The Cheat Sheet

Frontpage: Tuesday, Mar 13th

1. Afghans Burn Obama in Effigy: There may be no “rush for the exits,” as President Obama said yesterday, but the administration is weighing changes to its Afghanistan withdrawal strategy, according to The New York Times. The plan was to end combat operations by the end of 2014, but with the recent Quran-burning scandal and last weekend’s massacre of Afghan civilians, the administration is debating whether to accelerate the process. Meanwhile thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Afghanistan to protest Sunday’s massacre, some burning Obama in effigy.
2. Newt Backer Sued for $375 Million: Sheldon Adelson—the Las Vegas billionaire known for bankrolling Gingrich’s presidential aspirations—is now facing down a $375 million lawsuit. Adelson and his family own Las Vegas Sands, a casino operator, which is being sued by former partner Asian American Entertainment for breach of contract regarding the company’s successful bid for a gambling license in Macau.
3. Rebekah Brooks Arrested Again: Rupert Murdoch’s flame-haired former deputy Rebekah Brooks is back in jail, part of a police sweep that took in five others in an investigation into phone hacking at News Corp. Brooks’s husband, horse trainer Charlie Brooks, was also taken in. 
4. Syria Laying Border Land Mines: Report: The forces of Bashar al-Assad have reached a new low, if a report from Human Rights Watch is true. The group says it has multiple accounts of land mines on Syria’s border with Lebanon and Turkey, along routes used by refugees to escape the violence. 
5. Ohio Bill Targets Viagra Users: A female Ohio legislator introduced a bill Monday that would require men to have medical tests and visit a sex therapist before getting a prescription for Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs. Ohio state Sen. Nan Turner said that if lawmakers want to put limits on women’s reproductive health, men’s reproductive health should also be examined. 

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Photo: Prince Harry playing polo. Prince Harry is killing it. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Frontpage: Monday, Mar 12th

1. Mississippi Voters: Obama’s a Muslim: Many in the South are not still convinced that President Obama is a Christian. A survey by Public Policy Polling reveals that a majority of Republicans in Alabama and Mississippi—states with primary elections on Tuesday—believe the president is a Muslim. 
2. Activists: Syrians ‘Massacred’ in Homs: Syrian activists and opposition groups said 26 children and 21 women were “massacred” Monday by pro-government gunmen in the besieged city of Homs. State media confirmed the deaths of at least 12 people, but instead blamed “armed terrorists”—a term Bashar al-Assad’s regime has used to describe the opposition. 
3. Justice Dept. Strikes Texas Voter ID Law: The U.S. has scuttled a Texas law that would have required voters to show a photo ID in order to vote, arguing that it would have unfairly targeted the state’s Hispanic voters. What’s more, the Justice Department also argued that there was no problem to fix in the first place. 
4. Afghans Want Public Trial for U.S. Soldier: The Afghan parliament is calling for a public trial against the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 civilians Sunday. Lawmakers want the man, who allegedly shot dead nine children and three women, to face trial in Afghanistan, and passed a resolution saying that they’ve lost patience with foreign troops.
5. Nixon Wrote Love Letters: The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California is celebrating the 100th birthday of his wife, Pat, with love letters that “Tricky Dick” wrote her years before rising to power. Nixon gushed and called his future bride “sweet ones,” “dearest heart,” and “Irish gypsy.” “Every day and every night I want to see you and be with you,” he wrote. “Let’s go for a long ride Sunday; let’s go to the mountains weekends; let’s read books in front of fires; most of all, let’s really grow together and find the happiness we know is ours.

