Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Identity of second woman emerges in Petraeus' downfall

(Reuters) - New details emerged on Sunday about the extramarital affair that abruptly ended the career of CIA chief David Petraeus, including the identity of a second woman whose complaints about harassing emails from the woman with whom he had the relationship, Paula Broadwell, prompted an FBI investigation.

A person familiar with the investigation identified the second woman as Jill Kelley, a long-time friend of the Petraeus family and a Tampa, Florida volunteer social liaison with military families at MacDill Air Force Base.

Kelley went to the FBI after receiving threatening emails that eventually were traced to Broadwell, law enforcement and security officials have said, prompting an investigation that turned up evidence that Petraeus and Broadwell were having an extramarital affair.

"We and our family have been friends with General Petraeus and his family for over five years. We respect his and his family's privacy and want the same for us and our three children," Kelley said in a statement obtained by ABC News.

Broadwell has not been available for comment and both the FBI and CIA have declined public comment on the matter.

Petraeus has made no public comment since he announced his resignation on Friday.

The affair has raised questions about whether U.S. national security was ever at risk and the timing of law enforcement and intelligence officials' revelation of the matter to the White House, as well as who knew about the investigation before last week's presidential election.

Meanwhile, a former spokesman for Petraeus during his time as an Army general has said the affair with Broadwell, an Army reserve officer who co-authored a glowing biography of him, began after Petraeus retired from the Army in August 2011 to lead the spy agency and ended four months ago by mutual consent.

Retired Colonel Steven Boylan, who was Petraeus' spokesman in Iraq and has spoken to the general since he resigned at the CIA, downplayed the question of whether U.S. security had been at risk. He said Petraeus never gave Broadwell classified information or communicated with her via his government email.

"My understanding is that she was only at the CIA twice. And at no time, based on conversations with him, did he provide her classified information, nor did she receive anything from him in that manner," Boylan said in an interview.

"My understanding is that they mutually determined that it was time to end it," he said, adding that Petraeus "knows he made a huge mistake" and is now trying to focus on his family. "It wasn't right. And it was done. That was about four months ago."

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Petraeus was first interviewed in connection with the FBI investigation during the week of October 28, about a week after Broadwell was questioned. The FBI informed Petraeus' boss, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, in the early evening of Election Day, November 6.

Senior U.S. officials said Clapper then informed the White House's National Security Council staff of the issue and Petraeus' intention to resign on Wednesday, the morning after President Barack Obama was re-elected to a second four-year term. Obama was informed later that day, they said.

"EXTREMELY POOR JUDGMENT"

Petraeus, a widely admired soldier-scholar credited with turning around the U.S. war in Iraq and who led NATO and U.S. troops in Afghanistan, announced his resignation in a letter to the CIA workforce on Friday, acknowledging "extremely poor judgment" in having an extramarital affair.

The person familiar with the investigation said Kelley initially approached a Florida field office of the FBI - not FBI headquarters - with a complaint of cyber-harassment. She had received numerous intimidating emails from a handful of different, opaque pseudonymous addresses.

The nature of the emails, according to the source, who was briefed on their contents, was "I know what you're doing" and similar suggestions that someone was onto Kelley. There was no explicit threat of violence.

Upon tracing them, the FBI found out that Paula Broadwell was behind them, this source said. They also found correspondence between Broadwell and Petraeus leading to the revelation of an affair between them.

High-level Justice Department officials were informed in late summer 2012 of an ongoing investigation involving Petraeus, according to a law enforcement official. This source would not name the Justice officials or say whether Attorney General Eric Holder was among them.

The Justice Department followed long-standing policy by not revealing the investigation to anyone outside the department, such as White House or congressional aides, this official said. It would be inappropriate and unfair to do so, and it might jeopardize any potential prosecution, the official added.

As the investigation moved into the fall, the focus was potential cyber-harassment by one woman against another woman.

Petraeus was thought of by investigators as a potential witness or party to the investigation, but he was never a target of investigators. Prosecutors considered whether the conduct in question constituted a crime of cyber-harassment under the law.

During their interviews with investigators, Broadwell and Petraeus both admitted to the affair, the official said. After the interviews, prosecutors decided they likely would not bring charges, based on the available evidence.

