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Friday, February 17, 2012

Cheat Sheet - Will Iran and al Qaeda Team Up?

Today: Why the GOP Caved, German President Quits, Robbers Raid Greek Museum
The Daily Beast Cheat Sheet: Morning

February 17, 2012
SHADOWY

Sunni al Qaeda and Shia Iran despise each other, but in a scenario where the "enemy of my enemy is my friend," they could ally against the U.S. and Britain, writes Bruce Riedel.

PAYROLL TAX

Tired of watching the president claim the mantle of middle-class protector, Republicans in Congress caved on the payroll-tax extension vote. John Batchelor tries to find out what happened.

DISGRACED

German President Christian Wulff announced Friday that he was quitting over a scandal that he allegedly received favors before taking up his post in 2010, when Chancellor Angela Merkel nominated him for the job. The scandal began in December, when it was revealed that when Wulff was the governor of Lower Saxony, he had received a large loan from a wealthy businessman friend's wife. On Thursday, prosecutors took the unprecedented step of asking Parliament to lift Wulff's immunity, as they allege that he might have accepted benefits from David Groenwold, a German film producer. German presidents primarily function as a moral authority, and this latest affair doesn't help.

BY ZEUS!

First the fear of default and deep austerity cuts, then the riots and now this. Armed robbers overpowered a female guard Friday and broke into the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, stealing artifacts, police said. They tied and gagged the guard and took up to 68 small clay and brass statues and a gold ring, then left. The museum is built on the birthplace of the ancient Olympic games, and is considered one of the most important cultural institutions in Greece. But recent cuts to the museum staff show security is being affected, and Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos has submitted his resignation. The gods at Mount Olympus must not be pleased.

MO' MONEY

An outsider he is not. Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum might have a tough time painting himself as a warrior against the status quo in Washington now that he's released his tax returns. It turns out Santorum made $3.6 million as a "consultant" and also claimed a German luxury sedan as a business expense. Santorum has tried to paint himself as an average American and has focused on his humble roots as the grandson of a coal miner to connect with voters. He has tried to downplay his wealth on the campaign trail, highlighting instead his social conservatism.


TRAGIC
New York Times's Anthony Shadid Dies
Was paper's Beirut bureau chief.
SHOOTOUT
Federal Agent Kills Colleague
At California office building.
DAMAGE CONTROL
Murdoch Visits Angry 'Sun' Staff
Promises to launch Sunday version of paper.
ROUNDUP
NY Fashion Week Offers Some Crazy Threads
Common theme in all the shows.
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