 |  | 
December 17, 2013 | | NERVOUS WRECK "Black swans" are the unlikely and unforeseen events that change the world. An awful lot of them seem to be circling right now. As the nuclear negotiations with Tehran edge forward, a missing American in Iran was revealed to be working for the CIA; members of a cult-like Iranian opposition group, which is forging close ties with famous American politicians, are slaughtered in Iraq; and the U.S. relationship with its old ally Saudi Arabia falters amid renewed questions about Saudi officials and the 9/11 attacks. Any of these dark wings could lead to a collapse in talks, and the U.S. being dragged to war, says The Daily Beast's Christopher Dickey. SICK OF RUSSIA? In an "open letter to the people of Brazil," published in Brazil's Folha newspaper, Edward Snowden is offering to help its government investigate U.S. spying if it gives him political asylum. "I've expressed my willingness to assist where it's appropriate and legal, but, unfortunately, the U.S. government has been working hard to limit my ability to do so" he says in the letter. Snowden also said that he has been asked by Brazilian politicians to help, and that he feels justified after a federal judge ruled the NSA's data collection was unconstitutional on Monday. FINALLY At a press conference recently, Speaker John Boehner lashed out at conservative groups, railing that, "They're using our members and they're using the American people for their own goals." While it has enraged some, Boehner's decision to fight back, along with a key hire on immigration reform and a move last Monday to file papers for his own reelection, shows the newly aggressive speaker taking matters into his own hands, says The Daily Beast's Patricia Murphy. PEACE Let's see if anybody notices. On Monday, Pope Francis continued to rock the boat in the Catholic Church by removing an outspoken American cardinal who was a staunch critic of abortion and same-sex marriage, and appointed another American in his place. The removal of Cardinal Raymond L. Burke from the Congregation for Bishops is being seen as a move that means Francis is willing to go beyond just a change in rhetoric to make the church more inclusive. "He is saying that you don't need to be a conservative to become a bishop," one expert told The New York Times. Burke recently gave an interview in which he aired his disagreements over the reduced focus on abortion and same-sex marriage, saying, "We can never talk enough about that." WELCOME The legendary libertarian humorist is joining The Daily Beast as a weekly columnist. In a Q&A about his new home, he riffs on his rapid-fire style and why politics is as funny as ever. While O'Rourke is a proud conservative, he says you shouldn't expect all of his columns to hit the Democrats, because: "you're leaving out half of the stupid things that people do—you know, the half you agree with." | | 
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.
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment