By Stephanie Simon
(Reuters) - 'I'm a compulsive laundry room thief,' says one Facebook confession. 'I'm the reason the 'Public Urination is Illegal' signs were put up at Coyote Village,' says another.
'I sold books for the semester to go to South Padre for spring break ... Gotta pay for the booze somehow,' reveals yet another poster.
By turns rueful and raunchy, these anonymous admissions pop up on 'campus confession' pages unofficially linked to scores of high schools and universities.
Like many social media trends, the confession craze captivates teenagers and 20-somethings - but alarms teachers, law enforcement officers and counselors.
'It's another creative venue where kids are able to say hurtful things, and that's frustrating,' said Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center at Florida Atlantic University.
At the same time, the pages can sometimes offer a catharsis of sorts, attracting heartfelt disclosures from students struggling with depression, alcoholism or eating disorders. Classmates often respond with links to counseling sites and offers to talk.
The anonymity of confession pages is at the core of their appeal, and they use a simple workaround to Facebook's general insistence that people use their real identity on the social network.
Students who set up confessional pages must do so under their real names, as per Facebook policy. But they can choose to cloak their identity as page administrators. To keep posts anonymous, they use free online survey tools such as SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. Confessors simply click on a link to open up a blank box where they can type their tell-all.
The page administrator doesn't see identifying information - just the latest confession.
The pages then prompt visitors to show admiration for the juiciest confessions by 'liking' them and posting comments - often smart-aleck remarks that can draw fan bases of their own.
'The more outrageous comments attract more attention ... so there's little incentive to exercise restraint,' Hinduja said.
Alisen Lafaive found that out quickly when she began reading the Facebook confession page for Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. 'At first, I thought, 'Ooh, Clarkson Confessions! This ought to be juicy!'' said Lafaive, a junior. Then she began scrolling through posts filled with crude invective toward women.
'These things are mean,' she said. 'My feelings are hurt even though none of its directed toward me.' She posted a plea for courtesy but was ignored.
The confessions pages do not violate Facebook rules so long as the content remains within the bounds of civility, said a spokeswoman for the social network. But the pages have drawn complaints from some from principals, college administrators and police.
Dismayed by the content on two high-school confession pages in Kalispell, Montana last month, police asked Facebook to shut them down. Facebook closed one and removed offensive comments from another - but the student instigators simply started a third page, said Jason Parce, a police officer in Kalispell.
Parce threatened to charge participants with defamation and they quickly pulled down their posts. Though some posts were anonymous, many comments came in through Facebook accounts so the writers could easily be identified.
'There was a lot of sexually explicit content directed at specific individuals and a lot of hateful language being used,' said Parce. 'Absolutely, kids are more willing to be crude when they don't have to face anyone. They hide behind the computer.'
High-school pages in Idaho and Arizona have also been shut down after school officials moved to investigate offensive posts.
SAFEGUARDS
Administrators of several confession sites told Reuters that they review each submission and refuse to post any that seem inappropriate.
Facebook also routinely reviews pages on its site and responds to any complaints about content. If its reviewers deem a post objectionable, the social network will remove it or shut down the site entirely, the Facebook spokeswoman said.
None of these safeguards can determine whether those posting and commenting on confessions are bona fide students of a particular school.
At the college level, the concern isn't bullying so much as brand protection. Universities including San Francisco State have asked confession sites to stop using school logos and photographs of iconic buildings for fear that outsiders might mistake the many tales of alcohol-fueled sexual conquests for an official depiction of campus life.
Despite, or perhaps because of, official disapproval, the fad continues to gain steam - and may be helping Facebook regain some of its allure among teens and college students. A recent poll by an online survey tool, Survata, found teens and young adults aged 13 to 25 used micro-blogging platform Tumblr more than Facebook.
Scores of Facebook confession pages have popped up in recent months, at small private colleges and huge state universities. Princeton, Harvard and Yale have pages. So does Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.
Some campuses have Twitter confession accounts as well but Facebook remains the most popular medium. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's confessions page has racked up more than 21,000 Facebook 'likes.' The University of Hawaii at Manoa has nearly 12,000. College students in India, New Zealand and Great Britain are baring their secrets online, too.
'It just makes me laugh,' said Matt Miller, a biology major at the University of Hawaii who checks out his classmates' confessions several times a day. Among the recent posts: a lament about the difficulty of conversing with beautiful brunettes, an admission about a romantic relationship with a teaching assistant, and a cryptic, 'Majoring in mathematics. Judge me.'
The campus confessionals teem with references to specific dorms, classes, fraternities and traditions, giving them an intimate, gossip-over-coffee feel. Many have also become forums for posting secret crushes: 'To the boy in Art History with the long hair and blue shoes. You're so cute!!'
The pages can also offer a lifeline to struggling students.
'I want to pass on hope to people who feel like they don't have any,' said Stephanie Suchecki, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay who makes a point of responding to the most wrenching posts.
Moments of compassion, however, are often swamped by the lewd and the crude - just how some confession junkies like it.
An administrator of the Arizona State University confessions site recently goaded readers to ramp up their revelations: 'What happened to your crazy stories!?!? Hook ups gone bad?! Party gone crazy?! Come on guys! This is ASU!'
(Reporting by Stephanie Simon in Boston; Editing by Jonathan Weber, Tiffany Wu and Tim Dobbyn)
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Judge finds Ohio high school football players guilty of raping girl
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty on Sunday of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party last summer while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
Ohio authorities also promised on Sunday to continue the investigation to determine if other crimes had been committed.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of Steubenville's 'Big Red' football team, were found delinquent in the sexual assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
Judge Tom Lipps ordered Richmond held in a juvenile detention facility for at least one year and Mays at least two years. The juvenile system could hold them until age 21. Both were required to register as juvenile sex offenders.
The defendants could be heard sobbing after Lipps announced his decision in the non-jury, juvenile court case. Mays also was found delinquent on a second charge - taking and sending a picture of the girl to other people.
Mays and Richmond apologized to the victim before Lipps imposed detention. Both had denied the charges and said any sex that occurred was consensual.
'I had no intention to do anything like that,' said Richmond, who walked up to the girl's mother in the courtroom and apologized to her.
'I forgive you,' she replied.
Afterward, the girl's mother said the defendants displayed a lack of human compassion or 'any moral code.'
'This does not define who my daughter is,' she said in a statement. 'She will persevere, grow and move on. I have pity for you both. I hope you fear the Lord, repent for your actions and pray hard for forgiveness.'
Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, said Sunday they would appeal the decision.
'This is an invasion of justice at best, a miscarriage of justice at worst,' Madison said, adding that Richmond's family was devastated.
Adam Nemann, who represents Mays, left without commenting.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the case could not be brought to a 'finality' without a grand jury and he was asking the Jefferson County courts to name one in mid-April to determine if any other people should be charged with crimes.
Crimes that might be considered include failure to report a felony, a misdemeanor, and tampering with evidence, he said, adding that there was no limit to what might be looked at.
'NO STONE UNTURNED'
Investigators interviewed 27 partygoers but 16 others refused to cooperate and numerous witnesses could be called to testify before a grand jury that could meet for a number of days, DeWine told a news conference.
'This community needs assurance that no stone has been left unturned in our search for the truth,' DeWine said.
The investigation has included interviews with home owners, the school principal, superintendent and football coaches from Steubenville high school, 56 interviews in all, DeWine said.
State forensic analysts waded through more than 396,000 text messages, 308,000 photos/pictures and 940 video clips recovered from cell phones as part of the investigation, DeWine said.
DeWine said prosecutors had other evidence they would like to present to the grand jury and the 16 witnesses who would not talk to prosecutors in the investigation.
Bob Fitzsimmons, an attorney representing the girl, said on Sunday his side still was weighing whether to file a civil lawsuit.
The case drew national attention to the town, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party that appeared to document the assault were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Three teammates of Mays and Richmond were granted immunity and testified against them at the trial. DeWine said Sunday the immunity granted to those players under the specific circumstances would carry over to the grand jury.
A small group of demonstrators waited outside the courthouse for the judge's decision on Sunday.
The trial's testimony was capped by the girl's acknowledgment that she had little memory from that night.
Lipps said the evidence presented was profane and ugly at times and said that alcohol consumption showed a particular danger to 'our teenage youth.'
Prosecutors had argued that the things that made the girl an imperfect witness, her substantial impairment, also made her a perfect victim.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher and David Bailey; Editing by Steve Gorman, Xavier Briand, Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty on Sunday of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party last summer while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
Ohio authorities also promised on Sunday to continue the investigation to determine if other crimes had been committed.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of Steubenville's 'Big Red' football team, were found delinquent in the sexual assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
Judge Tom Lipps ordered Richmond held in a juvenile detention facility for at least one year and Mays at least two years. The juvenile system could hold them until age 21. Both were required to register as juvenile sex offenders.
The defendants could be heard sobbing after Lipps announced his decision in the non-jury, juvenile court case. Mays also was found delinquent on a second charge - taking and sending a picture of the girl to other people.
Mays and Richmond apologized to the victim before Lipps imposed detention. Both had denied the charges and said any sex that occurred was consensual.
'I had no intention to do anything like that,' said Richmond, who walked up to the girl's mother in the courtroom and apologized to her.
'I forgive you,' she replied.
Afterward, the girl's mother said the defendants displayed a lack of human compassion or 'any moral code.'
'This does not define who my daughter is,' she said in a statement. 'She will persevere, grow and move on. I have pity for you both. I hope you fear the Lord, repent for your actions and pray hard for forgiveness.'
Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, said Sunday they would appeal the decision.
'This is an invasion of justice at best, a miscarriage of justice at worst,' Madison said, adding that Richmond's family was devastated.
Adam Nemann, who represents Mays, left without commenting.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the case could not be brought to a 'finality' without a grand jury and he was asking the Jefferson County courts to name one in mid-April to determine if any other people should be charged with crimes.
Crimes that might be considered include failure to report a felony, a misdemeanor, and tampering with evidence, he said, adding that there was no limit to what might be looked at.
'NO STONE UNTURNED'
Investigators interviewed 27 partygoers but 16 others refused to cooperate and numerous witnesses could be called to testify before a grand jury that could meet for a number of days, DeWine told a news conference.
'This community needs assurance that no stone has been left unturned in our search for the truth,' DeWine said.
The investigation has included interviews with home owners, the school principal, superintendent and football coaches from Steubenville high school, 56 interviews in all, DeWine said.
State forensic analysts waded through more than 396,000 text messages, 308,000 photos/pictures and 940 video clips recovered from cell phones as part of the investigation, DeWine said.
DeWine said prosecutors had other evidence they would like to present to the grand jury and the 16 witnesses who would not talk to prosecutors in the investigation.
Bob Fitzsimmons, an attorney representing the girl, said on Sunday his side still was weighing whether to file a civil lawsuit.
The case drew national attention to the town, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party that appeared to document the assault were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Three teammates of Mays and Richmond were granted immunity and testified against them at the trial. DeWine said Sunday the immunity granted to those players under the specific circumstances would carry over to the grand jury.