Another U.S. government official said the FBI investigation into the emails was fairly straightforward and did not require obtaining court orders to monitor the email accounts of those involved, including the personal email account of Petraeus. Rather, the official said, investigators reviewed the emails that Kelley had brought to their attention.

"There wasn't a court order," the government official said, adding that that action would have been a last resort when other avenues had been exhausted.

A source close to the Petraeus family confirmed that Kelley, who is 37 according to published reports, and her husband, Scott Kelley, a Tampa cancer surgeon, became friends with Petraeus when he was stationed at MacDill from 2008 until 2010 as commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, which runs operations in the Middle East and South Asia.

The Kelleys later visited the Petraeuses in Washington while on a trip to visit relatives.

The Kelleys did not answer phone calls to the number listed for the family's mansion-style home on Tampa's exclusive Bayshore Boulevard, close to the military base.

The Kelleys made the VIP guest list at military functions at MacDill and also hosted Petraeus and his wife at their home in 2010, for the city's annual Gasparilla pirate parade, according to a report at the time in the Tampa Bay Times.

(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball, Matt Spetalnick, David Adams and Tabassum Zakaria. Writing by David Alexander.; Editing by Warren Strobel and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/identity-second-woman-emerges-petraeuss-downfall-004131264.html

sanctum

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Video: Fiscal Cliff Face-Off This Week

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/49788865/

attwireless taylor swift zac efron

Sunday Sound: Heard on 'This Week'

Below are some of the notable comments made Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Guests included B udget Committee member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair and co-chair of the 2011 "Super Committee" on deficit reduction; Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Republican member of the "Gang of Six" during last year's debt ceiling debate and Vice Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren; Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill.; Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md.; The Wall Street Journal's Paul Gigot; and The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel .

HEADLINERS

1. Chambliss doesn't suggest Petraeus lied CHAMBLISS: David Petraeus is a great leader, a great patriot, and he is a guy who has probably contributed more to the safety of the United States of America over the last decade than any single individual?.And he led here by doing what he thought was the right thing.

2. Chambliss might call Petraeus to testify CHAMBLISS: But at the end of the day, I would not rule out General Petraeus being called to testify. That still could happen at some point in time.

3. Murray suggests solution to fiscal crisis may be to restart negotiations next year MURRAY:So if the Republicans will not agree with that, we will reach a point at the end of this year where all the tax cuts expire and we'll start over next year. And whatever we do will be a tax cut for whatever package we put together. That may be the way to get past this.

4. Chambliss says entitlements are 'choking us' CHAMBLISS:What is choking our economy and what is choking the economy of Greece, and this is why I referred to it the way I did, even though it was a figure of speech, but, entitlements are choking us.

POWERHOUSE ROUNDTABLE

5. Rep. Edwards speculates Petraeus was forced to resign REP. DONNA EDWARDS: I think he was actually required to resign, you can't have that kind of infidelity come forward and raise national security concerns and intelligence concerns.

6. Gigot blames 'flawed messenger' for Republican presidential loss GIGOT: I think this was more about a flawed messenger than a flawed message?But fundamentally, Mitt Romney never made the sale.

7. Schock calls for Republicans to take lead on immigration policy SCHOCK: And I think it makes sense for Republicans to get out in front on immigration, because it's a broke government program. And who better to fix a broken government program than the Republican party.

8. Vanden Heuvel says this was not a 'status quo election' VANDEN HEUVEL: This was not a status quo election, this was a decisive win for a different set of values

9. Van Susteren says 'people of the states,' not legislature, voted for same-sex marriage VAN SUSTEREN: Well, what's so significant about this is that it wasn't a legislature, this was the people of the states speaking, that's what's so dramatically different than any of the state legislature.

10. Gigot predicts Supreme Court will overturn marijuana legalization initiatives GIGOT: I think - if I look at Supreme Court precedence, I think that they will be overturned. I mean, it just conflicts with federal law.

Like "This Week" on Facebook here . You can also follow the show on Twitter here .

