John Lennon's killer, Teen Girl's Assault And Escape, Ex-Navy Seal Unmasked

Top stories to know today 

By Francis Adams

Todd Akin. Picture courtesy cbc.ca

1.  Akin finds support amid calls to quit: Mike Huckabee, the former Republican presidential candidate is the only prominent face among the GOP who is backing Tod Akin and campaigning for donations for the U.S. Senate nominee from Missouri. 

   Although Akin has apoligized for his remarks on August 19 saying legitimate rape of women rarely leads to pregnancy, there is a growing list of Republicans who wish to see Akin drop out of the race. They include Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, the Wosconsin Congressman who has made a personal plea for Akin to quit the race. Akin has also found strong support from his suburban St. Louis congressional district, and a few from other parts of the state for being committed to their social causes.

  Akins remarks though may haunt the Republicans as a lot of women have drawn similarity between Akins thinking and that of the party.

  

Picture courtesy njuice.com

2.  Police say teen held captive for two years and sexually assaulted has escaped: A teen girl, who was listed as missing two years ago, when she was only 15 years old, has escaped her captors in southwestern Illinois - a 24 year old man and his mother.

  A SWAT team that raided the house alos rescued the teen's child, whom the girl said was the result of rape by her captor. Wonder what Todd Akin will have to say to this sordid sexual assault of a teen girl?

3. John Lennon's killer denied parole: Former Beatles legend John Lennon's killer, 57 year old Mark David Chapman was denied parole for the seventh time on Thursday by a three-member board hearing the case.

Chapman

  Chapman, who shot Lennon in December 1980 and was sentened to 20 years in prison was denied release despite the panel praising his conduct and accomplishments in prison. According to Boston, board member Sally Thompson wrote: "Despite your positive efforts while incarcerated, your release at this time would greatly undermine respect for the law and tend to trivialize the tragic loss of life which you caused as a result of this heinous, unprovoked, violent, cold and calculated crime," Board members Joseph Crangle and Marc Coppola agreed.

Picture courtesy USA Today

4. Tropical storm Isaac heading to Haiti, poorly organized: Tropical Storm Isaac, although poorly organized was heading toward Haiti and threatening thousands of people still living in tents following a devastating earthquake more than two years ago, a Reuters report said.

  The storm may not strike the vulnerable country at Hurricane strength but is likely to threaten energy production in the Gulkf of Mexico and disrupt the Republican National Convention next week in Florida.

5.  Ex-Navy Seal who wrote first-account book on the raid to kill bin Laden unmasked: Matt Bissonnette, the former Navy Seal who took the pseudonym Mark Owen to write a first account book of the raid in Abottabad, Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden has been unmasked, a day after the book was announced. 

   Fox News was the first to reveal the real identity of the author of the book "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden", followed by the Associated Press which said "One current and one former U.S. military official confirmed the name, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss military personnel matters."
  Pentagon officials had asked CNN not to report the author's real name owing to concern for Bissonnette's former colleagues who could still be active.
 The Associated Press also quoted Special operations chief Admiral Bill McRaven warning his troops, active as well as former, that he would resort to legal action against anyone found to have revealed sensitive information and therby causing fellow forces harm.
 However, the Detroit Free Press quoted a former Justice Department National Security lawyer as saying that the Obama administration might be reluctant to prosecute the author who helped kill the United States of America's number one enemy, that is, considering the book does not reveal sensitive intelligence secrets.