Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 1064

Why Elon Musk Broke Up with Mark Zuckerberg's PAC

Tesla CEO Elon Musk decided to leave Mark Zuckerberg's immigration reform pushing political action committee FWD.us Friday evening because he doesn't agree with the group's habit of supporting politicians on both sides of the aisle, just so long as they support immigration. 

To hear him tell it, Musk is leaving FWD.us because the group was lending support to politicians who support immigration but don't mesh with the rest of his beliefs. "I agreed to support Fwd.us because there is a genuine need to reform immigration. However, this should not be done at the expense of other important causes," Musk told AllThingsD. Also departing the group is former Yammer creator David Sacks. Zuckerberg's created the PAC earlier this year in order to lobby for an increase in H1-B visas. That particular type of visa is a favorite among Silicon Valley luminaries like Zuckerberg, and even Musk. They allow American companies to employ non-citizens in specialized positions, like, not coincidentally, high-skill positions with tech companies likes Facebook. 

Musk is an outspoken supporter of green issues. FWD.us has come under fire recently from environmental groups for running positive ads for immigration reform supporters like South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham and Alaska Sen. Mark Begich. The ads praised them for supporting the Keystone pipeline and other controversial environmental issues. That kind of trade-off for immigration support is what ultimately led to Sacks and Musk leaving, the Tesla CEO explained: 

"I have spent a lot of time fighting far larger lobbying organizations in D.C. and believe that the right way to win on a cause is to argue the merits of that cause. This statement may surprise some people, but my experience is that most (not all) politicians and their staffs want to do the right thing and eventually do.”

FWD.us doesn't plan on learning anything from Musk and Sacks' very high-profile departures. "We recognize that not everyone will always agree with or be pleased by our strategy – and we're grateful for the continued support of our dedicated founders and major contributors," spokeswoman Kate Hansen told Politico. "FWD.us remains totally committed to supporting a bipartisan policy agenda that will boost the knowledge economy, including comprehensive immigration reform."

And why would they? Yes, Musk and Sacks are two very big names with deep pockets coming off Zuckerberg's marquee. But when the group counts LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, eBay’s John Donahoe, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Google’s Eric Schmidt among their supporters, money isn't exactly hard to find. This is a PR blackspot, sure, but one we imagine they'll recover from in the long run. Unless everyone gets fed up with the back scratching, then they'll have a problem on their hands. 

       

Sorry, but 'Smash' and 'Happy Endings' Got Cancelled

In the dead of night, while you were sleeping or paying attention to other less trivial things, ABC and NBC announced the cancellation of Happy Endings and Smash, respectively. Feel free to use this space as a memorial for both shows. 

You know it's a weird upfront season when Community fans are the ones left with nothing to complain about in the end. Fans of Happy Endings and Smash will be disappointed to know their shows didn't get picked up for another year by their respective networks. Both had vocal but small fan bases for two very different reasons. Happy Endings was another ensemble sitcom that had smart writing but struggled to find a large audience. (It was a lot like Community in that way.) On the other hand, people loved Smash because it was a hot mess of television. So if you know any Smash or Happy Endings fans, give them a little love today. Hug them extra tightly. Buy them a milkshake, or something with a little more punch to it, to help them get out of the doldrums of television depression. (There is a slight silver lining for Happy Endings fans: the chance USA picks up the show. They did just cancel Burn Notice. Read into that what you will.)

Other things that got axed by either network include NBC's The New Normal. As our Richard Lawson noted yesterday evening before the news came down, NBC cancelled so many programs that The New Normal was the only freshman sitcom from the 2013 season poised to survive. So much for that! There's no other remarkable news from NBC because the only show still on order is The Voice. But ABC also got rid of these shows: Body of Proof, Red Widow and Malibu Country. Poor Reba McEntire. Where will we go for our weekly dose of Reba now?

       

Plants Can Talk

Just when moral vegetarians thought their meal of choice wasn't sentient, it turns out that plants can totally talk to each other. Even weirder, they communicate through underground fungi. So mushrooms aren't cool to eat, either. Sorry.