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Photo: Free Syrian Army fighters console a comrade after an ambulance carried an injured friend to a hospital during fierce fighting against government troops in northern Syria. (Rodrigo Abd / AP Photo)

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Frontpage Super-Duper Special Saturday Edition, Mar 10th

1. Obama Strikes Back on Gas Prices: President Obama used his weekly radio address Saturday to hit back at Republican critics who say his energy policy is causing rising gasoline prices that look to be heading toward $4 per gallon. “We can’t just drill our way to lower gas prices—not when we consume 20 percent of the world’s oil,” Obama said, underscoring the importance of developing alternative energy and increasing fuel efficiency.
2. Assad Plays ‘Terrorists Card’: U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday in Damascus in an effort to get the Syrian regime to end its yearlong crackdown on dissidents. But Assad told Annan that dialogue with the opposition will not work when “armed terrorist groups” are operating. 
3. Gaza Fires 90 Rockets at Israel: Violence along the Israeli-Gaza frontier escalated again Saturday after Israeli troops killed at least a dozen people over the last two days in attacks and airstrikes they say are aimed at weapons-manufacturing sites and at wiping out militants. Palestinians in Gaza fired some 90 rockets into southern Israel on Friday and Saturday, injuring at least eight people, one critically. 
4. Santorum Strong in Kansas: Rick Santorum looks set for a comfortable lead in the state of Kansas, which holds its caucuses Saturday with 40 delegates up for grabs. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have skipped the state to focus on Alabama and Mississippi, with their primaries on Tuesday.
5. Russia Holds New Anti-Putin Protests: Some 20,000 people are holding fresh protests in Moscow against Vladimir Putin, who won a disputed election last weekend that’ll see him returned to the presidency for a third time. The opposition allege fraud, but the turnout for the rally was not as high as expected because organizers said they had failed to stop Putin securing another term. 

Photo: Because it’s the weekend! (via bunnyfood, doozy:cutepugpics)

Frontpage: Thursday, Mar 8th

1. Justice Department Warns Apple Over eBooks: Apple didn’t get to bask in the glory of its new iPad for long. The Justice Department has warned the company—along with five of the biggest U.S. publishers—that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, sources tell The Wall Street Journal. 
2. Newt Camp: Next Votes ‘Must Wins’: Gingrich is looking for hospitality in Southern states. Spokesman R.C. Hammond admitted that it’s going to be a long slog from here, telling reporters, “Everything between Spartanburg all the way to Texas, those all need to go for Gingrich.” 
3. Syria’s Oil Minister Joins Opposition: In a YouTube video, Syria’s deputy oil minister says he’s leaving Bashar al-Assad’s government and joining the opposition, the most high-profile defection since the revolt began.
4. Hate Groups on Rise: The number of hate groups operating in the United States continues to rise, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has tracked such groups for 30 years. Fed by dislike of President Obama, changing racial demographics, and the growing gap between rich and poor, the number of hate groups and antigovernment organizations grew to 1,018 last year. 
5. Pat Robertson: Legalize Pot: This is a shift from preaching conservative family values. Evangelist Pat Robertson’s newest cause is the legalization of marijuana. “I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol,” Robertson told The New York Times. 
6. Utah Passes Anti-Sex Ed Bill: Utah’s sex-ed classes are about to get a lot shorter. The state’s legislature passed a bill that would ban public schools from teaching contraception as a way of preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. The bill also prohibits teaching about homosexuality. 

Photo: Hindu devotees celebrate Holi—the festival of color—at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, India. (Kevin Frayer / AP) 

Frontpage: Wednesday, Mar 7th

1. Romney Ekes Out Ohio Victory: Mitt Romney claimed the biggest Super Tuesday win in Ohio, barely eking out a victory with 38 percent of the vote to Rick Santorum’s 37. 
2. Newt: ‘I’m the Tortoise’: Newt Gingrich stepped out to address supporters at his Georgia headquarters after winning the state’s primary. Gingrich made his entrance to the song “Real American,” Hulk Hogan’s theme music and the same song President Obama jokingly walked out to after releasing his birth certificate. Lulz.
3. Kucinich Out in Ohio Primary: Two longtime members of Congress were forced to face off in a heated battle in Ohio after district lines had been redrawn. Well-known Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who made bids for the presidency in 2004 and 2008, was beaten out in the Ninth District by fellow Rep. Marcy Kaptur, another Democrat.
4. U.N. Chief Arrives in Syria: The United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, is in Damascus and on her way to the besieged city of Homs. Amos says her goal is to “urge all sides to allow unhindered access for humanitarian relief workers so they can evacuate the wounded and deliver essential supplies,” but Assad has blocked Red Cross aid convoys from entering the besieged city, citing security concerns.
5. Netflix Mulls Cable Partnership: CEO Reed Hastings of Netflix has reportedly been meeting with cable companies to discuss partnerships that would involve tying online video streaming into existing cable services. I’d give them props if they called it Qwikster.

