Cheat Sheet - Obama’s High-Stakes Iran Summit

Today: Romney Racks Up Big Endorsements , U.S. to Justify Killing American Terrorists , Deepwater Drilling Roars Back to Life March 05, 2012 DIPLOMACY 1. Obama’s High-Stakes Iran Summit A day after warning a pro-Israel lobby to avoid too much “loose talk” of war with Iran, President Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a high-stakes Washington summit. The Daily Beast’s Eli Lake on why Netanyahu believes that the time to strike Iran’s nuke facilities is now—and how a strongly worded plea from the president could change his mind. Plus, Aram Roston on the Iranian hawks who may be clamoring for war. Read it at The Daily Beast Super Tuesday 2. Romney Racks Up Big Endorsements Several major Republicans got behind Romney this weekend, with another expected to endorse today. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Sen. Tom Coburn both came out in favor of Romney on Sunday, saying he was best equipped to challenge President Obama. John Ashcroft is expected to endorse Romney today. Even Barbara Bush is making robocalls on his behalf. With Romney now running even against Rick Santorum in Ohio, the Republican leadership has good reason for wanting to wrap up the race with Super Tuesday. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that 40 percent of adults say the primary has made them feel less favorable toward the Republican Party. Even Romney, despite leading the field, has high negatives: 28 percent of voters have a favorable impression of him, while 39 percent have an unfavorable one. Read it at The New York Times Justification 3. U.S. to Justify Killing American Terrorists Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to give the most detailed explanation yet of the Obama administration’s rational for killing U.S. citizens abroad. Critics have demanded a more thorough explanation since last year's killing of the New Mexico–born Anwar al-Awlaki, who was suspected of working with al Qaeda. In Awlaki’s killing, the administration relied on a classified opinion written by the Justice Department’s legal counsel, but has refused to release the document. Sources tell The Washington Post that Holder will argue that a 2001 congressional authorization of the use of military force also justified the government to kill American terrorists abroad. Newsweek’s Daniel Klaidman first reported on the speech in January. Read it at The Washington Post BACK TO NORMAL 4. Deepwater Drilling Roars Back to Life Nearly two years after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, deepwater drilling has regained momentum in that region and around the world. Now that the yearlong drilling moratorium has been lifted, many oil companies, including BP, have resumed drilling in the area, often in waters out of American control, but where an accident would still impact the United States. The pace of drilling is likely to surpass the levels before the accident, because of the high worldwide demand for energy. One energy expert said, “We need oil. The industry will have to improve and regulators will have to adjust, but the public will have to deal with the risk of drilling in deep waters or get out of their cars.” Read it at The New York Times Unrest 5. Police Surround Moscow A day after he choked up celebrating his “clear victory” over his rivals, Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin ordered 12,000 police to prepare for protests. Russia’s election commission says Putin won more than 63 percent of the vote, with his closest rival getting just more than 17 percent. But Golos, an independent election watchdog, said the polls could not be considered fair, and there have been numerous reports of people casting multiple ballots. Second-place finisher Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist Party, who has previously been loyal to Putin, called the elections “unfair and unworthy.” Read it at The Telegraph BACKLASH More Advertisers Abandon Limbaugh Michael Medved on why he had to apologize. Terrorism 25 Police Killed in Iraq Disguised gunmen strike checkpoints. SAD Baby Found After Tornado Dies Bringing death toll in Indiana to 13. On the Loose Tokyo Searches for Escaped Penguin Young bird seen bathing in river. BOX OFFICE ‘Lorax’ Has Year’s Biggest Opening Rakes in $70.7 million. 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 The Yes List Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. China’s Tigress Tycoons by Amy Chua Livestrong, Be Bullied by Alex Heard Don’t Talk, Bobbi Kristina by Allison Samuels

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