A small group of demonstrators waited outside the courthouse for the judge's decision on Sunday.
The trial's testimony was capped by the girl's acknowledgment that she had little memory from that night.
Lipps said the evidence presented was profane and ugly at times and said that alcohol consumption showed a particular danger to 'our teenage youth.'
Prosecutors had argued that the things that made the girl an imperfect witness, her substantial impairment, also made her a perfect victim.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher and David Bailey; Editing by Steve Gorman, Xavier Briand, Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman)
Judge finds two Ohio teens delinquent in rape of girl
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty on Sunday of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party last summer while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
Ohio authorities also promised on Sunday to continue the investigation to determine if other crimes had been committed.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of Steubenville's 'Big Red' football team, were found delinquent in the sexual assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
Judge Tom Lipps ordered Richmond held in a juvenile detention facility for at least one year and Mays at least two years. The juvenile system could hold them until age 21. Both were required to register as juvenile sex offenders.
The defendants could be heard sobbing after Lipps announced his decision in the non-jury, juvenile court case. Mays also was found delinquent on a second charge - taking and sending a picture of the girl to other people.
Mays and Richmond apologized to the victim before Lipps imposed detention. Both had denied the charges and said any sex that occurred was consensual.
'I had no intention to do anything like that,' said Richmond, who walked up to the girl's mother in the courtroom and apologized to her.
'I forgive you,' she replied.
Afterward, the girl's mother said the defendants displayed a lack of human compassion or 'any moral code.'
'This does not define who my daughter is,' she said in a statement. 'She will persevere, grow and move on. I have pity for you both. I hope you fear the Lord, repent for your actions and pray hard for forgiveness.'
Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, said Sunday they would appeal the decision.
'This is an invasion of justice at best, a miscarriage of justice at worst,' Madison said, adding that Richmond's family was devastated.
Adam Nemann, who represents Mays, left without commenting.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the case could not be brought to a 'finality' without a grand jury and he was asking the Jefferson County courts to name one in mid-April to determine if other crimes had been committed.
Crimes that might be considered include failure to report a felony, a misdemeanor, and tampering with evidence, he said, adding that there was no limit to what they might be looked at.
'NO STONE UNTURNED'
Investigators interviewed 27 partygoers but 16 others refused to cooperate and numerous witnesses could be called to testify before a grand jury that could meet for a number of days, DeWine told a news conference.
'This community needs assurance that no stone has been left unturned in our search for the truth,' DeWine said.
The investigation has included interviews with home owners, the school principal, superintendent and football coaches from Steubenville high school, DeWine said.
Bob Fitzsimmons, an attorney representing the girl, said on Sunday his side still was weighing whether to file a civil lawsuit.
The case drew national attention to the town, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party that appeared to document the assault were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Three teammates of Mays and Richmond were granted immunity and testified against them at the trial. DeWine said Sunday the immunity granted to those players under the specific circumstances would carry over to the grand jury.
The trial's testimony was capped by the girl's acknowledgment that she had little memory from that night.
Lipps said the evidence presented was profane and ugly at times and said that alcohol consumption showed a particular danger to 'our teenage youth.'
Prosecutors had argued that the things that made the girl an imperfect witness, her substantial impairment, also made her a perfect victim.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters has not identified the girl.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher and David Bailey; Editing by Steve Gorman, Xavier Briand and Bill Trott)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty on Sunday of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party last summer while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
Ohio authorities also promised on Sunday to continue the investigation to determine if other crimes had been committed.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of Steubenville's 'Big Red' football team, were found delinquent in the sexual assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
Judge Tom Lipps ordered Richmond held in a juvenile detention facility for at least one year and Mays at least two years. The juvenile system could hold them until age 21. Both were required to register as juvenile sex offenders.
The defendants could be heard sobbing after Lipps announced his decision in the non-jury, juvenile court case. Mays also was found delinquent on a second charge - taking and sending a picture of the girl to other people.
Mays and Richmond apologized to the victim before Lipps imposed detention. Both had denied the charges and said any sex that occurred was consensual.
'I had no intention to do anything like that,' said Richmond, who walked up to the girl's mother in the courtroom and apologized to her.
'I forgive you,' she replied.
Afterward, the girl's mother said the defendants displayed a lack of human compassion or 'any moral code.'
'This does not define who my daughter is,' she said in a statement. 'She will persevere, grow and move on. I have pity for you both. I hope you fear the Lord, repent for your actions and pray hard for forgiveness.'
Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, said Sunday they would appeal the decision.
'This is an invasion of justice at best, a miscarriage of justice at worst,' Madison said, adding that Richmond's family was devastated.
Adam Nemann, who represents Mays, left without commenting.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the case could not be brought to a 'finality' without a grand jury and he was asking the Jefferson County courts to name one in mid-April to determine if other crimes had been committed.
Crimes that might be considered include failure to report a felony, a misdemeanor, and tampering with evidence, he said, adding that there was no limit to what they might be looked at.
'NO STONE UNTURNED'
Investigators interviewed 27 partygoers but 16 others refused to cooperate and numerous witnesses could be called to testify before a grand jury that could meet for a number of days, DeWine told a news conference.
'This community needs assurance that no stone has been left unturned in our search for the truth,' DeWine said.
The investigation has included interviews with home owners, the school principal, superintendent and football coaches from Steubenville high school, DeWine said.
Bob Fitzsimmons, an attorney representing the girl, said on Sunday his side still was weighing whether to file a civil lawsuit.
The case drew national attention to the town, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party that appeared to document the assault were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Three teammates of Mays and Richmond were granted immunity and testified against them at the trial. DeWine said Sunday the immunity granted to those players under the specific circumstances would carry over to the grand jury.
The trial's testimony was capped by the girl's acknowledgment that she had little memory from that night.
Lipps said the evidence presented was profane and ugly at times and said that alcohol consumption showed a particular danger to 'our teenage youth.'
Prosecutors had argued that the things that made the girl an imperfect witness, her substantial impairment, also made her a perfect victim.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters has not identified the girl.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher and David Bailey; Editing by Steve Gorman, Xavier Briand and Bill Trott)
Ohio attorney general to continue investigation in Steubenville
(Reuters) - Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said on Sunday he would seek a grand jury investigation to look deeper into the events surrounding the rape of a 16-year-old girl while she was in a drunken stupor last summer at a party in Steubenville, Ohio.
A juvenile judge on Sunday found high school football players Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, delinquent in the sex assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
DeWine said that while they had conducted an extensive investigation, 16 people, mostly juveniles, had refused to cooperate and they could not bring a finality to it without convening a grand jury.
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Bill Trtt)
A juvenile judge on Sunday found high school football players Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, delinquent in the sex assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
DeWine said that while they had conducted an extensive investigation, 16 people, mostly juveniles, had refused to cooperate and they could not bring a finality to it without convening a grand jury.
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Bill Trtt)
Judge finds two Ohio teens guilty of raping girl
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party last summer while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of Steubenville's 'Big Red' football team, were found delinquent in the sexual assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
The defendants could be heard sobbing after Judge Tom Lipps announced the decision in the non-jury, juvenile court case. He began immediately taking arguments about a sentence in the case.
Mays and Richmond had denied the charge and said any sex that occurred was consensual.
Both apologized to the victim in short statements after Lipps found them delinquent of all charges against them.
They could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
The case drew national attention to the town, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party that appeared to document the assault were posted online.
The non-jury trial neared its conclusion late on Saturday after four days of testimony capped by the accuser's tearful acknowledgment on the witness stand that she had little memory from the night of the alleged assaults.
Lipps said the evidence presented was profane and ugly at times and said that alcohol consumption showed a particular danger to 'our teenage youth.'
Mays and Richmond, were charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration while she was passed out from heavy drinking at a party.
In her testimony on Saturday, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with slushy-iced beverages the night of the party, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of what happened during the time span in between, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters has not identified the girl.
Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter argued that the things that made the accuser 'an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim.'
'She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy,' the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered by highlighting inconsistencies in the accounts of various witnesses, one of whom he accused of taking part in assaulting the girl, then cooperating with prosecutors under a grant of immunity.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman, Xavier Briand and Bill Trott)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two high school football players from Ohio were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl at a party last summer while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of Steubenville's 'Big Red' football team, were found delinquent in the sexual assault of the girl in the early morning of August 12 when witnesses said she was too drunk to move or speak.
The defendants could be heard sobbing after Judge Tom Lipps announced the decision in the non-jury, juvenile court case. He began immediately taking arguments about a sentence in the case.
Mays and Richmond had denied the charge and said any sex that occurred was consensual.
Both apologized to the victim in short statements after Lipps found them delinquent of all charges against them.
They could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
The case drew national attention to the town, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party that appeared to document the assault were posted online.
The non-jury trial neared its conclusion late on Saturday after four days of testimony capped by the accuser's tearful acknowledgment on the witness stand that she had little memory from the night of the alleged assaults.
Lipps said the evidence presented was profane and ugly at times and said that alcohol consumption showed a particular danger to 'our teenage youth.'
Mays and Richmond, were charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration while she was passed out from heavy drinking at a party.
In her testimony on Saturday, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with slushy-iced beverages the night of the party, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of what happened during the time span in between, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters has not identified the girl.
Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter argued that the things that made the accuser 'an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim.'
'She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy,' the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered by highlighting inconsistencies in the accounts of various witnesses, one of whom he accused of taking part in assaulting the girl, then cooperating with prosecutors under a grant of immunity.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman, Xavier Briand and Bill Trott)
Judge set to render verdict in rape trial of two Ohio teens
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - A judge was set to render his verdict on Sunday in the rape trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with assaulting a 16-year-old girl while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
The non-jury trial neared its conclusion late on Saturday after four days of testimony capped by the accuser's tearful acknowledgment on the witness stand that she had little memory from the night of the alleged assaults.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers then rested their cases and delivered closing arguments before Judge Tom Lipps adjourned the proceedings for the night. He said he would weigh the evidence and announce his verdict in court at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration during the early-morning hours of August 12, 2012, while she was passed out from heavy drinking at a party.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping their accuser and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images, as well as Twitter banter, were posted online appearing to document the alleged assault and its aftermath.
In her testimony on Saturday, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with slushy-iced beverages the night of the party, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of what happened during the time span in between, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters has not identified the girl.
Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter argued that the very things that made the accuser 'an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim.'
'She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy,' the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered by highlighting inconsistencies in the accounts of various witnesses, one of whom he accused of taking part in assaulting the girl, then cooperating with prosecutors under a grant of immunity.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - A judge was set to render his verdict on Sunday in the rape trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with assaulting a 16-year-old girl while she was in a drunken stupor in a case that gained national exposure through social media.
The non-jury trial neared its conclusion late on Saturday after four days of testimony capped by the accuser's tearful acknowledgment on the witness stand that she had little memory from the night of the alleged assaults.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers then rested their cases and delivered closing arguments before Judge Tom Lipps adjourned the proceedings for the night. He said he would weigh the evidence and announce his verdict in court at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration during the early-morning hours of August 12, 2012, while she was passed out from heavy drinking at a party.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping their accuser and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images, as well as Twitter banter, were posted online appearing to document the alleged assault and its aftermath.