The BBC reports that an underground network of mycorrhizae fungi often connect plants to each other, allowing information to be transmitted between them. This is from a recent study that set up bean plants to be attacked by aphids. Most plants are able to defend themselves from aphids by releasing chemicals that "both repel the aphids and attract parasitic wasps that are aphids' natural predators," because nature is just amazing like that. Scientists found that plants that were connected underground through fungi began to release those chemicals when a neighboring plant was set upon by aphids. Plants that were not connected did not. Therefore, they concluded, the plants must have warned each other through the fungi.

Also, the scientists put bags on all of the plants to prevent them from communicating with each other through the air because it turns out that plants can do that, too. 

So think about that next time you turn down a chicken sandwich for a portobello burger with a side salad.

 

       

Rutgers Isn't Very Good At Hiring Men's Basketball Coaches

About a month and a half ago, Rutgers fired head basketball coach Mike Rice after a video of him abusing his players mentally and physically was released. Eddie Jordan was hired to replace Rice on April 23 and things seemed to be going well; the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported that he'd met with players and they were impressed with him so far. "We have to regain our pride and dignity to our university," Jordan said. As Deadspin pointed out, Rutgers could really use a basketball coach who wasn't mired in scandal.

And then Deadspin pointed out something else: though Jordan's bio claimed that he received a degree from Rutgers in health and physical education, the registrar's office said he never earned enough credits to actually graduate. Oops.

A few hours later, Jordan admitted (to ESPN, because that's what the people Deadspin nails always seem to do) that he never received his degree. He says he did complete all courses necessary to graduate, only to find out that he "didn't register right" so they were "never recorded." This is something that occasionally happens on 80s sitcoms but less often in real life.

Rutgers issued a statement saying it "was in error" when it claimed that Jordan earned a degree from Rutgers, but that his position does not require a college degree. It did not explain why it was unable to vet its coaching candidates thoroughly in the first place. Things Rutgers could have done to ensure that Jordan earned the degree he claimed include: 

Calling the registrar's office Emailing the registrar's office Visiting the registrar's office in person. Easily done, as this map from the athletic center to the registrar's office clearly shows:

As the AP pointed out, coaches who claimed degrees they didn't actually earn have been fired in the past. But since this is the tamest of Rutgers' coaching scandals, I think Jordan's job will be okay. He may want to enroll in a few summer classes, though.

       

Jay-Z Owns a Time Machine

The man who has everything -- Beyoncé, the Brooklyn Nets (until recently), amazing flow -- now apparently owns a time machine, if this recently unearthed photo from 1939 is anything to go by. 

The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture posted a photo from its archives on its Facebook page on Tuesday. "Harlem Loiterers," taken in 1939 by Sid Grossman, features one man who looks a LOT like Hova (this New York Times blog post features a nice side-by-side to compare, although there's really no point in comparing since it's clearly the same person).

This explains a lot, actually; some of Jay-Z's lyrics fit in so well with the Jazz Age (which ended a few years before this photo was taken, but still) that Vulture recently created a quiz asking readers to guess if a phrase was a line from The Great Gatsby or a lyric from Jay-Z song.

The Schomburg Center hopes to find out who the man in the picture was, so if you have any idea, let them know. Although if your guess isn't "Jay-Z and his time machine" then, clearly, you are wrong.

Need more evidence? Well, I just happened to come across Jay-Z's original lyrics for "Empire State of Mind" which were definitely not written by my roommate while consulting a website full of 30s slang:

Yea I'm out at Woolworths, now I'm down in Tin Pan Alley
right next to Chaplin, but I'll be jive forever
I'm the new Cab Calloway, and since I made it here
I can make it anywhere, yea, they keen on me everywhere

In 2010, it was discovered that Office star John Krasinski was also in possession of a time machine, which he used to travel to 1830s Denmark to have his portrait painted.

