Cheat Sheet - Memo to the South: Go Ahead, Secede Already!

Today: Zimmerman: No 'Stand Your Ground' Hearing , Obama: No 'Rush' on Syria , 'Kinky Boots' Gets 13 Tony Nods April 30, 2013 MEMO TO THE SOUTH 1. Go Ahead, Secede Already! Let's face it—on nearly every important issue, from gun control to immigration to gay marriage, red states are holding America back. Hundreds of thousands of petitioners from a handful of those states still want to secede. Well, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Lee Siegel on why the South should get the hell out of the union. Read it at The Daily Beast Trayvon Martin Case 2. Zimmerman: No 'Stand Your Ground' Hearing George Zimmerman is putting his faith in a jury of his peers. The former neighborhood watch leader charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin passed on the opportunity to seek an immunity hearing with a judge as part of Florida's "stand your ground" law. If he agreed to the hearing, a judge would have had sole discretion in determining whether he is immune from culpability in the killing of Martin under the state's self-defense law. By not seeking the hearing, he is instead agreeing to let a jury make the determination in a trial. Read it at Associated Press Still Need the Facts 3. Obama: No 'Rush' on Syria President Obama said in a press conference Tuesday that there is evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria but that the U.S. doesn't know "how they were used, when they were used, who used them"—and that he would not be "rushing to judgment" without more facts. If chemical weapons were used, he said, the administration would have to "rethink the range of options that are available to us." The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz reports. Read it at The Daily Beast GREAT WHITE WAY 4. 'Kinky Boots' Gets 13 Tony Nods Girls really do have more fun. Kinky Boots, the Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, led the Tony nominations on Tuesday with 13, while heavyweights Tom Hanks and Nathan Lane will face each other for Best Actor. Kinky Boots, which opened earlier this month to mixed reviews, has serious competition from Matilda, the musical adaption of Roald Dahl's book. Also nominated were A Christmas Story and Bring It On: The Musical. The play revival Golden Boy led the play nominations with eight, with the late Nora Ephron's final play, Lucky Guy, receiving six. Hanks, Lane, Holland Taylor, and Laurie Metcalf were all nominated, but there were some big-name snubs, including Bette Midler, Jessica Chastain, Katie Holmes, Scarlett Johansson, and Al Pacino. Read it at USA Today HUZZAH 5. Daily Beast Wins Webby for News We did it! For the second year in a row, The Daily Beast has won the Webby Award for Best News, beating out competition from NPR.org, BBC News, NYTimes.com, and The Huffington Post. (HuffPo won the "People's Voice" vote in the same category.) Now in their 17th year, the Webby Awards honor the best of the Web. Other winners include Tumblr-savvy singer Frank Ocean for Person of the Year, Jerry Seinfeld for his Web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and The Onion for Best Humor website. Congrats to all the nominees! Read it at The Webby Awards MOMMY AND ME TIME Yahoo Extends Maternity Leave Up to 16 weeks paid for mothers, eight weeks for fathers. THIS GUY Man Loses Life Savings at Carnival Walks away with nothing but a stuffed banana. SHE WENT THERE Colbert Busch Asks Sanford About Affair He smiles, says he couldn't hear her. WELCOME BACK Maria Shriver to Return to NBC News Will be women's correspondent. MOTHER OF DRAGONS 'Game of Thrones' Breaks Record For highest viewership. 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. Jason Collins: 'It's Incredible' After coming out in 'Sports Illustrated,' NBA center Jason Collins sat down with GMA's George Stephanopoulos. 'When you finally get to that point of acceptance, there's nothing more beautiful,' he said. More Videos Will This Pill Fix Your Sex Life? by Jennifer Block The Late-Term Abortion Firestorm by Michelle Goldberg Summer Movie Preview! by Marlow Stern

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