Cheat Sheet - Obama Has 4 Days to Stop Putin

Today: The Baseless Rush to Blame the Pilots of Flight 370 , Guinness Drops St. Patty's Parade , Obama Admin Censoring on the Rise March 17, 2014 ON THE CLOCK 1. Obama Has 4 Days to Stop Putin Vladimir Putin has agreed to a ceasefire in Ukraine until March 21, leaving the Obama administration with just a few days to prevent an all-out war, report Eli Lake and Josh Rogin. It looks like U.S. sanctions aren't much of a threat: Russian investment firm Marco Advisory predicts the West will not impose "disruptive" or "catastrophic" sanctions, at least until Russia crosses another line. Obama knows he needs to make a stronger move, he just needs to decide what. Read it at The Daily Beast SCAPEGOATS 2. Don't Blame the Pilots of Flight 370 Malaysian leaders have turned the the pilots of the missing flight into scapegoats without a single persuasive fact, writes Clive Irving. Meanwhile, the government's culpability in the loss of 239 people grows. Read it at The Daily Beast TASTE THE RAINBOW 3. Guinness Drops St. Patrick's Parade You can hold the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade without Mayor Bill de Blasio, but can you pull it off without Guinness? The famous Irish brewer announced Sunday that it was pulling its sponsorship of the parade over the organizers' exclusion of LGBT community members. The announcement came after Manhattan's historic gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, said it would stop stocking Guinness over its support of the parade. "Guinness sent a strong message to its customers and employees: Discrimination should never be celebrated," said GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Elli. Read it at NBC New York NOT SO TRANSPARENT 4. Obama Administration Censorship Increasing Though the Obama administration has promised since its first day in power to increase government transparency, it has failed to do so, according to a new analysis by the Associated Press. It reveals that last year, the Obama administration censored more government files and outright denied access to them under the Freedom of Information Act more often than ever. Last year, the government denied access on national-security grounds 8,496 times, a 57 percent increase from the previous year and more than double Obama's first year in office. Last year the government censored or denied access to documents in 244,675 cases, or 36 percent of all requests. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said, "I'm concerned the growing trend toward relying upon FOIA exemptions to withhold large swaths of government information is hindering the public's right to know. If you screw up in government, just mark it top secret." Read it at Associated Press BITTER END 5. Westboro's Fred Phelps Near Death The son of Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps, Sr. announced on his Facebook page that his father had been excommunicated in August 2013 and is gravely ill. Nathan Phelps, who left the church and became an LGBT and anti-child-abuse advocate, did not indicate in the post why his father was excommunicated last year or what he was dying of. His post offered mixed feelings about his father, whose former church was famous for leading protests at the deaths of war veterans and waving signs that say "God hates fags." Phelps wrote, "I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many," but also "I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved." He also stated "I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their goodbyes." Read it at Facebook A FRIEND IN NEED 9/11 Mastermind Defends Osama Kin In rambling court statement. OFF SCOT-FREE China Rejects North Korea Report Kim Jong-Un likely won't be prosecuted for crimes. LET'S DANCE Wichita State Faces NCAA Gauntlet The NCAA tournament begins. CAPTAIN PHILLIPS 2.0 Navy SEALS Seize Libyan Oil Tanker From rebels. OH, THE HUMANITY Hoax Kills Newman From 'Seinfeld' Wayne Knight still alive. Upworthy Did You Put a Ring on It, or Did You Just Get Scammed? CNBC Pinkberry Co-Founder Faces 7 Years in Jail for Brutal Assault Us Weekly Get a Sneek Peak at ScarJo's Baby Bump 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. Uma Goes 'Nymphomaniac' by Marlow Stern Tinder's Celebrity VIP Club by Charlotte Lytton Texans Attack 'Muslim Weather' by Dean Obeidallah

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