Cheat Sheet - C'mon Guys, Should A-Rod Really Be Banned for Life?

Today: Kerry Resumes Pakistan Negotiations , The McPoverty Calculator , Cleveland Captives Kept Detailed Diaries August 01, 2013 JUICED 1. Banned for Life? Major League Baseball appears poised to ban one of its biggest stars of the last decade, Alex Rodriguez, for life, over his alleged use of human growth hormone. Dr. Kent Sepkowitz on whether HGH is really that bad. Read it at The Daily Beast DIPLOMACY 2. Kerry Resumes Pakistan Negotiations John Kerry is putting a lot on his plate. Shortly after laying the groundwork for peace talks between Israel and Palestine, the new secretary of State jetted off to Pakistan, where he announced that high-level security negotiations between the U.S. and Pakistan will soon resume. He has invited Pakistan's new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to Washington. Negotiations with the U.S. broke down in 2011, after a U.S. airstrike accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghan border. The U.S. wants to strengthen the civilian government (the military has long been in control), and get Pakistan to help fight extremists and pressure the Afghan Taliban into negotiations. Pakistan wants the U.S. to stop its drone attacks. Read it at Associated Press TRY THIS 3. The McPoverty Calculator Amid mass protests by fast-food workers across the country, the idea has emerged that if McDonalds and others just raised their prices by a few cents, workers would see big wage gains and climb out of poverty. So how much more would you pay for a Big Mac? Try our widget. Read it at The Daily Beast HORRIFYING 4. Cleveland Captives Kept Detailed Diaries Documents filed Wednesday revealed that the three women held in Ariel Castro's Cleveland home for years kept detailed accounts of their abuse in diaries. "The entries speak of forced sexual conduct, of being locked in a dark room, of anticipating the next session of abuse, of the dreams of someday escaping and being reunited with family, of being chained to a wall, of being held like a prisoner of war, of missing the lives they once enjoyed, of emotional abuse, of his threats to kill, of being treated like an animal, of continuous abuse, and of desiring freedom," the memo stated. Castro, who pleaded guilty last week to 937 counts of rape, kidnapping, and aggravated murder, will have his formal sentencing hearing Thursday. Read it at NBC News NICE TRY 5. Assad's Instagram 'Despicable' Note to dictators: Instagram won't solve your public-relations problems. The U.S. State Department had some harsh words for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's new Instagram account, calling the move a "despicable PR stunt." "It's repulsive that the Assad regime would use this to gloss over the brutality and suffering it's causing," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said. Assad opened the account under the username "syrianpresidency" and began sharing polished images of Assad and his glamorous wife, Asma. He's definitely not showing scenes of the violence that has killed more than 100,000 so far. Read it at NBC News McPROTEST Fast Food Strikes Spread Workers demand higher pay. MONSTER 'Rolling Stone' Dzhokhar Cover Sold Well Despite outrage and boycott. WOO-HOO House Passes Student-Loan Bill Obama expected to sign the deal. WAR ON DRUGS Uruguay Votes to Legalize Pot Would be first country ever. WHAT IF? Queen's WWIII Speech Revealed In case Cold War got hot. 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. Campaign Gone Wild by David Freedlander It's the Year of the Intern by Brandy Zadrozny 'Gigli,' the Worst Movie Ever by Marlow Stern

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