Summer Sweep

Everyone’s done for the semester and it’s time for new jobs, new cities, new friends and new news. Instead of the regular, weekly Sunday Sweep, this summer we’ll be posting twice monthly “cheat sheets” that span multiple topics in the news instead of just one. For daily updates delivered right to your inbox, consider signing up for the Daily Beast’s Cheat Sheet or New York Times news alerts.

Here are four of the top stories in the news right now – what you need to know, when you need to know it, where to look to know more.

—SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: Earlier this month, the state of New York became the largest to allow same-sex marriage following a close vote in the Senate and eventual approval by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had made the issue one of his top priorities. This move came as a reversal to a decision two years ago when a same-sex marriage bill was rejected in the Senate, then controlled by Democrats. And while the fate of the bill was uncertain, four Republicans left the majority party and joined all but one Democrat in supporting the bill. But the impact of this legislation, which officially becomes law in 30 days, might spread outside of the borders of the state of New York. Following this momentum, the Rhode Island Senate approved same-sex civil unions on June 29 in a vote of 21 to 16. Gov. Lincoln Chafee is expected to sign the bill into law. While the proposal grants all the rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities of a marriage to gay individuals, advocacy groups have said they would much rather prefer marriage be allowed.

Want to know more?
*Read what experts are saying about the national impact of the bill, via Reuters.
*Check out celebrity responses to the news, via the Associated Press.
*Watch New Yorkers react to the news the night the bill was passed

—AFGHANISTAN TROOP WITHDRAWALS: In a recent televised speech to the nation, President Obama announced the impending withdrawal of 13,000 forces originally ordered to Afghanistan in 2009. 10,000 of the troops will return home by the end of this year, while the remaining will leave by September 2012. About 68,000 U.S. troops remain in the country, in a war that first began a decade ago in a U.S. response to the attacks of 9/11.

Want to know more?
*Read the full text of Obama’s address to the nation.
*Check out the reactions of Afghans to the news of troop withdrawal.
*Watch a report on the withdrawal by ABC News’ Martha Raddatz following her visit to Afghanistan.

—STRAUSS-KAHN CASE: The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund and a favored potential candidate for President of France, is slowly beginning to unravel as prosecutors have released alarming evidence questioning the validity of his accuser, a housekeeper originally from Guinea. Included in the recent revelations are lies told under oath by Strauss-Kahn’s accuser, detailed in a letter filed by prosecutors, who originally expressed little doubt in her claims. While the case against Straus-Kahn has not been officially been dismissed, he was released from house arrest Friday.

Want to know more?
*Read the letter filed by prosecutors outlining the growing concern over the truth of the housekeeper’s accusations.
*Check out international reactions from Strauss-Kahn’s native France and the housekeeper’s native Guinea.
*Watch the DA outline the credibility issues related to the case.

—LABOR DISPUTE: A recently opened Boeing factory in North Charleston, S.C. is causing a national stir along party lines as some lawmakers are questioning the location of the $750 million airplane factory. The National Labor Relations Board has accused Boeing of building the plant in South Carolina as a means of retaliation against workers in Seattle, Washington, known for their frequent strikes, the longest of which lasted 58 days in 2008. Republicans have denounced the investigation as a sign of President Obama’s liberal agenda and a job-killer, if the factory is ordered to be moved to Washington.

Want to know more?
*Read an editorial by Charleston daily The Post and Courier regarding the recent hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
*Check out a photo gallery of the Boeing factory.
*Watch a video by CBS News summing up the NLRB’s case against Boeing.

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