Cheat Sheet - Can the U.S. Save Syria?

Today: Romney Arrives in Maine, Catholic Group Backs Obama, 8 Arrested In U.K. Phone Hacking February 11, 2012 CRISIS 1. Can the U.S. Save Syria? With Syrians being massacred daily, the United Nations is drafting yet another resolution calling on Bashar al-Assad to step down after Russia and China vetoed a similar measure last week. The Obama administration is finally moving to help, says Tara McKelvey--but is agonizing once again over the perils of intervention. Read it at The Daily Beast NEXT UP 2. Romney Arrives in Maine After calling himself the "severely conservative" candidate at Washington's conservative conference CPAC, Mitt Romney headed to Maine ahead of the state's final caucusing on Saturday—a contest where he faces an ongoing threat from Ron Paul. Romney held his first town hall in the state on Friday night, where he focused on attacking President Obama's policy shift regarding religious institutions and health care. Ron Paul, meanwhile, looked to grab his first victory in the 2012 Republican race, with strong organization in the state where Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have not campaigned heavily. Paul, who won 18 percent of Maine's vote in 2008 and whose support has only grown in the state since then, drew huge crowds Friday—enough of a threat that Romney added two caucus appearances to his schedule on Saturday. Read it at Politico CONTRACEPTION 3. Catholic Group Backs Obama A key Catholic group has backed President Obama's Friday announcement that he would not enforce a provision of the health-care law that required religious institutions to pay for women's birth control. Sister Carol Keehan of the Catholic Health Organization said the president "has responded to the issues we identified that needed to be fixed." Keehan and the support of her organization represent exactly who Obama was hoping to win over: Catholic Democrats. Obama apparently spoke to Keehan and Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the head of the U.S. Conference of Bishops and a cardinal-designate, before announcing the policy change—but it's unclear what exactly they discussed. While the Republican candidates for president were quick to say they opposed the health-care law in the first place, conservatives remained unmoved by the policy shift, with Rick Santorum saying Friday that the debate had "not been about birth control" but about "economic liberty." Read it at The New York Times CORRUPTION 4. 8 Arrested In U.K. Phone Hacking Eight people were arrested early Saturday in connection to alleged payments between British police and public officials in the latest development in the phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The company confirmed that five employees of its daily newspaper The Sun were arrested, and they reportedly included the deputy editor, the chief correspondent, and the picture editor. A News Corp. source said Sun editor Dominic Mohan is "not resigning" but said it had been "obviously a dramatic day for him." Also arrested on Saturday were a 39-year-old Surrey police officer, a 39-year-old Ministry of Defense employee, and a 36-year-old member of the armed forces. Read it at Guardian CRISIS 5. Greek Leaders Warn of Default In the midst of a two-day strike, Greek leaders warned a "dangerous, unknown" path is ahead if an agreement is not reached over the deeply unpopular European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout. "The consequences of a disorderly default would be incalculable for the country—not just for the economy," said Deputy Finance Minister Filippos Sachinidis. Parliament will vote Sunday over the 3.3 billion euros in deep austerity cuts proposed in the 130v billion euro bailout that Greece desperately needs to avoid default—which could result in the country being removed from the euro regime. While Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has a majority, six cabinet members have resigned in protest and a number of lawmakers have said they are planning on voting against the deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Friday that there will be "uncontrollable consequences" for the euro zone should Greece default. Read it at Reuters BREAKTHROUGH? Diplomat: Iran Ready to Deal Turk calls a military strike "a disaster." ALLEGATIONS Report: Ray Nagin Under Investigation Former New Orleans mayor accused of corruption. REVOLUTION Strikes Mark Egypt Anniversary One year since Mubarak's fall. MEN'S HEALTH Is Harry Out of Shape? The prince got winded in a hurry on a treadmill. HELLO! First Blue Ivy Photos Revealed Beyonce, Jay-Z post pics on Tumblr. 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. Health-Care Critics Unmoved by Obama's Contraception Compromise by Kirsten Powers The Week's Best Longreads: The Daily Beast Picks for Feb. 11, 2012 by David Sessions Loveable Beasts: Animals with Heart Marks (Photos) by The Daily Beast

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