Cheat Sheet - Special Forces' $77M 'Hustler' Hits Back

Read This, Skip That .... December 08, 2014 SPEAKING OUT 1. Special Forces' $77M 'Hustler' Hits Back Hikmatullah Shadman made millions of dollars via a "sole source" contract from the U.S. government to provide supplies and logistical support to Special Forces in southern Afghanistan. Now, the U.S. says he's defrauded the government out of nearly $80 million. But Shadman is fighting back against charges he fleeced the soldiers he says he loved, reports Kevin Maurer. Read it at The Daily Beast SNAKE EYES 2. I Watched a Casino Kill Itself The Taj Mahal in Atlantic City was once the crown jewel in the Donald Trump casino empire. Now, the casino is depressingly empty and parts of the hotel are closed ahead of its imminent December 12 shutdown. The decrepit Atlantic City landmark embodies the fading promise of New Jersey's gambling glory. Trump tells Olivia Nuzzi that none of it is his fault. Read it at The Daily Beast LOST CAUSE 3. Dems, It's Time to Dump Dixie Democratic incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu's Louisiana loss to Bill Cassidy over the weekend made one thing clear: The Democrats need to ditch the South. Trying to win Southern seats is not worth the ideological costs for Democrats, writes Michael Tomasky. The party doesn't need them. Read it at The Daily Beast BOTCHED 4. U.S. Unaware Hostage Was Set for Release The U.S. did not know that the release of South African hostage Pierre Korkie was imminent when it led a raid on the Yemen-based terrorists holding him and American Luke Somers captive. The Gift of the Givers, a South African humanitarian group, had been in talks to secure Korkie, a 56-year-old teacher. U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard said the U.S. was "unaware of ongoing negotiations that had any resolution" and it was "not altogether clear" to him that the South African government was aware of the talks either. Korkie and Somers were killed during the botched U.S.-led rescue mission Saturday. "We were just completely unaware of those developments and had to act hastily," said Gaspard. The Gift of the Givers said Korkie was set to be released on Sunday. Read it at ABC News DANGEROUS 5. Explosives Thrown at Cops in Berkeley In Berkeley, California, a second night of protests against police killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York turned violent again Sunday as some demonstrators threw explosives at officers, assaulted each other, and shut down a freeway, police said. The California Highway Patrol said some protesters made their way to a freeway in Oakland and blocked traffic. The CHP said some tried to light a patrol vehicle on fire and threw rocks, bottles, and an explosive at officers, and that highway patrol officers responded with tear gas. The highway patrol said it was making arrests, but no figures were available. Read it at AP DISMISSED Honeymoon Murder Case Tossed Out Shrien Dewani is a free man. HIT THE ROAD New Delhi Bans Uber After Alleged Rape Driver had previous rape charge. BURNING UP Massive L.A. Fire Shuts Down Freeways More than 250 firefighters battling the blaze. CONGRATULATIONS Kennedy Center Honors Hanks, Sting And Al Green, Lily Tomlin, Patricia McBride. SHOULDA WOULDA Dallas Ebola Doctor Admits Mistakes Was unaware of 103-degree fever. HUFFINGTON POST John Kerry Says Iran Deal Could Happen Sooner Than Expected US WEEKLY Photos of Kate & Prince William's New York City Visit ROLLING STONE Afghanistan: The Making of a Narco State 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. The 20 Most Overlooked Movies of 2014 by Marlow Stern Best Bios of 2014 by William O'Connor Is Soccer's Greatest Player Corrupt? by Jack Holmes

ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE Copyright 2014 The Daily Beast Company LLC 555 W. 18th Street , New York NY 10011 Privacy Policy

If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your Web browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add thedailybeast@e2.thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you have changed your mind and no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can safely unsubscribe here.