Cheat Sheet - How Obama Writes the State of the Union

Today: Pete Seeger Dies at 94 , Obama to Raise Gov't Minimum Wage , A Bitcoin Boss's Bust Spotlights the Cryptocurrency's Link to Online Drug Sales January 28, 2014 MAKING IT "SING" 1. How Obama Writes the State of the Union For the three months leading up to tonight's address, President Obama has been working on his speech. Jon Favreau helped Obama write the past five addresses and shares what it's like inside the White House as the president pulls back-to-back 2 a.m. nights and pushes his staff to make the speech "sing." Read it at The Daily Beast THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS 2. Pete Seeger Dies at 94 Folk legend Pete Seeger died away of natural causes on Monday night at age of 94. Seeger wrote and adapted classic songs, including "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and the Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!" The folk singer was a major influence on Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Bruce Springsteen. Seeger was also a vocal political and social activist: he is the only singer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who was charged with contempt of Congress after he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955. An ardent communist in his younger years, Seeger maintained his belief in its ideals but broke with the party and later apologized for not condemning Stalin and the Soviet Union earlier. "Songs won't save the planet," Seeger said "But, then, neither will books or speeches…Songs are sneaky things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons." Read it at Rolling Stone DOLLARS AND SENSE 3. Obama to Raise Gov't Minimum Wage In tonight's State of the Union Address, President Obama will announce that he will use his executive powers to increase the minimum wage for workers on new government contracts. He will also call on Congress to pass legislation to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. "Hardworking Americans—including janitors and construction workers—working on new federal contracts will benefit from the Executive Order," the White House said in a statement. Congress hasn't raised the federal minimum wage in seven years. Read it at The Washington Post DIRTY MONEY 4. Will Drug Deals Tarnish Bitcoin? The feds arrested CEO of a Bitcoin exchange, Charlie Shrem, and charged him with money laundering in connection to a narcotics ring yesterday. Betsy Woodruff writes that the virtual currency isn't as anonymous or innocent as its fans believe. Is this the future of crime or the end of Bitcoin? Read it at The Daily Beast ROYAL MESS 5. Queen Down to Her Last Million Let's hope the royal baby grows up with a better sense of money management. A report for Britain's House of Commons shows deep concerns about the Queen's bank balance, which has dropped from £35 million to £1 million in just over a decade. At the same time, the royal palaces are "crumbling." The Public Accounts Committee report says the Queen needs to cut back on spending and claims that her advisers aren't doing enough to help her manage her finances. While government departments have cut their budgets by up to a third, the royal household has cut just 5 percent. MPs on the committee said the Treasury must "get a grip" to protect the royal palaces from "further deterioration and damage." Read it at The Telegraph STAND BY YOUR MAN Palin Defends McCain From AZ Republicans calling him a liberal. WHO WANTS THIS JOB? Ukraine PM Offers to Quit As protests burn up the country. MASKED AVENGERS Mexico Legalizes Vigilantism Gov't approves "self defense" groups. SWAN SONG iPod On Its Death Bed After years of plunging sales. FREAK OUT Black Death Could Strike Again Insight from victims' teeth DNA. 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. American Hustle Is Completely Overrated by Kevin Fallon Morgan Freeman: Human Race Is a 'Parasite' by Marlow Stern China's New Favorite Dictator by Kapil Komireddi

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