Cheat Sheet - Republicans Ditch Arizona's Homophobes

Today: Holder: AGs Can Curb Marriage Bans , Putin's Police Arrest Pussy Riot Again In Court Crackdown , Major Bitcoin Exchange Vanishes February 25, 2014 SPLIT-MIND 1. From Anti-Gay to No Way An Arizona bill that allows businesses to deny serving gay patrons once seemed sure to become law, but that's looking less likely as more of the state's powerful Republicans turn on the legislation, Eleanor Clift reports. The backlash makes it clear: Targeting gay people isn't good politics anymore. Will Governor Jan Brewer listen? Read it at The Daily Beast DEFENSE 2. Holder: Attorneys General Can Curb Marriage Bans Attorney General Eric Holder has sparked controversy with his comments to his state counterparts, saying they are not obligated to defend their states' gay-marriage bans. In an interview with The New York Times, Holder said that although state AGs cannot disavow their own laws, they could decline to defend them. "Engaging in that process and making that determination is something that's appropriate for an attorney general to do," he said. So far, six state AGs, who are all Democrats, have refused to defend gay-marriage bans. Read it at The New York Times BACK TO NORMAL 3. Sochi Is Over, So Pussy Riot Is Jailed Again The games everyone wanted to watch are over, but the ones that matter for Russians are just getting started, writes Michael Weiss. Just 24 hours after the Sochi Olympics ended, two former members of Pussy Riot were arrested by police along with hundreds of others protesting the government's harsh sentencing for Putin protesters. The latest crackdown just shows Sochi's feel-good fraternity was a facade. Read it at The Daily Beast VIRTUAL ROBBERY? 4. Major Bitcoin Exchange Vanishes Maybe Bitcoin isn't the way of the future? Concerns about the virtual currency's security intensified after it appears one of the largest exchange websites went offline due to a crippling theft. The Tokyo-based Mt. Gox site only returned a blank page on Tuesday after reportedly suffering from a massive loss of Bitcoins. This follows the Sunday resignation of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpele. The company internally issued a "Crisis Strategy" report, which claimed 740,000 Bitcoins were missing, which equates to $350 million at its current exchange rate. The theft apparently went unnoticed for several years, and a single Bitcoin's value has fallen from $550 to $470 in just a matter of hours. Read it at The Washington Post NOT MINCING WORDS 5. Cheney Slams Obama's Proposed Army Cuts Dick Cheney, the hawkish former vice president, is not a fan of the proposed cuts to the military budget. Last night, he went on Fox News' Hannity to claim the budget was "absolutely dangerous" and argue that Obama "would rather spend the money on food stamps than he would on a strong military or support for our troops." Cheney also said he believed the cuts are "over the top" and will "do enormous long-term damage." Because Cheney has never been accused of having personal, financial reasons for growing the military budget. Read it at Politico SLOW START Ukraine: No Gov't Till Thursday Russia denies its legitimacy in advance. GET NO RESPECT Republican: Women Are Baby 'Hosts' On Facebook. HORRIFYING Islamists Kill 29 Nigerian Pupils Set fire to boarding school. BAD TO WORSE Uganda Media Lists 200 'Top' Gays Accuses hundreds of being homosexuals. your crazy uncle Nugent: U.S. Becoming Nazi Germany Obamacare is just the beginning. THE WRAP 'Wolverine' Writer Mark Bomback to Polish 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Screenplay CNBC Serial Entrepreneur Finds Gold in North Dakota Oil Boom WONDERWALL George Clooney's 'Mystery' Date isn't his Usual Type 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. Seth Meyers' Rocky 'Late Night' Start by Kevin Fallon Secret Speakeasies of Buenos Aires by Jeff Campagna The Birth of the Baby Selfie by Charlotte Lytton

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