Cheat Sheet - The al Qaedastan Threat

Today: Polar Vortex Freezes U.S. , Russia Launches Sochi Security , Yellen Confirmed as Fed Chairwoman January 07, 2014 FALLUJAH 1. The al Qaedastan Threat Al Qaeda affiliates have taken over Fallujah in Iraq, but U.S. officials tell The Daily Beast's Eli Lake that there's little chance they can actually hold on to the city. "It's far more significant for the future of (al Qaeda's Iraq affiliate) that the Sunni Islamist groups are turning on them," said Will McCants, the director of the project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. The group responsible for 9/11 terrorist attacks has never succeeding at governing—and Fallujah could be their Waterloo. Read it at The Daily Beast SUB ZERO 2. Polar Vortex Freezes U.S. Dear Michelle Obama, how many guests can you take on your Hawaiian vacation? How about 180 million? The polar vortex spread across the U.S. on Tuesday, with more than 180 million Americans affected and every state except Hawaii experiencing freezing temperatures somewhere. In the Upper Midwest, temperatures are expected to drop to 30 degrees below zero—before wind chill is even factored in. With temperatures as low as -40 in the northern part of Minnesota, Gov. Mark Dayton ordered all schools in the state closed, the first statewide action of its kind in 17 years. "These are temperatures that we haven't seen for decades," said Jen Carfagna, a forecaster for The Weather Channel. But the end is in sight: the polar vortex should be moving out by Thursday, with temperatures in the Great Lakes and the Northeast expected to reach the balmy 20s and 30s. Read it at NBC News SAFETY 3. Russia Launches Sochi Security Russia launched a massive security operation for the Sochi Olympics on Tuesday following the high-profile bombings in Volgograd and a vow by Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov to attack the Games. More than 30,000 police and interior ministry troops have been deployed to the Sochi region, and Russian officials are establishing two security zones to protect the Games. In a "controlled zone" to be set up near the Olympic venues, access will be restricted to people with tickets and proof of identity. An outer "forbidden zone" will also be set up around Sochi to prevent vehicles that are not registered locally and do not have special accreditation to enter the city. The security measures come in addition to a ban last year against protest rallies. Read it at BBC News girl power 4. Yellen Confirmed as Fed Chairwoman She's in. On Monday, the Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as chair of the Federal Reserve. She was nominated by President Obama in October after Ben Bernanke announced his January departure, and is the first woman to lead the Fed in its 100-year history. Yellen, who is currently second in command, will take the position on Feb. 1 and chair her first meeting in mid-March. The central bank's biggest challenge to come will be scaling back the economy's government dependency. Read it at Business Insider THE ORIGINAL SNOWDENS 5. FBI Burglars from '71 Confess Forty-three years is long enough for silence, we want all the juicy details now. In 1971 eight antiwar activists broke into an FBI building in Media, Pennsylvania and walked off with nearly every document in the building. The group then released the FBI files to the press and disappeared without ever being caught. Their motivation? To prove that J. Edgar Hoover's FBI was breaking the law. Now, five members have come forward to reveal their identities in a new book and documentary. The burglars included mastermind William Davidon, who was a professor of physics at Haverford College, as well as other academics and a cab driver. And how did they manage to get in to the FBI building and steal all those secrets? They used a crowbar. Read it at The Daily Beast REASSIGNMENT Turkey Fires 350 Police Officers After a corruption investigation. DRAMATIC FSU Beats Auburn 34-31 BCS is third national title for Seminoles. NOT SO ROYAL Spanish Princess Charged Accused of fraud and money-laundering. YIKES Michael Bay Storms Off Stage After botched speech. GET OUT Seinfeld, Larry David Collaborating On a new mystery project. So Seinfeld says. The Wrap Lady Gaga Begs Fan's Forgiveness for "ARTPOP" Flop PopSugar Megan Hilty Consoles her "Smash" Fans Wonderwall Emma Roberts Engaged 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. The Boss's Bust by Andrew Romano Sexting Gets Ugly by Charlotte Lytton Jessica Biel Tackles Motherhood by Marlow Stern

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