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Monday, December 30, 2013

Cheat Sheet - Why Did Obama Reach Out to Islamists in Syria?

Today: Second Russian Bombing Kills 14 , Al Jazeera Journalists Arrested , Suspected Bank Robber Killed
Cheat Sheet: Morning

December 30, 2013
FAILED

The Obama administration approached the Islamic Front in Syria earlier this month as part of the next step in the White House's Syria policy—although the Islamist group pulled out of the meeting. Top officials said the White House is motivated by flawed and unrealistic goals after the Western-backed Free Syrian Army suffered major setbacks in the bloody civil war and was forced to flee its headquarters. "They are not al Qaeda, but the Islamic Front groups often fight alongside al Qaeda affiliates like Jabhat al Nusra," said Andrew Tabler, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

EXPLOSION

At least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured Monday in a bombing on a trolleybus in the Russian city of Volgograd, the second deadly blast in the city in two days. The attacks come just weeks before Russia will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, about 430 miles away. Federal investigators called Monday's bombing a "terrorist act," and witnesses described a bloody scene with bodies and debris strewn into the streets. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack, and police said they are adding officers to railway stations and airports. But the deputy head of the anti-terrorism unit, Alexei Filatov, told Reuters that the increased security around Sochi is what is driving terrorists to strike in cities like Volgograd.

IN CUSTODY

Egyptian police arrested four Al Jazeera journalists on Sunday night. Correspondent Peter Greste, cameraman Mohamed Fawzy, and producers Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed are still being held Monday, despite demands from the network to release them. The Committee to Protect Journalists has named Egypt as one of the most difficult places in the world for journalists, along with Syria and Iraq. Six journalists were killed in Egypt in 2013, and conditions have deteriorated since former President Mohamed Morsi's ouster in July.

BLOODY END

Phoenix police shot and killed Mario Edward Garnett after a botched bank robbery on Saturday, ending a manhunt for a suspect with an unfathomable rap sheet. Garnett was wanted for two separate bank robberies in Atlanta and Tupelo, Miss., on Dec. 23, according to the FBI. Garnett allegedly shot two police officers in the Mississippi robbery, killing one. The Secret Service said Garnett was arrested in 2010 in Oklahoma City after being accused of making online threats against President Obama. A Phoenix police spokesman said Garnett, 40, was originally from the Midwest and served four years in the Army, but it doesn't appear that he knew anyone in Phoenix. Authorities said they have no idea what he was doing from Dec. 23 until Dec. 28.

EYEWITNESS

South Sudan is being torn apart again—this time in the name of democracy. But the media reports are wrong: this is not ethnic fighting, but rather a power grab, writes Valentino Deng, the subject of 2007's What Is the What and who was in Juba when the conflict began.


TERRIFYING
Shots Fired at Ambassador's House
Home of German diplomat in Athens.
R.I.P.
Billionaire Harold Simmons Dies
Big donor to conservative causes
GET WELL SOON
Schumacher Still 'Critical'
Doctors say they can't predict the future.
Comeback
Peyton Manning Breaks Pass Record
5,477 yards in the regular season.
BAD STOCK
'Hobbit' Wins Box Office
"Wolf of Wall Street" starts strong and then falters.
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