       

Prepare for the Next Level of Jealousy in 21st Century Children's Bedrooms

Imagine your childhood bedroom. I'll tell you about mine. It was painted seafoam-green and there was a pink-and-green floral wallpaper runner lining the walls (I picked the color scheme out myself). The room was full of stuffed animals and books, and there was an ornate white desk that I'd use for storing treasures — rocks, dolls, notes, whatever. There was a bed, of course, for sleeping, with a pink and green comforter. Prior to that room I had a bedroom in another house, in which there was what my family called a "cubbyhole," or a closet cut high into the wall that was basically a low-ceilinged playroom that could fit me and maybe one or two friends. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

But bedroom-wise, things are different now. Kids have a bunch of toys that are far more high-tech than rocks, because of course they do, but also, parents are pulling out all the stops with their older kids' bedrooms so that those kids will hang at home. As Candace Jackson writes in The Wall Street Journal, this might mean "A DJ mixing station in the sleepover room. Secret passageways inspired by Harry Potter. A fully tricked-out videogame arcade. You've entered the teen wing of the house." The teen wing of the house? Jealous.

This article is a great follow-up if you want to believe that the next generation of Americans is indeed being brought up to be a bunch of mollycoddled narcissists who think they deserve it all. But if that's the case (and I'm not saying it is), it's not their fault! It's not like they can make their bedrooms into veritable "bat caves" including a "separate superhero-themed game room with pinball machines, video games, sleeper sofa and cork floors" all on their own, with their lunch money. Here's what various parents are doing, with the help of designers and architects and cold, hard cash. It's more than a hamburger phone and a bean-bag chair:   

"Chris Pollack recently finished renovating a Manhattan townhouse that includes a 1,000-square-foot teen suite with ping-pong and billiards tables, a recording studio, kitchen and a theater for movies and videogames. The estimated cost: roughly $750,000." "Jacquie Kim, a mother of two in San Diego, turned a pool house into a teen lounge for her son Alex's 16th birthday, partly as a way to keep him home after he got his driver's license. She hired designer Kristy Kropat, who turned a Mediterranean-style casita into a modern-industrial room with modular furniture, LED accent lights, metallic gray walls with pixelated Space Invader vinyl decals and bright pops of color." "When she was designing her family's Ormond Beach, Fla., home, Melissa Kearney says she and her husband asked the kids what they wanted. As a result, their 3,600-square-foot Cape Cod includes a couple of secret passageways, an idea inspired by the Harry Potter series." "Wayne Visbeen, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based architect, designed an 8,000-square-foot home for clients with sprawling 'kid zone.' In addition to two master-suite-size bedrooms for the teenage son and daughter, the zone includes a karaoke theater, a movie theater, a full kitchen, an indoor basketball court, a DJ mixing station and a sleepover space with hanging bunk beds."

On the plus side of this trend, it's said to have risen because the new generation of parents is so "extraordinarily loving and conscientious," and also, they want to keep an eye on their teens (and what their teens are doing on the computer) and hang out with them more. What parent doesn't feel great when the kids are at home? And the kids are more likely to be home, and happy, if they have their own well-decorated spaces featuring DJ mixing stations. So spaces and stations they shall have. Attachment parenting comes with bedroom benefits, perhaps. Also: Clearly these parents have some disposable income. 

But there's another bright side, too. There's inspiration for luxury kid bedrooming to be found all over the place, so maybe we adults could take some cues and perk up our own worst rooms. I wonder if the old "Jen's Room! Keep Out!" signs are officially defunct at this point — or if they now come with fingerprint recognition and eyeball scanners. Well, if you can afford it. Personally, I'd be pretty psyched about a secret passageway in my room. Then and now. 

Image via     

Here Is the Magnificence of One World Trade Center — All 1,776 Feet of It

Friday morning, after a week-and-a-half delay due to bad weather — and many more delays before that — the spire on top of One World Trade Center was permanently installed, enabling the magnificent building to achieve its full height and scrape 1,776 feet of sky. That's pretty tall — the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, and a lot of yous — but it's really something to look at. Indeed, Friday morning was a stunner in New York, allowing everyone to fully appreciate the majesty of engineering and the scale of a city even more than the symbolism and emotion it's taken to build back up downtown Manhattan.

