The Cheat Sheet

Frontpage: Monday, June 18th

1. Obama and Putin to Meet: World leaders talked in Mexico Sunday as a meeting of the G20 nations that will focus on the world economy got underway. President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Monday.

2. Markets Rally, Settle After Greece: Investors in Europe sighed and then got back to business after a crucial Greek vote Sunday. Markets showed an early advance Monday, but soon receded as Spanish bond yields topped 7 percent and anxiety over the future of the euro zone continued unabated.

3. Attack on Israel-Egypt Border: At least one Israeli civilian was killed in what officials say was a cross-border attack by gunmen who crossed from Egypt. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called it a “disturbing deterioration.”

4. Iran Nuke Talks Begin: There’s not much hope, officials say. World leaders will nonetheless begin two days of meetings with the government of Iran on Monday to try to break the tension surrounding the country’s nuclear program.

5. Egyptian Generals Flex After Vote: No one voted for them. But Egyptian military leaders gave themselves wide-ranging new powers Sunday after the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory in the country’s presidential election.

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Photo by Aaron Jackson / AP Photos:

Empty shelves at the closed Borders bookstore at Penn Plaza in New York in September 2011.

Frontpage: Friday, April 13th (It’s cool, we’ve got Cory Booker)

1. Cory Booker Details Rescue: Newark Mayor Cory Booker joined the gang at CBS This Morning to recount his heroic rescue of a neighbor from her burning home. Booker describes his “come to Jesus moment” when, while searching for the woman, he realized there was a very good chance he might not make it out of the house. 
2. Obama, Biden Release Tax Returns: The battle of the tax returns begins Friday, with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden releasing theirs to the public and urging Mitt Romney to join them. The Obamas revealed that they earned a combined income of $798,674 in 2011, of which they paid over 20 percent in federal taxes—a total of $162,074. Their income took a big dip from last year, when they reported about $1.7 million.
3. U.N.: Rocket Test ‘Deplorable’: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called North Korea’s failed rocket launch “deplorable,” joining South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and foreign ministers from the Group of Eight nations including Russia who united in condemnation of Kim Jong-un’s regime. North Korea had defied international warnings to conduct the test of a rocket. In a rare admission of weakness, the North Korean government issued a statement admitting the failure. 
4. Iran Conceals Oil Sales: Iran is pulling some stealthy moves to circumvent Western sanctions on its oil revenues. Tehran ordered the captains of Iran’s 39-strong fleet of oil tanks to disable their tracking devices, so that the ships are now all “off-radar,” a senior executive at the National Iranian Tanker Co. confirmed to Reuters. 
5. GOP Strategist: Ann Romney a ‘Win’: Republican strategist Nicolle Wallace said Friday that the Hilary Rosen-Ann Romney spat over stay-at-home mothers has been a “win in every regard” for the Romney campaign. “The Romney campaign has handled this brilliantly, and kudos to them,” said Wallace, a former adviser to John McCain and George W. Bush. 

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Photo: So the other day I breathlessly announced to the office that Boo the Dog had died. Thankfully, it was just a Buzzfeed prank. Happy Friday. 

guestofaguest:

Boo is ALIVE. thank heavens.

Frontpage: Wednesday, Mar 28th

1. Few Alternatives for Mandate: The Supreme Court heads into its final day Wednesday of arguments about the constitutionality of a mandate that requires all Americans to buy health insurance. If that portion of the law is struck down, it’s unclear how much of the 2010 health-care bill will survive. The justices will be examining the bill to find how much of it can survive without the mandate, which some lower courts have ruled cannot be separated from the bill as a whole—including politically popular portions.
2. Pope to Meet with Raul Castro: According to a government website, Raul Castro said that he will be happy to meet with Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday as the pontiff prepares to celebrate an outdoor mass in Havana. 
3. Iran Agrees to Nuke Talks: It’s time to sit down at the table, Iran’s foreign minister said Wednesday. With the international community concerned about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, Iranian officials said that the country will reopen talks about its program April 13.
4. Gingrich to Cut Staff: Big changes abound in the Gingrich camp: a third of the staff will be laid off, Newt’s campaign schedule is shrinking, and his manager has been replaced. The presidential campaign has become so strapped for cash that it started charging supporters $50 for a photo. 
5. NY Maid Launches Suit Against DSK: A New York maid who accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault last year launched a civil lawsuit against him on Wednesday. Prosecutors dropped the charges last year against Strauss-Kahn after they said they had serious questions about the credibility of the accuser, Nafissatou Diallo.