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sunday-sound-heard-week-175041473--abc-news-politics.html

Earthquake Costa Rica Clinton speech Michael Strahan Griselda Blanco

Monday, November 12, 2012

Google Shopping Launches Features To Help You Read Reviews From People You Know

3017565988_315635a948_zSince Google's social layer, Google+, is making its way into all of the company's products, its Shopping venture isn't being left out. Today, the company announced two new features for Google Shopping to help you find the best reviews for items as you're making your holiday decisions. Which TV? Which gadget? Well, why not read reviews from people you might be connected to. Makes sense to me.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/0u01lCRjHFM/

f/a 18 f 18 crash virginia tenebrae the lake house petrino arkansas

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Del Potro beats Federer to reach semis in London

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina plays a return to Roger Federer of Switzerland, during their singles tennis match at the ATP World Tour Finals, in London Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina plays a return to Roger Federer of Switzerland, during their singles tennis match at the ATP World Tour Finals, in London Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a return to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, during their singles tennis match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina plays a return to Roger Federer of Switzerland, during their singles tennis match at the ATP World Tour Finals, in London, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Roger Federer of Switzerland serves to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, during their singles tennis match at the ATP World Tour Finals, in London, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

LONDON (AP) ? Juan Martin del Potro is getting the better of Roger Federer again, in a way that no player had managed in a decade.

To end the season with a title, though, he might have to get past the Swiss great again in just two days.

Using his hard serve and booming forehand, Del Potro earned the last spot in the semifinals of the ATP finals Saturday by overcoming the already-qualified Federer 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3 in their last round-robin match. Del Potro will face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals Sunday, before Federer takes on Andy Murray.

It was Federer's second straight loss to Del Potro, who also beat him in the final in the Swiss star's hometown tournament in Basel last month. It's the first time a player has beaten Federer in two straight indoor tournaments since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.

"It's a little record, but really tough to do it," Del Potro said. "To beat Federer is not easy, for sure. But I didn't think about the semis or trying to qualify for the next round. Just was thinking about my match, doing the same things like in Basel."

Del Potro beat Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final for his only Grand Slam title, leading many to predict that the tall Argentine would challenge for many more major titles. But he then had much of the next season ruined by a serious wrist injury and has struggled to re-establish himself at the top.

This year, he wasted a two-set lead against Federer in the French Open quarterfinals and lost to him in the longest Olympic match ever, an epic semifinal that ended 19-17 in the third set.

"Good effort (from) his side to get me twice in a row now," Federer said. "I hoped I didn't have to lose against him again today."

It was Federer's first loss in the indoor tournament since 2009, ending a 12-match winning streak. He went undefeated in winning the last two titles and had won his first two group-stage matches this year.

Del Potro's win left David Ferrer and Janko Tipsarevic with only prize money and pride to play for in their group finale as both players had been eliminated. Ferrer seemed the most sluggish at the start and lost the first four games, but the Spaniard recovered to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, leaving Tipsarevic without a victory in the tournament.

That match still had an impact on the tournament, as it meant Federer won the group ahead of Del Potro and was matched with Murray in the semifinals. Had Tipsarevic won, the order would have been reversed.

Del Potro said he still considers himself the underdog in the tournament.

"Now you have three big names in the semifinals, and one big guy," the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Del Potro said.

Del Potro converted his only break point of the match in the opening game of the deciding set and held his own serve comfortably to wrap up the win at London's O2 Arena.

He converted his first match point with a forehand passing shot that Federer netted off a lunging backhand volley.

Both players finished the group stage with 2-1 records. Ferrer was also 2-1, but won fewer sets than Federer and Del Potro. If Federer had won against Del Potro, Ferrer would have advanced with a victory against Tipsarevic.

"I really wanted to give (Ferrer) a chance and give myself the best possible preparation for the semis, really hoped I could win," Federer said. "But more disappointed for (Ferrer) than I am about losing today, to be quite honest."

