Cheat Sheet - Cuba Protects America's Most Wanted

Read This, Skip That .... December 18, 2014 HIDE AND SEEK 1. Cuba Protects America's Most Wanted Relations are thawing between the U.S. and Cuba. So what happens to the dozens of American fugitives there? Michael Daly reports on the hijackers, bomb-makers, and cop-killers living 90 miles from justice. Read it at The Daily Beast IT'S OVER 2. Hollywood Surrenders to North Korea The U.S. is set to announce North Korea was "centrally involved" on the hacking of Sony that caused the movie studio to pull The Interview. That's just what these cyberterrorists wanted, Marlow Stern writes, and Sony's capitulation sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the freedom of expression that Hollywood is all about. Read it at The Daily Beast SURPRISING 3. Death Penalty Hits 20-Year Low A total of 35 death-row inmates were executed in the U.S. in 2014, the lowest number since 1994. Meanwhile, death sentences hit a 40-year low, to about 72, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The decrease in executions is partly because of lethal-injection drug shortages and legal fights over botched procedures. As far as death sentences, the center's Executive Director Richard Dieter said he believes that, "The realization that mistakes have been made, that innocent people are still being freed, has made juries hesitant. They are willing to convict but not sentence to death. There is a demand for perfect proof, and so prosecutors are taking more plea bargains." Read it at NBC Nuevo Mundo 4. Meet America's Next Ambassador to Cuba Believe it or not, the United States has a man in Havana—and he's set to get a big promotion. Eleanor Clift reports on Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who will be key to opening Cuba to the U.S. after a half century of isolation. Read it at The Daily Beast MERRY CHRISTMAS 5. Obama Pardons 8 Drug Offenders President Obama issued 12 pardons and granted commutations to eight Americans serving time for drug-related offenses Wednesday. The eight men and women are the first inmates to receive reduced sentences as a part of the administration's change of clemency criteria announced in April. Individuals must be non-violent, low-level offenders who served at least 10 years in prison and would be handed lesser sentences if convicted of the same crimes today. "While all eight were properly held accountable for their criminal actions, their punishments did not fit their crimes," Deputy Attorney General James Cole said. The 12 who were pardoned had mostly served short sentences from previous decades.  Read it at Reuters REALLY? Mumbai Attacks' Mastermind Gets Bail Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi let go. FEAST EU Rules Obesity a Disability In certain circumstances. TICK TOCK Palestinians: Israeli Withdrawal by 2017 Jordan submits draft to UN. WAIT A MINUTE MLB: It's Still Illegal to Scout in Cuba Formal embargo still in place. WORLD CUP FIFA Investigator Quits in Protest Over handling of his probe. The Huffington Post GOP Opposes Diplomatic Relations With Cuba, But Not Other Human Rights Abusers ROLLING STONE Billie Joe Armstrong on Green Day's Hall of Fame Induction: 'It's Surreal' US WEEKLY Norman Bridwell Dead: Clifford the Big Red Dog Creator Dies at 86 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. Team Cosby's Mission Impossible by Lloyd Grove How Naive Is Elizabeth Warren? by Nick Gillespie The Five Best Books on Cuba by William O'Connor, Malcolm Jones

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