Cheat Sheet - Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq

Read This, Skip That .... June 17, 2014 007 1. Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq Gertrude Bell rigged an election, installed a king loyal to the British, drew new borders—and gave us today's ungovernable country. Clive Irving writes about the small but fierce female British intelligence agent who passed as an archaeologist to get into Ottoman-controlled Baghdad 100 years ago and steal Arabia from the Arabs. Read it at The Daily Beast GOT 'EM 2. U.S. Captures Top Benghazi Suspect U.S. Special Operations forces have captured one of the suspected ringleaders of the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured near Benghazi in a secret raid in Libya last weekend with the help of the FBI. He is in U.S. custody "in a secure location outside Libya," officials said. Last year, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia charged Khattala and at least a dozen other suspects in connection with the Benghazi attacks, but he is the only one who has been caught so far. An official speaking on the condition of anonymity said he is "en route" to the U.S. to face a civilian trial. When asked if Libya was involved with or approved of the raid, a U.S. official said, "I am not going to get into the specifics of our diplomatic discussions, but to be clear: This was a unilateral U.S. operation." Read it at The Washington Post PUTIN'S POSSE 3. The U.S. Politicians Kissing Up to Russia Meet the anti-Semites, 9/11 truthers, and politicians at D.C.'s pro-Putin soiree. James Kirchick drops in on the Russia World Forum, a celebration of U.S.-Russian relations that quickly turned into a pity party for the Kremlin's die-hard American apologists. Read it at The Daily Beast AIR STRIKE TIPS 4. Obama's Favorite Think Tank: Prepare to Bomb Iraq As the White House debates whether to bomb ISIS inside Iraq, the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the White House, will come out today in support of preparing for limited U.S. air strikes. Josh Rogin reports that top Obama administration officials have been soliciting advice around Washington for how to respond to the insurgency. Read it at The Daily Beast NOT LIKE YOU 5. Clintons Dodge Taxes Like 1 Percenters The Clintons appear to have a "do as I say, not as I do" approach to taxes. Bloomberg uncovered that the Clintons have employed a variety of financial strategies that help shield multimillionaires from the estate tax they support. Bill and Hillary created resident trusts in 2010 and have saved hundreds of thousands in taxes by shifting their New York home into them. The Clintons split their home into 50 shares and placed them into trusts. As a result, they can assume discounted housing values for tax purposes, and any increase in the house's value will occur outside their estate. While these moves can be construed as hypocritical based on both Clintons' record toward taxes, they are perfectly legal. "If you're the Clintons and you live in a fishbowl," said tax lawyer Ken Brier said, "you're not going to push the envelope in doing cutting-edge planning." Read it at Bloomberg TAKE ME OUT Pete Rose Returns to Baseball for a Day With a minor-league club. SPREADING Ebola Outbreak Kills 7 in Monrovia Moving through western Africa. BRANCHING OUT RNC Chair to Speak to Black Journalists This summer. THE MAN YouTube to Block Artists Who Don't Pay Goodbye, Jack White? ELEMENTARY Sherlock Holmes Enters the Public Domain 221 Baker Street opens it doors. ROLLING STONE 9 Sexy Summer Shows You Can't Miss ESQUIRE Pelé: What I've Learned THE CUT Is Terry Richardson an Artist or a Predator? 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. Viral Video of the Day: Britney Superfan Works, B****! Gal Volinez digitally replaces Spears in her 2013 video. More Videos Searching for Ukraine's Disappeared by Anna Nemtsova Inside George R.R. Martin's New Book by William O'Connor Mexican Journos Speak Out on Murders by Jason McGahan

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