Cheat Sheet - The Food Fight Heard 'Round the World

Today: Congress Receives Confusing Benghazi Briefing From Administration , Hostess Going Out of Business , Petraeus: I Knew Benghazi Was Terrorism November 16, 2012 FOOD FIGHT 1. The Review Heard 'Round the World A viral war between New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells and Food Network star Guy Fieri broke out after a scathing assessment of the TV chef's new restaurant in New York's Times Square. Why are foodie tensions running so high? The Daily Beast's Katie Baker poses several possible answers—and reveals how a war of words devolved into a red-state blue-state showdown for a nation still smarting from Election Day wounds. Read it at The Daily Beast CONFLICT 2. Israel on the Brink Hamas fired rockets into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv today, escalating the battle outside Gaza. But the greater conflict is the deepening regional and international isolation of Israel, writes The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan. The U.S. finances and defends the Jewish state, but is seemingly powerless to shape or influence, let alone dictate its policies. Read it at The Daily Beast EVERYTHING MUST GO 3. Hostess Going Out of Business Get those Twinkies while you can, as they might soon be a thing of the past. Hostess announced on Friday it is going out of business, claiming that a union strike ruined its operations. Hostess has filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court asking to close and sell its assets. This may mean the end of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and Wonder Bread, although the company said it may sell its recipes to the highest bidder. Bakery operations have ended at all company plants, and the company will lay off all 18,500 employees. Hostess Brands will continue to be sold for the next several days until all of the already-baked products are sold. Read it at CNN MESSY 4. Petraeus: I Knew Benghazi Was Terrorism Cowering behind closed doors is not in the cards for Gen. David Petraeus today. The former CIA director testified before House and Senate committees Friday that he always knew the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was terrorism, although that is not how the Obama administration described it. Rep. Adam Schiff of California said Petraeus disputed Republican suggestions that the CIA misled the White House on the attack. Petraeus did not discuss details of his extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Read it at The Associated Press AND SO IT BEGINS 5. Obama, Congress Meet on Fiscal Cliff President Obama and congressional leaders seemed in good spirits Friday as they began talks on a possible deficit-reduction deal that would prevent the country from careening off the "fiscal cliff." Obama opened by noting that the biggest challenge will be to ensure they can "cooperate together" and "make tough compromises." Before the media was ushered out, Obama wished House Speaker John Boehner a happy birthday. "We're not going to embarrass him with a cake," he joked, "because we didn't know how many candles were needed." Boehner chuckled and shook the president's hand. How cute. Read it at The Washington Post OH, SNAP! Fox News: 'Rove Was Wrong' Network chief calls out his snafu. BE OUR GUEST Jill Kelley Visited White House Three times in the past year DISASTER Fire on Louisiana Oil Rig No oil reported leaking. CALL ANSWERED 'Black Ops II' Smashes Sales Records Sells $500M worth of games in first day. YOUNG LOVE Bieber & Gomez Reconnect Despite Selena's attempts to cut him off. 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. Colbert is in a Tizzy! Stephen Colbert finally broke down and turned to the General Petraeus affair for laughs, saying 'this sex scandal is all anyone in Washington can talk about. I wonder why the country is in financial ruin?' More Videos Petraeus Faces Congress by Eli Lake Sandy's Stolen Memories by Nina Strochlic 'Twilight' Jumps the Shark by Ramin Setoodeh

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