There is now a near perfectly even four way split between Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in the Republican Iowa Caucus, according to the most recent Bloomberg poll.

The hoped for respite after new leaders were picked in Italy and Greece is gone. Italian bond yields have returned to the failsafe level of 7%, and Spanish debt yields are flying up almost as fast. And now France is feeling some pressure as the Euro union is under siege.

Wonder how these two will decide? The suspense is killing me.

A nation wide pattern, possibly coordinated, has emerged for how political officials are trying to deal with the occupy protest. In the Northern locations the pattern has been to wait until the cold winter freezes them out. In the warmer climates, overwhelming military style police action is being used to forcefully crack down on the encampments.

Negotiators for the House and Senate reached agreement on a temporary spending bill that will fund the government through December 16 and also finish off a series of appropriations bills. We now see the true impact of budget freezes and austerity measures. One of the first victims is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates derivatives.

Embattled Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, speaking in an interview with the BBC, casually mentioned that she was on a conference call with leaders of 18 US cities shortly before a wave of raids broke up Occupy Wall Street encampments across the country.

Bloomberg’s cops cleared Zuccotti Park, arresting over 150 protesters who refused to leave, throwing their belongings in a dumpster, and preventing press from covering the event. The arrests included a New York Times writer, and a city councilman, who suffered injuries.

If you wanted an indication that Scott Brown was in any way nervous about his impending re-election matchup against Elizabeth Warren next year, he has now officially endorsed Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that was the brainchild of his future opponent.

David Dayen’s News Roundup from Monday night, November 14, 2011

Early this morning, at around 2 a.m., Mayor Bloomberg’s New York Police Department entered Liberty Square and forced all occupiers to leave. Those who refused to leave were arrested. The police then completely dismantled the camp. Lawyers for the occupiers have obtained a TRO against the City, which is not yet complying.