NBC's Anne Thompson had one of the best views (pictured above), from across the Hudson River in New Jersey, on Twitter during the Today show's coverage of the topping-out. From across the East River, in Long Island City in Queens (around midtown Manhattan), paidContent's Rafat Ali had another angle:

1 World Trade Center, still shining through across the East River. From LIC: twitter.com/rafat/status/3…

— Rafat Ali (@rafat) May 10, 2013

Here's a helicopter's view of the building: 

RT @wcbs880: Amazing view for @tomkaminskiwcbs in Chopper 880 twitter.com/wcbs880/status…

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 10, 2013

And here's another angle from Jersey City: 

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And one with One World Trade towering over the rest of Wall Street: 

And here's a photo from May 2, showing the final two pieces of the spire being installed: 

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And here's to all the good people who made this possible: 

Over at the WTC website, there's a pretty nifty time-lapse of the construction. One World Trade won't open for business until 2014, when Anna Wintour and the rest of Condé Nast move in.

As we've note, there's still debate on this tower actually being the tallest building in the U.S. and the third tallest in the world — it all has to do with whether the spire counts. But for Friday, for New York, for America, we're just going to forget about all that and enjoy the view.

       

The New SARS-Like Virus Has a French Connection, and It Spreads in a Hospital

The World Health Organization is working double-time. While a team is helping China figure out how to deal with its bird flu outbreak (which now includes boiling baby chickens, apparently), the foremost public health group on the planet is keeping its eyes halfway around it — in France, where SARS's cousin novel coronavirus (NCoV) has appeared without warning. Even more puzzling: the new case appears to have been transmitted to and by a French man returning home from Dubai, where no cases of the disease have even been reported. 

You see, if the 65-year-old French traveler had been visiting Saudi Arabia, where the mysterious, efficient killing machine has already claimed at least seven of its 18 victims over two months, the WHO might be closer to containing NCoV. But when there's already a lack of full transparency — the Saudis have been slow to report the deadly virus, and the French patient was hospitalized more than two weeks ago — the confusion over where it's coming from only adds to long list of reasons you might want to start panicking. Nonetheless: The WHO and the ministry of health in the United Arab Emirates have confirmed there are no cases of NCov in the UAE, and that the nation doesn't have to worry about travel restrictions or port screenings: "The Ministry of Health reassures that there are very limited diagnosed cases world-wide. There is no need for panic as the ministry is closely monitoring the situation and taking the necessary precautions to guarantee public safety," sources at the ministry told Emirates 24/7 news. In a report over at Agence France Presse, it seems like the WHO is focusing on the French connection: "The UAE was 'coordinating' with France on the case and 'closely following the health situation' although it was 'not a concern' in the emirate itself."

The unnamed French man, who travelled to Dubai for a week in mid-April, may already be spreading NCoV, which causes pneumonia and kidney failure: "On Thursday the health authorities in the Nord/Pas-de-Calais region said two more people were undergoing tests after showing symptoms of the virus," AFP reports. They were a man who had shared a room in hospital with the patient, and a doctor who treated him." According to the Associated Press, the WHO is up to 30 confirmed cases of the virus, including in Jordan, Qatar, Britain, and Germany. Tests for the French doctor and the roommate of France's Patient Zero will be revealed later on Friday.

       

The Benghazi Memo Drafts, as They Evolved

According to ABC News, the government talking points on the situation in Benghazi went through eleven versions prior to their final release. We've created an interactive tool allowing you to walk through each individual change.

After the attack on the American embassy in that Libyan city on September 11, 2012, the CIA developed an initial outline describing what it knew about the situation, which is the initial draft you see below. That outline was then reviewed by the State Department, and went through a number of iterations before being distributed to members of Congress and used by the Susan Rice, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, in appearances on Sunday morning talk shows on September 16.

Where possible, we've included context describing why the change was made and who requested it, as reported by ABC. That context appears beneath each draft, in italics.