Photo: Taken in Steubenville, OH, March 6th by Charles Ommanney for Newsweek. See more of the gallery here. 

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: Thursday, Mar. 1st

1. Senate Takes Up Contraception Bill: An amendment that would allow employers to avoid insurance regulations that they find morally objectionable goes before the Senate for a vote Thursday. Put forward by Republican Senator Roy Blunt, the bill “is about the First Amendment,” said Blunt in a February press release. “It’s not about any one issue.” 
2. Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43: Andrew Breitbart, publisher, commentator, and new-media advocate who helped build the Drudge Report and the Huffington Post in addition to his own aggregation sites, has died. 
3. 2 U.S. Troops Dead in Afghanistan: Two NATO troops were killed in what may be the latest incident involving an Afghan serviceman—or insurgent masquerading as one—shooting NATO soldiers. 
4. Gas Could Spike to $5 a Gallon: Tensions between the West and countries like Syria and Iran may conceivably hike gas prices up to $5 a gallon, especially as the summer months loom and Americans plan getaways. 
5. Syria Rebels Pull Out of Homs: Following a brutal month-long assault—and threats from the Syrian government that they would “cleanse” and “mop up” the city—rebels have fled from the opposition hub of Homs.

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Photo: Carissa Westfall helps salvage products from Nature’s Sunshine Health Foods store in Branson, Missouri, after  storms that spawned tornadoes ripped through the Midwest. (Sarah Conrad / Landov) More photos of the day. 

Frontpage: Wednesday, Feb. 29th 

1. North Korea Suspends Nuclear Plans: After years of strained relations, the United States announced Wednesday that North Korea has agreed to place a moratorium on its nuclear ambitions, suspending uranium-enrichment programs and ceasing tests of long-range and nuclear missiles. 
2. Romney Sweeps Arizona & Michigan: Does Mitt have his mojo back? Romney took home two important states in last night’s primaries, winning his boyhood home of Michigan by about 3 points (a small margin, but “enough,” he said) and scooping up Arizona.
3. Murdoch Son Quits News Corp. Post: James Murdoch is giving up his position as executive chairman at News International, the newspaper arm of father Rupert’s media empire.
4. Ohio Shooting 911 Tapes Released: Officials in Chardon, Ohio, the site of a school shooting Monday that left three students dead and two wounded, released 911 tapes Tuesday night that recorded the panicked appeals for help of the students and staff inside Chardon High School.
5. Hillary: Assad Could Be War Criminal: While delegates at a United Nations meeting on Tuesday were told that more than 7,500 people have died in Syria since the uprising began in the country 11 months ago, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton told a Senate subcommittee that President Bashar al-Assad fits the definition of a war criminal.

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Photo: An activist of the opposition holds flowers as she sits in the police bus after a rally in Moscow. (Kirill Kudrayvtsev, AFP / Getty Images)

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Frontpage: Tuesday, Feb 28th

1. Ohio Shooting Victim Brain Dead: A 17-year-old student has been pronounced brain dead one day after the high-school shooting that killed another 16-year-old and left three others wounded.
2. Santorum Leads in Michigan Poll: Rick Santorum may have gained some momentum in Michigan over the last week, but will it last? The latest data from Public Policy Polling indicates that Santorum holds a small lead over Mitt Romney—38 percent of Michigan residents polled favor Santorum and 37 percent say they like Mitt.
3. U.N. Council Denounces Syria: The United Nations Human Rights Council is meeting Tuesday to issue its fourth condemnation of Syria and the regime of Bashar al-Assad. 
4. Casino Mogul Gives More to Gingrich: Sheldon Adelson, the casino billionaire who already gave the former House speaker’s super PAC two $5 million donations, has anted up again, according to the Associated Press. 
5. Stalled Cruise Ship Towed to Safety: Another cruise nightmare: an Italian ship with more than 1,000 passengers and crew is being towed to safety by a French fishing vessel after a generator fire caused the luxury cruiser to lose power. 