Photo: Pope Benedict XVI says Mass in Cuba. More photos from the Pope’s trip. 

Frontpage: Tuesday, Mar 6th

1. Candidates Make Final Pitches: Today’s the day. The GOP candidates are spread across the country, vying for last-minute votes in the 10 states holding primaries today. 
2. Israel: We Can’t ‘Wait Much Longer’: Judging by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC Monday night, he wasn’t convinced by President Obama’s urging to be patient with Iran. Criticizing those who doubt Iran is building a nuclear weapon and invoking the Auschwitz death camp, he said, “None of us can afford to wait much longer” to act against Iran. 
3. News Corp. Troubles Extend to Russia: It may not have the name recognition of other past or present Murdoch properties, but News Outdoor Russia, a billboard company and former subsidiary of the News Corp. empire, has caught the eye of the feds as they continue an investigation of the company. 
4. Former Gov. Runs for Snowe Seat: Former governor of Maine Angus King says he’s going to run for Senate, announcing Monday that he’ll pursue the seat vacated by Olympia Snowe, who announced last week that she would not be running for reelection. 
5. Putin’s Chechnya Turnout: 107 Percent: Allegations of fraud abound in Russia’s recent election, but Chechnya is perhaps the most brazen case. Chechnya, the region that Vladimir Putin practically declared war on in 1999, voted for him by an astonishing number—by more votes, in fact, than there are people on the rolls.

Photo: Thousands of protesters took to the streets to challenge Vladimir Putin’s election victory in Moscow. (Thomas Peter, Reuters / Landov)

More photos of the day.

Frontpage: Friday, Mar 2nd

1. Poll: Romney Ahead in Virginia: After sweeping Tuesday’s primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Romney holds a strong lead in the big prize of Virginia, despite voter skepticism in the Super Tuesday state.
2. Activists Allege Executions in Homs: Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are engaging in scorched earth tactics, staging executions and destroying buildings in Homs, according to Syrian activists. The UN puts the death count at 7,500, but activists say it’s significantly higher. 
3. Iranians Vote for New Parliament: Iranians went to the polls Friday in a new parliamentary vote, the first in the country since the disputed 2009 reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the mass protests and crackdown that ensued. More than 48 million people are eligible at the 47,000 polling stations set up, but some of Ahmadinejad’s supporters are reportedly asking voters to stay away.
4. EU Signs Fiscal Treaty: All but two of the European Union’s leaders met in Brussels on Friday to sign a new fiscal treaty in an attempt to prevent the region from running up huge debts like those that prompted bailouts in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. 
5. Obama: ‘I Don’t Bluff’ on Iran: Days before his upcoming talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama warned that the U.S. could take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “I think that the Israeli government recognizes that, as president of the United States, I don’t bluff,” Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg. 

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Photo: ”At 33 years old, St. Ford is a former member a gang. Though nearly impossible to leave a gang, occassionally deals are made.” Part of an amazing series of photos from Port-au-Prince by Paolo Marchetti, taken in in August of 2010— seven months after the terrible earthquake. More from Haiti here.

Frontpage: Wednesday, Feb. 15th

1. Fake Cancer Drug Hits U.S. Market: The pharmaceutical company Roche is telling hospitals that there’s a fake version of its cancer drug Avastin floating around American markets. This was discovered after counterfeit vials were shown to have none of the active ingredients that combat cancer. 
2. Iran to Reveal Nuke Steps: Uh oh. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will announce “key nuclear achievements” Wednesday. Iranian news reports that the progress will probably be that the uranium enrichment plant, Fordo, located inside a mountain, is “fully operational.” 
3. Romney Rushes to Defend Michigan: With Rick Santorum surging ahead of Mitt Romney in the polls, the former frontrunner is returning to defend his home state. Romney’s campaign bought nearly $1.3 mil in airtime. 
4. Biden Lectures Chinese VP: Leave it to Vice President Biden to give a straight-talking toast to China’s vice president, and likely future leader, Xi Jinping. “As Americans, we welcome competition,” Biden said during a State Department lunch. “But cooperation, as you and I have spoken about, can only be mutually beneficial if the game is fair.” 
5. Syria’s Assad Sets Referendum Date: President Bashar al-Assad says Syria will hold a referendum on a new constitution on Feb. 26, but even as he made this seeming concession, his forces increased their bombardment of opposition towns.

Photo: “Untitled” by Weaam El-Masry, a fiery Egyptian artist whose nudes are risqué by almost any standards. She says she is worried about the prospect of an Islamist-dominated government. “They don’t think. They don’t use logic,” she says. “They think art is forbidden.” See more of her work and read Ty McComrick’s piece on Egyptian artists and government censors. 

