches Before the First Vote" (Michael Shear and Anne Kornblut, Washington Post) Although the candidates are still going strong this morning, last night constituted the end of the Iowa portion of Campaign 2008.

"Fred Thompson May Drop Out, Back McCain" (Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen, The Politico) Insiders are saying that if Thompson doesn't come in at a close third tonight, he may drop out before the New Hampshire primaries on Jan. 8, where Thompson is polling poorly. To bolster this view, reporters Martin and Allen point to Fred's unusual raising of expectations recently -- when everyone else is lowering theirs -- saying he thinks he'll come in second, an unlikely outcome. Furthermore, should he drop out before New Hampshire, sources said he would endorse McCain. (By the way, Thompson this morning rejected the rumors.)

"Independents Plan to Caucus With Dems" (Thomas Beaumont, Des Moines Register) The expectation is that independents will flock heavily to Democrats in Iowa today, perhaps making Iowa a microcosm of the nation. Such an outcome would signal bad news for the GOP in the general election.

"Giuliani Keeps Campaign Focus on Terrorism" (Michael Cooper, New York Times) Overshadowed recently by Iowa, where Rudy is not competing, the campaign released a provocative ad yesterday highlighting the threat from Islamic terrorism, with images sure to rile the politically-correct sensibilities of some.

"Populist Message Gets Louder As Iowa Caucuses Kick Off Race" (Jackie Calmes and Amy Schatz, Wall Street Journal) Both Mike Huckabee and John Edwards are running populist-themed campaigns, and both are surprising the political elites with their success.

"McCain Says He's Running to Achieve Goals in One Term" (Greta Cuyler, New Hampshire Union Leader) In answering a question about his age yesterday, John McCain said he's not looking at a two-term presidency. Rather, said McCain, he's looking to accomplish his goals in one term and that voters should judge him on that first.

"Obama tells students: Prove critics wrong" (Jason Clayworth, Des Moines Register) Barack Obama might win tonight without a large turnout from the "youth vote." But he's also banking on a better-than-expected turnout and so yesterday appealed to his burgeoning supporters to prove all the naysayers wrong.

"On Campaign Trail, Domestic Issues Now Outweigh Iraq" (Adam Nagourney, New York Times) A year ago, the Democratic candidates campaigned heavily on the Iraq war. Today, although the issue is still big among Iowans, the war is not the focus of many of the Democratic candidates' campaigns.

"Paul Soon Will See Whether N.H. Effort Pays Off" (Martha Moore, USA Today) Of the many potential dark horses in the race, Ron Paul ranks the highest in terms of popularity. Although we'll be watching to see how he does in Iowa, his first real test comes next week in New Hampshire, where Paul will have to prove his critics wrong if he wants to stay in the race.

Get these and today's other election stories at RCP's Politics and Election page.