Cheat Sheet - Why You Shouldn’t Take Sean Penn Seriously

Today: Report: Fiscal-Cliff Deal on Table , An Idiot’s Guide to New Year’s Wine , NYT Chronicles Unhappy Senators December 28, 2012 Fair Game 1. Shut Up, Sean Penn The left-leaning actor/activist/Hugo Chávez BFF has added a new title to his résumé: journalist. The Daily Beast’s Michael Moynihan takes a read—and finds Penn's writings to be "unbearably long, always rambling and tedious, and frequently incoherent." Read it at The Daily Beast CRISIS AVERTED? 2. Report: Fiscal-Cliff Deal on Table Is it almost over? Perhaps, top aides to congressional leaders told The New York Times on Friday. A potential compromise is reportedly being explored that would include a scaled-down proposal preventing tax increases on household incomes of $400,000 or below. The agreement is said to be “in the early stages and far from a certainty.” The deal does not stop automatic spending cuts from hitting military and domestic programs beginning Wednesday, nor does it raise the statutory borrowing limit, but those issues will reportedly be resolved in another showdown early next year. White House official deny that the agreement is developing, again echoing its mandate that only income up to $250,000 be protected from tax increases. Read it at The New York Times Guzzle It 3. An Idiot’s Guide to New Year’s Wine Face it, you don’t know what you’re doing. The Daily Beast’s Winston Ross gives you a primer on the whites and reds that’ll help you ring in 2013 in style—and on the cheap. Read it at The Daily Beast NOT TOO HAPPY 4. NYT Chronicles Unhappy Senators Is there anything sadder than working the week between Christmas and New Year’s? The New York Times on Friday chronicled the unhappy senators, forced to trudge back to the Hill this week to tackle the fiscal cliff, while their House counterparts have refused to return and could hypothetically be having all the fun in the world. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid didn’t mince words, saying members of the House “should be here,” but are instead “are out watching movies and watching their kids play soccer and basketball and all kinds of things.” But there’s one member of Congress happy to be there: the newest member of the Senate, Hawaii’s Brian Schatz, who was appointed Wednesday and has yet to be beaten down by Washington. Read it at The New York Times TRAGIC 5. Indian Rape Victim’s Organs Fail Doctors said on Friday that a New Delhi gang-rape victim’s condition is deteriorating after she suffered a brain injury during the horrific attack, which has sparked protests throughout the country. The Indian medical student was brutally raped, beaten, and thrown from a moving bus on December 16. Her injuries were so severe that she spent several days in intensive care before being airlifted for treatment to Singapore. Now doctors say her vital organs have failed. "Her family members have been informed that her condition has deteriorated and they are currently by her side to encourage and comfort her,” her doctors said in a statement. Read it at Reuters HARSH REACTION Putin Signs U.S. Adoption Ban “Practically, adoption stops on Jan. 1.” I SEE YOU Congress Extends Surveillance Bill Despite protests over privacy breaches. BUNGA BUNGA Berlusconi’s Ex to Get $48M a Year In divorce settlement. WOUNDED Three Cops Shot in N.J. At police station; gunman killed himself. BUST Katie Holmes Flops on Broadway The title “Dead Accounts” predicted it. 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 Culture Beast Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. Subway Suspect Caught on Video New Yorkers can rest assure that subway pushers can't escape the camera. The NYPD released footage today of a woman who is believed to have thrown a man in front of a 7 train in Queens. Police are on the hunt for the woman, described as a 'heavyset Hispanic woman in her 20s,' who fled the scene. This is the second subway death this month. More Videos Catholic Priests Blame Women for Stiletto Murders by Barbie Latza Nadeau Lanza’s DNA Is Irrelevant by Kent Sepkowitz Best Songs of the Year by Marlow Stern

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