Cheat Sheet - Murdoch to Pay Phone-Hacking Damages

Today: Costa Concordia's Reckless Captain, Kodak Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Santorum Up 34 Votes in Iowa January 19, 2012 PAYOUTS 1. Murdoch to Pay Phone-Hacking Damages Jude Law and a former deputy prime minister are among the recipients of 36 new phone-hacking settlements from Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper company, which has agreed to paydamages to people whose phones were hacked by the now-defunct tabloid News of the World. Others on the list include Sara Payne, the mother of murder victim Milly Dowler, former government ministers Chris Bryant and Tessa Jowell, and the model Abi Titmuss. The 36 settlements, however, represent only half the hacking lawsuits the company is facing, and only a fraction of the people thought to be victims of hacking. Mark Lewis, a lawyer for many of the victims, said the fight with Murdoch's company is not over. Read it at Associated Press DAREDEVIL 2. Costa Concordia's Reckless Captain As the Costa Concordia sinks deeper into the Mediterranean, the controversy swirling around Capt. Francesco Schettino is heating up. The Daily Beast's Barbie Latza Nadeau reports from Italy on the perma-tanned womanizer who says he 'tripped' into a lifeboat while the ship was sinking—and the manslaughter charges he faces. Read it at The Daily Beast DEVELOPMENT 3. Kodak Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday, following a long slide for the 131-year-old inventor of the handheld camera. Kodak has seen revenue halved since 2005 as it has struggled to cope with new digital technologies. In a last-ditch effort to stay solvent, the company tried to break into the digital printer market, but with little success. As part of the bankruptcy, Kodak secured a $950 million credit lifeline to keep it going for 18 months while it tries to sell off its 1,100 digital patents. Read it at The Washington Post CHECKMATE 4. Santorum Up 34 Votes in Iowa Did Rick Santorum win Iowa? Did anyone? Republican Party officials say we'll never know. The final count has Santorum ahead by 34 votes, but the results of eight precincts are missing and will never be counted or certified. Furthermore, the GOP discovered inaccuracies in 131 precincts, and changes in one precinct shifted the vote by 50. With such a large margin of error and so many remaining holes in the vote, Chad Olsen, the party's executive director, declared it a "split decision." Read it at Des Moines Register SNEAKY 5. Syria Laundering Oil Through Iran In new evidence of Iran's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials have discovered that Syria is shipping oil to Iran in order to avoid the American and European embargo. From Iran, the oil is sold on the international market, with funds going back to Damascus. Before the embargo, Syria got a third of its revenue from oil exports. Officials are also concerned that the Assad regime is spending that money on weapons from Russia. This week Moscow confirmed that a St. Petersburg-based ship delivered a cache of weapons to Syria. Read it at The Wall Street Journal LOOPHOLE Romney Gave Stock to Mormon Church Bought cheap through Bain, helped avoid taxes. READING Jihadist Magazine Found At Gitmo 'Inspire' sent to a prisoner. GRISLY Severed Hands, Feet Found in Hollywood Christine Pelisek on the search for clues. HURDLE Poll: Independents Sour on Obama Only 31 percent approve. HE'S STAYING! Beckham Re-Signs with L.A. Galaxy Will remain on the team for two more years. 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 The Yes List Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. Obama's Denial of Keystone Permit Was a Welcome Win Against Big Oil by Bill McKibben Newt Braces for Ex-Wife Interview by Howard Kurtz Meryl Streep: Is She Unbeatable for 'Iron Lady'? by Richard Rushfield

ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE Copyright 2011 The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC 555 W. 18th Street , New York NY 10011 Privacy Policy

If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your Web browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add thedailybeast@e2.thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you have changed your mind and no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can safely unsubscribe here.