Cheat Sheet - Meet the Beer Bottle Dictator

Read This, Skip That .... August 12, 2014 HOPPING MAD 1. Meet the Beer Bottle Dictator For years, one man has approved virtually every beer label design in the United States. Among brewers, he's a tyrant. A legend. A pedantic pain in the ass. Widely regarded as an eccentric bureaucrat, Kent "Battle" Martin has awesome power over a multibillion-dollar industry. Read it at The Daily Beast DYING IN FEAR 2. Witness: Cop Hunted Michael Brown One of the last people who saw Michael Brown alive says the unarmed teen was shocked and scared that a cop attempted to choke him and, ultimately, gunned him down. Dorian Johnson, 22, was Brown's friend and an eyewitness to the murder. He rejected police claims that Brown shoved an officer, and instead described how a cop told them to "get the f—k on the sidewalk," and then threw his vehicle in reverse, nearly hitting them. Johnson said the officer threw the door open. When it bounced back after hitting Brown, the cop grabbed Brown by the neck, nearly choking him. "He's trying to pull him in. He's pulling away, that's when I heard, 'I'm gonna shoot you,'" said Johnson. "I could see so vividly what was going on because I was so close. I saw the barrel of the gun pointed at my friend. Then I saw the fire come out of the barrel." The identity of the officer who shot Brown has not been revealed. He is on paid administrative leave. Read it at MSNBC BACKTRACK 3. White House to Reverse Ban on Lobbyists The White House is set to partially reverse an administration-imposed ban on registered lobbyists serving in government. According to a copy of the new rule posted on the Federal Register site, lobbyists will be able to serve on more than 1,000 boards, panels, and commissions related to executive branch decision-making. The Obama administration initiated the ban on lobbyists in June 2010. The new rule says that lobbyists can only act in a "representative" capacity on behalf of private corporations, not as citizens or the government. Several lobbyists had filed suit against the ban, claiming it violated their constitutional rights. The reversal calls into question Obama's efforts to combat the influence of K Street. Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the government watchdog group Public Citizen, said "It really shows [the Office of Management and Budget] backpedaling on Obama's policies dealing with ethics and lobbying activity." Read it at Politico COME 'N' GET IT 4. Ukraine Is Now Wide Open to Invasion Ukraine just abandoned over 100 kilometers of its Russian border, reports Pierre Vaux. Thousands of troops were surrounded by pro-Russian rebels and saved from death by Kiev, but now several border crossings are completely vulnerable to the Russian military. Read it at The Daily Beast TWITTER ALLIANCE 5. The 44-Year-Old American Who Loved ISIS How could a grown man from North Carolina end up swearing allegiance to what are not just the bad guys but the very worst guys around? Michael Daly delves inside the arrest of a former bodybuilding champ who was snatched at JFK Airport after praising ISIS leaders. Read it at The Daily Beast PARCHED San Francisco Prepares to Ration Water California in midst of intense drought. RESOURCESFUL Tall Grass May Deter Plane-Bird Crashes Dayton is trying it out. REALLY? 'Death to Jews' Town Won't Change Name France's "La Mort aux Juifs." GRUESOME MMA Fighter's Ex Shares Abuse Photos War Machine allegedly beat porn star. FLYIN' IN STYLE Airline Gives Passengers Suites, Butlers A hotel basically. The Cut Women Pay the Price for Online Anonymity Huffington Post 6 Primaries To Watch This Week: Looking For The Next Michele Bachmann Rolling Stone Up Close with Tony Stewart, NASCAR' Nastiest Driver 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. [NSFW] Viral Video of the Day: Robin Williams on Golf This piece of comedic mastery is linguistically NSFW. More Videos Robin and Disney's Complex History by Kevin Fallon Why Roxane Gay Is No 'Bad Feminist' by Lizzie Crocker My Book Tour Death Threats by Bill Morris

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