In her testimony on Saturday, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with slushy-iced beverages the night of the party, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of what happened during the time span in between, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters has not identified the girl.
Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter argued that the very things that made the accuser 'an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim.'
'She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy,' the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered by highlighting inconsistencies in the accounts of various witnesses, one of whom he accused of taking part in assaulting the girl, then cooperating with prosecutors under a grant of immunity.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)
Trial of two Ohio students charged with rape nears conclusion
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Prosecutors and defense lawyers in the trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl rested their cases on Saturday after testimony from the accuser, and the judge said he would render his verdict the next morning.
Presiding over the non-jury trial, the judge heard closing arguments then adjourned to weigh evidence from four days of testimony, capped by the accuser tearfully acknowledging she had little memory from the night of the alleged assault.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration while she was essentially unconscious from heavy drinking at a party.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
The judge said he would announce his verdict in court at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping their accuser and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images, as well as Twitter banter, were posted online appearing to document the alleged assault and its aftermath.
Taking the stand as the final witness of the trial, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with store-bought frozen slushies at a party that evening, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of her own of what happened in the early hours of August 12, 2012, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters is not identifying the girl.
The girl testified that she only learned what had happened to her from text messages, pictures and other information posted on social media by classmates who witnessed the alleged assault. Some of those witnesses have testified.
TEARFUL REACTION
Prosecutors displayed to her some of the pictures that circulated on social media, including one that showed her naked with what prosecutors say is semen on her stomach.
The girl started crying as she looked at the photo, saying she had never seen it before.
'Who is that in the photo?' prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter asked.
'Me,' the girl answered.
'How does it make you feel?' Hemmeter asked.
'Not good.'
The girl also testified that when she finally went to the hospital, after seeing a video in which classmates joked about the incident, she was reluctant to identify her alleged assailants.
When Hemmeter asked her why, the girl replied: 'Because honestly, I was praying that everything I heard wasn't true. I didn't want to get myself into drama because I knew everyone would just blame me.'
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
After cross-examination of the accuser by defense lawyers, who sought to highlight inconsistencies between her testimony and accounts of others, the two sides rested their cases and presented their closing arguments.
Hemmeter argued that the very things that made the accuser 'an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim.'
'She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy,' the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered that among the witnesses called by prosecutors, 'neither of their stories matches up.'
He added: 'The reality is somebody's telling a lie. ... Her friend told this court she has a reputation for telling lies.'
Two former friends of the accuser - Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile - told the court on Saturday that she was known for fabricating stories.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well - a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by the defense why she had doubts, Weaver said, 'Because (she) lies about things.'
Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her because of the accusations.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Prosecutors and defense lawyers in the trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl rested their cases on Saturday after testimony from the accuser, and the judge said he would render his verdict the next morning.
Presiding over the non-jury trial, the judge heard closing arguments then adjourned to weigh evidence from four days of testimony, capped by the accuser tearfully acknowledging she had little memory from the night of the alleged assault.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping a girl by digital penetration while she was essentially unconscious from heavy drinking at a party.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
The judge said he would announce his verdict in court at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping their accuser and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images, as well as Twitter banter, were posted online appearing to document the alleged assault and its aftermath.
Taking the stand as the final witness of the trial, the accuser recounted drinking vodka mixed with store-bought frozen slushies at a party that evening, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of her own of what happened in the early hours of August 12, 2012, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters is not identifying the girl.
The girl testified that she only learned what had happened to her from text messages, pictures and other information posted on social media by classmates who witnessed the alleged assault. Some of those witnesses have testified.
TEARFUL REACTION
Prosecutors displayed to her some of the pictures that circulated on social media, including one that showed her naked with what prosecutors say is semen on her stomach.
The girl started crying as she looked at the photo, saying she had never seen it before.
'Who is that in the photo?' prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter asked.
'Me,' the girl answered.
'How does it make you feel?' Hemmeter asked.
'Not good.'
The girl also testified that when she finally went to the hospital, after seeing a video in which classmates joked about the incident, she was reluctant to identify her alleged assailants.
When Hemmeter asked her why, the girl replied: 'Because honestly, I was praying that everything I heard wasn't true. I didn't want to get myself into drama because I knew everyone would just blame me.'
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
After cross-examination of the accuser by defense lawyers, who sought to highlight inconsistencies between her testimony and accounts of others, the two sides rested their cases and presented their closing arguments.
Hemmeter argued that the very things that made the accuser 'an imperfect witness (also) made her, in every sense of the word, a perfect victim.'
'She was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy,' the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Walter Madison countered that among the witnesses called by prosecutors, 'neither of their stories matches up.'
He added: 'The reality is somebody's telling a lie. ... Her friend told this court she has a reputation for telling lies.'
Two former friends of the accuser - Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile - told the court on Saturday that she was known for fabricating stories.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well - a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by the defense why she had doubts, Weaver said, 'Because (she) lies about things.'
Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her because of the accusations.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Accuser in Steubenville rape case says she recalls little
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The 16-year-old accuser in the trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with raping her while she was drunk at a party took the stand on Saturday and said she remembered little of what happened on the night she says she was assaulted.
The girl recounted drinking vodka mixed with store-bought frozen slushies at the party that evening, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day, after the alleged rape, with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of her own of what happened in the early hours of August 12, 2012, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters is not identifying the girl.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping the girl by digital penetration while she was essentially unconscious.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case, being tried before a judge rather than a jury, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
The girl testified that she only learned what had happened to her from text messages, pictures and other bits of information posted on social media by classmates who witnessed the assaults. Some of those witnesses have testified.
TEARFUL REACTION
Prosecutors displayed to her some of the pictures that circulated on social media, including one that showed her naked with what prosecutors say is semen on her stomach.
The girl started crying as she looked at the photo, saying she had never seen the image before.
'Who is that in the photo?' prosecutor Marrianne Hemmeter asked.
'Me,' the girl answered.
'How does it make you feel?' Hemmeter said.
'Not good.'
The girl also testified that when she finally went to the hospital, after seeing a video in which classmates joked about the assault, she was reluctant to identify her assailants.
When Hemmeter asked her why, the girl replied: 'Because honestly, I was praying that everything I heard wasn't true. I didn't want to get myself into drama because I knew everyone would just blame me.'
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Earlier on Saturday, the defense called two former friends of the accuser - Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile - who testified that the girl had a reputation for dishonesty.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well - a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense why she had doubts, Weaver said, 'Because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her because of the accusations.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond, granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing a sex act on the girl while she was passed out during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but he deleted the footage the next morning.
A second teammate, Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house that same night.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Cooney)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The 16-year-old accuser in the trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with raping her while she was drunk at a party took the stand on Saturday and said she remembered little of what happened on the night she says she was assaulted.
The girl recounted drinking vodka mixed with store-bought frozen slushies at the party that evening, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day, after the alleged rape, with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of her own of what happened in the early hours of August 12, 2012, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters is not identifying the girl.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping the girl by digital penetration while she was essentially unconscious.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case, being tried before a judge rather than a jury, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
The girl testified that she only learned what had happened to her from text messages, pictures and other bits of information posted on social media by classmates who witnessed the assaults. Some of those witnesses have testified.
TEARFUL REACTION
Prosecutors displayed to her some of the pictures that circulated on social media, including one that showed her naked with what prosecutors say is semen on her stomach.
The girl started crying as she looked at the photo, saying she had never seen the image before.
'Who is that in the photo?' prosecutor Marrianne Hemmeter asked.
'Me,' the girl answered.
'How does it make you feel?' Hemmeter said.
'Not good.'
The girl also testified that when she finally went to the hospital, after seeing a video in which classmates joked about the assault, she was reluctant to identify her assailants.
When Hemmeter asked her why, the girl replied: 'Because honestly, I was praying that everything I heard wasn't true. I didn't want to get myself into drama because I knew everyone would just blame me.'
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Earlier on Saturday, the defense called two former friends of the accuser - Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile - who testified that the girl had a reputation for dishonesty.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well - a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense why she had doubts, Weaver said, 'Because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her because of the accusations.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond, granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing a sex act on the girl while she was passed out during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but he deleted the footage the next morning.
A second teammate, Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house that same night.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Cooney)
Steubenville rape trial accuser's veracity questioned
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The trial of two Ohio high school football players accused of raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl resumed on Saturday with two former friends of the accuser testifying that she had a reputation for dishonesty.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, are charged with sexually assaulting the girl in the early morning of August 12, 2012, when she was too drunk to move or speak.
During testimony Saturday, the defense called Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile, two classmates of the accuser who described themselves as her former best friends.
Reuters is not identifying the girl making the accusations.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her that she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well -- a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense attorneys why she had doubts, Weaver said 'because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her as a result of the accusations.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
Evan Westlake, who was also granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl while she was incapacitated. She told police she did not remember what happened and reported the incident the next day after hearing details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
Testimony in the trial, which began Wednesday, is scheduled to continue into the evening Saturday and resume again on Sunday. The judge said he expects the trial to run into Tuesday.
(Editing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Gunna Dickson)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The trial of two Ohio high school football players accused of raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl resumed on Saturday with two former friends of the accuser testifying that she had a reputation for dishonesty.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, are charged with sexually assaulting the girl in the early morning of August 12, 2012, when she was too drunk to move or speak.
During testimony Saturday, the defense called Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile, two classmates of the accuser who described themselves as her former best friends.
Reuters is not identifying the girl making the accusations.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her that she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well -- a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense attorneys why she had doubts, Weaver said 'because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her as a result of the accusations.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
Evan Westlake, who was also granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl while she was incapacitated. She told police she did not remember what happened and reported the incident the next day after hearing details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
Testimony in the trial, which began Wednesday, is scheduled to continue into the evening Saturday and resume again on Sunday. The judge said he expects the trial to run into Tuesday.
(Editing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Gunna Dickson)
Reuters staffer accused of aiding hackers maintains innocence: lawyer
By Dan Levine and Joseph Menn
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Reuters.com editor maintained his innocence after being suspended with pay on Friday following a federal indictment on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective.
Matthew Keys, 26, a deputy social media editor, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said he had been hired by Keys to represent him and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland told Reuters he was assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them, 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters Corp. spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday, but declined additional comment. Keys did not respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. An FBI agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Ekeland and a California lawyer working for Keys, Jay Leiderman, laid out a number of defenses, starting with the argument that Keys was acting as a freelance journalist when he was invited to join the Internet Relay Chat channel with elite hackers.
'He was in the chat room interviewing,' Leiderman said.
Ekeland said in a video interview with the Huffington Post that while he understood that Keys used the screen name AESCracked at times during the chats recovered by authorities, someone else might have been using that name when AESCracked promised to provide Tribune logon credentials.
Ekeland also said the damage Keys was accused of causing was minor. 'It's just sort of a juvenile defacement of a minor story on the L.A. Times website-which he didn't do,' Ekeland told the Huffington Post. The maximum for conviction on all three counts would be 25 years in prison, although actual sentences handed down by judges are often far less than the maximum.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu.
Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an FBI informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Leiderman's clients include Anonymous member Christopher Doyon, who calls himself Commander X. Doyon was charged with hacking Santa Cruz County, California, computers, but jumped bail and has told Leiderman he is in Canada, Leiderman said.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Editing by Ciro Scotti and Peter Cooney)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Reuters.com editor maintained his innocence after being suspended with pay on Friday following a federal indictment on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective.
Matthew Keys, 26, a deputy social media editor, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said he had been hired by Keys to represent him and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland told Reuters he was assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them, 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters Corp. spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday, but declined additional comment. Keys did not respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. An FBI agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Ekeland and a California lawyer working for Keys, Jay Leiderman, laid out a number of defenses, starting with the argument that Keys was acting as a freelance journalist when he was invited to join the Internet Relay Chat channel with elite hackers.
'He was in the chat room interviewing,' Leiderman said.
Ekeland said in a video interview with the Huffington Post that while he understood that Keys used the screen name AESCracked at times during the chats recovered by authorities, someone else might have been using that name when AESCracked promised to provide Tribune logon credentials.
Ekeland also said the damage Keys was accused of causing was minor. 'It's just sort of a juvenile defacement of a minor story on the L.A. Times website-which he didn't do,' Ekeland told the Huffington Post. The maximum for conviction on all three counts would be 25 years in prison, although actual sentences handed down by judges are often far less than the maximum.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu.
Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an FBI informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Leiderman's clients include Anonymous member Christopher Doyon, who calls himself Commander X. Doyon was charged with hacking Santa Cruz County, California, computers, but jumped bail and has told Leiderman he is in Canada, Leiderman said.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Editing by Ciro Scotti and Peter Cooney)
Friday, March 15, 2013
Witnesses describe sex acts in Ohio football rape trial
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
A third witness, a friend of the defendants who was also granted immunity, said he saw both defendants making sexual contact with her while she appeared to be passed out, naked and face down on a basement floor.
'She wasn't moving. She wasn't talking. She wasn't participating,' said Anthony Craig, 18.
The rape case against Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Mark Cole, a teammate granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Editing by David Bailey, Daniel Trotta and Leslie Adler)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
A third witness, a friend of the defendants who was also granted immunity, said he saw both defendants making sexual contact with her while she appeared to be passed out, naked and face down on a basement floor.
'She wasn't moving. She wasn't talking. She wasn't participating,' said Anthony Craig, 18.
The rape case against Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Mark Cole, a teammate granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Editing by David Bailey, Daniel Trotta and Leslie Adler)
Reuters staffer accused of aiding hackers maintains innocence -lawyer
By Dan Levine and Joseph Menn
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp suspended with pay a deputy social media editor for Reuters.com who has been indicted on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective, a company spokesman said on Friday.
Matthew Keys, 26, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, Calif., on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said that he has been hired to represent Keys and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland said that he is assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them: 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday but declined additional comment. Keys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu. Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Reporting by Dan Levine and Joseph Menn; Editing by Ciro Scotti)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp suspended with pay a deputy social media editor for Reuters.com who has been indicted on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective, a company spokesman said on Friday.
Matthew Keys, 26, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, Calif., on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said that he has been hired to represent Keys and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland said that he is assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them: 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday but declined additional comment. Keys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu. Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Reporting by Dan Levine and Joseph Menn; Editing by Ciro Scotti)
Thomson Reuters employee Keys will fight criminal charges: defense lawyer
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Suspended Thomson Reuters employee Matthew Keys, indicted Thursday on federal hacking charges involving the group Anonymous, 'maintains his innocence,' his attorney told Reuters on Friday.
New York-based attorney Tor Ekeland said Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
(Reporting By Joseph Menn and Dan Levine)
New York-based attorney Tor Ekeland said Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
(Reporting By Joseph Menn and Dan Levine)
Ohio rape trial turns to eyewitness testimony
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
Mark Cole, who was granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Trent Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Ma'lik Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. They have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
It is Reuters' policy not to name rape victims.
The rape case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Cole, Westlake and a third Steubenville football player testified for the prosecution in a preliminary hearing after receiving assurances they would not be charged for their actions that night. All were expected to testify at the trial.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Under cross-examination by Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, Cole said 'yes' when asked whether he felt obligated to answer questions from an investigator in 'the direction they were pushing you.'
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Writing by David Bailey; editing by Jim Marshall)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
Mark Cole, who was granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Trent Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Ma'lik Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. They have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
It is Reuters' policy not to name rape victims.
The rape case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Cole, Westlake and a third Steubenville football player testified for the prosecution in a preliminary hearing after receiving assurances they would not be charged for their actions that night. All were expected to testify at the trial.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Under cross-examination by Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, Cole said 'yes' when asked whether he felt obligated to answer questions from an investigator in 'the direction they were pushing you.'
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Writing by David Bailey; editing by Jim Marshall)
U.S. to press China on cyber attacks, seek deeper ties: official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will press China to take 'serious steps' to stop cyber attacks directed at the United States and urge the administration of new Chinese President Xi Jinping to accelerate economic reforms, a U.S. official said on Friday.
Lew's visit to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday comes at a crucial time, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. 'China is undergoing their once-in-a-decade leadership transition and, of course, their reform process is at a crossroads.'
'It's important to deepen our relationship with China's new leadership team at this time,' the official said.
Lew lacks the international stature of his predecessor, Timothy Geithner, and is signaling the importance the United States put on its economic relationship with China by making his first international trip as secretary to Beijing.
Secretary of State John Kerry in coming weeks will also make his first trip to China since taking office last month.
Both Kerry and Lew will host their Chinese counterparts in Washington in the middle of this year for the annual U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the official said.
China's legislature formally chose Li Keqiang as premier on Friday, installing the English-speaking bureaucrat as the man in charge of the world's second-largest economy.
President Barack Obama raised U.S. concerns about computer hacking in a phone call with Xi on Thursday, just days after U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage had supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States.
'We will press China to take serious steps to investigate and put a stop to these activities and to engage with us in a constructive direct dialogue to establish acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace, recognizing it is a growing challenge for both of us,' the senior U.S. official said.
Lew will also press China to allow its currency to rise further against the dollar and push on other concerns such as increased market access for U.S. goods and better protection of intellectual property rights, the official said.
China's yuan has appreciated 16 percent in real terms against the dollar since June 2010. 'More progress, however, is needed,' the official said.
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Lew's visit to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday comes at a crucial time, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. 'China is undergoing their once-in-a-decade leadership transition and, of course, their reform process is at a crossroads.'
'It's important to deepen our relationship with China's new leadership team at this time,' the official said.
Lew lacks the international stature of his predecessor, Timothy Geithner, and is signaling the importance the United States put on its economic relationship with China by making his first international trip as secretary to Beijing.
Secretary of State John Kerry in coming weeks will also make his first trip to China since taking office last month.
Both Kerry and Lew will host their Chinese counterparts in Washington in the middle of this year for the annual U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the official said.
China's legislature formally chose Li Keqiang as premier on Friday, installing the English-speaking bureaucrat as the man in charge of the world's second-largest economy.
President Barack Obama raised U.S. concerns about computer hacking in a phone call with Xi on Thursday, just days after U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage had supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States.
'We will press China to take serious steps to investigate and put a stop to these activities and to engage with us in a constructive direct dialogue to establish acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace, recognizing it is a growing challenge for both of us,' the senior U.S. official said.
Lew will also press China to allow its currency to rise further against the dollar and push on other concerns such as increased market access for U.S. goods and better protection of intellectual property rights, the official said.
China's yuan has appreciated 16 percent in real terms against the dollar since June 2010. 'More progress, however, is needed,' the official said.
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
U.S. to press China on cyber-attacks, seek deeper ties: official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will press China to take 'serious steps' to investigate and stop cyber-attacks on U.S. companies and other entities and urge the administration of new Chinese President Xi Jinping to accelerate economic reforms, a senior official said on Friday.
Lew's visit to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday 'comes at an important moment,' the official said, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity. 'China is undergoing their once-in-a-decade leadership transition and, of course, their reform process is at a crossroads.'
'It's important to deepen our relationship with China's new leadership team at this time,' the official said
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Lew's visit to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday 'comes at an important moment,' the official said, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity. 'China is undergoing their once-in-a-decade leadership transition and, of course, their reform process is at a crossroads.'
'It's important to deepen our relationship with China's new leadership team at this time,' the official said
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Thomson Reuters employee indicted for aiding hackers: court filing
By Joseph Menn and Dan Levine
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal grand jury has indicted Matthew Keys, deputy social media editor at Reuters.com, for conspiring with members of the Anonymous hacking collective to break into the computers of his former employer, Tribune Co. The alleged incident occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters Corp, the indictment filed on Thursday indicated.
The indictment charged Keys with three criminal counts, including conspiracy to transmit information to damage a protected computer. The indictment said that he promised to give hackers access to Tribune Co websites and that a story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was later altered by one of them.
Keys did not respond to requests for comment. But several hours after the indictment was handed down, he tweeted: 'I found out the same way most of you did: From Twitter. Tonight I'm going to take a break. Tomorrow, business as usual.' His attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment.
A Thomson Reuters spokesman said the company was aware of the indictment and added: 'Any legal violations, or failures to comply with the company's own strict set of principles and standards, can result in disciplinary action. We would also observe the indictment alleges the conduct occurred in December 2010; Mr. Keys joined Reuters in 2012.'
The company did not comment on Keys's employment status. However, a Thomson Reuters employee at the New York office where Keys worked said that his work station was being dismantled and that his security pass had been deactivated.
The documents in the case paint a picture of a disgruntled former Tribune employee who fell in with some of the most notorious hackers in the country-and then worked with them, as well as against them.
The case began in early December 2010, when Fox 40, a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, Calif., received emails saying someone had claimed to have an internal list of employees, according to an affidavit for a search warrant submitted by Los Angeles-based Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Gabriel Andrews.
A former colleague suggested Keys as a suspect, according to the FBI affidavit, because he had been terminated as an employee in October 2010 and then refused to hand over control of the Facebook and Twitter accounts he had run for Fox 40.
Within weeks of the first suspicious email, the affidavit said Keys told the same colleague that he had penetrated an elite chat group used by some of the most sophisticated members of Anonymous. According to the affidavit, Keys said he had learned of upcoming attacks on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times, eBay's PayPal and other companies. Two days later, a story on Latimes.com was defaced.
When Keys learned that a member of the hacking group had changed the Times story, Keys responded 'nice,' according to the indictment.
Transcripts of the electronic chats excerpted in the affidavit and the indictment show someone using the nickname AESCracked offered to grant access to Tribune computers to others in the chat group. 'Let me see if I can find some other users/pass I created while there,' he wrote after previous credentials were denied access, the indictment said. The indictment says Keys used the nickname AESCracked.
The documents appear to show Keys playing a double game for weeks before getting kicked out of the chat group. As a journalist between jobs, he took screenshots of the hacking group's chats and sent them to media outlets, he wrote later on a personal blog cited by the FBI.
He claimed credit for that work in a posting on his personal website in March 2011, writing: 'I identified myself as a journalist during my interaction.'
But others in the chat room were furious at the leaks. The leading figure, known as Sabu, said on Twitter days later that Keys was AESCracked and 'gave full control of LATimes.com to hackers.'
Sabu, subsequently identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, was arrested later in 2011 and began cooperating secretly with the FBI while continuing to lead an Anonymous spinoff called LulzSec, according to court documents.
The probe of Monsegur, who is awaiting sentencing for more serious breaches at Sony and elsewhere and is continuing to cooperate with prosecutors, led to chat transcripts containing evidence against Keys, the affidavit says.
Keys, now 26 and living in New Jersey, went to work for another television station before joining Reuters in January 2012 as deputy social media editor. He was relatively well known on Twitter, amassing more than 23,000 followers for his personal account, apart from his tweets under the Reuters brand.
He also wrote occasional longer blog entries for Reuters, including at least two about Anonymous. In a March 2012 entry, after Sabu's exposure, Keys blogged about how he had gained entry to the elite chat group called InternetFeds and said Sabu had confided his New York location and other details.
One Sacramento acquaintance, Mona Vaughn, said Keys had 'a pretty extreme personality.' She said she recommended him on LinkedIn before she found out that he had disparaged a former employer.
At Reuters, where his main mission was to promote journalists' stories through social media, Keys drew attention last October by covertly creating a parody Twitter account, PendingLarry, which mocked Google after a premature release of an earnings report that included a space reserved for comment by CEO Larry Page. He was reprimanded by Reuters editors for that incident.
The case against Keys is being prosecuted by Benjamin Wagner, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, which includes Sacramento. Keys could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.
In an interview, Wagner said that Keys appeared to have been acting against Tribune primarily as an angry former employee.
But because Keys could have claimed he was acting as a journalist, Wagner said the case was taken to high-level officials at the Justice Department in Washington for approval multiple times 'out of an abundance of caution.' Wagner declined to say whether Keys has been cooperating.
Some online activists used the Keys case to renew their criticism of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the anti-hacking law under which Keys was indicted. Federal prosecutors used the law against Aaron Swartz, a computer programmer who was accused of illegally distributing scholarly articles and hanged himself in January.
Hanni Fakhoury, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the cases were fundamentally different but both highlighted the excessively draconian punishments that prosecutors could seek under the CFAA.
'Aaron's case was about taking information in a way he wasn't supposed to, and this is about vandalism in its simplest form,' Fakhoury said. 'But the similarities are in how the sentencing scheme is so dramatic under the CFAA that he (Keys) could face 25 years.'
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(This story corrects wording of fifth paragraph to make clear that work station, not computer, was being dismantled)
(Reporting by Joseph Menn and Dan Levine; Additional reporting by Alistair Barr and Gerry Shih; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Ciro Scotti)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal grand jury has indicted Matthew Keys, deputy social media editor at Reuters.com, for conspiring with members of the Anonymous hacking collective to break into the computers of his former employer, Tribune Co. The alleged incident occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters Corp, the indictment filed on Thursday indicated.
The indictment charged Keys with three criminal counts, including conspiracy to transmit information to damage a protected computer. The indictment said that he promised to give hackers access to Tribune Co websites and that a story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was later altered by one of them.
Keys did not respond to requests for comment. But several hours after the indictment was handed down, he tweeted: 'I found out the same way most of you did: From Twitter. Tonight I'm going to take a break. Tomorrow, business as usual.' His attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment.
A Thomson Reuters spokesman said the company was aware of the indictment and added: 'Any legal violations, or failures to comply with the company's own strict set of principles and standards, can result in disciplinary action. We would also observe the indictment alleges the conduct occurred in December 2010; Mr. Keys joined Reuters in 2012.'
The company did not comment on Keys's employment status. However, a Thomson Reuters employee at the New York office where Keys worked said that his work station was being dismantled and that his security pass had been deactivated.
The documents in the case paint a picture of a disgruntled former Tribune employee who fell in with some of the most notorious hackers in the country-and then worked with them, as well as against them.
The case began in early December 2010, when Fox 40, a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, Calif., received emails saying someone had claimed to have an internal list of employees, according to an affidavit for a search warrant submitted by Los Angeles-based Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Gabriel Andrews.
A former colleague suggested Keys as a suspect, according to the FBI affidavit, because he had been terminated as an employee in October 2010 and then refused to hand over control of the Facebook and Twitter accounts he had run for Fox 40.
Within weeks of the first suspicious email, the affidavit said Keys told the same colleague that he had penetrated an elite chat group used by some of the most sophisticated members of Anonymous. According to the affidavit, Keys said he had learned of upcoming attacks on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times, eBay's PayPal and other companies. Two days later, a story on Latimes.com was defaced.
When Keys learned that a member of the hacking group had changed the Times story, Keys responded 'nice,' according to the indictment.
Transcripts of the electronic chats excerpted in the affidavit and the indictment show someone using the nickname AESCracked offered to grant access to Tribune computers to others in the chat group. 'Let me see if I can find some other users/pass I created while there,' he wrote after previous credentials were denied access, the indictment said. The indictment says Keys used the nickname AESCracked.
The documents appear to show Keys playing a double game for weeks before getting kicked out of the chat group. As a journalist between jobs, he took screenshots of the hacking group's chats and sent them to media outlets, he wrote later on a personal blog cited by the FBI.
He claimed credit for that work in a posting on his personal website in March 2011, writing: 'I identified myself as a journalist during my interaction.'
But others in the chat room were furious at the leaks. The leading figure, known as Sabu, said on Twitter days later that Keys was AESCracked and 'gave full control of LATimes.com to hackers.'
Sabu, subsequently identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, was arrested later in 2011 and began cooperating secretly with the FBI while continuing to lead an Anonymous spinoff called LulzSec, according to court documents.
The probe of Monsegur, who is awaiting sentencing for more serious breaches at Sony and elsewhere and is continuing to cooperate with prosecutors, led to chat transcripts containing evidence against Keys, the affidavit says.
Keys, now 26 and living in New Jersey, went to work for another television station before joining Reuters in January 2012 as deputy social media editor. He was relatively well known on Twitter, amassing more than 23,000 followers for his personal account, apart from his tweets under the Reuters brand.
He also wrote occasional longer blog entries for Reuters, including at least two about Anonymous. In a March 2012 entry, after Sabu's exposure, Keys blogged about how he had gained entry to the elite chat group called InternetFeds and said Sabu had confided his New York location and other details.
One Sacramento acquaintance, Mona Vaughn, said Keys had 'a pretty extreme personality.' She said she recommended him on LinkedIn before she found out that he had disparaged a former employer.
At Reuters, where his main mission was to promote journalists' stories through social media, Keys drew attention last October by covertly creating a parody Twitter account, PendingLarry, which mocked Google after a premature release of an earnings report that included a space reserved for comment by CEO Larry Page. He was reprimanded by Reuters editors for that incident.
The case against Keys is being prosecuted by Benjamin Wagner, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, which includes Sacramento. Keys could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.
In an interview, Wagner said that Keys appeared to have been acting against Tribune primarily as an angry former employee.
But because Keys could have claimed he was acting as a journalist, Wagner said the case was taken to high-level officials at the Justice Department in Washington for approval multiple times 'out of an abundance of caution.' Wagner declined to say whether Keys has been cooperating.
Some online activists used the Keys case to renew their criticism of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the anti-hacking law under which Keys was indicted. Federal prosecutors used the law against Aaron Swartz, a computer programmer who was accused of illegally distributing scholarly articles and hanged himself in January.
Hanni Fakhoury, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the cases were fundamentally different but both highlighted the excessively draconian punishments that prosecutors could seek under the CFAA.
'Aaron's case was about taking information in a way he wasn't supposed to, and this is about vandalism in its simplest form,' Fakhoury said. 'But the similarities are in how the sentencing scheme is so dramatic under the CFAA that he (Keys) could face 25 years.'
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(This story corrects wording of fifth paragraph to make clear that work station, not computer, was being dismantled)
(Reporting by Joseph Menn and Dan Levine; Additional reporting by Alistair Barr and Gerry Shih; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Ciro Scotti)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Thomson Reuters employee indicted for aiding hackers -court filing
By Dan Levine
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal grand jury indicted Matthew Keys, deputy social media editor at Reuters.com, of aiding the group Anonymous to hack into Tribune Co computers. The incident occurred prior to his employment by Thomson Reuters Corp, the indictment filed on Thursday indicated.
The indictment charged Keys with three criminal counts, including conspiracy to transmit information to damage a protected computer. The indictment alleged that other hacking targets were the Fox 40 television station in Sacramento, Calif. and the Los Angeles Times, both owned by Tribune.
Keys could not immediately be reached for comment. A Thomson Reuters spokesman said the company is aware of the indictment and added, 'Any legal violations, or failures to comply with the company's own strict set of principles and standards, can result in disciplinary action. We would also observe the indictment alleges the conduct occurred in December 2010; Mr. Keys joined Reuters in 2012, and while investigations continue we will have no further comment.' The company didn't specify whether any disciplinary action has been taken against Keys. A Tribune Co spokesman declined to comment.
In December 2010, members of Anonymous had a conversation online in which one expressed a desire to gain unauthorized access to Fox computer systems, the indictment says.
Keys, who once worked for KTXL Fox 40 as a web producer, identified himself as a former employee and gave them a username and password, according to the indictment.
Someone then used the information to log on to servers for Tribune Co, which is Fox 40's corporate parent. Shortly after, the indictment alleges, a member of the conspiracy altered content on a Los Angeles Times news story on the paper's website.
When Keys learned that the hacker had changed the Times story, Keys responded 'nice,' according to the indictment.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Ciro Scotti)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal grand jury indicted Matthew Keys, deputy social media editor at Reuters.com, of aiding the group Anonymous to hack into Tribune Co computers. The incident occurred prior to his employment by Thomson Reuters Corp, the indictment filed on Thursday indicated.
The indictment charged Keys with three criminal counts, including conspiracy to transmit information to damage a protected computer. The indictment alleged that other hacking targets were the Fox 40 television station in Sacramento, Calif. and the Los Angeles Times, both owned by Tribune.
Keys could not immediately be reached for comment. A Thomson Reuters spokesman said the company is aware of the indictment and added, 'Any legal violations, or failures to comply with the company's own strict set of principles and standards, can result in disciplinary action. We would also observe the indictment alleges the conduct occurred in December 2010; Mr. Keys joined Reuters in 2012, and while investigations continue we will have no further comment.' The company didn't specify whether any disciplinary action has been taken against Keys. A Tribune Co spokesman declined to comment.
In December 2010, members of Anonymous had a conversation online in which one expressed a desire to gain unauthorized access to Fox computer systems, the indictment says.