.new { background-color: #cfc; font-weight: bold; } .rem { text-decoration: line-through; background-color: #fcc; } big { font-weight: bold; } < Previous | Next > < Previous | Next > < Previous | Next >

Jump to: Sept. 14 11:15 am 12:23 pm 4:42 pm 5:09 pm 6:21 pm 6:41 pm 6:52 pm 8:59 pm Sept. 15 9:45 am 11:08 am 11:26 am

Sept. 14, 11:15 am

• We believe based on currently available information that the attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qa'ida participated in the attack.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• Since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• We are working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 12:23 pm

• We believe based on currently available information that the attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qa'ida participated in the attack.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar ai-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• Since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• We are working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 4:42 pm

• The We believe based on currently available information suggests that the demonstrations attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September we warned of social media reports calling for a demonstration in front of the Embassy and that jihadists were threatening to break into the Embassy.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible. That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists with ties to al Qa'ida participated in the attack violent demonstrations.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is We are working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 5:09 pm

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September we warned of social media reports calling for a demonstration in front of the Embassy and that jihadists were threatening to break into the Embassy.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence. That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 6:21 pm

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September we warned of social media reports calling for a demonstration in front of the Embassy Cairo and that jihadists were threatening to break into the Embassy.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence. That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 6:41 pm

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September we notified Embassy Cairo warned of social media reports calling for a demonstration an encouraging in front of the Embassy Cairo and that jihadists were threatening to break into the Embassy.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence. That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 6:52 am

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September we notified Embassy Cairo of social media reports calling for a demonstration and encouraging jihadists to break into the Embassy.

• The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence, although the crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals. That being said, wWe do know that Islamic extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 14, 8:59 pm

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September the Agency we notified Embassy Cairo of social media reports calling for a demonstration and encouraging jihadists to break into the Embassy.

• The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence, although the crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals. That being said, there are indications We do know that Islamic extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• Initial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia. The group has since released a statement that its leadership did not order the attacks, but did not deny that some of its members were involved. Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page aims to spread Sharia in Libya and emphasizes the need for jihad to counter what it views as false interpretations of Islam, according to an open source study.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, sSince April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

ABC reports that State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland didn't want to name Ansar al-Sharia in order not to "prejudice the investigation."

Sept. 15, 9:45 am

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September the Agency notified Embassy Cairo of social media reports calling for a demonstration and encouraging jihadists to break into the Embassy.

• The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence, although the crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals. That being said, there are indications that Islamic extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• The wide availability of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.

• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. Since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.

• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effort to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

ABC reports that State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland wanted to have the paragraph concerning "numerous pieces" removed because, in her words, it "could be abused by members [of Congress] to beat up the State Department for not paying attention to warnings, so why would we want to feed that either? Concerned ..."

Sept. 15, 11:08 am

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated.

• The investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sept. 15, 11:26 am

• The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. diplomatic post Consulate and subsequently its annex. There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

• This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated.

• The investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities to help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Photo: A man looks at documents in the heavily damaged Benghazi embassy. (AP)    

The 'Gravity' Trailer Will Terrify Its Way into Oscar Season

It's summer blockbuster time, which means we're starting to see trailers from some of the fall's most intriguing offerings, one of which is definitely Alfonso Cuarón's long awaited Gravity. Sure, Warner Bros. delayed the film almost a year, but this minute-and-a-half of Space Shuttle action might actually take your breath away. (And that's before anyone but the CinemaCon audience has even seen it in 3D.) Gravity features George Clooney and Sandra Bullock—the only two credited cast members in the film—basking in the wonder of space... until something goes horribly, spinningly wrong. 

We have high hopes for the October movie, and—in a busy Oscar season for Clooney—it could mean nominations for both actors. But what we're really anticipating is the technical marvel crafted by Cuarón — according to HitFix, Gravity is thought to be an "artistic marvel," and there's already talk of a 17-minute opening shot, not unlike the tracking shot they teach in film school from the director's Children of Men. We're also anticipating an early summer where we might get early first looks—on YouTube and the big screen—at Academy Award contenders like Martin Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street and August: Osage County, which... hey, look, we just got one.

In the meantime, we're ready to go to space with George and Sandra — treacherous as it may be.