 |  | 
May 31, 2012 | | HYPOCRITES After attacking the Affordable Care Act for three years, Republicans now say they’d like to keep its most popular provisions. The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky writes that the strategy is very convenient—and clueless. CRISIS The Syrian government released 500 political prisoners on Thursday, as shelling was reported in Houla, the site a deadly massacre less than a week ago. The Syrian rebels on Thursday called for a Friday deadline for a ceasefire as United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan's attempts to broker a peace deal stalled. The U.N. observers had reported finding 13 dead bodies bound and killed execution-style on Wednesday, shortly after Western nations coordinated an effort to expel all Syrian diplomats. More than 100 people were killed in Houla on Friday, with reports that shadowy men had went door-to-door and slaughtered people in their homes. U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said that if the Security Council cannot deliver action to end the violence, the member states may have to act outside the U.N. Violent Day The suspect in two Seattle shootings that left five dead fatally shot himself after a standoff with police Wednesday afternoon. Five other people died in the pair of shootings for which police believe the suspect was responsible. The shooter killed four people and wounded one other at a café in the university district in the north part of the city. An hour prior to the café shooting, a woman was killed in an apparent carjacking. Witnesses said the suspect fled the café on foot. Police were closing in on the suspect later in the day when he shot himself in the head, local media reported. COZY Embattled culture minister Jeremy Hunt testified Thursday before the Leveson Inquiry about his role in Rupert Murdoch’s controversial—and doomed—bid to take over the British broadcaster BSkyB. Hunt had been the minister responsible for overseeing the regulatory process behind News Corp.’s BSkyB takeover—and Hunt had the final say in approving it. Hunt testified Thursday that he was “sympathetic” to News Corp.’s bid, and apparently texted James Murdoch—Rupert’s son who was put in charge of the BSkyB deal—on the day that Hunt took over the BSkyB deal. | | 
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.
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment