Cheat Sheet - American Political Prisoners Around the World

Today: Mandela: The Miracle Maker , Nuke Deal Sparks Iran Hope , Gitmo Inmates Released to Algeria December 06, 2013 POLITICAL PRISONERS 1. Americans Locked Up Overseas On the fourth anniversary of his imprisonment in Cuba, American Alan Gross wrote a desperate letter to President Obama, begging for help. The Daily Beast's Brandy Zadrozny reviews the roster of Americans held in foreign nations, and explains why it's so hard to get them released. Read it at The Daily Beast BACKLASH 2. Ted Cruz Supporters Rip Mandela As we mourn Nelson Mandela and honor his memory, it's important to remember that—for most of his life—he was a polarizing and divisive figure, and still is in some quarters. To wit: When Republican Sen. Ted Cruz posted a straightforward tribute to Mandela on his Facebook page, the comments from Cruz's supporters quickly got ugly. The Daily Beast's Jamelle Bouie on the GOP's Mandela problem. Read it at The Daily Beast Goodbye 3. Mandela Funeral Set for Dec. 15 President Obama and Michelle will travel to South Africa to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral, which is set for December 15. The funeral, which is expected to draw scores of world leaders, could become the largest global funeral since that of Princess Diana in 1996. There was a moment of silence in recognition of Mandela at the Johannesburg stock exchange at 11 a.m. Friday morning, and South African president Jacob Zuma declared December 8 a national day of prayer. Read it at USA Today FINALLY! 4. November Jobs Report Is Actually Great The economy added 203,000 jobs in November, according to today's data—and the unemployment rate dipped (to a five-year low of seven percent) for all the right reasons. There's just one downside, writes The Daily Beast's Daniel Gross: stubbornly stagnant wages. When will corporate America wake up? Read it at The Daily Beast DRAW DAY 5. U.S. Plays Ghana in World Cup The balls were drawn in São Paolo on Friday morning, and the U.S. national soccer team will face Ghana in their first game at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four, and the U.S. landed in a "death group" with powerful teams Germany, Portugal, and Ghana. The host team, Brazil, will face Croatia in the opening match of the cup; the only new team, Bosnia-Herzegovina, got an unlucky draw and will have to face the always-lethal Argentina. Other exciting pairings that came out of the draw include defending champions Spain vs. the Netherlands, a rematch of the 2010 final, and England vs. Italy. Read it at FIFA LOOKING UP Nuke Deal Sparks Iran Hope As economy improves slightly. BRRRR Ice Storm Shuts Down South Winter storm warnings across country. CLOSED INDEFINITELY 23andMe Suspends Testing Service To comply with FDA directive. MANDELA OBIT Bono: 'The Man Who Couldn't Cry' Says Mandela influenced U2's message. ORIGINAL CAST Gretl Slams 'Sound of Music' Said live performance was 'painful to watch.' The Wrap Hollywood Reacts to NBC's 'Sound of Music Live' GQ The Year in Babes! PopSugar Winter Reading List: 25 MUST READS! 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. Nelson Mandela's Violent Struggle by Christopher Dickey Jay Z's Vegan Diet is a Mistake by Kent Sepkowitz Manhattan's Crazy, Must-See Light-Art Show by Alexa O'Brien

ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE Copyright 2013 The 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.