Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday that Donald Trump is boycotting the next GOP presidential debate not because of Megyn Kelly, but out of a fear of defending his record, reports The Hill.

• Politico: Poll: Clinton’s Lead Over Sanders Drops to New Low
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• Reuters: Exclusive: White House Dropped $10 Million Claim In Iran Prisoner Deal
• AP: Iran Warns US Warship to Leave Naval Drill Area
• BBC: Zika Virus: President Obama Calls For Urgent Action

As the Iowa Republican caucus nears, a new Qunnipiac survey released Tuesday shows Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in a virtual tie among Iowans, with Trump’s 31 percent support and Cruz’s 29 percent, reports Newsmax.  Meanwhile, an ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals that 64 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expect Trump will be the party’s nominee, and 56 percent see Trump as their most electable nominee in the general election.

• WashTimes: Feds Foresee $30 Trillion Debt, Blame Looming Tax Hikes and Obamacare
• NatJournal: Playing with Fire, Republican Bigwigs Want to Take Out Cruz
• The Hill: Ryan Seeks To Tame Conservatives
• Time: El Salvador’s Advice on Zika: Don’t Have Babies
• Politico: Texas Grand Jury Indicts Activists Behind Planned Parenthood Videos

Whereas Donald Trump is once again tops in the Iowa polls for the GOP, Democrat Bernie Sanders is up by 1 percentage point over Hillary Clinton, with 62 percent of younger voters favoring Sanders, reports the Huffington Post.

• NY Post: Hillary’s Team Copied Intel Off Top-Secret Server to Email
• Politico: Pro-Cruz Super PAC Ad Attacks Iowa Governor
• WashTimes: Clinton Rallies Planned Parenthood Vote, Fights All Restrictions On Abortions
• Reuters: Sanders, Clinton Cool to Bloomberg’s Possible Entry Into 2016 Race
• AP: Nuclear Mishap Withheld by Air Force from Review Team