Keys, who once worked for KTXL Fox 40 as a web producer, identified himself as a former employee and gave them a username and password, according to the indictment.
Someone then used the information to log on to servers for Tribune Co, which is Fox 40's corporate parent. Shortly after, the indictment alleges, a member of the conspiracy altered content on a Los Angeles Times news story on the paper's website.
When Keys learned that the hacker had changed the Times story, Keys responded 'nice,' according to the indictment.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Ciro Scotti)
More change at Google as Maps-Commerce chief gets new role
By Alexei Oreskovic
(Reuters) - Google Inc's mapping and commerce chief is stepping down in the latest senior management reshuffle after Android architect Andy Rubin moved on to a still-undefined role at the company on Wednesday.
Google will split its Maps/Geo and Commerce group into two separate units. Senior Vice President Jeff Huber, who has led the group since 2011, is moving to Google X, the company's experimental projects group known for developing self-driving cars and the Google Glass wearable computer.
Huber, who has worked on some of Google's 'most complicated issues like ads, apps, payments and geo,' is 'eager to work in a more startup-like environment,' the company said in a statement on Thursday.
The Maps/Geo group will be folded into Google's search division, formally called Knowledge and led by Senior Vice President Alan Eustace, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Google's Commerce group, which among other things is responsible for the company's online payment product Google Wallet, will become part of the Advertising group headed by Senior Vice President Susan Wojcicki, said the person, who is not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be named.
Google, the world's No. 1 Web search engine, generated 95 percent of its revenue last year from ads.
The changes represent the most significant management reorganization since Google co-founder Larry Page became chief executive in April 2011 and streamlined the company's key products into several groups that report directly to him.
With the new changes, five main product groups instead of the previous seven will report to Page.
Page's inner circle of advisers, known internally as the L-Team, is also changing with the addition of engineering senior vice president Sridhar Ramaswmamy, according to people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear if Huber or Rubin were leaving the influential L-Team, which is comprised of Google's top product executives as well as finance and legal executives and is responsible for plotting Google's strategic priorities.
Shares of Google have risen 16 percent this year, as investors have gained confidence that the company is well-positioned for an industry-wide transition in which consumers increasingly use mobile phones, instead of personal computers, to access the Web.
On Wednesday Google said Sundar Pichai would take over its fast-growing Android mobile software business, replacing Rubin, who is moving to a new, yet-to-be-defined role at the company.
Google did not say what Huber's role or title would be within Google X, which is led by Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
Shares of Google were down 0.5 percent at $821.54 in late afternoon on Thursday.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Richard Chang)
(Reuters) - Google Inc's mapping and commerce chief is stepping down in the latest senior management reshuffle after Android architect Andy Rubin moved on to a still-undefined role at the company on Wednesday.
Google will split its Maps/Geo and Commerce group into two separate units. Senior Vice President Jeff Huber, who has led the group since 2011, is moving to Google X, the company's experimental projects group known for developing self-driving cars and the Google Glass wearable computer.
Huber, who has worked on some of Google's 'most complicated issues like ads, apps, payments and geo,' is 'eager to work in a more startup-like environment,' the company said in a statement on Thursday.
The Maps/Geo group will be folded into Google's search division, formally called Knowledge and led by Senior Vice President Alan Eustace, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Google's Commerce group, which among other things is responsible for the company's online payment product Google Wallet, will become part of the Advertising group headed by Senior Vice President Susan Wojcicki, said the person, who is not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be named.
Google, the world's No. 1 Web search engine, generated 95 percent of its revenue last year from ads.
The changes represent the most significant management reorganization since Google co-founder Larry Page became chief executive in April 2011 and streamlined the company's key products into several groups that report directly to him.
With the new changes, five main product groups instead of the previous seven will report to Page.
Page's inner circle of advisers, known internally as the L-Team, is also changing with the addition of engineering senior vice president Sridhar Ramaswmamy, according to people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear if Huber or Rubin were leaving the influential L-Team, which is comprised of Google's top product executives as well as finance and legal executives and is responsible for plotting Google's strategic priorities.
Shares of Google have risen 16 percent this year, as investors have gained confidence that the company is well-positioned for an industry-wide transition in which consumers increasingly use mobile phones, instead of personal computers, to access the Web.
On Wednesday Google said Sundar Pichai would take over its fast-growing Android mobile software business, replacing Rubin, who is moving to a new, yet-to-be-defined role at the company.
Google did not say what Huber's role or title would be within Google X, which is led by Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
Shares of Google were down 0.5 percent at $821.54 in late afternoon on Thursday.
(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Richard Chang)
Target buys two e-commerce chains to boost culinary business
(Reuters) - Discount chain Target Corp has agreed to buy Chefs Catalog and Cooking.com to boost its ability to sell cooking products and kitchenware online.
The company did not disclose the financial terms of the two separate deals, which are expected to close within 30 days.
Target does not expect the deals to affect its results this year in any meaningful way.
Chefs Catalog, backed by San Francisco-based private equity firm JH Partners, sells everything from utensils to kitchen tools directly to customers. The Colorado Springs-based company runs the www.chefscatalog.com website.
Cooking.com sells more than 30,000 kitchen products as well as recipes, cookbooks and member-submitted cooking content. The e-commerce company is based in Marina del Rey, California.
(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
The company did not disclose the financial terms of the two separate deals, which are expected to close within 30 days.
Target does not expect the deals to affect its results this year in any meaningful way.
Chefs Catalog, backed by San Francisco-based private equity firm JH Partners, sells everything from utensils to kitchen tools directly to customers. The Colorado Springs-based company runs the www.chefscatalog.com website.
Cooking.com sells more than 30,000 kitchen products as well as recipes, cookbooks and member-submitted cooking content. The e-commerce company is based in Marina del Rey, California.
(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
Google to shut Reader web feed application, users vent
By Sayantani Ghosh
(Reuters) - Google Inc said it will shut Google Reader on July 1, citing declining usage for the application that aggregates content served by web feeds, as it forges ahead with its strategy to focus on fewer products that have more impact.
Google Reader was launched in 2005 to make it easy for people to discover websites of interest and keep tabs on them.
Google said there were 'two simple reasons' for closing the service. 'Usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we are pouring all of our energy into fewer products,' the company said on its official blog on Wednesday.(http://r.reuters.com/nur66t)
Users of the doomed app took to Twitter to vent about the closing of the service, making 'Google Reader' one of the top trending topics on the microblogging site.
'Shutdown of Google Reader because of a 'lack of consumer appeal?' No way. The simple reason: RSS can't be controlled and monetized easily,' one Twitter user wrote.
'The killing Of Google Reader highlights the risk of relying on a single provider,' another Tweet said.
Lawyer Dan Lewis started a campaign on petition website Change.org to save Google Reader that garnered more than 31,000 supporters in about 12 hours.(http://r.reuters.com/kyr66t)
PepsiCo Inc recently removed a controversial chemical from its Gatorade drinks following concerns from consumers and an online petition on Change.org started by a Mississippi teenager.
Some users pointed out alternative readers such as Feedly (http://r.reuters.com/sur66t) and NewsBlur, and Feedly was quick to capitalize on Google's announcement by offering tips to Reader users for moving their data to its website.
Google said users and developers interested in alternatives to Reader can export their data, including subscriptions, with the Google Takeout service over the next four months.
Google Takeout allows users take their data out of multiple Google products and collate it in portable and open formats, making it easy to export to other services.
Google said it would retire seven other products and services over the next few months, including its voice app for BlackBerry.
In a blogpost titled 'A second spring of cleaning', Google said the latest closures meant it has now pulled the plug on 70 features or services since it started streamlining its product base in 2011.
(Additional reporting by Sakthi Prasad and Supantha Mukherjee; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Ted Kerr)
(Reuters) - Google Inc said it will shut Google Reader on July 1, citing declining usage for the application that aggregates content served by web feeds, as it forges ahead with its strategy to focus on fewer products that have more impact.
Google Reader was launched in 2005 to make it easy for people to discover websites of interest and keep tabs on them.
Google said there were 'two simple reasons' for closing the service. 'Usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we are pouring all of our energy into fewer products,' the company said on its official blog on Wednesday.(http://r.reuters.com/nur66t)
Users of the doomed app took to Twitter to vent about the closing of the service, making 'Google Reader' one of the top trending topics on the microblogging site.
'Shutdown of Google Reader because of a 'lack of consumer appeal?' No way. The simple reason: RSS can't be controlled and monetized easily,' one Twitter user wrote.
'The killing Of Google Reader highlights the risk of relying on a single provider,' another Tweet said.
Lawyer Dan Lewis started a campaign on petition website Change.org to save Google Reader that garnered more than 31,000 supporters in about 12 hours.(http://r.reuters.com/kyr66t)
PepsiCo Inc recently removed a controversial chemical from its Gatorade drinks following concerns from consumers and an online petition on Change.org started by a Mississippi teenager.
Some users pointed out alternative readers such as Feedly (http://r.reuters.com/sur66t) and NewsBlur, and Feedly was quick to capitalize on Google's announcement by offering tips to Reader users for moving their data to its website.
Google said users and developers interested in alternatives to Reader can export their data, including subscriptions, with the Google Takeout service over the next four months.
Google Takeout allows users take their data out of multiple Google products and collate it in portable and open formats, making it easy to export to other services.
Google said it would retire seven other products and services over the next few months, including its voice app for BlackBerry.
In a blogpost titled 'A second spring of cleaning', Google said the latest closures meant it has now pulled the plug on 70 features or services since it started streamlining its product base in 2011.
(Additional reporting by Sakthi Prasad and Supantha Mukherjee; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Ted Kerr)
Google to shut down Reader web feed application
(Reuters) - Google Inc is to retire Google Reader in July, it said on Wednesday, citing declining usage for the application that aggregates content served by web feeds.
'There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we are pouring all of our energy into fewer products,' Google said in its official blog.
The Reader application was launched in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. The service will be retired on July 1.
Google said users and developers interested in alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with 'Google Takeout' service over the course of the next four months.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
(This story was refiled to correct the day of the week in the first paragraph to Wednesday from Thursday)
'There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we are pouring all of our energy into fewer products,' Google said in its official blog.
The Reader application was launched in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. The service will be retired on July 1.
Google said users and developers interested in alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with 'Google Takeout' service over the course of the next four months.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
(This story was refiled to correct the day of the week in the first paragraph to Wednesday from Thursday)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
As cyber threats build against U.S., CEOs ask for "light touch"
By Susan Heavey and Alina Selyukh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corporate leaders from the defense, technology, energy and banking industries told President Barack Obama on Wednesday they agreed cyber attacks were a top security threat but that they were looking for a 'light touch' from the government in response to the risk.
Obama and his top security advisers met with chief executives from 13 companies in the White House Situation Room to talk about how the government and private sector could improve cyber security, including the need for legislation.
The White House has elevated the issue after efforts to improve U.S. cyber defenses through new laws failed in Congress last year.