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Frontpage: Tuesday, Jan 31st

1. Officials: Iran Willing to Attack U.S.: U.S. intelligence officials said in a report Tuesday that Iran is increasingly willing to attack on U.S. soil in response to American threats.
2. U.N. Meets on Syria: World leaders are in New York on Tuesday to discuss a plan to end the violence in Syria, which continues to worsen as President Bashar al-Assad’s troops retaliate against gains made by rebels over the weekend.
3. Romney Has Early Lead: Polls have been open in Florida for 4 hours, but Romney already has reason to be confident. Analysis of 632,000 early votes put him up by at least 60,000 votes.
4. Italy Ends Shipwreck Search: Rescue has become too dangerous to continue at the Costa Concordia site, says Italy’s Civil Protection Agency.
5. Occupy D.C. Vows to Flout Ban: Occupy D.C. protesters said Tuesday that they planned to remain in two parks near the White House despite an order by the U.S. National Park Service to stop camping in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza. 

Photo: Backstage at the Miss Brazil Plus-Size Beauty contest. (Nacho Doce)

Watch our most recent broadcast of Newsbeast, in which our writers discuss how Madonna really feels about Lady Gaga. 

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Frontpage: Monday, Jan 23rd

1. Obama to Go Populist in Speech: If President Obama’s third State of the Union address sets the tone for his campaign, expect to hear a lot more about jobs, class struggle, and equality.
2. Newt Opens Up Lead in Florida Poll: Looks like Gingrich has some solid momentum going into Florida— a new poll puts him 8 points ahead of Romney. 
3. Syria Rejects Arab League Plan: Sunday, the Arab League called on Syria’s President Assad to peacefully resign and hold elections for a national unity government. Syria immediately rejected the plan. 
4. EU Adopts Iran Embargo: In the latest attempt to step up pressure on Iran, the European Union adopted an oil embargo against Iran and froze the assets of the country’s central bank.
5. Blackberry CEOs Step Down: Just get an iPhone already. 

Photo: Chinese folk artists in Beijing prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Dragon. (Feng Li / Getty Images)

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Frontpage: Friday, Jan. 13th

1. Obama Send Iran’s Ayatollah Warning: The New York Times reports that using secret communications, the Obama administration has directly warned Iran’s Supreme Leader that blocking the Strait of Hormuz is a “red line”—and the United States will take action. 
2. 5 Pardoned Men Missing: Five men who were pardoned by former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour are still on the loose—and the attorney general says they will likely be sent back to prison.  New Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a fellow Republican, said Thursday that he would support a state constitutional amendment to tweak the governor’s clemency powers. 
3. U.S. Warns of Bangkok Threat: The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok warned Friday that there is a credible threat of a terrorist attack against Americans in the Thai capital. Tourists have  been urged to use extreme caution in the area. 
4. Newt Jabs Romney for Speaking French: In a bizarre online ad titled “The French Connection” that’s sure to go viral for all the wrong reasons, Gingrich’s campaign emphasizes the similarities between Massachusetts politicians Mitt Romney and John Kerry.
5. Burma Releases 651 Prisoners: Almost all of Burma’s most prominent political dissidents have been set free, as the thawing government released 651 prisoners Friday in another move toward democracy. 

Photo: A political prisoner, is welcomed by his friend as he comes out of the Insein prison in Yangon, Burma. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win via The Telegraph)

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Frontpage: Jan. 11th

1. Romney Rakes in $26M: Including $24 in the 4th quarter, bringing his total for the year to $56 mil. 
2. U.S. Condemns Assad’s Speech: The U.S. and France decried Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s speech on Tuesday—his first since June—in which he blamed the country’s unrest on “foreign planning” and vowed to fight “terrorists with an iron fist.”
3. Michelle Hasn’t Read ‘The Obamas’: The first lady won’t be picking up Jodi Kantor’s new tell-all. On CBS’s new early show, Mrs. Obama rejected dishy accounts of her clashes with White House aides in The Obamas, chalking up the controversy to a stereotype of the “angry black woman.”
4. Bomb Kills Iranian Nuclear Scientists: An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a magnetic bomb placed on his car, an attack Tehran’s deputy governor blamed on Israel.
5. Mississippi Gov. Pardons Hundreds: Gov. Haley Barbour pardoned 193 criminals on his last day of office, an unusually high amount for the state. 

Photo: Mitt Romney celebrates his victory in New Hampshire. (Charles Ommanney for Newsweek)

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