Cheat Sheet - A Cliff Overshadowed by Tragedy

Today: Biden to Push for Gun Control , Nancy Lanza Was Deluded to Keep Guns at Home With Troubled Adam , Benghazi Review Finds Security Faults December 19, 2012 COINCIDENCE? 1. Fiscal Cliff Overshadowed by Tragedy The horror of Newtown has made the budget crisis appear small. Howard Kurtz on why both Democrats and the GOP are suddenly keen to avoid the fiscal cliff. Plus, John Avlon on why John Boehner needs a fiscal-cliff deal and more coverage of the fiscal-cliff countdown. Read it at The Daily Beast CHANGE 2. Biden to Push for Gun Control President Obama will name Vice President Biden to head the push for gun-control policy change, reports said Wednesday. The White House has faced increasing calls for stricter gun control in the wake of the deadly rampage in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 children, seven adults, and the shooter, Adam Lanza, 20. Obama issued a call to action at a vigil in Newtown on Sunday, saying he would “use whatever power this office” has to push for a way to end these tragedies. On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president supports banning assault weapons, as well as closing the so-called gun-show loophole. The assault weapons Lanza used in the massacre were all purchased legally by his mother. Read it at Reuters Nancy’s Guns 3. A Deluded Mom She may have thought teaching her shut-in son to shoot was therapeutic. But Nancy Lanza—and 26 innocents—would be alive today if she hadn’t been so reckless, says Michael Daly. Plus, Lloyd Grove on the accidental gun-control activists, Adam Winkler on the Republicans’ gun-control test, and more coverage on the Newtown tragedy. Read it at The Daily Beast ANSWERS 4. Benghazi Review Finds Security Faults Security in Benghazi was “grossly” inadequate, an independent panel investigating the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the Libyan mission found Tuesday. “Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies” in the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs resulted in a mission that was not nearly equipped to deal with the kind of attack that took place. The report also found that no individual violated their duties, and, at this time, no one should receive disciplinary action for the security faults. Read it at Associated Press BAD NEWS 5. U.N. Pulls Anti-Polio Workers The United Nations said on Wednesday that it would scale back its anti-polio vaccination effort in Pakistan after three more health workers were shot, two fatally. Eight health workers have been killed in the past 48 hours, and the U.N. spokesman said all workers had been pulled off the streets. No group has claimed responsibility, but the Taliban have issued threats before against the U.N.’s anti-polio campaign, although a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban insisted the group is not responsible for the attacks. Pakistan is one of just three countries left in the world where polio is rampant, and the government has tried to insist on the vaccination program despite backlash from the hardline Islamic community. Read it at Reuters OFFICIAL UBS Will Pay $1.5B Fraud Fine For trying rig LIBOR rate. NOT SO FAST Judges Allow DSK’s Pimping Charges Former IMF chief insists he didn’t know women were prostitutes. SELLING PHOTOS Instagram: Selling Photos ‘Not Our Intention’ Following user outrage. FAR OUT Livable Planet Possibly Discovered Just 12 light-years from Earth. SO IN RIGHT NOW ‘Girls’ to Get Nail-Polish Line Set of four colors will cost $45. GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors. GET Culture Beast Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. Fashion's Groundbreaking Gender Benders When Casey Legler made headlines in November as Ford's first female male model, she became one of only a few gender bending women to make a mainstream impression. Yet, Legler joins a burgeoning movement of women, transgender men, and gender nonconforming people who adopt menswear as their own on the fashion blog dapperQ. Watch video of dapperQ's He Said/We Said photo shoot, where transgressors interpret the Hermes men's spring 2013 collection as their own. More Videos Did Anonymous Out the Wrong Guy? by Eli Lake Instagram’s Switcheroo by Matthew Zeitlin SEAL Team Six Gift Guide by Benjamin Schor

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