Cheat Sheet

A family in Iran whose son was caught and killed in the protests' crossfire Saturday was asked to pay the equivalent of $3,000 for the bullet used by security forces, The Wall Street Journal reports. 19-year-old Kaveh Alipour, who was engaged to marry his fiancé next week, was leaving an acting class when he was shot in the head at an intersection in downtown Tehran. Alipour’s father reportedly told police all of his possessions wouldn’t amount to $3,000. The morgue agreed to waive the fee but ordered that Alipour not be buried in the city of Tehran as retribution. He is one of dozens killed in the violent protests in the last week.

Despite having acknowledged fraud in the vote tallies in 50 cities, Iranian authorities are following through on Ayatollah Khamenei's pledge to not tolerate further protests. According to the Lede, an aggressive crackdown on what appeared to be only a small gathering was actually an assault on a memorial service for Neda, the fatally shot woman who has become an icon among protesters. The Associated Press reports that the roughly 200 to 300 protesters that gathered were met with an overwhelming police presence, including helicopters. The police resorted to tear gas and fired shots in the air while separating those walking in pairs. The Associated Press also reports that the story of Neda's tragic end is spreading like wildfire among Iranians in spite of the government's best efforts to censor it. Neda's family has said that she was caught in traffic amidst the turmoil and stepped out of her car to cool off because of the heat when she was shot by the Basij militia.

Lori Shepler, Pool / AP Photo

Chris Brown may have claimed on YouTube that he "ain't no monster," but his guilty plea certainly suggests the contrary. Brown pled guilty to one felony count of assault against his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. Brown entered the plea as the pre-trial process was set to begin, the Associated Press reports. Brown's lawyer also said that the plea deal involves "five years of probation and six months of community labor." It appears he will be able to serve out the sentence in his home state of Virginia, despite the assault having occurred in Los Angeles.

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So having eight kids isn't the secret to marital bliss? Jon and Kate Gosselin announced on their popular reality show Monday night that they are filing for divorce after 10 years of marriage. The show will go on, since both have committed to 40 episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8, and the pair will switch off living in the house with their sextuplets. "I was too passive," Jon said on the show. "I just...went along with everything. Now I finally stood up on my own two feet and I'm proud of myself." The Gosselins filed for divorce in a Pennsylvania courthouse this afternoon, according to People. The stars of TLC’s now infamous reality show have been scrutinized for their marital woes. Jon was rumored to have had an affair with a 23-year-old and Kate has been portrayed as a demanding, bad wife and mother. For the past week, the network advertised Jon and Kate would be making a “major announcement” in the episode.

Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo

The writer of a Newsweek article profiling Iran's opposition presidential candidate has been detained without charge by Iranian authorities. Maziar Bahari’s article, entitled “Anyone but Ahmadinejad,” was published last month and contains rare personal details about Mir Hossein Mousavi. The leader was the prime minister after the Iranian Revolution, and clashed with current Supreme Leader Khamenei over Mousavi's more leftist views. But Khamenei visited the candidate's ailing father in May, which was seen as a sign he was willing to support a Mousavi victory. When a new regime abolished Mousavi's prime minister position in 1989, he returned to a private life of creating abstract art, his major passion, and completely dropped out of politics. Mousavi refers to himself as a “reformist principalist,” an ambiguous term in both English and Farsi. Bahari argued that at 68, Mousavi may not have the ability to modernize the Iranian government to the liking of voters, dubbed “logical principalists.” “‘I'm sure those young people in Milad Hall who were chanting idealistic slogans know in their heart of hearts that those ideals are not realizable at the moment,’” said Mohammad Khatami, President Ahmadinejad’s predecessor. Khatami was "furious" when Mousavi decided to run, and rescinded his candidacy. Bahari has not been heard from since he was arrested on Sunday.

It's still a great time to be an executive in New York: The Guardian reports that Goldman Sachs is set to pay out the biggest bonuses in the company’s 140-year history. In April, the firm set aside over $1.5 billion to pay its 28,000 employees, most of whom will receive their largest bonuses ever. Although the combined compensation of New York's top 100 executives is down 36.7 percent from the previous year's total, it's a still-hefty $1.2 billion, the New York Post reports. The tally, by Crain's New York Business, is dominated by financial executives, many of whom accepted bailout money. Numbers four, five and six on the list are Goldman Sacs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who made $42.9 million; Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, who made $38.2 million; and J.P. Morgan Chase head Jamie Dimon,who made $35.7 million. Goldman, J.P. Morgan, and Citigroup received $10 billion, $25 billion, and $45 billion in bailout money respectively, although both Goldman and J.P. Morgan have recently moved to repay the funds.

