The Morning Scoop - Obama's Libya Speech Will Clarify Policy

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MARCH 28, 2011

Rebels Aim for Gaddafi's Hometown Have the Libyan rebels gotten their act together? They retook several key towns along 150 miles of coastal road over the weekend-and are aiming now for Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. A rebel spokesman says that they have, in fact, already retaken Sirte after finding it unprotected. The Guardian says, however, there is "no sign the city has fallen." The rebels have also retaken the oil-rich towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf, which could provide them with revenue. Leslie H. Gelb writes that President Obama's speech tonight will convincingly explain U.S. policy toward Libya, and that while he won't say anything new-like committing to removing Gaddafi by force-he will say it better. Read it at The Daily Beast New Photos from Army 'Kill Team' Rolling Stone has published new photographs and video of the alleged crimes of 12 U.S soldiers in Afghanistan accused of forming a "kill team" to murder Afghan civilians. The images feature several mutilated corpses, and the video shows two U.S. soldiers, believed to be members of the "kill team," shooting two Afghans on a motorcycle. Rolling Stone says the Army tried to cover up the photos in its efforts to avoid an Abu Ghraib like scandal: They deleted files from the computers of more than a dozen soldiers and even went to soldiers' families' homes to confiscate copies of the files. Rolling Stone says, "the Army may also have been trying to keep secret evidence that the killings of civilians went beyond a few men in 3rd Platoon." Read it at Rolling Stone Japan: Partial Meltdown Occurred After indications to the contrary, it turns out that a partial meltdown did, in fact, occur at the No. 2 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant in Japan: Water 100,000 times more radioactive than usual is ''believed to have temporarily had contact with fuel rods [in the reactor's core] that have partially melted," according to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. The water is so radioactive that relief workers can only be near it for 15 minutes before falling ill. Workers are currently laboring to remove radioactive water from reactor No. 1 using three pumps. Read it at Kyodo News White House to Offer $20B in Cuts The White House and Senate Democrats are preparing to offer $20 billion in new spending cuts in order to avoid a government shutdown-but will it be enough for the Tea Party? The offer, which is Democrats' highest yet, comes on top of $10 billion in cuts that have already been enacted. The House GOP, however, has so far stood by its demand for $61 billion in cuts as it faces pressure from the Tea Party activists. Congress returns from recess Monday and has until April 8 before funding runs dry. Read it at The Wall Street Journal Libya Claims Arrests in Rape Case Libyan authorities say they have arrested five men after a woman burst into a hotel where foreign journalists were staying and claimed to have been raped. The woman, Iman al Obeidi, is reportedly a law school graduate, but a Libyan spokesman said she was a prostitute. Despite the arrests-which include the son of a high-ranking Libyan police officer-Obeidi has not been seen since Sunday. Libyan authorities say she is with her family and may soon participate in do interviews. Read it at Sky News Facebook May Hire Robert Gibbs To handle company's communications. Super Glue Inventor Dies Harry Coover was 94. Amy Adams to Play Lois Lane In Zach Snyder-directed Superman. Clinton: No Syria Intervention Despite growing violence. Simpsons Nuclear Jokes Cut In Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Sign up for The Yes List email, our weekly cultural recommendations. For more of The Daily Beast, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Eman al-Obeidi's Rape Accusations Against Gaddafi's Regime by Eliza Griswold The Libyan government said late Sunday that Eman al-Obeidi, the woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel and tried to tell foreign journalists about being raped by Gaddafi's men, has been released. But no one who knows al-Obeidi has heard from her. Eliza Griswold explains why the case may reveal brutal new war crimes against Libya's women. 25 Smartest College Towns by The Daily Beast With the NCAA Tournament Final Four now set, The Daily Beast crunches the numbers for the second time to find America's smartest-and dumbest-college towns. The Trouble With Britney Spears by Jacob Bernstein Britney Spears is promoting a new album, though it's unclear if she's fully recovered from her breakdown. But industry sources tell Jacob Bernstein that won't hurt her career.

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