Ferrer won a tour-best seven tournaments this year, including his first Masters title in Paris last week. He still has a chance for another major victory, as Spain will take on the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final next weekend.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-10-ATP%20Finals/id-3038edda8b53441f8bf39a82a07b153a

Irish Daily Star seth macfarlane Black Mesa NFL.com matt ryan matt ryan att wireless

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Plan Your Next Trip With Desti, A Conversational iPad App Spun Out From Siri-Creator SRI

desti screenshotThere's no shortage of travel guides and services on the web, but in some ways, that can be a curse ? travel-planning can become a long process of reading site after site and review after review. That's where a startup called Desti comes in. The company spun out last year from SRI International, the research institute where Siri was developed before it spun out into an independent company and then eventually acquired by Apple. Like Siri (as well as other SRI projects, including banking-focused Lola) Desti is designed to function as a virtual personal assistant ??in this case, one focused on travel.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/w3q0j8Dt-Rs/

8 bit google maps kids choice awards 2012 micah true kansas vs ohio state

Busch wins pole, Keselowski outqualifies Johnson

Jimmie Johnson looks out of his car following qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Jimmie Johnson looks out of his car following qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Kyle Busch gestures to cheering fans after winning the pole during qualifying for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Kyle Busch checks results on a scoreboard after climbing out of his No. 18 car and setting the pole during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Danica Patrick reacts as she looks at a scoreboard displaying her time during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Kurt Busch, left, talks with Brad Keselowski, right, during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

(AP) ? Brad Keselowski isn't rolling over for Jimmie Johnson, not with two races to go in their championship battle and not at Phoenix International Raceway.

Keselowski outqualified Johnson by 10 positions Friday at one of the five-time NASCAR champion's best race tracks.

It was an unusual twist for the top two contenders, as Johnson is typically the better qualifier and Keselowski has struggled in that area through the first eight races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

And there should be no question which driver would be in control at Phoenix, where Johnson is a four-time winner and has a 5.3 average finish and Keselowski has only one career top-five.

But when the qualifying session was over, Keselowski had locked down the 14th starting spot for Sunday's race, while Johnson was in 24th. It's the lowest qualifying position for Johnson in a Chase race since the 2010 opener at New Hampshire, and his worst this season since the August Bristol race.

"Wasn't so good, but we've been fighting a little bit in qualifying trim," Johnson said. "But, we've got a great baseline race setup to go off."

Johnson struggled with the sun glare in the first turn.

"The glare was pretty bad getting into the turn, then getting the power down was tough for me up off of two," he said. "Three and four were pretty good, I felt like on both of my laps, but I struggled oddly enough down there this time."

Johnson moved into the points lead with his win at Martinsville two weeks ago, and widened the margin to seven points with a second-straight victory last week at Texas.

But Keselowski is eager to reclaim the top spot he held down for five weeks of the Chase, and knows how to get it back.

"I'm running to win, whatever that means," he said. "Win the race and things become a lot easier. You don't have to worry about those things."

Neither championship contender was near the front of the field, where Kyle Busch set a track in winning the pole.

Busch ran a lap of 138.766 mph to earn the top starting spot, breaking the mark of 137.279 set by Carl Edwards in 2011.

It was a big improvement for Busch from a year ago, when he came into the race in crisis. He had to fight to keep his job after intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a Truck Series race at Texas a week earlier, which led NASCAR to park him for the rest of the weekend, qualified poorly and finished 34th.

"It's kind of cool because here a year ago we qualified 36th ? dead last on speed ? and then this year we're fastest, top of the sheets," Busch said. "It's really good for all of us. I'm just proud of the effort."

Martin Truex Jr. qualified second and Denny Hamlin was third to give Toyota the top three starting spots.

All three Toyota drivers thought the track surface and grip was difficult, with Hamlin and Truex even calling it "treacherous."

"At the start of practice it was pretty treacherous just because it's been sitting, so it's just tough to know," Truex said of the track surface. "We go through so

much with transition in the race car throughout practice because the track is new and the tires are kind of hard. This is a great race track and just hope the groove gets a little bit wider before the race starts."

Kasey Kahne qualified fourth and was followed by Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Paul Menard.

Regan Smith was eighth, Tony Stewart was ninth and Mark Martin rounded out the top 10.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-09-NASCAR-Phoenix/id-df1f12b2903444018e78344168b300aa

university of kentucky ncaa oakland news alec baldwin alec baldwin college basketball oakland