'I think we all agreed - and that included the administration and the president - that we want as light a government touch on this as possible,' Honeywell International's David Cote told CNBC after the meeting.
'Flexibility is important, because this is the kind of threat that changes very quickly,' he said.
The meeting came a day after U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage had supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States.
Obama signed an executive order last month to encourage information-sharing, which most business leaders welcome, and voluntary security standards, which have been a point of contention.
But the executive action is not as strong as law and Obama has urged Congress to try again on legislation. 'There are ways that we can harden our critical infrastructure, our financial sector,' Obama said in an interview with ABC earlier on Wednesday. 'They need to get this done.'
Obama took the unusual step of meeting with corporate executives in the Situation Room, the secure site in the West Wing basement where the president meets with national security advisers during crises.
The meeting included Randall Stephenson of AT&T, Wes Bush of Northrop Grumman, Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase & Co, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, and Nicholas Akins of American Electric Power Co..
'The threat is real ... there is a consistent, persistent threat here that we need to be concerned about as a country,' Cote told reporters after the meeting.
This week, U.S. authorities said they were investigating reports that Obama's own family had been hit by hacking.
The president said in the ABC interview that he did not know whether reports were true that hackers had posted financial and personal information online about his wife, Michelle, along with other high-profile Americans.
'It would not shock me if some information ... among people who presumably have pretty good safeguards against it, still gets out,' he said.
(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Ros Krasny and Peter Cooney)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corporate leaders from the defense, technology, energy and banking industries told President Barack Obama on Wednesday they agreed cyber attacks were a top security threat but that they were looking for a 'light touch' from the government in response to the risk.
Obama and his top security advisers met with chief executives from 13 companies in the White House Situation Room to talk about how the government and private sector could improve cyber security, including the need for legislation.
The White House has elevated the issue after efforts to improve U.S. cyber defenses through new laws failed in Congress last year.
'I think we all agreed - and that included the administration and the president - that we want as light a government touch on this as possible,' Honeywell International's David Cote told CNBC after the meeting.
'Flexibility is important, because this is the kind of threat that changes very quickly,' he said.
The meeting came a day after U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage had supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States.
Obama signed an executive order last month to encourage information-sharing, which most business leaders welcome, and voluntary security standards, which have been a point of contention.
But the executive action is not as strong as law and Obama has urged Congress to try again on legislation. 'There are ways that we can harden our critical infrastructure, our financial sector,' Obama said in an interview with ABC earlier on Wednesday. 'They need to get this done.'
Obama took the unusual step of meeting with corporate executives in the Situation Room, the secure site in the West Wing basement where the president meets with national security advisers during crises.
The meeting included Randall Stephenson of AT&T, Wes Bush of Northrop Grumman, Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase & Co, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, and Nicholas Akins of American Electric Power Co..
'The threat is real ... there is a consistent, persistent threat here that we need to be concerned about as a country,' Cote told reporters after the meeting.
This week, U.S. authorities said they were investigating reports that Obama's own family had been hit by hacking.
The president said in the ABC interview that he did not know whether reports were true that hackers had posted financial and personal information online about his wife, Michelle, along with other high-profile Americans.
'It would not shock me if some information ... among people who presumably have pretty good safeguards against it, still gets out,' he said.
(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa, Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Ros Krasny and Peter Cooney)
Obama says Secret Service cutbacks prompted tour cancellations
By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday blamed the decision to halt the popular White House tours on mandatory cutbacks to the Secret Service budget and said he was looking for ways to allow groups such as students to visit.
'I have to say this was not a decision that went up to the White House. What the Secret Service explained to us was that they're going to have to furlough some folks,' Obama told ABC News in explaining why the tours were canceled after $85 billion in automatic spending cuts known as 'sequestration' kicked in.
Trips to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, many of them organized by members of Congress, are especially popular in the spring. That's when school groups and other tourists descend upon the capital to visit monuments and Washington buildings and attend the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Some students have pleaded to be allowed to come, making their case in videos posted online and on social networking websites.
Republican lawmakers accuse the White House of canceling the tours as a way to drum up voter anger and increase pressure on them to agree to Obama's demand for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of a deficit-reduction deal.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the White House decided to suspend the tours after the Secret Service said it could not provide necessary protection during the tours. Uniformed Secret Service guards screen everyone who enters the White House.
'The fact of the matter is that the White House runs the tours,' Carney said. 'The tours are of the White House. The Secret Service staffs the tours.'
The move saves the government about $74,000 a week.
Obama said he was looking at ways to allow some people in the White House.
'What I'm asking ... is, are there ways, for example, for us to accommodate school groups, you know, who may have traveled here with some bake sales. Can we make sure that kids ... can still come to tour?' the president said.
Obama said the cancellations were an unfortunate result of the automatic budget cuts, which took effect at the start of this month after he and Congress and failed to agree on ways to stem rising deficits.
'I'm always amused when people on the one hand say 'The sequester doesn't mean anything and the administration's exaggerating its effects,' and then whatever the specific effects are, they yell and scream and say, 'Why are you doin' that?'' Obama told ABC.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Xavier Briand)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday blamed the decision to halt the popular White House tours on mandatory cutbacks to the Secret Service budget and said he was looking for ways to allow groups such as students to visit.
'I have to say this was not a decision that went up to the White House. What the Secret Service explained to us was that they're going to have to furlough some folks,' Obama told ABC News in explaining why the tours were canceled after $85 billion in automatic spending cuts known as 'sequestration' kicked in.
Trips to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, many of them organized by members of Congress, are especially popular in the spring. That's when school groups and other tourists descend upon the capital to visit monuments and Washington buildings and attend the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Some students have pleaded to be allowed to come, making their case in videos posted online and on social networking websites.
Republican lawmakers accuse the White House of canceling the tours as a way to drum up voter anger and increase pressure on them to agree to Obama's demand for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of a deficit-reduction deal.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the White House decided to suspend the tours after the Secret Service said it could not provide necessary protection during the tours. Uniformed Secret Service guards screen everyone who enters the White House.
'The fact of the matter is that the White House runs the tours,' Carney said. 'The tours are of the White House. The Secret Service staffs the tours.'
The move saves the government about $74,000 a week.
Obama said he was looking at ways to allow some people in the White House.
'What I'm asking ... is, are there ways, for example, for us to accommodate school groups, you know, who may have traveled here with some bake sales. Can we make sure that kids ... can still come to tour?' the president said.
Obama said the cancellations were an unfortunate result of the automatic budget cuts, which took effect at the start of this month after he and Congress and failed to agree on ways to stem rising deficits.
'I'm always amused when people on the one hand say 'The sequester doesn't mean anything and the administration's exaggerating its effects,' and then whatever the specific effects are, they yell and scream and say, 'Why are you doin' that?'' Obama told ABC.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Xavier Briand)
Apple CEO Cook ordered to testify in e-books case
By Nate Raymond
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook must sit for a deposition in the U.S. government's lawsuit against the company over alleged price-fixing in the e-book market, a judge ruled on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan granted the Justice Department's request to compel Cook to testify for four hours in the lawsuit, which accuses Apple of conspiring with five publishers to raise e-book prices.
The government had argued that Cook likely had relevant information about Apple's entry into the e-books market. It also said Cook likely had conversations related to e-books with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died in 2011.
Apple had fought the request, saying Cook's testimony would be 'cumulative and duplicative' since the government had already deposed 11 other executives at the iPad maker.
Cote, on a teleconference, cited the death of Jobs as a key reason in ordering the deposition.
'Because of that loss, I think the government is entitled to take testimony from high-level executives within Apple about topics relevant to the government case,' as well as to counter Apple's defense arguments, she said.
A spokesman for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple is the only remaining defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed in April 2012 in U.S. District Court in New York.
The five publishers - Pearson Plc's Penguin Group, News Corp's HarperCollins Publishers Inc, CBS Corp's Simon & Schuster Inc, Hachette Book Group Inc and MacMillan - have already settled. The last to settle was Macmillan in February.
A trial is set for June. The government is not requesting damages but is seeking a finding that Apple violated antitrust law. It is also seeking an order blocking Apple from engaging in similar conduct.
TELECONFERENCE ARGUMENTS
During the teleconference, Orin Snyder, a lawyer for Apple at the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, called the government's request to depose Cook a 'fishing expedition.'
Snyder said the testimony of other executives should be sufficient in the case. Depositions of 11 other Apple executives have already taken place or been scheduled, according to an earlier letter Apple sent the judge.
'This effort to depose Mr. Cook, Apple's CEO, reflects the fact the government cannot meet its burden of proof in this case,' Snyder said.
Lawrence Buterman, a Justice Department lawyer, said on the call that Cook had submitted a written declaration in the case in which he said he played no 'meaningful role' in the events at issue.
The Justice Department wants to know what Cook 'means by his qualifier,' Buterman said.
The government believes it is likely, because of Cook's 'position and closeness' with Jobs, that they had private conversations about e-books, Buterman said.
'It means Mr. Cook is the only potential source of information,' he said.
The case is United States v. Apple Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-02826.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Martha Graybow, Nick Zieminski and John Wallace)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook must sit for a deposition in the U.S. government's lawsuit against the company over alleged price-fixing in the e-book market, a judge ruled on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan granted the Justice Department's request to compel Cook to testify for four hours in the lawsuit, which accuses Apple of conspiring with five publishers to raise e-book prices.
The government had argued that Cook likely had relevant information about Apple's entry into the e-books market. It also said Cook likely had conversations related to e-books with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died in 2011.
Apple had fought the request, saying Cook's testimony would be 'cumulative and duplicative' since the government had already deposed 11 other executives at the iPad maker.
Cote, on a teleconference, cited the death of Jobs as a key reason in ordering the deposition.
'Because of that loss, I think the government is entitled to take testimony from high-level executives within Apple about topics relevant to the government case,' as well as to counter Apple's defense arguments, she said.
A spokesman for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple is the only remaining defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed in April 2012 in U.S. District Court in New York.
The five publishers - Pearson Plc's Penguin Group, News Corp's HarperCollins Publishers Inc, CBS Corp's Simon & Schuster Inc, Hachette Book Group Inc and MacMillan - have already settled. The last to settle was Macmillan in February.
A trial is set for June. The government is not requesting damages but is seeking a finding that Apple violated antitrust law. It is also seeking an order blocking Apple from engaging in similar conduct.
TELECONFERENCE ARGUMENTS
During the teleconference, Orin Snyder, a lawyer for Apple at the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, called the government's request to depose Cook a 'fishing expedition.'
Snyder said the testimony of other executives should be sufficient in the case. Depositions of 11 other Apple executives have already taken place or been scheduled, according to an earlier letter Apple sent the judge.
'This effort to depose Mr. Cook, Apple's CEO, reflects the fact the government cannot meet its burden of proof in this case,' Snyder said.
Lawrence Buterman, a Justice Department lawyer, said on the call that Cook had submitted a written declaration in the case in which he said he played no 'meaningful role' in the events at issue.
The Justice Department wants to know what Cook 'means by his qualifier,' Buterman said.
