Cheat Sheet - The March on Washington Still Vividly Inspires

Today: Let It Bleed: No American Action Can Resolve the Syrian Conflict , Spies Intercepted Syrian Calls , Yosemite Fire Nears National Park August 28, 2013 SHINING EXAMPLE 1. The March on Washington Still Vividly Inspires Tone-deaf media coverage and indifferent politicians were no match for the thousands who marched on Washington in 1963 to support the Civil Rights movement. The Daily Beast's Jon Favreau on why the march continues to inspire us. Plus, Maurice Decaul on King's message of love, Brandy Zadrozny charts the progress of the civil rights movement, and more full coverage of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Read it at The Daily Beast Quagmire 2. Syria: Let It Bleed Punishing the Assad regime will sink the United States more deeply than ever into the epicenter of a widening regional conflict. No American action can resolve this, writes The Daily Beast's Christopher Dickey. Plus, Barak Barfi on how U.S. strikes help al Qaeda. Read it at The Daily Beast EVIDENCE 3. U.S. Spies Intercepted Syrian Calls So this is why everyone is so certain the Syrian government used chemical weapons last week. U.S. spies intercepted "panicked" phone calls between the Syrian Ministry of Defense and a leader of the chemical weapons unit in the hours after the deadly attack that left hundreds dead, Foreign Policy reported on Tuesday. American intelligence analysts say the phone calls combined with local doctors' accounts and the videos from the area have made them certain that chemical weapons were used—although U.S. spies have still have not acquired physical evidence. It's still unclear what happened inside the Syrian government leading up to the attack, and at least one U.N. official linked President Bashar al-Assad's brother to the attack, not the president himself. Meanwhile, al Qaeda vowed "volcano of revenge" against the Syrian regime in retaliation for the alleged nerve-gas attack. Read it at Foreign Policy STILL RAGING 4. Yosemite Fire Nears National Park The massive California wildfire that already has already destroyed 111 buildings moved closer to Yosemite National Park on Tuesday night—giving desperate firefighters limited options. The fire was 20 percent contained by Tuesday night, with 3,700 firefighters battling the blaze. "They're in scouting mode," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Dick Fleishman. "There's not a lot of real good areas to get out in there and do a lot of work." Firefighters were forced on Wednesday to close a key road to the National Park, the second of four access routes to the park to be closed. Meanwhile, smoke from the massive blaze triggered air quality warnings as far away as Nevada, 100 miles away. The fire has already burned through 184,500 acres, making it the sixth-largest in state history. Read it at Los Angeles Times DEADLY 5. 51 Killed in Baghdad Attacks At least 51 people were killed Wednesday in a series of bombings and gun attacks in Baghdad, as many fear Iraq is descending into sectarian chaos. In Sadr City, a mostly Shi'ite district in Baghdad, a restaurant owner described how a man had parked his car in front of the restaurant, ate breakfast—and the car exploded. "When I went outside, I saw his car completely damaged and he had disappeared," the restaurant owner said. At a checkpoint south of Baghdad, gunmen opened fire on six members of al-Sahwa, the former Sunni insurgents that fought against al Qaeda. More than 1,000 Iraqis were killed in July, the deadliest month in the country since 2008. Read it at Reuters 115TH PLACE Scientists Confirm New Chemical Element Needs a better name than ununpentium though. TRAGEDY Graffiti Artist's Family Sues Miami Beach After he was tased to death by police. WTF Pat Robertson: AIDS Spread Through Rings Gay people use them cut your fingers. Or something. HOTHEAD Alec Baldwin Fights with Paparazzo Again. THANKS LEE DANIELS Obama: I Cried at 'The Butler' But his favorite parts were Cuba Gooding Jr.'s jokes. 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. 5 Forgotten March on Washington Speeches We all know Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech from 1963. But to commemorate the march's 50th anniversary, here are some speeches from the historic event that you might not have heard. More Videos What Is One Direction? by Kevin Fallon Bachmann's Bete Noir by Ben Jacobs Is Prince Harry Getting Engaged? by Tom Sykes

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