Cheat Sheet - Why Stephen Colbert Deserves South Carolina’s Senate Seat

Today: Fed to Keep Low Rates , Susan Rice's Personality 'Disorder' , Oregon Gunman Identified December 12, 2012 NO, REALLY 1. Colbert for Senate South Carolina is just crazy enough to consider appointing the on-air comic to replace Jim DeMint. The Daily Beast's Michelle Cottle on Colbert's surprisingly strong appeal. Read it at The Daily Beast IT'S THE ECONOMY 2. Fed to Keep Low Rates Ben Bernanke confirmed his reputation as an easy money man. The Federal Reserve announced it would continue its policy of "quantitative easing"—creating new money to buy bonds in an effort to push long-term interest rates down—until the unemployment rate falls below 6.5 percent. Basically, rates will be kept near zero until the jobless rate drops. The Fed announced it would continue buying $40 billion a month in mortgage-backed securities and would start buying an extra $40–$45 billion in Treasury bonds each month. Read it at CNBC GAY MARRIAGE 3. Do as Little as Possible, SCOTUS The Supreme Court is set to take up gay marriage, but support for gay marriage is gaining steam, and imposing a premature national decision could provoke unnecessary backlash. Andrew Sullivan on why it's a terrible idea. Read it at The Daily Beast MALL SHOOTING 4. Oregon Gunman Identified The gunman who shot and killed two customers at an Oregon mall before turning his weapon on himself was identified by police Wednesday. Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, was wearing a mask when he used a AR-15 semiautomatic rifle stolen from someone he knew to fire randomly at crowds shopping at the Clackamas Town Center, according to local authorities. The two victims have been identified as a 54-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man, while another female who was wounded remains in serious condition. Police say they still don't have a motive. Read it at Associated Press HERE WE GO 5. Syria Fires Scud Missiles at Rebels Syrian forces have fired scud missiles at the rebels, U.S. officials say. Scud missiles have a range of more than 400 miles—well in range of neighboring countries. The shots were reportedly fired from around Damascus and aimed at targets in the north. Scuds are Soviet-era weaponry made famous by Saddam Hussein in 1991, when the ruler battered Israel and Kuwait. U.S. officials say that the tactic is mainly used as a defense mechanism—experts say government aircraft have been vulnerable to attacks. The news of "significant escalation" comes as more than 100 nations recognized the rebels as representatives of the Syrian people.   Read it at The New York Times COMPENSATION Brooks Paid $17M by News Corp. When she left the company. PANTS ON FIRE Romney Ad Named 'Lie of the Year' For claim that Jeep was moving to China. NOT HIS WORD Drudge Uses N Word in Headline In story about "Django Unchained." ICON Whitney Tops Google Searches In 2012. INTERESTING CHOICE McCartney to Replace Kurt Cobain At Nirvana reunion show at Sandy benefit concert. 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. Late Night: Jon Stewart Does His Best Eminem 'The Daily Show' host showed his solidarity with Michigan unions by performing his best Eminem-style rap, 'Les Miz' star Amanda Seyfried conceded she had three drinks before her interview with David Letterman, Anne Hathaway and Jimmy Fallon sang Mad-Libbed Christmas karaoke, and more in the best of last night's late night. More Videos Michigan Labor Vows Revenge by Jay Scott Smith Navy SEALs' Terrible Month by Michael Daly Was 'The Hobbit' Cursed? by Anna Klassen

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