The government believes it is likely, because of Cook's 'position and closeness' with Jobs, that they had private conversations about e-books, Buterman said.
'It means Mr. Cook is the only potential source of information,' he said.
The case is United States v. Apple Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-02826.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Martha Graybow, Nick Zieminski and John Wallace)
Amazon cuts price of largest Kindle Fire tablet
By Alistair Barr
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it cut the price of its largest Kindle Fire tablet, part of an effort by the world's biggest Internet retailer to get the device into the hands of as many consumers as possible.
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch Wi-Fi tablet will now be priced at $269 in the United States, down from $299. The 4G wireless version now starts at $399, compared with $499 before, Amazon said.
Amazon is launching its larger tablet in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Dave Limp, president of Amazon's Kindle business, said the company has increased production of the devices in conjunction with the overseas launch. The cost of making the tablets has fallen with greater economies of scale, letting Amazon cut prices, he said.
'Whenever we are able to create cost efficiencies like this, we want to pass the savings along to our customers,' Limp said in a statement.
(Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Leslie Adler)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it cut the price of its largest Kindle Fire tablet, part of an effort by the world's biggest Internet retailer to get the device into the hands of as many consumers as possible.
The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch Wi-Fi tablet will now be priced at $269 in the United States, down from $299. The 4G wireless version now starts at $399, compared with $499 before, Amazon said.
Amazon is launching its larger tablet in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Dave Limp, president of Amazon's Kindle business, said the company has increased production of the devices in conjunction with the overseas launch. The cost of making the tablets has fallen with greater economies of scale, letting Amazon cut prices, he said.
'Whenever we are able to create cost efficiencies like this, we want to pass the savings along to our customers,' Limp said in a statement.
(Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Leslie Adler)
U.S. groups criticize India drug, tech, farm policies
By Doug Palmer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industry groups on Wednesday called for the United States to increase pressure on India to reform high-tech, agricultural and pharmaceutical policies they said block U.S. exports and damage patent rights.
'India has essentially created a protectionist regime that harms U.S. job creators' in favor of the country's generic drug manufacturers, Roy Waldron, chief intellectual property counsel for Pfizer, said in testimony to the House of Representative Ways and Means trade subcommittee.
Waldron complained that last year India revoked Pfizer's patent for a cancer medicine, Sutent, 'to allow Indian generic companies to manufacture and sell generic copies.'
India also abuses compulsory licenses, which governments are supposed to use in limited circumstances to suspend drug patents, for the benefit of its domestic firms, he said.
Waldron urged U.S. government officials to vigorously pursue those concerns in direct talks with India and to 'review all available policy tools' to pressure the world's largest democracy to better protect U.S. intellectual property.
The hearing comes as U.S. trade benefits for India are up for renewal under the Generalized System of Preferences program, which waives duties on thousands of goods from developing countries to help them create jobs.
India is the largest recipient of benefits under that program, which expires in July.
'With a population of over 1.2 billion, India's markets hold the potential for world-class U.S. products and services. I want to ensure that U.S. job creators can compete there on a level playing field,' said Representative Devin Nunes of California, the Republican chairman of the Ways and Means trade subcommittee.
U.S. technology companies are frustrated by Indian government procurement policies that favor Indian electronics product over foreign, Dean Garfield, president of the Information Technology Industry Council, told the panel.
'The PMA (preferential market access) policy certainly does not bode well for our industry, threatening to shut us out of a significant portion of the Indian ICT (Information and communications technology) market,' Garfield said.
U.S. companies are also disappointed that India is sitting on the sidelines in talks in Geneva aimed at expanding the 1996 Information Technology Agreement, he said.
India also has steep agricultural tariffs and regulatory barriers that keep out many U.S. farm exports, said Allen Johnson, a former U.S. chief agricultural trade negotiator.
Last year, India's agricultural exports to the United States topped $5 billion, a ten-fold increase since 1995, Johnson said. In comparison, U.S. farm exports to India last year were only $900 million, well below their potential, he said.
India's reluctance to reduce its farm tariffs has frustrated the United States in the long-stalled Doha round of world trade talks, Johnson said.
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Vicki Allen)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industry groups on Wednesday called for the United States to increase pressure on India to reform high-tech, agricultural and pharmaceutical policies they said block U.S. exports and damage patent rights.
'India has essentially created a protectionist regime that harms U.S. job creators' in favor of the country's generic drug manufacturers, Roy Waldron, chief intellectual property counsel for Pfizer, said in testimony to the House of Representative Ways and Means trade subcommittee.
Waldron complained that last year India revoked Pfizer's patent for a cancer medicine, Sutent, 'to allow Indian generic companies to manufacture and sell generic copies.'
India also abuses compulsory licenses, which governments are supposed to use in limited circumstances to suspend drug patents, for the benefit of its domestic firms, he said.
Waldron urged U.S. government officials to vigorously pursue those concerns in direct talks with India and to 'review all available policy tools' to pressure the world's largest democracy to better protect U.S. intellectual property.
The hearing comes as U.S. trade benefits for India are up for renewal under the Generalized System of Preferences program, which waives duties on thousands of goods from developing countries to help them create jobs.
India is the largest recipient of benefits under that program, which expires in July.
'With a population of over 1.2 billion, India's markets hold the potential for world-class U.S. products and services. I want to ensure that U.S. job creators can compete there on a level playing field,' said Representative Devin Nunes of California, the Republican chairman of the Ways and Means trade subcommittee.
U.S. technology companies are frustrated by Indian government procurement policies that favor Indian electronics product over foreign, Dean Garfield, president of the Information Technology Industry Council, told the panel.
'The PMA (preferential market access) policy certainly does not bode well for our industry, threatening to shut us out of a significant portion of the Indian ICT (Information and communications technology) market,' Garfield said.
U.S. companies are also disappointed that India is sitting on the sidelines in talks in Geneva aimed at expanding the 1996 Information Technology Agreement, he said.
India also has steep agricultural tariffs and regulatory barriers that keep out many U.S. farm exports, said Allen Johnson, a former U.S. chief agricultural trade negotiator.
Last year, India's agricultural exports to the United States topped $5 billion, a ten-fold increase since 1995, Johnson said. In comparison, U.S. farm exports to India last year were only $900 million, well below their potential, he said.
India's reluctance to reduce its farm tariffs has frustrated the United States in the long-stalled Doha round of world trade talks, Johnson said.
(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Netflix allows U.S. users to connect accounts to Facebook
(Reuters) - Video service Netflix Inc unveiled a new feature on Wednesday that allows subscribers to let their Facebook Inc friends know what television shows and movies they are watching and also see friends' viewing activity.
The feature will be available by the end of the week, Netflix said.
Netflix, which claimed to have with 27.2 million U.S. subscribers at the end of last year, said customers will have an option in their Netflix settings to connect to Facebook. If they agree to share information, rows of friends' movie and TV titles will appear in their account.
Netflix said the social features will be tested regularly and could change over time. Social features have been available to Netflix's international customers, but only became an option after Congress 'updated a video sharing law earlier this year.'
Netflix shares rose 4.5 percent to $190.29 in early trading.
(Reporting By Liana B. Baker)
The feature will be available by the end of the week, Netflix said.
Netflix, which claimed to have with 27.2 million U.S. subscribers at the end of last year, said customers will have an option in their Netflix settings to connect to Facebook. If they agree to share information, rows of friends' movie and TV titles will appear in their account.
Netflix said the social features will be tested regularly and could change over time. Social features have been available to Netflix's international customers, but only became an option after Congress 'updated a video sharing law earlier this year.'
Netflix shares rose 4.5 percent to $190.29 in early trading.
(Reporting By Liana B. Baker)
Obama seeking way to let students still tour White House
By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is looking for ways to restart popular tours of the White House to allow certain groups such as students to visit.
'What I'm asking them is are there ways, for example, for us to accommodate school groups, you know, who may have traveled here with some bake sales. Can we make sure that kids ... can still come to tour?' Obama told ABC News in an interview on Tuesday and aired on Wednesday.
The White House earlier said it had to suspend the tours this month in the wake of mandated across-the-board spending cuts known as 'sequestration.' The move saves the government about $74,000 a week.
Trips to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are particularly popular in the spring as waves of school groups and other tourists descend upon the nation's capital to visit monuments and other Washington buildings and attend the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Republicans decried the cancellations as a way for the administration to spin the cuts to push Obama's position in the budget debate. Some students have pleaded to be allowed to come, making their case in videos posted on-line and on social networking websites.
But Obama said the cancellations were an unfortunate result of the automatic budget cuts, which took effect early this month after Congress and he failed to agree on alternative ways to stem rising deficits.
'I'm always amused when people on the one hand say 'The sequester doesn't mean anything and the administration's exaggerating its effects,' and then whatever the specific effects are, they yell and scream and say, 'Why are you doin' that?'' Obama told ABC.
The White House earlier said the Secret Service, which handles presidential security and is involved in the tours, offered various options to deal with sequester-related cuts ranging from canceling tours to furloughs and cuts in overtime.
Obama told ABC the decision was up to the agency, not the White House, and furloughs would have meant up to 10 percent pay cuts for staffers losing days of work and pay.
He said the tours also underscore the need for lawmakers to come up with a more sensible budget rather than across-the-board cuts that chop 'arbitrary stuff.'
'There are consequences to Congress not having come up with a more sensible way to reduce the deficit,' he said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Vicki Allen)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is looking for ways to restart popular tours of the White House to allow certain groups such as students to visit.
'What I'm asking them is are there ways, for example, for us to accommodate school groups, you know, who may have traveled here with some bake sales. Can we make sure that kids ... can still come to tour?' Obama told ABC News in an interview on Tuesday and aired on Wednesday.
The White House earlier said it had to suspend the tours this month in the wake of mandated across-the-board spending cuts known as 'sequestration.' The move saves the government about $74,000 a week.
Trips to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are particularly popular in the spring as waves of school groups and other tourists descend upon the nation's capital to visit monuments and other Washington buildings and attend the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Republicans decried the cancellations as a way for the administration to spin the cuts to push Obama's position in the budget debate. Some students have pleaded to be allowed to come, making their case in videos posted on-line and on social networking websites.
But Obama said the cancellations were an unfortunate result of the automatic budget cuts, which took effect early this month after Congress and he failed to agree on alternative ways to stem rising deficits.
'I'm always amused when people on the one hand say 'The sequester doesn't mean anything and the administration's exaggerating its effects,' and then whatever the specific effects are, they yell and scream and say, 'Why are you doin' that?'' Obama told ABC.
The White House earlier said the Secret Service, which handles presidential security and is involved in the tours, offered various options to deal with sequester-related cuts ranging from canceling tours to furloughs and cuts in overtime.
Obama told ABC the decision was up to the agency, not the White House, and furloughs would have meant up to 10 percent pay cuts for staffers losing days of work and pay.
He said the tours also underscore the need for lawmakers to come up with a more sensible budget rather than across-the-board cuts that chop 'arbitrary stuff.'
'There are consequences to Congress not having come up with a more sensible way to reduce the deficit,' he said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)