Cheat Sheet - Exclusive: Bergdahl's Letters From Taliban Prison

Read This, Skip That .... June 12, 2014 HELLO 1. Exclusive: Bergdahl Explains in Private Letters Why He Vanished The Daily Beast's Kimberly Dozier has obtained the letters Bowe Bergdahl sent his family from Taliban prison. Writing from captivity, Bergdahl urged his family and his government to wait until they had all the facts before judging him for leaving his base. Then Bergdahl explained, at least in part, why he left his fellow troops in 2009. Read it at The Daily Beast HISTORY LESSONS 2. Iraq Is Vietnam 2.0 A terrorist group too radical for Al Qaeda has formed an army in Iraq, seizing key towns in furious fashion. Now Baghdad is asking the U.S. for drones and bombers to fight back. What good will American bombs do when Iraqi boys don't fight, asks Leslie Gelb. Like Vietnam 40 years ago, the U.S. can't win a war for someone else. Read it at The Daily Beast ENEMY CAMPS 3. Partisan Polarization Is Accelerating The number of Americans who are consistently conservative or consistently liberal has doubled over the past 20 years, Pew Research reported Thursday. Twenty-one percent are now consistent liberals or conservatives, up from 10 percent in 1994. In addition, those partisan sentiments are stronger among those who profess them. Also, the number of people in each party who view the opposing party in a negative light has more than doubled since 1994. They believe the other guy's policies "are so misguided that they threaten the nation's well-being." Good luck governing. Read it at Pew Research 'EXPERT' OPINION 4. Southern Baptist Convention: Trans People Don't Exist Someone needs to teach the Southern Baptists the difference between sex and gender. At this week's convention, 5,000 people voted to deny that transgender people exist. Jay Michaelson writes their use of theology as biology comes down to whether you have a penis. Read it at The Daily Beast YOLO 5. Bush Turns 90, Jumps From Helicopter Former President George H.W. Bush celebrated his 90th birthday on Thursday by jumping from a helicopter over Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush announced the jump on Twitter this morning, writing, "It's a wonderful day in Maine—in fact, nice enough for a parachute jump." Bush celebrated his 75th, 80th, and 85th birthdays by skydiving. He promised to do so on his 90th five years ago. The planned jump was kept secret until Thursday morning so that Bush could opt out at the last minute. Read it at Boston Globe POWERS COMBINED Iran Attacking Jihadists in Iraq Shiite soldiers vs. Sunni militants. GREEDY Miami Heat Pursuing Carmelo Anthony Make room for the Big Four. CREEPS Court: Warrantless Cell Tracking Illegal Violates Fourth Amendment. HELL NO Scientist Recreates Spanish Flu Virus Killed more than the Black Death. GHOSTING Bill Murray Crashes Wedding Photos After heckling photographer. GQ What if Hockey Were a Black Sport? ESQUIRE Real-Life 'Wolf of wall street' Jordan belfort Now Touring ROLLING STONE World Cup: How Screwed is the US? 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. My Case for Open Carry by CJ Grisham Want Fries With That Whale Burger? by Angela Erika Kubo , Jake Adelstein The Concealed Genius of Alec Guinness by Tom Teodorczuk

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