Is Scientology’s cat finally out of the bag? The St. Petersburg Times is running a long investigative series on the religion that includes interviews with some of its top defectors. Part one alleged that Scientology’s leader—and Tom Cruise’s best man—David Miscavige routinely beat up the Church’s board members and forced them to brawl to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Part two, published on Monday, looks at the mysterious death of Lisa McPherson, who died in 1995. The man who directed the church’s handling of the case, which was investigated for nine years, tells the Times that it was a “perfect storm of incompetence and irresponsibility” within the church, and,“You couldn’t justify it.’’ He also reveals that Miscavige was personally involved in McPherson’s counseling, saying that she was “clear” just weeks before she suffered a mental breakdown.

"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly," Nicolas Sarkozy told the French parliament today. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic." In 2004, France banned women from wearing head-scarves in schools. Today, dozens of legislators are calling for a complete ban of the Islamic dress in the country that has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. Other French leaders worry that even consideration of the ban could isolate Muslim citizens. Sarkozy’s address today was his first major comment on the issue.

These might be higher approval ratings than the president’s: The Wall Street Journal reports that “Ever since the Obama family anointed Bo the country's First Dog, requests for Portuguese water dogs have been soaring, jumping by about 100% in the U.S. and 122% in the U.K. from a year earlier, according to officials at the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America.” Only about 1,400 or so water dogs are born a year, making for a rigorous adoption process—applicants must fill out several forms, running as many as 11 pages, and sit for interviews. The increase in demand has led to new standards. One breeder “will sell only to people who can stay home with the dog or take it to work, who have a fenced-in yard and don't have children under the age of 6.”

This ought to make for some nice, country driving: Big city mayors and county politicians say that a disproportionate amount of stimulus spending benefits rural areas, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to a report released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, cities have gotten a comparatively small amount of the $18 billion of stimulus money earmarked for road and transportation improvements. Apparently, the 85 most populous metro areas account for 63 percent of the U.S. population and 73 percent of gross domestic product but received only $8.8 billion for transportation improvements, or 48 percent of the $18 billion set aside for transportation. The mayors chalk this up to the way money is portioned out; stimulus money is portioned to the states, where legislators favor politically important rural areas.

The viral video of a young woman’s death on the streets of Iran—some have nicknamed her Neda, Farsi for the voice—may become the iconic image of the Iranian demonstrations. An article in Time looks at its possible political consequences, noting that “For the cycles of mourning in Shiite Islam actually provide a schedule for political combat—a way to generate or revive momentum.” Shiites mourn the dead on the third, seventh, and 40th days after their passing, with the 40th day being the most important: In 1978, two deaths spawned huge protests 40 days later, which, ad nauseum, produced more deaths that produced protests of their own after 40 days until the Shah’s ouster in 1979. Could Neda's death ignite a similar cycle?

Reuters

A change in opinion from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his inner circle? The Guardian Council, which implements the supreme leader’s decrees, has admitted that the number of votes tallied after the June 12 presidential election in 50 Iranian cities surpasses the number of eligible voters, indicating widespread fraud. (And Press TV, Iran’s semi-official news agency, is actually reporting the admission.) Still, the council is downplaying the revelation, saying it “it has yet to be determined whether the possible change in the tally is decisive in the election results.” The reexamination of votes was carried out in response to a request by Mohsen Rezaie, a conservative candidate defeated in the controversial election. A spokesman for the council is pointing to the fact that fraud was found in just 50 cities, instead of 170, as originally thought, as a sign that the elections may not have been all that corrupt.

How long until Barack Obama has to make a decision about the death penalty? Could be a matter of months, according to Politico’s Josh Gerstein. Today, 55 men and two women sit on federal death row, and a case involving six of those individuals is pending in a Washington court. George W. Bush presided over 152 executions as governor of Texas and three as president. Bill Clinton oversaw four executions as governor of Arkansas but none as president, twice postponing executions in his final months in office. While writing in his book, The Audacity of Hope that he believed the death penalty was not a deterrent to crime, Obama campaigned in favor of its use in cases of “heinous crimes.” As president, Obama has remained silent on the issue.

Whether or not it's a media conspiracy, as Berlusconi alleges, this story keeps getting juicier. The Independent reports that three women have told Italian newspapers that they were paid to attend parties at the Italian prime minister's house and one of them taped her exchanges with him. Patrizia D'Addario, described by friends as a high-end prostitute from Bari, told one paper that she wore recording devices during her time with Berlusconi and has turned the recordings over to Bari prosecutors. According to the Times of London, a second woman, Barbara Montereale, D'Addario's friend who was also allegedly paid to attend the parties, said she was meant to share a room with D'Addario after a November party, but "I slept there alone. When she came back at 8 a.m. she told me she had been to bed with him [Berlusconi] but that he hadn't paid her because she had asked for a favor instead." Giampaolo Tarantini, the man who allegedly recruited the ladies, said that he didn't pay them--he merely reimbursed their travel costs and expenses. "It's absolutely beyond discussion that Mr. Berlusconi could have been aware of my reimbursements," he said.