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Photo: A Japanese Quince flower at the Central Park Conservatory Garden in New York City, shows the effect of the Northeast’s mild winter. (Stan Honda, AFP / Getty Images)

Frontpage: Monday, Feb. 27th

1. ‘The Artist’ Wins Big at Oscars: French favorite The Artist picked up beaucoup awards at the Oscars last night, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and two other smaller prizes. 
2. Diplomatic Call Syria Vote a Sham: The Syrian city of Homs remains under fire Monday by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, even as the government tallies votes on a constitutional referendum that Western leaders have dismissed as a sham. 
3. Plot to Kill Putin Foiled: A plot to kill Vladimir Putin by a group of Ukrainian assassins was uncovered by a joint operation of Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services, according to Russian news sources. 
4. Santorum Gets Secret Service Detail: Rick Santorum will get Secret Service protection beginning Tuesday, according to an administration official. He will be the second current Republican candidate to receive protection from the Secret Service, following Mitt Romney, who has been covered since Feb. 1.
5. Deepwater Horizon Trial Delayed: The civil trial against BP over the disaster that took 11 lives and caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history was pushed back a week Sunday as the company continues to seek settlement with the more than 120,000 individuals and businesses that have filed suit against it. 

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Photo: Pakistani security forces began demolishing the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was found and killed by American soldiers last May.

Frontpage: Friday, Feb. 24th

1. 12 Killed in Quran Protests: At least 12 more people were killed on Friday in Afghanistan as the the outrage over the burning of Qurans by American troops continues.
2. Maryland Senate Passes Gay Marriage: Gay-marriage proponents celebrated another win in Maryland on Thursday after the state Senate approved a measure that would legalize same-sex unions. Gov. Martin O’Malley has vowed to sign the bill, which will make Maryland the eighth state to adopt gay marriage. 
3. ‘Friends of Syria’ Demand Action: Foreign ministers from more than 50 countries, calling themselves the Friends of Syria, are holding their first meeting Friday to demand Syria allow international aid be delivered to civilians as the government continue brutal assaults on the city of Homs.
4. Santorum Picks Up Women’s Support: Despite fervent anti-contraception rhetoric and a steadfast opposition to abortion, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum appears to be doing better with the fairer sex. A new poll has put his popularity among women up 13 points since January. 
5. Edwards Sex Tape to Be Destroyed: All copies of a sex tape involving former presidential candidate John Edwards and his mistress Rielle Hunter will be destroyed within 30 days, after Hunter won ownership of the video in a court settlement Thursday. 

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Photo: Palle-Jooseppi, a male brown bear, wakes up after winter hibernation at the Ranua Zoo in Ranua, Finland. (Lehtikuva / Reuters) More photos of the day

Frontpage: Thursday, Feb. 23rd

1. Obama Apologizes for Quran Burning: The fallout from the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of two U.S. troops. An Afghan official tells CBS that an Afghan soldier shot the soldiers out of anger over the burning of the holy books.  President Obama has issued a foromal apology for the handling of the Quran: “We will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, including holding accountable those responsible.”
2. Santorum on the Defensive in Debate: Rick Santorum got the frontrunner treatment at last night’s Republican debate in Arizona, struggling to defend himself against attacks from Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
3. U.N. May Charge Syrian Officials: The United Nations may be stymied by Russia and China, but it’s drawn up a list of Syrian officials who could be charged with crimes against humanity, according to a U.N. panel.  
4. 7 Marines Dead in Helicopter Crash: A helicopter collision has tragically claimed the lives of seven Marines. The crash occurred Wednesday night near Yuma, Ariz., NBC News reported. 
5. Christie Gets Testy on Gay Marriage: The New Jersey governor, who recently vetoed a bill that would have allowed gay marriage in his state, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and argued that his position on the issue is no different from President Obama’s. 

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Photo: A family passes through a market in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. (Ali Ali / EPA-Landov) More Photos of the Day