Cheat Sheet - North Korea's Fatal Family Feud

Today: Boehner, the Tea Party, and the Ryan Express , UN: Chemical Weapons Used 5 Times , CIA Paid Missing American in Iran December 13, 2013 EXECUTED UNCLE 1. North Korea: 'Richard III' With Nukes After the publicly-announced execution of North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, there are signs the regime is starting to unravel. Thaek has an extensive network of allies in the upper echelons of power, who will now have to either run or fight. The Daily Beast's Gordon Chang says the instability and succession politics are bad news for Asia, where the feud could have more spillover effects like the North's two deadly attacks on South Korea in 2010. Read it at The Daily Beast NEW FRONTRUNNER? 2. Budget Deal Launches Paul Ryan House Speaker John Boehner is getting all the attention after he unloaded on the right wing of his party and pushed the House GOP to vote nearly three-to-one to play ball on the budget. But the real star of the deal is Rep. Paul Ryan, who still manages to hold onto his credibility with conservatives and will now get a second look from Washington elites who love a good show of bipartisanship. The Daily Beast's Michael Tomasky says the Ryan 2016 express has left the station. Read it at The Daily Beast SYRIA 3. UN: Chemical Weapons Used 5 Times The U.N.'s highly-anticipated report on chemical weapons in Syria was released late Thursday, and it's just as grisly as expected. Investigators examined seven incidents and concluded that chemical weapons either were or were very likely used in five of them, including the massacre on August 21 that left 1,300 people dead. The weapons were confirmed by testing urine and blood samples from hospital patients, which showed traces of sarin. The report does not specify whether the attacks were carried out by President Bashar al-Assad's regime or by the opposition. Read it at CNN COVER STORY BLOWN 4. CIA Paid Missing American in Iran It turns out that Robert Levinson, an American man who went missing in Iran almost seven years ago, was working for the CIA as part of an unapproved intelligence-gathering mission that broke the agency's most basic rules. Though the U.S. has said that Levinson was a private citizen who went missing during a business trip to Kish Island, an Associated Press investigation found that a team of CIA analysts ("with no authority to run spy operations") paid Levinson to gather intelligence around the world. According to the AP, three veteran analysts have been forced out of the agency and seven more disciplined over the matter. Levinson's family last received proof-of-life photos and a video from his captors in late 2010 and early 2011.  Read it at Associated Press DISRUPTION 5. Beyonce Releases Surprise Album Beyoncé shocked fans early Friday by announcing a new album, and then releasing it online just hours later. The self-titled "visual album" features 14 tracks and 17 videos, and features collaborations with Jay Z, Pharrell Williams, Sia, and Frank Ocean. It is available exclusively on iTunes until the CD/DVDs are manufactured, which will happen in time for the holidays. "I didn't want anybody to give the message of when my album is coming out," Beyoncé said in her statement. The album and videos have been in production for a year and a half, and the fact that Beyoncé was able to keep it a secret stunned music business insiders. Read it at The Los Angeles Times NEW RULES? White House Panel: Rein in NSA Urges more transparency, oversight. OUTTA HERE Iran Quits Nuclear Talks To protest U.S. blacklisting. NOT SO FAST Australia Court: No Gay Marriage After weddings began. CHURCH AND STATE Court: CA Cross Must Come Down From atop Mount Soledad near San Diego. WARNING SIGNS Mandela Signer Had Erred Before During South African President Jacob Zuma's speech in 2012. NY MAG Why Are Feminists Hung Up on Playboy? WONDERWALL Tom Cruise's Publicist: "Cool it" with Scientology Talk ESQUIRE Why Does She Yell After Sex?? 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. What If the Founders Saw Newtown? by Michael Daly Justin Bieber's Year of Affluenza by Amy Zimmerman The Best TV of 2013 by Kevin Fallon

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