Cheat Sheet - Exclusive: Syria’s Jihadists Linked to Organized Crime

Today: Cheney: White House Lied , Gavin Arvizo's New Beginning: Jackson Abuse Accuser Gets Married at 24 , Bibi Not Attending Mandela Funeral December 09, 2013 SKETCHY 1. Syria's Jihadists Linked to Organized Crime Syria's insurgent militias are becoming more enmeshed with organized crime, blurring the line between insurgents and racketeers and undermining the rebels' efforts to maintain sagging popular support for the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Al Qaeda-affiliated groups in particular, reports The Daily Beast's Jamie Dettmer, have started working with crime syndicates and racketeering thugs for kidnappings, arms-smuggling, and widespread looting. Read it at The Daily Beast POT TO KETTLE 2. Cheney: White House Lied Takes one to know one. On Fox and Friends, former Vice President Dick Cheney attacked President Obama and his team for their promise that people could keep their plan under Obamacare if they liked it. "It was a lie. It was deliberate. They knew if they told the truth, the bill would've never passed," said Cheney. He made a personal argument against the president, citing his well-documented heart troubles which he said required having access to the same doctors over the years. "One of the most important decisions I made was I had exactly two doctors who covered me over that 35-year period of time and that was crucial in terms of my care," explained Cheney. Read it at Politico AWKWARD 3. Jackson Accuser's New Beginning At the center of the sensational 2005 Michael Jackson sex abuse trial, Gavin Arvizo's abuse allegations almost brought down the King of Pop. Last week, reports The Daily Beast's Diane Dimond, he wed his longtime sweetheart in front of the prosecutor, his mom—now named Janet Jackson—and a DJ who unknowingly spun an MJ tune. Read it at The Daily Beast 'LOGISTICAL CONCERNS' 4. Bibi Not Attending Mandela Funeral Doesn't the funeral of a world icon merit dipping into some savings? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be attending Nelson Mandela's memorial on Tuesday, due to the high cost and several other logistical concerns. An unnamed representative will attend in his place. The trip is estimated to cost roughly $2 million. In addition to the cost, the short notice of the trip and the complex security arrangements made it difficult for Netanyahu to attend. Fifty-nine heads of state are expected to attend Mandela's memorial, including U.S. President Obama, who left Washington on Monday morning for South Africa. Read it at the Jerusalem Post RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION 5. Bill Clinton Criticizes NSA This might make for an awkward plane ride to the Mandela service. Former President Bill Clinton told Brazilian newspaper O Globo that, "We should never collect economic information under the pretext of security." Clinton is in the country for Clinton Global Initiative, and his declaration comes after reports that the NSA collected financial information on Petrobras, Brazil's state-run oil company. The reports also said that the NSA targeted Google and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. While failing to offer reasons why the spying was conducted beyond national security, the U.S. government said it is not done to steal trade secrets. Clinton had previously criticized the NSA spying on foreign leaders, saying it had a "damaging effect." Read it at Washington Post NOT A GAME NSA Spied on World of Warcraft Xbox gaming console has 48 million members. RAGS TO RUCGES One in Five Americans Will Be Rich At some point in their life. BIRTH CONTROL Is NuvaRing Deadly? Allegedly caused blood clots in thousands. LEGENDS La Russa, Torre, Cox Make Hall Three of the most successful managers ever. FINALLY 'Homeland' Is Finally Back on Track With Season 3's penultimate episode. NY Magazine Everything Ben Affleck Knows About Directing, He Learned From Gigli Condé Nast Traveler World's Biggest Airline: American and US Airways Merger Completed Esquire Glenn Greenwald: What I've Learned 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. Moral Courage TV: Victoria Johnson Meet a woman who won't take workplace bullying. This video is part of the Moral Courage Project, founded by Irshad Manji. More Videos When Salinger Spoke Out by Nicolaus Mills The Pre-Emptive War on Hillary by Michelle Cottle Inside 'American Hustle' by Marlow Stern

ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE Copyright 2013 The Daily Beast Company LLC 555 W. 18th Street , New York NY 10011 Privacy Policy

If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your Web browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add thedailybeast@e2.thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you have changed your mind and no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can safely unsubscribe here.